Leading From The C-Suite: Kevin Gyolai of Gyolai Consulting On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive

An Interview With Doug Noll

Building on the last question, C-suite executives need a stoic mindset to be successful. I think of this as both an attitude and the development of a skill set. Stoicism is learned and cultivated. It is something an entrepreneur or executive needs to continually work on to become and stay proficient. Doing so will pay dividends.

As part of our series called “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive” we had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin Gyolai.

Kevin Gyolai has had some incredible life experiences. He’s a thought leader on organizational effectiveness. He has a daughter with Down syndrome. He has a PhD in cellular and molecular biology and conducted research on viruses. His first paying job was cowboy, and today, he’s a volunteer firefighter. And that’s just his side gig.

Kevin is the CEO of Gyolai Consulting, where he’s helped clients identify and focus on the handful of things that really matter to their success. His passion is helping people and organizations reach their full potential. Specifically, Kevin has helped clients around the world:

• Save time, effort, and money
• Earn record revenue
• Have less conflict and stress
• Hire and keep top talent
• Solve problems more quickly
• Transform their operations and culture

Before devoting himself to Gyolai Consulting in 2016, Kevin was a college professor, researcher, and educational leader. He won the highest honor for excellence in teaching at his college and was the youngest person ever to hold the rank of full professor in his university system. More recently, Kevin was the president and CEO of a privately held company in Minneapolis, MN.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

I first got into organizational and leadership development when I was working as a scientist and educator over a decade ago. Higher education found itself in a position it was unprepared for; a highly competitive, market-based economy where customers had many fine choices and easy access. Additionally, customers began asking if we could prove the student outcomes we claimed. At my college, we knew we needed to adjust quickly to this new paradigm, so we joined a pioneering organization that guided us in bringing robust business principles into the non-profit world. I was fascinated!

This fascination led to several C-suite roles and eventually to creating Gyolai Consulting, where I have coached and mentored business leaders from around the world as they strive to focus on what really matters to their success.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

One of my favorite career stories comes from my time in higher education. In my capacity as Dean of STEM I had the honor of leading one of the most respected cybersecurity programs in the USA. As part of that work, I partnered with representatives from the federal intelligence community, and other government agencies, to train and deploy the next generation of cyber warriors. The program I helped create and nurture lives on. I feel humble and patriotic about that time of my career.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

I might have to quote myself here, but words that I live by are “no one is coming to your rescue.” This might be surprising coming from a business management consultant, so let explain. In my life I’ve had to press on — as an entrepreneur, as a parent, and as a man. I have experienced failure. And the one constant in that failure, and the subsequent recovery, is that no one parachuted in to rescue me. I had to figure it out and do the hard work. There was no hack.

In my work with business owners and C-suite executives, while I am joyful over the positive impacts I’ve had in their lives, I never rescued them. We worked collaboratively to focus and systematize their businesses, but the great ideas and products were theirs. They had to do the hard work.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on your leadership style? Can you share a story or an example of that?

In my experience, when successful executives, especially entrepreneurs, are faced with adversity and challenges, they just keep grinding it out. They accept things for what they are instead of wishing things were different. And they control their emotions instead of letting their emotions control them. There is a name for that mindset, stoicism, and that is the focus of one of my favorite books — The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday.

The entrepreneurial mind can be trained to be strong and gritty, resilient and objective. This book influenced me so greatly, that I include many of the principles Holiday teaches into my work with C-suite leaders, which is just so relevant right now.

An example of the stoic mindset in action comes from the COVID-19 pandemic. I was working with a tech company that was ready to launch a new product, and just then the pandemic hit, which had massive impacts on my client and their customers. We worked together to determine if and how to launch the new product, and what changes needed to be made if we did launch. In other words, how can we do what’s best for the company and its customers during unprecedented times?

We chose to launch the product with the option of a free version. Customers that were under stress appreciated the product and the gesture. We took an objective, long-term view, and continued to build trusting relationships with key partners during difficult times. My client weathered the pandemic with fewer customers lost than the competition, which paid dividends and helped them not only survive COVID but rebound more quickly.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

You know how visionaries usually hate daily operations? We focus on helping visionary leaders implement proven systems and processes, which lessens their operational burden. This frees them up to do more of what they’re uniquely qualified to do like setting vision and strategy, creating new products or services, and forming new partnerships. We accomplish this by implementing systems, like business operating systems, which drive structure, focus, and consistency across the entire organization.

Something else that makes Gyolai Consulting stick out is that we work with the entire person when we work with a business leader, especially when we work with owners. What many entrepreneurs are really looking for when they reach out to us is for their lives to be different — better. They want more time with family, less conflict, more effective decision making, and more opportunity to dream and create. We help them find these things by leveraging systems and processes.

My favorite example of this comes from the United Kingdom. We were working with the owners of one of the most recognized real estate brands in Europe, and they were frustrated. Their business was successful but had plateaued. The visionary felt trapped by the daily grind of running the business. He wanted work on the business, not in it. We implemented and integrated a business operating system across the entire organization, and I acted as the fractional COO. The business was quickly focused on the handful of things that really mattered, and as a result customer inquiries went up, revenues increased, and employee satisfaction improved. And importantly, the owners’ lives were better!

The visionary pinged me one Saturday morning to tell me that he and his wife had just gone for a walk and had stopped for a relaxing lunch, something they’d not done in years. We helped him improve his business and his life, and that’s the stuff that feeds my soul.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

This is such a good question! As an entrepreneur, I embrace self-discipline both personally and professionally. As Jocko Willink teaches, discipline equals freedom. Along with discipline comes an observational mind, a kind of mental toughness and objectivity that’s essential for C-suite leaders. And thirdly, high emotional intelligence has been pivotal to my success as an entrepreneur. High EI allows me to form trusting, long-term relationships with my customers, and it helps me better understand their needs and wants.

Self-discipline provides freedom in many ways. For example, taking care of my body and my health is essential to my continued success. It is discipline that provides me the freedom to exercise daily and embrace a strict dietary regimen. Entrepreneurs benefit from thinking and acting like athletes.

My training as a scientist certainly helped me cultivate an observational mind, but emotion sometimes creeps into my thinking, which is neither good nor bad but is something to be aware off. In the last several years the small business consulting landscaped has been rocked by the pandemic and the associated economic slowdown; small businesses were particularly hard hit. I had to leverage my observational, objective mind to see things for what they were. The paradigm changed very quickly and I, and most other entrepreneurs, had to adapt and redirect to survive.

A manifestation of this was when we choose to cancel the launch of a new product, which we spent months creating. It simply wasn’t going to be successful during a global pandemic. We saw things for what they were and adjusted our priorities by sticking with our bread-and-butter services like strategy and operations consulting.

As for EI, my business depends on building trusting relationships with business owners and leaders, often to the extent that they allow me to take the operational reins of their companies for a period. They will do this for two reasons: they are desperate or they trust me. Over the years I’ve learned the hard way not to rush into projects with desperate customers. The most successful engagements and relationships have been those built on trust and mutual respect. And that takes time and thoughtfulness.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?

I think I’ll talk more here about when I made the decision to cancel the launch of a new product during the pandemic. In the months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked for several months, and invested significantly, to build a complete digital ecosystem and operational framework to help small business owners and leaders focus, simplify, and make more money. This product was designed for entrepreneurial owners of businesses with less than $1M in annual revenue, and owners who were more technicians than visionaries. These owners were hit very hard by the pandemic, and many became entrenched and paralyzed by fear. Most froze their spending on anything they considered non-essential, which included most consulting services. I had to make a difficult decision.

I wanted to grow Gyolai Consulting into the personal/professional development space. I wanted to offer small business owners a foundational framework they could leverage to dramatically improve their businesses and their lives. I knew there was a market for this offering.

As it turned out, the pandemic altered the viability of that offering. The timing was suddenly way off. I looked at this objectively and made the decision to not release the product.

Ok, thank you for that. 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 C-Suite executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what a C-Level executive does that is different from the responsibilities of other leaders?

C-suite executives are more likely to be involved in setting organization-wide strategy and priorities than other leaders. They may also be responsible to a board of directors, and because of that they need to be skilled politicians.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a C-Suite executive? Can you explain what you mean?

One myth I’m passionate about dispelling is that leaders can or should “do it all” themselves. They simply can’t, and the most effective C-suite leaders know it. A mistake I often see is that leaders don’t learn how to be effective delegators. And I suppose through that they don’t learn to balance authority and responsibility. There is too much work for any single C-suite executive to complete alone. They must learn to delegate work to others so they can elevate their performance by concentrating on the work only they can do.

Another myth many leaders believe is that they know what their people are thinking. I know this can be exhausting, but many C-suite executives don’t spend enough time nurturing relationships with their employees, and I mean employees at all levels of the company. This is especially true during times of change. When people are feeling uncertain or frightened, they are comforted by connection with executive leaders. They will seek it out. C-suite executives need to intentionally set aside time for this; increase management by walking around or create digital open forums.

What are the most common leadership mistakes you have seen C-Suite leaders make when they start leading a new team? What can be done to avoid those errors?

The overall state of onboarding in the workplace is terrible. I am sure some people get it right but in my experience most C-suite leaders don’t understand how to properly onboard a direct report. They tend to make it about HR, the tech stack, or how to apply for a company credit card. This is tactical. Onboarding should be strategic, it should be about relationships. To improve onboarding, ask the new hire what their expectations of you are and how they prefer to be managed. Discuss what success looks like for them in the first 90 days and how it will be measured. Set up recurring meetings just to check in and don’t cancel them except in emergency. Introduce the new hire to people of influence in the organization and help them begin to form relationships.

Another common leadership mistake is talking too much. C-suite executives often feel the need to explain or add to the discussion, when often it’s better just to listen. This is especially true when someone, like a customer or employee, is complaining. In this case, what I’ve coached my clients to do is to listen attentively and when the time is right ask, “What would you like me to do about this?” Most often you’ll find that you just did it, you helped the other person feel heard.

In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?

The degree to which you need to develop thick skin. Leading a company is not for the faint of heart or the person who takes criticism personally. It is not for someone who can’t control their emotions or lacks self-restraint. It is not for someone who seeks happiness in the approval of others. That is why cultivating an objective mind and stoic attitude are critically important.

I once help the primary owner of a large construction company bring on a private equity partner. There were multiple constituencies involved, and all of them had a point of view on the new partnership. Many of them were personally and financially affected by the decision. We worked hard to anticipate roadblocks and points of tension. And I helped prepare my client for the accusations, fear, and finger pointing I knew was coming. Even then, and even after studying this new partnership objectively, he needed to exercise a stoic mindset and push through an uncomfortable period.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

1 . Building on the last question, C-suite executives need a stoic mindset to be successful. I think of this as both an attitude and the development of a skill set. Stoicism is learned and cultivated. It is something an entrepreneur or executive needs to continually work on to become and stay proficient. Doing so will pay dividends.

2 . High emotional intelligence helps nurture trusting relationships, which are essential to successful executives. A lot has been written about this, so I’ll call out one element — transitions to new roles. Overall, the success rate of C-suite executives as they transition to new roles is low; many new C-suite hires fail to live up to expectations. The success rate would be improved if the new executive was given more time in the first year to develop relationships. Related to that, hiring for EI and training to develop it are two steps that help new hires be more successful.

3 . Tightly linked to high EI is developing and leveraging a trust-based leadership style. If your employees trust you, they will be more engaged, work harder, and be more inspired.

Leading at the Speed of Trust, by FranklinCovey, is one of my favorite platforms for leadership development. In fact, this platform also emphasizes the importance of another element of being a highly effective leader, competency.

4 . Professional competency is pivotal to being a highly effective C-suite leader. The senior leader must be able to deliver success in a technical sense (for example in sales or financial problem solving). In a silo, this probably doesn’t seem that hard. After all, most executives have track records of professional success. But the C-suite executive is expected to deliver the goods, lead several teams, represent the company to stakeholders, collaborative with a board, set strategy and priorities, manage people, and lots more.

The most successful C-suite executives leverage systems and processes to drive quality and consistency in delivering business outcomes. This frees up time to spend on the other aspects of their job they’re expected to excel at. Examples of systems and process include business operating systems, core work processes, tools for focusing on priorities, and methodologies for measuring and reporting out.

5 . Lastly, a longevity mindset is an important characteristic of the most successful executive leaders. I mean two things here: taking a long-term approach to business, and changing behaviors and attitudes to live a long, fulfilled live.

Being a C-suite executive is like being a professional athlete. It requires sacrifice and focus. It demands practice and drive. You have public success and failure. It takes a toll on the body and the mind. Lots of executives participate in annual checkups and health assessments, but fewer exercise the discipline and commitment it takes to really care for their body and soul. Cultivating a longevity mindset not only helps executives perform better and stay in the game longer, but it also naturally helps develop a long-term view of live and business.

In your opinion, what are a few ways that executives can help to create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?

This is an important question, especially now that many companies are considering post-pandemic return to the office and how that may influence employee satisfaction and business success.

Setting core values is something most companies do, but living by those values is not as common. Employees know if having core values is just lip service. C-suite leaders should remember that their employees are constantly reconciling what they say against what they do.

Set shared core values; make living them a priority; and hire, reward, and fire based on those shared values. Doing so will help create a great workplace culture.

In my work I’ve helped clients nurture workplace culture, and I’ve seen some excellent examples. My thoughts went in several directions when considering this question but gravitated to a client in the tech space. They had a fantastic workplace culture, the tone of which was set by their C-suite leaders and their shared core values. Their culture of living their shared values helped them create a strong company that survived COVID and thrived in the aftermath.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would start a movement that focuses on reducing the amount of food that is wasted by those of us that have plenty. There is so much wasted food in the USA alone. Just think of how many more people could be fed if we just didn’t waste so much.

How can our readers further follow you online?

Yes! They can visit Gyolai.com or follow me on LinkedIn.

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Oh, you’re welcome. It was my pleasure!

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.