#190 – Stan Sewitch | Building an Engaged and Positive Culture

Stan is a business psychologist and entrepreneur, and author of Engage!: How WD-40 Company Built the Engine of Positive Culture. From 2012 until 2021, he served as Vice President, Global Organization Development for WD-40 Company, and headed the global human resources function. Stan provides service as an advisor to companies who want to improve their results while improving quality of life at the same time, for everyone in their organizations. Key topics in this conversation include: The meaning of engagement in the work place, and why it can be so powerful How WD-40 built the engine of a positive culture The importance of starting with values, and why so many companies get stuck after core value definition The next step if an organization wants to intentionally build a positive culture Building space between stimulus and response Links: Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/stansewitch https://www.stansewitch.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Engage-Company-Engine-Positive-Culture/dp/1698715013 https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-sewitch-60129117/ About Stan: Stan Sewitch provides service as an advisor to companies who want to improve their results while improving quality of life at the same time, for everyone in their organizations. His experience is best suited for these areas: Strategy Organizational design and development Compensation design Leadership development and coaching Conscious culture creation Stan is a business psychologist and entrepreneur. From 2012 until 2021, he served as Vice President, Global Organization Development for WD-40 Company, and headed the global human resources function. Stan is one of the founding members of KI Investment Holdings, LLC. Formed early in 2006, KI is a private equity company whose mission is to be instrumental in the success of profitable, growing companies who create middle-class careers. KI is an investment experiment in long-term principles. Stan is also the founder of HRG, Inc. Formed in 1989, HRG was a center for business advisory services, providing consulting to clients of all types in strategy, human resources, organizational effectiveness and executive leadership development. HRG served over 1,200 clients since its founding. The company is currently led by Paul Billimoria, its President. Stan serves on its board. Stan formed two other companies. In 1990, he launched Emlyn Systems, a software company publishing a human resources information system. In 1991 he co-founded Chromagen, a biotechnology company which created proprietary assays for drug research, whose technologies were acquired in 2003. Stan has served as a director for many private companies, ranging from $2M to $200M in revenue. He was Chairman of Elixir Industries, and is a director for Sabia Inc., SCWS LLC and KI Investment Holdings LLC. Prior to his entrepreneurial adventures, Stan held senior management positions in operations and human resources. He was manufacturing director for TRW’s LSI products division in San Diego, a manufacturer of high-end integrated circuits. Stan was also operations director for Elm Corporation, a salmon fishery in Bethel, Alaska. Stan’s prior human resources management positions included Martin Marietta Aluminum, Smith International, TRW and Mycogen Corporation. Stan authored a weekly column for ten years on various issues in business for the San Diego Daily Transcript, entitled “Notes from the Corporate Underground” and has written two books of the same title. Future of Mobility: The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields. brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/ Edison Manufacturing and Engineering: Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.