🎙️ How Seasoned Board Advisors Think – with Andrew Chrostowski | First Year Presidents Ep. 5

What separates good new presidents from great ones? Operational clarity. Systems that work. And a leader who knows how to listen. In this powerhouse episode of First Year Presidents, we sit down with Andrew Chrostowski—USAF veteran, corporate director, and host of the Connected Worker Podcast—to unpack what it really takes to lead during your first year in the big chair.

Andrew shares:

• Why your leadership is only as strong as your systems
• The truth about boardroom dynamics and avoiding executive conflict
• How to become the leader your people trust and rally behind
• The “three-phase” model for personal and professional growth
• What new presidents of manufacturing and logistics firms must do first.

Whether you’ve just stepped into the president’s role or you’re preparing for your next big move, this episode delivers battle-tested leadership advice that cuts through the fluff.

🧠 LISTEN NOW and learn how to accelerate your impact and avoid rookie mistakes.

📌 Brought to you by Cold Star Technologies' Internal Business Intelligence (IBI) – your competitive edge when taking over a company. More at: https://www.coldstartech.com/ibi

🔗 Connect with Andrew: LinkedIn – Andrew Chrostowski

Twitter/X – @ConnectedAndrew

🎧 Connected Worker Podcast – Available on Apple, Spotify & OGGN

#LeadershipPodcast #ExecutiveLeadership #FirstYearPresident #BoardOfDirectors #OperationalExcellence #ConnectedWorker #ManufacturingLeadership #BusinessSystems #ColdStarTech #JasonKanigan

April K. Mills of Engine-for-Change shares powerful advice for new presidents and leaders stepping into unfamiliar organizations. Drawing from her experience at Intel and the U.S. Navy shipyard, April explains how to spot and empower "change agents"—those passionate individuals already driving progress behind the scenes. She discusses why leadership presence matters, how to avoid outsourcing what truly can't be outsourced (like culture and change), and how leaders can tap into their team's discretionary energy to fuel transformation. Learn about practical methods, including John Kotter’s Accelerate model, and how April helps leaders implement change that sticks.

April's links:

https://engine-for-change.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Change-Agent-Guide-Essentials-ebook/dp/B01MQ06ZON/

About First Year Presidents:

https://firstyearpresidents.com/

More about Internal Business Intelligence by Cold Star Tech:

https://coldstartech.com/ibi

Music:

Golden Era by OctoSound, owned by HAAWK for a 3rd party. Used through CapCut professional account, where it is called 90s Boom Bap Hip Hop by RockEagle, which should be royalty free.

Disclaimer:

These discussions are for entertainment only, and are not "professional advice".Copyright Cold Star Technologies LLC

Learn about CRM Science and their impact on First Year Presidents in this interview. Discover how they utilize Salesforce and CRM management to help new presidents succeed.

Royce's links:

https://www.crmscience.com/

About First Year Presidents:

https://firstyearpresidents.com/

More about Internal Business Intelligence by Cold Star Tech:

https://coldstartech.com/ibi

Music:

Golden Era by OctoSound, owned by HAAWK for a 3rd party. Used through CapCut professional account, where it is called 90s Boom Bap Hip Hop by RockEagle, which should be royalty free.

Disclaimer:

These discussions are for entertainment only, and are not "professional advice". Copyright Cold Star Technologies LLC

Evergreen Strategic Systems president Brett Linnenkohl is our guest this time on First Year Presidents. His experience with business process mapping and improvement will change your mind about what your operation is capable of.

Brett's links:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014288823436

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-linnenkohl-5a373355/

https://evergreenstrategicsystems.com/

About First Year Presidents:

https://firstyearpresidents.com/

More about Internal Business Intelligence by Cold Star Tech:

https://coldstartech.com/ibi

Music:

Golden Era by OctoSound, owned by HAAWK for a 3rd party. Used through CapCut professional account, where it is called 90s Boom Bap Hip Hop by RockEagle, which should be royalty free.

Disclaimer:

These discussions are for entertainment only, and are not "professional advice".

Copyright Cold Star Technologies LLC

RankSoldier founder Rahul Jha is the guest on this episode of First Year Presidents. He's all about building teams fast, trying new ideas, and focusing on demand generation.

Rahul's links:

https://www.facebook.com/peacetrek

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

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ranksoldier-international-digital-agency

https://ranksoldier.com/

First Year Presidents:

https://firstyearpresidents.com/

More about Internal Business Intelligence by Cold Star Tech:

https://coldstartech.com/ibi

Disclaimer:

These discussions are for entertainment only, and are not "professional advice".

Copyright Cold Star Technologies LLC

Are you a president in your first year in the role at a new-to-you company (whether you've been a president before or not)? And are you eager to share your experiences and insights to help others? Or would you like to listen in on these conversations? Then First Year Presidents is the show for you!

Info and application at firstyearpresidents.com

Copyright Cold Star Technologies LLC