Culture Hacks | Colin Ellis | Episode 177
A thriving organizational culture doesn’t have to be the result of years-long transformations or top-down mandates. For leaders navigating fast-changing environments, the ability to influence and enhance culture through small, targeted actions is a game-changer. This episode explores how practical “culture hacks”—simple shifts in meetings, trust-building, failing visibly, team connection, and creativity—can rapidly foster greater […]
Be a Trusted Leader who Drives Results | David Horsager | Episode 176
Trust isn’t something we typically think of as having an economic value. But scratch the surface behind the numbers appearing on any company’s balance sheet and trust — or a lack of it — appears everywhere. When trust increases, so do output, morale, retention, innovation and loyalty. Conversely, a lack of trust is a company’s single biggest expense. At the core, problems are never about leadership, communication, sales, marketing or even finances. Every issue falls under one or more of the “8 Pillars of Trust.” These pillars correspond to eight specific traits that the most trusted leaders, brands and organizations have in common. The good news is that trust can be learned, practiced and profitable — with astonishing results.
Lessons from Leaders in Lockdown | Atholl Duncan | Episode 174
A year ago, business leaders around the world began grappling with the pandemic and its massive impact on the workplace, the economy, and people’s lives. Largely isolated and working from home, top executives were not only forced to quickly figure out how to adapt to keep their company running. They also had time to re-examine […]
THRIVE with High-Performing Culture | Andrew Freedman | Episode 173
Organizational culture is a powerful force that influences everything from employee engagement to business outcomes. For leaders striving to achieve peak performance, cultivating a high performing culture isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s an essential driver of sustainable success. A positive, purposeful culture attracts and retains top talent, energizes teams, and ensures that every member finds meaning […]
Putting Strategy First | Brad Chase | Episode 172
The importance of strategy cannot be understated. You organization is like a ship and its strategy is the rudder. With out the rudder, the ship will sail in circles and ultimately go nowhere. With a steady rudder (strategy) and an experience Captain (you the leader) your ship will get to its destination. Sure there’ll be waves along the way, maybe a detour or two, but that is how you operate to achieve success.
Brad Chase has had a broad and extensive business career. He has advised leaders of businesses of many different sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 firms, and in many different kinds of markets, from mobile and education to enterprises and consumer services. Some of the companies he has worked with include GE, Telstra, VMware, Mozy (a subsidiary of EMC), Blucora, Sonos, Vizrea, and Crisply. He has also held leadership positions on the boards of many companies and nonprofit organizations, including Expedia, Ooyala, DreamBox, Brooks, Boys and Girls Clubs of King County, and The Nature Conservancy. As a public speaker, Brad has spoken about his particular theory on business strategy, Strategy First, to executives at large and small businesses, to incubators, at conferences, and to students at topflight MBA programs. Before consulting, board work, and speaking, Brad spent 14 years at Microsoft finishing his tenure as a Senior Vice President and Executive Officer managing a team of over 4,000. From April 1999 until mid-2002, Brad led MSN.com’s transformation from an unsuccessful internet service to the worldwide traffic and search leader. Under his leadership at MSN, search traffic, revenue, and internal team morale all more than doubled.
Ways to Control Chaos in Your Business | Susan Fennema | Episode 170
Chaos can destroy the best of organizations. It can rifle through them with unprecedented speed and destruction. As leaders, we need to ensure that we eliminate chaos when it occurs. However, it is even more important to ensure that we get ahead and stop the chaos from even starting in the first place.
Susan Fennema is the Chaos Eradicating Officer (CEO) of Beyond the Chaos, a consultancy helping small business owners to simplify their operations and manage their projects so they can grow their businesses and get their lives back. With 30+ years of operations/project management experience in professional service industries, Susan is on a mission to improve American society exponentially. When not making multi-course dinners, she enjoys Texas A&M football games and Blackhawks hockey. She lives and works from her home in McKinney, Texas, with her husband, dog, and cat.
Measure, Execute, WIN | Alex Castro | Episode 169
There’s no lack of good ideas in today’s business world, yet 50% of them are doomed to failure. Executives will often greenlight a strategic initiative based on a business case and financial analyses alone, with no idea whether their company has the ability to execute it successfully. But there’s a better way to make corporate […]
Leading Real Change | Jen Thornton | Episode 168
Change is hard for any organization. People are often adverse to change as they are comfortable in the ways which they live and work. However, in order to remain relevant and competitive in today’s world, change is essential. Therefore, as leaders it’s crucial that we lead the changes in our organizations the right way.
Lead a Quantum Lean Organization | Michael Sanders | Episode 167
Employees have lots of reasons to resist change, from apathy to fear. However, many employers miss the biggest reason their workforce might balk at change: Not all ideas for change are good and productive! 2020 is the year that no one saw coming, rife with business challenges from the pandemic, fires, political unrest, and more. America’s vulnerability to overseas suppliers is a strong argument for manufacturing to return to the United States. However, this will present significant challenges, as American companies try to attain the level of productivity of countries such as, for example, Japan, which has learned to streamline production into smaller footprints. Change is necessary if American manufacturing is to succeed.
How to Lead Through Negotiations and Conflict Resolutions | Kwame Christian | Episode 166
Negotiation and conflict resolution are often looked at as the difficult conversations and actions which leaders need to take. These are often uncomfortable conversations to have with our coworkers and subordinates; however, they are absolutely essential in order to ensure that our organization is an effective one. Therefore, we need to get past the uncomfortness […]