Leadership and Business

Thanks to technology, globalization, and demographics, just about every business today is undergoing some level of transformation. One industry experiencing considerable change is television. Viewers watch what they want, when they want, and how they want, and as a result television networks and outlets are constantly on the lookout for new ways to connect with their audience. Cindy Davis is the Executive Vice President, Consumer Experience for Disney ABC Television, and joins us today to discuss the changing landscape of television, and how Disney ABC is working to create an experience where the company, the advertisers, and the viewers all win. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

John Hewitt is one of the most successful leaders in the tax profession. He founded three top tax preparation firms, including Jackson Hewitt, and more recently Liberty Tax. After leaving H&R Block years ago, Hewitt pioneered the development of decision tree tax preparation software which revolutionized the tax business. Hewitt joins us today to discuss advice found in his new book "iCompete," including: Leadership, building culture, and exceeding customers' expectations. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Few people in the technology space have had careers as interesting and successful as Robbie Bach. In 1988, Bach joined Microsoft, where be began a 22-year tenure there; first in Marketing, then in Management, and then in Leadership. In 1999 he became Chief Xbox Officer, leading the team from its startup phase to the launch of Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, changing the gaming industry. In 2015 Bach wrote his book "Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal," and joins us today to discuss his experience with Xbox, the lessons learned there, and his strategic framework that organizations and individuals can adopt to succeed. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Never before have we seen such a time of disruption and innovation throughout all fields of business. Companies, organization, and leaders must be forward thinking just to survive. Over the last decade, some of the world's leading companies have embraced "design thinking," leading to groundbreaking new products and services. Today, William and Mary business professor Michael Luchs joins us to discuss design thinking, the framework behind it, and how you and your organization can embrace it to succeed moving forward. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Huntington Ingalls is America's largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of manufacturing, engineering, and management services to the nuclear energy, oil, and gas markets. For more than a century, Huntington Ingalls has built more ships in more classes than any other U.S. Naval shipbuilder. Before taking the lead in 2011, President and CEO Mike Petters was President of Northrop Grumman shipbuilding. Petters earned his bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.B.A. from William and Mary, and he re-joins us today to discuss how professionals, and especially service members, can successfully make the transition from service life to civilian life. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

One of the toughest leadership challenges is being at the helm of a big institution. Whether civic or private, bureaucracies often move at a snail's pace, and it takes a special leader with special qualities to drive change and improvement. Former Director of the CIA and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says large companies can be transformed, and explains how in his book "A Passion for Leadership." Dr. Gates joins us today to share his advice on successful leadership. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Back in the day, colleges and universities focused most of their efforts on classroom education, leaving the job and career search to the student. Times have changed, and schools like William & Mary invest greatly in career development. Kathleen Powell is Associate Vice President of Career Development and works with students on all facets of career counseling, placement, and coaching. She joins us today to discuss how a partnership between the student and the career development team can lead to a great job and career. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Soft skills. Emotional intelligence. The willingness to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Companies everywhere are seeking employees and leaders who possess these qualities. Organizations are using multiple methods and approaches to teach a set of skills that improve communication, creativity and teamwork. For a number of organizations and professionals, improvisation training has become a popular method. Joyful Simpson is a California-based actor who teaches improv to businesses and professionals and joins us today to discuss what improv is, and what it can do for professionals and their teams. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

In addition to being the number one chainsaw manufacturer in the world, STIHL produces other top quality outdoor power tools like blowers, trimmers, and edgers. The company is unique in that it does not sell its products through big box stores, but rather only through dealers who sell and service STIHL products to their very loyal customer base. Nick Jiannas is Vice President for Sales and Marketing at STIHL, and joins us today to discuss the effects company culture has had on STIHL, its products, and customers. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

The start of a new year - a time when many professionals set new goals - and for many, one of those goals includes catching up on their reading. If finding the right book for 2017 is on your list, today's show is for you. We spoke with Faculty and Staff here at William & Mary's Raymond A. Mason School of Business and asked them to share a recommendation regarding a book that professionals will find useful and entertaining in the year ahead. Learn how the William and Mary Center for Corporate Education can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.