Tim Banick, President, Entegra Canada - Vulnerability, Culture, and Leading with Candor Artwork

The People Playbook with Jason Taylor

Better People Decisions. Stronger Teams. Scalable Results.

The People Playbook is your weekly guide to building high-performing teams and cultures that scale. Hosted by leadership coach and executive advisor Jason Taylor, this podcast features raw, insightful conversations with CEOs, founders, and culture builders who know what it really takes to lead in today’s world.

From mindset to execution, every episode unpacks the strategies, missteps, and breakthroughs behind exceptional leadership - and how to align your people, purpose, and performance for lasting impact.

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The People Playbook with Jason Taylor

Tim Banick, President, Entegra Canada - Vulnerability, Culture, and Leading with Candor

October 07, 2025 • Jason Taylor • Season 1 • Episode 16

0:00 | 33:18

How do you scale culture, lead through chaos, and keep people at the center? Tim Banick, President of Entegra Procurement Services Canada, joins Jason to share the leadership principles behind his 30+ year career across PepsiCo, Entegra, and beyond. We dig into self-awareness, creating psychological safety (“tops & flops”), leading large teams without silos, staying available to your people, and why diversity + candor beats consensus every time.

What you’ll learn

Building culture with transparency, cadence, and follow-through
Why patience (and bringing people along) accelerates results
How to create a safe room for real talk and learning
Leading through crises (COVID, tariffs) without losing your people
Spotting future leaders: passion, attitude, and influence (title ≠ leadership)

00:00 – Jason: Welcome to The People’s Playbook; intro to Tim and his culture-first leadership.
00:30 – Tim: Thanks for having me.
00:40 – Jason: Looking back, how has your leadership style evolved across roles and industries?
01:15 – Tim: Integrity never changed; growth came from self-awareness and patience. Predictive Index shows I’m a “Venture”—goal-oriented, fast-moving—which meant I sometimes outpaced people.

02:22 – Jason: What do you mean by not bringing people along?
02:25 – Tim: I knew the destination and moved; if others didn’t get it quickly, I left them behind. Maturity taught me to slow down and mentor.

02:49 – Tim: Launched “Coffee with Tim” (30-min sessions with anyone). Ask: what’s working, what’s not, family check-ins. Low-hanging ideas get implemented next day—people feel seen/heard.

04:30 – Jason: Internal ideas beat consultants when you actually listen. What do you wish you learned earlier?
05:21 – Tim: Patience—and bring people with me.

06:47 – Jason: How do you align a large team around one mission?
07:13 – Tim: Over-communicate with transparency. Biweekly 90-min all-hands. Adopted “tops & flops” from Mentally Fit—share wins and failures; I model flops to make it safe.

08:44 – Jason: How did you create a truly safe room for vulnerability?
09:22 – Tim: Live leadership feedback session with the whole team—scary, emotional, worth it. Vulnerability from the leader unlocks openness.

10:49 – Jason: Work family matters; deal with culture misfits quickly.
12:05 – Jason: One small leadership habit with outsized impact?
12:05 – Tim: Accessibility. I pick up on weekends if people need help—clients or teammates.

13:16 – Jason: How does that feel when they choose you on a Saturday night?
13:53 – Tim: It’s an honor. Leadership is mind, body, heart—touch the heart.

14:21 – Jason: People remember how you made them feel; best and worst bosses teach us both.
15:16 – Jason: Born or made leader?
15:16 – Tim: Some predisposed, all can grow with mentoring and self-awareness.

16:26 – Jason: How do you spot future leaders?
16:26 – Tim: Passion and attitude. “Leadership is taken. Titles are granted.” Influence beats title.

17:46 – Tim: Leaders need a poker face—build on ideas instead of dismissing them.
18:38 – Jason: How do you keep morale high in tough markets?
19:16 – Tim: Do the right thing. During COVID we kept the team, rebuilt processes, removed jargon, emerged stronger.

21:42 – Jason: National complexity (provinces differ) & tariffs show why clarity matters.
22:30 – Jason: You’re cost-driven; how do you still innovate?
22:30 – Tim: Two paths: supplier-led product innovation and rethinking relationship/contract models. Status quo = decline.

23:42 – Jason: Nervous energy can fuel progress.
24:25 – Tim: I like stress—it triggers solution-mode.

25:14 – Jason: One decision that changed your team’s trajectory?
25:18 – Tim: Build a diverse leadership team; candor + different perspectives > homogenous comfort.

27:21 – Tim: Global CEO instilled “aggressive candor”—debate to get better. Balanced hires (yes, some Pepsi alums) plus broad experiences.

28:56 – Jason: Best unexpected team-builder?
28:56 – Tim: Race-car driving school. Only two of ten went full-speed—revealed risk profiles and bonded the team.

31:49 – Jason: Parting advice to rising leaders on culture?
31:49 – Tim: Be vulnerable and human. Make people feel valued, seen, and heard—I wish I’d learned it 25 years sooner.

33:10 – Close.

People on this episode

Jason Taylor

Host

Tim Banick

Guest