Built Not Born Podcast: 3.5 Ideas from Kyle McDowell on Breaking the Toxic Leadership Cycle, Measuring Outcomes Over Activity, and Why Authenticity Builds Trust (3 min read)

Kyle McDowell — Begin With. We

“Authenticity is something that’s so fleeting in this world. I want people to come to my team and be authentic, warts and all, because I don’t expect perfection. I want authenticity because that is the key driver of trust.” — Kyle McDowell

Kyle McDowell spent 30 years climbing the corporate ladder from a tiny cubicle at a regional bank to ultimately leading over 15,000 employees with P&Ls in the billions.

Before leaving corporate life, Kyle discovered a different way to lead — one that became the foundation for his USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling book “Begin With We.”

Kyle’s 10 principles offer a practical framework for creating a “Culture of Excellence” where personal, professional, and corporate goals align.

3.5 Ideas from Kyle McDowell:

1) Break the Toxic Leadership Cycle — Lead Differently

• “Organizations are littered with leaders that really are only focused on their own growth, their own bonus, their own compensation — usually at the expense of those around them.”
• “My goal is to drive a wedge into that cycle. If we can get one person on the team to lead in a way that focuses on others’ growth, momentum can be a hell of a thing.”
• “If I focus less on myself and my own accolades and just the world not revolving around me and focus on ‘we,’ I think we’re in a better place in this world.”

2) Measure Outcomes, Not Activity — Being Busy Isn’t Success

• “We almost reward people for how busy they are. ‘Oh, Kyle, I was triple booked half the day’ or ‘I had 13 meetings today.’ I don’t care. What I care about is can you draw a straight line from those activities to any outcome you’re obligated to deliver.”
• “It’s kind of a crude analogy, but I’m super happy that my Uber driver puts gas in the car before they pick me up, but I’m not paying for that. I pay to get from A to B.”
• “Clients don’t care that you were triple booked or had 13 meetings, but we almost reward that in corporate America. We confuse being busy with actually driving outcomes.”

3) Challenge Each Other Diplomatically — Use Data and Experience

• “Challenges must be grounded in one or two elements: experience or data. If someone comes and says, ‘Hey, I’m not a Philly fan, so I think we should sit this week’s game out,’ that’s just opinion.”
• “Challenges should come peer to peer, from the team to the boss — they need to be omnidirectional. There’s no way one person can make 53 people the best they can be in a one-to-53 ratio.”
• “Tom Brady got sacked a bunch of times. Isn’t he empowered to say to the lineman, ‘Do your job, man, step it up’? Challenges should come from all directions, but they’ve got to be diplomatic and backed up by data or experience.”

3.5) What’s ONE LESSON Everyone Should Take Away?

• “Authenticity is something that’s so fleeting in this world. We ask people to come to work, speak differently, dress differently, be someone who they are not, which takes away their originality and diverse perspectives.”
• “I want people to come to my team and be authentically you, warts and all, because I don’t expect perfection. I want authenticity because that is the key driver of trust.”
• “Trust is a foundational component of delivering excellence. The number one way to establish trust is authenticity and relatability.”

Connect with Kyle McDowell:

• Book: “Begin With We” (USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestseller)
• Website: kylemcdowellinc.com
• IG: @KyleMcDowellInc (all platforms)

“Life Is Built, Not Born.”

Joe Ciccarone

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