In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Chris Polek, CEO of Polek & Polek, a distributor of copier and printer supplies to office equipment dealers across the U.S., about “culture from the heart.” Chris defines it as “caring with shared purpose,” describing caring as supporting team members personally and professionally by creating growth opportunities and challenges. He explains the shared purpose as supporting the dealer network to help them be more profitable and align work with a leader’s personal business philosophy, sharing his own: work hard, bring value, and be nice to people. Chris discusses practical leadership habits such as walking around to connect with everyone in the organization and the “three coin technique” to ensure daily positive recognition. He reflects on taking over the founder-led business about 26–27 years ago, shifting from centralized decision-making to empowering employees with autonomy, pushing them to bring solutions, and accepting mistakes as part of growth. He shares that a heart surgery absence tested the company’s culture, and operations continued smoothly because people knew how to handle challenges, with support available from outside resources. Chris attributes significant leadership and cultural development to more than 25 years in the CEO peer group Vistage, where he gained ideas, perspective, and friendships, and he recounts joining after his father declined and a humorous missed first meeting due to a Yankees rainout. He gives an example of involving employees in decisions by piloting a four-day workweek with a bonus program to address overtime fatigue and absenteeism, which employees chose to keep after three months. Chris closes by emphasizing that culture work is ongoing, evolves over time, requires continual attention and refocusing, and is never “done.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Culture from the heart means caring with shared purpose—supporting your people personally and professionally while aligning around a common mission
• The three-coin technique: Start each day with three coins in one pocket, transfer one each time you say something positive to a team member—it's harder than it sounds
• Give team members autonomy to make decisions and get comfortable with them making mistakes—micromanagement prevents organizational growth
• Culture work is forever—it requires ongoing attention, periodic refocusing, and continuous investment, not a one-time initiative
• Personal business philosophy guides leadership decisions: work hard, bring value, be nice to people

QUOTES

• "Culture from the heart is caring with shared purpose."
• "The three-coin technique sounds simple, but you try it. You'll probably get by lunchtime and find you've got all three coins still in that pocket."
• "My personal business philosophy: I work hard, I bring value, and I'm nice to people."
• "People are very capable. They can make decisions. And even when they go wrong, the company is not gonna implode."
• "The worst case scenario is if you try something and it doesn't work out, you can always go back to what you were doing before."
• "This work is forever. It's ongoing, it never ends. It evolves over time—it's not just a quick fix."
• "It's kind of like putting in a new, fresh set of batteries and things shine brightly again."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry.

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more from Chris Polek.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-polek-871205a/

Ready to begin realizing the full potential of your sales team? Hire Great Salespeople with Confidence. SCHEDULE YOUR EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.

https://sellingfromtheheart.net/hiring

Unlock The Power of Team Growth with Learnit’s Live Training Platform. CLAIM your 45-day trial of unlimited training now!

https://www.learnit.com/lp/culture

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In this episode of the Culture From The Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Kip Miller, CEO of Eastern Industrial Supplies. Kip shares his journey from starting his career in the 1980s to leading a company that emphasizes caring for employees, customers, communities, and cultures. He introduces the 'four C's' strategy for building a heart-centered workplace culture, discusses the implementation of chaplain services, and recounts the significant impact of community involvement both locally and internationally. Kip offers practical advice for leaders on how to develop a caring culture by starting with small, actionable steps and maintaining intentionality, consistency, and discipline. This episode is a masterclass in operationalizing empathy and compassion within a corporate environment.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Focus on Caring: Creating a culture centered on caring for employees, clients, community, country, and global cultures is vital for long-term success.
• Intentional Actions: Initiatives like chaplaincy services, emergency assistance funds, and community involvement are practical ways to demonstrate care.
• Personal Growth: Leaders must look inward and be vulnerable to set an example for their teams.
• Perseverance: Overcoming difficult times and persevering builds character and shapes a stronger organizational culture.
• Consistency and Intentionality: Commitment to consistent actions and intentionality in caring ensures that a heartfelt culture thrives over time.

QUOTES

• "Do you really love your neighbors as you do yourself? And do you look after their interests just like you look after your own?"
• "We want to care for people in our company. How can they be the best version of themselves that they can be?"
• "It's about being vulnerable and admitting flaws—people relate to leaders who are genuine and open."
• "We can work on building a world-class culture, which we're not there yet. But you can take good and go to better and go to great."
• "Intentionality and consistency in caring actions can transform and uplift organizational culture."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more about Kip Miller.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kip-miller/

Ready to begin realizing the full potential of your sales team? Hire Great Salespeople with Confidence. SCHEDULE YOUR EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.

https://sellingfromtheheart.net/hiring

Unlock The Power of Team Growth with Learnit’s Live Training Platform. CLAIM your 45-day trial of unlimited training now!

https://www.learnit.com/lp/culture

In this rewind episode of the Culture From The Heart Podcast, we revisit a thought-provoking conversation with Damon Lembi, CEO of LearnIt. The discussion centers around building a heart-centered culture within organizations, emphasizing the importance of leading with integrity, practicing transparency, and setting a clear vision. Damon shares his experiences and strategies for handling tough conversations, fostering emotional maturity, and maintaining a practice mindset. He also delves into the significance of a learning culture, highlighting the need for continual personal and professional development, and the role of management in driving this culture. The episode concludes with actionable advice for CEOs on cultivating a learning environment and leading with empathy and purpose.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Lead with Integrity: Always be transparent, set clear visions, and assist your team in achieving goals.
• Importance of Difficult Conversations: Address tough issues promptly to avoid a toxic culture.
• Practicing Tough Conversations: Rehearse difficult conversations to handle them effectively.
• Transparency with Boundaries: Share relevant and important information but with measured boundaries.
• Living the Values: Leaders must model the behaviors and values they expect from their team.
• Learning Culture: Encourage continuous learning to adapt to rapid changes and foster personal and professional growth.
• Emotional Intelligence: Essential for effective leadership and building a supportive, transparent culture.

QUOTES

• "Your culture is going to erode if you don't address and have these hard conversations."
• "Lead with integrity, be transparent, and set a clear vision."
• "Transparency with a little bit of boundaries is critical."
• "You have to be adaptable and you have to be willing to grow to go and move forward."
• "The more you invest, the more you collect as a CEO, as a leader."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more about Damon Lembi and his works.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi/

https://www.learnit.com/

Ready to begin realizing the full potential of your sales team? Hire Great Salespeople with Confidence. SCHEDULE YOUR EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.

https://sellingfromtheheart.net/hiring

Unlock The Power of Team Growth with Learnit’s Live Training Platform. CLAIM your 45-day trial of unlimited training now!

https://www.learnit.com/lp/culture