Kevin Guest | Media Placements and Appearances

5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a CEO

May 10, 2021/0 Comments/in Blog, Media Appearances /by Kevin Guest

5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Became a CEO

Parveen Panwar, Mr. Activated on social media, invited me to speak as part of his “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a CEO” series on Medium.

Read the entire article in Authority Magazine online.

The article includes answers to question such as:

How I embarked on my career path
What I found interesting about the role once I became CEO
Who’s mentored me to help me in my journey
Why diversity, equality, and inclusion are so important
And a few myths about being a CEO

Then, we got into the heart of the article. I provided 5 things I wish someone told me before I became a CEO.

5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a CEO

Please take a look at the full article in which I expand on the following points. I wish someone would have…

Better educated me on government relations and affairs
Told me that every single member of the senior executive team has value
Better educated me from a financial perspective on publicly traded companies
Better explained the delicate nature of family dynamics in a family-founded business
Told me more about international commerce for a global company

Thank you to Parveen Panwar — Mr. Activated — for inviting me to participate in his series. I enjoyed sharing my thoughts, and I hope my answers provide value to you personally or professionally.

Bass Frontiers TV Interview with Kevin Guest

December 8, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog, Media Appearances /by Tim Haran

Kevin Guest, a lifelong musician, best-selling author, and Chairman and CEO of USANA Health Sciences, visited with Bass Frontiers TV to talk about two of his favorite things — music and USANA. The interview — From Bassist to Boss — launched Bass Frontiers’ new YouTube channel on Dec. 8, 2020.

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“As long as I knew my core values, I could stay in harmony with myself.”

Learn more about living a life in harmony. All the Right Reasons: 12 Timeless Principles for Living a Life in Harmony is available on Amazon. All proceeds benefit the USANA Foundation and its mission to feed hungry children. Each book purchase helps to provide 40 meals.

Kevin Guest on the ‘Therefore, what?’ Podcast

September 8, 2020/0 Comments/in Media Appearances /by Tim Haran

Kevin Guest appeared on the Inside Sources Show on Sept. 8, 2020. He spoke with Boyd Matheson on KSL FM and discussed principles contained in his book, All the Right Reasons.

The full 20-minute conversation can be heard as part of the “Therefore, what?” podcast. “For the Right Reason” (Episode 76) is available now on your podcast platform of choice.

Among the thoughts shared:

Take care of yourself so you can then take care of others in need. Self-care is a primary goal.
Be present. Live in the now. Stay grounded.
If you’re having a mental struggle, seek the help of a professional so you can learn skills to deal with it effectively.
For entrepreneurs, every “no” you receive helps you get one step closer to a “yes” and to success.

Kevin Guest is author of All the Right Reasons: 12 Timeless Principles for Living a Life in Harmony is available on Amazon. All proceeds benefit the USANA Foundation and its mission to feed hungry children. Each book purchase helps to provide 40 meals.

Learn First, Then Teach — Kevin Guest in the Scotsman Guide

August 3, 2021/0 Comments/in Blog, Media Placements /by Tim Haran

Kevin Guest, USANA Chairman & CEO, wrote an article for the August issue of Scotsman Guide — Commercial Edition.

In the piece titled “Learn First, Then Teach,” Guest explains how mentorship can pay dividends for mortgage companies. He advises that employees who seek out mentors often become the company’s next generation of leaders.

Read the Full Article

Seeking out at least one mentor, Guest says, should be the first step for mortgage brokers looking to advance their careers. “All industries — and especially the real estate finance business — are relationship-based,” he says.

About Scotsman Guide

Scotsman Guide has provided commercial mortgage originators with invaluable resources that help them grow their financing networks and stay informed about market news, trends and data for more than 25 years.

National ‘Give Something Away Day’ Strengthens Relationships

July 15, 2021/0 Comments/in Blog, Media Placements /by Kevin Guest

The following is excerpted from a news release sent on July 15, which is also “Give Something Away Day.”

Winston Churchill is credited with saying, “You make a living out of what you get. You make a life out of what you give.” Many people enter relationships for what they think they can get instead of what they can give. If we were to focus more on giving than getting, the return would be enormous.

Coming out of the pandemic is an excellent time to simplify our lives and to share with others who might not be as fortunate. I see no downside to giving something away to make a difference in the lives of others.

Giving Feels Good

Polling a group of 30,000 American households showed that givers were happier than non-givers, according to a Social Capital Community benchmark survey.

There’s no question that when you buy a homeless person a meal, donate clothing or give away something, you feel uplifted, and that’s what this is about — lifting others up, including yourself.

When my four children were smaller, my wife and I would find someone to serve on Christmas Eve. Some years we served food at a homeless shelter; other years we selected a needy family and bought gifts for the children.

People matter more than things. We all work hard to achieve success, to arrive at some pinnacle of achievement — to have the perfect house, perfect family, perfect body. In the process, we fill our lives with stuff. Most people have more food, faster cars, fancier clothes, better health, higher incomes, bigger houses, and more conveniences than their ancestors had a hundred years ago.

Yet according to the World Database of Happiness, we are not any happier than previous generations. Studies show once we have enough income to comfortably meet basic needs, additional wealth has little impact on our happiness. We are really searching for inner peace, yet many of us don’t know how to find it.

Give Something Away Day

This year, I urge you to give something away and find harmony, happiness, and peace.

Because I believe relationships are the most important things we have, I urge others to even give a little more time to those relationships that matter most. For me, that’s with my family, friends, and colleagues. Without a doubt, time with them will be some of the most treasured experiences.

Proceeds from All the Right Reasons benefit The USANA Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides food and nutrition to help ensure impoverished children and families reach their fullest potential. The book is available here.

Lessons From Music to Achieve Harmony at Work

July 12, 2021/0 Comments/in Blog, Media Placements /by Kevin Guest

Living a life in harmony is critical to overall well-being. In honor of World Music Day, which took place on June 21, I shared three steps in which music can bring balance and harmony to teams reuniting at the workplace.

To run an effective workplace, companies need teams that work in harmony. With disharmony and discord, productivity stalls, and progress is hampered. That can cripple growth for the entire organization.

Lessons from music, however, can instantly remind workers about the value of harmonious efforts.

As I write in my book, All the Right Reasons, in music, harmony happens when notes blend in a way that is pleasing to the ear. When notes are out of harmony, their dissonant sounds are hard to listen to. Think of the last time you heard someone sing out of key or heard a jumble of incongruent notes. It’s horrible.

You’ve heard me say before that music is medicine for my soul. It’s such a powerful and important part of my life. It is for many others, as well. World Music Day, which got its start in Paris in 1982, celebrates music’s power to bring people together, transcend borders, and break barriers.

3 Steps to Harmony

With three simple steps, music can lift moods and unify teams.

First, if you’re feeling down, play a song that brings happy memories, which may be something from high school or college.
Next, sing your favorite songs out loud no matter who’s listening.
Finally, get with your team to sing a song together.

There’s nothing like live music to lift spirits, and when you are part of making music, it can boost your positive temperament even more. When you’re doing that with team members, I’ve seen it help people find common ground and form instant bonds.

Achieving Harmony Takes Work

Harmony in music doesn’t happen without hours of practice and each individual musician’s commitment to getting the music right. The same commitment is required in the workplace.

Whether someone plays in a band, sings in a choir, or performs in an orchestra, nothing is quite as exhilarating as achieving perfect harmony with fellow musicians.

A life in harmony means a consistent and honest arrangement of your values and a solid commitment to living those values day in and day out.

Throughout the pandemic, most workers have been operating remotely. So coming back into an office setting might be a bit clumsy at first. Working toward harmony, which means understanding others, sharing your positivity, and making a difference for the better, will be one of the quickest paths to restoring productivity levels teams achieved before the pandemic.

A version of the above article was distributed as a news release on World Music Day 2021 with the headline World Music Day Calls for Harmony. All proceeds from All the Right Reasons are directed to feed two million meals to hungry children. Available on Amazon, the book provides 40 meals for every single purchase.

USANA CEO Elected as Chairman of the Board of Direct Selling Association

June 17, 2021/0 Comments/in Awards, Blog, Media Placements /by Tim Haran

In June 2021, USANA Chairman and CEO Kevin Guest was elected to serve as Chairman of the Board of the Direct Selling Association (DSA). The DSA is a national trade organization for direct sales companies. Guest was elected by members of the Association and will serve a one-year term.

“I am honored for the privilege of serving this great organization, which plays such a crucial role in promoting innovation and integrity within the direct selling industry.

“I have worked in direct sales for more than 25 years, in which time I have seen tremendous growth in the industry; much of that growth is due to the leadership and guidance DSA provides its member companies.

“I would like to sincerely thank DSA members for giving me this opportunity to help further strengthen our industry’s foothold in the marketplace.” — Kevin Guest

Read the full news release

Accolades & Excellence

September 28, 2020/0 Comments/in Awards, Blog /by Kevin Guest

In the last 28 years, USANA’s received hundreds, if not thousands, of accolades. Third-party recognition is a testament to who we are as a company, and it’s something that makes me proud.

Toward the end of a Q&A session as part of the 2020 Americas & Europe Virtual Convention, I was asked what I’d like to be my USANA legacy.

It’s a complex question, but the answer, for me, is easy. I’d like my USANA legacy to be this:

That I’ve guided USANA in such a way that would put a big smile on Dr. Wentz’s face. And that he knows he made the right decision in giving me the opportunity to serve as CEO.

Over the years, I’ve spent time learning from leaders I admire. By listening to other perspectives, it helps me to put USANA in a position to be the best it can be.

Of course, I’m fortunate that USANA is a world-class company. I work with exceptional people and the products are the best of the best.

At USANA, we aim for excellence in everything we do. Excellence, after all, is one of USANA’s four core values. One way we measure excellence is through third-party accolades.

Accolades in 2020

This article on What’s Up, USANA? highlights many accolades from the first half of 2020. As I mentioned in my most-recent e-newsletter, a few other accomplishments and accolades are worth mentioning:

Congratulations to Aurora “Duday” Mandanas-Gaston, USANA Regional Vice President. She recently was recognized as one of Asia’s “Most Outstanding Leaders.”
USANA landed on Utah Business magazine’s Fast 50 list for the 13th consecutive year.
USANA’s InCelligence Complex found in CellSentials or HealthPak received a U.S. patent. The award of this patent is a unique accomplishment in the nutritional supplement industry. It’s a proud indicator of USANA’s diligent pursuit of nutritional expertise.
USANA earned a distinguished seal of approval from third-party tester ConsumerLab.com for our flagship supplement USANA CellSentials.
Our colleagues at USANA Philippines were recognized for the second straight year as the No. 1 Vitamins and Dietary Supplements Brand in The Philippines by Euromonitor International.

Excellence & the Environment

Though not technically an award, the news last week that USANA joined forces with the Utah Sustainable Business Coalition, speaks to our continued commitment to our environment.

USANA pledged to reduce plastic waste in 2020 and beyond as part of its coalition efforts. Our first step in this pledge is to move to smaller bottles to reduce wasted space and to make the switch from plastic bottles to 25% post-recycled material bottles.

In addition, USANA is also an EPA WasteWise member, an EPA Green Power Partner, and one of 235 founding organizations of the Climate Registry.

You can read more here.

To everyone who continues to help USANA achieve excellence, I say thank you!