Josh Mclean on leadership
From High-Performing Teams & Operationalizing Culture with World Fuel CIO Josh McLean | Technovation 755 · · Metis Strategy
“Culture is leader-led; as a leader, you are always on show and the behaviors you exhibit showcase the culture you want to create. Beware the shadow you cast because it can have a long-lasting impact.”
On , Josh Mclean, Chief Information Officer at WORLD KINECT CORP, spoke about leadership during High-Performing Teams & Operationalizing Culture with World Fuel CIO Josh McLean | Technovation 755 on Metis Strategy.
About Josh Mclean
In a September 2023 interview on the Technovation podcast, Josh McLean, Chief Information Officer of World Fuel Services (now World Kinect), discussed the cultural transformation he has led at the company. McLean described joining the company and finding a workforce he characterized as "reserved" and "fatigued by change," with legacy practices and a lack of automation or agile methodologies. He stated that the first step in the transformation was to bring in experienced talent to accelerate change. McLean said the company reorganized from a traditional IT model into a product model, where cross-functional teams own the entire lifecycle of their product, which he said increased accountability and pride. McLean outlined six leadership attributes he implemented across the organization: forming teams, distributing work, measuring what matters, attracting people, listen-learn-leverage, and impact-influence. He said these attributes are measured quarterly using Net Promoter Scores to assess leaders and teams. McLean emphasized that culture is "leader-led" and that leaders should be aware of "the shadow you cast." He also noted that he never finished high school or pursued formal higher education, entering IT during Y2K, and said he looks for "attitude first" when hiring, valuing self-awareness, authenticity, and a strong backbone.