The reality of a Covid world
In this episode, I'll share the reality of living in a Covid world along with a walk back to episode 0 Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book
Jun 02, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 70
The Automotive Leaders Podcast
Prepare yourself, your team, and your business for the future of automotive.
We are all evolving the products we make, have you thought about the leadership model to get us there?
In-depth interviews with leaders, authors, and thought leaders, provide the insights you need.
This podcast is brought to you by Gravitas Detroit.
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Episodes
Did you hear the news?
Stellantis reverses controversial changes in contract terms for suppliers Here's the Automotive News article Good move but what's next? how will Stellantis rebuild supplier trust? We're taking a break, recording from Wales, and changing habits and routines. Time to challenge your thinking and listen to an episode outside of your industry silo. Try one of these: Episode #35, David Chislett, Chief Activator & Weapon of Mass Creation Episode #33, Aled Miles, President & CEO of Sauce Labs Ep...
May 19, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Meet Daniel Pink, NY Times best selling author
Regret is a “peculiar emotion,” says Daniel Pink. “People regret inaction more than they regret taking action.” What’s more, regret is universal — and healthy. But it’s in need of a rebrand. In his new book, “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward,” Dan turns the conventional wisdom about regret into a positive force for change — and offers crucial lessons for leaders who strive for authenticity and gravitas. For those of us in the automotive industry, his analysis is especia...
May 05, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 68
I love the office !!!??
A look back into the evolution of the way we work today, where we're headed, the most recent Gallup survey, my personal story, a surprising announcement from an OEM, and the questions we need to be asking ourselves BEFORE we write that back to the office policy. Learn more about creating your own internal company podcast Learn more about your host, Jan Griffiths in this short video Episodes referenced in this episode Stephen M.R. Covey - Trust & Inspire Jason Stocker - Volition Articles and ...
Apr 21, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Meet Sandy Stojkovski, CEO Vitesco Technologies, North America
This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more Sandy Stojkovski’s career took off when, during her first year at Cooper-Standard Automotive — her first job out of college — the Vice President of Engineering hand-selected her to run a manufacturing operation. She’s been paying it forward ever since by taking chances on employees with potential. “I told him that I didn't think I was qualified,” Sandy recalls. “And he did something I will never forget. He told me he was choosing me ...
Apr 07, 2022•52 min•Season 3Ep. 66
Meet Stephen M. R. Covey, Global authority on trust, leadership, and culture. New York Times best selling author
This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more Get Stephen's latest book Trust & Inspire, click here Stephen M.R. Covey wants you to trust your employees. And he wants you to do so by putting in the time to truly connect with them — while resisting the urge to micromanage. “You’re truly empowering people around an agreement with clear expectations and with accountability,” he says of his “trust and inspire” leadership model. “And with that, you can do so much more. People wil...
Mar 24, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 65
Ford and the EV split, Stellantis and a few more stumbles
In this episode, Jan covers a few of the noteworthy topics in the automotive industry and how they relate to leadership. 👉 Ford announcement on the EV split, how will this work? 👉 Stellantis and a few more stumbles 🤦🏻♀️ 👉 "A golf club to a tennis match" Stephen M.R. Covey on command & control leadership 👉 Surprise guest coming....... 👉 A new podcast is on the way - check it out here , it officially launches on March 21 Episodes referenced in this episode:- Stefan Krause Doug Conant A...
Mar 10, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Meet Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company
This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more Buy the book The Blueprint - 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights Keeping employees happy and engaged while advancing a company is a delicate balancing act. Go too easy and the work doesn’t get done; go too hard on them and they check out. Right? Not according to Doug Conant , the former Campbell Soup Company CEO who unlocked the secrets of having both an engaged workforce and a thriving organization. When Doug to...
Feb 24, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Stellantis WTF? 10 steps backward
In this episode, Jan talks about the new supplier Terms and Conditions recently issued by automaker, Stellantis and what this means to the automotive industry. Topics covered include:- Command & control leadership, compliance vs conviction, remembering SCORE, the bottom-line impact of collaborative relationships and where do we go from here? Here are the links to the articles and episodes quoted in the podcast. Automotive News article dated 2/2/22 Speed of Trust - Stephen Covey see section 9...
Feb 10, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Meet Mark Bole, Senior Executive at General Motors, Head of V2X & Battery Solutions
How do you not just survive but thrive as an authentic leader at General Motors (or, indeed, anywhere)? It's not very often you come across a large number of people who rave about their boss. But self-described servant leader Mark Bole , Senior Executive at General Motors, Head of V2X & Battery Solutions, has a following. He firmly lives — and leads — in line with his values. “It's not the number of people that I lead — it's the number of people that I impact,” Mark says. Mark’s glittering c...
Jan 27, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Meet Lynn Kier, VP Corporate Communications at Diebold Nixdorf
Learn more about creating your own internal company podcast There’s never been a greater need for honesty and transparency — for people to tell it like it is. Enter Lynn Kier , VP Communications at Diebold Nixdorf , who talks about the importance of embracing your authentic self to further your personal mission. Lynn began her career in 1997 as a financial analyst. After five years, she realised that simply putting her head down and working hard wasn’t the answer. She moved into the automotive i...
Jan 13, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Ready for the big quit 😱
The Pandemic has given us cause to pause and rethink how we live our lives. In this episode, Jan explores her personal story and how she decided to quit her corporate job along with some things you should consider before you quit.
Dec 30, 2021•12 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Meet Rich Sheridan, CEO and Co-founder of Menlo Innovations, Author of ‘Joy Inc.’ and ‘Chief Joy Officer’
The first time Rich Sheridan touched a computer was in 1971. The CEO and Co-founder of Menlo Innovations, who went on to write “Joy Inc.” and “Chief Joy Officer,” was then a freshman in high school who instantly fell in love with the idea of writing software. For Rich, who refers to himself as a “pure Michigan kid,” software was an artistic medium. He started by typing the names and stats of Major League Baseball players into a computer so he and his friends could “play” baseball in the winter. ...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 58
Trust, Transparency and Supply Chain
Let's talk about trust and transparency , not only in terms of leadership, internally and with our teams, but externally, with our stakeholders more specifically, with our suppliers. And yes, that's going to lead us into a supply chain discussion and the chip shortage. These two traits of authentic leadership have been coming up time and time again in the last couple of months. And that's why I wanted to go deeper. I believe that we have to challenge the way that we lead. We have to break the mo...
Dec 02, 2021•15 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Meet Stefan Krause, A driving force in the world of EVs
This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more Leaders need to have conviction in themselves and their employees. Without it, a compliance mindset can creep in. Seeking compliance is a sign of a “weak manager,” says Stefan Krause , former Chairman & CEO at MOOV Throughout his career with BMW and in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, Stefan has built innovative management systems that promote a culture of trust and empowerment among his teams. Stefan was born and raised in Co...
Nov 18, 2021•57 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Meet Delaina and Luke, members of Gen Z in the workplace.
Meet Delaina and Luke, members of Gen Z in the workplace. There’s a lot to be gained from a fresh perspective — even then it’s a viewpoint that doesn’t quite align with your own. Instead of interviewing a seasoned leader, Jan is flipping the script in this episode. She hosts a conversation with two members of Gen Z, Delaina Yatoma and Luke Tappen , recent graduates of Wayne State University, to uncover their perspectives on good leadership in the workplace. In this episode of Finding Gravitas, D...
Nov 04, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Meet Paul Glantz, co-founder and chairman - Emagine Entertainment
The pandemic hasn’t been easy for business leaders. And that’s especially true for people leading businesses that physically bring people together. But rather than lamenting the challenges of the last 18+ months, Paul Glantz, co-founder and chairman of luxury movie theater company Emagine Entertainment, believes he’s the “luckiest guy on earth.” A CPA by training, Paul spent 27 years of his career at Proctor Financial — the last 10 as its president. The entrepreneurial bug bit and Paul started a...
Oct 21, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Break the Mold - Authentic Leadership LIVE!
In the season 3 opening episode, Jan shares the audio from the highly energetic and engaging speech at the Centre for Automotive Research conference, Management Briefing Sessions In Traverse City, Michigan. We dive into authentic leadership and the behaviors that support and detract away from it and why authentic leadership is critical to our future and the way we lead. The audio refers to slides in the presentation, click here to access the slide deck. Click here for the full video of the speec...
Oct 07, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Time to go deeper
In this episode, Jan explores the deeper questions around authentic leadership and the plans for season 3 including an increased focus on Gen Z
Sep 22, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Boost Employee Engagement with an Internal Podcast
Audio from a recent webinar exploring the benefits of an internal podcast for your business or your team along with exactly what you need to know before you start. Presentation slides Webinar video How to be a great podcast guest - mini course
Sep 01, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 51
The Mission
Jan Griffiths, President of Gravitas Detroit talked about the mission on the Automotive Leaders Podcast
Aug 18, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Meet Carrie Uhl, Chief Procurement Officer for GE Healthcare
In this podcast, you’ll meet Carrie Uhl, Chief Procurement Officer for GE Healthcare. Carrie is one of the most impactful supply chain leaders in not one, but two different industries. She shares with us her belief in bringing her best self to work, being tough on issues and not people, and being relentlessly positive. 02:24 – Carrie’s formative years in Pittsburgh 04:15 – First job in Supply Chain, with Guardian Industries 05:31 – After many years in Automotive, moving on to healthcare 08:46 – ...
Aug 04, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Meet Carla Bailo, former President and CEO at the Center for Automotive Research
Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book In this podcast, you’ll meet Carla Bailo, President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research. Carla shares with us her love of cars and deep roots in the automotive industry. Her long career has been full of opportunities to start from a blank slate, she loves doing things no one has done before. She also enjoys breaking molds and challenging people to think differently. 02:27 – Carla’s deep roots in automotive 05:30 – GMC ride and handl...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Meet Jesse Jacoby, Change Leadership Guru
Today, you're going to meet the change leadership guru. Jesse Jacoby is the founder of the business consulting service Emergent , which focuses on organizational change management and business transformations. Jessie is exactly the subject matter expert we need right now, to help us all transition into this new way of doing business. We will benefit from his experience, and expertise to navigate this new normal, and avoid pitfalls along the way. 02:28 – How Jan and Jesse met 04:39 – Jesse’s back...
Jul 07, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Meet Mark Lecher, President & CEO of HFI
In this episode, you’ll meet Mark Lecher, President and CEO of HFI. Follow his journey from an impoverished beginning where he had to start working at age 12, to being the President and CEO of a tier-two Automotive Interiors company. Mark speaks of being true to your purpose, being your authentic self, and bringing out the best in your team by demonstrating trust. 02:29 – Mark’s blue-collar beginnings 04:20 - Learning self-reliance from his mother 06:17 – High School, College, and accounting at ...
Jun 23, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 46
The Power of the RESTART
As pandemic restrictions come to an end, we find ourselves facing another transition. Many of us are heading back to the office, but not necessarily in the same way we did it before. There is understandably some concern over what this “new normal” is going to look like. In this episode, we are going to delve into research and strategies that harness the power of the restart to help us successfully lead through this transition. 00:50 Going back to the office 02:38 Some science behind the restart:...
Jun 09, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Meet Jason Stocker, President, C&U Americas
In this episode, you'll meet Jason Stocker , President of C&U Americas . We’ll learn about his blue-collar roots, how he took inspiration from a 1980’s sitcom to send him on his career path, and how he lives his life with volition. 02:13 Jason’s story 05:49 Honing in on Accounting as a career choice 08:30 Incentive to graduate college at lightning speed 12:44 Living and breathing volition 15:35 Jumping into sales 21:00 Desiring to create wealth, as well as have an impact, identifying qualiti...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Meet Mary, Powerful role model, born 1892
In this episode, Jan shares her thoughts on Mother’s Day, what she learned from her grandmother and mother, and how their influence translates into powerful lessons about psychological safety and leading with Gravitas through challenging times. 00:50 Mother’s Day musings 01:24 My grandmother, Mary 05:23 My mother’s encouragement 07:40 Psychological safety. Important in parenting, and in leadership 09:30 Coming out of the pandemic 11:40 Challenges will require a leader with Gravitas 13:20 The new...
May 12, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Meet Kimberley Gardiner, former Senior VP of Marketing, Volkswagen
Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book In this episode, you’ll meet Kimberley Gardiner, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Volkswagen. She truly is a model in leading authentically with confidence, caring, and understanding. You’ll learn how her twin passions for marketing and the environment propelled her into a career in automotive, and how her many experiences and her love for variety helped her become a true change agent. She talks about her game plan for effecting change ...
Apr 28, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Back to the office and 10,000 downloads 🤔
The way we work is forever changed, in this episode I share my thoughts and experiences on the subject and why this is an opportunity for leaders.
Apr 14, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 41
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