Leading with Purpose, Building Discipline, and Delegating to Win

Intro: Welcome to Honestly We’re Learning, a podcast from ClearEdge, the marketing agency that also helps marketers grow their careers.

Join Leslie Vickrey and Lesly Cardec as we explore the turning points that shape a person’s professional story, the highs, the stumbles, and everything in between. We’ll bring you candid conversations with leaders and rising talent, plus our own take on what’s changing in marketing and recruiting today. Because behind every success story is a few lessons learned the hard way. And honestly, we’re all still learning.

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Lesly Cardec
Hello.

Leslie Vickrey
I I was waiting to see who was going to say hi this time. Yeah. It’s great to be here with you today.

Lesly Cardec
We’re on a high because we just got off of our all hands call with the whole team. And it was so great. We were celebrating 20 years of ClearEdge. Congratulations.

Leslie Vickrey
Thank you.

Lesly Cardec
Yeah. It was so nice. Yeah, it was a blast.
It was so great. It was filled with all these memories. People were giving toasts. We had some of the OGs on there, giving, going walking down memory lane. And I know it was sentimental for you. All of the years I know are sentimental to you, but 20 is, 20 is big.

Leslie Vickrey
It’s a big year. It’s a big year. It’s flown by. I was talking to Jess Castaneda from our team, who was on with me from day one, thanking her for trusting in me and the vision and we were reminiscing that literally it felt it feels like just yesterday. It’s wild how that how that happens.

Lesly Cardec
Yeah. I was on a call with Jess E, see not to confuse everyone, earlier and she was like, you know, her son is twenty one, the company’s twenty. So I’m like, he’s literally, her son has grown up here. So that’s wild to think about.

Leslie Vickrey
It’s so fun to think of all the kiddos, the ClearEdge kids. I mean, I was a kid then. Yeah. Not anymore, Lesly. Not anymore.

Lesly Cardec
We won’t go down that rabbit hole, you guys. We’ll keep it focused. But 20 years, Leslie. I thought we could share just for a minute. What have you seen change in the 20 years?

Leslie Vickrey
Wow, that’s a that’s a big question. It’s interesting. Obviously, things that have changed are many more skill sets in marketing that are different and evolved just because tools and technologies have also changed. The way people buy has changed, the way of the world has changed in that in that regard. So being a generalist in marketing, it’s what I would consider myself, writer by trade, but a generalist now, all the specialty areas is truly remarkable and incredible to see; marketing ops and rev ops and all of the digital transformation that’s happening, obviously with AI and others. That’s definitely changed.

One thing that has not changed, which I thought was really interesting and reflecting on 20 years, is the the conversation that we continue to have with companies about the value of marketing and how so many companies still do not see the value in marketing, or they see it as the internal company event planner, or we’re gonna buy the promotional items, or they need to just do social media or something to that effect, but they haven’t truly seen the investment in marketing work well for them to help grow their business as a growth driver.

So as we look at these case studies and client stories, especially during our celebration today, and how many are leveraging marketing and I’ll talk to companies and they’ll say, We’re not growing, we’re retracting, we’re worried about the future. And there’s other things outside of marketing. It could be how they’re training their sales reps or how they’re hiring, onboarding, who they’re targeting. There could be many, many factors as to why that’s happening, but it’s still when I hear what if you could do something different and actually invest in marketing as a growth driver, you know, would you? And then when you show the results and you get a yes, my gosh, I would love to have that.

Then when you say this is the investment that it would take, but here’s the ROI that you could experience from that and the growth that you could experience, there’s still hesitation and I think part of it’s the fear of the unknown or they’ve tried things and it hasn’t worked. But something that has not changed is marketing’s evolved in itself.

But a lot of times the buyers, we’re still doing a lot of education on what what marketing can do for a company, which is exciting. That means it’s opportunity. And, you know, we’ve got a lot of companies we’re talking to today about transforming their marketing org through recruiting or embedded teams. And, and I love it. That’s why we started, you know, ClearEdge 20 years ago to to help with that education. So a lot has changed yet. Some things have stayed the same. Yeah.

Lesly Cardec
We’re still fighting the good fight, right?

Leslie Vickrey
Yes. We’re not giving up on it.

Lesly Cardec
I I love it. Yeah. I I it’s probably a little deja vu, but I think companies have come a long way and we’re definitely there’s definitely been a lot of progression, you know, in where marketing sits inside the organization now. So I’m happy for that. For sure. Yeah.

Well, I’m excited to jump into Kelly’s episode and I know you are too. So let’s go.

Leslie Vickrey
Today we’re thrilled to welcome Kelly McCreight, CEO of Hamilton-Ryker, one of the country’s most respected names in workforce solutions. Kelly, before we get into your career, I have to say, when I was putting together this intro, I could not stop thinking this is not a normal resume. 30 plus years in staffing and workforce development, past president of the Tennessee Staffing Association, past chairman of the American Staffing Association, on the board of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce…

Okay, here’s where we get into the not like another staffing resume, owner of School of Rock Nashville, where 250 students come to rock out every week. My gosh, you’re also a guitarist, a drummer, and an 80s cover band. And not to bury the lede here, an eight time Iron Man finisher. Eight times, Kelly!

Wow. What I love about your story is that it reflects something we talk a lot about on this show, and that is that best leaders aren’t one-dimensional. You’ve built a company with real staying power-shaped national workforce policy and somehow also found time to play Don’t Stop Believing in front of a live audience. Now that’s range.

Hamilton-Ryker has become a national force in workforce solutions and Kelly, you’ve been a essential part of defining what modern staffing looks like from M&A strategy to second chance hiring to apprenticeship programs that actually move the needle. My goodness, Kelly, I really admire and respect you. I’m so happy that our paths crossed and came together. Welcome to the show. We are so glad that you’re here with us today.

Kelly McCreight
Thank you so much. That’s you’re very flattering and I appreciate all that. It doesn’t when you put it on paper, you’re it sometimes it’s like, “What is it what am I doing? Am I just running around all the doing all these different things?” For sure. And of course everybody loves to talk about music versus staffing, right? So, but there it there is some relationship there and for sure, and but thank you and I’m I’m excited to be here to talk with you.

Leslie Vickrey
Well, and you’ve been able to turn your passion for music and people into multiple businesses and making the change in in many lives, which a lot of people can’t connect those dots all of the time when you look at your kind of music and love of all things being a musician and how you’ve been able to turn that into work. And you’re right. I look forward to hearing how you bridge that gap between that and staffing during our call here today.

Kelly McCreight
Thank you. Awesome.

Lesly Cardec
Kelly, I’m so excited too. I was I I mentioned to you when you joined and we were just meeting each other that after your I was reading your background and bio and I’m like, okay, this is gonna be, this is going to be good. No pressure, but I know it will be.

 One of the things we like to do when we jump into these conversations is to sort of break the ice. And there was no other perfect question than to ask you what your walk-up song is. So what would yours be?

Kelly McCreight
I I I mean, it’s it was very obvious. It’s the greatest walk-up song of all time. It’s Metallica “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. I mean, it’s two minutes of of instrumental, no words. It starts off with the ringing of a big bell. And then Lars comes in with the drums, you know, Kirk Hamlet on the guitar, Big Papa Hef on the guitar, and it just rocks.

And you’re just ready to run through anything after you hear that intro. So yeah.

Leslie Vickrey
I love that.That’s very, very appropriate. Metallica keeps coming up in conversation recently and it’s reminding me of actually going to see them in concert back in the day. I want to say I was in college when I did that and what a wonderful performance and so forth. So I was happy to hear you say that.

 All right. So we’ve got your walk up song and we’re learning a little bit more about who you actually are, but I want to talk a little bit more about you, not just the title on the business card. So perhaps you could share with us a moment, could be big or small, that shaped the way you lead today.

Kelly McCreight
You know, I really go back to my very first job, which was bailing hay in West Tennessee, and I think I mean I think about my career, it’s always been around working. And at a very young age, and everybody has jobs that they they get when they when they get started, but because I grew up in a really small town, you know, a lot of us just worked on a farm. And so just, just working on a farm and, and doing those kind of things, it gave me a real appreciation for for hard work for sure, working with your hands and just being very being very present in whatever you’re doing.

 And and then that led to a a job in an automotive factory. And, you know, then I went to college and I got, you know, set in office and became a recruiter. But I always think about those those formative years when I was younger. You know, there’s nothing, nothing like working outside bailing hay, driving a tractor or or working on a factory floor. And especially of course we’re in the light industrial sector.

So, you know, not only can I say that I’ve actually worked on the line and and made an automotive part you know, during third shift, you know, and then I could recruit for that. But I think it’s it’s just stayed with me for so long that that experience in those in those, you know, years when I was in high school and early college.

Leslie Vickrey
Right. Makes you very relatable when it comes to hard work, dedication. But I would have never thought, you know have just anything to do with hay and bailing hay with you. So it’s good to learn that about you. And I again would just emphasize, you know, being a humble leader and knowing where your roots are from, that small town growing up and and doing that as one of your first jobs certainly has helped you stay grounded, I can tell.

Kelly McCreight
Yeah, we learned back then we would we would finish a high school baseball game and we would just go from the game, still be in our uniforms, and we would you know, the hay was in the barn and we’d load a tractor trailer and we’d get a hundred dollars for loading this tractor trailer. So we would decide if we wanted four of us, where we would get twenty five, or if we were kind of tired, we got another person and we would only get twenty twenty bucks.

 It was that was just very we did we did that many, many times. So those little things stick with me.

Lesly Cardec
So thank you for sharing that. It sounds like you’re very just frontline, you kind of roll up your sleeves kind of person and and do the work. I love that. Part of what we talk about on this podcast is the stuff that doesn’t go as planned, the stuff that’s tough, the challenges around that. So curious, has there been, you know, we’ve all made mistakes. There’s not just one, but is has there been something that’s been top of mind in terms of a misstep that you’d be willing to share and what you’ve learned from that to take forward?

Kelly McCreight
Sure. I think the the biggest mistake that I’ve made recently or over the last five to seven years was the failure to imagine how quickly things could change for our company and for our industry. You know, we had reached we we were so focused on revenue growth coming, you know, in you know, maybe 2016, 2017, 2018. We’re working hard, we’re doing some acquisitions, we’re building infrastructure, we’re hitting these great revenue levels, and we’re just rolling, you know, and you just think you you don’t think it’s going to end.

And then, you know, COVID comes, it hits, you know, we retrench, we start back up. But the industry itself really has struggled over the last several years. And I think that was my mistake was not, not imagining that that we could go backwards, right? I didn’t do a good job of preparing our company for that.

And you know, you have to make a lot of hard decisions and you know, whether it’s reduction in force or closing service lines or locations and you know, those those are always difficult no matter when you do but that was something that I had done in 2008/2009 and I should have been I should have been more a little more prepared for that.

Lesly Cardec
Yeah, I think the crystal ball, right? Everyone, everyone was in the same spot trying to figure out even just now, Leslie, we’ve had conversations as recently as this week of looking at 2027 and thinking about how we can best prepare ourselves based on what we’re hearing and seeing and and actual activity.

So I feel like it’s one of those things that we’ve all have lived through and still having that, you know, cautious optimism is kind of the name of the game. Wouldn’t you agree?

Leslie Vickrey
Well, I I think Kelly is the CEO and founder and your executive team and your whole company we all carry different weights on us at different times. And to hear you so just honestly say that you should have done things differently or could have done things differently. I feel that way, you know, all the time. We need to be operating at all times as if something could change. We can’t necessarily predict it, but even to Lesly’s point, we’re celebrating a great Q4, great Q1, and then next thing we know, you know, two fairly sizable accounts had to make some changes. And one was because their business isn’t performing the way that they want it to. So it’s like the second you get comfortable as an entrepreneur, you can never be comfortable because you just never know what’s around that corner and what’s next. So you want to enjoy it and learn from all of those things and learn and grow each time.

And I bet for you it’s learning during that moment. What would you have done differently? And then now you take that forward. And listen, you do so much public speaking and working with vistage and different vistage chairs. Those are the life experiences those other entrepreneurs need to hear and learn from, which is which is fantastic. And we see change and change again. No one could predict how long the market stayed down the last time. And I want to learn a little bit from you, like knowing your kind of the upbringing side of it, your hard work ethic, and knowing that you carry a lot of that on your shoulders as well. as the the you know, CEO of your company, I want to understand what drives the work from the inside for you.

So when you think about the future of the staffing industry or it could be even within other industries that you’re working in. You work with a lot of different companies. What’s genuinely exciting you right now? You’ve been doing this for a little while. We just celebrated 20 years. So I constantly want to dig deep and know what’s exciting me. I want to know what is exciting you and kind of understand what also gives you pause.

Kelly McCreight
You know, I think for us, what I am super excited about is human solving human capital problems is not going away.

Now, traditional staffing models are going away, but solving the issue of finding labor is gonna continue. You know, I’ve been speaking on this through my Vistage engagements of the, you know, the baby boomer exit is we’re in we’re in it. and then there’s gonna be a population decline that’s gonna be coming in this in a couple of years. And so whether it’s 2029, 2030, 2031, there’s gonna be the demand out there for for labor is gonna be great despite all the, you know, technology, innovation, AI.

And so I just think it gives companies like ours and other people that are in the industry a chance to kind of retool, repivot. You know, for us, we’re really focused on apprenticeships. That is a something, I probably couldn’t have spelled apprenticeship, you know, ten years ago and and right now I think we’ve got nine thousand out there that we’re managing and primarily in healthcare. And it would something that just through some some dumb luck and and some, some grit, determination and making some, you know, the right connections and good relationships, we kind of found a niche for us and I and that is exciting for us because that’s a different way to solve human capital versus just the traditional recruiting and staffing is put people in an apprenticeship role where you’re bringing you’re bringing the person, but you’re also bringing all the training and the the mentoring and the coaching along with that and you’re getting a a a wage growth for that employee and that apprentice.

So you know, that’s it’s a great thing and the government’s behind it, they’re they’re supporting it. No matter which side you’re on. They both believe that we’ve got to solve that problem. So that that’s real exciting for me.

Lesly Cardec
I love that. Tell me a little bit more about that. Is it both sides? Is it talent and organizations that you pair up together?

Kelly McCreight
Exactly. So we’ll we’ll identify whether it’s a federal grant or a state grant. Let’s just use the state of New Jersey, and they’ve got, you know, say two hundred and fifty thousand dollars that are focused on maybe CNAs in some rural hospitals in New Jersey. And what we do is is we write the grant typically so we can access the money and then we go bring we find the hospitals, right?

So we find these rural hospitals and get them to commit to okay, can you commit to five apprentices? This hospital’s doing 10. And then, you know, that’s what the the state of New Jersey wants, right?

 And so then whether we find the people or the hospital identifies the people or the New Jersey hospital association is with us and we all are trying to, you know, get 50 CNAs and that money that’s out there is for the training, for the coaching.

And it you know, in most cases it’s a pay-per-performance. So the hospital is going to get some sort of dollar figure for putting people through this apprenticeship program. And you know, if we can find someone who maybe is is in a a lower skilled job and bring through that CNA program and they’re they’re growing in their wages, it’s a win for everybody.

Lesly Cardec
A hundred percent.

Kelly McCreight
Seeing that a lot in healthcare and not just for patient care. It could be, you know, a lot a lot of nursing homes are struggling to find people to work in janitory or or culinary or security and that money’s available for that. It’s just not necessarily about, you know, the nursing or the direct care worker.

Lesly Cardec
Yeah. There’s so many folks behind the scenes that make that engine run. So love I love the work that that you’re doing around that. It seems like such a value add for for local communities and and bringing that growth to the local markets.

I wanna pivot for a second because one of the parts of the show that is one of my favorites is we kind of slow down a little bit and talk about, like we said, the person behind the leader. And so to lead at this level, what does life look like for you? Do you have certain routines or support systems? There’s a lot going on in your world, right? And so how you know, who allows you to show up on all those roles?

Kelly McCreight
Yeah, the only the only way that I can do this is I’ve, you know, we built a good team under underneath us. We got a lot of long term employees. I think that’s part of part of our culture. And, you know, then I’ve just delegated to them and and trust that, you know, giving them the my trust that they know what they need to do and they need to call me and stay out of their way and focus on the big stuff.

You know, I had to learn, I’m a recovering CPA, right? I was have an accounting degree. And so, you know, there’s nothing better than, you know, solving an accounting problem. You know? throwing some debits and credits out there. You know, I mean that’s to me, that’s I’m a little nerdish when it comes to that.

And but obviously you don’t need me I got a CFO that and a controller that knows how to to make journal entries and balance accounts. And you know, so it’s you know I need to focus on what the CEO does, which is, you know, sales in our organization, you know, we’re a selling organization and in coaching and providing my team and being there for them, and and pushing this organization forward, right?

You know, just like you know, figuring out when I need to spend staff you know, I got a great team that knows how to do staffing. There’s not much I can add there. They know what to do. And so what can I do is focus on this apprenticeship, workforce development, some of this new things, creating those relationships, speaking about that. So it wouldn’t be possible without my team for sure.

Lesly Cardec
I would like to be inside your head because it’s the musician, the accounting, then it’s the business owner, CEO. It’s super dynamic. But I would imagine it’s not easy at first because you can do and you have experience and all the things, but letting go, trusting your team over time is the only way to allow you to step into what you need to be doing.

Kelly McCreight
You know, I had to be okay with letting them fail, right? I mean, I had to to it was okay.

You know, I’m here to make sure that hopefully they don’t make any fatal mistakes, you know. You know, when you’re a business owner, the what’s the number one reason businesses fail? They run out of cash, right? Yeah, that’s typically you know, my top priorities and what I’m focused on and let them you know, deal with the the day to day runnings with it and they know they know what to do and then it you know, I’ve had to learn how to switch from, you know, is this staffing Kelly, is this school of rock Kelly, you know, ’cause that’s a whole I mean, it’s a business. It’s you know, it is. It’s it’s a we have customers and we have employees, you know, we have issues just like staffing and and they are somewhat related, but you know, and then it’s with personal growth, right? You know, we how do you find time to do that? And I’ve been lucky to be part of Vistage, which is a a CEO networking group that I’ve been in for ten years. And so that’s a great outlet for for me to to to to work on myself, right? And stuff that I need to, and people need to challenge me, you know.

Leslie Vickrey
I love that. I love that you invest in yourself with that a hundred percent. And letting go isn’t easy. I I feel like Lesly, you’re directing that question Kelly for good reason. I need to hear it too constantly of you know, let go for others to to rise up. Kelly, Lesly and I were talking about this. You have done eight Iron Mans and that is incredible. We I I have a good friend who just did an Iron Man a couple of weeks ago and watching it, hearing how long it takes, all of the things.

It’s a lot. That’s a commitment in and of itself. So what has endurance sports taught you about leadership that you couldn’t have learned any other way?

Kelly McCreight
Well, I think when I think back on on that journey, right? You know, I didn’t I just didn’t start doing an Iron Man, right? That’s always, I’m I’m big on I always love to learn.

Leslie Vickrey
You’re kinda like Superman, you could have.

Kelly McCreight
No, it you know, I literally started you know, you start doing 5ks and then you you buy a bike and you go ride twenty miles and you know, I didn’t I didn’t grow up swimming. I had to learn how I had to literally take swimming lessons when I’m thirty years old, you know. I’m in there with a bunch of kids, you know, trying to learn learn how to swim, you know, and to swim the right way and so then you meet people and and you know, you find out your commonalities. But I think the one thing that there was never a finish line. Even though there’s a there was a literal finish line, but for me, you’re always trying to get better and you you know, first you can you have the endurance to complete it, then you try to get faster.

 So, okay, instead of just going for a run, now you’re at the track, right? You’re running eight hundreds and four hundreds and you’re running the mile and you’re understanding what that does to your body and then, and then it’s about the nutrition, right?

Finishing an Iron Man is it nutrition’s as important as completing the other three disciplines. There’s been so many people, including myself, that if you if you didn’t do your nutrition right, you’re just gonna they call it bonking, but you’re gonna bonk at some point, whether it’s on the bike or whether it’s on the run. My favorite bonking story, I was, I was doing the marathon in in Memphis and I was a very experienced triathlete at that time and runner.

 And so, you know, done a lot of marathons, but I had a horrible day.

I didn’t, I didn’t get the right sleep. I didn’t do my nutrition. And it was about 30 degrees. And there’s no worse feeling than sitting in a portapotty at mile 16 realizing you have 10 miles to go and you’re you’re done.

And you have to finish like I’m not quitting, right? So basically I walk 10 miles and 30 degrees beating myself up, but it you know, learn that’s a huge learning experience for me. Cause that when you know, when you’re sitting there and you don’t want to get out of the porta potty because it’s so warm compared to the outside. That’s not a that’s not a good spot. You’re you’re pretty much hit rock bottom. You’ve hit rock bottom. You gotta you gotta crawl out of that.

But yeah, it’s a it’s such a great getting back to your leadership. It’s just discipline. You know, it really teaches you discipline and that you can do things you never thought you would be able to do, but it takes a journey, it takes a long time, it doesn’t come comes with a lot of hard work i and people helping you out, you know.

 I looked around and you feel like you’ve got a whole coaching team. You know, you got your swimming coach, you know, your biking club that you’re in, your you know, and you’re in the you know, but it takes all those people to help you get to that level. I really believe that.

Leslie Vickrey
Well, we have a lot in common. I I started doing sprint track ones. I never did that, but I also had to take swim lessons and I’ve bonked plenty on some endurance bike rides that we’ve done. And you’re right, it is really humbling. It’s also inspiring though to hear you talk about where you start with let’s say a 5K and build up to something because sometimes for me at least I go right from the vision of it to I should be there. And then if I’m not kind of being hard on myself.

But Lesly, we started this internal challenge again. We’ve got it back up and running where we’re trying to hold ourselves accountable to those kind of small acts that make a big difference for you physically, mentally, all the things. So I’m gonna take this Lesly as a sign from Kelly. We’ve got this. We’ve got this. Yeah. All right, Kelly. We’re almost out of time. So when you think of something you’re actively trying to create at work or in life.

What are some of those things that you’re you’re working on right now?

Kelly McCreight
Well, I think that this is kind of ties into the School of Rock. One of the things that’s been great about owning a school of rock, not only just teaching music to children, but I see so many people that come to Nashville that are trying to make it in the industry. and and so we end up, we employ them, right? So they’re working for us, our instructors, you know, they’re playing on Broadway, trying to make it. It’s just so exciting to see that passion from them. You know, and thinking of of of ways to assist them in their journey, you know, w in providing employment is one thing, but you know, we’re supporting them through other other opportunities that we can to, you know, whether we’re going to their gigs or introducing them to people that we that my wife Angie and I have met in the industry to try to give them those opportunities.

And, you know, I I think through it you know, my Vistage speaking, So I’m at that point in my life where I’m trying to, you know, not tell people what to do, but use my knowledge and experiences and resources, whether it’s a a a guitar instructor here, it’s a brand new recruiter for Hamilton-Ryker, or it’s somebody we’ve hired in South Dakota to do work for us and apprenticeships and and just continuing that path on, you know, but it’s all about helping people create their own journey.

And then, you know, we’re on the way to kind of help them with that in some way. I love that.

Lesly Cardec
There is definitely a connection. All the different businesses that you’re owning and just kind of how you help folks, and children. So it’s great. I know there’s a I know a lot of my mom group friends and peers are also involved in School of Rock too, and they think so highly of it. Very good experience. So well, good. I know we’re closing out here.

Is there anything coming up from a project or initiatives, Hamilton-Ryker related or not, that you’d like to share with our listeners?

Kelly McCreight
Well, I I do think you know, we’re gonna we’re you know, we’re the company has been pivoting. We we still have a very strong staffing arm, but you know, we’re putting chips in on this workforce development and apprenticeship. I think you’re seeing this. you know, Trump one started it, Biden continued it, Trump two is really putting the money in there.

You know, they the the administration wants to have a million apprentices working over the next couple of years. And, you know, ten years ago when we first got in there, eight years ago there was three hundred thousand. It’s out there and it’s gonna be in other it’s gonna be in industries that you typically don’t think about. You know, people think about, you know, the skilled trades and some of that, but you know, we’re building the healthcare side of it. There’s there’s things in IT, of course manufacturing, and all that. And I think that we’re in a good spot to really kind of push that along and, you know, try to find people that are, you know, you’re flipping burgers for eight, ten bucks an hour.

Let’s let’s get you to, you know, twenty two dollars an hour and we’ve got the path to get you there. And that’s exciting. That’s everybody wins in that, you know, and just create that journey for them.

Leslie Vickrey
Kelly, I I could talk to you forever. You know that. We have lots of conversations and I’m always inspired leaving conversations with you and what strikes me most often about talking to you and even this conversation is that through line that you’ve kept across the three decades. So the absolute commitment to people. And this is your, I see it day in and day out with your team and have met members of your team and hear how highly they speak of you, the workforce programs you’re developing, the second chance hiring, apprenticeships, the culture again that you’re building and honestly the fact that you’re creating space for the kids, the musicians, talking about musicians who have such a hard time making it.

I don’t think people people realize you you don’t just become Taylor Swift. There’s a lot of work that goes behind it to find their voice through music, you’re giving them that that hope and that help. It’s all interconnected and you were able to paint that for us today. So thank you. You’ve reminded us that leadership is not just about the bottom line, it’s about what you leave behind, and the people you develop, the communities you serve, and the culture you protect. So thank you so much for joining us and bringing that to the conversation today. We’re genuinely grateful.

Kelly McCreight
You’re welcome. I had a great time. Always fun talking with you.

Lesly Cardec
All right. Well, that was a wrap with Kelly. That was such a great episode. And after reading all about his background in bio, he is so dynamic. I think at one point I said, I want to go inside of his brain because he’s just so interesting. And I feel like there was so much more to dig into there. But one of the things I know we always do a take three.

My my, the thing that rose to the top for me is always being ready for change, being change ready. He was very vulnerable and transparent about, you know, going down a path, things we’re going really great. And then I believe he said the pandemic, things happened and you know, you have to pivot and so being ready for pivoting and for the unexpected. And I I have like this love-hate relationship with that because it’s like you don’t always want to be ready for the shoe to drop, right? ‘Cause that’s not great. But how do you how do you do that in a delicate way that prepares you almost like an emergency plan, right?

When things are going great, you want it to last. And of course you’re crossing your fingers, you’re doing all the things that you need to do, but what happens when things don’t? And I know you chimed in on that point too, and we’re very vulnerable as well.

Leslie Vickrey
Yeah. I mean listen, we’ve all gone through, you know, highs and lows and in the business world and we continue to see companies struggle and suffer to to Kelly’s point and what we have seen and witnessed and tried not to do, we we’ve we’ve been really fortunate to be able to learn from a lot of entrepreneurs because we service a lot of businesses and we see what they do really well and what they don’t. And when you’re not operating in a fiscally responsible way where cash is everything for a business, it’s Kelly said it on the call, it’s what can make or break it.

And when you get so cash strapped or you think everything is great and you’re spending, spending, spending. Yes, let’s do this performance trip. Let’s invest in this tool or software. And then all of a sudden, and I remember this happened to us where one week we kept getting these calls from our largest accounts. And it was during the pandemic. We’ve got to cut, we’ve got to cut, we’ve got to cancel. Yeah. And it, you know, usually we would say we’re totally well diversified. We’ve got, you know, all plenty of revenue from different accounts. We’re not embedded in one account.

But when you start having multiple large accounts come off, then if you’re not prepared for that, to have the funding, the financing, that backup plan, that whatever you need in that moment, you may not have all of the cash you need in that moment because you weren’t expecting it. It’s hard not to plan for that, but it’s a good lesson learned to have those relationships with the bankers, with investors, with people who can jump in and help you when you when you need it. So yeah, you want to invest for growth, but also be ready when you need to make a change. So I really appreciated his vulnerabil vulnerability there.

Lesly Cardec
Yeah. Yeah. I love that too. I think it it will help others that have been in that same situation and recognizing that, you know, you’re not alone. So Right.

Leslie Vickrey
Eight time Iron Man finisher, which is wild. I think we back in the day did six or eight sprints and that was tricky.

Lesly Cardec
Just really quick. I know you were telling him about our healthy challenge that we’re all walking into here. And I’m like, is she gonna invite the 8-time Iron Man to join us? Because he would be severely disappointed. Like we wouldn’t be able to add anything.

Leslie Vickrey
Oh my gosh. Well, to his point though, Leslie, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, or in his case, an Iron Man, but I loved when he said just start small and work your way up and reps matter to put in the work. So it’s not like I sometimes vision, you know, like I I know a lot of parents do this. It it could be anything like my kid plays hockey, my kid’s gonna be in the NHL. Think big and go big. It’s you just can’t help it. In this case, including our challenge that we have going on, which is to stay active and find different ways to be active, but to hold each other accountable, you start with that walk around the block or start with that walk around your kitchen island over and over and over again, or whatever it is. If it’s a five K that you sign up for to give yourself a goal and something to work toward, to remember that you don’t have to go right to Iron Man. You can start small to work your way up to that. So I appreciated that just his analogy, not only in, you know, the challenge to stay physical and active, but also in business where, you know, we try to, we see companies who will say, I’m gonna double from 25 million to 50 million. Well what’s driving you to do that? Because there’s a lot in between there that will need to happen, you know, before you get there. So to think in those increments of how to get there and what you can do to break that down to get there. So it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. I liked it. That stood out to me.

Lesly Cardec
Yep. Yep. I’ll be walking around on my kitchen island. Thank you.

Leslie Vickrey
I was just looking at mine because our dogs literally like he laps around it. They just follow each other around it and make me think of it. So I’m not suggesting you go, you know, get your workout on doing laps. Never know.

Lesly Cardec
Exactly. The other thing that stood out was that he just exudes purpose in in what he does, whether it’s, you know, he’s the owner of a school of rock locally, he’s the owner of a, you know, CEO of a staffing company, and, and they do really important work, apprenticeships with healthcare organizations, putting people to work and helping organizations find critical talent. And he just has that about him. And there’s this common thread of it’s bigger than, than you know, than what you intended to do. And I just you feel that from talking to him. And that’s probably a big reason why he’s been so successful is that, and you said it yourself, it’s it’s not, it the results come when you when you lead with heart and purpose.

And so finding what you’re passionate about and doubling down on that. Easy peasy I’m sure for everyone.

 But it was inspiring to hear him that it’s it’s he has a couple different things that he’s really involved with. And each of them are about giving back to people, whether it’s that budding musician that comes into Nashville and is looking for a door to enter to help them get to where they want, or, you know, someone that’s working somewhere locally that isn’t necessarily on the path that they want and opening that door to have them do things that they probably didn’t even know that they’re capable of doing. So I appreciated that.

Leslie Vickrey
I agree. I think I think leading with purpose and finding that passion is so critical and I loved hearing it’s leading with that why behind what you do. You know, it that really it’s it really struck me with Kelly. It does. Every time I talk to him, I feel that way. Yeah. And he’s always willing to help. He’ll ask us, what do you need help with? How can I help you? And the thing is he’s not it’s not like a habit that he just asks. He’s asking it with intention and the fact that he’s doing that in all of the industries that he serves, it’s really telling. I’ve witnessed Kelly as a leader on calls at conferences, speaking, all of the things, talking to his team, and he, he’s a real deal. Real deal.

Lesly Cardec
Yeah. The only thing I regret is not asking him to sing.

Leslie Vickrey
But my goodness, we should have totally next time. Kelly, be ready. Be ready. If you if you listen to our recap…
I hope you’ve got that guitar ready and your mic ready.

Lesly Cardec
Well thanks for joining everyone. We hope you enjoyed and we will see you at the next time. All right, thanks, Lesly and thanks, Kelly!

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