Name: Rudy Bailey

Title: Managing Partner

Organisation: RGP Consulting LLC

Rudy Bailey is a freelance motivational speaker and managing partner of RGP Consulting LLC, a training and consulting startup launched in 2018. Rudy has an extensive background in various leadership roles over his 25-year career in the private and public sectors with the past 13 years spent working in long-term care. During his tenure as the Director of Training, Rudy had oversight of designing and implementing training for multi-disciplinary staff across multiple healthcare campuses working in skilled nursing homes and assisted living/community-based settings. Rudy holds a B.S. degree in Healthcare Management, and an MBA in Organizational Leadership in addition to being a Prosci-Certified Continuous Improvement and Change Management Practitioner. Rudy is a Long-Term Care Director’s Award Recipient for leading an organization-wide sweeping culture change initiative to improve employee morale through the co-creation of an original training called the Power of You, which focuses on the (8) laws of personal engagement. Rudy is also co-author of Learning the Language of Dementia, an original and comprehensive neurobehavioral training program pending publication through consultation with the University of Pennsylvania. Rudy’s passion is in helping individuals and organizations to experience professional growth and transformation.

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

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

Cheers,

Jonno White

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

As a leader in state government one of the greatest challenges was recruiting and retaining talent in a competitive job market. We couldn't compete with private sector pay scales and had to deal with certain vacancies going unfilled for up to 2 years in some cases.

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

I started out in the Training and Education field nearly 20 years ago with the encouragement of a supervisor who saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself at the time. I was an entry-level phone representative and wouldn't have considered standing in front of people. However, with his mentorship and coaching, I eventually applied for and was hired for my first training job. I was fortunate enough to work my way up through the ranks to becoming a Director of Training leading a multi-campus team of Trainer/Educators many years later for a healthcare organization.

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

I enjoy the solitude of rising each morning between 4-4:30 AM to engage in quiet time. I have found this part of the day to be my most productive as I disconnect from electronics and distractions. Most of my best ideas for developing and writing content have come about during this time. I also spend time reviewing the day ahead and jotting down my top goals. Since I am a list person, I look forward to checking off the boxes as each one gets done! The bulk of my day is spent working a full-time (remote) job from 8-4 PM Monday-Friday. In the evenings, I split my time between scheduled activities with groups that I am a part of, spending time with my family, and performing other at-home obligations. My practice at the end of each evening is to spend a few minutes reflecting on how the day went before retiring for the evening.

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

I have learned many valuable lessons along the way. I really like Simon Sinek's important lesson on great leadership that reminds us that leaders always work for the people. That lens has helped others to respond differently to me and vice-versa. People can tell the difference and I've tried to posture my leadership style in that manner.

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?

Simon Sinek's book, "Start with Why" was really captivating for me. The main sticking point is the realization that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it. I've adopted that philosophy into my leadership style and have used it to help draw the connection between the task and the mission. This core understanding has helped to foster loyalty within my team and has enhanced the overall followership experience.

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

Keep showing up for your team and your team will keep showing up for you!

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

I've come to appreciate how small things can make a big difference. I had an employee once who didn't think I was qualified enough to be a supervisor. After all, this individual had far more years of service and experience than I did. It would be years of trying to win this individual's trust and working together amid this person's condescending behavior. Despite these factors, I made it a point to smile and still treat them well. A few years after this individual retired, this individual contacted me to let me know how sorry they were for how they treated me. The small act of showing kindness and smiling had won over the snide and sarcastic remarks of negativity. This person had come back to the office to thank me and remark how they had not experienced that with other leaders. To this day, we keep in touch and that moment has become a pivotal one.