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As we step into 2024 with a fresh episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast, Jan Griffiths sets the tone by highlighting the power of a restart. Drawing on the significance of the new year, Jan emphasizes the opportunity for a clean slate and renewed energy. Building on this, Jan delves into the philosophy of "The Gap and the Gain," urging listeners to shift their focus from unmet goals to acknowledging achievements and progress. This mindset, she emphasizes, is the key to success as we embark on a new year.

The episode unfolds with a broad overview of Jan's experiences in 2023, featuring milestones like her five-year journey at Gravitas Detroit, hitting the 100th episode milestone for the podcast, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions with automotive industry leaders. Throughout the recap, the episode subtly includes the ups and downs, highlighting Jan's role in dealing with challenges like the UAW strike and emphasizing her dedication to tackling crucial industry issues.

Looking ahead to 2024, Jan shares exciting plans, the upcoming release of her book, 'Roadmap to rEVolution,' and a commitment to 'swift execution,' where getting things done is the focus, but not at the expense of quality. The episode concludes with Jan expressing gratitude to loyal supporters, urging them to spread the word and invite others to join the movement towards authentic leadership and cultural transformation in the auto industry.

Themes discussed in this episode:

• The transformative potential of a fresh start
• Measuring success through progress
• 2023 Recap - milestones and highlights
• Prospects for the year 2024
• Automotive transformation, OEM challenges, and disruptions
• The importance of quality and ease in driving successful outcomes
• Cultural transformation in the auto industry
• Fostering a new mindset for success in 2024

Featured: Jan Griffiths 

What she does: Jan is the founder and CEO of Gravitas Detroit, an organization dedicated to cultivating authentic leadership in the automotive industry by providing courses, workshops, speaking events, and more. She is also the host of The Automotive Leaders Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior
• The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
• Wayne State University’s Global Supply Chain Management Advisory Board
• Tor Hough, CEO  of ELM Analytics
• GlobalWelsh USA Hub
• The Automotive Leaders Podcast’s 100th podcast episode with John McElroy & Jason Stein
• Next-Gen Automotive Leadership with Volkswagen CSMO, Andrew Savvas
• The Authentic Leadership Course
• The podcast that Jan co-hosts and produces for QAD and Quistem: Auto Supply Chain Prophets
• Marques McCammon, President of Karma Automotive
• Meet Stephen M. R. Covey, global authority on trust, leadership, and culture. New York Times best-selling author of Trust & Inspire
• The Unicorn Within, written by Mach49 CEO Linda Yates
• UAW strike episodes: Leadership in Crisis: Navigating the UAW Strike & My Love-Hate Relationship with Shawn Fain
• Dave Kinchen from Fox 2 News

Episode Highlights:

[00:01:02] The power of the restart: Jan explores the profound impact of restarting, encouraging listeners to harness the transformative energy of fresh beginnings.

[00:02:49] The Gap and the Gain: Jan discusses the importance of measuring progress and achievements, shifting the focus from unmet goals to recognizing personal and professional gains.

[00:05:44] Recap of 2023: The key moments that shaped Jan's 2023 experience and a highlight of the podcast's achievements, celebrating milestones such as the 5-year mark at Gravitas Detroit and reaching the 100th episode milestone. 

[00:30:22] Plans for 2024: Looking ahead, Jan shares exciting plans for the upcoming year, including the eagerly anticipated release of her book.

[Transcript]

[00:05:56] So, for me, I passed the five-year milestone at Gravitas Detroit. And I'm thrilled, quite frankly, because, you know, most businesses fail; a high percentage of businesses fail the first year. And if you don't fail the first year, you're pretty much out by the fifth. So, the fact that I'm still standing and loving every minute of it is a great accomplishment. I feel good about it. The mission stays strong. I am the architect of cultural change in the automotive industry and I love saying that. And every time I tell people that, somebody if somebody comes up to me and they say, "What do you do?" And I say, "Well, I'm on a mission to change the way we work in the auto industry."