The Profiles in Leadership series features conversations with organizational leadership experts to discuss important lessons they have learned and what “Hiring for Good” means to them. This series helps us better understand the role leadership plays in positive transformations and growth for people, organizations, and the world we live in.
This episode features a conversation with Julie Markee, Certified EOS Implementer and the Founder of Key Process Innovations, where she helps business owners and entrepreneurs transform their businesses using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Julie helps business owners and entrepreneurs transform their businesses using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Julie is a lifelong entrepreneur who started her first business at the age of 12. She holds a US Patent for her invention of the kpi-dry™ dryness measurement system. She is the author of Coop’d Up Thoughts, a monthly newsletter sharing her trials of becoming an aspiring chicken mama and how these learnings can be applied to running a better business.
Julie’s Contact Information: julie@keyprocessinnovations.com | 360-975-8110| www.keyprocessinnovations.com
Profiles in Leadership Transcript
0:05well hi there this is Suzanne Hanahan
0:07with Acumen executive Search and I am
0:10with my good friend Julie Marquee Julie
0:13is an EOS implementer today but like
0:16most leaders have taken a windy path to
0:19get to where she is she started out as a
0:22chemical engineer worked industry for 20
0:25some years before deciding to go into
0:29Executive coaching
0:30and then right after the
0:33pandemic Julie started her own business
0:36of EOS and so I really before we jump in
0:40because I’m not sure if everybody knows
0:43what EOS is tell us a little bit about
0:47EOS thank you Suzanne it’s great to be
0:49here I absolutely love listening to your
0:51podcast so thanks for letting me be a
0:53part of it as well uh EOS is a set of
0:57practical real world tools that help
1:00business owners leadership teams get
1:02context so they can get more of the
1:04right stuff done day in and day out to
1:07make progress towards that company that
1:09they know they’re capable of
1:11becoming so going from business coaching
1:15to really an EOS
1:17implementer what’s the nuances what’s
1:20what’s the difference between those two
1:22I’m going to back up just a little bit
1:24so I have a degree in chemical
1:25engineering and some people would say
1:27I’m a recovering engineer I’m not sure
1:29cuz I still I still definitely think
1:31like an engineer but as a chemical
1:33engineer you have two tracks and one of
1:34them is to become a process engineer so
1:37I start out my career as a process
1:39engineer and I just in manufacturing
1:42looking at all the issues from taking a
1:45potato chip metal casting cranberries
1:48into cranberry sauce whatever it was and
1:50I would look at the process and figure
1:51what’s the fastest way to get there and
1:54what are the obstacles that are keeping
1:55us from getting what we want from the
1:57process that’s how I’m hardwired
2:00and what I found out early in my career
2:02was I used to say let’s just fix this
2:06process part the equipment part because
2:08that’s a lot easier in that people side
2:09so let’s just leave the people over here
2:11and we’ll just deal the easy part so
2:14what I realized was you can’t get the
2:16process part without helping the people
2:19part and so I I just kind of in my heart
2:23realized I needed to move towards more
2:25of the coaching helping people who are
2:28hindering whatever process it is is that
2:31they’re trying that they’re in the midst
2:32of to help them move this process
2:34through I don’t know if that makes sense
2:37makes perfect sense and you’re kind of
2:38speaking my language because I always
2:40break it down to people process systems
2:43and I look at people
2:45first because without them you can’t
2:48change the process or the
2:51systems yeah I was a little slow to that
2:53party but I did finally show up and the
2:57people that’s that’s the challenge and
2:59so when I was started my consulting
3:00company 12 over 12 years ago I started
3:03out Consulting on process Improvement
3:05helping improve productivity and
3:07profitability that’s what my business
3:09was but what I just kept finding out
3:12over and over again was I didn’t have
3:13the right people to support those
3:15processes and so it was kind of a
3:17natural progression for me to kind of
3:19start to move from the technical side
3:22over to the people’s side and I tell my
3:25clients I love process like it makes me
3:28happy I’m always trying to find the
3:30fastest way to do just about anything
3:32but at my core I value people and I am
3:35inherently driven to helping them reach
3:37their full potential so the Consulting
3:40piece I mean the the coaching piece was
3:42just a natural progression for me but
3:45what I found out when I learned about
3:46EOS was oh wait a minute this is the
3:50thing that they need because in EOS
3:52we’re helping them get Vision traction
3:54and healthy so Vision so everyone’s
3:56crystal clear on where we’re going how
3:57we’re going to get there traction is
4:00kind of executing that div that Vision
4:02day in and day out and healthy is
4:04transforming the leadership team into a
4:06cohesive group of people to actually
4:08like working together and you need all
4:10three of those in order to really become
4:13the company that you want to become yeah
4:15again Julie that that’s amazing you are
4:17speaking my love language right there
4:21so so let’s talk about your your journey
4:25because nobody’s career is in a bubble
4:29we all
4:30you know are affected by great managers
4:33great mentors what formative leadership
4:38experiences have you had that really
4:40shaped who you are
4:42today when I worked at my um my last
4:46manufacturing job before I went into
4:47sales I had actually a gentleman that um
4:51he was an iron worker he was one of the
4:52union workers saw something in me and he
4:55was an exceptional individual and he
4:58really helped me navigate some of those
5:00challenges when I first became a manager
5:03and not anybody you would expect you
5:05never know where your mentors are going
5:07to come from you have no idea but he
5:10helped me so much one CH working with um
5:14challenging people or he used to tease
5:15me he’s like if you don’t make a
5:16decision right now I’m going to cut one
5:18of those legs off that stool and I’m
5:20going to make you make a decision so you
5:22need to do something and so he was
5:24pushing me and even to this day I can
5:26still hear him in the back of my head
5:28sometimes when I’m stuck and I don’t
5:29know what to do I can hear him say I’m
5:31going to cut the school off cut the leg
5:33off do something so I had him and then I
5:37had when I got into sales I had um just
5:40still a mentor of mine he said to me I
5:44was trying to figure out some technical
5:46stuff some technical sales and he says
5:47Chul I don’t know anything about that
5:48technical stuff I know nothing about
5:50that but what I do know is people and I
5:53remember
5:54thinking I want that I want that I want
5:58to understand people that way
6:00and it just clicks something in my head
6:02and since that day I’ve worked to
6:04understand people to understand the
6:05nuances how they think how to work with
6:09them how to get the most out of them and
6:10it’s just I mean to this day I still I
6:14am so appreciative of those two men who
6:16cared for me I didn’t go out searching
6:18for them they just picked me and helped
6:21me become who I am today isn’t that
6:24wonderful and I love what you said you
6:26don’t know where your mentors are coming
6:28from and will come from and it’s about
6:30being open to to those opportunities
6:34when when they show up and that for you
6:37then to show up that’s that’s wonderful
6:40I’m going to remember that also make a
6:42decision or that stool legs getting cut
6:45off that leg off and you’re gonna go so
6:47do something before you fall well while
6:49we’re talking about values you know I do
6:52think most all not most all leaders
6:56bring this core sense of values to their
7:01uh you know their job that’s how they
7:02show up what type of values do you feel
7:06are super important for you that you
7:09show up
7:13with so when I’m working very often side
7:17by side with the business owner with the
7:18CEO with the president and a lot of them
7:21they’re lonely right we’re at the top
7:23Suzanne you know that you own your own
7:24company and we’re at the top and there’s
7:27not a lot of people to walk alongside us
7:29and so so I feel like that’s part of my
7:31job is to walk alongside these business
7:33owners and tell them when they ask what
7:38I’m seeing and they don’t get that
7:41honesty and so one thing is I am
7:43completely my clients will say Julie
7:45your direct communication is just
7:47something that we just so value we
7:48always know where you stand so first off
7:51I’m not going to give them any fluff and
7:54but I’m also going to praise them on
7:56where they’re doing really really well
7:58so I’m not always just on here it’s just
8:00times we need to stop and celebrate
8:02their their wins because sometimes they
8:04forget they’re like oh we on the next
8:05thing I’m like nope let’s stop I want to
8:07work walk with you I want to celebrate
8:09what you’ve done I want to celebrate
8:10with your leadership team and then I am
8:13also highly empathetic probably maybe
8:16maybe too much so but I love my clients
8:19I love on them I cry with them I laugh
8:22with them I just I want them to know
8:25that I’m on a journey with them to
8:26become their best and I’m not here for
8:28anything yes I get paid to do what I do
8:31but I’m really here because I genuinely
8:33care about them and so those are the
8:35things that I show up um that’s how I
8:37show up with them and I hope that’s what
8:39they’re feeling because if they’re not
8:40I’m I’m falling short somewhere no I I
8:44love this um and you work you work with
8:47so many different size organizations and
8:49different structures but can you share
8:52with us kind of that ideal client of
8:55yours who do you really excel at with
8:59and and why why is this your ideal well
9:03so EOS has a quote target market for Eos
9:06run for companies that are going to be
9:07successful that’s what EOS was designed
9:09for so 10 to 250 employees
9:12entrepreneurial growth oriented
9:15open-minded willing to be vulnerable
9:18with the people around them respectful
9:21and more afraid of the status quo than
9:23have changed so that is your ideal
9:25target market for
9:27Eos but for me even before I started
9:30doing EOS and I was doing consulting
9:31work and ultimately coaching work I
9:34would sit down and I would say to the
9:35owner the CEO I’m like okay three things
9:39have to happen so number one is
9:43that they have to Value their
9:47employees because if they don’t value
9:49their
9:49employees it’s never going to work
9:51because I can’t work with with with
9:53owners businesses um Executives who
9:56don’t care if if they don’t care about
9:57their their employees that’s a deal
9:59breaker for me the second is they have
10:02to be willing to change like they can’t
10:05just complain about things they have to
10:07be willing to do something different and
10:09the third thing I alwaysed to say again
10:11to the business owner is you need to
10:14recognize that you’re probably part of
10:16the
10:17problem not all of the problem but part
10:20of it and sometime when I can hear that
10:22humility that’s why I’m like oh we’re
10:24good we got this we can work together
10:27and I can help you get through this so
10:29those are kind of those things that I
10:30like to talk to the business owners
10:31about oneon-one of hey here’s here’s how
10:34I know that you and I are going to do
10:35well together so those are my my three
10:38you know it’s funny um at Acumen we also
10:41have three being a small boutique and
10:43number one is do they value their
10:46employees and I tell you you you can
10:48tell within 30 seconds of speaking with
10:51a CEO president founder if if it’s lip
10:56service or if they really mean it yeah
11:00and it’s wonderful to work with those
11:02organizations and I agree with you I
11:05think humility is such an underrated
11:09value that um we you know that that we
11:13have in our culture you know so so I
11:17agree it’s it’s amazing so having these
11:21core
11:22values
11:24change you know um
11:27humility care caring
11:29and um
11:31entrepreneurialship a lot of those kind
11:33of conflict with each other because
11:36sometimes if you’re
11:37entrepreneurial you’re so driven to the
11:39end goal that you
11:43cannot have that same heart that you
11:46would you know that a different um
11:48perspective brings how do you balance
11:51that with my clients yeah with your
11:54clients no it’s interesting you say that
11:56Suzanne because when we started this I
11:58was thinking
12:00my personal experience is that almost
12:01every single one of my clients cares
12:03about their employees if I’m talking to
12:05a Founder they love their employees and
12:10they have this idea of this culture that
12:12they want to create that they’ve created
12:14with their business and so when they’re
12:15transitioning out or kind of letting go
12:17of the rains they really want to keep
12:19their hand on that finger of the culture
12:21and make sure that nothing changes there
12:24so I would say that the bigger challenge
12:27for a lot of my clients founder
12:29Visionary types is that they’re not good
12:32at holding people accountable right CU
12:34they love them so much that they just
12:36want to love on them and there’s just
12:37that they’re lacking that that
12:39accountability that they really need and
12:40so they usually need a number two to
12:42come in and help instill that discipline
12:44and accountability that they just they
12:46just don’t want to have those hard
12:47conversations they don’t want to let the
12:49people down and it’s really hard for
12:51them so I think for me what I’ve seen is
12:54the challenge of getting someone there
12:56that actually can drive the
12:57accountability and help them get what
12:59they want from their company because
13:00they’re missing that that accountability
13:02and that progress towards the company
13:04that they want to actually achieve yeah
13:07absolutely well we know that this
13:09podcast is called hiring for good so
13:12Julie to you what does hiring for good
13:15mean to
13:18you well it makes me feel good because I
13:22do believe that there’s there’s two
13:25sides to this right um and I always I
13:28think first off we want to get the right
13:30people in the right seats it’s an EOS
13:31term right people that demonstrate your
13:33core values that fit your culture like a
13:35glove but they’re also doing work that
13:37they absolutely love doing and they come
13:40to work excited I used to tell people
13:42people who want the job you know they’re
13:43getting a speeding ticket on the way to
13:45work Monday morning they’re so excited
13:47to go to work that’s what we want and
13:49imagine hiring for good to me is giving
13:53that for both both sides for the company
13:55and for the
13:57employee because when we allow our
13:59employees to live to do the work that
14:02they love imagine the impact it has on
14:04their families and it just Cascades
14:07through because it’s positive for
14:09everyone so I go back to the EOS life
14:12it’s doing what you love with people
14:14that you love making a huge difference
14:17uh appropriately compensated and then
14:20time for other passions and so hiring
14:21for good is really about allowing all of
14:25your your the owners the executive team
14:29and all the employees to do what they
14:30absolutely love and it is a win-win all
14:32the way around and it creates a better a
14:36better Society for
14:37everybody Amen to that
14:40absolutely I tell you and and I said I
14:44was gonna stop there and not ask you any
14:47more questions but I’ve got more
14:49questions for you Julie so H how do you
14:53work with you think you’ve got a a this
14:57alignment right between your values and
15:01the founder CEO and what happens when
15:05there isn’t that alignment and how do
15:08you handle that because again looking at
15:11it whether it’s an employee employer
15:15consultant you know it’s the same type
15:18of relationship and what advice would
15:19you give
15:22someone it’s funny I actually just today
15:24somebody asked me how do you fire a
15:26client and um
15:30I have to do a lot of soul searching
15:31inside and understand kind of what that
15:33disconnect is and understand if I’m
15:35bringing some of that um we always say
15:38when I’m working with my clients I’m
15:40we’re on a journey right and I have to
15:42meet them wherever they’re at and
15:44sometimes a lot of my clients they’re on
15:47they’re in this fear they’re just living
15:49in fear and I say I’m going to put you
15:51on a journey from Fear to
15:53freedom but it takes a lot of courage to
15:56move away maybe make those hard
15:58decisions about the who they should get
15:59rid of that doesn’t really want that
16:01seat they’re not great at it they’re not
16:02living their core
16:04values and I can’t force them to do that
16:07and so for me I’m not rushing around
16:10like if you’re not going to let this
16:11person go I’m out of here because that’s
16:13not what I’m here to do first off I’m
16:15not here to tell you how to run your
16:16business that you know how to do that
16:17better than I do so I’m really working
16:19with understanding what’s behind that
16:21what’s holding you back from making
16:23these decisions from that you know that
16:24you need to make and I told one client
16:28he’s like I got to lay somebody off and
16:30I said it’s going to hurt for 36 hours
16:31he goes only 36 I said I promise he
16:34sends me a text he goes okay I’ll let
16:36this person go and I’m like all right
16:38I’ll talk to you in 36 hours 36 hours
16:40later I wish I hadn’t waited so long
16:44so I’m not saying we should get rid of
16:46employees just to get rid of them but um
16:49I just I feel like sometimes the values
16:51fit is that we’re projecting on them
16:54where we think they should be versus
16:56where they actually are and I just want
16:58to help them move through this process
17:00but if I get to to a point where they’re
17:03just they’re not valuing their employees
17:06I that’s probably the biggest one is a
17:08pretty intense conversation about what
17:11my expectations are and if we can’t come
17:13to an agreement that’s okay they can
17:14find another EOS implementer it just
17:16doesn’t have to be me and but but I will
17:20walk alongside them and help them
17:21through the part that they’re the most
17:23afraid of if they want me to I truly
17:26understand why you are such a valuable
17:30asset to those leaders well Julie thank
17:34you so much for being part of this I I
17:37appreciate you and I appreciate what you
17:39do and and I need to share I have worked
17:43with Julie side by side I have seen that
17:47what you can achieve and it’s pretty
17:49amazing so reach out to Julie all of her
17:53contact information is on this podcast
17:57and thank you thank you very much thank
18:00you Suzanne I appreciate it I appreciate
18:02all the work you’re doing supporting all
18:03those
18:05Executives awesome take care
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