Our CEO, Scott Reddig, recently had the opportunity to sit down with Brad Formsma, host of the WOW Factor podcast, to chat about his upbringing, Medi-Share, and his emphasis on transparency in leadership. The WOW Factor podcast shares Words of Wisdom from extraordinary leaders to help you grow in business and beyond.
Scott grew up in Northeastern Ohio and became interested in sports and music from a young age. He attended Ohio State University and earned a degree in Actuarial Science. He began his professional career at Nationwide Insurance as an Actuarial Officer and eventually ended up at GuideOne Insurance, a large insurer among churches and nonprofits, and then at Christian Care Ministry. Upon reflecting how Medi-Share navigated the COVID-19 crisis, Scott said, “There have been a number of moments where it has occurred to me that I have been prepared for this… God wanted me here for the blend of experiences I had.”
Not only did Scott’s actuarial experience help Medi-Share sail smoothly through the business challenges of the pandemic, but also his natural ability to take crisis moments in stride. “Once the issue hit, I went into problem-solve mode. I’m not going to overreact… It was natural for me to not exude panic.” As he calmly approached decisions, others around him were able to calmly present options.
Reflecting on his past three years as CEO of Christian Care Ministry, Scott emphasizes transparency in leadership. “[Transparency] is in my wiring as a leader that I’ve developed over time, but I've really learned from past experiences, good and bad, and tried to apply them in my current role…” If an organization is able to trust leadership, they are able to trust where leadership is taking them. Transparency is the key to that trust.
Practically, Scott has shown his high value on transparency by hosting quarterly Town Halls in front of employees from the very beginning. While Scott did share information about the status of the organization, there was “no script” when it came to fielding employees’ questions afterwards.
“Transparency means I will take any question, and everything is fair game. I may have to enlist someone else to help me answer the question, and I’ll admit if I don’t know the answer... [but] I’ll be straight with you.” Scott asserted also that for as long as he’s in leadership, the organization will remain “open and real” with employees.
Listen to the whole interview here.
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