River City Six – Casey S. Putney
Meet Casey S. Putney, director of education and leadership development at Business Ethics Alliance (businessethicsalliance.org).
Tell us a little about your business.
The Business Ethics Alliance works with leaders to impact the lives of others. We believe that everyone desires and deserves to be valued, respected, appreciated, and heard. When leaders can get the organizational culture right, people are sent home happier, better prepared to reach their potential as husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers.
How did you get started in the business?
I discovered my passion for leadership while serving in the U.S. Air Force. I felt a genuine desire to help others reach their potential. So I studied leaders and asked question after question. Along the way, I started having success in leading teams and building relationships.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally?
Being a part of a culture that left me feeling unfulfilled and underappreciated. I was going home sick and tired. Not sick and tired of my boss, but sick and tired because of my boss. During that time, my unhappiness at work impacted my life at home. I was tired, stressed, and unfocussed. In all honesty, I wasn’t the best father and husband that I could be. That experience drives me today. It drives me to work with leaders to create the organizational cultures that we all deserve.
Tell us a little about your family.
I’ve been married for close to 27 years. We have two amazing kids, a 24-year-old daughter and 20-year-old son. My family is everything to me. We’re a multi-racial family originating from southern Missouri. We’ve learned together, succeeded together, and become better people together.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life?
Joining the Air Force. I was 23 and lost. I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision, but it ended up being one of the best professional decisions of my life. I learned discipline, responsibility, service, and leadership during my time in uniform.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off?
Watching St. Louis Cardinal baseball.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know?
I was a break-dancer. I’m talking fat laces, nylon jacket, and cardboard. I even had a nickname.
Who inspires you?
My mother and wife.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“I cannot become what I am to be, until you become what you are to be. And you cannot become what you are to be, until I become what I am to be.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be?
Servant.
If you had a theme song, what would it be?
Umm, “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang. Isn’t it everybody’s?
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read?
Nonfiction: Anything by John Maxwell. Fiction: Anything by Mindy McGinnis.
What is your favorite movie?
Forrest Gump. It just never gets old.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
Charleston’s.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His desire to serve and impact the lives of others is truly inspiring to me.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so?
(402) 280-2235; cputney@businessethicsalliance.org; businessethicsalliance.org.