Building Bridges

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation with three leaders whose stories were featured in The Collective Wisdom of High Performing Women: Leadership Lessons from the Judy Project.

Last time, we discussed the origin and objectives of the Judy Project and Collective Wisdom. We also explored how others perceive success and ambition in both men and women, the impact of gender on our guests' careers, and the evolving characteristics of successful leaders. You can listen to Part 1 here.

In this episode, Colleen Moorehead, Beth Wilson, and Shelly Lazarus return to discuss:

The value of diversity in the workplace, biases and blind spots that men may not recognize, advice for young women entering the workforce today, the challenge and opportunity of reinvention, and the power of storytelling.

Colleen Moorehead is the Chief Client Officer at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Beth Wilson is the Canada CEO of Dentons

Shelly Lazarus is Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Ogilvy

You can find more episodes of Building Bridges here.

Women make up nearly half the workforce but still represent only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs. However, the number of women in senior leadership roles is increasing each year. What lessons can we learn from those who reach the executive ranks?

In this episode of the Building Bridges Podcast, we are joined by three accomplished guests to discuss a terrific book, The Collective Wisdom of High Performing Women. Our guests also describe their affiliation with The Judy Project, a Canadian program for women who are ascending into executive leadership and C-suite positions.

Our guests are:

• Colleen Moorehead, the Chief Client Officer at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
• Beth Wilson, the Canada CEO of Dentons
• Shelly Lazarus, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Ogilvy.

In Part 1 of our two-episode conversation, we explore:

• The origin and objectives of the Judy Project and Collective Wisdom
• How success and ambition are perceived for both men and women
• The impact of gender on our guests' careers
• Evolving characteristics of successful leaders

You can find more episodes of Building Bridges here.

Technology is transforming virtually every professional function—including the practice of law. Instead of simply automating traditional tasks, advanced technologies will soon allow law firms and in-house counsel to approach legal work in completely new ways.

On the second of our two-part series about technology in the legal space, our guests — Bobbi Basile, Shawnna Hoffman, and Jeff Marple — explore these issues:

• Return on investment on technology in the legal industry
• Millennial expectations and technology in law firms
• How legal education is incorporating technology
• Technology in the law field in the next 5 years

Bobbi Basile is a Managing Director with HBR Consulting and has nearly 30 years of experience in the law field.

Shawnna Hoffman serves as the IBM Global Co-leader for the Cognitive Legal Practice, as well as a Blockchain Subject Matter Expert and IBM Thought Leader.

Jeff Marple is the Director of Innovation for Corporate Legal at Liberty Mutual Insurance.

To hear this episode and many more like it, subscribe to Building Bridges on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Technology is transforming virtually every professional function—including the practice of law. Instead of simply automating traditional tasks, advanced technologies will soon allow law firms and in-house counsel to approach legal work in completely new ways.

On the first of our two-part series about technology in the legal space, our guests — Bobbi Basile, Shawnna Hoffman, and Jeff Marple — explore these issues:

• Why AI matters to our experts and the legal field
• Common applications for AI and advanced technology
• What is driving the growth in legal tech
• The competitive advantage that AI will bring to the industry

Bobbi Basile is a Managing Director with HBR Consulting and has nearly 30 years of experience in the law field.

Shawnna Hoffman serves as the IBM Global Co-leader for the Cognitive Legal Practice, as well as a Blockchain Subject Matter Expert and IBM Thought Leader.

Jeff Marple is the Director of Innovation for Corporate Legal at Liberty Mutual Insurance.

To hear this episode and many more like it, subscribe to Building Bridges on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

All top athletes have specialized coaches.

Even amateur athletes have coaches supporting them through every practice and game.

Why doesn't every executive have that kind of support?

We ask that question in the second half of our two-part conversation with experienced executive coaches Katharine Halpin, Dr. George Watts, and Brian Underhill, Ph.D.

In this episode, we explore:

• What a typical coaching session feels like
• What Hall of Fame coaches are doing differently
• Pros and cons of developing an internal coaching team
• What executive coaching might look like in 20 years

Katharine Halpin is the Founder and CEO of The Halpin Companies and author of Alignment for Success.

Dr. George Watts is the Chairman of TLT Coaching and co-author of Becoming a Strategic Leader.

Brian Underhill, Ph.D. is the Founder and CEO of CoachSource, LLC and author of Executive Coaching for Results: The Definitive Guide to Developing Organizational Leaders.

To hear this episode and many more like it, subscribe to Building Bridges on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

All top athletes have specialized coaches.

Even amateur athletes have coaches supporting them through every practice and game.

Why doesn't every executive have that kind of support?

We asked established executive coaches Katharine Halpin, Dr. George Watts, and Brian Underhill, Ph.D. that exact question.

In this episode, we explore:

• The benefits of the executive coaching experience
• The scope of coaching assignments
• How coaching techniques vary

Katharine Halpin is the Founder and CEO of The Halpin Companies and author of Alignment for Success.

Dr. George Watts is the Chairman of TLT Coaching and co-author of Becoming a Strategic Leader.

Brian Underhill, Ph.D. is the Founder and CEO of CoachSource, LLC and author of Executive Coaching for Results: The Definitive Guide to Developing Organizational Leaders.

To hear this episode and many more like it, subscribe to Building Bridges on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Confucius said that learning without reflection is a waste; reflection without learning is dangerous. We agree.

In this special episode of the Building Bridges Podcast we take a step back to reflect on what we have learned so far. The episode weaves together excerpts from previous discussions around eight key points:

1. The nature of work is changing.
2. Risk is unavoidable; organizations need to accept that and make choices in spite of the risks.
3. It's important to understand systems in a holistic way if you want to make change.
4. Innovation requires both commitment and experimentation.
5. We can expect new roles to emerge over time.
6. Leaders are often only as good as their teams.
7. Large companies often struggle to be entrepreneurial, but smaller companies need to respect what they can gain from larger organizations too.
8. A good leader is open-minded, humble, and always learning and growing.

We encourage you to reflect on these themes—and to go back and listen to any of the thought-provoking conversations you might have missed. For a complete list, go to www.skybridge.associates/podcast.

Steve Jobs once said, "You've got to find what you love… the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle."

So passion must lead to a satisfying career, right? Not necessarily.

We asked Logan Lyles, Allison Kern, and Perry Lane this question: What does passion mean to you?

Perry, Logan, and Allison shared personal stories of how their passions and their work overlap. They also explored whether one's professional path is typically revealed in an epiphany or more gradually over time.

Logan Lyles is the Director of Partnerships at Sweet Fish Media and host of the B2B Growth Show.

Perry Lane is a principal at Skybridge Associates and SVP and Head of Digital Marketing at Barlow Designs.

Allison Kern is a Producer at Sweet Fish Media.

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation discussing which books individuals should read at varying parts of their career.

In this episode, we turn our focus to the characteristics of the best reading material books, particularly for young & upcoming business leaders.

Larry Gennari, Alex Graham, and Alison Jones join us again to discuss:

• Best books to read early in one's career

• The value of developing a reading habit

• Why there is a shortage—so far—of business books written by women

• How to read and retain the highlights of great books

Alison Jones has more than 25 years of experience with leading publishers. She's also the founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing & host of The Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast. Lastly, she's written and edited several books, including This Book Means Business.

Larry Gennari is a co-founder of Gennari Aronson, LLP. He's also the chief curator for Authors & Innovators, and writes a regular column about business books for the Boston Business Journal.

Alex Graham is an investment banker with over 30 years' experience. He was previously on the board of the Writers' Trust of Canada, and is the creator and leader of a popular book club for business leaders in Toronto.

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation discussing which books individuals should read at different parts of their career.

In this episode, we discuss the characteristics of the best business books, the sort of material one might read at different stages of life, and how to realize lasting value from what we read.

Special guests Larry Gennari, Alex Graham, and Alison Jones join us to discuss:

• The importance of reading for any aspiring business leader

• The difference between great books and those that are less valuable

• Why history books and biographies are often better than "business books"

• Their favorite books (and why they make the list)

Alison Jones has more than 25 years of experience with leading publishers. She's also the founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing & host of The Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast. Lastly, she's written and edited several books, including This Book Means Business.

Larry Gennari is a co-founder of Gennari Aronson, LLP. He's also the chief curator for Authors & Innovators, and writes a regular column about business books for the Boston Business Journal.

Alex Graham is an investment banker with over 30 years' experience. He was previously on the board of the Writers' Trust of Canada, and is the creator and leader of a popular book club for business leaders in Toronto.