Leading the Way Podcast: Kathy Ireland, CEO, Kathy Ireland Worldwide
From the cover of Sports Illustrated as the iconic swimsuit supermodel to the cover of Forbes as one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the world, Kathy Ireland joins us on the final episode of the year-long series Leading the Way to share her story, insights, and success.
In this special episode, we discuss how Kathy has created a billion-dollar enterprise and how her strong foundation of faith is at the core of everything she does. Kathy shares her wisdom gained from her successes and failures alike while providing advice on how to overcome challenges. You’ll be inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit and her mentors, such as Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Buffet, who shaped her as the leader she has become.
Meaningful discussions around so many organizational topics such as culture, diversity, inclusion, values, customer focus, generational differences, and philanthropy are what make this week’s podcast a must for anyone interested in hearing how “next” practices are put into action.
Key Soundbites
- On values– “Take the time to know what your values are and tap into that conviction. Know what your priorities are, why do you believe what you believe. Put boundaries in place to protect them, because they will be challenged, it’s just how life is.”
- On character – “Be cooperative, even when it’s not in our best interest. You need to not let anyone else define you. Always show up. Drive each day to give more than is expected. Know what’s expected so you can exceed that. Be the hardest-working member of whatever team you’re on, and that will make you stronger and benefit you greatly.”
- On generational differences – “Baby Boomers are trying to understand millennial and Gen Z behavior is abstract when you have a millennial team, and they truly have empowered roles, and that leads to a very competitive [atmosphere]. They learn from us, we learn from them, and then we go out the door as one solid winning team. We never had that family business, but we are a business family, and being able to learn from one another is critical.”
- On culture - “The culture of kindness and wanting to win without deception is critical. You don’t win when you cheat. You diminish the victory and yourself by attempting that kind of behavior. ‘Please, thank you and you’re welcome’ goes a long way. No human being is more important than another. Remember the dignity that everyone deserves and give it to them. That’s what really is what our culture is about and that’s what we expect.”
- On customer experience – “We frequently buy our own products online just to be certain that the experience is what it needs to be. The customer doesn’t care about my personal experience. They care about their own. I have to get it right. Our customer is wonderfully demanding, and I love that, because it causes us to raise our bar and get it right. Every day, I audition for my job, and I’m extremely grateful and I love the challenge of always growing, learning and seeking to get better.”
- On succession - “It’s easy, because the people who do more than is expected, that’s what we look for. I pay close attention to people’s behavior, those with the least important seat at the table and work without ego. Obsessed with ideas, innovation creativity, tenacity, loyalty. And when those character traits are prevalent, that person is going to move forward in our company and the world.”
About Leading the Way
Leading the Way is a weekly radio show and podcast series that highlights influential business leaders and leading people practices from i4cp. Co-hosted by Emmy award-winning television anchor and radio host, Scott Murray, and i4cp’s Angel Carlton, the show features interviews with respected business leaders from the world of business, sports, entertainment, healthcare and philanthropy.
The show airs live every Sunday at 4 pm CT on KLIF 570 in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, the global audience is invited to listen live on www.klif.com and the weekly podcast debuts on iTunes or Google Play and the i4cp website the following week.