Career Transitions

In this final episode of Season 2, we continue our conversation with Michael Watkins. Michael Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD Business School and Co-founder of Genesis Advisors. He is a globally recognised leadership transitions expert and author of the best-selling book The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter. 

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the world of strategic thinking with Michael Watkins, author of the groundbreaking new book, "The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking."

In this enlightening conversation, Michael shares the core principles and transformative insights from his latest masterpiece. We explore how "The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking" goes beyond traditional approaches, providing a strategic blueprint for leaders looking to navigate complex challenges, anticipate change, and drive long-term success.

Michael shares real-world examples and case studies illustrating how leaders can implement these disciplines in their organizations, providing listeners with actionable insights to elevate their own strategic thinking.

Building on his acclaimed work in "The First 90 Days," Michael discusses the intersection of leadership transitions and strategic thinking, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to leadership development.

As we wrap up the season, Michael leaves us with inspiring thoughts on the future of leadership and the role of strategic thinking in navigating uncertainty. Prepare to be motivated and equipped with the knowledge to lead strategically in any professional setting.

Check out Michael’s works: 

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter

Your Next Move: The Leader's Guide to Navigating Major Career Transitions

Master Your Next Move, with a New Introduction: The Essential Companion to "The First 90 Days"

The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

Join us for the latest episode of the Career Transitions podcast, where we explore leadership, strategy, and success. In this episode, we have the privilege of hosting the renowned leadership expert, Michael Watkins, as we explore the critical moments that define a leader's transition and the strategic disciplines that shape effective decision-making. 

Michael Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD Business School and Co-founder of Genesis Advisers. He is a globally recognised leadership transitions expert and author of the best-selling book The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter. 

Michael has developed proven frameworks and tools to help professionals navigate personal and organisational change challenges. He has spent the past two decades working with leaders as they transition to new roles, build their teams, and transform their organizations. In 2023, Michael was inducted into the Thinkers50 Management Hall of Fame, which recognizes remarkable contributions to the realm of management concepts and ideas spanning many years.

In this episode, Michael shares invaluable insights from his groundbreaking work on leadership transitions. Join us as we unravel the secrets to navigating the challenges of transitioning into a new role, understanding organizational dynamics, and accelerating success.

But that's not all! Michael also unveils his latest masterpiece, "The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking." In this engaging conversation, we explore the core principles of strategic thinking that propel leaders to anticipate change, seize opportunities, and drive long-term success. Discover the key disciplines that will transform your approach to strategic planning and decision-making.

Whether you're a seasoned executive or an aspiring leader, this episode is a treasure trove of wisdom that will reshape the way you approach leadership and strategy. Join us as we journey through the first crucial 90 days and beyond, gaining a strategic mindset that can elevate your impact in any organizational setting.

Check out Michael’s works: 

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter

Master Your Next Move, with a New Introduction: The Essential Companion to "The First 90 Days"

The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future

Harvard Business Review Ten Must Read 

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

On this episode of the Career Transitions podcast, we have the pleasure of interviewing Angela Lane and Sergey Gorbatov.

Angela and Sergey are esteemed senior executives in talent management with extensive experience working for Fortune 500 companies across four continents. They are both renowned experts in the complex science of human performance, distilling it into practical and accessible concepts. As thought leaders and researchers, they frequently contribute to journals and have authored the insightful book, "FairTalk: Three Steps to Powerful Feedback."

During the interview, Angela and Sergey share their expertise in areas such as personal branding, career development, transitions, and performance management. Drawing from years of research and leadership experiences, they provide valuable insights on these topics.

One fascinating aspect of our conversation was discovering how both Angela and Sergey have cultivated a portfolio career throughout their professional journeys. In addition to holding senior leadership roles within their organisations, they have leveraged their expertise to expand their skill sets and career interests as speakers, authors, and industry thought leaders.

Their book, "FairTalk: Three Steps to Powerful Feedback," is a must-read for all leaders. Angela and Sergey offer a practical methodology for accurately assessing barriers to performance and present a simple three-step model for providing fair, focused, and credible feedback. 

Tune in to this engaging podcast episode to gain valuable insights from Angela Lane and Sergey Gorbatov, as they share their wealth of knowledge and experiences in the realm of leadership and career development.

To learn more about Angela and Sergey’s works, see below: 

• The Edge You Need
• Leverage Point Podcast

Pick up a copy of their book: Fair Talk: Three Steps to Powerful Feedback 

The views expressed here are solely those of the speakers/ authors and do not represent those of any affiliated organization. 

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

In this episode of Career Transitions, we speak with June Lam, commercial leader at a multinational energy company, and powerlifting champion! She juggles a disciplined workout schedule with a rigorous work agenda and a hectic life as a working mom.

In this episode, we take the conversation into the realm of physical wellbeing and the impact on our careers. In 2023, the World Health Organization reported that 1.4 billion adults are insufficiently active, with one in three women and one in four men not engaging in adequate physical activity. Although the benefits of physical activity are widely acknowledged, many may not prioritise this aspect of their lives. 

In addition to mental and emotional well being, maintaining a healthy quality of life will allow us to get the most our of our mind, body, and soul. June Lam is an incredible example of what it takes to integrate an active lifestyle with our careers, and achieve great results through transitions. 

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

In this episode, we bring attention to one of life’s important transitions- the transition into parenthood. Developmental scientists consider it to be one of the biggest changes in our lives, changing behaviors, identities, relationships, and much more, and it impacts everyone involved. 

This journey into parenthood has significant impact on one’s life and career, and so we wanted to find out how working parents effectively integrate these changes. We also wanted to recognise the important work that organisations and leaders do to support their employees as they navigate through this important transition. 

In this episode, we speak with husband and wife team, Sue Stephens and Remko Glatzhofer. Sue and Remko are proud parents of beautiful 2 year old Logan. Between juggling their busy lives as loving parents, they are both accomplished leaders in the technology industry. 

We have a candid conversation about their lives as working parents, living away from immediate family in Europe, and juggling their demanding roles at work. How do they effectively integrate their lives as parents with their busy careers? How do they leverage on their network to support them? And how did their organisations and leaders support them on their journey? 

This episode is for everyone! Whether you’re a working parent yourself, or work with parents on your team, getting an authentic point of view will help you navigate your working life with greater confidence! 

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

In our sixth episode of season 2, we speak with Karen Loon, Non-Executive Director and Author.

Karen is a thought leader and speaker on workplace diversity and inclusion. She had a successful corporate career for 29 years, and then transitioned into board roles. She was formerly PwC’s Singapore and Asia Pacific Diversity Leader and a member of its Global Diversity Leadership Team and Global Financial Services Diversity Steering Committee. 

She recently wrote a book called Fostering Culturally Diverse Leadership in Organizations: Lessons from Those Who Smashed the Bamboo Ceiling. The book was a finalist in the 2023 Business Book Awards, International Book section.

Karen shares her views about what it takes to transition through different career identities. She also speaks of her research on the need for organisations to foster greater cultural diversity to enable greater representation at the top.

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

In our fifth episode of season 2, we speak with Stanislas de Quercize, board member, mentor, founder and president of a family business.

Stanislas was born in France and graduated from the Neoma Business School. He worked first for Procter and Gamble before taking Senior Executive positions in the Richemont Group. His career took him all across the globe and he managed international teams.

To name a few of the prestigious roles he had had, Stanislas was President and CEO of Cartier North America, Global President of Van Clefs and Arpels and Global President and CEO of Cartier.

Stanislas shares his views about what it means build teams and to help them to find their purpose.

We were inspired to speak with Stanislas and learn how his international experience, his well-rounded background has helped him navigate through successful career transitions.  

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

On this episode, Vanessa Iloste and Vanessa Teo respond to some of the questions we’ve received from our listeners! 

One of the important transitions that all professionals make is when we move into new roles. Whether you are moving to a business, organization, team, or taking on new leadership position, planning your transition matters!  

Understanding your context, and planning your assimilation into this new environment is paramount to your success.  

In this episode, we share our experiences on how successful individuals transition into new leadership roles.  

1.     How do you effectively set yourself up for success in the first 90 days?

2.     What are the must-wins of this new role? 

3.     Who are your key stakeholders and how do you prioritize these relationships? 

4.     How do we address imposter syndrome? 

5.     And how do you find a mentor who can help you along the way? 

 Recommended readings: 

·         First 90 days by Michael Watkins

·         Five Benefits of Embedding New Leader Assimilation into Your Company Culture

·         Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome  

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

On this episode, we’re pleased to speak with Antoine Tirard and Claire Harbour. 

Claire Harbour is a coach and global talent expert, the founder of Culture Pearl and a speaker, consultant, and writer about all things to do with optimizing talent across borders. 

Antoine Tirard is a talent management advisor and the founder of NexTalent. He is the former head of talent management of Novartis and LVMH. 

Antoine and Claire are thought leaders in the space of talent. Together they co-authored the book- Disrupt Your Career- How to Navigate Unchartered Career Transitions and Thrive. They are also frequent contributors to INSEAD Business School’s knowledge portal- INSEAD Knowledge, as well as other journals and publications. In addition, they also run a successful podcast, Disrupt Your Careers. 

In this episode, we discuss how the linear career path has been disrupted. Antoine and Claire offer some practical tips about how we can prepare ourselves better for the inevitable disruptions that occur throughout our career lifespan.

Recommended readings:
“Disrupt Your Career : How to Navigate Uncharted Career Transitions and Thrive”, by Antoine Tirard and Claire Harbour-Lyell, Lulu Publishing, October 2017. 

“Reinventing Yourself After a Setback” by Frédéric Godart, Claire Harbour and Antoine Tirard, Career article in INSEAD Knowledge, May 2023.

“From Adversity to Advantage: Building Careers After a Setback”, by Claire Harbour and Antoine Tirard, with Frédéric Godart, April 2023. 

“The Power of Career Conversations: How to Foster Growth and Retention in the Workplace”, by Winnie Jiang, Claire Harbour and Antoine Tirard, April 2023.

“The Hidden Power of Workers From Humble Backgrounds”, by Claire Harbour, Winnie Jiang and Antoine Tirard, Career Blog in INSEAD Knowledge, October 2022.    

Listen to the Disrupt Your Career Podcast

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)

In our fifth episode of season 2, we speak with Georg Hirsch, Co-Founder of FOUND. Georg is a seasoned HR professional with global experience in recruitment, outplacement, career & leadership development. Georg shares his views about what it means to step out of our comfort zones during times of organizational transformation.

Georg was born in Switzerland and graduated from the University of Zurich. He worked in executive search before moving to Australia where he completed a Masters in HR Management and joined a start-up in the HR tech industry. 

In 2013, he joined LHH - Lee Hecht Harrisson, the global leader in outplacement, career & leadership development. Georg worked at LHH for 10 years in a variety of roles and in his last position as CEO Accelerated Growth Markets leading all countries across Europe and APAC. 

During COVID, Georg and his family made the decision to relocate to Europe. He then co-founded FOUND with his business partner Ranjit de Sousa with a vision to lead the digital “revolution” in hiring and guide top talent to careers that they really love. 

We were inspired to speak with Georg and learn how his international experience, his well-rounded background as an HR professional has helped him navigate through various business and career transitions.  

Learn more about Found .
https://www.getfound.io/

Connect with us on LinkedIn: 

·       Vanessa Iloste (Host)

·       Vanessa Teo (Host) 

·       Aaron Wu (Producer)