Leadership Speaker, Former Motorola Executive Ron Minatrea Shares Lessons to Align Vision, Values and Leadership for Life

Do you ever feel like you're responsible for everything in your current leadership role, yet you really don't have the ability to control anything? Or have you ever struggled with trying to align your company's vision and values with your own? You know, how do you get excited about a vision and then passionately share that vision that you didn't create in the first place? If these issues sound familiar to you, then you're not alone because you're likely in the most popular category of leaders in business today. What our guest today calls middle leaders. And if so, then help is just a few seconds away. Hello and welcome to the Better Life, Better Business podcast, where we have conversations about how to live a better life and build a better business. I'm your host, Shawn Ellis, founder of The Speakers Group, and today I am talking with Ron Minnichy a leadership coach and speaker who speaks from experience. He spent over 30 years with Motorola, starting as an engineer and working his way up to management and executive positions, including ultimately being responsible for annual shipments of over $20 billion, which he'll talk about a little bit later. Today, he is passionate about helping all leaders, but especially these so-called middle leaders, perhaps like you, align leadership, vision, and values for life. And when you do that, as we will see, it is just so powerful for, for the company and for the individual and ultimately for all the employees. So this is going to be fun and I am so glad you're here. As always, get out your pen and notepad, take a breath, and be on the lookout for that one nugget that could transform your life or work today. Welcome, Ron. Thank you so much for being here today. I'm excited about this conversation. I know we've had several conversations offline in the past, and I just— I always love talking with you because I think we have similar views and vision and things that get us excited when it comes to life and business. So, this is just going to be fun. Thank you for being here.

It's my pleasure. I'm looking forward to talking with you more.

Great. Well, to start out here, I mentioned in the introduction that you spent over 30 years at Motorola. So I'd love to hear, especially for our audience's sake, just tell us a little bit about your background there. In 30 years, what was kind of the scope of your work there and your experience there?

Yeah, I actually started, Shawn Ellis, in a technical role as an engineer. Eventually kind of worked my way through the ranks there, becoming an engineering manager regionally and eventually for all of the Midwest. And that role began to grow and expand beyond just engineering but to more program management, system integration type things. And that's what led to my first international assignment. I became responsible for all of our system design and implementation activities in Latin America for several years. And then from that, I think the roles that I played kind of took on what I would call rotational assignments. They certainly helped me to see the breadth of our business and experience all different aspects of our business from a much broader view. I had things like, you know, I was asked to lead the backend of our factory operations. I served as the vice president of a joint venture that we entered into. And then ultimately something happened that caused me to actually request an operational assignment. And once I did that— and I realized that the reason I wanted to do that, by the way, was I wanted to— I began to understand that I wanted to line up more who I am as a person, my personal passions and my strengths. I love strategic planning and execution, for instance. I love— leading large cross-functional teams. So I wanted to get into roles that would tap into that for me. And so that led me into these operational roles, which really encompass pretty much the second half of those 30-plus years. And I began leading our warehouse operations, distribution operations, first again regionally in the US, then, then the US, and ultimately globally for our company. And, and ultimately was responsible for shipping almost $25 billion worth of shipments every year.

Wow, that's— those are some big responsibilities. You know, I think as you were speaking, I think we can all relate to having one moment or a season of our life or career where things just kind of— something clicks or something triggers us. As you said, something, something causes us to make that change. Could we go back? I'd love to hear from you if you would share Tell us a little bit more about what it was that triggered that shift for you.

Yeah, actually, one of the assignments that I was given, I was asked to lead our Office of Quality and Customer Satisfaction for North America. And that job did two things for me. One, and I think it was great to have this sort of bird's-eye view of our entire operation. And so, moving out of any silos that I had known at that point, this was an opportunity to sit on the staff of the general manager for all of North America and begin to see every aspect of our business and to really help me understand how they all related together. And that's just an invaluable thing to one's career. But I think the second thing, and maybe the thing that you're referring to, is this: I— the way we were organized, I was responsible, and the general manager made it very clear, I was responsible for anything that had to do with our quality or how satisfied our customers were. But with our organizational structure, I had a very small team. Essentially, I was in a position of being responsible for everything but having the ability to control nothing because no one really reported to me. And it was in that I would have conversations with this general manager, my boss at the time, who would say, Ron, you know, and he would kind of laugh, he'd say, you need to grow in your influence management skills. And so I did. And what that meant was I began to understand how important it is that everyone in the organization have a common vision as to what it is that we're trying to accomplish, and, and that we're all trying to accomplish the same things, and we're going about it with the same kind of approach or character or culture. I began to understand that that vision has to be very clear and very simple to communicate. It has to be communicated often, and it has to be compelling, because you really need to create this kind of rallying cry for a whole team in order to move people that don't report directly to you, but move them to a place where you need them to go and where you need the behaviors to model things that are important to, in this case, the role of our quality and our customer satisfaction. And that really, I think, that really informed everything that I talk about today, and I still breathe, and that is how important it is that we align our leadership, our vision, and our values for life. So, you know, not just for today, but for all the time, for our entire career, and obviously, for life could also be our work at home as well as our work at the office. But that one job, I think, Shawn, really changed the way I began to understand how to lead and how important those things were.

That's a very interesting story, Ron. Thank you for sharing that. And I can only imagine how then that influences what you share as a speaker and coach today and just how challenging that must be to— I love the way you put it— to be responsible for all these things but to be able to control nothing. And that's something that I think we don't hear a lot about, you know, when we're talking about leadership, we talk about, you know, the importance of vision and values and certain leadership practices that it makes a lot of sense if you're a business owner or a CEO or someone where you are in a position where you control things. Of course, I mean, even a CEO reports to someone, whether it's the board or whatever it may be. But I know that you have a passion now for really helping those in kind of this middle leader space, trying to navigate through these, these dynamics to find personal fulfillment as far as aligning with their personal vision and values while also aligning with, with the company. I'd love to hear more from you about that. I mean, this is certainly a complex topic, but just, just while we're talking here, what would you say to someone who is listening right now who can totally relate and say, "Yeah, that's where I am." What do you say to them?

Yeah, I think that middle leader is the term, as you mentioned, that I like to use for this kind of core middle management ranks. There are many leaders within those middle management ranks and in corporations in the US and across the world today. And I believe that they are responsible so much for actually accomplishing the mission of the company. And yet, as you mentioned, most leadership material and training really talks about the— how to create a vision and the importance of the vision. And these people have the unique challenge that they're not actually being asked to create the vision. They're being asked to catch the vision of their company and buy into that vision. And in fact turn around and cast that vision to their teams in a way that creates this level of engagement and that we actually can accomplish as a corporation then what we're all about. And I think that is what I'm passionate about because I think this is an often overlooked area in leadership circles and the things that people talk about and write about today. And it's certainly something I'm passionate about and taken on. And I think, you know, just to Maybe if you allow just for a minute, maybe I could take and run down a couple of the things that I think are important in that message. And that is that I think, how does a middle leader go about this? I think it starts by being intentional about trying to catch the vision. And what I don't mean by that is that you need to memorize or be able to recite the vision statement that hangs on the wall in the conference room or or even embrace that vision. That's important. I think that's good. But I think that it goes way beyond that. See, I think that vision is our ability to look at what is and see what can be in it. And a company's vision should be something that creates a picture or a visual image. In fact, you know, think about it, visual and vision, they share the same root word. So I think a vision statement and a vision for a company should create a visual image of the state of being that we're trying to become. Who do we want to be? And I think that it's incumbent on the middle leader to study that and begin to understand that. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then I think a vision statement really serves to just trigger that picture in people's mind that then generates that thousand-word description. And so I see vision and vision statements as something much bigger than the catchphrase. And so it's incumbent upon the middle leader then to begin to understand all of those nuances. Who are we as a company? Who do we want to become? This will include elements of character and the culture of the company. Obviously, as I said before, it needs to be clear and it needs to be compelling. And if you put all of these things together, I think what we're really trying to catch is the— is to understand what I call the corporate DNA would be. What is the DNA of our company? And the second step then for the middle leader would be to check and say, do I buy this? Am I in? And so how do they create a personal alignment with this mission and vision and values, with this DNA? And then I like to talk about the fact that each of us has a vocational DNA, our personal DNA. That encompasses, you know, we've all read about or even taken the Myers-Briggs assessment, DISC assessment, even StrengthFinders and things like that, which deal with our personal personality, our behaviors. But I see this vocational DNA to be broader. It gets to the very purpose. Why are we here? And who are we? What are our passions and the education that we have? And do we have a personal vision? What's the vision for our life? And how does that then line up with this DNA and vision for the company? And creating that alignment is a key step for engagement from a corporation standpoint and for fulfillment from the middle leader standpoint. Because now when I go to work, I'm bought in, I'm all in, and it's not just something I'm doing for the company, but it's something that I'm doing for me because this is on board with where I'm going. And it doesn't mean that our vision has to be the same vision. It just means they have to be complementary. And our character has to be in common. So I think that's the second step. And I think that the third step, obviously, then, is to cast that vision to the team. And I like to talk about doing that in the native language of the team because it's important that, you know, we take— things that are thought about on the 12th floor of corporate towers as a vision and spoken of in boardrooms, I think it's important for the middle leader to be able to take that language and then translate it and convey it at the shop floor level or the field office level. And so we talk a lot about how to do that. And I think that's an important component of this.

That's also powerful. I was— I think when we get finished with this interview, that segment right there is worth going back back to and listening to again. There's just so much good material in there. And I was going to ask you, what is the benefit if a company gets this right? And you got to it with the engagement and fulfillment. And we know just from reading so many books, I think of the popular Fish book, just we know how important it is when you've got engagement, when your people are engaged. And as you said, when you as an employee are fulfilled, just the tremendous benefits that that brings to an organization. And I know that this is, you know, this is very much what you do now when you go into companies to speak or to lead workshops. And just, I just want to plug that here briefly. If you're listening and if you're interested in learning more about what Ron does as a speaker or coach, you can learn more about him here at thespeakersgroup.com on our website. Also, you can find him on his personal site at ronminutrea.com. That's R-O-N-M-I-N-A-T-R-E-A.com. Um, it's just, it's such, such important, uh, material, Ron. And it's, it's beyond what we, you know, the kind of the black and white leadership issues of the day. We get so focused on— this goes for all of us, no matter what you do— it's like we get so focused on what has to be done today that I think it's easy for us to lose sight of these things like, you know, our vision, what am I created for, our personal and corporate DNA, as you said. So, it's just a great reminder.

Yes, Shawn, I think it is. And I think that, you know, if we can really tap into that, that is really a key for us to finding the fulfillment that every one of us is really looking for and one of the reasons that we really get up and go to work every day.

Definitely. And you know, something else I love that you, you said early in that segment, uh, you talked about vision is being able to see what is and also to, to see what can be. Um, I think that's also so important because a lot of times, you know, seeing what can be, that's what, that's what gets us excited. That's, you know, that's the fun thing to talk about and dream about. And, uh, but you've got to be able to see what is first before you can connect the dots and figure out how to get there.

Absolutely. And you know, Shawn, I talk about getting clear about success, and in that I talk about 3 kinds of goals. And one of those is a goal, you know, obviously SMART goals. We're all familiar with SMART goals, and I'm a believer and practitioner of SMART goals for many years now. But I look at goals in a slightly different way, and that is there's a goal to do something. So for instance, I could have a goal I do have a goal. I want to walk 5 miles— I'm sorry, 3 miles 5 days a week. So if I walk 3 miles 5 days a week, I've accomplished that goal. So it's effort-based. It's pretty much up to me. I control it. But it is a goal. It still takes discipline. It takes commitment. And it still can be SMART. It's specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. But the second kind of goal that I talk about is a goal to achieve something. And so, for instance, to keep with that analogy, maybe I want to lose 20 pounds. And so that weight loss would be an achievement. You know, a do goal would be to place more cold calls or sales calls. An achieve goal would be to grow my business 15% or 20% because now that's an achievement. And you'll notice that the do goals are effort-based, but the achievement goals are results-based. And the other thing about these is that I have control of the do goals, but I share control of the achieve goals. And yet the rewards are generally higher on the achieve goals. So one of the keys is to really understand the correlation between these two. How do I make sure that the things that I do control actually add up to the things that I can achieve? But— and this, Shawn Ellis, why I wanted to talk about this here as you talked about vision. The third kind of goal is a goal to become someone or something. And this is really key because if we understand who we're trying to become and understand the attributes of that individual or that corporation, now we can begin to define those attributes. And those are the things that tell us what it is that we need to achieve. So this vision of who we're trying to become actually now sets the stage for everything that we try to achieve, and everything we do is to line up to actually achieve those things. And so if we can create that sort of alignment, then I think we're finding people that are very satisfied with who they're becoming, and they know that every day when they get up, what they're doing is moving them closer to becoming who they see themselves being. In the future. So, as you said, they're able to look at what is today but see who they can become tomorrow, either as an individual or as a company.

I love that, Ron. That's just awesome. And to borrow from our pastor on Sunday, he was talking about that very thing. As we're speaking here today, it's the beginning of the year, so we're all thinking about goals and what we want to do this year, what we want to achieve. But that's what he was saying that it's, you know, what we do, what we achieve, that's great to have those kinds of goals, but really, the ultimate journey of life is who we're becoming. So, I love the way that you've connected that into that system.

I love that. And obviously, I don't think any of us can separate our faith from who we are. And I believe that finding the fulfillment that we're looking for, finding the engagement in the office place really gets down to understanding who you are and what you're looking for. Regardless of your faith or religious persuasion, I think it's important that you get in touch with that and understand that because it clearly drives what you think will be success and where you will find fulfillment.

Well said, Ron. Well said. Well, I know the theme of this podcast is Better Life, Better Business, how to live a better life and build a better business. And I think talking to you today, we can see that you kind of— I don't know if we'd say you straddle both of those. But you touch on both of those, obviously, because you talked about how important it is for an organization to build a better business with these leadership practices, but then how that carries right over into your life as well. Anything else you'd like to add to that in terms of how you help leaders with the life side We talked about the business side, but anything you'd like to share about how you help them in that area?

I think, Shawn, one of the most important things that I share is to help people develop a single integrated life, career, and business plan. So, instead of having a set of goals and actions and things that we're trying to achieve at the office and then coming home to a different set of goals. If we can create a single set of goals that encompasses all the different areas of our lives, then that helps us to do a couple of things. One is it's very difficult to make tradeoffs when you're dealing with things that are in two separate buckets. It's when you put them all into one that you begin to see that as I say yes to this, I need to say no to something else, or you begin to see how these two things really relate. And I think that's the beauty is when when what we're trying to do personally is so well aligned with what we're trying to do professionally. I, for instance, you know, I mentioned earlier the things that I love doing. I am made to, and part of my vocational day would be that I love to teach and coach and lead and encourage people and envision them. I love to organize and execute things, and so really part of my role in my corporate job was that I wanted to be in a place where I could do those things. And regardless of what the mission of the company was at that point, I knew that I was doing what I was made to do, and I found that personally rewarding even though I was at work. And I was able to connect that with my wife and the things that we wanted to do to find fulfillment as a couple and a family. And it really helped me to blend those things rather than keeping them at odds but keeping them together. And you know, it's kind of interesting because at the time that I really discovered this and began to live this out, my job was to ship radios and parts and accessories and things. And I just— I'm not sure we all saw that that had a lot of pizzazz in terms of, you know, when I was a little kid, I dreamed about waking up to ship radios and parts and accessories.. But then things happened like tornadoes and disasters occurred. In fact, I remember when September 11th occurred, all the first responders needed microphones and batteries and radios to be able to communicate around that disaster. And so suddenly, while I was there because I was doing things that helped the company and also fulfilled me. Suddenly that mission was transformed into something that was bigger than me. And those things, those times made it very special. And because I had this integrated with my family, they were able to be a part of that with me and participate with me in what I was feeling and what I was doing and what I was accomplishing. And I just wouldn't take for those experiences because I feel like it really helped me to integrate fully who I was with what I was trying to do and then become successful at it and to share it with obviously the people in my life that I really care for.

Well said, Ron. I love that. And I appreciate you sharing your journey with us. And just kind of, it's just really interesting how, you know, you start in a job, you did, we all do. And then just kind of along the way, we wake up to these things. And I'm glad that now I have the opportunity to work with you and we can work together as you share share this message and this insight with, with other leaders, whether it's middle leaders, senior leaders, because there is so much meaning in our work if we can really see it. And sometimes, sometimes life wakes us up to that, but sometimes it's someone like you who comes along with an insightful message that wakes us up to, to the real meaning of, of what we do. And it— just speaking from experience, I mean, it changes, it changes everything about the way you get up and and show up to work on any given day.

Absolutely, absolutely, Shawn.

Well, Ron, thanks again. And for those of you who are listening, if you'd like to learn more about Ron, as I mentioned before, you can find him on our website here, thespeakersgroup.com, and you can also find him on his personal site, ronminatre.com. R-O-N-M-I-N-A-T-R-E-A ronnichols.com. Check him out, check out his speaking, his coaching, his workshops. This man is, is doing great things in the leadership space, and I hope you get the opportunity to work with him. And if we can help you in that, we would love to do that. But Ron, I look forward to our next time to speak. And to those of you listening, look forward to our next time here on the podcast.

Thanks, Shawn Ellis.

Thanks for listening to the Better Life Better Business podcast. Make sure you get our next episode by subscribing for free at betterlifebetterbusiness.com/subscribe. When you sign up, you'll also get a free copy of our Good Advice ebook compilation with contributions from over 25 top thought leaders like Jack Canfield, Marcus Buckingham, and Chris Brogan, and more. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.