Greg MacDonald of MPMG Brands: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO
An Interview With Doug Noll
Don’t live in a “reactionary world” where you are just answering emails and phone calls all day. Get out and get stuck into the field/industry you are leading.
As a part of our series called ‘Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO’ we had the pleasure of interviewing Greg MacDonald.
Greg MacDonald is the CEO of Cliovana. He is a highly experienced executive who has a proven track record of successfully growing brands in the consumer sector with more than 20 years of hands-on C-level experience in all key business areas specializing in marketing, operations, and development. With Cliovana, MacDonaldis leading the charge to improve women’s sexual wellness, a dramatically under-served community in contrast to the attention given to men’s, with a patented non-invasive and pain-free, in-office treatment to improve women’s sexual responsiveness.
WIth Cliovana, MacDonald saw an opportunity in the health and wellness space, specifically long-ignored female sexual wellness that has left countless women living their lives without satisfying sex — an essential part of a woman’s overall physical and emotional well-being and a crucial component to fostering a relationship’s bonds. Cliovana uses safe and proven sound wave technology to stimulate the body’s natural processes, enhancing vascularization and neurogenesis with a non-invasive treatment that creates long-term increases in women’s sexual responsiveness and orgasm frequency and intensity.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
WIth Cliovana, I saw an opportunity in the health and wellness space, specifically long-ignored female sexual wellness that has left countless women living their lives without satisfying sex — an essential part of a woman’s overall physical and emotional well-being and a crucial component to fostering a relationship’s bonds. Cliovana uses safe and proven sound wave technology to stimulate the body’s natural processes, enhancing vascularization and neurogenesis with a non-invasive treatment that creates long-term increases in women’s sexual responsiveness and orgasm frequency and intensity.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
The first thing that distinctively comes to mind is one of the first patient testimonials we recorded with Dr. Wilson in Scottsdale, Arizona. Watching it made me surprisingly emotional. It actually made me cry, specifically to see how it changed this couple’s life. They’re an attractive, older couple, probably mid 60s. They’re sitting beside each other. She does the treatment, and then they both talk about how it’s changed their lives. That’s when I first bought the company and I first realized how much of an impact this can have on people’s lives. Here’s the link to view the video.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Rick Schaden is the person I’m most grateful for as has been instrumental in getting me where I am today.
A funny story, when we sold Quiznos to JP Morgan, we were in Houston, touring restaurants, and we got stuck in mud on this side road trying to make a shortcut to the airport. I was just terrified thinking, oh my, I have all these high powered people in the car. I was only like 38 years old at the time, I was already the worldwide CEO of Quiznos. I remember looking over at Rick and him staying calm, cool and collected.
The lesson was learned to “not sweat the small stuff.” Rick kept his calm demeanor and made light of the story. And it actually turned out to be a really funny story that we all still talked about today.
Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?
The #1 role of a CEO is being a good mentor and finding good people and then leading those good people. So when sourcing and recruiting good people, you ensure you provide them with all the tools to lead the company in the right direction.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?
Good CEOs don’t just sit behind a desk and respond to emails. They get in the trenches, work directly with all the respective team leaders and as I mentioned above provide their team with all the tools to do the job effectively.
Do you think everyone is cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?
Don’t have a big EGO! It’s such a cliche, however it’s absolutely the truth. The truth is, you know a good CEO when they build the right team and then mentor and lead that team to their success. It’s not a successful company because of one person.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help create a fantastic work culture?
Lead by example. If you can personify the company values and model those for others you’ll be on the best track as a CEO.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
This might sound cheesy, but what we’ve been able to bring to consumers is life changing with Cliovana. It’s been a huge privilege to be part of the intimate wellness movement and help to provide a much needed resource to women who are vastly under served.
Fantastic. Here is the primary question of our interview. What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1 . Be nimble and adaptable as no two days are the same as the leader of your company
2 . Look forward, and spend time glancing out of the window to reflect and get the headspace you need to make important decisions
3 . Get your hands and feet sore and understand what the task of your team is every single day
4 . Don’t live in a “reactionary world” where you are just answering emails and phone calls all day. Get out and get stuck into the field/industry you are leading.
5 . Lead by example and ditch the EGO
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Spend at least 2 hours of your day looking out of the window” My Dad. My Dad taught me many things but one thing that has always stuck with me was his passion for being humble and leading by example. He would always tell me to look out the window and get space from what I was working on so that I can make space to reflect on the right decision to lead my team. That’s something I try to do every day.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.
