Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work

It's no fiction. Work is broken. We knew this before Covid, especially with low employee engagement. Coming out of Covid, workers told us even more strongly as they left their workplaces in unprecedented numbers. "Fixing Work" by David Henkin and Thomas Bertels is a recently published fictional account of very real problems that permeate today's workplace. David and Thomas join host Brian Gorman to explore how and why work is broken and what can be done to fix it. 

Helping women grow their leadership presence is the mission of Sue Reynolds, owner of Carmine Media. Even today, both women and men are receiving messaging about “women’s place in the world.” Sue and host Brian Gorman reflect on the history of this messaging over the last four decades, how pervasive it continues to be, and how great an impact it has. The conversation also addresses ways in which supervisors can give voice not only to women but to any who are seen as “other” in the organization. 

According to Alicia Howard, Founder of The People Scale, “Culture is like Jenga.” As leaders, every single move we make regarding our people is important. In this episode, Alicia and host Brian Gorman explore the important role of leaders in everything from hiring for the culture you are seeking to build or sustain to scaling your people, growing them, creating better leaders to scale profitability and to scale the business. Culture is creating the environment for people to do their best work. Leaders at every level of the organization are culture shapers and culture keepers. They either build the Jenga culture or topple it.

What we are thinking affects our body posture, the words that we say, and the tone of our voice. All of these are elements of our speaking! In this episode, Emma Wainer, founder and CEO of Speaking at Work, joins host Brian Gorman in an exploration of what gets in the way of leaders who feel “other than” speaking as the leaders that they are. The conversation also addresses what the leaders of leaders who are “other than” should do to help those leaders speak fully as themselves. 

This timely conversation begins with a focus on stress at work, the causes of that stress, and what serves to release it. Carole Stizza, Founder, Owner, and Executive Coach for Relevant Insight, joins host Brian Gorman to explore ways that we can support others in strengthening the control that they have over their success in the workplace. Along the way, they discuss a framework for defining the path to success as well as some of the myths about what success requires of leaders.

Since Covid, leaders have wrestled with how to sustain, build, and/or redefine a culture that is now either hybrid or fully virtual. Ron Ross, owner of Avant HR Solutions, joins host Brian Gorman to discuss this challenge. Intention, robust connection, listening, effective communication, and coaching are all important elements of leading in virtual cultures. During the conversation, Ron and Brian make the point that leaders need to begin by connecting with, listening to, and grounding themselves. 

Trauma is a real part of the human experience. Whether it happened in our youth or as an adult, in our personal life or our professional life, doesn’t really matter. Whether large or small, we carry our trauma inside us; its impact can be triggered at any time and by anyone. Founder and CEO for the Institute of Trauma and Psychological Safety Dr. Lee Cordell joins host Brian Gorman to reflect on the role of trauma inside of our organizations and how we as leaders can manage the environment as well as the individual and collective response to trauma. 

Kevin Herring, Founder and President of Ascent Management Consulting, joins host Brian Gorman to discuss how to tap into the inherent desire people have to do a good job, generate a great result, and find meaning and purpose at work. While extrinsic motivation varies by individual and generation, intrinsic motivation remains constant. Kevin introduces “the five C’s” that he and his team have discovered: context, connection, control, commitment (vs. compliance), communication, and competence.