Dr. Jeff D. Standridge, Managing Director of Innovation Junkie, joins the Disruption Interruption podcast to discuss the challenges of leadership and the critical role of workplace culture in driving business success. He highlights why technical expertise alone doesn’t make a great leader, how high performance is defined by behavior rather than credentials, and how a strong culture directly impacts revenue, employee engagement, and overall growth.
TAMPA BAY, Fla., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — With 40% to 50% of new leaders failing within their first 18 months, management success is more elusive than ever. (1) In today’s fast-changing business landscape, organizations can no longer afford to let culture evolve passively—it must be actively shaped to align with strategic goals. This week on the Disruption Interruption podcast, Dr. Jeff D. Standridge, Managing Director of Innovation Junkie, joins host Karla Jo Helms (KJ) to discuss the foundations of transformational leadership and sustainable growth. “Culture is everything. It’s the unwritten rules and the gap between how people feel on a Monday morning heading to work versus a Friday afternoon on their way home,” Dr. Standridge highlights.
The Link Between Culture and Business Performance
In today’s business landscape, leadership and culture are more than just buzzwords—they are critical drivers of sustainable growth and organizational success. While working with companies to implement strategic growth systems, a recurring pattern emerges: culture influences everything.
The impact of culture on business performance is profound. “We identified 6 elements we call the ‘Culture of Excellence’ and it positively correlates with higher revenue, increased profit, improved customer satisfaction, and lower employee turnover,” Dr. Standridge explains.
In contrast, a negative workplace culture doesn’t just lead to employee dissatisfaction—it directly affects the bottom line. “Employee disengagement is hard to root they cost the organization 35 to 50% more than their fully loaded annual salary.”
Leadership’s Status Quo: The Trap of Technical Expertise
For decades, leadership in healthcare and technology has often been awarded based on technical expertise rather than management ability. In the 1990s, this was the norm—organizations promoted individuals based on process-driven, scientific thinking, where measurable skills and observable proof dictated career advancement.
“The best practitioner or technologist was the one promoted more quickly,” says Dr. Standridge. However, leadership is different from technical problem-solving. “The most technically proficient person doesn’t always make the best leader”, he points out. “Leadership is hard and messy. Someone once told me, ‘You know, it’s not rocket science.’ And I said, ‘No, it’s harder.'”
High Performance: A Matter of Behavior, Not Credentials
Through his research, Dr. Standridge found that traditional career progression models often fail to identify true high performers by overvaluing academic achievement and formal credentials. As industries rapidly evolve, structured skill development programs struggle to keep pace. By the time new competency models are developed and implemented, they’re already outdated. “The people who were excelling through the skill blocks were not the greatest contributors to the organization, but had time to engage in them,” he highlights.
Dr. Standridge identified results and relationships as the two defining factors of sustained success. Individuals who focus on results without nurturing relationships may rise quickly but ultimately struggle as their teams disengage. Conversely, those prioritizing relationships over tangible outcomes will be well-liked but ineffective because of their lack of delivery. “What differentiates high performance has nothing to do with academic attainment. It has to do with how they behave consistently,” points out Dr. Standridge.
Links
Disrupting The War for Talent: Dr. Jeff D. Standridge’s Playbook for Today’s Innovators
https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-the-war-for-talent-dr-jeff-d-standridge?in_playlist=podcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffstandridge/
Company Website: Innovation Junkie
Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today’s biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.
Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple’s App Store and Spotify.
About Disruption InterruptionTM
Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, “THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD IT!”? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo “KJ” Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world’s key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at http://www.disruption-interruption.com.
About Jeff D. Standridge
Jeff D. Standridge is a dynamic innovator, growth strategist, and three-time best-selling author with over 30 years of experience driving transformation across industries. As Managing Director of Innovation Junkie, Jeff partners with executives and leaders to develop disruptive strategies that tackle global challenges and foster sustainable growth. His team has worked with over 120 companies, optimizing operations, securing investments, and achieving measurable results.
In addition to his role at Innovation Junkie, Jeff is the co-founder and managing partner of Cadron Capital Partners, where he invests in tech-driven ventures disrupting traditional models. As Managing Director of Conductor, a public-private partnership, he cultivates entrepreneurial ecosystems to support startups and small businesses, particularly in Arkansas and beyond.
Jeff’s expertise as a certified executive coach and investor is complemented by his unique experiences, such as being an instrument-rated multi-engine pilot. His books—The Innovator’s Field Guide, The Top Performer’s Field Guide, and Creating Startup Junkies—serve as essential resources for entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders worldwide.
From helping organizations install cultures of excellence to mentoring leaders on overcoming challenges, Jeff’s career exemplifies a relentless commitment to innovation and growth. Beyond his professional endeavors, Jeff enjoys piloting, exploring disruptive ideas, and empowering others to thrive.
About Karla Jo Helms
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.
References
1. Gambill, Tony. “The Leadership Trifecta: 3 Skill Sets Leaders Need to Succeed.” Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025, forbes.com/sites/tonygambill/2025/01/24/the-leadership-trifecta-3-skill-sets-leaders-need-to-succeed/.
Media Inquiries:
Karla Jo Helms
JOTO PR™
727-777-4629
Media Contact
Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR™, 727-777-4629, [email protected], jotopr.com
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