Episode 297 Driving Change with Howard Pearl (Part 1)

John talks with Howard Pearl — CEO of CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services), longtime C-Suite executive with over three decades of leadership experience, Harvard Business School OPM alumnus, serial entrepreneur and turnaround specialist. CARS is a nonprofit organization that helps other nonprofits raise money by running vehicle donation programs for them. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro [00:55] - Howard's bio and backstory [04:04] - Framework for building the right workplace culture [08:41] - Business success is all about relationships [10:56] - The mindset of people working in nonprofits [16:27] - How CARS works behind the scenes [19:35] - How Howard expanded CARS [21:33] - Knowing when it's time to train someone else and step aside [26:47] - How CARS operates differently from other nonprofits [27:19] - Running nonprofits like real businesses [30:02] - ISO-certified and NAV for transparency and trust [31:55] - The 80/20 cost-sharing model NOTABLE QUOTES: "Nobody works for me, because people do things for their own reasons, not for mine. So I have to understand what their reasons are." "You can teach anybody how to turn a machine on and off, but you need a great culture to make sure that that machine keeps running." "If cost is the reason that somebody comes to you, it's the exact reason they will leave you." "Trust can only be there if there's integrity. Integrity can only be there if there's respect by experience." "The real joy is in the act of giving, not the gift." "In order to be great in business, it actually starts at home. Because life and business are all about relationships. Anyone who thinks business is about money misses the mark." "If you can't grow, then you've got to go. Once you hit your limit, or once you're bored, or once you are no longer interested, you need to know it's time to train somebody and move on, and give somebody the opportunity to make it even bigger and better than you did." BOOK MENTIONED: The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan (https://a.co/d/fvZntwy) USEFUL RESOURCES: https://www.careasy.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardpearl/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/charitable-auto-resources/ https://www.instagram.com/cars_charitableadultrides/ https://www.facebook.com/howard.pearl https://www.facebook.com/carsorg/ https://x.com/charitableauto CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen    X - https://x.com/johnhulen    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLX_NchE8lisC4NL2GciIWA    EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/