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Grody & UnPrOfEsSiOnAL

Grody & UnPrOfEsSiOnAL

By: Justin McMenamy
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Hello and welcome to Grody & UnPrOfEsSiOnAL, my name is Justin McMenamy, and my mission is to share both profitable and painful leadership lessons I have acquired over a twenty-year career as a misfit in corporate America.

Like everyone, I have worked with and for hundreds of leaders across my career. While some leaders are great, and many are good, the vast majority find themselves tossed into leadership and left to figure it out on their own. Grody & Unprofessional seeks to share leadership stories harvested from my own experiences and from the experiences of others through approachable and candid conversations with the aim of educating and shaping your leadership journey.

Grody & Unprofessional episodes will toggle between focused monologue on specific lessons or mindsets I have acquired from my experiences and conversations with other leaders seeking to understand their convictions and strategies for inspiring, motivating, and maybe sometimes cajoling a group into action.

Grody & Unprofessional is not a memoir, it’s not a forum to gripe or complain about the past or present. The rules are simple, I aim to convey leadership lessons through storytelling. If a given story has a hero, we will use proper names, if the story has a villain, a dolt, or if there is the potential for embarrassment, proper names will be removed. While we do NOT aim to embarrass people or organizations, we do intend to embarrass poor leadership behaviors and mindsets common to many leaders and organizations.

My experience has been that demand for talented leaders outstrips supply by at least tenfold, Grody & Unprofessional is my feeble attempt to improve supply.

I hope you will join me as we seek to uncover people, product, and organizational leadership lessons through the musings of a corporate misfit and his friends.Copyright Justin McMenamy Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Product Development as a Recipe w. Jason Stoller

    Product Development as a Recipe w. Jason Stoller
    Nov 13 2025
    In this episode, Justin McMenamy converses with Jason Stoller about their joint experiences at Precision Planting. The discussion focuses on the distinguishing factors between large corporations and smaller startups in terms of product development processes vs. recipes. They delve into the importance of proximity to customers, iterative development, and the freedom to take risks and even fail with the product development environment. By highlighting the benefits of rapid iteration, intrinsic motivation of engineers, and the elimination of bureaucratic handoffs, they underscore the vital role of agility and ownership in successful product development.
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    54 mins
  • Skunk Works VII: The Bleeping Navy

    Skunk Works VII: The Bleeping Navy
    Oct 30 2025
    In this episode, Justin McMenamy concludes his examination of Kelly Johnson's 14 Rules of Management with a focus on Johnson's unwritten 15th rule. He explains the intricacies of creating and maintaining a 'Skunk Works' organization within a larger corporate entity, noting the challenges that come with resource and business model acquisitions. He highlights the importance of aligning with like-minded customers and suppliers and shares anecdotes from his time at Precision Planting, emphasizing an approach that prioritized autonomy and direct customer engagement. Justin's insights reveal the delicate balance required to sustain innovation while navigating corporate bureaucracy.
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    38 mins
  • Getting Out of the Rut w. Steve Pierz

    Getting Out of the Rut w. Steve Pierz
    Oct 16 2025
    In this episode, host Justin McMenamy interviews Steve Pierz, a friend and fellow corporate misfit, who shares his unconventional strategies and experiences from a long, innovative career. Steve recounts his daring approach in large meetings, his early passion for mechanical engineering inspired by his creative upbringing, and his impactful yet rebellious career at Caterpillar where he frequently clashed with rigid corporate processes.

    Both Justin and Steve delve into the importance of mindset in leadership and innovation, emphasizing that success in business relies heavily on the creative, risk-taking individuals. The conversation evolves into mentorship, highlighting how young innovators should seek their ‘tribe’ and persist through setbacks.

    Steve, now retired, focuses on inspiring, motivating, and supporting the next generation of innovators. The discussion captures lessons learned, insights on navigating corporate America, and advice for future leaders.
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    56 mins
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