Dave Smith

Why Your CEO Needs a New Title

A CEO’s Role in Shaping Organizational Culture In this short video, Dr. David Smith shares a story of a CEO who faced a challenge to organizational culture, and his remarkable response. Smith’s insights are drawn from his doctoral research with the Center for Values-Driven Leadership. __ Find Other Videos & Articles Drawn from Dissertation Research

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Three Pillars of a People-Focused, Results-Driven Culture – Service Express, Inc.

Is it possible to be both data-driven and people-focused? The leaders at Service Express, a national data center maintenance firm, believe it is. They explain the three pillars of their results-focused culture in this short video, part of the Return on Values (ROV) research project. Find more videos and information about the ROV project at

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How to Empower Your People & Save Yourself from Burnout: Coach, Don’t Tell – Service Express, Inc.

Dwight Strayer, Chief Operations Officer at Service Express, was on the fast-track to burnout until he made an important realization: by giving his team members the answers to their questions, he was preventing them from developing their technical and leadership skills. Hear Strayer’s story in this short video, part of the Return on Values research

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98%: How One Company Mastered Exceptional Customer Service – Service Express, Inc.

Ron Alvesteffer, president at data center maintenance firm Service Express, says his company’s culture can be summarized in one word: service. It’s no surprise, then, that the company has earned a 98 percent customer retention rate, remarkable for any industry. Learn how they do it in this short video, part of the Return on Values

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Want great leaders? Challenge them to do great things.

In 2001, Blue Plate Catering launched a $10 million dollar project to build a high-profile Chicago restaurant. The project alone would double what the company was worth — if they could succeed. Without money in the bank or investors, it was a big risk. So why did CEO Jim Horan proceed? He moved forward in

jim horan

Three Proven Steps to Building Customer Loyalty

In most businesses, customer loyalty is fundamental to long-term growth. So how do you build strong relationships with customers? CEO Jim Horan of Blue Plate Catering has created a team of experts on this topic. In this short video, they share their top three tips for building customer loyalty. Learn more in this this short

tim

Better Bottom Lines Through Open-Book Management

Growth is not the same as profit. That’s a hard business lesson many small and mid-size business leaders learn. Developing a company that focuses on profitability take a concentrated effort. Some leaders, like the executives at Tasty Catering, have found it’s made easier through Open-Book Management and the Great Game of Business. Learn more in

resilience

Stronger, Better, Faster: How to Build a Resilient Company

Working in internet marketing is like getting shot out of a cannon every day. That’s how a senior leader with Adconion Direct describes their industry. With that sort of dynamic workplace, team members need resilience and an unending habit of turning challenges into opportunities. Learn how Adconion Direct builds resilience in this short video, part

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Keep Top Talent by Making Them CEO of Their Company

Brain drain is a real concern for small businesses. A talented colleague’s capacity may expand faster than the business around her, making it tempting for the team member to leave for more responsibility and a bigger pay check at a larger firm. Chicago’s Tasty Catering has found a unique way to keep high capacity colleagues

tasty

Use Your Core Values to Drive Decision Making: Here’s How…

Phrases we’ve heard repeated and used in action a dozen times over become engrained in our brains, so they help guide our actions and shape our decisions. This theory is played out at Tasty Catering, one of Chicago’s premier corporate caterers. By intentionally creating habits and cultural reminders of the organization’s core values, Tasty Catering’s