631: Bert Bean & Sam Kaufman - Obsession, Grit, Growth-Mindset, Winning in a Tough Market, Hiring for Potential, Running Ultra-Marathons, and Caring For Your People

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

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www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Bert Bean is the CEO of Insight Global. Insight Global is a 4.3-billion-dollar, industry-leading talent and technical services firm based in Atlanta, GA. Bert started with Insight Global in 2005 as a Recruiter and has since worked his way up within the company, exemplifying Insight Global’s “promote from within” culture. Sam Kaufman is the Chief Revenue Officer of Insight Global. Sam began his career as an entry-level recruiter in 2004, and he has earned many promotions throughout his career. I initially started working with Sam as his executive coach in March 2020, and then mid-2021, we formalized a bigger partnership with Insight Global, becoming the presenting sponsor of The Learning Leader Show, and we broadened my role working with leaders throughout the company. It’s been so much fun.

Notes

• Insight Global is a $4.3B business. Insight Global grew 9.2% last year, while the industry declined 9%.
  • How is Insight Global winning while all other staffing firms are losing?
    • A lot of companies will succumb to the idea that it's just gonna be a bad year, but our people are like, no, we'll just figure it out. We'll pivot. We'll move industries. We'll change accounts, we'll change our focus. We'll sell different services. And that's really what we've done.
    • “Many in our industry are losing hope. That’s not us. This is where we thrive.”
    • "Our people's ability to show up, keep going, um, do new things, evolve, is really, I think it's second to none. And that's been a huge part of our story."
• The whole world is soft. We love leaders like Laura Downey. She’s so driven, so hardcore. A beast. She’s in Canada. She just reaches right out to me like we’re old friends. If I could get a bunch of Laura Downey’s, it’s game over.
• Obsession: A through-point for the entire conversation was obsession. Being obsessed with caring for people. Being obsessed with doing hard things like running 20 miles to work. Being obsessed with how prepared you are for a big meeting. Being obsessed with your standards. Holding yourself accountable to them and others. The leaders who sustain excellence over time are obsessed with their craft.
• Potential over experience - “If you want to build a culture of commitment and care, you have to choose potential over experience.”
• Things to look for when promoting a leader:
  • Hard decision making
  • Strategic bets
  • Simplifying complex problems