In this episode of The Nuts and Bolts of Leadership Podcast, Billy and Hali sit down with Kathy Mazzarella, CEO of Graybar, to explore what it takes to reach the top and how young leaders can achieve success in leadership. Kathy emphasizes the importance of facing your fears and setting ambitious goals within realistic timeframes. She also shares insights on how no career path is a straight line to the top and the critical role leaders play in bringing others along on their journey.
Kathy discusses her philosophy of “gentle pressure relentlessly applied” and what it takes to balance the heart of humanity with the science of technology. She emphasizes that leadership isn’t just about achieving results, but about how those results are obtained, often requiring difficult decisions that may have short-term costs but are best for the team in the long run.
We also discuss the necessity of continuously evolving your team to avoid falling behind, the long-term investments in infrastructure, technology, and people that Graybar is making to ensure future success, and why true leadership is about focusing on everyone except yourself. Kathy also offers advice to emerging leaders: don’t give up when things get tough, and never let failure define you.
Tune in to gain insights on leadership, growth, and resilience from one of the industry’s top leaders.
Enjoy!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.