Ep. 83: Conquering Your Corporate Kilimanjaro with Guest Wayne Barringer

Ever wondered if it is possible to transform a disheartened team into a high-performing, harmonious unit? Join us as we navigate a remarkable journey with Wayne Beringer, the mastermind behind an astounding change at Boeing, where he raised employee satisfaction from a mere 52% to an impressive 90% in just five years. Wayne, with his diverse background in fields like marketing and PR, offers a holistic view on leadership that goes beyond mere job roles.

Wayne's story draws a parallel between his awe-inspiring experience of scaling Mount Kilimanjaro and his corporate journey of leading a large team at Boeing to its zenith. The same principles he used to confront and conquer his fears on the formidable mountain, he applied to transform a discontented team into a satisfied and high-performing one. His leadership style, a blend of balance and integrity, has been instrumental in creating a fulfilling workspace and enhancing the performance of his team.

Not just limited to his corporate leadership, Wayne compares the process of corporate transformation to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the 'North Star' of your organization and hiring the best talent to fulfill it. Wayne's insightful narrative seamlessly weaves the lessons from his mountain climbing adventure into his corporate journey, providing valuable insights into leading a team towards greatness. Tune in to get inspired and learn how you too can navigate challenging leadership landscapes.

Jaro’s mission is to improve creative workplaces.

And Wayne’s team of corporate leadership and transformation guides has helped
improve leaders and creative processes, optimize cost models, and rebuild stagnant
cultures into more fulfilled, mission-driven ones—for companies like Boeing, Hasbro,
UKG, UW Medicine, SAP/Concur, CU Boulder, and more.

Wayne knows in-house, as previous to Jaro, Wayne was the Director of Creative &
Brand at Boeing – where he led one of the industry’s most challenging and most
successful cultural transformations. When Wayne began in 2013, employee
satisfaction was 55% and plummeting. When Wayne left in 2020, 88% of employees
surveyed indicated that they trusted, felt challenged and were fulfilled by their work
on the team.

Wayne also has taught at the University of Washington and long ago, ran PR firms
and ad agencies. Wayne gives back by actively supporting organizations such as Big
Brothers Big Sisters, Make-A-Wish Foundation and more. He has run a marathon
and climbed Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro – after which he named his company.

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Leadership School Production:
Produced by Kyla Cofer
Edited by Neel Panji @ PodLeaF Productions
Assistant Production Alaina Hulette