Why is friction both good and bad for your organization

How can leaders identify and reduce bad friction?

My guest on this episode is Bob Sutton who is an organizational psychologist, professor emeritus at Stanford, New York Times bestselling author, and speaker.

During our conversation Bob and I discuss:

• Why you should think like a “friction fixer” regardless of your position
• When and how to apply “good friction” to slow things down for better decision making
• How to identify good and bad friction in your organization
• Why empathetic leaders seek out the “friction” in their organizations and then work to reduce it
• How to play the “subtraction game” and how it can help your organization

Connecting with Bob Sutton

Connect with Bob Sutton on LinkedIn

Learn more about Bob and his latest book, “The Friction Project”

Why can you ask for a mentor, but you must earn a sponsor?

How do you create a culture where leaders invest in mentoring and sponsoring talent?

My guest on this episode is Kerrie Peraino, Chief People Officer at Verily, an Alphabet company bringing the promise of precision health to everyone, every day.

During our conversation Kerrie and I discuss:

• The role sponsorship has played in her career
• Why she believes “you can ask for a mentor, but you must earn a sponsor”
• What she learned from participating in the “the sponsorship effect” research project
• Why sponsorship is one of the greatest retention levers that organizations have
• Her advice on creating a culture where leaders invest in mentoring and sponsoring talent
• Her advice for next gen HR leaders on how to find a mentor and grow that relationship into sponsorship

Connecting with Kerrie Peraino:

Connect with Kerrie Peraino on LinkedIn

Learn more about the Sponsorship Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling

Why is the single biggest barrier to having power…ourselves?

How can you, as an HR professional step into your power?

My guest on this episode is Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University and Author of 16 books including his latest one the “7 Rules of Power - Surprising But True Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career”

During our conversation Jeffrey and I discuss:

• Why he believes the single biggest barrier to having power is ourselves
• Why it is important that we own and tell our story, not let others tell it for us
• Why he believes that being authentic and/or modest is terrible leadership advice Why networking is a super power and how to do it well
• Why he believes HR needs to raise the bar and step into their power
• His advice on how to deal with difficult leaders in positions of power

Connecting with Jeffrey Pfeffer

Connect with Jeffrey Pfeffer on LinkedIn

Learn more about the Jeffrey’s books, research, podcast and more

How do you build a leadership pipeline?

Why is leadership about jobs to be done and not hierarchy?

My guests on this episode are Steve Drotter, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board and Kent Jonasen, Co-Founder and Global CEO, The Leadership Pipeline Institute

During our conversation Steve, Kent and I discuss:

• The original research that led to the writing of the “Leadership Pipeline” book
• What differentiates the leadership pipeline framework from traditional competency based leadership models
• Why leadership is not about leadership, but rather the specific job that needs to be done
• The common traits shared among senior executives who are not chosen for CEO roles
• How the leadership pipeline model can be applied in smaller organizations
• The most common mistakes companies make when implementing the leadership pipeline model

Connecting with Kent Jonasen and Steve Drotter

Connect with Kent Jonasen and Steve Drotter on LinkedIn

Learn more about the Leadership Pipeline Institute

Buy the Leadership Pipeline: Building Leaders in the Digital Age

Why should HR take more calculated risks?

How can taking calculated risks increase HR’s impact?

My guest on this episode is with Rhonda Morris, Chief Human Resources Officer at Chevron

During our conversation Rhonda and I discuss:

• What she learned from her time owning a P&L and how it made her a better HR leader
• The importance of asking for help and not believing you have all the answers
• How she leverages her own personal board of directors to continue to learn and develop as a leader
• Why she believes HR needs to take more calculated risks
• The question every HR leader should ask before trying gain the buy-in of their business leaders
• Why HR leaders need to practice “other thinking” to increase their impact

Connecting with Rhonda Morris

Connect with Rhonda Morris on LinkedIn

How do managers create value and impact?

How do the best managers reduce friction and create capacity for their teams?

My guest on this episode is with with Dave Kline who teaches leaders the codified management playbook to build great teams & level up their career

During our conversation Dave and I discuss:

• Why he and his wife launched the management accelerator program and what makes it unique
• Why he believes that the role of a manager is to deliver impact and why he created the impact equation
• Why the best leaders focus on reducing friction and cycle time for their teams
• How new leaders can build trust with their teams by identifying and making a meaningful change on something that matters to them
• Why leaders who are afraid to give feedback in the moment often drop what he calls the “synthesis bomb” and it how it negatively impacts trust
• The six fears (rational and irrational) that stop leaders from delegating to their teams and how to overcome them

Connecting with Dave Kline

Connect with Dave Kline on LinkedIn

Learn more about MGMT Accelerator on Maven

Subscribe to Dave’s weekly newsletter MGMT Playbook

The “Best of 2023” episode features sixteen don’t miss moments from HR executives and thought leaders who…

So, who can you expect to learn from on this episode?

• Lisa Buckingham, former Chief People, Place & Brand Officer at Lincoln Financial Group
• Dave Ulrich, Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at The RBL Group
• Matt Breitfelder, Head of Human Capital and Partner at Apollo Global Management
• Miriam Ort, EVP & CHRO at C&S Wholesale Grocers & Symbotic
• Sam Hammock, EVP & CHRO at Verizon
• Ola Snow, CHRO, Cardinal Health
• Andre’ Martin, PhD, Founder of Shift Space and author of “Wrong Fit, Right Fit”
• Tami Rosen, Chief People Officer at Pagaya
• Jay Parker, founder and CEO of Mentorforce
• Cary Friedman, Global Head of Human Resources at Jefferies
• Matt Abrahams, a leading expert in communication and author of “Think Faster, Talk Smarter”
• Mita Mallick, Chief Diversity Officer & Author of “Reimagine Inclusion”
• Nick Bloom, WFH expert & Professor of Economics at Stanford University
• Anne Gotte, VP Global Talent, General Mills & Joe Garbus, EVP Global Head of Talent, PVH Corp.
• Peter Block, author of Flawless Consulting and Partner at Designed Learning
• Chris Scalia, Chief Human Resources Officer, The Hershey Company

How does your “operating culture” impact your employee experience?

What are the best ways to co-create your culture using data and the voice of your team members?

My guest on this episode is with Heidi Manna, Chief People Officer at Jazz Pharmaceuticals

During our conversation Heidi and I discuss:

• Her advice for candidates on how to assess in the interview if an organization values HR
• Why a mentor’s direct and honest feedback was a turning point in her career
• How your “operating culture” impacts your employee experience
• Why they have relied on “principles” and team leaders judgement in developing their future work model “Jazz Remix”
• How data on employee preferences, commute times, and percentage of distributed teams helped inform their future work model “Jazz Remix”
• How she engaged and collaborated with the senior leadership to gain alignment and ownership for “Jazz Remix”

Connecting with Heidi Manna

Connect with Heidi Manna on LinkedIn

Why should all HR leaders be “systems thinkers”

How are processes, practices, and behaviors the building blocks of culture change?

My guest on this episode is with Melissa Daimler, Chief Learning Officer at Udemy and Author of ReCulturing: Design Your Company Culture to Connect with Strategy and Purpose for Lasting Success”

During our conversation Melissa and I discuss:

• Why she is so passionate about building great cultures?
• Why “systems thinking” is so important for HR leaders
• Why a shift in business strategy likely means you need to make a shift in your culture
• Why you should look for four common gaps when diagnosing culture
• Why behaviors, processes, and practices all must work together to drive culture change
• Why she believes culture change is not an HR initiative

Connecting with Melissa Daimler

Connect with Melissa Daimler on LinkedIn

Learn more about Melissa and ReCulturing

What makes an HR leader successful in a PE backed company?

What are the key differences between PE backed and public companies?

My guest on this episode is with Randy Patterson, Managing Director of Human Capital, Portfolio Operations Group at Blackstone

During our conversation Randy and I discuss:

• What early career experiences were most helpful in preparing him to become a CHRO
• The differences between being a CHRO at a private equity backed company versus a public company
• How he assess potential candidates experiences, capabilities and fit for the CHRO role
• What makes a 1st time CHRO successful in a private equity backed company
• How Blackstone's innovative Career Pathways program is supporting the advancement of underrepresented talent

Connecting with Randy Patterson

Connect with Randy Patterson on LinkedIn

Learn more about Blackstone’s Career Pathways program