In this Episode about Practical Lessons from a Great CEO
- Leadership Development: Guest, Kirk Aubry, CEO of Savage Services shares lessons that make him a great CEO. Savage’s success is partly attributed to its focus on leadership talent through programs like “On Deck,” which trains and prepares future managers, ensuring a consistent and scalable leadership pipeline.
- Cultural Alignment: The company emphasizes a strong cultural foundation based on three guiding principles: do the right thing, find a better way, and make a difference, which are crucial in hiring and acquisitions to ensure smooth integration and alignment with Savage’s values and processes.
- Strategic Decision-Making: Kirk reflects on past decisions, such as a challenging acquisition and a mismatched senior hire, highlighting the importance of thorough vetting, cultural fit, and learning from experiences to drive growth and success in a complex, capital-intensive logistics business.
Here is a Glimpse of Practical Lessons from a Great CEO
Jim Schleckser introduces Kirk Aubry, highlighting their long-standing friendship and Kirk’s career trajectory from an ad agency to a Chief Strategy Officer at Textron and now CEO of Savage Services, a logistics company. Savage, founded 80 years ago by three brothers, has grown from a single truck to a global company with 4,200 team members and 225 locations. They handle transporting bulk products, such as petroleum coke and grain, critical to their customers’ operations.
Kirk discusses the challenges of running a low-margin, capital-intensive business and how Savage has carved out a niche in handling difficult materials. The company owns and operates its own trucks, railcars, and equipment, differentiating it from traditional logistics businesses. Savage has grown significantly, reaching $4.5 billion in revenue.
One key to Savage’s success is its focus on leadership talent, especially at the local operation level. They created the “On Deck” program to train and prepare future managers, ensuring a consistent and scalable leadership pipeline. Kirk emphasizes the importance of a strong cultural foundation, rooted in the company’s Vision and Legacy statements, distilled into three guiding principles: Do the right thing, find a better way, and make a difference.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Kirk Aubry on LinkedIn
- Jim Schleckser on LinkedIn
- The CEO Project
- Great Ceos Are Lazy: How Exceptional Ceos Do More in Less Time by Jim Schleckser
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by The CEO Project. The CEO Project is a business advisory group that brings high-caliber, accomplished CEOs together. Our team of skilled advisors comprises current and former CEOs who have run both public and private sector companies across multiple industries. With our experience and expertise, we guide hundreds of high-performing CEOs through a disciplined approach that resolves constraints and improves critical decisions. The CEO Project has helped high-performing, large enterprise CEOs with annual revenues ranging from $20M to over $2 billion to drive growth and achieve optimal outcomes. If you are an experienced CEO looking to grow your company, visit www.theCEOProject.com.