Leading Through Change with Kristy Knichel

I am Jennifer Karpis-Romain , executive Director at the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association , which is a trade nonprofit educating and connecting marketing and sales professionals in transportation and logistics , and today on the show I have Christy Knitchell , ceo of Knitchell Logistics . Welcome to the show , christy . How are you doing today ?

But what has kept you motivated and inspired over the years ?

, customers especially the women that are entering into the space , who didn't always see themselves here and , of course , my family family I don't want to forget that .

how has your leadership style evolved as the company and as the industry has changed ?

But I think as we have grown , I've shifted from being in the weeds to empowering others to lead , make those decisions , giving them the autonomy to do that . I've definitely become more intentional , more strategic , specifically more in the past couple of years .

But I've also embraced coaching as a core part of my role , not just for myself but for the people within the company .

You said that I think too often we were like , oh , we have to micromanage , or things are going to get done , but sometimes it's like , hey , we have to train them and show them the way and then let them figure out their own way , and if we don't do that , they're not going to succeed .

Of course , they can't take that weight on if we don't let them try .

their life easier .

But I think one of those tips I'll just share and I told my leadership team this today we have to tell them what we need them to do and give them deadlines to do it , Because I think in the past we tell them we expect them to do it , but right now our management team underneath the leadership team is in the weeds , and they shouldn't necessarily be in the

weeds , but they have to be right now , at this moment , so they don't have time to think about these other things that need to be done or executed or delegating . So it's like we have to tell them that this needs to be done this way . This is what's happening on these days to just help push them through that .

are incredibly important to that piece of the process . I think that we wanna make sure we're setting people up for success and part of that is setting the parameters and how to get there .

And so if we don't set deadlines , if we don't tell people "'Hey , this is when we need something done' and then they don't give it to us in the timeframe that we think that they should give it to us , we get angry or upset or they think they're not doing it .

But really that's kind of on us to be like okay , no , you have x amount of time to get this done . If you're not going to like let's talk through why and how and like how can we like help you achieve these goals ?

So again , you expect them to just kind of pick it up because we've done it for so long , and then you forget what it was like being in that position , trying to learn and understand what the expectations are , so absolutely .

But if there's a new human coming in and taking over for somebody else , their brains just might not work in the same way and so it may have taken that other person quickly to pick up or adapt , or like they're the one that created the position or the role or the process so it made sense to them .

But we have to take that time to make sure it's making sense for the new people too yeah , sometimes it's a different language , right with a different generation even of people . So absolutely , and we talked about this a little bit as we're going through here but what is kind of one leadership lesson ?

You really had to learn the hard way so that you could adapt for the future .

I think a lot of people know that I've had a lot of people work for me for a long time , so letting go of people , especially ones that you care about , can be incredibly hard , especially since they've , you know , some of these people again have been here a long time , so holding on too long can slow down the entire organization .

I've learned that doing the right thing for the business sometimes means making tough and very emotional decisions .

And you know as much as I love the people that have been here and helping the company get to where we're at , sometimes those same people can't get over the challenges or see , you know , through the trees , the bigger picture .

We work with those people obviously in getting some coaching and all that kind of stuff , but sometimes those people just aren't going to make it . And one of the things I think we've learned about that too is in the past , most of the people we've held on to to try to get them there ultimately end up not being able to stay .

So then you look back at how much time , I don't want to say , is wasted but how ? much time . You really couldn't move forward because you're trying to get someone there , you know , so that they continue to be a part of your team , but ultimately it hurts the organization .

And one thing like I've learned in my own leadership journey is , like evolves , like your needs change with the market and with your structure , and if one person your team leaves , it's not always a direct replacement of that person . It's like okay , well , if that person's gone , what skill sets do we need to bring in ? What really makes sense for us here ?

How do we fill the void or make it different or change ? And I think sometimes we get stuck of like , okay , this person's gone , we have to replace them .

but like , taking that step back and really thinking through what the best structure is to move forward is really important absolutely and in an industry that's known for its pace and its pressure and , like you said , you're at this like big milestone marker a lot of change , a lot movement . But how do you stay grounded and sane in all of the change ?

I think that's one of the biggest things I always say is just pushing through . But I lean on my family . I have a lot of mentors that I work with my team .

I also , you know , try to make space for reflection , whether that's just taking some quiet time before you know my day starts , or taking that time like on my way home , sometimes calling someone and having those discussions , just being connected to the purpose and not just like the performance .

It's easy to say like I'm done with this , I just want to throw the towel in , and that happens a lot of times , going in your head , you know , but um , if it was easy , everyone would be doing it .

Um , and I think for me it's coming into this when I was 19 , quitting college and being able to get to where I am today , I think has just continues to push me because I want to also be that role model , that inspiration that other people can look up to and say I can do this too , and I feel like , if I stop , I don't want someone else to think like

that's okay , because we can keep doing what we want to do . You just have to put the time , effort .

You have to have the passion for it , though , too , and I do have a passion for what I do here , not just in the business , but , I think , just in the industry overall , and being able to work with all these great people , that that we meet , getting to know them , and it's just a great industry to be in , so I think a lot of times that reminds me , too

, of why we're doing this . Um , and just the fact that you know you cannot buy anything without a truck delivering it , and being a part of , like , all of that movement that happens throughout the country to me is just very special .

And I agree it gets hard and sometimes you want to just be like no , I need the nap forever , and but it is and I love what you said like if I , if I give up , if I stop going , then the people who look to me are going to do that too , and so sometimes that's all we need to keep pushing . Yeah , knowing people are watching you whether that's my .

So , yes , that definitely goes across my mind at times , um , but I think that's normal , though , in doing what we do as a CEO , to have those ups and downs . It's never going to just be easy . It's like a roller coaster .

I always say you have your good days , you have your bad days , but at the end of the day , we're building something here that I love being able to provide jobs for people , for them to make themselves successful , take care of their families too .

And , obviously , when there's things that don't go well , the first thing my mind is I have all these people that work for me say , 56 people and their families and just being cognizant of that , as you're growing a business and knowing how that affects people .

Or , again , if you want to be done and sell the company at some point again , you know , just starts pulling on you like , okay , well , what does this really mean at the end of the day , and who is going to affect ?

I'm always thinking about everyone else instead of myself , I think sometimes , but it doesn't mean that I don't like what I do or enjoy , you know , building this business . But but all of those things , I guess , wrapped in one .

We saw each other a couple of weeks ago at Broker Carrier Summit and there is the Women in Logistics group and that's a big thing that you're a part of . So I know that you're very passionate about advocating and helping other women join the industry , so can you tell us a little bit more about Women in Logistics ?

Yes , there's women in trucking and there's these forums for these women to go to , to kind of come together , but I think this is a conference that's a little bit different , that you're bringing in different types of people from different areas of the supply chain , types of people from different areas of the supply chain and , I think , being able to build a

community I always say a tribe as well of people around you that you can relate to and then also help lift them up . One of the things that I think inspires me to do this is the fact I didn't have this when I was younger . I didn't have people I could go to .

There wasn't any like women in logistics launches or , you know , women gatherings or any of that till . I didn't have people I could go to . There wasn't any like women in logistics lunches or , you know , women gatherings or any of that till . I don't know , I wouldn't .

Maybe 10 years ago some of this started up , but I think it's so important for women to not just feel safe but have other women to look around to and have those conversations , not saying you can't talk to men of course we all do and have that , that support too , but it is different when you're the only woman in the room or there's only a few of us .

So I do think it's a very important mission not just for me , but for a lot of women out there I know it is for you as well to just continue to build this up .

This is a great career for any woman to have in any piece of the supply chain , and there's so many different positions and I don't want women to feel like that they can't have some kind of career in this space . And being able to have people like us that have kind of you know , made the way , so to speak , for them to kind of continue to keep going .

I know as I get older , I'm looking below me to see who's coming up , who can we continue to talk to and make sure they're , in my opinion , making an impact too , because , again , it doesn't mean you have to do all these different things .

I'm doing just being a part of it , having the conversation , meeting the different women , so that you can get different perspectives about what everyone else does in the industry . Again , I just think it makes everyone just feel I don't know the right word , but maybe it's just a comfortableness in doing this .

There's times I get calls from companies that are like hey , how do I get more women into my company ? Because they are very male dominated and maybe it is just all men and that's going to be challenging .

So I think this is important to build these communities to talk about that and then obviously include the men to help lift women up , and I think with the BCS movement that's happening .

I think that's just a good testament to show you know there are men that are supporting women , especially at that event that we were just at and the amount of women that were at that event . I was actually shocked to see which you know . Typically you wouldn't see that as many at some of these places , but it's just , it's very inspiring to me .

Because I feel like we are seeing a lot more women , but then if you go to women leadership levels , that's where things are starting to still not starting . They continue to still be less . So I think that that's really great , and I also loved that you talked about we have to include men in the conversation .

If we're all just the women in the room talking about how we want to rise and how we can be supported , but we're not talking to the other side of that conversation , If we're not being like , hey , this is how you have those conversations , this is how you help us rise , is how you make sure you have people on your leadership team .

I love that people are reaching out to you and asking those questions . Part of that is like be a little bit more inclusive in your language and like make people feel welcome .

And one of the things we've even done here is like we've had a woman leadership coach for the women , but my CEO , who's a male , worked with the coach as well to better understand women and work better with women , because , again , sometimes I don't know , people can feel intimidated , you know , going to their boss if it's a male , maybe to try to get to the

next level . I'm not saying that's always the case , that that's out there , but it is out there and it does happen . So we need men in the conversation and , like you said , really trying to . How do you get to that next level ? Do they want to get to that next level and what are the barriers ?

Let's talk about it so maybe someone like myself or or you or us women that have been here a long time can can talk to them about what they need to do to do that absolutely .

I I've always been in the industrial spaces but I remember talking to like a female engineer and she's like men want fact and women tend to do a little bit more storytelling when they're like conveying a point and she's like so I just learned to get right to the point right away and I was like that's so , it's so factual and I think it's changing a little

bit . But just thinking about things like okay , I need to be prepared to have stats and things when I present to like a room full of men , versus like a little bit more of a narrative when I'm presenting to women , or things like that , and I think that can go both ways .

Those are I love that you have that leadership coach for your men too , because they can . Then you know , women want the story a little bit more and so how can we engage in that way ? So I think that's great .

And you talked about a little bit with that leadership coach , but fostering the next generation , bringing people up , having these leadership coaches what else at your company are you doing to make sure that you're kind of giving that space for the next generation .

, cross training , I've been having one-on-one conversations with our people to really understand , like , what do they want to do in their career ? Do you want a career path to do something else ?

Those are things that we're still working on building out , but I think , having the conversation to understand the people here like what do they want to do , where do they need to go so we can actually work on that .

We also encourage women and the younger employees here to take on different goals or roles outside of the company , like there's different organizations that you know , strong girls or strong women , strong girls I always say backwards dress for success . Getting involved in , like whether it's charity events or going to these networking events that are out there .

Get visibility , use your voice , get involved in the outer community . There's things sometimes that I can't go to or that I would go to , that I'm like , hey , why don't you think about this ?

Webinars , training of course there's different educational courses that are out there through some of the memberships that we have , whether it's through TIA or the IANA , things like that , and I also think that you know whether it's through like podcasting , speaking opportunities or internal projects .

Again , just putting it out there , I've had other people here that are on podcasts , that get asked to be on a podcast and stuff , and I encourage that . You know , it doesn't need to just be me , the face of the company that's doing this stuff . I want them to kind of build their own brand , do their own thing .

And a specific example is we have a new employee . Well , she's been here probably for five , six months now . She actually won our quarter or employee of the quarter , and she's just really stepping it up , going above and beyond , and then I'm seeing her post stuff on LinkedIn .

And a perfect example is , you know , she's wanting to build her network and I reached out to her and said , hey , like , give me some time and I'll work with you on showing you some tips and tools of how you can continue to build your network , because , at the end of the day , everyone needs to have their own brand .

I even tell my salespeople this You're not selling the company , you're selling yourselves If people want to work with you , do something with you . It's about you as a person , so I encourage a lot of that .

Some people take advantage of it and some people don't , but I think we just have to be vocal about it and make sure that people know that these are the things that we want them to be able to , to get engaged with .

But it's so true , people want to work with people and they want to trust that you know what you're doing , and part of that is developing your team to be able to be thought leaders , to show up in spaces . It's not just one person , it's the company .

So I just it made me happy because what you just said is like literally what we work to help our member companies be able to like pitch to their bosses and stuff .

Because it is so important and there's so much going on in the industry and the market right now showcasing on LinkedIn , on social , that you're paying attention to these trends , that you know what's going on , that your company can help your customers , your prospects so important . So great .

And sometimes I look at it as it's about the person . If they don't like , hate to say it , but how you look , how you talk , any of that stuff they might not want to work with you at all . So it could be something as simple as that , but like building your brand if they see you online .

That's why someone here gets asked on podcasts because she's building her brand online and that's awesome , because then people want to work with her .

That's how businesses grow and for all the CEOs out there that don't see that , this is very crucial , extremely crucial , because at the end of the day , if they don't like who they're talking to right off the bat , they're not going to care about the company they're representing .

even when you're the only woman there , because I've done that . I had to push myself to do that outside of my comfort zone . Be comfortable . Being uncomfortable that's what pushes you to grow , no matter what role you're in . Be curious , be coachable and be bold . Find mentors , ask questions and speak up when something doesn't seem right to you .

This industry is evolving and we need more diverse voices shaping its future , and I think even in the past probably five , six years it's been evolving even more than I've seen in my whole career , so I think that those tips are extremely important .

I want to be known for opening doors for women , for doing business the right way , specifically like ethic . Ethically , I'm improving that heart and hustle can build something truly great . I think that that is so important , um , because , at the end of day , I could close up shop and be done tomorrow if I wanted to , but that's not .

I'm not there yet and I want to continue to make an impact on everybody that I possibly can .

Which is also why I asked you to come speak at the tmsa elevate conference , because one of the things I've always respected about you is that , although you took over your father's company , you really did work . All of the jobs you got on the ground floor . You understood the company , you understood the business .

You didn't just like roll up to the leadership they want to be like . I'm here . That's going to be part of what you share on stage for our storytelling session . There is still time to register if you want to join us June 8th through 10th in Austin , texas . But what are you looking forward to about elevate ?

again . How can I help you get something across , whether it's to your CEO ? I think the last time someone asked me , how do we get our CEO to spend more money on marketing ? Because that's challenging , right , especially when you're going through the time that we're going through the market .

Usually marketing is the first cut in businesses , um , because they feel that they can do without it , and you know we've made some changes there as well , but I do know how important marketing is . You do need to have it .

Um , I just did hire another marketing person that starts next week , so , um , yeah , just a young girl , but it is so important because sometimes I don't believe that you could completely do marketing and bring in business without some salespeople . But you definitely need marketing , no matter what .

Marketing can truly drive people to your business , understand who your brand is , all of those things . So I'm just excited about being there sharing my journey , so people also see that , like you can do what I've done .

I know I have an opportunity that was maybe different than most people , but it doesn't mean you can't make something for yourself and get there as well . And then again , like I said , just meeting people that I haven't met before and trying to get them to speak up right and engage with them and see what I can do to help .

role , no matter what role they're in . You know , sometimes I would say the finance department feels like it's the redheaded stepchild , but it's an extremely important role in the company and operations affects that , and you know , vice versa . So I never asked someone , though , to do something I wouldn't do myself or haven't done myself .

So I think today I still carry that mentality and I make sure the people here do know that I've done these roles . Some people didn't know that . You know , I take the new person out to lunch and have kind of that first talk with them about expectations and stuff . But I think , sitting down and telling them that stuff , there's just a different respect there .

So at the end of the day , you know , I do think you know , you just learn . I don't wouldn't say it's a one key lesson , it's just I've been able to learn a lot of different things from every role and knowing that every role is different but it has an impact , no matter what .

So I think the stronger than you think in the world needs what you bring to the table , like you just need to know what you can bring to the table . Because I think back then I didn't feel I had a voice .

I was too afraid to kind of step out of that shell once I started to yeah , there was a lot of drama there with my dad , but eventually I did what was needed . That shell once I started to yeah , there was a lot of drama there with my dad , but eventually I did what was needed and I'd never looked back .

She will also be speaking at Elevate and talking all about how sales and marketing people can really utilize videos . Really excited for that chat , Excited to head to Austin in a few weeks and thank you so much for coming on the show . It was great to talk to you .