The Leadership Podcast

Martin O'Neill, is the Senior Executive for Engine Technology at GE Transportation. Martin joins Jim and Jan in a discussion about innovation and leadership, and how they're connected and intertwined. Listen in to learn more about how Martin balances the divergence of structure and organization with experimentation and expansion. Key Takeaways [6:12] When you are working with large scale industrial product development, there is typically a type of mindset that has been around for years that has little to do with leadership. Martin and his team have shifted to different practices to pursue an innovation agenda. [13:56] Martin manages the collaboration of others all around the globe. He overcomes challenges of different time zones and work times by clearly laying out what is expected and when for every member. Structure is also very important, and they have operating reviews on a strict and consistent schedule. He spends time up front explaining clearly what is expected. [20:56] Not only is Martin dealing with the different cultures due to geographic span, but the culture within the engineers is something he makes sure is structured and organized. [28:36] Martin really drives home the point of self informing and continuous learning to the new engineers. [32:52] Martin is not afraid to celebrate the failures of projects they need to kill and views it as a learning lesson and way to veer off stagnation. [35:53] The rally call should always be on customer outcome, customer value and business value proposition. [36:24] Engineers used to be much more autonomous, but now there is a shift away from traditional thinking and a move towards horizontal work and collaboration. Website: www.getransportation.com LinkedIn: GE Transportation Twitter: @GETRANSPORT Facebook: GE TRANSPORTATION Quotable Quotes "You have to be bold." "A little bit of personality goes a long way." "Allow people some self governance and a way to correct themself." Correct Thyself "Kill the stuff that isn't so important." "You have duty as a leader to fish out what's really not adding value and put it down publicly, humanely and move on." "True innovations come from when you start to work horizontally." Bio Martin O'Neill has worked in transportation, aviation, marine propulsion and energy segments for over 20 years; most recently with General Electric. Martin has worked in transportation, aviation, marine propulsion and energy segments for over 20 years; most recently with General Electric. Trained originally as an aeronautical engineer & program manager in the UK, he has worked in global product and technology leadership roles with nuclear, gas turbines, diesel engines & controls systems. In his current role as Senior Executive – Engine Technology at GE Transportation he leads a team of product managers, engineers & technologists to develop & sustain diesel engine platforms in rail & marine markets. Martin enjoys working with creative people to bring solutions to customers through applied technology & business operations – increasingly through the marriage of digital, data, software & engineering methods. He values cultural & thought diversity together with engaging debate, has been resident in Chicago since 2013 with his wife and two children, and is keen to engage with the Chicago business & scientific community.

Zack Baddorf, award-winning journalist and filmmaker, joins The Leadership Podcast to discuss what he has learned while documenting what it is to be human in more than 30 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the West Bank, and Kashmir, as well as rebel-held territory in Sri Lanka and Burma. Zack has been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters, CBS, ABC, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. His videos on social media alone have more than 30 million views. Key Takeaways [3:47] Zack has worked in over 70 countries. His big takeaway is that around the world, we're not very different from one another. He tries not to judge people, even people who make bad choices. [5:12] Zack shares an experience he had of demonstrating a drone to starving children in the Central African Republic. In the midst of terrible conditions, they found joy and happiness in the good in their lives. [22:23] Zack is a proponent of the UN's Universal Human Rights: education, food, security, and more. It's a work in progress. He also believes in the Western World's responsibility to protect people from violations of human rights. [28:53] For troubled countries, leadership for change comes down to trust. You can't come into a situation quickly and expect to be effective. Zach gives examples of working with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and with community religious leaders in the Central African Republic. Trust is built over time. [33:54] Zach's curiosity is driven by his desire to know how things work and what is going on in the world. He wants to get all the angles to a story, being objective while acknowledging our biases. Facebook: ZackBaddorf Website: Baddorf.com Quotable Quotes We're not very different from one another. I try not to judge It's going to be the youth who take the country forward Good journalists recognize their own bias You have to know all the different angles of a story. Zack Baddorf Bio I'm a journalist and filmmaker with more than 15 years of experience producing award-winning stories from more than 30 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the West Bank, and Kashmir, as well as rebel-held territory in Sri Lanka and Burma. My work has been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters, AP, The Guardian, CBS, ABC, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, VICE, RYOT, Al Jazeera English, and other publications in video, radio, photo, and print formats. My videos on social media alone have more than 30 million views. While based in the Central African Republic, I broke the news of the American military ending its mission against the Lord's Resistance Army. My in-depth reporting on the Syrian town of Moadamiyah contributed to humanitarian access being granted to besieged people there. Weeks before Russian troops invaded Crimea, my reporting from the peninsula highlighted its political importance in the conflict. I work as a video producer for the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism, crafting anti-ISIS videos. For a year in Afghanistan, I worked on rural, remote bases for the U.S. Special Operations Command as a civilian videographer, alongside Green Berets, Navy SEALs and Afghan security forces. I have also worked as an adjunct professor at New York University and New York Film Academy, teaching public relations and broadcast journalism. I've got a master of fine arts degree in documentary studies, a master of arts degree in international relations, another master's in public relations and a bachelor's in journalism.

Chris Warner guided the first reality show on Everest and safely led his team to the summit of K2, the world's most deadly mountain. He's also an author, filmmaker, and Chairman of Earth Treks. In this episode, Chris shares his perspective on psychological safety, and how that support is needed for teams to reach their summits.Key Takeaways [3:12] When leaders meet the six psychological needs of their team members, they help good people become better and great people stay functional. The six needs are respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, and meaning. [5:45] Chris suggests using a spreadsheet to grade yourself weekly on meeting these needs for your employees. When you consciously and consistently see that these needs are met, you can have a true impact on success and build a high-performance team. Deliver on people's psychological needs so they can be the best version of themselves. [7:27] Build your organization around excellent people — the A players. Anyone who is draining the energy and bringing petty dramas to work, need to go. Chris tells managers to blame themselves first if they have to fire someone. Are they contributing to dysfunctionality? Gallup shows that only 18% of managers are high-functioning, so 82% of managers are mediocre or dysfunctional. [10:33] Chris talks about climbing the north ridge of Everest, around or over eight dead climbers frozen in place. He has guided three climbs on that ascent. The top four reasons to die on the summit are from human error. This is also the case in business. If you can see the dangers before they compound upon each other, you can save yourselves. It's usually the third mistake that kills you. [16:58] Chris discusses merging teams and integrating them. Merging is contractual and integration is cultural. He talks about merging Planet Granite and Earth Treks and merging the teams and culture. The Gartner Hype Cycle describes the process of merging teams. Be sure to frame expectations and minimize the hype slope, so the disillusionment trough is not too deep. Use small increments. [23:37] Not every day is summit day, but you can still enjoy the view and the camaraderie. Chris suggests framing your own expectations about what reward means and how often it's going to come. [24:03] Assembling a team requires four elements. Four key issues are passion (the right emotional balance — no cynics), vision (looking forward and communicating objectives), partnership (trust and caring), and perseverance (working smart and hard, including the use of after-action reviews). The three drivers of results are tools, techniques, and behaviors, with behaviors being the most important. [28:44] 'Jerks' get great individual results but do not exhibit behaviors aligned with organizational values. The sooner they are removed from the team, the better results the team will get. 87% of people on teams with a jerk want to change jobs. 93% of people on teams with a jerk report a loss of performance. 73% of managers don't feel comfortable dealing with jerks. Chris has a rule of threes for firing. If you've spent more than 3 hours complaining about someone, or three people have complained about that person, they need to go. [34:37] Chris has a romantic view of how the world is supposed to work. He reads biographies of the explorers and people who have large overcome real-life situations. Then he goes into real-life adventures, to practice what he reads. Chris climbed his first mountain at 17 and has never stopped. [41:37] Chris talks about awareness. He cites Richard Barrett' Seven Levels of Consciousness model. Chris suggests taking the Barrett online core values test. Barrett merged core values with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The pinnacle is serving others. Selflessness creates success. Core values and mission create high levels of success. Website: ChrisBWarner.com Quotable Quotes "There are six psychological needs that everybody has as a member of a team." Deliver on people's psychological needs so they can be the best version of themselves. Consider as a leader of a fired team member, did you cause that person to be dysfunctional? "Only 18% of managers are … high-functioning." "If we understand that there are dangers out there and if we can see the dangers before they balloon, … then we can save ourselves." It's generally the third mistake that kills you. "Yes, you absolutely are allowed to pout." "You have to come out of that experience being a better version of yourself, otherwise you've wasted your time." "I definitely have cured my perfectionism through this process." "Really make it easy for people to attempt things and if they're unsuccessful at it, you know it's not the end of the world." There's nothing as contagious as emotions. Positive, happy people infect other people with happiness. If we're negative and cynical, we're going to make other people negative and they're not going to perform at their highest level. "There is a success every day. There's … an achievement to recognize people for, constantly." "Not every day is summit day. But you're still going to enjoy the view; you're still going to enjoy the camaraderie." "It's unclear objectives that actually cause teams to fail." Teams that discuss their experiences in an after-action review do 25% better. "We came up with a rule called The Rule of Threes: If three or more people spend three or more hours talking about somebody, they have to be fired." "It's important to read business books but it's more important to read books about people who have overcome real-life situations." "I'm extremely proud of having built a great company. That summit has been reached; it can never be taken away from me." "There's one thing that you learn as a guide is how to serve others." "You have to change your behaviors to reach the summit. What got me here is not going to get me there." Don't reach the peak and miss the point. Bio Chris Warner has spent the last 30 years helping teams reach their summit. Chris is a business leader dealing with the day-to-day challenges of growing a company in a challenging economy. His team of 700 employees, spread over multiple locations, will serve about 2,500,000 customers this year. Chris taught leadership at the Wharton School of Business and to CEO groups, executives at Fortune 100 Companies and to covert and special operations teams in the U.S. Intelligence and Defense Agencies. He specializes in teams that face challenges in which failure is not an option. His clients range from the NFL and NHL to Google to the National Counter Terrorism Task Force. Chris is also an author and an Emmy Nominated Filmmaker. He starred in television programs on ABC, NBC, and the History Channel. Chris is one of America's most successful mountaineers. He has led over 200 international expeditions. He guided the first reality show on Everest and safely led his team to the summit of K2, the world's most deadly mountain. Books mentioned in this episode Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink High Altitude Leadership: What the World's Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success, by Chris Warner and‎ Don Schmincke Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose, by Rajendra Sisodia,‎ David Wolfe,‎ and Jagdish N. Sheth Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, by Jim Collins

Dede Devine, Native American Connections President and CEO, talks with Jim and Jan about her organization's mission as a sustainable resource for recovery, housing, employment, wellness, and traditional healing for the Native American people of Phoenix. Key Takeaways [1:52] Dede outlines the mission of Native American Connections (NAC) as a grass-roots-style nonprofit, serving Native American individuals in the Phoenix Arizona area move toward health and wellness. [3:04] The 180 employees of NAC are engaged and committed because of the difference NAC makes in people's lives. It's life-changing and life-saving. Dede has seen many changes in processes over 40 years, while the mission remains the same.[5:19] In the 1970s, Native American people came to Phoenix from the reservation areas looking for work. Nonprofits, such as NAC, formed to serve them. NAC was founded to help them with addiction issues, housing, and jobs, and to encourage wellness in a healthy Native community. [14:33] Dede is most proud of the unchanging mission of NAC over the years. NAC provides recovery services in a safe living environment, connecting people to jobs, and creating a healthy community. She is really proud that they didn't have mission creep, chase grants, or do marketing. NAC is promoted through their work. To have a sustainable service organization you need a sustainable business model. [18:48] Dede and the NAC campaigned for, organized, and developed the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center commemorating the Federal Indian boarding school that operated in Phoenix from 1891 to 1990. The school played a major role in the tribes of the Southwest. Now its story is preserved. [25:26] Native American tribes are sovereign nations. Tribal leaders have authority and responsibility for their nations equivalent to that of the U.S. President for America. Tribal leaders focus on economic development in the context of the needs of the whole community. Dede and NAC look at the whole person's needs and the whole community's needs — how the history and culture impact the individual. [30:57] There are over 540 Federally-recognized tribes. They each have their own culture, language, and resources. They share a connection to the land and a commitment to their homeland. They are grounded by their community, even as they move around the U.S. [34:08] We're all in relationship with each other. We have interconnectedness. People step up and lead at different times. Think of it as a circle. In the community, you give when you're healthy and when you're in need, others give to you. When you're connected, it's not about ego, or who's in charge. There is an integrity that you will help, reach out, and step up in the community. It's reciprocity. Twitter: @NAC_Phoenix Facebook: Native American Connections YouTube: Native American Connections LinkedIn: Native American Connections Website: Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center Quotable Quotes "It's life-changing. It's life-saving. The mission is the same — the way we care about people." "We recognize [in] people — regardless of their past — what their future potential is." "I was highly influenced by those healers, early on." "There were several of those healers that took life very simply. They were committed to the environment … to people's human spirit." "To really have a sustainable service organization you have to have a really sustainable business model." Decisions need to be made in view of their effect on the next seven generations. "[In the Native American communities] 'enough' is about when everybody is interconnected and everybody is taken care of." "I give when I'm healthy, and when I'm in need, other people give to me." Bio Diana "Dede" Yazzie Devine, Native American Connections President/CEO has been working with Native American urban and tribal entities since 1972 and has been the CEO of Native American Connections (NAC) since 1979. NAC is a 501 (c) 3 Native American operated nonprofit corporation that provides comprehensive behavioral health services that integrate Native cultural and traditional healing practices, affordable housing, and community-based economic development opportunities. NAC serves all populations with a targeted mission to serve Native Americans living both in the Phoenix urban area and from tribal communities. NAC has developed, owns and operates over 700 units of affordable housing for working families and permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals. Ms. Devine has an MBA from Arizona State University and holds International and State licenses in substance abuse counseling. In addition, she dedicates her time to local, state and national boards/committees. Ms. Devine's leadership and dedication have been recognized within the community. She has received numerous awards including; Valley Leadership's Woman of the Year; Organization for Nonprofit Executives Director of the Year; YWCA's Business Leader Award; Centennial Legacy Project – Arizona's 48 Most Intriguing Women; Phoenix Business Journal's 25 Most Admired CEOs; Phoenix Community Alliance Center City Starr Award; Arizona Interfaith Movement Golden Rule Award. Books mentioned in this episode Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, by Sebastian Junger

Evan Hafer is the CEO and Founder of Black Rifle Coffee Company, with annual growth of over 750%, and a goal to hire 10,000 veterans. Listen to Evan's ideas on setting priorities, solving business problems, and getting to 'mission accomplished,' in this conversation with Jim and Jan. Key Takeaways [3:38] As Evan developed in business, he put together structures that helped him get to 'mission accomplished.' First came learning from a book, then understanding the wisdom of what he learned, and then applying it through manpower and resources. [16:10] The most important lesson Evan has learned is that if you work long enough and hard enough at something, you're going to make a result. You have to apply more energy than you've ever applied and when you think you don't have anything left, you go further. Quitting is not an option. Failure is not a choice. It doesn't exist. What gets you to success is effective prioritization of work. Triage your time. [19:40] Civilians at Black Rifle help the Special Operations veterans dial back their mission urgency and work tasks into regular schedules and projects. Evan has a goal to hire 10,000 vets. He is working on franchising and corporate stores. He will start with 20 franchises in 2018 and will ramp up to hundreds. [27:06] Evan uses cut-to-the-bone candor when necessary. Business is problem-solving. Evan cuts the fluff and gets directly to the point. He doesn't hide who he is to appeal to people that do not support veterans or the Second Amendment. He would rather people see him up front and buy his products in authenticity. [32:01] Evan explains some of the effects of war on military personnel. An introspective veteran becomes a warrior philosopher based on their experiences. He is grateful every day to be here with his family when some of his friends are no longer here. [33:48] Evan reflects on how service and combat reshape character. He urges people who have deployed to use that experience in the greatest way they can, and grow from it. You have to decide to fight and win. That's the first step. Embrace the positive and flush the negative. [38:27] Define your success criteria before moving into a specific objective. You might not achieve the exact results; that doesn't mean you have failed. There's always another solution to the problem. If you quit, you have chosen to fail. Facebook: Black Rifle Coffee Company Check the More tab to look at opening a franchise. Instagram: @BlackRifleCoffee Instagram: @EvanHafer Twitter: @BlckRifleCoffee YouTube: Black Rifle Coffee Website: BlackRifleCoffee.com Quotable Quotes "I always tell people I was an OK Green Beret and I'm trying to be a good businessman but I pride myself on being a great father." "I'm not going to be remembered for my coffee. I'm going to be remembered by my children for being a halfway decent guy." "You can't control everything that people write about you and you can't control people when they take creative latitude." "The single most effective gift the military gave me, they gave to me when I was 18 years old and that was confidence." "They instilled the dumb idea that you can accomplish anything with the correct amount of energy and the right team." "You start to really refine — what does that mean, to have mission accomplished? Then you start putting structure behind that." "When I left the military I wrote … my mission objective … to emancipate myself from government service and to become successful." "My work, my job, my company of Black Rifle Coffee is quite literally just my value proposition to my family." "Nobody controls my destiny but me." Evan prizes spending more time with his family to be a better father and husband. "War will humble you. Regardless of what mission you've had … or how … you've been trained … Everybody is equal in a gunfight." "This is a customer service issue. We're not going to lose life, limb, or eyesight. We can take care of these customers, make it right, and we'll move forward." "We're not fighting Al Qaeda, anymore, guys! Dial it back a little bit. Everybody doesn't need to be a Tier 1 Operator." "As soon as I pass the threshold into my home, it's all about family, and I just try to focus completely all my attention, … on my family.""if you work long enough, hard enough, at something, you're going to make a result." "[Profit can be,] how much will this give me as far as individual freedom, down the road, or a profit back into my account?" "If you're [prioritizing] on a regular basis, you will be able to spend most of your time working on the things that will pay off in big results." "At any point in time, we could move from coffee company to direct action kinetic operations." "War has been the single most defining thing of my character and my life." "There's not a day that goes by in my life that I'm not thankful for being here and it has re-prioritized my value system." "Embrace the positive and flush the negative. … Every day there's an opportunity to reinvent yourself." "When I say failure, it means that person has quit — quite literally — and that its a choice." Bio In 1995, Evan Hafer was introduced by a friend to great espresso. Intrigued, he began reading and researching the art of coffee roasting, taking classes, and traveling to cities like Portland and Seattle to learn more about the craft. Between deployments to Iraq -- where Evan served with Special Forces and later as a CIA contractor, from 2003 to 2014 -– he brought along the boutique, small-batch coffee he had learned to roast. The gospel of good coffee was spread to his fellow service members; soon, they had converted gun trucks and were grinding coffee every morning. After finishing his military service and returning home, all Evan wanted to do was make coffee. After meeting Mat Best, one of the founders of Article 15 Clothing, Evan started selling his Freedom Roast on their site. Over 500 lbs. were purchased. In December 2014, he pulled the trigger and launched Black Rifle Coffee. The company has experienced exponential growth since opening. Today, they see continued annual growth of over 750%. About one million pounds of coffee are roasted a year. it can be found in over 500 retailers internationally and 65% of employees are veterans.

Laura Love, is the Founder and Chief Cultural Officer of GroundFloor Media, Inc., which has been recognized four times by OUTSIDE magazine as one of the top five Best Places to Work in America (including twice at No. 1). Laura joins Jim and Jan in a discussion about building a startup around a vision of shared values and culture, and shares leadership basics learned over the years that have given her company an attrition rate of 2 percent (the metric). Key Takeaways [2:21] Laura believes that investing time in the hiring process, including informal meetings, helps discover if a candidate will be a good fit. Immediate and thorough onboarding brings a new associate into the culture and teaches them the values. It is essential for associates to feel welcome and wanted. [5:08] Laura wants people to feel that the company is a family that always has each other's back. Extending the family to their clients means getting to know them on a personal level. Feedback to clients comes from a place of integrity and support. [6:30] Laura started GroundFloor Media from her basement, and she wanted to design a company where people were treated like human beings and where people actually wanted to work because it didn't feel like work. [12:58] Laura finds that being personally open and vulnerable with her team allows her team to be open with her when they are going through difficulties. [14:13] Laura hires based on values. She has filled her company with people who embrace the same values and culture so she knows they will make the decisions she would make if she were present. [18:34] People remember the words you speak and the feeling behind them. If a leader is not aligned with the words they speak, people will notice. Be intentional and be aligned with what you say. [26:36] Laura depends on peer groups, and meets quarterly with a forum and checks in with them monthly. She has a 'painful 7:00 a.m. accountability call' each week with a peer, where they share experiences, not advice. Laura offers three reasons to get involved. It can be lonely at the top, so feedback advisors are crucial. You are in this together and learn from each other. Your forum is loyal. [29:57] Laura has one-on-one walking meetings to give associates space to unpack their dreams for her. Then she empowers them to work on that development ideal for four weeks and report back to her. [32:25] Laura puts an emphasis on hiring people who are smart and able to go create and to make decisions. Laura's entrepreneur father taught her to do business on a handshake. Use contracts but business should be based on trust and respect, and with people whose company you want to keep. To make the business world better, deal with people you like and respect. We all work harder because of it. Website: GroundFloorMedia.com LinkedIn: Laura Love Twitter: @LoveGFM Facebook: LoveGFM Quotable Quotes "Culture is like a heartbeat. You can really feel it when you walk into a room of any company that has a strong culture." "We are a family, … we have each others' back, and that extends to our clients, as well. We are part of their family." "I knew that I knew how to do PR. I never imagined owning a company." People who see the silver lining in every situation can learn from bad experiences and apply the good in new circumstances.Unless you are open and vulnerable and allow people to support you in your journey, they will not engage with you when they go through trials. "If you hire correctly and you hire based on values, then it doesn't matter as much that you're not in the room, anymore." Much of leadership is about hiring the right people and creating a culture where it's very intentional but organic. Culture is set from the top but if it's only a mandate from the top and it's not embraced, it will never flourish. People remember the words you speak and the feeling behind them. If a leader is not aligned with the words they speak, people can sense that. Leaders give takeaways. The goal is to have people hear you and create their own takeaway. "Everyone has a chance and a choice. They choose 'in.' And if they choose out of our organization I will support them fully." "If [a development goal] comes from me, it's not going to be as impactful as if it's something they're dreaming." "I hire people much smarter than I am and I get the hell out of their way." "Do business with people you like and respect. We all work harder because of it." "The biggest learning I've had … is so simple, but it's just — be real. People are so comfortable when somebody's real." "It may mean that it looks messy … it may be painting outside the numbers but at least it's your artwork and it's exactly who you are." "I would tell people that are younger and starting out — don't try and be any different than who you are." Put together a list for the year of 52 things you will do that scare you or you have never done before. Bio In 2001, Laura Love decided to take a leap of faith and create a public relations agency that was unlike any she had experienced before. Drawing from a background in journalism and extensive experience in media relations, she launched GroundFloor Media (GFM) out of her basement in Boulder, Colo., with a focus on hiring senior-level talent who both served as strategists and handled tactical execution for clients. Sixteen years later, the peer-to-peer model still stands, and GFM is now an award-winning communications firm focused on public relations and crisis & issues management and staffed by nearly 40 seasoned professionals. In 2016, Laura co-founded GFM's sister agency, CenterTable, offering social media, digital advertising, website design and development, SEO, video production, creative campaigns and content development. GFM has been recognized four times by OUTSIDE magazine as one of the top five Best Places to Work in America (including twice at No. 1). GFM was also named the Best Boutique Agency to Work For in the nation by The Holmes Report, an influential public relations industry newsletter. It was also recognized by the Denver Business Journal as one of the top small companies on its Best Places to Work list for seven years in a row. In 2016, GFM was named a Certified B Corporation® by the global nonprofit B Lab®, which recognizes companies meeting the highest global standards for corporate transparency, accountability, and social and environmental performance. In 2015, Laura created GFM's primary charitable giving arm called The Get Grounded Foundation. The private 501(c)(3) foundation provides one-year community grants for new or expanded, innovative or entrepreneurial programs or projects within an existing, qualified nonprofit that directly support the healthy development of at-risk or neglected youth between the ages of 3 and 13 in the Denver Metro area. Community involvement is not only a passion but a way of life for Laura. Since she launched the agency, Laura has dedicated at least 15 percent of GFM's work to nonprofit clients and pro bono accounts. She serves on numerous boards including Center for Women's Health Research, Downtown Denver Inc., Early Milestones Colorado, Emmanuel Sanders Foundation, Havern School, Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center and Tennyson Center for Children. She is a member of the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and she serves on the Denver Art Museum's marketing & strategic alliance committee. She is also past president of the Colorado chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO). Laura earned a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University. In her spare time, she likes to dabble in real estate investing, is a frustrated interior designer and can't figure out why she is always last on the Peloton leaderboard. Her teenage daughter just got her driver's permit (so she encourages you to please stay off of the road), and her two young sons may have given her a gray hair or two, but they also always keep her laughing. Books mentioned in this episode Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, by Sebastian Junger

Chris Laping, Author, Co-Founder and CEO at People Before Things, LLC, joins Jan and Jim in a discussion about change — why it seems so straightforward but fails so often. The key to change is a culture of empowerment and respect. Chris shares the genesis of the philosophy of People Before Things and how it grew from his leadership roles in IT. His curiosity led him to explore the conditions that prepare people for change and conditions that block change. Change is not a function of a team's attitude but of their preparation and capacity. It is the role of the leader to prepare the team, communicate the why and how to them, and grant them the space to perform the necessary change in a culture of empowerment. Key Takeaways [4:47] Chris explains how he developed the framework for People Before Things. He stepped into IT leadership and found that it was difficult to build organizational buy-in for change. He looked for patterns to explain success or lack of success and he learned that change was not the end user's problem but a leadership opportunity. [5:35] Chris sees two patterns for successful change: first, enable people for change by nurturing conditions that set people up for change, and second, activate people for change by nurturing conditions that inspire engagement and make team members willing accomplices to the change. Someone who is already heavily scheduled won't work on the change if it is not given space. [8:06] Respect, collaboration, trust, and a unified vision are the attributes for project success. Leaders don't always have these in their toolbox. Their toolbox is getting work done, performance, excellence, and continuous improvement. They need to intertwine a culture of empowerment with the tools of getting work done. Chris gauges a company's health by how they tackle tough problems together. [11:01] There is always change in an IT department. It is not the technology that solves problems. Chris has seen many managers become enamored with technology as an end, and not as a means to an end. Finance and HR leaders are especially susceptible to this. Building business capability is the goal. This is people's work, not technology's work. Culture is more critical than technology. [15:43] Initiating technology projects without basing them on the culture sets up failure. Communicating and training on the technology is no substitute for communicating why there is new technology, and how it fits in the mission. [19:27] In the IT world there is often talk about executive sponsors. It should be executive ownership, not just sponsorship. Executives need to emphasize how important this change is in the organization. They need to show up and be involved all the time. They need to be invested in the team and the team's success. Executives and their team together need to be accountable to the same outcome and results. [24:20] Chris's father and other great leaders modeled intellectual curiosity and asking questions. Feedback loops require not just asking for feedback but actually doing something about the feedback. The important thing Chris learned from leaders is that questions led to action about the information. This reinforces the feedback loop. People learn their input will be heard, considered, and used. [27:36] Chris offers two disruptive ideas: first, that change is a leadership opportunity. It's not about team members refusing to change but about leaders enabling change. The heavy lifting is getting your team into position to win. The second idea is that real change happens at the grassroots level. It is important to get a common voice established in the rank and file. They often hold the key to solutions. [29:57] Chris talks about offsite meetings. If your takeaway is a strategy that you will increase sales and improve profitability, you wasted your time. Your team comes to work daily already knowing this. Rather than spending time stating the obvious, get aligned on a common goal and why that goal is important. [32:32] Chris defines strategy as prioritization. Treat resources as precision tools to apply in just the right place. Don't let abundant resources make you complacent. Keep a sharp focus to reinvest in the things that bring the most benefit. Prioritize the two or three things that matter the most. [37:31] Chris's advice for his 10-year-younger version of himself: Be patient. Writing a book, sharing ideas, and building strong awareness for those ideas can be a slow build. There are no overnight successes. Chris starts from square one every day with his message, because most people haven't heard them. Website: PeopleBeforeThings.co LinkedIn: Chris Laping Twitter: @CIOChris Facebook: People Before Things Quotable Quotes Chris learned creativity from his classical pianist mother and structure from his Navy Commander father. Leaders enable and activate people for change. "It became very clear that the patterns around success … really had to do with me and that change wasn't my end users' problem." "People, in general, are very purpose-driven and want to make a difference at work." "When [people] know why something is important, you get different results." "If change is really important and vital to an organization, we must clear the decks and let people focus on it." Leaders have to prioritize time and space for a change or it will not happen. Respect, collaboration, trust, and a unified vision are all attributes for a winning project. "Technology is the vitamin and culture and how we treat people is really, truly the painkiller." "The worst thing you can do is actually ask them for their feedback or opinion and then proceed to do nothing about it." The keys to disruption are for leadership to enable the team to change and for the team to give voice to their feedback. "If the opposite of your strategy isn't a strategy, then you don't have a strategy." "When organizations have priority and focus, the capacity they need to accomplish the things that are essential is there." "Prioritize — of the 20 things we could do to win the game, what are the two or three that matter the most?" Bio Chris Laping, author & CEO, People Before Things, LLC, brings 25 years of information technology and business transformation experience to his newly released book, People Before Things, which focuses on change leadership. Chris enjoyed 14 years as a Chief Information Officer across three different brands and the work of his teams has been spotlighted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fast Company, and CIO Magazine, among others. His book explores the connection of the human experience to the outcomes of change and transformation initiatives and the role leaders play to pave success. Most recently, Chris was the Senior Vice President, Business Transformation and Chief Information Officer at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, where he was a highly contributing member of a management team that completed a successful turnaround of an $8 stock to $89. Chris has received several awards for his work in the IT industry including The Economist's Top 5 Social Business Leader and InformationWeek's Social Business Technology Leader. He has also been named as a ComputerWorld Premier 100 IT Leader and has received three InfoWorld 100 awards. The work of his teams has been spotlighted in three books: The Engaged Leader, Mobile Mind Shift, and Implementing World Class IT Strategy. Books mentioned in this episode People Before Things: Change Isn't an End-User Problem, by Chris Laping

Sandee Kastrul, President and Cofounder of i.c.stars, had an epiphany while meeting with a former student. It wasn't enough to just teach knowledge, she found it's vital to build avenues of opportunity. She co-founded i.c.stars to develop business, service, and civic leaders in the inner city to transform a community. Sandee explains that change only comes when hope and ambition are present, so she engages participants in learning technical skills, employment skills, and life skills, which yields a 90% placement rate with 80% retention in the technology arena. Sandee and i.c.stars attack the root causes of oppression and inspire leadership and self-direction. Key Takeaways [3:08] Sandee was a math and science teacher and also taught diversity to teachers. She noticed that kids who faced real adversity had great resiliency. She met students where they were and taught science concepts to fit their understanding. In a journey to freedom, the kids broke scholastic records. [8:18] One of Sandee's brilliant former students came back to her, making less than minimum wage as an undocumented worker in cleaning services. His attitude was that leadership was creating opportunities for others, as Sandee had taught him, and he felt was doing that. That moment changed Sandee's career path. She knew just teaching was not enough to help these students. They needed real opportunities. [10:13] Sandee saw that technology, systems thinking, methodology, problem solving, and solution building would give great opportunities in IT and be a blueprint to teach community leadership. Sandee took a year-and-a-half to study schools and learn how to build a curriculum. I.c.stars launched in 2000. The first group all went on to work at dot-coms. But then the bubble burst, so I.c.stars pivoted to work with enterprise CIOs. [11:33] I.c.stars helps people rise above their Zip Codes. Graduates have a 90% placement rate and an 80% retention rate in the industry, including the bubble bursting and the '08 recession. Graduates have, on average, a 400% increase in pay from taking the program. Within half a year they make more than their parents do, putting them in a position to give. [13:30] Sandee describes alums being community leaders and advocates, making donations into the community, volunteering, and buying homes in the neighborhoods they grew up in, while they commute two hours to work in the suburbs. I.c.stars provides support for alums that make the choice to be leaders in and strengthen the good in their communities. [16:47] I.c.stars has a daily activity, High Tea, when volunteer business executives meet with, teach, and model for interns the expectations of the workplace that are different from participant experiences. The interns are at the center of business development. Beside the hard skills, they also learn social skills. [21:06] To be agents of change in our communities, we have to be able to gather the requirements, listen, cut an issue, and receive as well as give. We need to accept change, and ask what changes we want to see in ourselves. [23:17] Like Special Forces teams, i.c.stars works on root causes of problems, not on symptoms. I.c.stars develops business leaders, service leaders visible in the community, and civic leaders. When three types of leaders are talking together, it turns into a virtuous circle of change. [29:46] Sandee screens intern candidates for resiliency with seven existential questions asked in a panel interview. The questions get to locus of control, accountability, responsibility, and how we see ourselves in the world. The interview is remarkably predictive of success in the program and in leadership. [34:56] I.c.stars has a goal of creating 1,000 business leaders by 2020. In Chicago there are about 400 alum leaders. In 2016 they opened in Columbus. They plan to open in Milwaukee early in 2018. They plan to move into more cities. Sandee sees the goal as on track. [37:19] Sandee had received a grant for self-discovery, and she used it for world travel, including a trip to participate in the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford. That year the Dalai Lama attended. Twitter: @SandeeKastrul LinkedIn: Sandee Kastrul Website: Sandee.icstars.org Website: Icstars.org High Tea: Icstars.org/engage/high-tea Past Events: Icstars.org/events/past/special Quotable Quotes "Kids who had faced a lot of adversity … just getting to school safely, had developed a resiliency toolkit." "As teachers, unless we're both learning and teaching, we're only doing half of our job." "[What if we] used that problem solving and solution building as a blueprint to also teach community leadership?" "75% of our alums are giving and giving back to the community financially, volunteering, engaging, as business leaders, … mentoring … as policy leaders." "What if we define success not by getting out of the 'hood, but by investing back in? What would that look like?" "We believe that if you take all of the talent out of the neighborhoods or our communities, we're perpetuating what's wrong with our communities." "If we want to be agents of change in the communities that we come from, we have to be able to gather requirements. We have to be able to listen." "We'll dig in and say, 'The transformation starts with us,' and 'What are the changes that we want to see in our lives?'" "Nothing stops a bullet like a job." "That is the byproduct of oppression — that it works so well that we oppress ourselves." "The more worlds that we can walk between, the more people we can engage with, the more culturally competent we are and the better changemakers we become." "The beginning of learning anything is painful. It's why so many of us don't study higher math." "That's the full circle of leadership. It's that we're always learning and growing, and it's the hard things that teach us the most." Bio Sandee Kastrul is president and co-founder of i.c.stars, an innovative nonprofit leadership and technology training program founded in 1999 to prepare inner-city adults for technology careers and community leadership. An early pioneer of the social enterprise model, i.c.stars has graduated more than 350 community leaders and recently began expanding into new cities. Under Sandee's leadership, i.c.stars has been recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Brookings Institution. Prior to i.c.stars, Sandee's experience as an educator, diversity trainer, educational consultant and a performing artist drew her creative talents to the forefront. Her accomplishments include designing a comprehensive science and civics interactive program for GED students at Jobs for Youth, implementing a professional development program with Harold Washington College Career Center, developing experiential learning modules for over 70 schools and creating artist in residency programs as well as training artists to work in classrooms for arts organizations. Additionally, as a consultant for the Illinois Resource Center, Sandee provided School Corporations with diversity training and cross-curricular teaching methodologies throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Sandee is a proud board member of Goodcity, The Ryan Banks Academy, and HICC (Hispanic Innovation Center in Chicago), an advisor for the Axelson Center, Chicago Leadership Alliance, and Chicago Ideas Week. Sandee has spoken at conferences including Capital One's Diversity in Technology Panel, Hands up United: Ferguson Tech Town Hall, Blk Hck Columbus, and the Aspen Institute's Youth Opportunity Forum, among others. Books mentioned in this episode Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, by Adam Grant

Louis Efron is the author of Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, and How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love, and also a contributing writer for Forbes and Huffington Post.The discussion starts with Louis's journey through theater, the corporate world, and how he came to see big disconnects between personal purpose and corporate purpose. Louis created a Purpose Alignment Score to help individuals discover their personal purpose alignment in life by asking questions about themselves (http://LouisEfron.com) . Key Takeaways [3:42] In Purpose Meets Execution, Louis writes that businesses need to rethink the fundamental drivers for success. Most employees do not see the P&L statement and they have other drivers. Employees are motivated by the purpose of the business beyond the P&L. [7:07] It takes a leap of faith to change. There is a fear in focusing on something other than P&L. But studies show that having purpose gives a greater ROI than profit alone, and new generations of workers will search for jobs that embody purpose and mission. [9:39] Tesla Motors created a role for Louis of Head of Global Employee Engagement and Louis held it for a year or two. Six years ago, Tesla had 600 employees; now they have over 30,000 in an organization that prizes purpose. The job was a catalyst for Louis's thinking. [11:27] Culture and mission start at the top. If the top is broken, the whole organization is broken. In a large organization, with a clear purpose, you have to make sure that everyone at every level is executing their daily work and seeing how it connects to the same purpose. [14:33] Living for years in Europe and Japan, Louis learned that there are cultural differences in different nations. In a big, global organization the goal is always to be the same, where possible; different, where needed. You have to learn how to leverage cultural nuances to deliver what you want to deliver. There's a lack of understanding how people see things differently in different parts of the world. [24:37] Louis has a video, "The Disengaged Clown," on his site. Louis wrote it, directed it, and acted in it. It is about a party clown who finds clowning is not his calling in life. The moral is to find your strength. Our stories influence our behavior, culture, and environment. Louis compares directing a stage production to leading a corporate organization. [29:04] If you get people connected to your organization to believe in what you believe (not to think the same as you, but to accept your purpose), that's going to play out to your customer. It helps you sell more authentically. It is a bridge between the personal and the corporate. [32:14] A culture of trust eliminates fear. People challenge, and contribute new ideas. They know if they fail, and learn from it, they can bring about better ways. A culture of fear stifles innovation and it all falls apart. LinkedIn: Louis Efron Twitter: @LouisEfron Website: LouisEfron.com Website: PurposeMeetsExecution.com Search for Louis on Forbes and Huffington Post Quotable Quotes "Employees don't get out of bed in the morning to … add $10 million to a top line." "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." — Wayne Dyer "In a big, global organization the goal is always to be 'same,' where possible; different, where needed." You are responsible for your own curiosity. "A great culture is built on trust." "As a leader, you need to both say the right things and do the right things but doing the right things matters much more." If you're talking a lot about trust in your organization, it probably doesn't exist there. "The more you can be yourself in life, the more successful you'll be." "Great leaders believe in who they are. They're authentic, they communicate in an authentic way, and they live what they're saying." When you have trust, it eliminates fear. People are willing to challenge, bring new ideas, fail and learn from it, to create new ideas. Bio Louis Efron is the author of How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love and Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, a contributing writer for Forbes and Huffington Post. Books mentioned in this episode How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love: A journey to purpose, fulfillment and life happiness, by Louis Efron Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, by Louis Efron (Also available at Barnes & Noble) Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek The Experience Economy, by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore

Daniel H. Pink, the #1 bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is Human, unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing to help you flourish at work, at school, and at home. Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't know much about timing itself. Our lives as leaders are a never-ending stream of "when" decisions: when to start a business, when to hire people, when to deal with sunk costs, when to take on debt, etc. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. Timing, it's often assumed, is an art. In When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, we learn that timing is really a science. Key Takeaways The discussion starts with the topic of the Free Agent Nation - people working for themselves. Asked about Autonomy and Solitude as "motivators" versus the need for Collaboration as a team, Dan says that leadership needs to provide a balance between the two. He says the challenge is the architecture - both physically and metaphorically. He says that leaders should provide the same autonomy inside and outside the organization; and a sense of purpose whether the team member is full-time, part-time, or contracted. [4:07] By 2020, 43% of the workforce will be in the 'gig' economy. This requires different work environments and skills from leaders. Daniel wrote Free Agent Nation in 2001, before smartphones. In the years since, the difference between employee and freelancer has shrunk. [5:56] Leaders influence, persuade, convince, and cajole. These leadership roles are sales activities. and effort, time, commitment, belief, and zeal are the currency. Leaders and sales reps have little coercive power. Both roles must be adept at broadly influencing people. [7:41] 'If/then' motivators are effective only for simple, short-term tasks. Most leaders undervalue questions of timing in leadership decisions. They think of who, what, and how, but don't consider when to do it. The book, When -is really about the science of timing… and that leaders have systematically undervalued questions of when and timing when making critical decisions. Too often leaders focus on who, what and how, and short shrift when. Time management and timing overlap. [9:28] "Time-of-day explains about 20% of the variance in human performance on the sorts of tasks people perform at work." Timing is important. Leaders can boost productivity, creativity, and team performance at essentially no cost by putting the right task during the right time of day. "All times of day are not created equal." [11:34] Be conscious of the stages of the day. THere are three stages - peak, trough, and rebound. Your best analytic and focused work is done in the peak time. The trough period is when you lose attention. Administrative tasks could be done in this time. The rebound period is an ideal time for creative and collaborative work. Doing the right work at the right time will lift performance. [14:40] Chronobiology: There are morning people (larks) and evening people (owls). Younger people are more often owls, and older workers are more often larks. For example, people aged 14-24 are usually Owls, so you need to allow for rhythms according to their ages (no meetings at 7am for a young team!). [19:19] Daniel explains the new ABCs of Selling: Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity. Attunement is the difficult leadership skill of seeing from another's point of view. Clarity is communicating intent. Leaders need to explain the what, the why, and the significance of the mission. Buoyancy represents treating everyone fairly. Attunement is seeing someone's else's point of view (a little different than empathy). As for "Commander's Intent" - people often don't know what they're supposed to do and how it fits in at a strategic level; which is a leadership imperative. Other ways to communicate intent: Here's why; Here's what it means to all of us; and Here's why it's significant... [22:53] Daniel takes organizations through an exercise described in "DRIVE," he calls "Whose Purpose Is It, Anyway?" That is, what's the purpose of this company? It reveals that many employees have no idea about the purpose of their company. It leads to discussion of an organization finding their purpose. [27:10] From the book DRIVE, Daniel says we have an innate drive to grow, but we can only do it with information on how we are doing. Leaders need to give continual feedback to employees. Weekly, informal one-on-ones work well for that. Leaders need to be coached on how to do them. Asked, "What drives you, Dan?" He say he was making timing decisions in a haphazard way, and wanted to make better decisions about when to spend time. [31:37] Most people are curious about something. Leaders are taught to talk, not to listen, and to answer questions, not to ask them. Curiosity can be developed somewhat... If you get better at asking questions and listening, you'll get better at being curious. This also requires patience. Dan is committed to reading more - at 30 minutes per day. How about you? Twitter: @DanielPink Facebook: @DanielHPink Website: DanPink.com Website: DanPink.com/resources/ Website: DanPink.com/pinkcast/ Quotable Quotes "All times of day are not created equal" Too often leaders focus on who, what and how, and short shrift when. Doing the right work at the right time will lift performance. "Treating everyone well doesn't mean treating everyone the same!" People have a deep-seated need for belongingness - and leaders who account for this - can derive tremendous benefits. Fairness doesn't get enough attention. Humans are attuned to the norm of fairness. "Leaders who are fair are those who will thrive in the long run." "The ability to listen well is a deeply under-developed skill." "The feedback mechanisms in companies are fundamentally broken." "Leaders need to establish continuous conversations." Annual performance reviews are an absurd channel for feedback. Leadership should provide informal and frequent high-metabolism kinds of feedback! Follow your curiosity! Find about where people are curious in some other realm of their life. Help people get better at asking questions to develop their ability listen. We need to be more intentional - and less like driftwood. Schedule what's actually meaningful! Schedules should be sacrosanct. Bio Daniel H. Pink is the author of five provocative books — including three long-running New York Times bestsellers, A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell is Human. His books have been translated into 35 languages and have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and their three children. Books mentioned in this episode When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel H. Pink A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, by Daniel H. Pink Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, by Daniel H. Pink Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, by Daniel H. Pink