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Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg Podcast was created to share the stories of men and women in business and entrepreneurship that are both well knowing and or hidden gems. Joel believes that everyone has a story and their story matters which is why Joel is eager to connect with individuals that are bringing value to their community through innovation, leadership, entrepreneurial journeys, and developing company culture. If you would like to be a guest on Joel's podcast please email us at joel@joelgoldbergmedia.com.

TRANSCRIPT:

Joel Goldberg: Welcome into rounding the bases, the podcast about culture and leadership with a baseball twist. My name is Joel Goldberg. Thanks for listening and hope you'll subscribe on iTunes listen on Spotify five star ratings. I won't beg for them, but they certainly help

Joel Goldberg: If you're looking for more content, Monday through Friday, five days a week got video interviews rounding the bases live. You can search for that.

Joel Goldberg: On Facebook, YouTube anywhere that type of thing streams. But as for this episode, really excited to have the CEO of a major company.

Joel Goldberg: In Kansas City and worldwide. And really if you just say the name locked in, you understand what a significant company. This is and it's one that

Joel Goldberg: I'm so excited to talk more about because of their belief in culture because of the impact that they're able to have

Joel Goldberg: Not just here in Kansas City, not just here in the United States, but worldwide for 11 consecutive years business insurance magazine is recognized Lockton as a

Joel Goldberg: Best place to work and insurance in 2019 lockton was named the top 50 company to work for in London by best companies.

Joel Goldberg: They've got 7500 associates doing business in over 125 countries around the world.

Joel Goldberg: It's been a family owned business for many, many years, and they have a new CEO, but not a new face to the company. Peter Clune recently. Someone recently took over as CEO and he visits with me.

Joel Goldberg: Right now on rounding the bases, he just happens to have a really cool baseball past too, and we'll get into that throughout the course of the conversation. But Peter. Thank you so much for joining me. How you doing,

Peter Clune: I'm doing great. Thanks for having me on your show.

Joel Goldberg: Well, it's great to have you. And you know I think certainly here in Kansas City. Everybody knows the name Lockton people around the world should know it too, but

Joel Goldberg: You guys have such an amazing history and I always joke with any of my guests that are in the insurance world that people always have their insurance jokes about

Joel Goldberg: You know, it's not the most exciting thing, this and that but yet you guys have this this history this culture of being a phenomenal place to work and help others. What does it mean to not just be a part of Lockton, but to leave locked him.

Peter Clune: Well, first of all, it's an honor to lead  Lockton, but really a lot of the great things that happened a lot and happened a long time before I got there.

Peter Clune: But I think that there's, you know, you look at this company that become $2 billion this year.

Peter Clune: And you kind of look back over the last 54 years and you say, gosh, after you know 90 open and 66 1976. It was only 600 grand and then 1986 it's still just a $6 million company.

Peter Clune: So this growth over the 30 years to $2 billion really goes back to a lot of things they got right on culture in the first 20 years and they're really just from day one really just said, listen, we're going to be the absolute best place to work.

Peter Clune: We're going to be the absolute best place to buy insurance and ready to get back to the company.

Peter Clune: And so gosh they stayed to those basic principles, you know, over the last 50 years. And to me, it's amazing. As they get to 125 countries and 7500 employees.

Peter Clune: That's the Lockton family that's the direction that I get from them is real simple. Make sure this is an awesome place to work.

Peter Clune: Make sure it's great place for our clients and make sure we're giving back to the community non stop. So is the CEO. It's a pretty easy job because I'm just kind of keeping you know the great tradition alive that lock in house.

Joel Goldberg: Well, and there's obviously the importance of understanding that tradition, and I would imagine to that as the Lockton family handed over the CEO reins to you and

Joel Goldberg: Ron Lockton is still very much involved. I believe is the chairman now, but how much I'm asking you, I guess, to speak for them. Did it help

Joel Goldberg: Knowing that you understood that history that you've lived that history of what jack Lockton. Way back when created

Peter Clune: Well, listen, I the lock and family is still very much involved in the business, but I do believe the, you know, one of the reason I think I got the job is I I'm a strong believer in Jack’s philosophies.

Peter Clune: You know, one of his biggest philosophies, by the way, is this whole thing on empowerment. It's funny in his in his office, one of his first business partners in 1969 the join jack

Peter Clune: But in his office. There's a letter from the guy named Carl Moore and when Carl when Carl was joining locked with Carlos joining lockton

Peter Clune: He quit his other job but when he quit his other job he quit it because he said the other company had taken all the authority away from the field.

Peter Clune: And they were going to just make all the decisions at a corporate and early on, Jack said , we are not going to build a company where the center of the company tells people what to do.

Peter Clune: It's going to be about empowering people whatever's closest to the client. Guys, let's empower them, let them make the decisions.

Peter Clune: And I think one of the things that makes the culture grade here is people are in power. There's not a bunch of rules. I mean, people. I'm the CEO and people kind of

Peter Clune: refer to me as people corporate. It's almost as a joke. Knowing that those are our most important people are the people closest to our clients and that's a big. That's a big foundation of the culture.

Joel Goldberg: Well, what you're talking about to. You can see right on the letterhead on the logo. If you

Joel Goldberg: Google Lockton, there's a good chance you may see the phrase uncommonly independent, which is exactly what you're talking about.

Joel Goldberg: What is, what does it take Peter to to sustain that if that was a vision of Jack's to allow people to

Joel Goldberg: To be independent. And I think that's an interesting phrase to uncommonly because it sounds so obvious, but yet so many can struggle with that.

Joel Goldberg: And I think that there are a lot of elements of trust their empowerment that you talked about what does it take from a culture standpoint on a daily basis to be able to to give that independence to trust that independence.

Peter Clune: Sir, well, I think, I think you can play off those words a couple ways on this and commonly independent, but one of the first things is, there's about $12 billion insurance brokers brokers that have a billion dollars or more in revenue.

Peter Clune: And then after that, under a billion, it drops all the way to like 350 million. So it's you're either going to be a small broker and trying to grow or there's $12 billion brokers.

Peter Clune: Of the $12 billion brokers, there's only one that's privately held and family up and it's Lockton

Peter Clune: And so, first and foremost, a family choosing and it wasn't always easy when you're trying to build a business and

Peter Clune: And along the way, when things weren't you know you didn't have tons of money, but you were just trying to build a company, a lot of people still out but the fact that they stay towards this business that was gonna be independent. Gotta be family own

Peter Clune: They did that so when they got to this point when they got to the point that they're 7500 employees 125 countries, they'd be able to act the same

Peter Clune: So we can we can take a long term approach we're trying to hit the quarter on talks all the time. Dave doctor talks all the time like

Peter Clune: We're looking at business on on 25 years, not, not the next quarter. And when you do that, you can make decisions about what's best for your people.

Peter Clune: What's best for your clients. And I think, you know, you're not focused on profit every day. I mean just the you look at the pandemic that we're in right now.

Peter Clune: Profit is not what's driving the decisions. It's how to make sure your people are safe. How do you make sure they're able to work from home. How do you make sure we communicate with them.

Peter Clune: And so it's it's actually the game slows down. It's actually very when you're really clear on who you are.

Peter Clune: It becomes really easy to do the right thing every time. And so, not that we don't have issues or problems like every other company, but it's a lot easier when you know every time no matter what happens, I'm

Peter Clune: The litmus test on myself is, how's it going to affect our people and our clients and then with that success. How do we reinvest back into the community.

Joel Goldberg: Know it's easier said than done, but we have seen this put to the test so often during the pandemic. I mean,

Joel Goldberg: We all have those goals. And when you boil it down to keeping people safe, as you just mentioned and everything you're just talking about

Joel Goldberg: And I go to the website says independence. Independence changes everything as a family and organization. We're not driven by the quarterly pressure of financial markets.

Joel Goldberg: The kind of this kind of independence frees us to always act in the best interest of our clients and creates an entirely different dynamic.

Joel Goldberg: One that's focused on your success and and that would not just be the clients but that would be the the so many Lockton associates that you have all around the world is this Peter is this easier said than done, or because it's built into that culture. It's just part of who you are.

Peter Clune: Listen, I think it's probably, I think it's probably easier for me.

Peter Clune: To leave this way, then it was for the people that started Lockton. Well, I think back and think what those the people that built Lockton in the 80s and 90s and not that

Peter Clune: It's easy for us today. They just did such a good job getting really clear on who we were and how they're going to act and there's some of the some of the traditions, you look through Jack’s

Peter Clune: Wife Jack's now deceased but Jack's widow share locked and wrote a book. This last year and it was called the story of jack

Peter Clune: And the story of jack just shows these pictures from the 70s and 80s and 90s.

Peter Clune: And you get to see the stories that we still do today. So whether it's beer Fridays, or get a Rolex at 10 years or how they did summer hours, some of the things that we do. Now, just to try and make sure it's a great place for people

Peter Clune: You look back, they were doing this in the in the in the early 80s. And so I think it's, I think, I think as you get bigger, you have to be more deliberate

Peter Clune: I don't get an interview and hire every associate around the world. So you have to have a leadership team that also shares those values, but also shares that how we do things.

Peter Clune: And why we do things, you know, are both very important. And so I think it's also not one person. I think we've got a leadership team across

Peter Clune: Below that really know that really gets up every day fighting and protect this culture because if you can use culture. If you can use culture as a differentiator and works fun

Peter Clune: Wants to go to some place and be people backstab and I'm talking about who's going to get the next promotion and, you know, Can we can we get this deal done so we can tell the market. We did a good job.

Peter Clune: It's, it's so much more fun when it's about people taking care of each other, winning together just a mindset of view against the world. And let's all go support each other and go out and try and do something special.

Peter Clune: And so I think it's I think it's, it's so different than the big publicly traded brokers that I think all the leaders here get up every day trying to protect

Joel Goldberg: So interesting and so much of what you're talking about. And we'll get into a little baseball, you know that in the beta just

Joel Goldberg: What you're describing is what the Kansas City Royals had in 2014 and 15 they still have it too. Now you and I have discussed this before that.

Joel Goldberg: That they just had to turn over, but they still have that culture, but man, it does make it so much fun.

Joel Goldberg: To be a part of that. I want to ask you one more question about your leadership and. And to me, the baseball tie on and not that there needs to be a baseball tie, but it's one of my

Joel Goldberg: I think favorite questions and and one that fascinates me is when the new guy takes over. Now, you didn't take over as someone that people are completely unfamiliar with. So you were still P from corporate, I guess.

Joel Goldberg: But

Joel Goldberg: Now you just moved up to a different role or a different chair more responsibility, but

Joel Goldberg: When Mike Matheny took over for the Kansas City Royals as their first new manager in 10 years he said he, he spent all offseason thinking about that first speech to the players now he's he's speaking to maybe 50 or 60 guys in the clubhouse, but

Joel Goldberg: That first day or when you took over. Yes. Everybody knew Peter gloom. But how much did you think about that initial message or what you want it to be able to tell all these folks.

Peter Clune: So I'd say two things. We run a May one

Peter Clune: May one fiscal so my start date was 90 days ago I made one. So my first day was working from home.

Peter Clune: Still during this pandemic and really, at that time, it was really about making sure we were going to still be able to take care of our clients and communicate with our people. So there was so much on this, you know,

Peter Clune: This new norm, if you would, if it made it differently, but I'd say this, more so than a speech or a message. Mine's been more about listening.

Peter Clune: I've spent over the next 90 days last 90 days, just like you and I are talking about and have had about 250 just one on one.

Peter Clune: meetings where I just sit and listen to different people and how they're doing and you know my big my big question that people has been

Peter Clune: You know, if you were in charge, what would you do, and rather than rather than trying to be interesting. I've just tried to be, you know, more interested and really try and learn

Peter Clune: You know, this whole empowerment thing really comes out of the best answers and the people closest to the client.

Peter Clune: Corporate doesn't know what our clients need our people serving the clients do so in my first 90 days, all I tried to do is listen

Peter Clune: stay true to the foundations that have made Lockton great but I probably learned more and the 90 days in these one on one meetings. Then I then I then I had a few years prior, just because it was such a condensed such a condensed one on one meeting.

Joel Goldberg: It's one of the most important skills and and I know a difficult one for a lot of people to just to just to listen and and to learn. And so now, very interesting.

Joel Goldberg: One more question about jack Lockton  and you referenced the, the, the book that is that is widow has. And I'm just curious, too. I mean,

Joel Goldberg: Jack obviously had something figured out at a very early stage. I don't know if he was ahead of his time. Maybe he was, I don't know.

Joel Goldberg: But that's pretty powerful to have had this vision back then.

Joel Goldberg: That's that has scaled to this level.

Joel Goldberg: And that still resonates. I mean things in the world, obviously change. Right. I mean, we have different tools and different resources and and we can implement everything that he was talking about with cell phones and zoom meetings and on and on. But what does it say about him.

Joel Goldberg: To have had a vision that still stands today.

Peter Clune: Doesn't sound I tell people I'm like, I'm not sure jack was smart or LUCKY AND I SAY IT jokingly, because I just can't think in 1969

Peter Clune: When some guy joined him and said, Listen, you need to empower your people.

Peter Clune: The jack was this, you know, unbelievable. You know, thought leadership jack listen to his mentor's jack early on would see things and you can just tell when he was around someone smart, whether it was with a client.

Peter Clune: Or with anything. He went to it, you know, funny story about jack is if you call Lockton today.

Peter Clune: You in the phone rings and someone's desk. It doesn't go to voicemail it if someone would answer the phone first at the operators desk and asked if

Peter Clune: You would like someone page or is it okay to put you in the voicemail or wring their cell phone.

Peter Clune: And it actually goes back to, you know, in the 70s when one of Jack’s  construction clients called like yeah hope.

Peter Clune: That he got voicemail when he called and jack would come back and say, hey, listen, there's no one goes to voicemail directly

Peter Clune: But he was so close to his clients and the company was really driven by taking care of the client's needs that not only was it mentors and business.

Peter Clune: Jack got and kept clients all the Lockton’s  Dave Lockton and who was a fantastic leader kind of took the company international after jack and was our chairman for the last 18 years he always gotten kept clients insurance out there every day. Ron Lockton our current chairman.

Peter Clune: He has a large number of clients is out getting new clients and his own renewals so I think some of the things, some of the reason the Lockton family. I think got it right.

Peter Clune: Was they weren't in this, you know, corporate tower, they were out with the clients and most of the most of the they also knew that our own product is our people.

Peter Clune: And so they knew if you had the best culture and the people loved it  here

Peter Clune: You took care of each other. The clients would see it and love it. And so when you really kind of step back this this larger of life force the jack was really was someone that was so close to the climate that he could take that feedback feedback and scale it and maybe it changes from

Peter Clune: Type letter to fax to email to tweet.

Peter Clune: But there is a there is a there is something that's timeless about client service about doing what you say you're going to do.

Peter Clune: About bringing some innovation about care, understanding the client's business and their, their initiatives and trying to solve those rather than going up taught him how great your company is

Joel Goldberg: That's so powerful and is so true.

Joel Goldberg: As much as we change as, as a society, and as much as as the world evolves. They're just there are some elements of success and culture that are timeless.

Joel Goldberg: I mentioned baseball before and I think it certainly was an instant connection that you and I had because well before I was

Joel Goldberg: Walking around the concourses and clubhouses of Kauffman Stadium, you are doing that as a, as a young kid and what fascinates me. I want to, I want to explain this to

Joel Goldberg: To my audience because I don't want to take it for granted but the way baseball club houses work. I think people see

Joel Goldberg: That boys and ball, boys and girls and assume that their job is to grab the bats in the balls. And that's it. That's sort of like the fun little perk.

Joel Goldberg: The all the work goes on behind the scenes working in the locker room and taking care of the players and the laundry and the

Joel Goldberg: Food, whatever it is. I mean, any little thing. And there are two different

Joel Goldberg: clubhouses obviously in baseball, there's the home clubhouse. And those guys are in there. You know, every home game and the road clubhouse where it changes every few days.

Joel Goldberg: And you worked in that visiting clubhouse as a kid, which to me and we'll get to this is really interesting because it meant that you had as a young guy.

Joel Goldberg: Access to a different leader and different styles and different cultures and organizations before you maybe even knew that was important.

Joel Goldberg: So before we get there, I just wanted to set that up that working in a visiting clubhouse really gives you access to a lot of different people on a regular basis.

Joel Goldberg: Every three days when when the Royals are home. So first and foremost, how did you end up in this baseball setting.

Peter Clune: So my dad was the visiting room locker attendant charge of the visiting locker room when they were at the old ballpark, the municipal stadium.

Peter Clune: I think through the 16th and through 71 i think is last couple of years with the new ballpark.

Peter Clune: So when you're when you're the head of the visiting locker room, not only do you unpack the teams and take care of them three days, you also serve the meals in the 60s. This was probably pre catering, so my grandma, my dad's mother would take the same

Peter Clune: Three meals out to the visiting locker room. Each game. So I knew as a kid I could get down to my Grandpa's house that on the first inning.

Peter Clune: He'd be driving the food out for the for the for the game. I could go down in the locker room while you dropped it off. He picked the dishes up from the night before and got it got to the late 70s when my uncle after my dad, my uncle took over in my mom, my grandma still cook the food.

Peter Clune: But eventually I convinced my uncle to hire me. And so from 1981 to 85 the World Series. I was on the field and the right down the first baseman

Peter Clune: First baseline is the ball, boy, and I just worked in the clubhouse in the locker room from, you know, at one till gosh my sophomore year of  high school like an 87 so you know those are at home games a year.

Peter Clune: And like you said you're getting there three in the afternoon, right after school and you're taking care of the players, you're helping clean up the dugouts you get to work on the field during the game, but after the game, you're knocking mud off.

Peter Clune: Player spikes and shining the shoes and vacuum in the clubhouse, and you get out of around midnight, but it was it was a I think my life might have peaked in like 1985 job go because that was, that was one of the greatest just being like you said around all those different teams.

Joel Goldberg: At that point, you're not sitting there thinking, oh, look at this leadership style of lupus or whoever was but

Joel Goldberg: You're a kid, you're surrounded by all these great players. So that's obvious. But there's a reason why so many

Joel Goldberg: Kids will reach out to me and say, Hey, do you know how to get a job in the room. I'm not that easy, but at the same time, you have to have seen

Joel Goldberg: And recognize that as the amount of hard work and discipline that was not only required for a teenager to work in that clubhouse. And a lot of behind the scenes work that doesn't

Joel Goldberg: Get a lot of attention. A lot of a lot of gritty work, but also the habits of these star players and what made them so good to me that resonate with you as a teenager.

Peter Clune: So this is, I think it was so interesting because you kind of see you'd see these different teams come in all three, you know, all three days, different teams.

Peter Clune: Different teams handled losses differently, right. Sometimes you would lose. And, you know,

Peter Clune: The team would come in there be anger and quiet and they didn't say a word. Until they left on the bus.

Peter Clune: And other teams, the manager and come out and you know you get you get like a Bobby Cox or Toronto or someone that's coming in, just really talking to the players. Hey, this is going to be enough. We knew. We're gonna win every game. Let's keep up. Let's keep going through it.

Peter Clune: So, gosh, you see some managers that wouldn't come out of their office and like you said back there. You didn't know

Peter Clune: You weren't really watching it, but just looking back on those experiences. You could see you could see how different

Peter Clune: What time players got to the game how some were super loose and playing cards and some are kind of in their lockers with headphones so

Peter Clune: Gosh At the time, I think you were just doing your job and kind of going through it but I spent a lot of time looking back now and really thinking about just the different players and the managers have cool have experienced that was

Joel Goldberg: And I think to me, a reminder to what I see every day is that there's not one

Joel Goldberg: end all be all answer. I mean, everyone is different, which I know has to serve you well today.

Joel Goldberg: With with all your Lockton people around the world, the culture remains the same, right, the culture.

Joel Goldberg: Of this clubhouse or this team remains the same and is reflected by that manager and the GM, but how you go about your business.

Joel Goldberg: For years I watched Alex Gordon methodically go about his business every single day very routine oriented never a free moment.

Joel Goldberg: Then you look over it and I'll see this Escobar their old shortstop and he might be the last guy to show up, but he could kind of roll out of bed and just be ready it's fascinating to me to watch how so many different moving parts.

Joel Goldberg: Can all become one and do it in different ways.

Peter Clune: No question. I think the other thing, too, is you see how people treated people, but when you look back at your favorite players.

Peter Clune: If that time. It really is a clubby it really wasn't about the player's ability. It was about to they stop and talk to you to remember your name you came back in town. And those little things that you saw

Peter Clune: How they treated yourself, you know, get away day you know they'd be leaving. And then if you did something form that you know

Peter Clune: Back then give you 10 or 20 bucks and you know, you'd be in the back doing some work and a player with track you down and as soon as he's leaving, he just said, Hey Peter, I just want to say thanks

Peter Clune: Here's, you know, here's your 20 bucks, you know, thanks for getting us food yesterday or whatever. The thing about a bed.

Peter Clune: But you really saw the way people interacted with their teammates with each other. And when you really get into leadership. Gosh, the, the best people I see right now doing well leading in this pandemic, or the people that

Peter Clune: Are that are able to connect with people.

Peter Clune: That are able to to start conversations with. Hey, how are you doing, and then listen to the answer and care about it and i think i think i learned. I think I learned so much you know the name of the 1985 World Series in the midst of all of the celebration, Bud black

Peter Clune: On the royals I was left hand, it's on the field. He saw me with some weird old glove. He always used to give me one of his love, you know, black magic was the one that he said

Peter Clune: But in the celebration. He pulls me aside and gives me, which I still have today, black magic the glove and it was like I just never forget things like that. And I think as leaders.

Peter Clune: If it were famous all stars. It just means the young kids into college, I get off the call today and I have all of our interns and it's my second

Peter Clune: It's my second meeting with them, just giving them advice, my gosh, leaving going into your senior college is rough everyone's gonna ask you what you're going to do, and you don't know

Peter Clune: And so I'm just trying to give these kids just some stability, like, Hey, here's a process, you can use to find a job.

Peter Clune: But I think the leaders of today. I think the leaders of today are going to be the ones that

Peter Clune: That have the most success are going to be the ones that not only are good at their skill sets and I don't really understand the technical aspects of their job.

Peter Clune: But it's going to be the ones that can really connect with people really inspire people and really

Peter Clune: Bring a locker room type setting. When I was in a locker a meeting. We're on the same team, let's go. I think those are the people that are going to do the best and looking back, I think I learned a lot of that in those six or seven years, you know, in the locker room.

Joel Goldberg: One more baseball question before I get to my actual baseball themed questions and that would be the recent ownership change with the Royals

Joel Goldberg: And john Sherman buying the team, but having a number of investors, including the lockton family are locked in. And so you had the chance to go back

Joel Goldberg: And see some things somewhat recently before this pandemic. What was that experience like for you as an adult now and as a husband as a father as a as an executive to be able to come full circle.

Peter Clune: So obviously there's a lot of people on john Sherman's ownership team.

Peter Clune: And the lock ins are just one of them. But the lock is really did want to be a part of making sure we keep baseball in Kansas City forever. I think they were just excited to be a part

Peter Clune: To do that and again it goes back to take care of your people your clients in your community. So there's was definitely baseball. Definitely the Royals but but also really about let's do something great for this community.

Peter Clune: So I got to go out with the Lockton’s ON THAT OPENING DAY WHEN JOHN Sherman and the press conference earlier this year and gosh they took

Peter Clune: They took a tour of the stadium and down in the old locker rooms and it was just interesting so much has been

Peter Clune: So much has been changed since I was there, but a lot of it. Look, the exact same and you can see where you were.

Peter Clune: You know unpacking and equipment truck in the middle of the night for for a Monday morning game and just kind of walking through that it was it was interesting to see.

Peter Clune: But I think, I think the coolest piece about of this is the the Royals are such a cool part of Kansas City and

Peter Clune: Not only back and you know 30 years ago. Whenever we won the World Series then to come back and do it again and have that fun year and 1415

Peter Clune: But this new ownership group really feels, it feels like there's another run coming and it feels exciting. And so I think, above all, it just felt great to realize that, Gosh, baseball, strong in Kansas City. And it's the beginning of a new era . So really felt excited

Joel Goldberg: Yeah, I believe that, too. And there's so many amazing leaders in parts of this community that are involved and for those that are listening to this podcast around the country around the world just it's a

Joel Goldberg: I see a lot of similarities to what Peter's describing with Lockton

Joel Goldberg: To the royals although they lost it for a lot of years. I mean there. There's a very long gap between when Peter work there and the organization to where it is now. It had to be rebuilt and so that took a lot of effort. Let me get to my baseball themed questions now.

Joel Goldberg: Although they're not about your baseball prowess on the field or off the field or in clubhouses but Professionally speaking. What's the biggest home run. You've hit

Peter Clune: Gosh, I had a bunch of home runs.

Peter Clune: But I would say this. I got moved into, you know, management or leadership positions early. I moved up to Minneapolis, like in 1998 and I just was a bad man I was like a kick the trash can and just didn't connect with people and I had someone early on, pull me aside and just say, listen.

Peter Clune: You're like, you're not doing a good job. And he said, I want to get you a coach.

Peter Clune: I'm gonna get your coach. I'm gonna have you do a 360 where everybody gives you feedback.

Peter Clune: But the biggest home run. Is that kind of leaned into that.

Peter Clune: Kind of started to just like a baseball player tries to get better. I started at that early piece of saying, gosh, how can you get better and actually getting getting comfortable

Peter Clune: With your weaknesses getting comfortable being vulnerable just saying, You know what, I'm not very good at this and and

Peter Clune: Go on going through that each year and really realizing it's never about you. It's about the people and it's about, you know, doing all you can to support them, just the biggest home run. I did.

Peter Clune: Was rather

Peter Clune: Than trying to pretend I had figured out there someone that really pushed me to say got, it's okay. You have no idea what you're doing and you're struggling

Peter Clune: But there's you can work on yourself. And so the biggest home run. I took because I just said, I became vulnerable and so I got, I have a ton of things I need to get better on and so each year, you know,

Peter Clune: You work with your coach and you're trying to get bigger and better, and I think it's no different than a player. So I think the biggest home run. I hit was just leaning into development early on and being getting comfortable with who I am.

Joel Goldberg: It's so interesting because it was in many ways a swing and miss that led to your home run what you were swinging and missing led to the home run.

Joel Goldberg: And and now look at where that's helped take you. So let's, let's talk about the slogan, miss, which

Joel Goldberg: Sometimes IS EASIER TO DO THAN THE HOME RUNS if you're humble. I always you'll appreciate this. My broadcast partner Jeff Montgomery.

Joel Goldberg: He can rattle off 1000 bad moments that he's had on the mound, but I think I probably only heard him talk about three or four that went well. And he's arguably the greatest closer of all time. But there's a humility there. Or there's just remembering those rough moments.

Joel Goldberg: So then they may stick with you. So what's your biggest swing and miss. And what did you learn from it.

Peter Clune: So listen, I think the biggest the biggest swing and miss. And what I learned from it is what baseball does teach it is there's a lot

Peter Clune: You know i mean i make hires all the time that don't work out and I you try things that don't work out. And I think in the past when I would do that to try and start a department or division or make a higher

Peter Clune: I'd stay with it too long. I'd become defensive or no you guys just wait. You know, I know how this is going to be. But I think what I've learned to do is just fail fast.

Peter Clune: And if there's not one that sticks out bigger. I'm just there. There's people that you hire that you convinced to join your company and you get there and they're not the culture that you thought

Peter Clune: And they're there. It's sometimes God, what am I am a bunch of revenue tied to them.

Peter Clune: But they're hurting the culture. And so you got to be able to fail fast, you got to be able to just admit your mistakes.

Peter Clune: And then go out and all you can handle is the next play. And so I think what I've gotten better at is just knowing we're going to fail. But when we fail. Just admit it.

Peter Clune: dust yourself off and go on and so I don't know one swing and miss falls out. I have more than I'd like to admit. But I think, I think the culture becomes better when people feel okay to fail fast. We tried this thing we did this whole thing for the clients. We tried to build this dashboard.

Peter Clune: And the client didn't like it. Okay, let's let's let's adjust and move on. And so I think rather than everyone

Peter Clune: You know, trying to act like they're perfect or they haven't figured out I like this culture that people are are vulnerable. No one wants to hear about this perfect

Peter Clune: You know person that hasn't figured out nice clothes and the perfect answer like businesses, a grind and you have to be willing to you have to be willing to is a leader go first and say, You know what, I screwed up. And I think that makes the people around you.

Peter Clune: More willing to say, you know what I might do sector. And so then you then you then you then you have this group of people

Peter Clune: That are say okay, how can we, how can we adjust and win. And I think that's, I think, sometimes you you learn more from the bad days, and the good days, but it's just how you handled.

Joel Goldberg: In the last baseball question is small ball which in many ways we've just spent the last 30-40 minutes talking about. So if there's repetition and you want to go back to anything.

Joel Goldberg: Feel free. Because when you have the culture that Lockton has when you're leading an organization like you are that has that history of culture.

Joel Goldberg: That to me is small ball. The little things that add up to the big thing. So I'll let you go wherever you want with this. But what a small ball mean to you.

Peter Clune: Hey I talked earlier about the players. Remember, remember your name, small, to me, is every interaction matters, and I only talked to a couple people in our London office a couple times a year.

Peter Clune: I can't bring my bad day.

Peter Clune: Or better yet, I have another issue going on. So I'm just not present as I'm talking to that that team or that group of people

Peter Clune: And so my small ball come down to every interaction matters and get the distractions off your desk. I can't have my phone on the desk. Because like I won't be paying attention.

Peter Clune: Obviously, and I'm looking at it. Well, persons, you know, on a zoom with me. And so I think just being present every interaction and really realizing that that culture really is this

Peter Clune: This combination of 10,000 interactions and how we interact with each other every single day in the aggregate is the culture and as the leader. You can't come in one day cast off and the next day you know best friends. You got you have to

Joel Goldberg: You have to

Peter Clune: You have to really pay attention.

Peter Clune: And really connect with people and listen to them because it's a it's about them and not you anyways was working on lock and Peter clone.

Peter Clune: And then today. I don't know how to do. We're going to lock and just for the lock that I think people feel like this is a great platform.

Peter Clune: And they like the values in that we're client focused and that we give back community within two days and their career. It's about them and their family, their kids and their parents in how this platform in this company can help that. It's not us.

Joel Goldberg: Your producers around the world are the players in the locker room in a clubhouse right and and ultimately they're going to be happy if they're playing for a good team but but first and foremost there to take care of their families. Right.

Peter Clune: Now question.

Joel Goldberg: Okay, so let me get to my for final questions here as we round the bases and these will bounce around a little bit, but first one, let's talk more on a culture and business standpoint.

Joel Goldberg: Who inspires you, who in the world when when you're looking for inspiration, whether it be a book or whether it be social media. It's a lot, not to be inspired about on social media. Who inspires you.

Peter Clune: Simon said, I'm telling you the new book, and he just has coming out the infinite game that really talks about

Peter Clune: The business world isn't this nine inning game right that there's, there's, there's not. Oh, you can only have so many players on the field like the business, anything can happen in this this game doesn't end

Peter Clune: And and how important it is that you do have a cause you care about in the community that you do trust each other that you're competitive against the teams and you have you have the courage, the LEAP but Simon cynic is one

Peter Clune: That I turned to a lot. I actually got to have a meeting with him last month that probably be my highlight of my pandemic is our meeting on the phone with Simon cynics with his his his real his real focus on people.

Peter Clune: And really understanding, helping them, you know, reach their maximum potential rural it really resonates with me.

Joel Goldberg: I agree with you. By the way, I haven't had that meeting with with Simon. However, I think I did tell you. Recently, there might be something in the works. He doesn't know that but I might be involved in event that he has. I hope because

Joel Goldberg: Anytime that that guy puts anything out there. I have to see it. I have to listen to it. He's just, he's brilliant so

Joel Goldberg: I think a lot of people that listen to this podcast know that if you're not sure, I'll give you the spelling si N ek just start with with the TED talk about finding your why and you'll understand exactly what Peter's talking about second question we'll go back to the baseball world.

Joel Goldberg: Most interesting piece of memorabilia. Whether it's a signed autograph or anything from your clubhouse days. What's your prized possession

Peter Clune: So listen, I have a bunch of broken bats and sign things downstairs, but I haven't say that, you know, when you when you go out to the

Peter Clune: And you're the ball, boy, back then, you couldn't slip the balls to the crowd, you'd have the two you play catch with them between the endings. If you got a foul ball and you throw it back to home plate.

Peter Clune: But on the 85 you know the baseball's are different for the five series. So, I still have about six or seven ball from that the 85 series that were used in the game, or play catch with for the players that

Peter Clune: Have all of the different things. For some reason just seeing that different ball and not it was on the game. It used in the game, or I used to play chess. Those are probably the top ones.

Joel Goldberg: Third question, and this is one that I always struggle with. Because on a very regular basis, people will ask me.

Joel Goldberg: Who's your favorite interview of all time or who's your favorite player and it's, it's an impossible question because

Joel Goldberg: I've talked to thousands of people, and some of them are under the radar guys that no one would even remember some of them are superstars anybody should have the the luxury or the pleasure of meeting and Jim Tomi or guys like that who treat everyone just so amazingly

Joel Goldberg: But did you have one or two or three. I don't know. Did you have a favorite that you look back on and say, Man, that guy was that that guy will always stick with me.

Peter Clune: So on the baseball piece on the baseball piece buddy bell with with with Texas in my dad had a great relationship. And when he came in town. He was so good to me.

Peter Clune: And Bert blyleven actually the night I was born. My dad had to leave the locker room and Burt blyleven said you go and he watched the locker room.

Peter Clune: And then by the time I'm working, you know, 13 and 14 years old you think that birth by little be real nice. He was kind of

Peter Clune: A funny bully like push you around mess your hair up and give you a snobby but he he he was he was around you so much, those two guys really stick out and bud black as well as one

Peter Clune: Since I wasn't on the royal side. I didn't know them as much but but black was just another one that really went out of his way to interact with me.

Joel Goldberg: You're talking about guys that still have that reputation in the game. To this day, and I cringe at the thought of her blyleven running a clubhouse because I'm surprised that the thing didn't burn down

Joel Goldberg: One of one of the great pranksters in the history of the game and still an announcer with the Minnesota Twins. So we see him in a non pandemic here.

Joel Goldberg: All the time. He's one of my favorites. And I'll miss the shenanigans.

Joel Goldberg: With him this year. Okay. Final question the walk off another one that you touched on a little bit, but I want to revisit it to put a stamp on this episode of the podcast.

Joel Goldberg: But we're truly going through. I'll use that expression, everyone's using unprecedented times, none of us have been through anything like this in our lifetime. So you did talk about the importance of listening. But what has been your biggest takeaway.

Joel Goldberg: During this pandemic. I mean, for me personally on the personal side.

Joel Goldberg: It's been, it's been more time with a family, which I've never had during the summer. And then on a professional side, it's been leaning in.

Joel Goldberg: And trying to help others. Instead of asking for help at a time where maybe I needed it. But you've got producers all over the world. You've got a lot of people that are looking towards leadership. So, what has been your biggest takeaway was pandemic.

Peter Clune: Listen, I think, first of all, I think there's some some good things that are going to come out of the pandemic. I think it's going to disrupt how certain things are done. I don't think

Peter Clune: We needed to travel as much as we did. I think there was, you know, how you service clients and what the workplace. Looks like I think there'll be an evolution that comes out of this. And so

Peter Clune: One of the things I think is rather than sitting back as a victim. How do you move in a waiting for things to go back to normal.

Peter Clune: How do you, how do you push towards the new normal. How do you, how do you not have a victim mentality, even though it's horrible. In a pain. And if you could press a button. Have it go away. You would, but it's not

Peter Clune: And so for me is how do you, how do you when I was telling our team, the other day, everyone.

Peter Clune: Is dealing with their people working from home and the people may not feel as engaged as they used to everyone is so we're just gonna have to figure it out better

Peter Clune: And so I think the thing that I've that I've probably learned the most is, this is life. Right. You never know what's going to come next. But as leaders as leaders. I think the thing you find out who your real leaders are at this time, who can who can get up.

Peter Clune: And bring new ideas.

Peter Clune: Have that catalytic leadership with their team to help them get through their tough days over communicate and and really bring new solutions. And so I think the thing that I

Peter Clune: Learned the most was just the power of resiliency. How do you go through a hard time and actually come out stronger. You know, I mean a

Peter Clune: We're not looking to go. I'm not looking to survive this to go through a tough time

Peter Clune: And come out the same it's stable. I'm looking for a resilient. I'm looking to go through a tough time and have a team come out even stronger.

Peter Clune: I think to do that, you're going to have to have a culture and a foundation that was strong going into it because I think the real you're going to find that the real values and the real way people the the way people really think about the company is going to show during this time.

Joel Goldberg: Very well, said, and we are all going to come out of this one and i i

Joel Goldberg: I've learned so much and do see so much opportunity during these times just challenging and different but

Joel Goldberg: And one of the things I've told people over and over again to stay true to who you are. Yeah, we've got to take action. It may not be perfect, but you gotta stay true to who you are. That is what

Joel Goldberg: Lockton has been about since 1969 obviously and will continue to do so. So Peter, I can't thank you enough for spending the time this was an amazing conversation and

Joel Goldberg: I wish you and the family and certainly everyone that locked in here in Kansas City and all around the world continued success. Thanks for spending the time today.

Peter Clune: Thank you. You get you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.

Joel Goldberg: That's Peter clunes CEO of Lockton. My name is Joel Goldberg. Again, if you'll share the episode subscribe

Joel Goldberg: Five star ratings are great, but most importantly, I hope that you're able to enjoy this one. Thanks to Peter Clune blocking. My name is Joel Goldberg. You can find me at Joel Goldberg media.com reach out there if you want and hope to catch you next time on Rounding the Bases.

Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg Podcast was created to share the stories of men and women in business and entrepreneurship that are both well knowing and or hidden gems. Joel believes that everyone has a story and their story matters which is why Joel is eager to connect with individuals that are bringing value to their community through innovation, leadership, entrepreneurial journeys, and developing company culture. If you would like to be a guest on Joel's podcast please email us at joel@joelgoldbergmedia.com.