Purpose and Performance Podcast with Jonathan McKinnies Jonathan McKinnies

Leadership and growth go hand in hand. The mark of a true leader is not that you have grown to a certain level in life, when you seemingly have all the answers or when you have achieved a specific job title. Among many characteristics, one mark of a true leader is when one humbly takes responsibility and has a willingness to take action. In this powerful interview, Kareemah Fowler shares her thoughts on the topic of leadership. From her formidable high school years through her leadership role as City Clerk and now the CFO of South Bend Community School Corporation, Kareemah has developed a perspective of what it takes to listen, learn and lead all at the same time. Leadership starts with your personal decisions, by holding yourself responsible and then it can dramatically impact those around you. There are some tremendous nuggets of truth one can get from this episode. Listen in and learn what it takes to be an effective leader.

Vice President of DJ Construction, Matt Schrock knows a thing or two about building, but it's more about people than it is about edifices. In this interview Matt and Jonathan talk about the lessons Matt learned that helped build him into the leader he is today and the importance of building others. The words we speak and the time and attention we give can have a lasting impact on the lives of others. Just as we can build others, we can similarly weaken or destroy others by these same actions. Matt shares some insight in how we can be more proactive in our efforts to "build".

Committing to your craft, to others and fulfilling your purpose is difficult, especially when you are starting your career. Wealth Management Advisor, Brian Stanley with Northwestern Mutual shares his insight on what it takes to survive in a career that has an over 80% attrition rate. Brian also shares the poignant lessons learned from the loss of his father at the age of 68 years old. Being willing to just do it, commit and take action is foundational to our success in our relationships, career and life in general. What a powerful discussion! No matter what stage of life you are in, this interview is well worth the listen.

In this episode Jonathan had the opportunity to interview the President and CEO of Hallmark Home Mortgage, which happens to be the company he works for. In this episode Deborah explains the lessons learned when she worked on the farm as a child and what it took to reach the level she is at today. In order for one to become successful one must be willing to TRY, to take risk, to be resourceful, resilient and deal with the tough decisions. But, we all know how difficult it can be to take that first step, especially when the circumstances may not be ideal. Need a little encouragement? There are tremendous and encouraging lessons learned from this interview and it's worth the listen.

Alpha Dog Agency Owner and South Bend Beat Podcaster, Kyle OConnor knows the importance of developing local community connections and maintaining personal relationships. In this episode, Kyle shares his thoughts on how an individual and business can connect with others using the platforms we have at our fingertips. Kyle and Jonathan also dive into the importance of creating genuine connection within one's community and not sacrificing personal relationships due to the ever growing distractions we face.

"You don't have to be great to start but you have to start to be great." Zig Ziglar. This is not an episode on politics, but this is an episode on what it takes to start and to truly learn. If anyone knows what it takes to learn it is a military veteran, school teacher and a person who has no political experience, trying to run for office of Mayor. In this episode, Sean shares his thoughts on the characteristics of a good learner. Someone who is teachable is someone who will grow and will succeed in many areas of life. Take the time to listen and learn from this episode.