Driving Impact with Hutton Construction CEO Ben Hutton
In this edition of Driving Impact, Fervor CEO Mike Farag is joined by Ben Hutton, the CEO of Hutton Construction. Ben shares his journey to becoming CEO of his family business in Wichita, Kansas and the significant role that the Wichita community plays in his work and how he fosters that. He also shares how his faith plays out in his workplace and the intersection of passion, opportunities and capabilities.
Part One
Ben shares about why it was important to step away from his family business for a few years in order to come back and find success. He spent a few years working in Colorado Springs after graduating from K-State, then returned to Wichita.
“It’s something I recommend to every family business,” Ben said. “It gave me the chance to build my confidence and my capabilities outside of the family umbrella, so when I came back I knew that I could be successful. It also helped me build credibility with my team.”
Part Two
Ben and Mike talk about community and the importance of valuing those you work for, and with. Ben breaks down how much time his employees spend at work, how his company works to build life into their own employees and how it pours out into the community.
Part Three
Ben shares about the tactical approach to building a business and how it overlaps with his personal life. He and Mike also touch on Ben’s involvement with the Global Leadership Summit.
“I see business as this incredible platform to change and support good things in our community,” Ben said. “I have a ton of leverage inside of our community because of the business relationships I’ve been able to build.”
Part Four
Ben discusses how his faith intersects with business and how balancing the two has developed for him over the years. He tells a story of an employee sharing his faith with a coworker and how it created a greater sense of community within the business. He also shares the three things he thinks are crucial to any successful business.
“I think it’s important for business leaders to really understand and learn how to balance this,” Ben said. “When is it important for me to share the reason behind the decisions that we’re making or the values that we have, without feeling preachy? If you can do it in an authentic way [and share] why that’s important to you, it has so much more impact.”
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