My Leadership Philosophy: Respect, Accountability, and Action — Featured on the Leadership Development Podcast

Relly Nadler
[00:00]
Welcome to Leadership Development News: Profiles and Practices of Top Performers. Leaders are the heartbeat of any organization. Let Kathy Greenberg and I share with you the pathway to becoming a top leader in your organization. Now here are your hosts, Dr. Greenberg and Dr. Nadler.

Relly Nadler
[00:24]
Welcome to Leadership Development News: Profiles and Practices of Top Performers. I’m Dr. Relly Nadler, and Dr. Kathy Greenberg and I have been doing our show since 2008. We always want to bring key people who will help you in your own development—if you’re leading a team, what are the tips, what are the tools, and what are the few things that you could do a little different, a little more, or a little less that will allow you to be a top-ten-percent performer. We always talk about that tipping point: are you in the top 10 percent, can you get your people there? That’s the multiplier, and often the way to do that is through the emotional-intelligence competencies that Kathy and I promote. We’re both certified in the Emotional Quotient Inventory and serve on several coaching panels training new coaches. There’s a ton of research about emotional intelligence—it’s what allows you to be in that top 10 percent—and our focus is always on the practical tools and tips that make it happen. So, Kathy, welcome to the show.

Kathy Greenberg
[01:50]
Thanks, Relly. I had barking dogs in the background, so I kept my audio off for a couple of minutes, but it’s great to be here today. This whole concept of people on podcasts actually seeing each other is new to many, but to be honest, after twenty years in this industry—when we started on radio, all you had was your voice—it’s a unique experience for us. I also want the audience to know we’re entering our twentieth year on the show, and we’re so proud to have been named the number-one leadership-development podcast by FeedSpot. We’re continually ranked among the top in many business and leadership categories, and we couldn’t be happier because all we’ve really done is show up with great guests and quality content.

Kathy Greenberg
[03:06]
Now, I know some people pay for rankings, but that’s not what this is about. We weren’t voted in by colleagues; this recognition came from an independent organization that analyzed data across platforms. One day Relly and I looked online and said, “Where did that come from?”—a very pleasant surprise.

Relly Nadler
[03:41]
Exactly, Kathy. Like you said, it’s our content and longevity. For our audience, I’m highlighting Dr. Ed Nottingham here because this is only the second week we’re livestreaming on YouTube. We’ve always been on audio, but now we’ve added the visual, and that’s why you look so ready for this broadcast.

Kathy Greenberg
[04:03]
Is that what it is? Once in a while I throw on a little makeup. It’s been an interesting week—I spent last week being interviewed for a Showtime special that’s coming up in September on suicide prevention. Never did I imagine that our work raising awareness on emotional intelligence across industries would have such an impact on people’s lives. But global data show we’re facing a human-energy crisis. Research from SixSeconds.com, covering 622,000 people across 128 countries, reveals that no matter the industry or location, we’re all dealing with this depletion of human energy.

Kathy Greenberg
[04:52]
And I think today’s guest is really going to shed light on how leaders can help their organizations focus on what matters most—leveraging their own growth, their energy, and even the use of AI in ways that truly engage people. So I’m very excited to welcome our guest.

Relly Nadler
[05:20]
Bill, if I pronounce your name wrong, let me know—is it Canady?

Bill Canady
[05:34]
Perfect—Canady.

Kathy Greenberg
[05:35]
I’m the worst at pronouncing things! I usually ask in advance, but I can already tell this is going to be a great show.

Relly Nadler
[05:44]
Bill Canady is the Chairman of OTC Industrial Technologies and the CEO of Arrowhead Engineered Products, also known as AEP. With more than thirty years as a global business executive, he specializes in driving organizational growth, controlling costs, and increasing profitability. Under his leadership at OTC, revenue has grown over 43 percent and earnings more than 80 percent. OTC now has $1 billion in sales and 1,900 employees; at AEP, he leads 3,600 employees with $1.5 billion in sales. Throughout his career, Bill has guided organizations through their most disruptive challenges and opportunities in complex regulatory, investor, and media environments.

Relly Nadler
[06:53]
Drawing on those experiences, he created the PGOS – the Profitable Growth Operating System – to help owners and operators worldwide profitably grow their companies and their people. Bill graduated summa cum laude from Elmhurst University with a B.S. in Business Administration and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He’s also a U.S. Navy veteran—one of my favorite organizations. For more information about Bill, you can visit BillCanady.com or email [email protected]. That’s C-A-N-A-D-Y. Bill, we’re so happy to have you—welcome to the show.

Bill Canady
[07:43]
It’s great to be here. You’re quite the hype person, Relly. If this doesn’t work out, I may have to hire you! Thank you so much.

Relly Nadler
[07:54]
All right, Bill, we’re really glad to have you. We’re going to pick your brain today — we’ve got some questions we always ask our guests. We like to start off by getting a little background about your major influences. So who are some of the key people that helped bring you to where you are today?

Bill Canady
[08:11]
I, like Kathy, have a little dog running around here — her name’s Penny. You might hear her bark occasionally. She’s small, but she’s got a loud voice. Honestly, I’m where I am today because people took chances on me, and I took chances on myself. That’s made all the difference — mentors and leaders who gave me the opportunity to do something special.

It starts with my parents. My mom and dad provided a wonderful support network. Funny enough, my mom got married at fifteen — a completely different time in the deep South — but she had a strength of iron that held our family together. Because of everything she did, I’m who I am today. She never graduated high school; she went back later and got her GED. Her mission in life was to break our family out of the cycle of poverty we grew up in.

I grew up in a double-wide trailer at the dead end of a dirt road in eastern North Carolina. When the time came, my mom could have told me to stay home and help out — that’s what people did there. Instead, she put me in her car, drove me to the recruiting office, and I joined the United States Navy. That decision — her willingness to put her mission for me ahead of comfort — set me on the path that changed everything. It gave me the chance to lead, to grow, and to serve.

Kathy Greenberg
[09:56]
You know, as you were talking, Bill, I was thinking — Relly asked earlier if we knew each other before going on air. Listening to your story, I think we might be related! My mother was from the mountains of West Virginia — a coal miner’s daughter — and she also got married at fifteen. She had that same drive and mission, though her life took some different turns.

Bill Canady
[10:10]
That’s amazing. My mom was a beautician — or a “cosmetologist” when we wanted to sound fancy — and my dad was a handyman. Everyone worked hard, and there was pride in that. Like your mom, she taught me grit and resilience.

Kathy Greenberg
[10:32]
It’s so true. My mom always said, “No matter what, keep going.” Those lessons stay with you.

Relly Nadler
[11:02]
It’s incredible how those early experiences shape who we become. If one thing in your story had changed — your mom cutting hair or your dad fixing things — you might not be sitting here today.

Bill Canady
[11:06]
Exactly. Everything adds up to who we are, and I’m grateful for every piece of it.

Relly Nadler
[11:19]
That’s beautiful. So, Bill, let’s shift into leadership — because that’s what our audience is hungry for. From your experience, what are the three kinds of leaders that are essential for success?

Bill Canady
[11:49]
That’s a great question. I’ll start with a quick story. When I got my first real leadership role, I was in charge of a small group. We did great, so naturally the reward for doing good work was getting more work — I was given another group to lead. The problem was, I tried to lead the second group exactly the same way as the first. I was the hammer, and everything looked like a nail — and I nearly crushed that team.

I learned fast that leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. You need a few key traits. First, treat everyone with dignity and respect. You never know what people are going through, and especially in the world we live in today — post-pandemic, remote, disconnected — that respect matters more than ever.

Second, be a continuous learner. Have flexibility. My second leadership experience nearly failed because I thought I already knew the answers — and I didn’t.

Third, get things done. I’ve met plenty of people who spend all day “fixing to do something.” You’ve got to stop fixing and start doing. Execution beats perfection. If you act, you can iterate and improve, but nothing happens without action.

So if you combine those three — respect, learning agility, and execution — you’ve got the foundation for great leadership.

Kathy Greenberg
[14:05]
I love that, Bill. And I think people forget that today, especially in distributed and virtual environments, leaders have to recognize that their people need connection as much as direction. You mentioned flexibility, and that reminded me of how important it is for leaders to empower their teams. Many forward-thinking companies now give employees small budgets to decide how to connect as a team each quarter — whether that’s a lunch, a retreat, or something creative — because they recognize that relationships drive results.

Relly Nadler
[15:17]
Yes, and you’re not talking about diversity in the surface sense — race, gender, or title — but diversity of thought, right? Different perspectives are what make teams strong.

Bill Canady
[15:43]
Exactly. I’m a huge believer in diversity of thought. Forget how people look — what matters is how they think. If everyone in the room agrees all the time, someone’s not adding value. You need people who approach problems differently; that’s how innovation happens.

That ties into my four-step leadership system. The first step is to set the goal. As the leader, you define the mountain you want to climb. The second step is to let your team own how to get there. They’re closest to the action, and they know the terrain better than you.

The third step is to organize your resources around the strategy. This is where many companies fail. They set a great goal but never actually align their people or budgets to it — everyone just ends up with extra work and no extra time. You have to reorganize if you want real results.

And finally, step four: take action. Execute the plan, measure progress, and start moving. As Eisenhower said, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Once you start, you can adjust. The key is that the team feels ownership — they’re empowered, not micromanaged.

Relly Nadler
[17:20]
That’s great, Bill. Let’s take a short break, and when we come back, I want to dive deeper into your four steps — especially accountability and how leaders can keep teams aligned.

Bill Canady
[18:26]
Sounds good, Relly. I’ll keep us organized here — someone’s got to!

Relly Nadler
[18:41]
We’ll be right back after this short break.

Kathy Greenberg
[19:01]
Welcome back to Leadership Development News: Profiles and Practices of Top Performers.

Relly Nadler
[19:24]
We’re talking with Bill Canady. Bill, before the break you walked us through your four steps — setting the goal, letting the team own it, organizing around the strategy, and then taking action. Now let’s talk about accountability. It’s one of the hardest things for organizations to master. Kathy and I see this constantly — accountability and communication are always the top two challenges. What have you found that works?

Bill Canady
[21:33]
I completely agree — those two things are the toughest. Accountability starts with a closed loop. You can visualize it as a circle: you set the goal, define the metrics, and then you check in regularly to close that loop. I’m a big fan of policy deployment — or “strategy deployment” — which is essentially a disciplined way to track progress on your key performance indicators (KPIs).

Every month, you should have a structured review — what we call an MBR, or Monthly Business Review. You look at your KPIs: what’s green, what’s red. Green means on track — move on. Red means off track — focus there. Skip the “yellow zones” that invite excuses; you’re either on or off. When something’s off, use the “Five Whys” to dig into root causes. Keep asking why until you uncover what’s really broken — not just the symptom. That’s how you solve problems at their core.

As a CEO, that’s your main job: get to the root cause and fix it. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room — you just have to ask smart, honest questions and ensure accountability follows through.

Kathy Greenberg
[24:56]
That’s powerful. But in big organizations, sometimes the issue isn’t a what — it’s a who. How do you handle accountability when it’s a people problem instead of a process problem?

Bill Canady
[25:40]
That’s a great question, and it happens often. Usually, when something fails, it’s one of three things: the process doesn’t exist, people aren’t following it, or the process is broken. So I always start there.

But sometimes the person running the process isn’t capable or motivated to do it. Maybe they were never trained properly. In most cases, people want to win — they want to do well — but the system around them doesn’t enable that. I’ve seen it many times: factories relying on tribal knowledge, undocumented steps, or old methods that only a few people know. Then one day those people leave, and suddenly nothing works.

So you have to document, train, and lead by listening. Walk the floor, talk to people, and you’ll know immediately whether they’re engaged. If no one greets you or makes eye contact, something’s wrong with the culture. Fix that first.

Relly Nadler
[28:46]
That’s excellent, Bill. I also like what you said earlier about daily stand-up meetings. Those can be a great accountability tool. Could you share how you use those?

Bill Canady
[29:31]
Absolutely. Daily stand-ups are one of the most powerful habits you can implement. On the factory floor, we gather every morning for fifteen minutes — never more. We literally color in the clock for a fifteen-minute slice so everyone knows the time box.

There’s a visual board showing safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people metrics. The team quickly reviews what went right or wrong yesterday — no speeches, no blame, just facts. If something’s off, like missing materials or delayed shipments, it’s written down and carried to the next shift until it’s resolved. Leadership walks the floor daily to read those boards.

It’s short, simple, visual, and continuous — and that’s why it works. When people see issues getting solved, trust and accountability skyrocket.

Bill Canady
[31:32]
Now, in corporate environments, stand-ups look different. You might not gather around a board, but one-on-one meetings serve the same purpose. The key is to flip the pyramid — make it their meeting, not yours. As a leader, your job is to remove roadblocks, not dictate every move. Ask questions like “What’s stopping you?” or “What do you need from me?” That servant-leadership mindset keeps teams moving forward.

Kathy Greenberg
[32:21]
That’s such a great point. A lot of what you’re describing also connects to emotional intelligence — creating awareness, giving people psychological safety to raise issues without fear. How do you, as a CEO, build that kind of environment?

Bill Canady
[34:01]
It starts with you. You can’t put up posters and say “We care about safety and honesty” if you don’t live it. When someone walks into your office with a tough issue, your reaction determines whether they’ll ever come back. If you blow up, blame, or punish, the truth will disappear. You have to show that bringing up bad news is safe.

Of course, if someone’s done something unethical, you address it — but without attacking the messenger. Culture begins with how you treat people when things go wrong.

Beyond that, you need systems that make it easy for people to speak up — hotlines, reporting tools, daily safety check-ins — but none of that works without trust. The most toxic cultures come from bosses who treat people poorly and then wonder why communication stops.

Relly Nadler
[36:12]
Exactly. We always tell leaders that empathy fades as people move up the ladder — the higher you go, the more likely you are to forget how others feel. You’ve got to stay grounded.

Bill Canady
[36:48]
Right. You can’t lead from ego. The higher you climb, the more your empathy gets muted. You start thinking you have all the answers. The best leaders stay curious.

Relly Nadler
[37:12]
Let’s go to another real-world challenge — low performers. How do you take someone who’s struggling and help them either improve or move on?

Bill Canady
[40:11]
That’s one of the hardest parts of leadership. You first identify performance issues through your data and one-on-ones. Then you address them directly — never wait for an annual review. People should always know where they stand.

I tell my teams four simple rules:

1. Be data-driven. Make decisions with facts.
2. Be on pace. Not too fast to leave people behind, not too slow to hold them back.
3. No surprises. Bad news ages like fish — tell me early.
4. Results matter. We’re not a “best effort” culture; success is measured by outcomes.

If someone can’t meet expectations after honest feedback and support, I don’t drag it out. I’ll give them a fair severance and help them move on. Life’s too short for endless “performance plans.” It’s not punishment — it’s clarity. The team deserves momentum.

Kathy Greenberg
[49:01]
That’s such a healthy, transparent approach. It’s about accountability with kindness — giving people a chance to recognize when the fit just isn’t right, without shame or endless meetings.

Bill Canady
[50:02]
Exactly. Failure isn’t fatal — it’s feedback. Plans change. Markets shift. The key is adaptability and truth. If something’s not working, say so, fix it, and move on. That’s how winning cultures stay alive.

Relly Nadler
[52:00]
I love that. You even have that phrase behind you: “Pivot, don’t panic.” How do you teach organizations to pivot instead of panic?

Bill Canady
[52:32]
It comes down to preparation and empowerment. Make sure your people understand the tools, the culture, and the mission. When a crisis hits — tariffs, supply issues, a pandemic — they already know how to respond. If you’ve taught them the “why,” they can figure out the “how.” When teams feel control, fear fades. That’s how you pivot fast — because the team already knows what winning looks like.

Relly Nadler
[53:40]
That’s fantastic. Before we close, let’s do our lightning round — quick answers.

Relly Nadler
[53:50]
Leadership is…?

Bill Canady
[53:50]
Figuring it out and getting it done.

Relly Nadler
[54:00]
At work, it’s all about…?

Bill Canady
[54:00]
The people.

Relly Nadler
[54:07]
And what’s the best way you recharge during a workday?

Bill Canady
[54:14]
Talking to people. I like walking around, seeing what’s happening, helping solve problems. When people win, I recharge too.

Kathy Greenberg
[55:01]
That’s beautiful. I love the simplicity and honesty in your answers, Bill. Every quote from this episode is a leadership lesson.

Relly Nadler
[55:24]
Absolutely. Bill, thank you for being with us today — it’s been insightful, inspiring, and fun.

Bill Canady
[55:35]
Thank you both. I really enjoyed it.

Kathy Greenberg
[55:40]
And to our listeners — thank you for tuning in for 20 years of Leadership Development News. Keep tuning up your leadership skills every week.

Relly Nadler
[56:03]
Join us again next Monday at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific, right here on the Voice America Business Channel.