Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future

S8-Ep36: Facing Uncertainty: It’s VUCA

Featured Guest: Chris Nolan
One look at the headlines on any given day makes it clear: the world is UNclear. How can an organization navigate through the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity to survive – much less succeed? By understanding VUCA, a concept developed by the Pentagon in 1987 to give our military an edge in chaos. Filmmaker Chris Nolan joins Maureen Metcalf to share how this military technique directly applies to businesses and non-profits – information drawn from his new documentary and book: It’s VUCA! 
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on Twitter: @IL_Institute.

S8-Ep42: Curing Corporate Short-Termism - with Gregory Milano

Featured Guest: Gregory Milano
A leader’s lust for short-term profit often means pulling tomorrow’s results into today’s reports. Those intentions may be well-meaning, intending to please shareholders and the board. But they can result in bankrupting the future. After all, if you’re crediting next quarter’s returns into this quarter, how will you make next quarter look as appealing? It’s unsustainable.
In his new book, Curing Corporate Short-Termism, Gregory Milano guides senior managers who want to encourage more investment in the future of their companies. Many corporate practices are counterproductive, creating stiff headwinds for managers trying to grow their business. The solution: a culture of ownership. When you see yourself as the owner of the company, your decisions change; the long-term becomes more important.
Gregory discusses the dangers of short-termism and the tools to overcome it with host Maureen Metcalf – and how these principles produce long-term value that benefits not just the organization's shareholders, but all of its many stakeholders…including society at large.
Other episodes you'll enjoy:
Do No Harm: Ethics for Leaders with Terri O’Fallon
Facing Uncertainty: It’s VUCA with Christopher Nolan
Expecting the Unexpected: VUCA in Action at Red Roof with George Limbert
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovativeleadershipinsitute/ . We're on Mastodon, Facebook, and Twitter, too!  
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RESOURCES:  
Learn more about Greg's company at fortuna-advisors.com .
You can purchase his book, Curing Corporate Short-Termism at https://amzn.to/3WRIQpj .
Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can follow her there at https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenmetcalf/ .
She’s also written several award-winning books on leadership development. Your can peruse and purchase them here: https://amzn.to/3C4eSX0 .
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OUR PODCAST TEAM:  
Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf
Editor & Producer: Dan Mushalko
Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko
Podbean Guru: Luigi Morelli
CONNECT WITH US:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Innovativeleadership
YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership
Twitter: @IL_Institute
Mastodon: @InnoLeader
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovativeleadershipinsitute/
Website: InnovativeLeadership.com
Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!
 

S8-Ep40: The Power of Praise: Making People’s Performance Positive

Featured Guest: Ben Marcovitz
Most often, when employees are labeled as underperforming, leaders write them off. When such an employee inevitably leaves (or is forced out), you’re potentially giving your competition top talent…because with the right approach, those employees can become motivated high-performers. Ben Marcovitz, CEO of the Rise Institute, believes expecting radical growth from struggling staff should be the norm. It’s far less costly than staff churn and training, and can reveal untapped potential. From the classroom to the corporation, Ben has seen this work consistently in practice. He shares the details with host Maureen Metcalf. Join us, and radically grow your in-house pool of talent!
 
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on Twitter:  @IL_Institute .

S8-Ep25: 4 Communication Skills Every Leader Needs

Featured Guest: Jonathan Reitz
Communication is key to effective leadership.  You may have the best vision in the history of humankind – but if you can’t communicate it to others, you’ll never come close to achieving your goals.
Good leaders know this; that’s why Googling leadership communication skills results in literally billions of results! Sorting through those hits could take a lifetime. Fortunately, Jonathan Reitz has spent his life in professional communications, and he’s distilled it down to the four most essential communication skills every good leader needs. They’re not what you’d expect.
Jonathan joins host Maureen Metcalf in this episode to share those four skills. He’s ready to communicate them to you now!

S8-Ep35: Employees: Empowered!

Featured Guest: Rod Lacey
simPRO’s approach to the Great Resignation is simple: empower employees.  And learning how to direct that empowerment is simple, too:  listen to staff.  Employees will tell you what they need, and want!  This employee empowerment prepares simPRo for the future of work. In this episode, simPRO’s Chief People Operations Officer, Rod Lacey, shares insights into how the employer/employee relationship has evolved; what that means for company culture and leadership strategy; how decisions are shaped by employee listening strategies; and how this all manifests as in the employee value proposition.  You’ll learn that, for simPRO, simple solutions mean success!
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on Twitter:  @IL_Institute .

S8-Ep39: Integrating Integrative Medicine in Leadership

Featured Guest: Dr. Maryanna Klatt
It’s no secret that the well-being of your workforce directly affects the well-being of your entire organization. Prior to the pandemic, most corporate wellness programs focused on physical fitness.  The stresses of COVID quarantining, though, showed that mental health is every bit as important.
Integrative medicine ties both physical and mental health together, revealing many ways in which they influence each other. In this episode, Dr. Maryanna Klatt discusses the role of integrative medicine, how it affects our well-being, and why this is so important for leaders. Her own research focuses on mindfulness, but the Center works with and researches acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine, yoga, massage, and more.
There’s a clear ROI for leaders: reducing stress and burnout is a mighty tool in keeping the Great Resignation away!
 
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on Twitter:  @IL_Institute .

S8-Ep22: The Next Rules of Work

Featured Guest: Gary Bolles
Work isn’t what it used to be.
Even before COVID and the Great Resignation, a seismic shift began shaking in the workplace:  not just how we work, but why we work.  Prior generations worked mainly for money; today’s younger generations work mainly for mission (and hope the pay will follow).
How can a leader lead a workforce that’s so varied in why, where, and how they work?  First, understand – and help forge – the new rules of work.  Second, adapt your “sets”:  mindset, skillset, and toolset.
That’s simply stated, but not always easy to do. Gary Bolles, author of the new book, The Next Rules of Work, joins host Maureen Metcalf to uncover the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the workplaces succeeding in this new world…and the mindset that will help you embrace them for your own team.

S8-Ep34: How to Own the AI Revolution - with Neil Sahota

Featured Guest: Neil Sahota
Many people fear the Artificial Intelligence revolution that’s underway.  But like every other major societal revolution in human history, you can play it to your favor.  The key?  Innovative thinking.  In reality, these upheavals create newer, better jobs for people – though, from the sabot to the Luddite, people who don’t think differently, innovatively, even disruptively miss the opportunities these advancements create.  IBM Master Inventor Neil Sahota joins host Maureen Metcalf to detail the key strategies for thriving through the AI revolution.
Other episodes you'll enjoy:  
- The Future Is Yours to Create with Rebecca Ryan
- Uncharted: How to Map the Future Together with Margaret Heffernan
- Stewarding the Future of the Planet: Views from the Boardroom with Helle Bank Jorgensen
 
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovativeleadershipinsitute. We're on Mastodon, Facebook, and Twitter, too!  
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RESOURCES:  
Neil's book, Own the A.I. Revolution: Unlock Your Artificial Intelligence Strategy to Disrupt Your Competition, can be purchased here.
Learn more about Neil on his website at NeilSahota.com.
Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can follow her there at https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenmetcalf.
She’s also written several award-winning books on leadership development. You can peruse and purchase them here.
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OUR PODCAST TEAM:  
Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf
Editor & Producer: Dan Mushalko
Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko
Podbean Guru: Luigi Morelli (This is his favorite interview from 2022!)
CONNECT WITH US:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Innovativeleadership
YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership
Twitter: @IL_Institute
Mastodon: @InnoLeader
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovativeleadershipinsitute/
Website: InnovativeLeadership.com
Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!
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About Our Guest:  
Neil Sahota (萨冠军) is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisor, author of the best-seller Own the AI Revolution, and a sought-after speaker. With 20+ years of business experience, he works to inspire clients and business partners to foster innovation and develop next generation products/solutions powered by AI.

S8-Ep1: Do It on Purpose

Featured Guest: Nell Derick Debevoise
If you don’t know your own purpose, can you really get behind your organization’s purpose?
Nell Derick Debevoise found that a critical component of success is knowing how your personal purpose intersects with your organization’s purpose.  That holds true for the individual members of your team, too:  if you understand what their personal or professional purpose has in common with the company’s purpose, you’ll foster a happier and more productive team.
With purpose in mind, you can then look at decisions through the Me/We/World dimensions: how does this affect me and the individual members of my team; how does this affect my organization; and how will it affect the world?
Nell draws from her years of experience in both the non-profit and private sectors to reveal the commonalities of good, purpose-driven leadership in both, highlighting the techniques within her new book, Going First: Find the Courage to Lead Purposefully and Inspire Action.

S7-Ep44: Reimagining American Identity

Featured Guests: Amiel Handelsman and Jewel Kinch-Thomas
America’s racial reckoning is underway, yet continues to be hotly debated. One novel approach comes from leadership consultants Amiel Handelsman and Jewel Kinch-Thomas: frame it as a hero’s or heroine’s journey. The answer is surprising, simple – and makes a great deal of sense in fostering reckoning…then reconciliation. 
The same core principles also apply to leadership, particularly when combined to the fundamental leadership style required by musicians when performing jazz:  the music simply couldn't be performed without a leader who knows how to forge a team, yet preserve the unique perspectives and talents of each member of the team.

S7-Ep50: Looking at Labor Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: the International Labor Organization

Featured Guests: Kevin Cassidy & Christopher Washington 
Formed in the aftermath of World War I, the International Labour Organization has evolved along with the workforce as part of the League of Nations and the United Nations. The ILO studies the environment for workers from a tripartite perspective:  from labor itself, from business, and from government. All three are necessary to create optimal conditions for workers – but for women, minorities, and citizens of developing nations, conditions are far from optimal.
Kevin Cassidy, Director for the ILO Office for the United States and Canada, has a uniquely comprehensive view on both the issues and solutions for labor today…as well as glimpses of how artificial intelligence and new tech will affect labor tomorrow. It’s not what you think; CEOs and CFOs, for example, are in the group most easily replaced by AI. Kevin and Franklin University Provost Christopher Washington join host Maureen Metcalf in this wide-ranging discussion of labor’s past, present, and future.

S7-Ep51: Red Roof: Revisioning the Future

Featured Guest: George Limbert
Helping nurses and doctors during the pandemic. Assisting first responders as towns recover from natural disasters. Joining the fight against human trafficking.
Red Roof’s evolution as a corporation is more than just another branding story. New president George Limbert firmly believes leaders must guide their organizations into always doing what is right: for customers, of course, but also for employees…and communities. As a new president, we plan on following George quarterly to better learn his vision, observe his evolution and growth as a leader, and study how he incorporates his principles into day-to-day operations. Join us for this first introductory episode as George discusses his history, and the steps he’s already taken in the midst of 2021’s radical viral, social, and economic changes.