Sue Covelli-Buntley and Poyee Chiu of UpSpiral Leadership interview Bill Hunnex. For the past 30 years, he has been focused on improving organizations through behavioral management training and TQM. Bill’s belief that courageous dialogue stems from authentic human connection has really shone through in the training programs that he’s done for companies like Wall Street, American Express, and TIME Magazine.

[00:42] Introducing Bill Hunnex

[06:09] Learning from and Stepping Up to Career Transitions

[15:15] How to Start Courageous Dialogues

[20:50] Changing the Culture of MMBB

[28:35] Lightning Round: A Series of Brief Questions

[38:21] Mindset Reset: “It is only worth having courageous conversations with those you know and trust most”

Bill has had a very colorful career transitioning from healthcare to community work and to corporations. In every new role, he has accepted unfamiliar challenges and tasks. Moving to New York proved to be one of the best life decisions he’s ever made. He had the opportunity to learn from diverse people and to adapt to new environments. It was in all these changes that Bill learned the most about himself.

When Bill introduced management training to organizations, he emphasized listening skills⎯the core of courageous dialogue. People are so preoccupied about their own responses in a conversation that they fail to really hear each other out. To start courageous dialogue, we must learn to connect with each other on a personal level. Let the other person know that they’ve been heard.

During his time at the Missionaries and Ministers Benefit Board (MMBB), Bill was tasked to improve the organization’s culture. At the time, MMBB had strong ties to its customers but had an authoritarian management style and inefficient operations. The organization needed to cultivate a supportive environment. Bill modeled the behavior that he wanted to see more of: he was respectful and attentive in every interaction. Next, he changed systems. Personal incentive goals were all published, thereby promoting transparency. To address problems, Bill encouraged the members to focus on what could be improved. Blaming others was unproductive. In fact, he even asked for more complaints so that issues could be resolved.

According to Bill, the leadership trait that the world needs the most is forgiveness. You cannot lead if you do not forgive others. Similarly, you must also forgive yourself. Acknowledge your mistakes and then move on. Everyone has the ability to forgive. We all have our own grudges and regrets but we try to rise up from them every day.

For more information on becoming an excellent leader, visit the Upspiral Leadership Website, and remember to tune in to our next episode.