Smart Isn’t Enough with Rick Packer, The Table Group

"There are two requirements for success in any organization. You have to be both smart and healthy."

That tidbit is from Rick Packer, a consultant with Table Group. He says the smart side is easy—it's what you learned in business school—but health goes much deeper. It's the undercurrents of an organization and a leader has to have the skills to build that health. Are you guilty of only putting emphasis on "smarts"? How much focus are you giving to the health of your team? Take a listen to this episode of Be Worth* Following for tips on how to do just that.


Show Notes

Transcript of the episode

Being a true leader means you lead for other people, not for yourself.

Early in his career Rick Packer, a consultant with The Table Group, had a mentor who excelled at focusing on the success of others and never making it about him. Since then Rick has only become more convinced that a leader should always put ego aside for the good of the organization and the people they lead.

In this episode, you'll get an inside peek into a number of The Table Group's strategies and learn what Rick means when he says a business has to be both smart and healthy.

In this episode, you'll learn:

  • Your organization needs to be both smart and healthy to succeed.

  • The best leaders know it's not about them, it's about the organization.

  • Take a look at any undesirable behavior on your team and ask yourself how you're enabling it.

What to listen for:

  • [01:42] The most influential leaders in Rick's life

  • [04:03] Great leaders don't make it about themselves

  • [05:55] The beauty of relational capital

  • [10:24] Timeless leadership models

  • [11:42] The importance of an organization being both smart and healthy

  • [16:13] The difference between understanding and becoming

  • [17:21] Encouraging healthy conflict

  • [25:02] Being a horizontal leader

  • [28:39] Alignment and cohesion start at the leadership level

  • [31:55] CEO's have to be willing to do the heavy lifting

  • [38:03] What undesirable behavior are you enabling as a leader?

  • [40:34] The motivations behind leading


About Rick . . .

Rick brings over 20 years of experience to his partnership with The Table Group. His global consulting clients are CEO’s and executive teams comprised of talented individuals with strong personalities. Rick’s clients love his flexible approach in tackling difficult issues and making sure all team members are accountable to both individual and team commitments. Rick specializes in CEO succession, large privately-held and family-run organizations, and building better relationships between executive teams and board of directors.

Currently, Rick works regularly with CEOs and executive teams in quickly and effectively applying the concepts related to organizational health. His clients span a broad spectrum of various industries, including consumer goods, health care, and insurance. Prior to partnering with The Table Group, Rick worked for CompuServe and Maximum Impact. At CompuServe he experienced an excellent standard in corporate culture that continues to drive his passion for developing high performance organizations. At Maximum Impact he worked alongside author John C. Maxwell developing leadership solutions for global clients. Rick holds an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University, an MBA from the University of Dayton, and executive education credentials from Stanford, College of Business.

In addition to his work with consulting clients, Rick serves on the Table Group Practice Advisory Board where he advises on practice-wide strategic direction. At his church, Rick volunteers with middle school students and is an Elder at North Point Ministries. He also serves on the board of directors at Growing Leaders. Rick and his wife Kristy are blessed with raising three daughters. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.