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Welcome to Changemaker Stories from LOCAL - an ongoing series of personal interviews with leaders driving change across every industry and discipline. Because change shouldn’t mean going it alone.
This week, we had the pleasure of speaking with Carol Kruse, a dynamic leader whose career spans founding companies in Silicon Valley to leading marketing teams at iconic organizations like ESPN and Coca-Cola. Today, she applies her expertise by investing in growing companies and serving on the board of directors for Valvoline. Our conversation covered the art of reading the room, the powerful collaboration between visionaries and implementers, and the inspiration Carol draws from the ocean. Here are a few key takeaways from our discussion.
When companies are successful, they may not feel the need to change. It’s important not to get complacent, as frequently the best positive disruptions seem so obvious after the fact.
Changemakers look at the way things are done and think about how it can be done better, or see market/product needs based on human behavior.
Your direct salesforce and customer service feedback are gold mines of insights around product/service complaints, wants and needs - leverage that information. My favorite: personally meet with customers, talk to consumers, listen to customer service calls
The system rejects what it doesn't understand sometimes. You need to find people in the company who are willing to have a fresh perspective and start with a clean slate so your company doesn’t get boxed in. Inspire and empower them!
In a meeting, I like to listen and learn and watch body language. The people leaning back, with arms crossed, checking their phones aren’t the ones who are bought in…seek them out to understand their POV.
If someone looks interested but isn’t saying anything, I follow up in a safe 1:1 space, to identify potential issues and frequently find there are barriers tied to emotions - like fear of the unknown, new technology, the wet cement.
When rolling out a big change, it’s important to explain your “why.” Do your research to understand what impact these changes are going to have on your best and most loyal customers and employees.
Some industries are more regulated, and slower to change, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to not innovate and change. Yes, there are laws and rules and regulations, but it doesn't mean you can't do it, you just need to focus on the HOW you can. But you don't just give up.
Companies need visionaries. ir role. It's great to pair visionaries with someone who really knows how to operationalize the transformation and make the vision real.
On old stereos, there's the big knob for volume and the small knob for fine tuning. I’m the big knob, the ideas person, I'm not the fine tuning, so in my cross-functional teams, I make sure that the great operations colleague and our lawyer are involved early.
A Changemaker I admire is Sean Bratches. He was the head of sales and marketing when I was CMO at ESPN. Sean has this ability to capture people's hearts and minds through storytelling. When he went to Formula 1, his Drive to Survive Netflix series really helped educate and popularize Formula 1 in the US…and look at it today.
Changemakers are rarely the most popular girl on the team. You're always dealing with some resistance. Some people don't want the person who's going to stir the pot. They prefer the status quo. To win these people over, you’ve got to lead with the valuable benefits that a change will drive.
I try to see around corners. If we build something this way, how will it look in 6 months, or two years? When you look ahead, change is easier because you buy yourself a little more time.
A place that energizes me is Emerald Isle, North Carolina. I am inspired by the ocean and how it moves. It changes every day. It's powerful. It's beautiful. It's soothing. I just love the ocean. And it’s a community with an incredible variety of people.
My kids ask, “Mom, do you ever do anything the same way?” We could be walking to the store one way and I’d want to go a different way home. It’s true. Why would I want to walk the same way twice?
Are you a Changemaker? We want to hear from you. Let's talk.