Episode 136

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Published on:

2nd Dec 2025

How Employee-Owned Companies Thrive featuring Bob Whalen

“For the employees who spend their career with us, we want to create millionaires.”

In this episode, Bob Whalen, CEO of HB Global, joins Kate Volman to share his insights on leadership and creating a people-first culture. Bob explains the power of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) in driving both financial success and a stronger company culture. He also reflects on his leadership journey, highlighting how growth is more than just revenue. It’s about creating opportunities for employees to thrive. Bob offers valuable lessons on employee engagement and embracing change in today’s evolving business landscape.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

  • The value of allowing employees to take ownership of their work
  • Why communication is key when facing challenges
  • The importance of being adaptable to change, especially in industries impacted by AI

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Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(01:09) The power of employee ownership

(04:47) Hesitations with employee ownership

(08:17) Building a thriving ESOP company culture

(11:56) Where leaders can learn more about ESOPs

(16:34) Finding fulfillment in helping employees

(22:29) People-centered leadership, AI, and workforce implications

(34:54) Rating HB Global’s company culture

(39:01) Bob’s book and podcast recommendations for leaders

Resources:


Connect with the Guest


Connect with the Host & Floyd Coaching:

Transcript
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Show artwork for Lead with Culture

About the Podcast

Lead with Culture
A company can only become the best version of itself to the extent that its people are becoming better versions of themselves. What’s the key to making that happen? Building dynamic cultures so people love coming to work and accomplishing great things together.

Hosted by Kate Volman, CEO of Floyd Coaching, Lead with Culture is a show dedicated to exploring how great leaders create workplaces where people can thrive both personally and professionally.

Conversations are inspired by Matthew Kelly's bestselling books The Dream Manager, The Culture Solution, and Off Balance. Guests include incredible leaders as well as Floyd executive coaches sharing stories and providing insights into real strategies used to attract and retain great talent, execute effectively, become better coaches, build teams and grow businesses.

Whether you're a CEO, HR executive, manager, or simply part of a team, this show will help you become a better leader.

About your host

Profile picture for Kate Volman

Kate Volman

Your dreams are yours for a reason. What are you doing about them?

Our vision at Floyd is to make work fun and engaging for as many people as possible, by delivering world-class training and creating cultures that lead to thriving businesses that are profitable, scalable, and sustainable. My team and I show up every day excited to make this happen.

My team and I can help you build a dynamic culture so people love coming to work and accomplishing great things together.
➡️ Coaching. Everyone needs a coach. We have a coach for everyone.
➡️ Training.
➡️ Speaking.

I love my career and the journey it took to get here.
⭐️ I led the sales team, improved company processes, and created programs, workshops, and initiatives to help business owners build better relationships and execute results-driven marketing strategies during my eight years at the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce.
⭐️ I initiated content marketing strategies that drove more traffic and increased brand awareness while in my role as Marketing Director for the City of West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.
⭐️ I started a boutique marketing agency and helped business owners leverage digital marketing and video.
⭐️ I founded and facilitate Inspired Action, a goal-setting workshop specifically designed to help women achieve their goals.
⭐️ At Floyd, I lead a team of incredible people dedicated to helping people and organizations become the best version of themselves.

My mission is to help as many people as possible live a more joyful life doing more of what they love.
🎤 Check out my podcast Create for No Reason, a show about making something for the pure joy of it.
https://anchor.fm/createfornoreason

I love to network, collaborate, and help people achieve their dreams. The best way to connect with me is at kvolman@floydconsulting.com