ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Most service businesses hire for experience. Kevin Iden hires for potential — and trains everyone from scratch.
Kevin Iden, President of Iden Dealer Services, has built a 300-person, 37-location automotive reconditioning and detailing operation across Washington state. His business runs on one operating principle: consistency at scale requires process, and process only holds when everyone follows the same recipe.
In this episode, Kevin gets into what it actually takes to build and sustain a frontline workforce at scale:
· Why hiring people without experience produces better long-term results than hiring people with bad habits
· How SOPs become the foundation of quality, consistency, and scalability across 37 locations
· Why promoting from within requires knowing who wants what — and building accordingly
· What it means to support employees whether they're building a career, using this as a stepping stone, or somewhere in between
· Why the manager's job is constant conversation, not periodic correction
This is a direct, practical conversation about what operating discipline looks like when the product is the process — and the process has to be right every single time.
Operating Discipline with Terri D. Wilson Conversations with CEOs and senior leaders about organizational performance under pressure.
Listen on all major podcast platforms opdiscipline.com/podcast
Connect with Terri D. Wilson on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/terridwilson/
Visit the Operating Discipline website: http://opdiscipline.com/
Listen to Operating Discipline on these podcast platforms:
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClbUwY45jbStUKsa2v7mALQ
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/033qMnr5bIiui03nulsvfc
Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/operating-discipline-hosted-by-terri-d-wilson/id1896857928
Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f3e88a4a-38f4-48b1-9827-8207876d4a95
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Operating Discipline is the podcast for leaders who are ready to take a hard look at how their organisations actually work — not just what their strategy says on paper. Hosted by Terri D. Wilson, each episode is a candid conversation with founders, executives, and operators about how decisions get made, how accountability is held, and how work really flows inside growing businesses.
Terri brings over 30 years of executive and entrepreneurial experience to every conversation. She's worked across industries helping leaders build the systems, structures, and cultures that allow businesses to scale without breaking — and she knows that most organisations don't struggle because of bad strategy. They struggle because of how they actually operate day to day.
Whether you're navigating rapid growth, building a team you can trust, or trying to close the gap between the business you want and the one you're running, Operating Discipline gives you the frameworks and real-world examples to lead with intention. This is the show for leaders who are serious about execution, not just ideas.
