What could your executives discover about your business if they stopped relying on reports and spent an entire shift doing the work of your frontline employees?
Debbie McKinley knows the answer firsthand. As Chief People Officer at Herschend Enterprises, former Vice President of Human Resources at The Home Depot, and a former Marine Corps officer, she has built a remarkable executive career by doing something deceptively simple: getting out of the office and learning how the business actually works.
In this episode of The Workforce Alchemy Show, host Mason Duchatschek sits down with Debbie to explore how CEOs, business owners, HR executives, and other senior leaders can build stronger company cultures, develop more capable managers, and make better business decisions.
When Debbie worked a full housekeeping shift at one of Herschend's resorts, she discovered that something as simple as a vacuum cleaner's short power cord was creating unnecessary work for employees. That firsthand experience revealed an operational problem that could be addressed immediately.
But that's just the beginning.
Drawing on her experience at The Home Depot, Debbie also shares how a staffing challenge led to a creative leadership solution that improved the connection between customers and employees without dramatically increasing payroll expenses.
In this episode, you'll discover:
You'll also hear why Debbie left a successful career at The Home Depot to join Herschend Enterprises, how the company's philosophy of leading with love influenced that decision, and what CEOs can learn from an organization that intentionally connects purpose, behavior, accountability, and business performance.
If you're a business owner, CEO, HR leader, or executive responsible for improving employee engagement, leadership development, talent retention, or organizational performance, this conversation offers practical ideas you can put to work.
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonduchatschek/
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