The Natural Leader

Ron talks to Kevin Ellis, the CEO of Upstate Niagara Cooperative, a dairy cooperative headquartered in Lancaster, NY, just outside of Buffalo. Kevin talks about the importance of leaders constantly growing and improving, and discusses some of the actions they have taken at Upstate Niagara to help nurture a culture focused on Purpose, Vision, and Values. Kevin can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-ellis-8055586/. For more info about Upstate Niagara, go to www.upstateniagara.com.

The "Natural Leader" has been dormant for a while, due to a variety of situations and influences. In this episode, Ron discusses bringing it back to life, and plans for future episodes and emphasis. While continuing to feature interviews with leaders, future episodes will also focus on general leadership imperatives, resource reviews (e.g. leadership books, good videos, etc.), and inspiration/encouragement for leaders. Welcome back to the Natural Leader!!

Ron interviews Dave Maione, co-founder of The Night Shift cleaning company, and Vice President of Core America, a national cleaning-consulting company headquartered in Vestal, New York.  Dave and his brother started the night shift in 1978, and have successfully led the company through decades worth of challenges and successes. Dave and Ron discuss the importance of building a culture that appreciates people, and the jobs they do. You can find Dave and his bio information on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-maione-530b438/. For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews Jeanette Armbrust, Founder of Greenlight Leadership Consulting Group.  Jeanette had a highly successful career of building and expanding businesses, before venturing into her current focus of coaching and developing leaders. Jeanette shares her perspectives on the priorities and responsibilities of the leader in building empowering and sustainable cultures, through good times and bad.   You can find Jeanette and her bio information on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanettearmbrust/.  For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews Dan Lloyd, founder of Minority Millennials, an organization that has since 2017 helped hundreds of minority millennials and gen-zer’s access jobs, build wealth, and become civically engaged. Ron and Dan discuss the vision and aspirations of the organization, as well as the unique challenges and opportunities related to leading a movement to empower a portion of society.  You can find Dan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-lloyd-a7081022/. Minority Millennials can be found at: https://minoritymillennials.org/ For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews Tyrone Muse, President & CEO of Visions Federal Credit Union.  Ty is a highly energetic and enthusiastic leader of an organization going through significant growth and transformation.  Ron and Ty discuss the challenges and rewards of leading a cultural transformation focused on servant leadership, empowerment, and authenticity.  Ty shares his perspectives on the priorities and responsibilities of leading cultural change.  You can find Ty on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrone-muse-30197527/. The article referenced by Ron can be found at https://www.visionsfcu.org/a-new-ceo-a-new-vision-for-a-new-york-credit-union.   For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews Francis Battisti, Ph.D., a noted educator, speaker, consultant, and author.  Together with his wife, nutritionist Dr. Helen Battisti, they publish a blog as The ParaDocs called "The Zone", which you can access here: https://www.paradocshub.com/.  Ron and Francis discuss the importance of leader self-care, and how to build resiliency both individually, and in the teams we lead. Francis shares some valuable insights from his experience as a psychotherapist and leader in academia, and specifically highlights priorities for individuals and organizations looking to build resiliency. For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews MaryBeth Hyland, the Founder and Chief Visionary of SparkVision, and author of “Permission to Be Human: The Conscious Leader’s Guide to Creating Values-Driven Culture”.  Ron and MaryBeth discuss the importance of building and leading a values-driven culture, and how to grant everyone the permission to be human. MaryBeth discusses practical approaches for individuals and organizations to identify their values, and how to build on those values to create an inclusive and authentic environment.   For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews Amy Shaw, the current Chief Operating Officer for the Greater Binghamton NY Chamber of Commerce.  Ron and Amy discuss the unique challenges of dedicating a career to support of non-profit and community focused causes, as well as the unique leadership challenges for leaders in these organizations.   For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.

Ron interviews Michael Vacirca, who currently works for Google as a Senior Engineering Manager for Google Cloud, and was a former employee of Ron's at Lockheed Martin.  Mike is also a prominent leader within the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida.  Ron and Mike discuss Mike's journey to being his authentic self, and the corresponding development of his leadership abilities and impact, both at work and in his community.  Mike discusses the challenges of working and leading as a gay man in the Defense industry, how he has seen his leadership impact expand into community activism and advocacy, and the profound impacts caused by the Pulse nightclub tragedy.  For more information about Ron Crawford and Unleashed Potential Consulting, visit unleashed-potential.org.