Kyle McDowell: Begin with We before Me

Kyle McDowell is a former Fortune 10 executive turned bestselling author, leadership coach, and inspirational speaker. He is on a mission to crush corporate dysfunction and reignite leaders' passion. With nearly three decades of experience leading tens of thousands, his game-changing philosophy—The 10 WEs—transforms toxic workplace cultures into thriving, high-performance environments. In his Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, Begin With WE, Kyle lays out a bold framework for leadership that prioritizes collaboration, accountability, and excellence—because the future of business depends on leaders who put "WE" before "me." His insights have earned him invitations to speak at prestigious business, educational, and nonprofit institutions, and his expertise has been featured in major national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine.

In this episode, Wendi and Kyle discuss:

• Challenges of promoting untrained employees into leadership roles
• Role of self-reflection in uncovering fear and improving leadership
• Value of vulnerability, authenticity, and ego-free connection in leadership
• Transformation of difficult team members through relationship-building and principles
• Lasting impact of leadership grounded in authenticity, trust, and shared values

Key Takeaways:

• The essence of leadership lies in vulnerability, authenticity, and a people-first mindset, emphasizing human connection over transactional management tactics.
• Rather than being innate, leadership is cultivated through continuous effort, humility, and the willingness to acknowledge and uplift others.
• A culture of alignment and excellence emerges when teams unite around core principles, engage in data-driven dialogue, and lean into challenges together.
• Through stories of transformation, the power of patient relationship-building and principled action becomes clear, especially when prioritizing people over performance metrics.
• Fulfillment in leadership stems from creating meaningful change—by staying rooted in foundational truths, embracing discomfort, and investing in others' growth.

“Leaders are not born... repetition is required to get better at something. But that repetition, again, only comes after you've made the commitment to get better at something.”