Back to Better

The season finale focuses on how people have adapted to the challenges of 2020 and why need to be proactive about transforming ourselves, our companies, and our industries. If we can focus our attention on what’s possible, we can become more agile as leaders.    Tim Minahan is the Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix, a leading technology provider that helps their customers transform and thrive.    David Burkus is the author of the soon-to-be-released book Leading From Anywhere. His previous works include Under New Management and The Myths of Creativity.    Jody Greenstone Miller is the Co-CEO of Better Talent Group (BTG) a leading platform for high-end on-demand talent.    Dr. Amit Sood is one of the world’s leading experts on wellness and resiliency. He was also a professor of medicine, and Chair for student life and wellness at Mayo Clinic. He’s the author of the Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living.

This episode centers around a key leadership attribute required in a work from anywhere environment: Intentionality. Gone are the days of ‘management by walking around’ and water cooler collaborations. To be effective, a leader must have a purpose and a goal for every interaction and event. We’ve brought together business leaders to unpack that idea fully.    Matt Britton is the CEO and founder of Suzy, a marketing research agency. He’s also the author of YouthNation, a book about generational trends. He shares insights on leading with intention, asynchronous collaboration and how to be an effective marketer in 2020.    Margaret Lazo is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Univision. Aida Perez is Univision’s Global Head of Security. They join the podcast to share insights on maintaining their company culture during Covid and adapting to a virtual operating environment.    Dr. Aditi Nerurkar from Harvard Medical School will share how exercising your gratitude muscle can rewire your brain, calm your psyche and help you stay resilient during challenging times.

Collaboration is proven to accelerate innovation and problem solving, but we’re used to doing it in person. Jodie Brinkerhoff, VP of Innovation at DFW Airport, will share her insights on how to gel with teams during a pandemic, what’s new and improved for travelers, and how to collaborate from a distance. Then, best selling author Keith Ferrazzi will explain how we can lead without authority and co-elevate our teammates. In his view, it’s easier to network, collaborate, and lead teams in a work-from-anywhere environment, so long as you are intentional and use the tools available. And then co-host of The Backpack show Chris Brogan will share his personal experience with depression as well as three steps you can take to keep it from holding you back.

This episode just may solve the number one problem of the year!   These 4 guests will challenge what you think, and give you solid takeaways that you can use next week.   Zoe Harte, SVP, Head of Human Resources, and Talent Innovation at Upwork shares why this is the time to let go of what didn’t serve us before, and focus on impact instead of face time.   Then, forget what you learned in business school about organizational charts. Aaron Dignan & Rodney Evans, from The Ready, a management consulting business based on his brilliant book, Brave New Work. Share the science of super performing companies and what you need to stop doing.   Then, your sleep is making you mediocre. Todd Whitthorne, A health and wellness expert shares new information on peak performance and sleep.   4 powerful guests that will challenge what you think, and give you solid takeaways to get the best out of your teams.

Why did NASCAR ban the confederate flag? What can you learn from the last CEO of Blockbuster about responding to adversity?  In this episode of Back to Better, we talk to Peter Jung, the senior vice president of marketing for NASCAR, where he shares the big changes they've brought to the sport. Then we talk with Jim Keyes, the legendary last CEO of Blockbuster. He shares an incredible story about dealing with adversity as well as providing leadership insights on responding to disruption. Lastly, we hear from Dr. Christine Carter on how we can rise above the uncertainties we are facing right now.

Will 2020 crush you and your company, or will it be an event that changed you and your business for the better? This engaging podcast has actionable advice from companies and thought leaders that will clearly show you how to thrive despite the crises of 2020. Hosted by NY Times Best Selling Author and Vice President of Customer Insights at Upwork Tim Sanders and the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Personality of the Year Gene Gates. Guests today include the CEO of Upwork, Hayden Brown. Upwork has twenty years of experience in remote working, and their independent talent platform has over 10 million members and 100,000 enterprise customers. They are also the sponsor of this podcast. Our next guest is Todd Pittman, the CEO of Anexinet, a digital solutions provider. COVID forced them to pivot from in-person selling to virtual selling. What's incredible, their sales have gone up since they started selling remotely! How do you sell big-ticket SaaS software during a pandemic? He's going to show you how, so your sales can thrive too!And, as a special treat, Dr. Aditi, a mind-body medicine physician at Harvard, shares some eye-opening research on improving your team's performance through emotional health.