Cultivating Culture and Leadership: A Proven Approach

Hey, everybody. You are gonna love this next conversation just as much as I did with my girl, Kathy Kristen. She is a leadership alignment expert who is the creator of the Scale Advantage. It's a proprietary culture operating system that helps executive teams grow without internal drag. She partners with founder led companies to align leadership, embed culture as a strategic as a strategic driver, to scale with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

She's had over two decades of experience building high performing teams and leading through complex growth. Kathy has helped thousands of leaders shift from chaos to cohesion. Here's my girl, Kathy Christen.

Hello, and welcome to the Power Up Your Life podcast powered by GoBun and Swimming. I'm Mandy McAllister. And I'm Kelly Resendez. And we have the biggest treat in the whole wide world today. We have our girl, our partner, Kathy Kristen with us. What is up, Kathy?

Hello. I'm so excited to be with here, with you ladies today.

It's gonna be awesome. I can't wait to hear the things that you're gonna share. So before we kick it off, before we dig into stuff, why don't you tell us a little bit for the people that that don't have the opportunity to know you like we do. Tell us a little bit about your background.

Yes. Absolutely. So, twenty four years, with Coe and Vector Marketing as one of their sales trainers and leadership development, helping lead the leadership development programs. Probably about eighteen years ago, started helping people start businesses and then scale businesses. And then realized pretty quick, I think it was 2007, that the wall one would hit if you try to build it all yourself.

And that's really where I think I leaned into the power of building great leaders within my organization, understanding the power of systems and empowerment, and it was a game changer. You know, I don't know. I'd be sitting here in front of you right now if I had not figured that piece out, because there were definitely no more hours in the day to scale.

And so really got that down and started helping people probably, 2012, starting to learn how to remove themselves from their businesses, owners, really being true owners and not just full time operators. In that mix, just started meeting people and and, you know, through our networks, working with people that were getting ready. They were scaling too quickly, or they were getting ready for a merger, and they were just they were seeing cracks in the culture, and and became, you know, probably for the past decade as, like, a culture architect, amongst our our friends and community, and that's really my passion.

I love building great teams. I love empowering great leaders, and I love seeing business owners be able to really enjoy the freedom and peace, knowing that, that the the team's got it. Right? And and the systems are working without them there.

Oh, I love it. Freedom and peace. Those are the my my keywords to life that I that I'm pursuing. I love everything about it.

And and as as a leader of leaders, you have this population of people that you've seen where people get stuck, and you know where you've gotten stuck, and you've gone into new ventures and gotten stuck. Right?

So what talk to me a little bit of when you're in it, when you're in that stuck and or your leader that you're coaching is in the stock. How do you help them get out of it?

Yes. Absolutely. You know, I I think that the first thing is to really do a checkup from the neck up, is the first thing to really look at what's happening within my organization. You know, one of the big keys I always tell people is a culture audit. Right? Like, really look and see what's happening, within, the organization, like, how people are treating each other. What's that like, when you first started the business, like, is this what you wanted it to look and feel like? How are people supported? What's going on?

But really taking a look at, do they feel and it's an internal look that they are leading, that they are modeling, the right way. Right? Like, is what they're doing what they want their, right hands doing? And many times they're like, oh, no. You know, they're taking on too much. They're not done, and they're just burnt out. And so the first thing is really looking at, okay, what are you modeling for your people?

Let's look at that, and then let's take a look at at the culture. And what do you want? Like, what do you want your business to look like? What do you want the organizational structure? How do you want decisions made? And really sitting down to take a look at that before we take any step forward, because what happens is people take on too much. I got it. I got it. And sometimes they don't slow down enough to take the time to train other people and they just try to take it on themselves. And that's that's just, you're never gonna scale.

Right? Like when you're a younger entrepreneur, just getting started, and I say younger in terms of business just opens. Right? Whatever age you're at, but just in that new phase of business, business is like having a child, you know? So it's okay to do all the things when you launched it, but it shouldn't look like that five years later, ten years later, definitely not beyond that.

Right? And and a lot of times, I I see I see people have, they, they really get stuck because they're trying to be everything to everyone and they're trying to do everything themselves because either they'll do it better or they just don't have time to train someone, you know? And I think that as business owners, we don't we don't we we we don't not have time. Right? Like, if we want to have our lives, if we want time, we have to take pride and really have a desire to train people to be as good or better than us so that it can free up more space as we're wanting to scale.

Yeah. Definitely. I mean, delegation is so important. And I think all of us get stuck at times when we realize we've taken on way too many things. I think I'm in that right now, as I'm sitting in an airport trying to take the most of this time.

So, you know, what would you what would you say, like, to the to the people that are listening that know that they've actually sabotaged their own success a little bit, but they really wanna take their business to the next level because they have taken on too many things. Like, how would you walk a leader through kinda getting to that next level and not sabotage their own success?

Oh, yay. I love this question. I think step one would be sitting down, before even looking at the business, but really thinking about everything they want their life to look like. Right? But just like, you know, you're traveling, you're doing things like, are they are they comfortable with that? Some people love being on planes all the time and that aligns where others don't. So I think one it's what do you want your life to look like? Because it's really important when we're aligning your business that that is aligned to your life. Right? Because if not, you're just, you're not gonna love your life. Right? You're gonna be like, what? This stinks.

And so making sure that they take time to have a little bit of a dream session is one of the first steps, and some people are like, what does that have to do with my business? I'm like, it has to do with your life. And so we wanna make sure that the business, once we look at it and restructure it or have to press restart, that the systems we're putting in place, the processes, the people, really complement, what you want things to look like so that you are able to have that freedom. Right? And and even just how the business is ran. If you have a brick and mortar and you're wanting to travel the world, that doesn't make sense. You know, if you have a business where you have to trade time for money and you're coaching people, which is fabulous, but you're doing one on ones all the time and that's all you have, you can't scale that. And that's not gonna align with, I want the freedom to travel with my family and have the have all this free space. I'm like, how? Because if you're not doing this, it's not happening.

And so I think it's really important, when when people are feeling that burnout and like, okay. I I need to restart is get clear on what you want your life to look like five, ten years from now. And then look at the business and what business model, like, how do you need to restructure how you're doing things or what it looks like to align with that? And then you can get into the nitty gritty of what do I wanna do within the business? What really fuels me? What are things that I might need to do right now because we're restarting or I might not have the right person in place, but I'm quickly finding somebody that is a great match for that job. Right? They have the personality, they have the skill set, you know, their culture, whatever. I I just, I know what I'm looking for in that role where I need to replace myself here.

And so I think a lot of it, the answer would be clarity. Right? Clarity in life, clarity in business, clarity around those roles and who you need in that role long term. Because I see too many people get a quick fix, and then that just, you know, it just prolongs the inevitable versus pausing, getting clear, and then making sure they have a plan that is a good one to lean into and carry forward.

Mhmm. I I love that reminder too. If you're gonna furiously climb a ladder, you gotta make sure that ladder is against the right wall. You know? Because, it's the worst thing to to get to the top and realize it was the wrong wall.

Being an entrepreneur in general is an unconventional thing. Like, we didn't follow the path of of get a job, you know, that normal conventional path. You know, talk to me about an unconventional strategy that you so firmly believe in that, you know, normal people off the street might completely disagree with.

Yes. I would say that would be involving people from all levels of my company or my whatever organization I'm a part of, being a part of developing ideas, solutions, you know, what what growth initiatives might look like.

I was speaking to a a business owner, last week actually in Austin, and we were chatting about stuff. And I said, when have you had, you know, I said a great way to get good insight into your company. I said, you can have a session with, yeah, just your leaders, or you can also decide let's do that. And let's have a session where we have leaders in different departments. I said all the way down to the janitorial.

I said, I've seen some beautiful things happen when I've worked with companies and they said, we need to change. We need to improve whatever, you know, you fill in the dot, whatever it is they were working on. I said, one of the best things you can do is bring people that all the different sets of eyes, because they see things that you might not where you are.

And so when you have people that are the janitorial, the receptionist, the, this, all these different levels and come together, they're able to bring different insight that the leadership might not have seen because they're not in the day to day. And so that's something that is a little unconventional for some people, but I feel like it brings so much power and, like, a holistic view at the organization.

Well, it probably makes the team culture stronger too knowing that they're valued. Right? Because there's so much value from every single person that is, you know, a part of an organization.

So, you know, Kathy, you've led pretty large sales teams before. And I actually had this conversation with somebody yesterday, but they said one of the most frustrating things that they endure is when they saw so much potential in somebody, and they weren't actualizing it. And they were like, it would be so easy.

And, you know, I I can share a little bit of my feedback after you go, but, like, how do you deal with that? When you see the potential in someone else, like, what do you do you just let it go and just know that they're only gonna change what they want, or do you have strategies to be able to help them actualize that potential? Yeah. I would I would say definitely strategies.

So I can I can share some of that? But real quick with, you know, what you were saying with the to to kind of full circle close with having the people involved, what you were saying is dead on. And also they take so much more pride, and ownership of the the whatever plans are carried out because they helped co create them. And so it's a beautiful thing that happens with culture, people being valued, and things being executed on. Right? Those ideas actually coming into fruition, which is amazing.

So let's talk the person who, you know, is stuck, whatever they may be in whatever business, whether in sales or I think in sales, it happens a lot, as an entrepreneurship because you're you don't have someone telling you don't have to be here at this time. You're not clocking in. You're not clocking out. It takes more initiative. It takes more discipline. And and for me, again, it goes back to the clarity.

I wanna know why why are you working? Why is that important? Something I teach a lot of my business owners and definitely all of the people I work with in our sales business, is I always say I'm like three whys minimum, three whys test, something I wrote about my first book, but I'm like, ask them, Hey, why is this important? Like, why are you here? Right? Like, what were you wanting to gain from your time with our company? You know, why is that important to you? And they're sharing. I'm like, and then why does that matter? And when you start digging in, you get to to the real things that are driving them, and and it's vision painting for people because sometimes people, are feeling really clouded, and it's like, have you ever I love the phrase, have you ever thought about dot dot dot. Right? Have you ever thought about if you did this, what this could look like? Have you and it's like, woah.

And so for some people, you have to kinda help them dream a little bit and and find that connection because they need to connect what they're doing right now to how it helps them towards what they want in the future. And a lot of people don't know what they want in the future. And so we have within our company, we run dream sessions. We know, like, their top three goals for the year.

And I think that the more you know about them personally, which has also translated into different companies, there's, I think it was Organifi. I remember going into their, into their headquarters, years ago. I think it was 2017 or '18. But I went over and I was like, this is what I'm talking about. Right? Like, this is stuff that I've taught forever. They do an unbelievable job. I remember walking in and in their break room, they actually had like a tree with people's names on it, and it had like their top goal for the year or top cup goals. I don't remember, but it had like, like very vivid. Right? Very visible. And so when somebody closed the deal, signed a new contract, you know, whatever they did, it wasn't just like, oh, yeah. So and so just closed blank company or whatever new partner they had. It was like, hey. Julie's one step closer to getting on that whatever family vacation or going on that parachute and really connecting the dots because the work for most people, the job they have, the business they have, it's a vehicle.

So we need to find out where the heck they want that vehicle to take them. And, and when we know that we can use that as the thing we're constantly bringing up to help with that motivation or focus, because that that creates activity. Right? So what is it that's gonna create activity for them? Most people do more to run away from something. You many times you have to help people figure out what they're working towards, but when they have that, they'll take a lot more action.

I love that. And that that is deeply connective. You know? When you know someone's hopes and dreams, you know their soul. And to support that hope and dream is to support their soul in my humble opinion.

You know, let's talk about the scale advantage. I I love I love this. You know? To most organizations, culture is this nice to have thing. You know? How do you, you know, change that into with the with the scale advantage, how how do you change that into a measurable strategic driver?

Oh, yes. Thank you. And this is what I've been working on for a long time because it is. It's the fluffy stuff. Sometimes it can be looked at, but it's actually what protects profits. You know? And so a lot of, companies, I would say don't fall apart necessarily from bad strategy and even teams I've built or organizations I was a part of, it wasn't that the systems, or excuse me, that the, the strategy, you know, was failed. It was that the systems were weak or the priorities or people were not aligned or leaders felt burnt out, you know, because, you know, a lot of the things depended on few people being the ones to do it all.

And so with, scale framework is, is really, my baby of like work of two decades of making sure number one, they have proper systems and looking at those systems and seeing, are they duplicatable? Right? Anything that's reoccurring, do we have an SOP for, do people know exactly how it's supposed to be done so that we don't even have to think about it? We don't have to answer like, oh, what's the process for this? We have it. You know, with culture, like, is it just a sign on a wall or can people feel it? Are people supportive? Like, whatever is important to the organization, sitting down and actually looking at what those, behaviors, what those rituals are that are important to them so that it's lived and not just laminated on a wall. Right?

And so taking a look at that, the, a is for alignment. And so really like if you ask and I tell you, I'm like, ask three different people in the company, what are your top three objectives right now and see what you got? Like, that's an easy go do that today in your company. Like, ask you, hey. What are the whether it's the the one, maybe you have one most important thing, or what are the top three initiatives for this quarter? Are people saying the same thing? Is there alignment on what's most important and where energy is going right now, or is everyone moving in different directions, which slows things down?

You know, with the l looking at, how leadership is showing up, you know, how do they talk to others? How do they empower others? Are are leaders actually just, you know, in a top position with a title? And I love, you know, John Maxwell's book was so formative in my early years as a man, when he first came out with the five levels of leadership, I remember soaking that up and going to a workshop, many years ago. I think it was 2008, actually, when I went to that workshop. But it was so it made sense. It was like, wow, so many people lead, because they're the boss. Right? And, like, that's it. Some people, like, they've had some accomplishments. Some people have done things for the organization. Some people have done things for others, and then some people just like who they are, people wanna follow.

And so really looking and assessing what type of level leader are you and a and a business owner or an executive being able to look and go, how how do these the people who are most important or or, you know, report directly to me, am I a level one, two, three, four, or five leader to them, and what do I need to do to shift that? And so I think awareness around that, and then the empowerment of people, you know, which is just a beautiful thing. How is that being carried out? What's happening there? You know, making sure that we clarify, like, decision rights and remove approvals that don't need to be there. Right? And shifting from telling someone here's what you need to do to going, hey, by the way, what are next steps, or what are we working on, or, hey, walk me through what you're gonna do with this, and letting them tell you. Right? And so you're giving them authority. You're letting them share with you, and and it builds trust. And it really, I think, sets, like, guardrails for people, where they can run, but they're, you know, they're they're within where where you want them in that lane.

Yeah. That's so good. And I think, you know, there there's not a company out there that doesn't wanna scale. Right? A lot of them just don't know where to start. So thank you for doing that.

You know, one one thing, Kathy, that you've done an incredible job doing is making a huge difference in young adults' lives. You know, there are so many people that have come from the Cutco world that really you know, you meet them, and they're running other companies and whatnot.

Like, for the people that are listening that have young adults in their life or are just trying to make as big of an impact in in, you know, getting them to the next level, like, what what's been your secret sauce in doing that in your business?

I think getting them, exposed to personal development early. You know? Like, that was a change you know, for me, I'd never read I'd never heard of Tony Robbins or John Maxwell or Brian Tracy or anyone until I started working with Cutco at 19 years old, and it was a whole new world that I was exposed to. And I think that sometimes I hear some adults say, oh, but they're still young. And I'm like, are you kidding me? I'm like, the younger you can get them exposed, to great groups, personal development, taking them to conferences, take them to UPW or to wherever and have them exposed to this type of thinking, it starts shifting them young, when they're exposed.

And I love meeting young people in our circles, that that are like, wow. Like, I grew up with this because we're you know, I grew up with Halalrod and these guys, and these kids all grow up doing miracle morning, and it's all they know. And when they see other people and go, wait. You don't have morning rituals? You don't have this. Right? And so I think, get them get them connected, pour into their growth.

You know? Do you know what these young people aspire to right later on? And and a lot of my my work with businesses, individuals, whatever, it's like, okay, where do we wanna go? Where are we now? And then what how do we connect those dots that the work we're doing right now? Because sometimes it might not be the most meaningful work because we're building a business, or it might not be the exact place that they wanna be working yet because we're gaining certain skill sets to get them there stronger. Are we helping them see how every experience, every failure?

You know, I I I expose them big time to I love, Sarah, a founder of, Spanx. Right? And and I love them hearing her stories of how her dad would say, how'd you fail today? How'd you fail today? And and I think that as as, you know, leaders in our worlds and our communities and as parents, for those who are parents, it's so important that we're encouraging them to try new things, to fail forward, to be there to discuss with them. How how how have going through this, how will this make you stronger? What will you do different next time? How will this grow you? And and then we grow a a stronger leader, in our world when we do that.

I love it. And it all starts kinda by leading by example, you know? I because they'll they'll do what you show them, not necessarily what you you tell them, and you definitely do that leading by example.

Man, Kathy, so many gems. Let me tell you the the couple of things that I wrote down. I I love this idea of dreaming about goals with my team. And, you know, how do I then celebrate it? Because I think one thing that, in general, we don't do enough of is celebration of goals. And if we could just make that a cultural thing that I'm high fiving everybody in my organization for what they wanted to achieve in their general life. You know, how bonding is that?

Kelly, what was your favorite takeaway?

Yeah. I think really just when you go into a company is really making sure that everybody knows the top objectives. Like, you might take it for granted that they do. And if you really wanna scale your organization, it's super, super important that everybody's on the same page.

So, Kathy, you have been amazing, and you know Incobanda's Women, which you are the cofounder of, and we we absolutely had a blast, scaling this together, that we always wanna know. Like, what is one resource connection? How do, you know, how do we support you and what you're up to these days?

Yes. Well, I'm super excited. We wanna get more reviews for the book. So anyone listening, if you can go check out the skill advantage, that would be amazing. And I think for myself right now in my world, meeting more EO, YPO, COO Alliance, Rotary, groups like this where high level leaders come together to grow and make things happen, connections to to speak, to run free workshops for them.

Love it. Love it. How do people get ahold of you?

Kathykristen.com has all the things, social, you know, Instagram, LinkedIn. It has all all the links there. That's probably the easiest place to go. It's amazing.

Well, it has been an absolute pleasure, a, to have you in our lives, be a part of Women, and then have you on the podcast today.

So for those of you that are listening, make sure you check out Power Up Your Life Now for all the resources that we have out there to help you scale and grow your business. Make sure you check out Kathy's form and also leave that book review for her. So we look forward to seeing you on the next episode of Power of Your Life.

Thank you. Thank you.