Logan McKnight | Founder, GoodKnight Consulting | Leadership Evolution, MedTech Innovation, & Impactful Coaching

Logan McKnight is the founder of GoodKnight Consulting and a strategic advisor to MedTech executives navigating growth, leadership challenges, and operational complexity. Logan shares her nearly 20-year journey from pre-med to neuromonitoring technologist to CEO, and explains why she now focuses on helping leaders build teams that scale without sacrificing culture or burning out. She discusses lessons learned managing remote surgical service teams, why “simple scales,” and how mission, vision, and values enable better decisions and hiring beyond gut instinct. 

Guest links: https://www.goodknightconsulting.net/

Charity supported: ASPCA

Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. 

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen
Producer: Velentium Medical

 

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Episode 075 - Logan McKnight

[00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world.

[00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them.

[00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives.

[00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives.

[00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives.

[00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference.

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I am delighted to welcome Logan McKnight. Logan is the founder of GoodKnight Consulting and a strategic advisor to MedTech executives navigating growth, leadership challenges and operational complexity. With nearly 20 years in neuromonitoring and surgical services, including experience as a CEO, VP of Operations and business development leader, Logan brings an experienced perspective to executive leadership. She works with directors, VPs, and C-suite leaders to build teams that can scale without sacrificing culture or burning out.

Well, welcome to the show, Logan. I'm so glad to speak with you today, and thank you so much for being here.

[00:01:34] Logan McKnight: Yeah, it's great to be here. I appreciate you inviting me.

[00:01:36] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. I'd love if you wouldn't mind starting off by sharing just a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to MedTech.

[00:01:45] Logan McKnight: Of course. Yeah. So my name is Logan McKnight and I have been in medtech for almost the last 20 years. And I think my journey, I, a lot of people have a very similar like origin story of haphazardly finding their way into medtech. I was pre-med in college. I wanted to go into veterinary school and I think I panicked honestly last minute, not really wanting to go. I interned under vet who basically dissuaded me from doing all the work of vet school and said go to med school.

And feeling a little lost, I found my way to medtech, particularly neural monitoring, which was a field, pretty niche, but basically I got trained by a company to go in and run equipment and monitor patient's nervous systems during surgery. And to me, just having my bachelor's degree and having that level of impact and being able to jump right into patient care without having to go to more, you know, years and years of schooling was right up my alley and it's been such a wild ride. You know, I was a technologist and then I became a manager and then VP of development of business development, and head of contracting. And then I went over to a small company where I was the vice president of the whole company, and then eventually CEO, and now I'm consulting for medtech companies. So it's been a really fun journey that I didn't plan at all.

[00:03:06] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Okay. Well, excellent. And that brings up so many questions, but to start, so you were thinking originally you might wanna be a vet. Do you have you know, like, did you grow up with animals? Did you just have an amazing love for them? Where did that come from?

[00:03:23] Logan McKnight: You know, honestly, I think I would've had way more animals, but my parents were a lot more reasonable than I was. So we just had the regular pets, but I grew up like horseback riding and in the Midwest, in Ohio. So I was around a lot of farm animals and things like that and I was part of like FFA and horticulture. So future Farmers of America. And I actually was really interested in large animals because I didn't wanna deal with people, I didn't wanna deal with people or their pets. So, and you know, and so that was what panicked me about med school was like the whole plan was veterinary school was to avoid the people part. And then I found through medtech you know, neuromonitoring and surgery where my patients are asleep. And so I still got to do all the things that I love, like providing impact, but then, you know, not having to worry about, I guess all for me I just had my head like all the challenges and complications that deal dealing with patients that I thought would make my job and life really difficult. So it's been really fun to kind of focus on just like the care and how to move things forward and explore this big, wide open space of how to impact people's lives in surgery.

[00:04:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. And you know what's interesting about that too is, though, I think it sounds like throughout your, though, as you've, you know, gone from technologist and then you've had all of these amazing career changes and growth basically. It sounds like, you know, you have developed though your own kind of leadership style, so even though maybe originally you weren't sure about dealing with people, so to speak, you've actually excelled at it. So I'm curious how that has evolved for you in creating and managing teams.

[00:05:03] Logan McKnight: Yeah. You know, it's interesting. I think like initially I was trying to control all these variables before I got into leadership in people, and then realized like you can't do that once you get to actually working with people. And once you almost like acknowledge and recognize, you can't control that but there's some beauty in that of you just allow for what you allow and then you know, you have to give people the ability to function like at their level. And you create the parameters. But other than that, like some magic happens when you don't try to control every single thing. And I see so many, especially new managers, you know, being like, "I need to control everything." And they're wondering why they're exhausted or their team's not respecting them. And it's like, gotta let go, gotta let go of the wheel a little bit. So, you know, I think those are some lessons and sometimes they just come with time and experience.

[00:05:55] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So, when you started, well, let's go back to the beg, maybe it's kind of at the beginning of your career. What are some things that you learned as a technologist and as you were growing within the hospital systems themselves, that contributed to basically where you would become now to become an entrepreneur and all of that.

[00:06:21] Logan McKnight: Yeah, I mean, I will be very honest, and this is not meant to be a dig at anybody who I'd worked with or any boss. But I just, I went to work for a private company and we went and we were almost like hired mercenaries. So we would go to like, you know, every day I was in a different hospital. I didn't know my schedule till the night before. I rarely saw my manager and, you know, rarely saw other members of my team and it really felt like I was very isolated and alone. And it added to my burnout and also feeling like I didn't have anyone watch, like looking out for me and my back as a younger employee. And I realized there was so much room for improvement there in how you manage a team remotely.

And so I think I, I just like mentally I was a psychology major before I switched to pre-med, and so I think like the, like human brain, because I was, you know, neuroscience, but like psychology, I think is so fascinating to me and the way people tick and what makes them tick. And I, I'm a big believer if you can figure out the way people tick, you can unlock so many things in the world and like you can, you know, you can be the most brilliant person, but if you can't communicate effectively, if you can't manage a team, you're really not gonna take things to the next level because you're not gonna activate those people around you to perform and get something done. So I feel like it was a case study for me to kind of watch like these managers and struggle and I'm like, "Ah, that's what I'm not going to do."

[00:07:47] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes. Yeah. Sometimes learning from examples that maybe you wish you didn't have to learn from though can be the best teachers and actually serve your, you know, your own leadership style and your people that you end up getting to influence. It actually does help in the long term, but so.

[00:08:06] Logan McKnight: Totally.

[00:08:07] Lindsey Dinneen: So when you started GoodKnight Consulting, what was the impetus for that? I mean, you'd had this you've had this amazing career so far. You're ready kind of just for the next step or what sparked that?

[00:08:19] Logan McKnight: You know, it's interesting, I stepped down from my CEO position 'cause I was feeling, I was running a neuromonitoring service company in the Pacific Northwest. We also had a professional services arm with neurologists. And then I had a medical billing company that I was running and we did mostly out of network billing. And then we also started a company in India right before COVID. So by 2023, I was fried, I was very burnt out in the way that I felt like I was busy all the time, but not really having the same impact I used to have. I think a lot of that was like I, I got more involved on the litigious side of running a company and then also the medical billing side really takes it out of you.

So the thing I enjoyed was the coaching and the mentoring, and once I took a little bit of a step back and thought about what would I do every day for free? You know, like, what would I just love to do? And the reality was coaching other leaders, especially one like scratched my itch for helping people and provide and like, impact, which I realize is my biggest driver is like, how do I impact the most people and walk away with, you know, my life feeling like I've touched people in a positive way, and I think that's, you know, my, my driving force. So that's kind of why I started.

And I started honestly just trying to go to leaders individually and offer some webinars and some one-on-one coaching. And then I really realized working with companies actually is the best way to go about this because you get ownership and leadership that's totally aligned and they want that support for their leaders. And then, it's so much easier to see the impact spread throughout an organization, so that's been really cool, is to be this outside force driving an owner or an executive's vision of what they want their company or the team to be.

[00:10:07] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, and I noticed when I was reading a little bit more about the company, one of the things that I thought was really interesting is you talk about there, this is not just let's say leadership or mindset coaching or something like that, although that is very important as well. It is also about the business strategy. And you talk a lot about, you know, you've been in the position to understand how much, of course, revenue matters. You ha you have to, you know, make sure that's a strong, you know, foundation for the business. So, so how do you balance the two when you work with clients?

[00:10:45] Logan McKnight: Yeah, no, that's a great question. I think every client is unique. I have found that just stripping away-- actually with something I, a blog post I was working on today and something I posted on LinkedIn, and it's something I find myself saying to founders and owner operators all the time-- simple scales. And I think, you know, what ends up happening is a lot of times you get this great idea for a product, a service, a company, and you just go. And you don't sometimes sit down and create like the true mission or the vision and like the values of the company. And it's really hard for owner operators and people who are in startup land and you know, small businesses to pause and do that, especially if they've been going for a few years 'cause you know, it's like, "Well, I've been operating without this stuff. It's totally fine."

The reality is it's so much easier to grow and scale and also to gut check yourself when you're making decisions and being like "This is the right call because this aligns with our mission and our vision for the company or our growth initiatives for this year. And then it aligns with my values. I feel good about this decision and I can communicate it to people I hire. So I trust those people." And like that's what scales is, the trust and people having like the unified mission and vision and values and like, I know it sounds a little touchy feely, but the reality is like that's actually what I feel like I end up centering owners and operators on. It's less about the minutia and the details and more about like, does this make sense with where you wanna go and the way you, and the way you wanna get there.

[00:12:21] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Okay. Yeah, I really like that. And with the emphasis on the unified team in terms of, you know, we don't all have to view life exactly the same, but we need to be aligned, at least with our mission and values and things like that. What do you find are some of the best practices when it comes to building out a team? And on the flip side, what are some things that maybe are common or that feel like they would be good practices, but in reality might not be. Like, what are some lessons learned, I suppose, on both sides?

[00:12:56] Logan McKnight: Yeah. I mean, I think, I'll be honest, I think a lot of owners and maybe leaders who've been in their position for a while, like, like there-- I was talking to somebody else about this, about your gut feeling and like, go with your gut and trust me. I was a big go with my gut leader especially as a CEO, but like that doesn't scale because you have to be able to verbalize like, what are the things you're looking for? Why did you pick this person? And so at the end of the day you know, I had a policy when I was probably right, became, when I became a CEO that I needed to like approve after a couple not so great hires, I needed to approve every hire. And like the reality is that's not realistic, that's not gonna scale as you grow.

And so I just needed to create the, this is what we're looking for like, you know, we're hiring for attitude. We can train the aptitude, we can train the technical depending on what the job is. But, you know, here's what we're really looking for, is a good fit for the company and the culture. And then, because once I had people who I knew really got that and saw the vision, I knew they were gonna make the right choices. And so I didn't feel like I had to. Be the one making that decision, I could scale it and help, you know, allow my team to hire for the people in the places that they needed and saw.

[00:14:09] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I really like that. So, one thing that I thought was interesting, especially so on your LinkedIn profiles, I was, you know, enjoying reading more about you and some of the things you've done. But you had mentioned that sometimes there's a trade off between hitting targets and then you're burning out your team for the opposite. You're protecting your team, but then you're not hitting your targets. Could you speak a little bit more about that and how you help companies sort of overcome that challenge.

[00:14:40] Logan McKnight: No, and I mean, I think it's like, I equate like, I think when I first became a leader, you know, talking about how my viewed my other leaders maybe know what not to do, I definitely swung the pendulum too far the other direction when I first started. And I was way too, I don't know, I was way too, all the things I didn't get. And so two, like checking in with my team, "How are you doing?" Not wanting to delegate work to them and doing these things because you know, and so I realized there's you, I think that's like an initial thing a lot of leaders go through is that shift. It's when you get stuck in the one extreme or the other and you don't really find your good at equilibrium, that it's really hard to sustain. And I think it's really important to find your equilibrium of, like, "This drives us to hit quota. This drives us to get our metrics and to for success. And then it does it in a sustainable way that our team's gonna stay."

Because to me, like, sustainable. I kind of was thinking about my values even this morning and I'm like, I think fun is really one of my values like, I want to really enjoy like not just my personal life, but my professional life, and I think your job, your company, all of those things is a lot more fun when it's sustainable, right, when you're like exhausted. So finding a way for it to be sustainable for your team, for, you know, and everyone likes to win. Like it's fun to hit quota. It's fun to like crush your metrics and celebrate. So it, how do you know, make that sustainable and fun? And I think that's like a long-term success or recipe for success with a company.

[00:16:15] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and you know, it's so interesting 'cause actually this has come up a couple of times recently on the podcast is the sort of core value of fun and how much that does actually transform people's experience with the company. And you know, because inevitably you're gonna have those days that are just really tough and hard. And so being able to though have a culture of fun and joy is, it does make a difference. Yeah.

[00:16:42] Logan McKnight: No, for sure. I remember when I first started working in surgery and someone asked me, they're like, "Oh, is it like Grey's Anatomy?" And, you know, and I'm like, "It's not nearly as like sexy. Like there's no, you know, doctors in closets and whatever." The, I, it's actually more like the show Scrubs and the reality is, and people are like, "Oh, that seems like goofy and comedy." I'm like, "I know." But the, I think the reality is we view in like healthcare and medtech of like this, you know, taking care of patients, a serious job. We're talking to surgeons.

But for anybody who's really good at their job, like, you know, you see, especially in surgery in these high stakes environments, like it's actually the best rooms to be in are a lot of fun because you rely on your team, you know everyone's gonna do well, or you know their job well. If shit hits the fan, the tone changes and you can trust that. But I think because you trust your team. It's fun, you know, in more moments than not because there's just so much trust that when things get serious, people will speak up and it's safe.

I think you like when you're psychologically safe, it's enjoyable, it's fun, and you also feel like you can speak up when you say something wrong. And I feel like those are the healthiest like work dynamics, both in healthcare then, especially in medtech when you're putting a product out there, like you want somebody to say something if they see a problem with your product before it goes to market, right?

[00:18:05] Lindsey Dinneen: Well, and I love that. I love that perspective too of, you're absolutely right, healthcare, medical devices, it is it is serious by nature and it should be like, we should take our jobs seriously. But at the same times, if we could not maybe take ourselves as seriously and, you know, and infuse the fun and it does help also I think dissipate some of that-- well, some of the really hard, you know, again, those days that are tough it helps to be able to say, you know, take a step back and go, you know what, "It's yes, and."

[00:18:37] Logan McKnight: Right. A hundred percent. Yeah. It adds a little like, like brevity to those se really serious moments to be able to feel. You know, and I think that at the end of the day, like you being in whatever place whatever your place is in healthcare, in medtech, like whatever role you're playing, like you are helping advance the field, you're helping patient care. And I think always keeping that in mind, even on like the tough days, like you're advancing something in a good way keeps you centered on like your why and drives you forward in a really good way versus like, you know, and I'll be honest, like I, it got hard for me in my CEO role, like, I think I lost my why a little bit and my driver, because it's very hard to see, "Okay, well how am I impacting patient care positively. How am I impacting the world positively?" when you're chasing down insurance reimbursements and whatnot. And, you know, dealing with hospital shutdowns during COVID. So I think at the end of the day, I realize like I need to find a way for this to be enjoyable and fun because I also realize like I'm my best self and I'm more creative and I'm more in like a problem solving zone when I'm in that, that good mindset. And so I, I look at it as a huge positive to, to figure out what, what drives you and make you happy.

[00:19:51] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. What drives you makes you happy. And I agree with you, if you can also take a step back sometimes and have that broader perspective and mix it with just a little bit of humor, even if just all you're doing is taking a quick break and watching, I don't know, a funny cat video or something. Yeah.

[00:20:10] Logan McKnight: Sure.

[00:20:11] Lindsey Dinneen: Reset moments make a difference. So difference, you're a board member of several organizations and I wondered if you could speak a little bit to those organizations and what led you to get involved with them.

[00:20:24] Logan McKnight: Yeah. So the two I'm on the board of is one Nepal's Spine Foundation which I went to Nepal with a few surgeons I worked with. And then when I was in figuring out my why when I stepped away the surgeons who are started the foundation invited me to join the board. And actually I will be going to Nepal with them in April and we'll be doing another mission and then hiking to Everspace camp together. I'm looking forward to that, and it's been amazing 'cause I think that's also, I've gotten to go on a lot of mission trips in my career. I've gotten to go to Ghana and Barbados, Dominican Republic, Nepal, India. And so, like I also realized like impact being my driver, like I have so much impact to teach people about neuromonitoring, which isn't a well-known, you know, aspect of surgery always. And so the fact that I could leave a hospital, a community better for going there really was a driver. So the fact that I continued to do that work is really important.

And then the second is STRIPES, which is how I met you, women in medtech. And you know, the nice thing is I was looking, I was a, I went back before I fully launched GoodKnight Consulting and became like a device rep just to kind of figure out, you know, do I wanna go back into sales? What do I really wanna do? And I was a little lost and I found my way, you know, I wanted community. And when I found this group, it was just transformative for me. Like I, my mentor was Lisa Jacobs, who is phenomenal and has been inspiring for a very long time. And she actually really pushed me to do my dream and start and really put all into my coaching and consulting. So I'm really grateful for that. And then she invited me to be on the board.

So like to continue to give back to an organization that I feel like personally gave me, like it, it's why I am where I am today. It gave me that push I needed in that support. And there's tons of women in the organization like Claire Davis, Kat Hurd, like Courtney Turich. I just, they're all out there, they're all public on LinkedIn. And that was something that honestly, initially scared me. And so just, I was inspired by them, supported, and I think that's a really, you know, great thing when you are becoming an entrepreneur is finding your community and that support.

[00:22:42] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah. Well, okay. So I just, I love the fact that you're doing both of those things. The mission work is really cool. It's amazing to hear how you've gotten to use-- well, because you're so driven by impact how you've gotten to do that and then make a big difference in, in the lives of people that, yeah, may otherwise never have had that opportunity or, you know, at least not for a while or whatever. So.

[00:23:09] Logan McKnight: Right.

[00:23:10] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, that, that's really incredible. So, you know, through that or throughout your career, are there any moments that really stand out to you as kind of affirming, "Wow, I am in the right industry at the right time."

[00:23:23] Logan McKnight: You know, I think medtech, like always, even if it's not me and something I'm doing, like seeing people who I know in the industry and accomplishments they've made, and organizations that I've either been a part of or supported in some way in my career, like just seeing like the new tech coming out and the advancements they're making, just reaffirms like I'm part of a bigger picture in an ecosystem that's really great.

And even, you know, like I, I came from the spine space when I was doing medical device and it spine is, you know, tough. Like ortho's tough, spines tough. That's a lot of competition. But you know, I think. Competition drives quality, and so it's really cool even if you see your competitor doing something, you know, you're like, "Oh man, I wish we would've," but it's getting done. It's, you know, it's pushing the envelope, it's making it better. And I think that's huge.

And, you know, really exciting too when I found you and Project Medtech to see how you guys are helping support like startups and investors and people who are looking to get into this space. Because I think that's the other thing is getting fresh perspective and new innovative companies helps everybody like drive, drives the mission forward, drives the impact forward on patient care.

[00:24:38] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. And okay, so another very random thing that I found on your LinkedIn, but I just really liked it 'cause I resonate with this aspect. So you started to paint, you learned how to paint. Tell us about that and does that play a role in your creativity overall, do you think?

[00:25:01] Logan McKnight: You know, I think so. So I hosted like a happy hour for girlfriends and we did this thing where we painted like a thrift shop thrift store paintings and like Halloween things in them. And so, and I live in the Pacific Northwest, which is beautiful. We have a hundred year old cabin on three acres, and it's, it was October. It was just like, stunning. And I was looking out in our, my backyard and I was like, "I wanna paint this." And I just sat down. I mean, I'm not artistic. I've never and it looked like a 8-year-old painted it and my partner Joe was like, "Maybe watch a video." It's great. I love it.

But, you know, and so I found, you know, like Bob, apparently all, every episode of Bob Ross was on Netflix at least last year. And so I just started watching some videos and some videos on YouTube, and I started getting better and better pretty quickly. Like I, you know, I started, you know, little tutorials here and there. And then I realized, like I was also reading books to help me kind of get in this entrepreneurial mindset like growth mindset or "Mindset" by Carol Dweck, which talks about growth mindset.

And I realized like, you can teach yourself to do anything. Like I had told myself for the longest time, I mean, I started my I'm 40 and so I told myself for 40 years, like, "I'm not artistic." That was my box I painted around myself. And then all of a sudden I was like, "Well, let's give it a shot." And so, you know, there's, I realize like you set these boundaries in your parameters in your head and you blow them up a little bit. Like, you know what? Like, let's just see, let's try you know, and I see this with our teenagers too, it's sometimes like when they struggle in school, they'll be like, "I'm not smart, or I'm not this." And I'm like, "You just have to try." Like anything worth doing takes effort. And if everybody quit because they weren't good. The first time or even like the 10th time, like imagine how little progress we would make as a society. So I think if something you wanna do something recognizing, like you can learn to do it.

And I think that also helped ignite, like me knowing I could be, do my consulting company and really launch it. And so I just started reaching out to people who had done it and I hired coaches and I started to learn more about what would make it work and what I would need to do. And you know what a novel idea, right? You find the person who's doing what you wanna do and you learn from them. You know, and it's just like that entire journey over the last year was really helpful to, I think, get me to the head place like I needed to be, to like leave the safety of a W2 job and launch a company. Just to like lie, you know, to myself every, and be like, "You can do it."

Because, you know, if you start every day with the, "I don't know if this is gonna work," like I, there's no way I would've done this. I really had to tell myself I could do it, it was gonna work, and I realized now that I've gotten past that, it's very harder like to put a boundary around me now. Like now it's a challenge, right? Like if you tell me I can't do something, I'm like, "Oh, let's see." I bet you, you know, even if I'll fail, like the first few times, I want to try to see if I can do it because I now have this delusion that I can teach myself to do just about anything, so.

[00:28:18] Lindsey Dinneen: That's awesome.

[00:28:20] Logan McKnight: Or not.

[00:28:20] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, no, that is incredible. And you're absolutely right. I think we can all relate to, at least in some element of our lives, painting boxes around ourselves and going, "I'm not this," or "I'm not that," or "I'll never get to be able to do this. I'll never be proficient." And those things aren't true. It's just what we tell ourselves. So I love the fact that painting opened up those doors for you.

[00:28:43] Logan McKnight: Yeah. No it's so true. And I think it's like a. You know, a metaphor for life. And I think I hear that a lot of times from people will be like, "I wish I could do what you," and I'm like, " You can literally do anything." That's how crazy. And, you know, we're in peak New Year's resolution time, right? And I think a lot of people are like, "Oh, I wanna do this and do that." And that's like, you can, you just like, if you wanna be a person that exercises more. Just go start exercising. That's how wild the world, like our brains can make us do whatever we want. So anyway, I'm also a big psychology buff 'cause I, I'm a big believer in like the power of the human brain and what it can do over your decision making and your life and the impact it can have, you know, everything really.

[00:29:27] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. No, absolutely. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I love that perspective and yeah, growth mindset is a wonderful gift because, you know, you can explore, you can try, and as long as you're sticking with it and doing those things, then you're not failing. You're just, you're just exploring and then you can just keep exploring and find things that are right for you. And you know, not everything will stick, and that's okay too, so.

[00:29:55] Logan McKnight: Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah. I always tell people "I'm still figuring what I, or figuring out what I wanna do when I grow up." You know, and I think that's an ongoing thing, and I hope when I'm 80, I still am figuring out like what's next.

[00:30:06] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah.

[00:30:07] Logan McKnight: It's exciting. So.

[00:30:08] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. All right, well pivoting the conversation a little bit just for fun. Imagine that you were to be offered a million dollars to teach a masterclass on anything you want. It could be within your industry, but it doesn't have to be. What would you choose to teach?

[00:30:24] Logan McKnight: You know, I think this, it ends up being the thing I talk about most. And it's the thing I think I wanted to do initially, but it was really a struggle to just target and talk to managers, especially like frontline managers. But I think that transition from being an independent contributor to becoming a first time leader-- like if I could teach a masterclass in that, I think that would be really fun. I see so many very empathetic and like capable independent contributors, whether they be like rockstar sales rep or even a great like technologist or engineer. And then they were like, "Okay, well I need to move up the ladder. I'm gonna be a people manager," and then their next step is people management. And they're like, "This sucks. Like I, nobody told me about like all the things I have to deal with and the people." And you're still in the mindset of like box checking, of like, in order to be successful, "I have to do all these things. I have to do X, Y, and Z."

And I think that the second I stopped checking all the boxes and trying to do all the things was when I went from being like a manager to an actual leader of people and activating them. And if I could just get a few people who I believe, like I've even seen so many really great people leave the industry because they feel like they want to advance, but they don't see because they weren't a good manager, like, "Well, how would I ever be a good director or a good VP," or so on and so forth. The reality is like probably the hardest transition is going from independent contributor to a manager, and yet it's like the least supported space. So that's I think that's something I feel deeply passionate about and would love to like able to offer as a resource more for people.

[00:32:10] Lindsey Dinneen: And that would be an incredible masterclass. Okay, and then how do you wish to be remembered after you leave this world?

[00:32:18] Logan McKnight: I love that one. I mean, I think at the end of the day, that's the impact thing. You know, and I don't even think it has to be this, like, big, you know, like, "Oh, I, you know, solved healthcare in Ghana." Like, you know, it's not that. It's almost like I, I hope that like my company and my interaction with people leaves everyone feeling a little lighter, a little happier, like a little more capable to do like something, and they feel like talking with me, working with me has unlocked like the next level of something that they've been struggling with and makes them feel like, "Okay, I can do this now."

'Cause I almost feel like that's what, what coaching and consulting comes down to is I'm not doing the thing for anybody. I am only helping to remove the roadblock around them, that they stop limiting themselves and they really see what's possible just by making a few changes in the way they think, in the way they operate their business or run their team. And, you know, amazing things happen. So my hope is that I just continue to get to do that and have people that really feel positive impact from that.

[00:33:26] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Well that is a beautiful legacy, so, yeah. All right. And then final question. What is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it?

[00:33:38] Logan McKnight: Oh, gosh. Well, we just talked about this before our call, but my dog, I have, I'm an animal lover, and so I have the fortune that every day, most every day I'm in my home office and I get to go on a hike or walk with my dogs, either around our property or out somewhere in beautiful Washington. And I think just like seeing the mountains and being out with my dog, like that just makes me smile. And I think it's also what inspired me to paint and all the things. So I, I think just all the beauty like in the world just makes me smile and makes my heart very happy.

[00:34:12] Lindsey Dinneen: I love that. Oh my goodness. That's beautiful. All right, well this has been an amazing conversation, Logan. I so appreciate you and your time today. And we're so honored to be making a donation on your behalf as a thank you for your time today to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is dedicated to preventing animal cruelty in the United States. So thank you for choosing that organization to support and we just wish you continued success as you work to change lives for a better world.

[00:34:43] Logan McKnight: Yeah, thanks for having me. We'll talk soon.

[00:34:45] Lindsey Dinneen: Sounds good. Thank you and take care.

[00:34:49] Dan Purvis: The Leading Difference is brought to you by Velentium Medical. Velentium Medical is a full service CDMO, serving medtech clients worldwide to securely design, manufacture, and test class two and class three medical devices. Velentium Medical's four units include research and development-- pairing electronic and mechanical design, embedded firmware, mobile app development, and cloud systems with the human factor studies and systems engineering necessary to streamline medical device regulatory approval; contract manufacturing-- building medical products at the prototype, clinical, and commercial levels in the US, as well as in low cost regions in 1345 certified and FDA registered Class VII clean rooms; cybersecurity-- generating the 12 cybersecurity design artifacts required for FDA submission; and automated test systems, assuring that every device produced is exactly the same as the device that was approved. Visit VelentiumMedical.com to explore how we can work together to change lives for a better world.