Leadership Journeys [126] - Mike Kaeding - "When you do something new, you're terrible at it"

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.In this captivating interview, we sit down with Mike, the dynamic CEO of Norhart, a company on a mission to revolutionize the housing industry. As he shares his inspiring journey from reluctant heir to a visionary leader, you'll discover the transformative power of purpose-driven leadership. Mike's insights will leave you pondering the untapped potential within your own team and how vertical integration, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to hiring the best can drive extraordinary results. Join us for an illuminating conversation that unveils the keys to building a brighter future, both in business and life. You can find Mike Kaeding at the below linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekaeding/https://www.norhart.com/In the interview, Mike shares"I'm Mike, and I'm the CEO of Norhart. We design, build, and rent apartments, but we're really focused on driving down the cost of construction.""We believe that over time we can achieve a 50% reduction. But imagine what that means. Someday your rent could be half." "It's a whole, yeah. If you look at the world of construction versus other industries, for example, manufacturing has improved labor productivity by 760% over the past 60 years." "My parents originally started the business very small at the time." "I struggled with my own ego, but eventually got past that, realizing that deep down I wanted to make some kind of meaningful, positive impact on the world." "It was a struggle. I went off to college focused on finance and computer science and computer graphics and a number of other things." "One of the first things we did was bring all that work in-house, which is a huge challenge." "Instead of driving the product down the line, you can take the person and move them through the building." "People, there's always frustration. We were always butting heads in different things, and looking back, it was primarily because I was just hiring anyone who would do the work." "I think the best leaders in the world have a breadth of knowledge and can bring things together from a lot of disparate places."