Cultivating Leadership and Ideal Workplace Culture with George Trachilis

09/20/23 • 45 min

In this episode, Tim talks with podcast guest George Trachilis about recognizing and cultivating leadership in their work as leadership coaches. Both Tim and George share their history of how they found themselves working with organizations to improve their processes and systems and the top takeaways each took regarding the power of leadership. As an expert in Lean Leadership, George provides insightful ideas on workplace culture.

Drawing inspiration from leaders in mindset and workplace culture, such as James Clear, Normen Bodek, Shigeo Shingo, and Mike Rother, this episode is a treasure trove of resources for leaders who want to focus on self-improvement. If you consider yourself a leader or someone who has a vision and gets things done, this episode has tons of resources and ideas to help you grow.

About George Trachilis

Author and speaker, George Trachilis, is the Shingo Research Award winning contributor and publisher of the book, Developing Lean Leaders at All Levels. His insight as an entrepreneur and Lean Coach will astound. George is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable people alive in the Lean world today, and his focus has changed from Lean, to operational excellence to leadership excellence. It has always been about leadership and leading by example. Connect with George today to address your leadership needs.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact George Trachilis | Leadership Excellence:

George 00:00

The more you focus on the laggards, the more attention everybody else will want from you, and you'll lose good people. Focus on your superstars. You know, that's the direction you're going people get caught up.

Tim 00:12

I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable. If any of these describe you, then you my friend, or a leader, and this show is all about and all for you. Welcome to the Sweet on Leadership Podcast, episode 16.

Tim 00:46

Thanks again for joining us on sweet on leadership. I'm really pleased today that I have person who I have followed for years joining me. And when I contemplated what we're going to talk about today was the obvious choice for who to reach out to and that's George Trachilis. George, thanks very much for taking the time.

George 01:08

Oh, thank you. Thank you, Tim. So

Tim 01:10

today, we spent a little bit of time here before we hit record talking about what we want to cover. And we don't really know where this is gonna go. But I believe it's all around how both of us, our careers have taken us into the area of strategy, leadership development, team development. And we share a common starting point. And that is really moving from operational excellence, and the tools that are involved there all the way into this, this era. So maybe as a start, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, what you're working on. And then we can get into how we found ourselves down this path.

George 01:53

So, my name is George Trachilis. For those of you that don't know me, I started off in Lean In 1994, working for a company called Motorcoach Industries, which was Greyhound Buses. And in those days, I was a young engineer, just coming out of school basically. And I was asked to be on an implementation team for an ERP implementation, which took me to Pembina, North...

About George Trachilis

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact George Trachilis | Leadership Excellence:

George 00:00

Tim 00:12

Tim 00:46

George 01:08

Oh, thank you. Thank you, Tim. So

Tim 01:10

George 01:53

Previous Episode

Avoiding Burnout through Authentic Leadership with Tracey Borreson

In this engaging episode of the Sweet on Leadership podcast, Tim Sweet interviews Tracy Borreson, an entrepreneur and advocate for authentic leaders. Tracy shares her insights into what it means to be authentic, how to avoid taking servant leadership too far, and how to build team dynamics. She highlights the importance of self-awareness and balancing leadership responsibilities to avoid burnout. If you're an entrepreneur who feels like you're juggling all the things alone, this episode is for you!

The conversation explores the concept of authenticity as being true to oneself and fostering honest communication. The episode emphasizes the need for leaders to prioritize self-care, create a high-performance culture, and encourage team members' involvement in solving problems. Tracy also introduces her upcoming conversation series, "Crazy, Stupid Marketing," where she tackles marketing misconceptions with a panel of experts. Listeners gain valuable insights into authentic leadership, team engagement, and effective marketing strategies.

About Tracy Borreson

Tracy Borreson is an entrepreneur and authenticity advocate known for her commitment to creating awareness around true authenticity. As a mompreneur, Tracy's journey has been driven by her passion for aligning experiences with personal values and unique contributions. Her work focuses on challenging conventional notions of authenticity and encouraging individuals to be honest with themselves and others. Tracy's insights are grounded in her experiences in corporate marketing and leadership roles.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact Tracy Borreson | TLB Coaching & Events:

Transcript:

Tracy 00:00

It comes down to an awareness like what am I doing? Is it actually having the impact that I'm trying to create? And if the impact is more important than the things that I'm doing, it creates space for me to look at new things I could do that could also serve us. Let yourself be part of the we. What could we do to serve us?

Tim 00:26

I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you my friend, are a leader, and this show is all about and all for you. Welcome to the Sweet on Leadership Podcast. This is episode 15.

Tim 01:01

Welcome back to the Sweet on Leadership Podcast. Today I'm truly thrilled to be speaking to my colleague and friend Tracy Borreson with her passion for authenticity that fuels both professional and personal journeys. Tracy's commitment to lighting personal brands on fire has inspired many, including myself. Today, we're going to be digging deep on the essence of authenticity. So, join us for a conversation that will challenge, encourage and inspire you to consider how you show up. Knowing this will help you make a real connection between authenticity, leadership, trust, and your personal brand. So, stay tuned as this conversation can be the difference in your next professional relationship. Without any further ado, here's my conversation with Tracy.

Tim 01:45

Welcome back, everybody. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Sweet on Leadership. I'm joined today by my good friend and longtime colleague now because we've been at this we're working on something always for about three years now. Tracy Borreson Tracy, why don't you introduce yourself to the people so they know who you are. I know who you are. But I want you to introduce yourself, please.

Tracy 02:07

Hello, Tim's people. I am Tracy Borreson. And also,...

Next Episode

Managing Fear and Leading Through Empathy with Dave Sweet, Part 2

In this episode, Tim Sweet is joined once again by his cousin, Dave Sweet, an experienced investigator with a background in law enforcement. Dave is known for his expertise in conducting interviews and uncovering the truth. His passion lies in bridging the gap between investigative practices and leadership in various fields. If you're interested in leadership, fairness, and decision-making, this episode offers valuable insights and practical wisdom.

Tim and Dave also discuss the motives and instincts that leaders and investigators may have, which can lead to unintended consequences. Dave emphasizes the importance of trust in leadership and the role leaders play in creating a fair and accountable environment. They delve into the concept of individuals weighing risks and rewards in their decision-making processes and how this applies to both leadership and investigation. Dave also shares his perspective on the justice system and the value of due process in a democratic society.

About Dave Sweet

Dave Sweet is an experienced investigator with a background in law enforcement. With a wealth of knowledge in conducting interviews and uncovering truth, he brings unique insights into decision-making, fairness, and communication. Dave is passionate about sharing his expertise through consultation and workshops, and he aims to bridge the gap between investigative practices and leadership in various fields.

Resources discussed in this episode:

”Question Behind the Question” by John G. Miller

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact Dave Sweet | Unconventional Classroom:

Transcript

Dave 0:02

As a leader in a workplace, the only thing I can imagine is that your track record and your fairness or your inability to be fair–

Tim 0:14

yeah, your reputation will precede you, your brand will precede you.

Dave 0:17

It 100% will.

Tim 0:22

I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you my friend, are a leader, and this show is all about and all for you. Welcome to the Sweet on Leadership podcast.

Tim 0:55

Dave, thanks again for joining me, our last conversation was so much fun. I think that we really got the jitters out. So, I noticed towards the end of it, we're really slipping into more what I feel with you and we're just sitting down and having a coffee. I love when we get this kind of tempo.

Dave 1:14

Yeah, no, I agree. It's been good.

Tim 1:17

What do you see as being, perhaps, from direct experience or witnessing others going through this? What are some of the motives or instincts that a leader or in your case an investigator may have that has unintended consequences? Are there moments? Are there things that can cause somebody to clam up and say nothing?

Dave 1:40

Well, if the fear is so overwhelming, so let's talk about bad guys, right? So, bad guys have one more stake at the table, then maybe a witness does or a victim does, right? And that is jail. So, if the fear of jail, for life, is greater than or more overwhelming, then your ability as an interviewer, for example, to show them that jail isn't as scary as what they might think that will force somebody to never get to the place that you need them to be. You know, if the bad guy's biggest concern, in an interview, and he tells you, I mean, people tell you what they want to hear, you know, you just have to listen. So, I've always believed that if you listen, somebody's going to tell you what they want you to sort of tell them back. Like a really benign example is if you would, if you were an appliance salesman, and somebody came into your appliance store and said, I need a new dishwasher, this is the third one I've had in the last five years, I'm switching brands, I can't deal with this brand anymore. They're terrible, their service is terrible, I can't find anybody to get parts f...