Grow Strong Leaders Podcast

Are you working with a coach or have you considered hiring one? There are things you can do to maximize the experience, and my guest Karen Davis has literally written the book on it. In this enlightening conversation, you’ll find out the characteristics of being coachable and how to integrate what you learn into daily practice. After 25 years in leadership roles in business-to-business technology, Karen changed her life by serving and guiding the transformation of others. Since 2007, she’s been coaching, consulting, and facilitating leadership workshops for organizations such as Pfizer, Cisco Systems, Hewlett Packard, and Medtronic, as well as small to medium businesses Today, Karen’s practice focuses on deep one-on-one coaching with high-performing executives, entrepreneurs, and executive coaches who are committed to their success, ready to uncover their hidden potential and make their own unique difference in the world. She’s the co-author of three books; and in her interview, we focused on her latest, How to Get the Most Out of Coaching, A Client’s Guide for Optimizing the Coaching Experience.You’ll discover: The benefits Karen has experienced herself by working with different coaches since 2007The distinction between goal-line and soul-line and how the two work togetherWhat it means to be coachableWhy it’s so critical to have an agreement related to each person’s commitment to the coaching processThe kinds of actions that are important immediately before and after the coaching sessionCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

How does a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry translate into the corporate world of Learning and Development? Dr. Eli Bendet-Taicher brings that experience—and many others—into his role as Head of Global Learning and Development at Wix.com. It turns out that his passion for people and his love for research and experiments are the perfect combination! Eli has more than 21 years of international experience in both technical and educational leadership positions. His career path includes global talent management, human resources, learning & development, coaching, mentorship & leadership, people & performance analytics, product development, data analysis, and storytelling.   As a scientist who believes in data as the driver of the best business decisions, Eli presents a unique approach to Learning and Development that drives organizations to be on top of industry standards in today’s new workplace era.  You’ll discover: Why Eli advocates running L&D like a businessHow Eli gained the trust of the CEO by demonstrating the value L&D contributes to the bottom lineThe power of A/B Testing to determine which learning programs produce the best results.Why Eli’s team created their own set of values and the benefits of doing soWhat Eli looks for when hiring a new person for his teamCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

Imagine if you could aggregate your collective experiences throughout your career into the ideal job. That’s what Dr. Denise Caleb has been able to do in her role as President of the Human Resource Standards Institute℠ (HRSI℠). HRSI is the world’s premier standards and credentialing institute for private and publicly traded organizations. It’s a subsidiary of HR Certification Institute (HRCI), the organization that provides credentials and learning for individual human resources professionals.In her role, Denise gets to mine her deep business and HR experience to advance the goals of HRSI. She’s passionate about having a positive impact on the future of work for HR and D&I professionals by showing how these standards can be leveraged. Before joining HRSI, Denise spent more than 25 years in executive leadership roles for Fortune 500 companies like Ford and Walgreens. She worked in several areas, including Human Resources, business development, DEIB, and marketing. In her career she served on seven different executive teams and four Boards.You’ll discover: The qualities of Denise’s former bosses that she admired and adapted for her own leadership rolesInsights Denise gained from serving on 7 different executive teams and 4 Boards.Why HRSI is a separate entity from HRCI and the purpose it seeks to fulfillThe many benefits organizations gain from going through the HRSI application and certification processHow Denise’s dissertation on African-American women prepared her for the work she does today at HRSICheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

What’s required for a person with technical expertise to develop Emotional Intelligence (EI)? Susan Schwartz provides excellent insights and examples in this interview. As a high tech professional and leader, Susan learned the importance of developing EI in order to work effectively with her team. And now she coaches professionals in technical fields on how to become more effective as leaders of people.Susan Schwartz is a leadership and management coach. For more than 20 years prior to that, she led teams herself and coached professionals to their next career level. Her Expert To Excellence® programs are designed to help knowledge experts in technical fields make sense of intangible leadership concepts and equip them to create amazing, collaborative teams. She uses the EQ-I 2.0 assessment to help them identifySusan is the author of Creating a Greater Whole:  A Project Manager’s Guide to Becoming a Leader. In this excellent book she unlocks the not-so-secret secrets of how aspiring managers can become strong leaders.  She also serves on the Executive Committee of the weekly group, Inclusive Leadership in a Virtual World (ILVW), where she and Meredith first met. If you’re committed to growing as a leader, this is an outstanding group to be a part of.You’ll discover: The one skill that’s at the core of all other leadership skills What technical professionals struggle with most when they transition from individual contributor to leaderWhy Susan emphasizes the importance of Reflective Exercises to learn from your experiencesSuccess stories of clients who’ve raised their emotional intelligence as a result of Susan’s coachingCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

Do you ever get nervous when you need to speak in public, whether your audience is one person or a large group of 100 or 1,000? You’re not alone! Shelley Goldstein and Mark Bossert are experts in helping people calm down and relax. You’ll want to take notes as you listen to the many valuable ideas they share for becoming a confident, compelling speaker.Shelley and Mark are international speaking coaches and the founders of Remarkable Speaking. They’ve trained thousands of people in over 40 countries in a wide variety of industries.  Shelley struggled to memorize scripts, making her incredibly nervous and tongue-tied when she had to present. Mark was terrified to speak up because he was anxiety ridden and lost his confidence from sleepless nights. The two of them met in a public speaking course. The investment and experience mastering those skills became Shelley’s and Mark’s inspiration for developing their own signature transformational methodology to help others overcome their speaking fears.You’ll discover: The benefits of being imperfect and vulnerable when you’re speakingWhat to do if someone in the audience is not engaged in what you’re sayingHow to connect with your breath and your emotions to increase your effectivenessThe distinction between personal and private when deciding what to share with an audienceHow Shelley and Mark use small groups and gamification to help someone gain confidence and get past imposter syndromeCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

Have you ever gone on a Listening Tour? That’s what Hillary Miller did in her first 3 months at Penn State Health in her role as Chief Learning Officer. What she learned in her conversations with hundreds of people allowed her and her team to design programs that were relevant and well received.Hillary has also set up a Learning Council across the organization that enables people in all types of positions to have a voice. You will love the types of questions Hillary shares throughout this conversation that encourage people to speak openly and build strong trust.You’ll discover: The 4 questions Hillary asked each person she met with during your listening tourWhat Hillary has done to build trust and high performance with her own teamThe weekly Development Sessions Hillary and her team have…and how she’s expanding them to other parts of the organizationThe growth she went through to make it easy for her to say “I’m not perfect” and “I made a mistake”Why Hillary is a big believer in humor and laughterCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

Does “lead from the heart” imply touchy-feely or weakness? Not according to Mark C. Crowley, who used this approach successfully throughout his 25 years in the financial services industry, an industry known for being highly competitive. Mark shares the science and research that backs up the value of this approach. Mark is the author of what’s become one of Meredith’s favorite business books ever, Lead from the Heart, and he’s the host of a podcast of the same name. You’ll find out WHY Mark was so successful by leading from the heart in this riveting conversation. You’ll discover: Experiences Mark had early in life that shaped his purpose todayThe science that shows that the heart is more than “a blood pump”What Mark learned about the power of engaging both the minds and heart of others to achieve extraordinary resultsHow “Love Your People” became Mark’s mantraThe 4 Practices of leading from the heart Check out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

How can we reconcile the different (and often conflicting) perspectives that employers and employees have? You’ll get important insights in the lively conversation I had with Tony Carnesi and Brian Gorman. They work closely with both groups, and they share important steps business owners and leaders can take to open the door to understanding and trust.  Tony Carnesi and Brian Gorman are the co-founders of Do-Be Associates. Tony is the consultant who helps business owners and leaders focus on what they need to DO to get what they want from their Business. Brian is a certified Executive Coach, and his focus is how they "Show Up", or who they need to BE. Their combined objective is for the business owners and business leaders to fully realize the vision they have for their success.You’ll discover: What Tony has learned in recent conversations with business owners and executivesThe importance of understanding both employers’ and employees’ perspectivesQuestions business leaders can ask to understand the needs of their employeesHow Judith Glazer’s TRUST model can be applied to building strong relationships in the workplaceThe powerful and effective combination of DOING and BEING to get the best resultsCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

What happens if you refer to new initiatives in scientific terms like “experiment” and “test”? That’s exactly what Mark Kaestner, Ed.D., does at Ball Corporation. You’ll be fascinated to learn how that approach ensures success later, when scaling the program. Mark also explains why continuous feedback is a critical piece of the process. Mark is Vice President of Talent Development, Learning and Development, People Analytics and Transformation at Ball. He has more than twenty years of executive experience in these fields with companies like Coca-Cola and Graphic Packaging. Mark finds it exhilarating to have the opportunity to impact leaders and employees through talent solutions, and you’ll feel his enthusiasm come through in this conversation. You’ll discover: 3 core values that drive behavior and performance at BallWhy Mark uses the words “experimenting” and “testing” with initial implementation of a new program instead of “pilot”How continuous feedback is used by managers coaching employees and by employees giving upward feedbackThe 3 power questions that managers are encouraged to ask employees in their monthly meetingsThe key lessons Mark has learned in his own growth as a leaderCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn

What happens when a major university partners with a huge corporation to offer a program that helps employees earn college degrees? You get University of Memphis (UofM) Global’s LIFE: Learning Inspired by FedEx. Dr. Richard Irwin and Courtney Brafford, both of UofM Global, describe how the two organizations worked together to create a program that requires no out-of-pocket payments by employees and has resulted in high retention rates. Dr. Irwin is the Executive Dean, Academic Innovation and the College of Professional & Liberal Studies, and Courtney is Director of Student Success. They’ve created corporate partnerships that provide employees with opportunities for professional development that translate into college credit.You’ll discover: The need FedEx had that caused them to approach UofM GlobalKey elements of the LIFE program that have led to great results for participantsThe PREP Academy that UofM Global created to ensure participants succeeded with their courseworkBenefits that both FedEx and their employees have experiencedWhy the LIFE program now serves as an excellent recruitment tool for FedExCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn