Podcast
Grody & UnPrOfEsSiOnAL
Hosted by Justin McMenamy · EN
Hello and welcome to Grody & UnPrOfEsSiOnAL, my name is Justin McMenamy, and my mission is to share both profitable and painful leadership lessons I have acquired over a twenty-year career as a misfit in corporate America.
Like everyone, I have worked with and for hundreds of leaders across my career. While some leaders are great, and many are good, the vast majority find themselves tossed into leadership and left to figure it out on their own. Grody & Unprofessional seeks to share leadership stories harvested from my own experiences and from the experiences of others through approachable and candid conversations with the aim of educating and shaping your leadership journey.
Grody & Unprofessional episodes will toggle between focused monologue on specific lessons or mindsets I have acquired from my experiences and conversations with other leaders seeking to understand their convictions and strategies for inspiring, motivating, and maybe sometimes cajoling a group into action.
Grody & Unprofessional is not a memoir, it’s not a forum to gripe or complain about the past or present. The rules are simple, I aim to convey leadership lessons through storytelling. If a given story has a hero, we will use proper names, if the story has a villain, a dolt, or if there is the potential for embarrassment, proper names will be removed. While we do NOT aim to embarrass people or organizations, we do intend to embarrass poor leadership behaviors and mindsets common to many leaders and organizations.
My experience has been that demand for talented leaders outstrips supply by at least tenfold, Grody & Unprofessional is my feeble attempt to improve supply.
I hope you will join me as we seek to uncover people, product, and organizational leadership lessons through the musings of a corporate misfit and his friends.
Like everyone, I have worked with and for hundreds of leaders across my career. While some leaders are great, and many are good, the vast majority find themselves tossed into leadership and left to figure it out on their own. Grody & Unprofessional seeks to share leadership stories harvested from my own experiences and from the experiences of others through approachable and candid conversations with the aim of educating and shaping your leadership journey.
Grody & Unprofessional episodes will toggle between focused monologue on specific lessons or mindsets I have acquired from my experiences and conversations with other leaders seeking to understand their convictions and strategies for inspiring, motivating, and maybe sometimes cajoling a group into action.
Grody & Unprofessional is not a memoir, it’s not a forum to gripe or complain about the past or present. The rules are simple, I aim to convey leadership lessons through storytelling. If a given story has a hero, we will use proper names, if the story has a villain, a dolt, or if there is the potential for embarrassment, proper names will be removed. While we do NOT aim to embarrass people or organizations, we do intend to embarrass poor leadership behaviors and mindsets common to many leaders and organizations.
My experience has been that demand for talented leaders outstrips supply by at least tenfold, Grody & Unprofessional is my feeble attempt to improve supply.
I hope you will join me as we seek to uncover people, product, and organizational leadership lessons through the musings of a corporate misfit and his friends.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Tapping Organizational Creativity w. Jim Weber
Mar 1900:50:35Tap to summarizeHost Justin McMenamy and guest Jim Weber continue their multi-episode discussion around the many ingredients which comprise a successful culture of innovation. On the topic of brainstorming both Justin and Jim agree that scheduled brainstorming sessions with idea voting and ranking are mostly unproductive. Jim argues effective brainstorming consists of informal, rapid idea vetting with colleagues who try to break ideas and improve them over time. He then emphasizes the need to ask everyone, from executives to technicians, “what would you do?” to learn technical and organizational constraints, even at the risk of embarrassment. Justin highlights the need to reduce hierarchy, otherwise creativity is often outsourced to an “innovation manager,” as well as the need to separate idea collection events from idea selection so contributors stay encouraged while a smaller group prioritizes. They discuss creativity as an underused organizational asset, and debate when simulation-first approaches are essential versus an “Edisonian” fast iteration methodology enabled by low-cost prototyping.
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Hungry, Humble & Smart: A Culture Without Silos w. Kristen Patty
Mar 500:51:51Tap to summarizeHost Justin McMenamy welcomes Kristen Patty to discuss leadership and HR lessons from their time at Precision Planting during a decade of growth from under 100 employees to over 500, including global expansion across more than 15 countries and the acquisition by AGCO.Kristen shares why she left a large multinational retailer early in her career for a startup, emphasizing self-discovery, taking the next right step, and seeking actionable feedback. They cover her transition from Sales Operations to head of HR and her focus on mission-driven recruiting. They discuss balancing HR process with situational care, how policy application affects company-wide trust, and practical ways to protect culture while scaling. The episode ends with Kristen’s advice for leaders entering new roles, stressing humility, clarity of expectations, honesty about gaps, and building relationships through one-on-one conversations.
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Building Empathy w. Erin Thorp
Feb 1900:57:48Tap to summarizeIn this episode host Justin McMenamy welcomes fellow leadership podcaster Erin Thorpe. Across the conversation each discusses formative early-career experiences and how they shaped their mid-career focus on leadership. Both reflect on how not fitting within organizational norms can bleed into lowered self-worth, and they discuss a framework of being “refined” versus “consumed” by adversity, emphasizing that not every bad day warrants resignation and that staying in discomfort can build tenacity. They explore differences between technical and people skills, contrasting engineering’s black-and-white mindset versus the negotiated nature of relationships. Erin describes her path into podcasting: authoring a book in 2016 and later starting the “Tactical Empathy" podcast. Erin explains tactical empathy as a practical leadership tool that balances understanding self and others while maintaining high standards and execution, countering the idea that empathy is a mask for weakness or lowered expectations. She offers ways to build empathy as a muscle: frequent self-check-ins, acknowledging feelings, validating others without necessarily agreeing, and resisting the urge to immediately fix problems.
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Innovation: Easier Said than Done w. Jim Weber
Feb 500:47:38Tap to summarizeIn the first episode of the mini-series entitled “Innovation: Is It More Than a Feeling?” host Justin McMenamy and Jim Weber explore the concept of innovation. The episode delves into defining the necessary components of innovation, contrasting it with being merely clever or even foolish. Jim shares his career experiences as an innovator within a Dow 30 organization and discusses his personal take on innovation, including the idea that there are various levels of innovation. The discussion also touches on the reality that innovation can be seen beyond technology and product development. Justin provides examples from the tech industry, and offers insights from his experience at Precision Planting, particularly on the company's innovative distribution model. The conversation concludes with reflections on how innovation is perceived and executed in different contexts, including manufacturing, marketing, and sales.
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Why Teams Rebel & Talent Resigns w. Caleb Schleder
Jan 2200:45:22Tap to summarizeThis episode features host Justin McMenamy and guest Caleb Schleder discussing the Situational Leadership model. They delve into the four leadership styles (L1 through L4) and their applications based on employee competence and confidence. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recognizing and adapting to these styles to enhance team performance.They also explore challenges like managing 'comfortable L1s,' handling team dynamics with varying competence levels, and maintaining effective leadership during organizational changes. The episode concludes with a unique twist, examining how Situational Leadership principles can apply to parenting, ultimately comcluding that the aim of both the leader and the parent is to foster autonomy and strong relationships which foster personal growth and maturation.
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Situational Leadership w. Caleb Schleder
Jan 800:51:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Justin McMenemy is joined by Caleb Schleder to discuss the framework of Situational Leadership. They delve into the importance of tailoring leadership styles to specific situations and the pitfalls of a one-size-fits-all approach. Justin emphasizes the significance of avoiding the 'because I said so' attitude and introduces Situational Leadership as his go-to advice for new leaders. Caleb shares personal experiences with different leadership styles and highlights the value of empowering employees while avoiding micromanagement.The discussion covers various leadership stages, from Directing (S1) to Delegating (S4), explaining the importance of adjusting strategies based on an employee’s competence and confidence. They also touch on the challenges faced by leaders of leaders and the necessity of maintaining good relationships with employees through these transitions.The episode concludes with preparation for a follow-up episode to continue the discussion, in which Justin and Caleb will spend time discussing edge cases and real-world examples of utilizing the Situational Leadership framework.
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'The Spinach King' w. John Seabrook
Dec 2500:53:13Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Justin McMenamy interviews John Seabrook, an author and journalist, about his recent book 'The Spinach King.' The discussion centers on the dual legacies of John’s grandfather, Charles F. Seabrook, a pioneering yet controversial figure in agriculture. Known for his innovative work in industrializing vegetable farming and his collaboration with Clarence Birdseye, Charles is described as both a visionary and a ruthless leader. The interview delves into the complex family dynamics, including the strained and ultimately destructive relationship between Charles and his sons, particularly John’s father. John shares insights into the personal and professional challenges his family faced, and how writing the book offered him therapeutic closure. The episode also touches on the broader impact of Seabrook Farms on its employees, including Japanese Americans employed after World War II. John reflects on the mixed legacy and the lasting emotional impacts of his family's business saga.
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'The Challenger Sale' w. Bryce Baker
Dec 1100:50:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode host Justin McMenamy and guest Bryce Baker discuss the evolution of sales strategies, homing in on the Challenger Sale method. With nearly 15 years of experience in sales at Precision Planting, Bryce shares the transition from Solutions-based selling to the more effective Challenger approach. They outline how this method disrupts traditional practices by emphasizing commercial teaching, tailoring, and taking control of conversations. The discussion includes real-world examples, customer loyalty insights, and the role of cross-departmental integration in effective sales strategies. The episode concludes by highlighting the lasting impact of providing value beyond the product and fostering strong customer experience.
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Balancing Life's Highs and Lows w. Jeff Snowden
Nov 2700:59:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode Justin and guest Jeff Snowden discuss a variety of topics ranging from leadership lessons, marketing strategies, and personal struggles, both personal and professional. They delve into Jeff’s background, his career transitions from photography to marketing, and his foundational marketing philosophies. Jeff emphasizes the importance of making differentiated and believable promises to build trust in marketing.They also discuss the inherent challenges of managing corporate roles and maintaining personal integrity and family priorities. Jeff shares his experience of having a nervous breakdown in 2021, discussing the pressures of the pandemic and career turmoil, and offers advice on mental health management. Throughout, Jeff provides earnest insights into maintaining balance, the importance of supportive relationships, and finding fulfillment in both professional and personal life.
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Cooking Up Product Development w. Jason Stoller
Nov 1300:53:54Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Justin McMenamy converses with Jason Stoller about their joint experiences at Precision Planting. The discussion focuses on the distinguishing factors between large corporations and smaller startups in terms of product development processes vs. recipes. They delve into the importance of proximity to customers, iterative development, and the freedom to take risks and even fail with the product development environment. By highlighting the benefits of rapid iteration, intrinsic motivation of engineers, and the elimination of bureaucratic handoffs, they underscore the vital role of agility and ownership in successful product development.
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