How does a 1,300-person manufacturer grow 18% a year and never lay anyone off? Lorne Rubis and Dave McCauley dig into the Gund story from the Wall Street Journal: leaders who own culture, financials on the walls, and people developed for the long haul. Then they weigh it against the Microsoft buyout news. Is a buyout more responsible than a layoff, or just a nicer-sounding one? Plus: a 9.34 on the Culture Pizza Review.
00:00 Canadiana shirts & robot-assisted surgery
02:08 The Gund story: a family business that doesn’t lay people off
03:47 18% growth and zero layoffs in 50 years
06:27 Lead culture from the top, not as a “nice to have”
07:17 Red cards & Gemba walks: the tools behind it
08:13 Why financial transparency builds trust
10:40 “Why not just create great places to work?”
11:44 Squishy and soft? The compound interest of investing in people
13:04 Culture Pizza Review: Gund scores 9.34
15:03 The Microsoft buyout news: smarter than a layoff?
23:20 “They haven’t earned the trust”
24:40 What do we really stand for? When leaders’ values show
26:35 The war between connection and disconnection
34:53 Quarterly thinking vs. generational thinking
38:39 Wrap-up: can we get more companies like Gund?
