Name: Kevin McGarry

Title: CEO

Organisation: Leading360

Dr. McGarry is a sales executive, industry thought leader and keynote presenter dedicated to building top-performing teams that thrive on engagement, transparency and collaboration. With over 25 years of experience, he has worked for Fortune 500 insurance and asset management firms in the US while completing a master's in coaching and a doctorate in leadership.

He currently serves as CEO of Leading360 with a vision of transforming generations of leaders to make a lasting impact on their organizations, themselves and society. Leading 360 is a global leadership organization based in London that provides critical insights into leadership that empowers leaders, organizations and multicultural teams to reach their full potential.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Dr. Kevin's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Over the years as a leader, the most challenging has been wanting ‘it’ more than someone on your team. As a leader, I have been highly invested in all aspects of the company, overall objectives, team member success and professional development. When I am highly effective at communicating the “why” behind objectives, decisions and asks of a team, I have highly engaged teams.

However, if the “why” doesn’t connect with the employee and they are not as passionate about their personal development and objectives it can result in goals not being achieved. A few years ago, I had a salesman who had a specific income he wanted to earn. Through coaching, strategic planning, and sharing examples of other successful sales professionals, he crafted a tactical business plan to achieve his income goals. However, a few weeks later in a conversation, he admitted not executing his personal plan.

Leaders can share a vision, explain the “why”, coach and provide resources, however, in the end, those on your team have to want ‘it’ and execute it to achieve true success.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Leadership is a journey, not a destination. My journey began with a passion for financial services and helping our clients achieve their retirement goals. As someone who is always focused on continuous improvement and personal development, I found that I was also able to help others achieve their goals.

Over the last 15 years, I have led small and large teams across the financial services industry. I began with a small team with an asset management firm and transitioned to a larger insurance company that was in need of a strategy to transform from a product-focused sales organization to a consultative sales process organization. This opportunity allowed me to design a vision, strategy and tactics for an organization develop thought leadership for a large sales team and begin the transformation to consultative sales.

I developed future leaders to expand the team as I transitioned to another insurance company where I had the opportunity to build a new team with the objective of entering a new market and driving exponential growth.

This process provided me with an opportunity to set a vision, create a strategy for the future and develop talent. My leadership journey has led me to Leading360. As CEO, we are focused on empowering individuals and organizations to develop authentic leadership excellence that results in transformational change for the benefit of followers, the company and society.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

The structure of my day provides clarity on what’s important by prioritizing actions to focus on family, health and work. This focus offers the opportunity to perform at my best. Morning Routine: I begin every day at 5:15 by taking the dog out for a quick morning walk. Immediately following is an hour P90X workout or a run.

This allows me to focus on my physical health while also playing a role in boosting energy, improving focus and reducing stress throughout the day. After the morning workout, I have breakfast with my family before my daughter goes off to school.

Planning and Goal Setting: Review the prioritization list that I created the evening before for the objectives of the day. Review news, financial reports and market updates to stay informed of global events and industry trends. Meetings and Strategic Planning: Execute tasks and projects for the day. Schedule important meetings early in the day when focus and attention are at their best. Discussion with the leadership team on strategic planning and engaging with clients and prospects.

Evening Engagements: The evenings are structured around family. This may include a softball, basketball, or skiing practice for my daughter followed by dinner with the family. End of Day: Review the day’s objectives, accomplishments and challenges and plan priorities for the next day.

The approach to the day allows me to maintain personal accountability and discipline for the business, family and health. A focus on exercise, eating healthy and sleep provides a formula to be highly effective throughout the day.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

I was recently reminded of the power of recognition. At a recent national sales meeting the CEO and President ran through a list of top performers. They asked to hold applause, neglected to ask those recognized to stand and barely paused between calling out names. This event was juxtaposed to another firm’s national sales meeting I attended shortly after where top performers were seated with the CEO and other senior leaders.

This firm brought top producers to the stage to take photos with trophies and provided the time for each person to celebrate their success throughout the year.

This lesson reminded me that recognition is crucial for leaders to provide for their teams because it fosters a positive and motivational work environment. Acknowledging and appreciating the efforts and accomplishments of team members not only boosts morale but also strengthens the sense of belonging and commitment.

Recognition serves as a powerful tool for reinforcing desired behaviors, driving increased productivity, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Moreover, it helps in building trust and improves communication within the team, ultimately contributing to higher job satisfaction and employee retention. By recognizing and celebrating individual and collective achievements, leaders inspire a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration, which are essential for long-term team success.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

“The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon has made a profound impact on my leadership. The book is a business fable that imparts 10 secrets for approaching life and leadership with a positive attitude. The central theme of the book is the power of positive energy and how it can transform individuals and organizations.

These principles encourage you to take control of your life and team, focus on positive thoughts, and surround yourself with supportive and positive people. This impacted my leadership with a renewed focus on building a team of supportive and positive teammates. Removing complainers and negative people from the ‘bus’ reinvigorates the entire team and allows for everyone to maintain a commitment to innovation, and solutions and support one another to create success.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Leadership is creating a compelling vision that empowers others to achieve more than they thought possible for their team, themselves and society. As a leader, focus on the key behaviors of effective leadership:

• People-Focused Approach - create a vision for your team’s individual career path

• Leader Characteristics – Be aware of your strengths and limitations

• Effective Communication – Focus on communicating the “why” behind decisions

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Empathy and compassion create an environment for open and honest conversations, increase engagement and foster trust. A few years ago, I had a sales professional who historically had always achieved goals and was loved by his clients.

Unfortunately, for a period of six weeks, he was missing deliverables, sales numbers were falling and he was not engaged with his clients. I reached out to spend the day with him and he was scrambling to set appointments and put a good day together. I took a different approach with this individual and asked him to clear the calendar and meet for breakfast and a round of golf.

Throughout the day I asked questions, listened and showed compassion for his struggles at work and at home. Instead of focusing on any one client situation, we had conversations about how to balance demands at home and demands at work. By the end of the day together he had constructed a system to stay organized, prioritize and left more engaged and committed to his work and family than he had ever been in the past.

This engagement built trust between us and created an open space for honest conversations. After that day, he turned his sales territory around and became one of the top producers for the year.