Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work

This episode is an invitation for self-reflection. Quantuvos coach Emily Pasnak-Lapchick joins host Brian Gorman, asking listeners to consider the narratives that guide their lives. We all have narratives about career, education, relationship, family, and even where we live. Whether they are narratives of your own choosing or not, they may well be the right ones to live into. Or they may not be. If they are not, it is possible to “shake them off,” and to replace them with those that serve you. As Covid and the Great Resignation have shown so many, it is possible to live into success on your own terms. 

“Imagine a world where Artificial Intelligence harmonizes human interaction in workplaces, where technology doesn’t estrange but connects us more profoundly.” This is the future of work as envisioned by Manuj Aggarwal, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of TetraNoodle Technologies, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity consulting firm. In this episode, Manuj joins host Brian Gorman to explore the present and future of AI. Along the way, they touch on everything from its impact on our daily lives (will driving become a thing of the past?) to our role as leaders in our organizations. 

This is a challenging episode, and an episode focused on challenge. Tony Copeland-Parker’s partner of 23 years, Cat (Catherine), was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and he needed open-heart valve replacement surgery; they were both in their fifties. Anthony’s decision was to look at his life differently. He left his position as a pilot and manager for UPS and Cat retired. They sold their home and began running marathons and half-marathons around the globe. Reflecting on Tony’s message offers you the opportunity to rethink your life’s priorities and to find the path to better live into your purpose. 

Most would agree that leadership integrity is important to defining an organization’s culture and its future. In this episode, Quantuvos Advisor Donny Askin (Principal: TechTurn Consulting, Inc.; Partner/EVP: Newmine, LLC) joins host Brian Gorman to explore what integrity means and how to test your own integrity. Donny and Brian also discuss the cultural attributes that support integrity across your organization as well as the importance of knowing yourself, and of letting that self be known by those around you. 

Very few organizations would disagree with the statement that people are their most important asset. As evidenced by the Great Resignation/Great Reshuffle, all too often, the people in those organizations don’t feel that is how leaders see them. In this episode, Lori Duguay, CEO of People Powered Solutions joins host Brian Gorman to discuss what needs to happen in order to ensure that “people are our most important asset” is at the heart of your organization’s culture. Among the key lessons shared is the importance of moving away from “human resources” and “employees” and working with, and for, people; and moving from command-and-control leadership to coaching, autonomy, and empowerment. 

The past of work, whatever that was, is behind us. The present, with its disrupted work systems and work environments, is here. The future is ahead. For decades, Judi Neal, PhD (Yale, Organizational Behavior) has been a student of how to bridge past, present, and future. In this conversation, Judi and host Brian Gorman discuss “edgewalkers,” those people who are not content with the status quo and are aware of what is emerging. For organizations that want to move into the future in an intentional way, it’s important to welcome and hear your edgewalkers. 

Integral Master Coach Max Klau joins host Brian Gorman to explore the relationship between change in the outer world and the change in the inner world. The focus of the conversation is not on leadership behaviors, but on the being of leadership. As Max says, “At the deepest level, our way of being calls forth the dynamic around us.” The inner journey of leadership is deeply personal. It requires courage and integrity. It is a never-ending journey that changes not only how you show up but also the experience of all those around you. 

We can’t predict the future. Things happen. For Elizabeth (Ellie) Gould, those things included a home invasion by a psychopath threatening her life as well as the lives of her two- and four-year-old children that left her seriously injured, followed shortly after by a cancer diagnosis. In this science-based conversation, Ellie and host Brian Gorman challenge the focus on positive thinking and goals; Ellie doesn’t believe in either. Rather, she advocates for a focus on aims. The roles that emotions, our unconscious, patterns, and limiting beliefs play in shaping our future – and how to intentionally work with these elements to create the life you want - make this a life-changing episode of Qonversations.

What do college football, law enforcement, dance, software development, business school, Shakespearean theatre, healthcare, marketing, and high school have in common? In Boise, Idaho, members of each of these professions came together, learning the value of being “wise beyond your field.” Nancy Napier, Professor of Strategy at Boise State University and a self-described academic entrepreneur, joins host Brian Gorman to discuss how and why she brought this diverse group of professionals together to learn from one another and the value that each one gained from this experience. 

Our ability to think, problem solve, create, explore, converse, and more is much greater when we are coming from a place of calmness. Mediator and negotiator Hesha Abrams joins host Brian Gorman for this lively exploration of finding and holding the calm, even in challenging situations. Hesha describes ways in which holding the calm allows you to intentionally resolve conflict and defuse tension. Her analogies and stories will remain with you long after the episode ends.