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Eddie Wilson
Welcome to the Impact Podcast. I'm Eddie Wilson, here to help you visualize what others cannot see, create opportunities where others have failed, and push you to build empires where once there was empty space. Let's embark on this journey together and make a difference in this world. On today's podcast, we're going to tackle these three people. I'm going to do it by way of parable. I'm gonna teach a parable, and I'm going to anchor into three people, and I'm gonna help you understand that there are three people that you absolutely need in your life, in your business, in order to gain success. And then I'm gonna give you the fourth person that you absolutely have to caution. Okay, so the three people. So let me start by telling a story. So there's a struggling business owner. The struggling business owner, he walks out of his place of business, and he's in the city, and he's walking next to a park. He now sees three people standing in the park. And these three people are talking about the fact that they have to accomplish the renovation of this park today. They've got until the end of the day to finish the renovation on this park. So the first person is the person which we're going to assign the name Kara. Okay, so Kara is the first person. And Kara is sitting there, and she's sketching on a piece of paper. She's sketching the final vision for the park. It's halfway done, but they still need some things, so she's kind of sketching it out on a piece of paper. She's also rallying the other two with encouragement. Hey, guys, we've got enough time. We're gonna do this. Think about what it's gonna mean to the city and to these people. And so Kara is what we call the culture driver. Okay, so Kara is the culture driver. She sets the tone, she creates the energy, and she makes sure everyone feels a part of something bigger. Okay, so that's Kara. The next person that steps up is a person by the name of Alex. So Alex comes over. He says, kara, you're right. Can't wait to do this. Let's finish this up. And so he starts checking his measurements. He's checking his plans. He's making sure no step was skipped. He's looking over all the inventory to make sure that they have the right plants, they have the right planks, they have the right facade and the things that they're going to need to finish this park. And he says, and just to reiterate to you guys, we said that we have to be done by sunset. And he said we owe that to each other. Right? And he ensures the promises are kept and progress is matching the plan. We call Alex and the accountability partner. The accountability partner. Right, so you've got Kara, the culture driver. You have Alex, the accountability partner. And then you have the third person, right? The third person is Danny. Danny's sitting there listening to Kara talk about the future, talk about the experience, listening to Alex rehearse the exact measurements and the timing of all of this. And then you have Danny, who. Who, as he's listening, is now hauling logs, starting to hammer. He's sawing relentlessly in motion, sweat's pouring down his brow, as the other two are setting the culture and making sure the standard is held. And he's saying to them, let's move, guys. We've got to get going. I know that your dreams are big, and I know that we have to be precise, but if we don't actually start putting action to the plan, then we are never going to be done by sunset. And so Danny is the execution driver. So Danny is all execution. He doesn't just talk, he moves. Right? And so as this person is sitting there watching, you know, this take place, and you see this. This project come to life, right, the three people, Kara, Alex, and Danny, they end up finishing it all. And each one of them playing their very specific role. The person that's sitting there struggling to kind of be successful in their business realizes that there are three very specific pieces that are missing in their business. And these are the three that are almost always missing in your business. You can appoint a CEO, a coo, a cfo, a cio, a CRO. You can appoint every executive. Underneath of that, you can have a vice president of every single one of those divisions. Marketing, operations, finance, sales. You can have vice presidents everywhere. You can then have an entire army of people underneath of those vice presidents. You can even go down to the director level. Now the director is actually directing the people, and then you've got the actual followers doing the work. But I will tell you that if your organization does not have these three components and champions in each one of these areas, you. You are going to suffer. And it doesn't matter if you are Tide or Home Depot or if you're the average laundromat down the street. You need these three people, and someone needs to play these roles. So first of all, let's just go back to the person who's driving culture. Culture is the very heart of the business. It's the why it's. Why are we actually doing this? What is the purpose of it, right? And so in every thriving venture, you have to have somebody who's driving the why, you have to have somebody who has it in front of them. If you think about it, in my organization, many of you have heard the podcast now for many episodes, and I have a private equity firm called Collective Influence. For me, I am driving culture, and that's really my responsibility is the CEO. Oftentimes, I need to drive culture. The main purposes of a CEO are to, number one, know their numbers, number two, know their people, and number three, have all the big relationships. That's the purpose and the role of a CEO. And as a CEO, I have to drive culture. Culture is. Is not just what we say it is, right? Let me define culture for you just for a second so that you understand if you actually have a cara for culture on your team, culture is not stating something that you want. It's a systematic behavioral activity that's taking place in your business. For instance, if you say, man, I really want to have a culture of family. But all of a sudden you've got, you know, people that are on each other's heels and they're being negative. And if you don't. If you don't care for people, if you don't give them time off, if you're driving, right? Like, that's not typical of a family, right? Typical of a family is supportive, understanding, nurturing, right? So if you look at the systematic behaviors in your business or in your life and you say, I want the culture of, but the systematic behaviors don't represent it. You don't have a culture. You have a dream, you have an aspiration. A culture is what's currently taking place. It's not this group of sayings or words on a wall as you walk into an organization. It's. It's what's actually taking place. Like, what. What systematic behaviors are actually taking place within those four walls, because that is the culture, right? Like if. If you say, hey, I want to have a. A culture of accountability, but yet you don't have standard operating procedures. You don't have meetings to essentially govern or. Or define what it means to have success. You don't have a culture of accountability. You have a desire for accountability. You have a. You don't have a culture for accountability. So you need somebody who's the accountabi or the culture driver, right? Somebody who's actually gonna drive it. For us, it's, number one, it's tied to our Nonprofit impact others. And so we lead so much with talking about why we do what we do and the impact we're making and the orphanages that are started or it's. It's. Instead of just giving gifts at Christmas time, we give trips to go with us to these places. We take our team members to see it, we come back, we give reports that our Aspire tour, we're standing on stage talking about it, right? Like it is the culture that we want. It's a culture of understanding that our work impacts more than just what is happening today and in my proximity. Right? Number two is you have to have somebody who focuses on the how, right? This is, Alex, for accountability. Someone in your organization has to essentially beat the drum of accountability every day. Oftentimes that's typically either your finance person or your operations person, and then it trickles down. But you have to have a champion, right? Like, you can have lots of people in your organization that adhere to your culture or drive culture, but you have to have a champion of culture. You have to have somebody that is driving it, right? Next, you have to have somebody that is driving accountability and who is holding all parties responsible, who's pulling data up to say, we said we were gonna do this, but we didn't do this. Where is the accountability coming from? Who is driving culture? And then lastly, when you think about Danny, and Danny's the driver, right? Danny's execution. And you have to have somebody who understands and focuses on the now. You have to have somebody that's like, I understand that we're dreaming about this tomorrow, but what happens today? Where do we put feet to this plan and action to this plan? When we work together, you can essentially do anything, right? And you do it with the right efficiency and productivity. And so when you think about these three people, I want you to look in your life and think about anything you're trying to accomplish, whether it's something personal, whether it's something professional. Do you have these three people present when I say those words? Do people pop into your head? One of the greatest lessons of playing sports in life is you realize that not everyone gets to be the star and not everyone gets to lead. When I've coached basketball in my kind of previous life, I always would take on that team and that group of 10 to 12 young men. I would always go to them and we would talk about what we called role positions or role players, and we would say. And I would talk to them. I'd say, look, when you get the chance, you are allowed to shoot the Ball, you are allowed to score. But that is your. That's not your primary role. Your primary role is to get rebounds, play defense, whatever it was. Role player, right? And there are some people that you have to say, look, you're not going to see the floor every single game, but your job on this bench is to bring the energy and bring the excitement. And when you get to come in the game, you come in with passion, excitement. And what happens is, is when everybody, when they. When they buy into the role that they have, you have a power in the team together. But when you have everyone jockeying for. But who. Who's actually in charge and who actually is supposed to be driving this and who is actually taking responsibility here? What happens is, is it dilutes the energy of the team. If everybody thinks they're Michael Jordan, right, then you lose the power of Michael Jordan. If Everybody thinks they're LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, you lose the power of Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. What I would like to say is, if you go back to the Michael Jordan era, right, like, is Jordan really Jordan without Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong, Luke Longley, Right. Like, the entire supporting cast, I believe Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time. However, I think he wins championships because he's got a supporting team that allows him to be the greatest of all time. And so in this, you have to have role players in your business, you have to have role players in your life. You have to have role players, and you should be looking to see where or what area do you have proclivity to. For me, I have a proclivity to either culture or accountability. Right. Like, I like to make sure that we're holding everybody accountable for the roles that they're doing. It's why I make a good CEO is. Is because at the top, it's easier to kind of hold the levels of accountability. Oftentimes, though, I struggle with driving because I want to innovate. Oftentimes. And so oftentimes, innovation is in the way of the now, the today, right? And so I want you to take inventory, decide who you have a proclivity to be and what is missing in your life, and think about anything that you're trying to accomplish today, whatever it is, whatever you're trying to accomplish, something you're bringing to life, something you're trying to do. You need these three people in your life. Now. One caution, and I kind of alluded to that just a second ago, is that I've learned, and you kind of go through getting an mba, there's always this teaching that there really is four quadrants of business. Okay? So just bear with me for a second. There's four quadrants of business, and everyone falls into these quadrants. Teamwork and employee experience is one quadrant. Agility, right. And innovation is quadrant number two. Results and discipline, quadrant number three. And accountability and making sure that there's, like, data is quadrant number four. Right? So you've got these four quadrants, but I will tell you that you have three of these represented in the people that I just talked to you about, right? Like teamwork and employee experience. That's culture, right? When you're looking at results and discipline, Right. That's the driver. Right? And then accountability. That's the accountability piece. Right? But I will tell you that the thing that you have to be most careful with and where I have made mistakes in my career is leading with innovation. I do believe that without innovation, there is death. However, innovation has to be inserted when there's a proper balance between culture, accountability, and execution. If you lead with innovation, you'll never, ever get anything done. All you do is perpetually change. So what you have to do is you have to have a solid balance of culture, accountability, and execution, and then install innovation intentionally through certain periods of time. I believe that innovation is best served by on a periodic time frame. And I think the innovation should be looked at on a quarterly basis. If you go to most big publicly traded companies, they're not innovating or changing on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. Typically, they're bringing all their data and all their research on a quarterly basis to look at things that they should innovate on. Change, make better, right? So that then their foundation of culture, accountability, and execution can actually then perpetuate or take advantage of the innovation. For all of you entrepreneurs, here's the big caution. Most of you, because you fall into this innovation bucket, you're struggling to actually get things done. If you are somebody who wants to constantly innovate, I highly, highly recommend you to put the people around you that I just talked about culture, accountability, and execution, and hold back the innovation for the right time to actually deliver it. The thing is, is that person that walked away from their office struggling to find the success they want, they walk into this park and they see the three people, Kara, Alex, and Danny. They see them succeeding, and they see them succeeding because there's a clear pathway. They understand the job that they're doing right, and you have all the right parties involved if you want to accomplish your goals, if you want to get to the success that you want. You absolutely have to have these three people.
Unnamed Guest
Immediately. My mind goes to. I have a friend who's starting a business over in Utah. She has a lot of people around her. The roles are undefined. I know she wants to live in the innovation state.
Eddie Wilson
Yes.
Unnamed Guest
So I guess what I want to ask you is if there's people out there, they do take inventory of who's around them and they find, find an imbalance. What is next steps? What do you suggest? How do they do that?
Eddie Wilson
There's almost always an imbalance. That's why I get called so much with our Empire brand, because people are not getting to the end result that they want. And what I see is this imbalance. And what I see is a lot of entrepreneurs who have a lot of great ideas. Right. That just struggle to execute. So what I say is that first of all, you have to take inventory of your life. Can you actually sit in one of these seats? And as a person who wants to innovate, can you move into culture, accountability or execution? Oftentimes, culture is the easiest person or the easiest place for a maverick or a entrepreneur to move into because it's a little bit more natural. They can drive feeling, they can drive, you know, that kind of why behind what they're doing. But oftentimes they struggle with the accountability and the execution. So you have to have those people in your life. So if you want to sit in the innovation seat, you have to temper it to the degree that these people can actually keep up. So then you put really strong people in accountability and execution, maybe fall into that culture role and then only innovate as they actually execute. The problem is that the constant source of innovation oftentimes is the greatest roadblock and stall for most businesses trying to find success makes sense.
Unnamed Guest
You ask the listeners to take an inventory and find out what they have a proclivity to.
Eddie Wilson
Yeah.
Unnamed Guest
Let's say you have a team of three and they all do some soul searching and they come back and they say, hey, I really want to be. Yeah X. I want to be the executioner.
Eddie Wilson
Yeah.
Unnamed Guest
Is it possible to exist in another role? What's the end road of that? What's the downstream of that?
Eddie Wilson
I think it's a. It's an understanding, first of all. It's an awareness and then it's a commitment to hold that responsibility. Can people adapt and can they move over there? Yes, they can. We use a tool called predictive index that really show you what you kind of lean towards in that those four quadrants I talk about, it actually maps those four quadrants out. And oftentimes people can modify, but usually only for a period of time. And so what you have to do is you have to modify until you get to a certain level of growth, realize the gaps you have, and then as you hit certain metrics, make sure you're hiring to make sure that you have this person in your staff or in that role.
Unnamed Guest
And then let's say there is a team out there of one to five people. They go through this process. They kind of identify where they live. Do you, like, initiate a meeting where you define these and talk about them?
Eddie Wilson
Absolutely. I think that I used to do one on ones with my basketball teams, and I do one on ones with our staff. And in that, I'm oftentimes saying, hey, this is the role I need you to take. You have the desire, you have the ability to be that person on our staff. There's gonna be a lot of other people that are gonna. They're gonna follow that path. But I need someone who is driving this concept. You know, like, I need you to step out. I need you to understand this is a part of your role. You might be the coo, but I want you to also understand that your job is accountability. Like, you've got to hold us to the line.
Unnamed Guest
Any stories in your past experience in your. In your business career of either, you know, people in the wrong positions and where it fixed or anything you can.
Eddie Wilson
Yeah. I will say that oftentimes culture, the reason I define it so specifically that it's a systematic, you know, set of behaviors, it's not just an aspirational goal, is that having someone sit in the culture seat, that just tells the story of what we want, but doesn't push towards the action of it, can also hurt your organization. I had a company where, you know, the CEO, so I was over. I was the owner, but I had a CEO leader. And he. We identified these three people and he said, I'm going to lead culture. I said, okay, what's our culture going to be? What do we want their culture to be? And he very much. We set this kind of tone of what the culture should be. And he really struggled because what he would do is he would paint this picture about what the culture could be, but he couldn't force the culture to actually become it. And the reason was, is because I used to talk a lot about the warrior culture. He very much wanted to embody this warrior culture. So he would like. We would say the warrior culture has a self weeding garden, you come to work every single day and your job is to have your highest level of output that day. Right? Not yesterday, but today. And we want a culture of accountability. And so we want you to come ready to do battle every single day. Not against the people next to you, but against our competitors, against the people that are trying to erode our success. Right? Like that was the warrior culture. You know, the word culture was they came self motivated, they didn't need motivation at work because they came self motivated. And we kind of had all these like rules. And it was interesting because he would talk about that but he couldn't hold himself accountable to it. He would show up late. He didn't always get the most out of himself. He was good at painting the vision, he was good at rallying the troops, he was good at getting them excited. And then all the team would listen to the, you know, the stories and listen to the kind of directions and then they'd look at him and go, but the problem is, is you don't execute. Like, if this is a self weeding garden, then you should see yourself out. And it got contentious. The person who's running operations for this company, was a development company, actually called him out in an executive meeting and like, and they said, and he said, if you want this to be a word culture. I remember sitting there and it was awkward, but it was, it was true. If you want this to be a warrior culture, we should all have, we should all be. This was kind of our big thing is like we're never afraid of the truth. We want the truth because the truth actually gives us the next right action. He said, then I shouldn't be afraid to tell you the truth. And he, he said, he said, you don't show up on time, you don't execute on what you say you're going to do. He said, and we say a self weeding garden is an awareness of where I'm failing, right. And where everybody else is succeeding. And he said, I want to hear if you believe that you're succeeding at your role or failing at your role. And he said, he said, you know, I think I might be failing. He was really caught off guard, but it was a big turning point for that group and it was a hard, hard lesson to learn. But in the end you have to have the right people in that seat. He was not the perfect person for culture. You, he was actually a good person for innovation. He was, he was a creative. He was trying to drive new ideas and his lack of execution was always tied to the desire he had to make things better or do something different.
Unnamed Guest
I can relate.
Eddie Wilson
Yeah.
Unnamed Guest
I think I'm applying a lot to that myself. I was in a company in Utah. They had a head of culture there.
Eddie Wilson
Yeah.
Unnamed Guest
His idea of pushing culture was group yoga, group sound baths, and like.
Eddie Wilson
Yeah.
Unnamed Guest
Openly smoking weed in the office. And that was his driving culture. So I've definitely seen some breakdown of culture.
Eddie Wilson
I. I think people take that too far. They go out to Google or Apple and they look and they're like, wow, look at this beautiful campus and all these crazy amenities. And it's like. But what you don't realize is those people are working 12 and 13 hours and they're just giving them some sense of relief. It's not like a place to play. It's a place exactly like they're. They're tying it to this. We want you to give everything you have here. And so it's like some people, the pendulum swings way too far. And culture is, Is not sound baths and yoga. You know, culture is a. And now you can have a culture that embodies that. And I actually know a lending company where they all work out together, they all do yoga together, they all, like, it's. It's part of the culture, but. But also it's tied to an end result.
Unnamed Guest
I. I'm. I am stuck on imbalances. It's kind of where my mind is. Is. It's like, is there a procedure you follow? Like, assess yourself, assess your executives, find imbalances, have a meeting, realign.
Eddie Wilson
Sure. I would say right now, what you have to look at is you have to. If I was, you know, somebody challenged me with these three things, I would be taking inventory of my own organization. I would say, okay, how do I know where the imbalance is? And I'll tell you that if there's a consistent negative cry throughout your organization about something going on. Right. Like, then that means you have an imbalance. Right. And all you have to do is listen to the murmur of the people. Right. Like, it will come out whether you like it or not. And what you're going to hear is people either don't know their job, responsibility, and they don't have clear, defined boundaries. And so in that, typically, that is an accountability issue. It's. We have not set clear parameters, clear directives. If it is, I'm not heard, I'm not seen, I'm not valued. Oftentimes that's a culture issue. Right. If that's the cry. And then lastly, if it is a cry of we're not profitable, we're not meeting demands of our customers, then you're missing the drive component. And so you can oftentimes, just by listening to the problems in the organization, see where the deficiency is. And then you have to create a champion, and then you have to let them know how important this is to the organization.
Unnamed Guest
My instinct is to try to become a part of each of these that you're presenting in myself.
Eddie Wilson
Sure.
Unnamed Guest
Is that incorrect application?
Eddie Wilson
Yeah, I think so. You can have elements of it, but best is if you're a leader who is appointing it. And there can be microcosms of this. Right. So if I was running a sales organization, if I was, you know, if I was running a sales department, a media department, if I'm running, you know, a CSR department, I would want each one of these three to be present. Right. Like, it has to exist at the top. But as the organization grows, you really need micro champions.
Unnamed Guest
Makes sense. So that goes back to just being more comfortable in your old position then.
Eddie Wilson
Yes. Like, you don't have 100%, you don't have to be all of them, but you need to. You need to assign it to someone. They need to be aware. I think the biggest call to action, the biggest takeaway, is that you should take inventory in your life. And it's not just your business. Right. It is your personal life as well. Think about your home, think about what's lacking, think about what's needed. And because even in a home, it's necessary to have these three components. Right. Or else you're not going to accomplish the things you want to accomplish, you know, in your friend groups, whatever you're trying to accomplish, your church, these three are absolutely necessary in order to accomplish goals. So take inventory, not just in your business, but in your life. Thanks so much for being a part of the podcast and for listening today. Love to connect with you further. And you can connect with me on social media at Eddie Wilson official on any of the social media channels.
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Host: Eddie Wilson
Podcast: Impact with Eddie Wilson
In Episode 26 of the "Impact with Eddie Wilson" podcast, titled "Culture, Accountability, Execution | The Hidden Keys to Business Success," host Eddie Wilson delves deep into the fundamental pillars that drive business success. Through a compelling parable and insightful discussions, Eddie unpacks the essential roles of culture drivers, accountability partners, and execution drivers in both personal and professional settings. Additionally, he offers a cautionary perspective on the overemphasis of innovation without a balanced foundation.
Eddie begins the episode with a vivid parable about three individuals—Kara, Alex, and Danny—who collaborate to renovate a park within a day. Each character embodies a crucial role:
Kara (Culture Driver):
“Hey, guys, we've got enough time. We're gonna do this. Think about what it's gonna mean to the city and to these people.”
[02:30]
Kara sets the vision and fosters a sense of purpose and community, ensuring everyone feels part of a bigger mission.
Alex (Accountability Partner):
“We said that we have to be done by sunset. And we owe that to each other.”
[03:15]
Alex meticulously monitors progress, ensuring that plans are adhered to and promises are kept.
Danny (Execution Driver):
“We've got to get going. I know that your dreams are big, and I know that we have to be precise, but if we don't actually start putting action to the plan, then we are never going to be done by sunset.”
[04:10]
Danny translates plans into action, maintaining momentum and driving the project forward.
Together, these three characters successfully complete the park renovation, illustrating the synergy between culture, accountability, and execution.
Eddie emphasizes that regardless of the organization's size—a multinational like Tide or a local laundromat—these three roles are indispensable. Appointing executives such as CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and others requires ensuring that within each division, champions for culture, accountability, and execution are present. He highlights:
“If your organization does not have these three components and champions in each one of these areas, you are going to suffer.”
— Eddie Wilson [06:45]
Eddie elaborates on the true essence of culture:
Systematic Behavioral Activity:
Culture isn't just aspirational slogans but the actual behaviors within the organization. For instance, a stated "family culture" becomes real when employees feel supported and nurtured, not pressured and negative.
Role of the CEO:
As the culture driver, the CEO must embody and enforce the desired culture through actions, not just words. Eddie shares his experience at Collective Influence, where he emphasizes the impact-oriented culture by involving team members in philanthropic efforts.
“Culture is what's actually taking place. It's what's currently taking place within those four walls, because that is the culture.”
— Eddie Wilson [12:10]
He warns against mistaking aspirational goals for genuine culture, stressing the need for consistent, behavior-driven cultural practices.
A significant portion of the episode addresses the potential pitfalls of overemphasizing innovation:
Four Quadrants of Business:
Eddie outlines four business quadrants—Teamwork & Employee Experience, Agility & Innovation, Results & Discipline, and Accountability & Data. He argues that while innovation is vital, it should not overshadow the foundational elements of culture, accountability, and execution.
Caution Against Leading with Innovation:
Overprioritizing innovation can lead to perpetual change without tangible results. Eddie advises integrating innovation periodically, such as quarterly, to ensure it complements rather than disrupts the business's core operations.
“If you lead with innovation, you'll never, ever get anything done. All you do is perpetually change.”
— Eddie Wilson [19:00]
He shares anecdotes of businesses that struggled due to misaligned roles—like a CEO who espoused a "warrior culture" but failed to embody accountability, leading to organizational friction and inefficiency.
In response to guest questions, Eddie provides actionable steps for businesses facing role imbalances:
Take Inventory:
Assess the current state of your organization by listening to employee feedback and identifying recurring issues related to culture, accountability, or execution.
Appoint Champions:
Designate individuals to lead each of the three core areas. Utilize tools like the Predictive Index to determine each team member's strengths and align them with appropriate roles.
Realign Roles:
Conduct meetings to define roles clearly and ensure each team member understands and commits to their responsibilities. Encourage flexibility but maintain focus on core functions to prevent role dilution.
“The biggest call to action, the biggest takeaway, is that you should take inventory in your life. And it's not just your business. It is your personal life as well.”
— Eddie Wilson [25:30]
Eddie emphasizes that these principles apply beyond business, extending to personal life, ensuring comprehensive goal achievement across all facets.
Essential Roles:
Culture, accountability, and execution are non-negotiable for sustained success.
Balanced Innovation:
Innovation must be strategically timed and integrated to enhance rather than hinder progress.
Continuous Assessment:
Regularly evaluate organizational roles and dynamics to address imbalances promptly.
Eddie concludes by urging listeners to apply these insights both professionally and personally to create a balanced and impactful life.
For more insights and to continue the conversation, connect with Eddie Wilson on social media at Eddie Wilson Official.