Cut Through the Noise with Dave Turano Dave Turano

Long time friend & fellow Stonehill College grad, Scott Dussault, joined me this week to talk start-ups, technology, people, communication and phony phone calls! Scott has more than two decades of operational and financial leadership experience, and a track record of success in both public and private technology companies.   Scott kicked off his career at E&Y and then quickly transitioned into a CFO at companies like Storage Networks, Archivas, Demandware, Nasuni and Workhuman.  For the last seven years Scott has advised entrepreneurs and start-ups in the tech sector by leveraging a unique blend of people skills, operational excellence and creativity to get them to the next stage of growth. Scott received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Stonehill College and was presented with the Gold Medal by the Massachusetts Board of Public Accountancy for receiving the highest score in the state in the May 1993 CPA exam. From childhood to present day, Scott has a laundry list of impressive accomplishments, but when all is said and done, he is likely to go down in history as the greatest prank phone caller of all time! This was a fun conversation!    

Anyone remember the 'The Island of Misfit Toys' from the animated Christmas special, 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer'? It was a place that an unwanted toy was sent if a child didn't want to play with it... 'Charlie' in the box, the spotted elephant, and the water pistol that shot jelly were just three of many toys that were relegated to the island. If that special were made in 2024, I would imagine that the cast might have included 'Salespeople that forgot how to sell!' Bad joke... Thank you to Kortney Harmon, with Crelate, for a fun conversation about sales, recruiting and the importance of having a PROCESS! The mood of the staffing industry is somewhat flat these days  A number of companies have reported that business is down between 15-30%! Why???   Lot's of reasons - Poor leadership and lack of process are two of them! Kortney shared a number of great ideas on how to drive engagement, consistency and confidence into sales and recruiting teams in the current environment Hope you enjoy! You can listen today on Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music - or watch on YouTube: Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enyt-y-z Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bd23a16e-729c-4199-a1c7-3ab954a45e55/episodes/ba37aeb2-69fb-496f-bebe-f62c38584013/cut-through-the-noise-with-dave-turano-salespeople-forgot-how-to-sell---with-kortney-harmon Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_w0hT8aAaeA   You can also listen to Kortney every Thursday on 'The Full Desk Experience Podcast':  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-full-desk-experience/id1644223998

Someone forgot to teach Carolyn Rivera how to doubt herself... She was born to believe! Raised in Queens by a single Mom, Carolyn never bought into the story that girls couldn't compete with boys, which is why she decided to tryout for the boys gymnastics team at Forest Hills High School when she was 15.   'This is the boys gym,' someone barked when she arrived. 'I know...I'm here to tryout for the boys team,' Carolyn quipped back. Shortly after that she found herself in the principals office... 'Why should I let you join the boys team?,' he asked 'Because I am better than some of the guys trying out' Guess what??? She made it!  (The first girl to do so!  Times were different then) Turns out that gender wasn't an obstacle... After High School Carolyn went on to build a successful career as a Learning & Development professional at companies like Citibank and MetLife, while raising three children.   Years later, while in her 50's, Carolyn was selected to compete against a number of 20 and 30-something competitors on the reality show, Survivor... She finished second! Turns out that age wasn't an obstalce... After 'Survivor,' Carolyn started her own HR Consulting firm, did a Ted Talk and wrote a book And just a few years later, she lost her husband of 43 years unexpectedly Was that an obtacle?   'It was a crazy time - a shock.  My whole life changed,' Carolyn reflected What is she up to now? Listen today!    

I'm proud to call this guy a friend - he's an amazing individual! Sean McCourt grew up in Teaneck, NJ; a lower middle class town just outisde of New York City. He his thankful to his Mom & Dad for instilling core values and just enough 'healthy neglect' to help him find his way in life. After High School, Sean spent four years at Roger Williams College in Rhode Island, where he ALMOST graduated! When he left college, Sean took a sales job with a staffing firm in Boston.  And over the next fifteen years he often wondered what it would be like to have his own company, but the one thing that held him back was fear. 'I was afraid' Ultimately, it was Sean's wife Katherine that inspired him to take the chance. 'Stop being a P@$$y - Sh$t or get off the pot.  You can do this!' And just like that...Longford & Associates was born.   One year later, Katherine along with their three kids (Jack 5, Claire 2 and Will 3 months) had gone to visit her parents in upstate New York.   Sean stayed home to work on the company and while at dinner with friends, he received a call from his father-in-law. that would change his forever. Please take the time to listen to his inspiring story.          

60 going on 26!  Ken Johnson has more energy than most people half his age, which is a good thing because he plans to live for another 30-40 years! In 2022, Ken stepped down as CEO of @masmedicalstaffing after nearly twenty years at the helm. Just after 911, he and his team stumbled into the Healthcare Staffing space, but no one could have anticipated that the company would sell for nine figures two decades later. Their growth was 100% orgnanic - no mergers - no acquisitions - just 'brute force' and the willingess to embrace technology. In the early days Ken threw himself into his job, but 17 years ago his wife, Susan, confronted him about his drinking. 'It's the booze or it's me and the kids,' she said. She changed his life that day.   Ken went on to say, 'I quit drinking and it was hard - it was the hardest thing I've ever done.' 'The battle was psychological, but today my life is so much better.  Today is the happiest I've ever been.' In this conversation Ken and I talked about business, booze and life after selling his company.  I hope it's a source of inspiration for anyone that might be struggling with an addiction or perhaps looking for a meaningful way to spend their time after moving on from a business or a career. #healthcare #nursing #healthcareworkers #travelnurse #technology #uber #alcohol #drinking #opportunity #hobbies #painting #guitar #newhampshire #acadianationalpark❤️ #maine #usnavy #coaching #leadership #sale #communication #workethic #hardwork #belief #ceo #privateequity #founder #living              

Best selling author and Executive Advisor, Scott Edinger; along with his long time friend and Fraternity Brother, Jay Brunetti, joined me to discuss everything from Trailer Parks to Leadership and all sorts of stuff in between. Scott's path was not an easy one.  His Mom left home when he was 8 and he never knew his Dad, but with the support of a few good people in his life and a fair amount of therapy, Scott worked hard to acquire the skills and experience that allows him to advise Fortune 50 companies today. Check out 'The Growth Leader' if you want to understand how leadership, strategy and sales ought to intersect in a company.  Edinger also explores the human side of business and dives deeply into how beliefs, behaviors and connection shape a company culture.   Enjoy! scottedinger.com hirealliance.com @jaybrunetti @scottedinger Scott's bio: https://www.scottedinger.com/about The Growth Leader: https://www.scottedinger.com/books Articles Scott has written for Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Chief Executive: https://www.scottedinger.com/articles Where to find Scott:  https://www.scottedinger.com/