Exponential Talent

Our podcast with Dr. Ken Barr, an acclaimed researcher who has led several drug discovery teams around the world.  He is an MIT-trained Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry with several patents to his credit. He is currently the executive director and head of R&D Strategic Global Operations at FORMA Therapeutics Inc.  Previously, he was with Merck, Amplyx Pharmaceutical, Sunesis, and Abbott Labs.

​We had the privilege of partnering with Dr. Barr on a project that resulted in the successful turnaround of a failing cross-border collaboration.  In this podcast, we explore what it takes to lead under challenging circumstances. Listeners will learn about leading breakthroughs and the importance of courage in addressing the elephant in the room. If you have wondered why some leaders are better in shepherding transformations than others, this podcast presents several answers.

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Our guest in this podcast is a leader who exemplifies humility, courage, and the ability to envision. I first met Dr. Jim MacDonald in 2012.  It was in the early days of him taking over the leadership of the San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) and embarking on a major transformation effort.  I was fortunate to partner with Jim and his team on some of the change initiatives. SFTS was struggling financially, the trustees lacked confidence that the institution could survive, and many of the staff were openly critical of Jim’s plans for transformation. They were challenging times on all fronts. On several occasions, I was witness to  Jim’s in-the-moment courageous response to open attacks on his leadership. While giving voice to his team, he remained steadfast to the core priorities when many others would have caved.  At the time of this interview in 2018, Jim had successfully transformed SFTS putting it well on the path to financial stability. In this podcast, Jim shares his journey of turning around an organization from the brinks of bankruptcy to one that is innovating and thriving in a stressed sector.  Leaders who are shepherding transformation will find inspiring lessons to get through the most challenging times.

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Hariraj Vijayakumar is a business leader turned chief learning officer and now an entrepreneur. I first met Hariraj when he was a learning leader at Cognizant.  Hari saw the value of using analytics to improve learning outcomes much before it was popular. With a deep interest in science, Hari has been a proponent of evidence-based practice and an influential advisor in the design of our evidence-based talent management curriculum.  During his time as the chief learning officer at Cognizant, he reskilled his team in evidence-based talent development and leveraged it to drive innovation. His passion for innovation, evidence-based practice, and the ability to influence his staunches critics make him exceptionally good at what he does. In our conversation, we explore all of these areas and more.

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​In this podcast, our guest Dr. Alec Levenson discusses why organizations struggle to derive value from their HR analytics efforts and offers useful suggestions for improvement. He offers ideas that are non-intuitive but have demonstrated results. For example, start with the right questions and the data you have, do not fall into the trap of doing fancy analytics when sometimes simple descriptives are all you need and having analytics-driven insights does not guarantee accurate interpretation. Anyone struggling to get the buy-in for investing in analytics efforts or looking to tighten the link between data-based insights and HR decision making will find value in this podcast.

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Google ‘goal setting’ and you get close to 500 million search results. A popular business practice with many points of view, and some management gurus touting its inefficacy. What should leaders do – abandon setting goals and resort to “do your best”? This is the question we asked Dr. Gary Latham, the world’s foremost expert on the topic of goal setting. In this podcast, he shares the scientific-evidence on three types of goals: “do your best,” “specific and challenging,” and “primed” goals. Only one of these is backed by substantial evidence, and another bears great promise but requires additional research. Dr. Latham elaborates on the conditions that make goal setting work and what not to do. A must-listen for managers who set goals.

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Worldwide, perception of discrimination have become widespread despite efforts to promote diversity. We asked Dr. Fiske if we humans are prone to discriminate against others. She describes how the motivational forces that help us survive also cause us to be biased and prejudiced, making it harder to control. In the course of our discussion, Dr. Fiske shared approaches to reducing discrimination that is more effective than diversity training. Some of the more interesting aspects of social cognition relate to the formation of first impressions which tend to overshadow our judgments. Dr. Fiske’s pioneering research reveals the characteristics that influence the formation of these impressions.  She shares strategies for managers to avoid falling victim to biased thinking, resulting from the shortcuts the mind takes to make sense of this world. This podcast is sure to intrigue those looking to gain deeper insight about their own thinking and why they do what they do.  For business leaders and HR professionals, there are practical answers to diversity and inclusion that far superior to diversity training.

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​In this podcast, Dr. Victoria Davis discusses the 21st-century skills needed for HR to drive business results and deliver positive employee experiences.  Drawing upon her talent management experience at Marriott, Home Depot, and J.P. Morgan Chase she lays out the new skills that are essential for HR to rise to the challenge.  She discusses the options available for talent management professionals for advancing their skills. In particular, she compares the various HR and talent management certifications available in the marketplace and the unique value proposition of each. Expect to gain clarity on the future of work as it relates to strategic HR and human capital management.

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