Episode 033 - Cindy Kosloski and Jim Magnotta

Alignment between an association's Board and the CEO can be a very powerful thing. Cindy Kosloski, chief executive officer of the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Lansing & Jim Magnotta, HBA of Greater Lansing board president and founder of Magnotta Builders & Remodelers, have found the sweet spot between strategy and execution.

In this episode, Mike Bills gets to sit down with Cindy and Jim for a really interesting conversation about how they are working together to “tinker with tradition” and what they are learning along the way.

QUOTE IT
“Our members are very proud of our association and tradition is so important to a lot of them, to tinker with that is very hard for them to accept.” (7:50)

“Most executives are going to try to take actions that have a high probability of success. But that’s not what we’re going to do here with reinvention. You have to be ready to accept failure on a fairly regular basis.” (22:35)

DIG IN
At 10:50 Cindy and Jim talk about their experience with including board members in the reinvention process from the beginning.

Listen at 15:20 as Jim explains his plan for sustaining change long-term at the board level, and keep listening to get Cindy’s perspective on what that means for her in the CEO role.

TAKEAWAYS
1 - Reinvention requires a considerable amount of risk-taking. Not all of your ideas are going to be home runs. Be fearless anyway.

2 - Allow disruptions to be a learning opportunity, not a brick wall.

3 - Invite core decision makers to be owners early on in the process. They will more than likely offer different insight and be more committed for the long haul.

4 - Respect the traditions but look for creative ways to improve them. It’s possible to remain steadfast to your mission and still make change.

5 - Focus on what’s important and give that to your members or customers. A simple product or resource done well is better than an elaborate, confusing offering. looking for ways to make them better.