Reach For The Top With Kathy Mazzarella

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!