Navigated to The Truth About Leading When No One’s Watching with Mickey Seelye

The Truth About Leading When No One’s Watching with Mickey Seelye

October 14
32 mins

View Transcript

Episode Description

In this moving conversation on TimTalks, Tim Cox sits down with Mickey Seelye, President & CEO of Seelye Auto Group in Kalamazoo, Michigan—a third-generation dealer whose leadership begins and ends with faith.


Mickey shares how he rebuilt his family business from the inside out: valuing people over profit, choosing culture over convenience, and insisting that his faith be part of every decision he makes. This is a story about courage, conviction, and the quiet power of consistency—the kind of leadership that transforms both workplaces and lives.


00:00 – The Seelye legacy and the roots of a family-run dealership.

02:15 – Growing up in the showroom and learning every job in the building.

04:03 – “There’s no way I could do it without them.” Mickey on valuing his team.

05:34 – Meeting Stan—the faith-filled friendship that changed everything.

07:12 – The promise to lead differently, even when others said it couldn’t be done.

11:02 – When Forbes called—and why Mickey refused to leave faith out of the story.

13:18 – “If He’s first in my life, that means He’s first in business.”

17:40 – Consistency: the hidden ingredient in great leadership.

20:13 – “We hire for attitude, then train for skill.” Culture before talent.

25:01 – Starting with people—how to rebuild a broken culture from the ground up.

28:19 – Grace, hope, and leading a life that points back to purpose.


Connect with Mickey Seelye: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeyseelye/


Connect with Tim Cox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-cox-29065a7/

Listen to more episodes of TimTalks: https://www.carnow.com/timtalks/

See all episodes

Never lose your place, on any device

Create a free account to sync, back up, and get personal recommendations.