This episode is brought to you by Mitel. If you’re thinking about how communication impacts leadership and resilience in your own organization, Mitel works with more than 70 million users worldwide across critical industries to keep teams secure and connected. You can check them out at Mitel.com.

Episode recap:

In this Love in Action Podcast episode, I spoke with Mitel CEO Mike Robinson about leading through transformation without resorting to command-and-control. Mike emphasized quickly building trust with employees, customers, and partners during change, and remaining visible through clear communication and steady engagement. We discussed common mistakes new CEOs make, like misreading organizational realities and focusing inward while ignoring market conditions. Mike also stressed the importance of placing the right people in key roles, empowering decision-making, and using data, fairness, and collaboration to enhance culture. His leadership style involves calculated risk-taking, learning from mistakes, and fostering trust to boost employee engagement and customer experience. 

Guest Bio:

Mike Robinson is a telecom and infrastructure veteran with extensive operating experience both as a CEO and CFO, leading business transformations across organic growth initiatives, mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings. He has held numerous leadership roles and served on the boards of technology and telecommunications companies. Mike joined Mitel’s Board of Directors in 2025 and shortly thereafter stepped into the role of CEO. With a strong focus on leadership, team building, effective communication, operational efficiency, and transparency, Mike and his leadership team guide Mitel with a collaborative, results-driven approach; aligning people, strategy, and purpose to drive impactful outcomes for customers and employees. 

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Show Notes

Quotes:

• Leadership works best when people know they matter for more than a paycheck.
• Culture becomes unstoppable when employees go home and tell a neighbor they genuinely like where they work.
• The best strategy fails without the earned right to execute through trusted people and clear communication.
• Customer loyalty is priceless because loyal customers will fight to keep you and look for new ways to grow with you.
• Caring is not a side project; it is the operating system that drives top line, bottom line, and long-term relevance. 

Takeaways:

1. Trust is built fastest through presence, transparency, and listening to employees, customers, and partners before making big moves.
2. Avoiding command and control leadership requires confidence in your people, a healthy capital runway, and data-driven, fair decision-making.
3. A strong culture is less about perks and more about belonging, recognition, development, and being heard.
4. Sustaining industry leadership demands relentless innovation, disciplined focus, and making it easy for others to do business with you.
5. Caring consistently, through small daily actions and genuine relationships, creates the discretionary effort that drives exceptional results. 

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction and Overview of Mitel 

[05:27] Mike Robinson’s Background and Leadership Philosophy 

[08:09] Building Trust and Culture at Mitel 

[20:57] The Role of Culture in Business Outcomes 

[27:20] Sustaining Success and Innovation at Mitel 

[33:14] Personal Leadership Qualities and Practices 

[36:41] Leading with Love in Action 

[39:03] Final Thoughts and Takeaways 

Conclusion:

At the heart of this episode is a simple but radical idea: caring is a business strategy. Mike Robinson shows that when leaders are present, transparent, and genuinely human, people do not just comply, they commit. We see how culture, when rooted in trust and love in action, becomes the engine of innovation, loyalty, and long-term growth. If you want better numbers, you do not start with spreadsheets; you start with how people feel when they walk through the door. Listen in, take notes, and then go lead in a way that proves, inside your own company, that love really does win. 

Links/Resources: 

Mitel – www.Mitel.com  

Mitel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/mitel/  

Mike Robinson on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkrobinson/  

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