Human Capital

Jeff hosts social media and leadership expert J.T. O’Donnell to discuss the importance of executive presence. J.T.’s credentials are impressive, with over 2.6 million followers on LinkedIn and over 1 million on TikTok. Jeff and J.T. discuss how executives and individual contributors alike demonstrate value by managing their in-person and online personas, regardless of whether they plan to change jobs. Jeff and J.T. discuss how content creation can benefit both the executive and the brand equity of the organization they serve. She shares how executives can learn how to develop an engaging executive brand, reveal their strengths, and present their expertise in a powerful and appealing way.

Connect with J.T. O’Donnell:

LinkedIn:

TikTok:

Work It Daily:

Executive Program:

Executive Presence Panel Discussion featuring Jeff Hunt:

Jeff hosts communications expert Beth Collier on the show to discuss how excellent communication increases sales, builds trust, deepens relationships, solves problems, and ultimately helps everyone perform better. Beth and Jeff discuss how to overcome poor communication challenges, which can sink an organization, a relationship, or a country.

Beth shares from her diverse experience in communication and leadership roles on three continents. She shares some very public examples of excellent and poor communication by leaders, and the significant positive or negative implications of these. Beth and Jeff discuss the effect of manager communication on retention and turnover, and the need for organizations to better train and equip managers. Beth unpacks a helpful acronym to guide our communication with each other, which is PACE: Purpose, Audience, Curiosity, Empathy.

Jeff’s guest is Xavier Naville, Author of “The Lettuce Diaries: How A Frenchman Found Gold Growing Vegetables in China.” He is the Principal at Vision Management Consultants, but was formerly the CEO of the Creative Food Group, a key supplier to major restaurant chains in China, like McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks. Xavier grew the company to one that now has nine factories serving 6,500 restaurants a day and over $150MM in revenue.

Jeff and Xavier discuss how his business experiences in China were vastly different than what is typical in most western companies. They talk about which leadership principles are universal, regardless of the country or industry. Xavier shares his personal stories about managing a Chinese team as a foreigner, trying to work with Chinese farmers to improve how they conducted agriculture, all while navigating investor demands. He and Jeff discuss the five ingredients that make up the “Complete Leader.”

Xavier shares vulnerably from his leadership journey, which included some nail-biting experiences of being an expatriate in China, almost failing at his business, and his eventual successful exit.

Jeff and his guest Lynn Yap discuss how the businesses we lead can actually become more sustainable and more profitable at the same time. They discuss how implementing strategies to benefit the environment can also improve company culture, customer loyalty, brand equity, sense of purpose, and ultimately profitability.

Lynn Yap is the author of the book “The Altruistic Capitalist: How to Lead for Purpose and Profit.” Lynn shares how companies can create a positive impact for both people and the planet while continuing to satisfy the need to provide a return to shareholders. Lynn and Jeff discuss the difference between shareholder capitalism and stakeholder capitalism, and how to make the business case to the CFO who feels pressured to make decisions to minimize cost at the expense of sustainability.

Lynn shares about what first steps leaders can take that have not implemented strategies before. Jeff and Lynn also discuss how companies can leverage their internal and external communication strategies for better differentiation and brand equity in their niche. Lynn discusses the role the B-Corporation plays in effecting change.

In this episode, Jeff and his guest explore the challenges people face with meetings. Josh Little is the CEO of Volley and is passionate about doing meetings better. In most organizations, people spend a significant amount of time in meetings, yet they don’t have positive feelings when they think about them. Meetings don’t have to suck, and Josh helps Jeff to unpack this complicated topic. Jeff and Josh discuss the importance of communicating both via talking and written word as well as the pitfalls of platforms like Zoom and Teams when meeting virtually. He is a serial entrepreneur and has founded four tech companies – Maestro, Bloomfire, Quizzer, and his current venture. These apps have collectively been used by hundreds of millions of people and his companies have been featured in TechCrunch, Mashable, Entrepreneur, Inc, and Forbes. Josh also shares the reasons why the world may not be ready for his Volley app, including the fear of being seen.

Jeff interviews Wendy Ryan, CEO of Kadabra who shares about what it looks like to create a surge of positive change as a leader. They discuss how to change the things that hold leaders back, and the impact of mindsets in our work. Wendy shares some problems found with the commonly used model of meritocracy, and what to do about it.

Wendy has been the CEO of the consulting firm Kadabra since 2014, and she is the author of the book "Learn Lead Lift." She is an equity & inclusion advocate, a speaker, advisor, and a facilitator. Her team includes an interdisciplinary group of leadership and change experts who are all on a mission to grow exceptional leaders and teams.

Jeff interviews Chester Elton, a top expert in workplace culture and employee wellbeing. Chester has over 650 thousand followers on LinkedIn, is the author of 14 books, including "Anxiety at Work" & "Leading with Gratitude", is a Member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, an Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, and the Founder of the #findyourgratitude Community.

Jeff and Chester unpack the nuances of anxiety in the workplace and how it affects individuals and organizations. Chester shares how the costs of unaddressed anxiety at work are very high - a staggering $40 Billion dollars a year in the U.S. He talks about key strategies that lead to work environments with the best chance of reducing workplace anxiety. Jeff and Chester discuss how the strategies companies implement either increase or decrease anxiety at work, and how to create workplace cultures that combine high productivity with psychological safety.

Where to find Chester Elton:

Anxiety at Work Podcast – Listen & Subscribe

The Culture Works - Website

WeThrive Together Community

Jeff invites longtime coach and leadership expert Daniel Harkavy on to the show to discuss how to create organizational culture that is embodied by coaching and mentorship.

Daniel Harkavy and his firm have been coaching business leaders to peak levels of performance and fulfillment for over twenty-five years. He is CEO and Executive Coach at Building Champions, and his team of coaches have worked with thousands of clients and organizations to improve the way they lead and live. Daniel and Jeff discuss his most recent book, "The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders.”

Jeff and Daniel talk about the sacrifice required to learn and grow as you become an impactful leader, and how great things can happen with the right tools, structures, and disciplines. Daniel shares how a leader’s effectiveness is determined by just two things: the decisions they make, and the influence they have. Jeff and Daniel chat about how the most visionary leaders can avoid “leaving people at the train station” on their quest to achieve organizational vision. He also talks about how the best leaders live in two worlds – current reality and future state, and how they frequently communicate to all employees where they are headed through storytelling, reward structures, and feedback.

On this week’s episode, Jeff welcomes Gunlek Ruder, the President, and CEO of S. Martinelli and Company, a 153-year-old family business. Gun has been with Martinelli’s for eight years, operating as a non-family member in various capacities including Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. Jeff and Gun discuss the impact and importance of the 5.5 million family-owned businesses in the US including that they contribute 57% of US GDP, employ 63% of our workforce, and are responsible for 78% of all new job creation. Gun talks about how a company like Martinelli's can make it to the 5th and 6th generation and retain the positive aspects of heritage while creating innovative new products. He explains what it's like to work for a family-owned business, shares key leadership advice for non-family member managers, and talks about the ways the pandemic made the company reevaluate their mission, vision, core values, and purpose. Gun shares about his philanthropic work with his friends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, and how he still has a special place in his heart for philanthropy.

Jeff interviews one of the great thought leaders in the area of leadership and change management, Michael Useem, Ph.D.

Mike is Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management and runs the McNulty Leadership Program at the Wharton School, at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike shares from his newest book “The Edge, How 10 CEOs Learn to Lead, and Lessons for All of Us.” Mike talks about how leaders must not only think strategically now, but also determine what technologies and skills will be needed in several years.

He shares how when leaders communicating persuasively, the most important thing to convey is intent. Mike talks about his experience integrating himself into the life and work of CEOs of major companies– including Vanguard, Progressive, and WSFS Bank, and he shares how these leaders had turning points when they confronted harsh new realities and the fact that what they were doing was no longer working.