Imperfect Leaders

Adrian Jones is one of the classiest, humble, and resilient leaders I have ever met. Not just at Goldman Sachs, but at any company.

His son Liam – received a diagnosis of profound autism at 2 years old. As you can imagine, this crucible experience forever changed the lives of Adrian and his incredible wife, Tina.

Aside from bringing immeasurable joy (and, if we're being honest lots of heartache and pain), Liam has helped Adrian become crystal clear about his core values, deeply held beliefs, and North Star.

in very real ways, Liam has helped his dad become a better leader, husband, father, and human being.

www.imperfectleaders.com

Today's guest – Brian Harper – shares how his beautiful son, Caleb, who has profound autism, taught him how to be a better CEO, a better father, a better husband, and a better human being.

Brian sits at the intersection of two brutally competitive, results-oriented industries – private equity and real estate.

And his new firm – 11 North Partners – invests in beautiful, open-air developments – and drives alpha in an unusual way.

They do it through humanity, empathy, and values-driven leadership. The 'soft skills' really do drive 'hard' business results.

And by the way, Caleb couldn't be happier – he lives at The Center for Discovery – which provides a unique and powerful way of helping autistic individuals reach their full potential.

www.imperfectleaders.com

Blair Berk was a little firecracker growing up deep in the heart of Dixie. Little did she know at the time – or did she? – that she was destined to become one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the entire country. Sure, she's smart as a whip. But the real secret sauce is her social intelligence.

In today's episode, find out how she developed empathy and discovered her 'true north' – those deeply held values that define her as a leader, and as a human being.

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I recently wrote an article called, "How Yale Law School is Becoming the Next Harvard Business School."

In this article, I showcased Anastasia Boyko, who was an Assistant Dean at Yale Law School (#1 law school in the country) build one of the most inspiring leadership programs in the country - "The Tsai Leadership Program."

Joe Tsai (YLS, '90) and YLS Dean Heather Gerkin must have so much pride in what the school has accomplished in just a few short years.

Today, more than ever, the world needs lawyers who know how to lead. We crave leaders with integrity, who clearly understand their core values, and know how to effectively communicate and inspire others.

Anastasia is the perfect person to talk to about this topic.

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Pacaso is more than a startup that allows individuals to buy a piece of a beautiful home...it's a state of mind. Being part of the Pacaso ecosystem helps people get off the day-to-day hamster wheel and focus on more important things in life, like relationships, discovery, and self-awareness.

Bringing this vision to life requires a special kind of leader...one who balances strength and vulnerability...left brain analytics and right brain creativity...charisma and authenticity....confidence and humility.

Today's guest - Austin Allison - Founder and CEO of Pacaso - is one of these very special leaders....what I like to call an ambidextrous CEO.

In today's episode, find out why iconic leaders, like former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is a mentor to Austin and investor in Pacaso. And find out why you should be part of the Pacaso ecosystem as well – either as an investor or as an owner.

To take creative liberty with Billy Joel's song ..."I'm in a Pacaso State of Mind."

How many great business leaders – in the entire world – can you name who have done any of the following: 

A) Helped pilot a rocket into space; B) Built a hot air balloon that could ascend 38,000 feet; C) Jumped off that hot air balloon at maximum height; D) Won highly competitive, off-road car races; or E) Explored the deepest depths of the ocean floor?

Today's guest – Larry Connor – has done all of the above...not to mention his day job building one of the most successful real estate companies in the United States.  

What's his secret?  A breakthrough mindset. He doesn't set artificial limits on what others think is possible. Instead, he asks a simple question, "why not?" More often than not, he succeeds. And when he fails, he learns from those setbacks and applies the wisdom to his next venture.

"Think Different". That was the iconic tagline popularized by legendary Apple Founder, Steve Jobs.

Autistic children have significant challenges – at work and at home. No doubt about it.

But they also have a competitive advantage in the world of innovative leadership - they think different. Which begs the question – can autistic children develop into innovative leaders – in society and in business?

To help us answer this question, we talk today with Dr. Trenna Sutcliffe. She created the world-renowned Sutcliffe Clinic, that is like a mini-Mayo Clinic, taking a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to helping neurodiverse children reach their full potential and lead happier, more productive lives.

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McDermott, Will & Emery is a leadership factory. They are career accelerators. This is their special sauce. It's what helps separate them from other elite, big law firms. It's why they are a talent magnet and have a unique, fun-loving, hard-working culture.

Find out why firm Chair, Ira Coleman, still enjoys interviewing law students – and doesn't even get upset (in fact he gets excited) when candidates – who haven't even been hired yet – talk about their lives post-McDermott. Ira loves it when candidates ask, "what's my exit strategy?"

Harvard is an iconic, 387 year old institution of higher education.  And it's time for a cultural overhaul.

The events of the past year – racism, antisemitism, violence on campus, the removal of its president - have thrown their imperfections into stark relief for the world to see.

Today’s guest - Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana – is very open and humble about Harvard’s imperfections. But that doesn’t mean he’s sitting still. Far from it. Recognizing he casts a long shadow and embracing a 'beginner's mindset', Khurana is spearheading the Intellectual Vitality effort which he hopes will revitalize the school’s culture.

The lofty goal is to create a safe space environment across the entire campus and community – both physically and psychologically – that encourages tough conversations about divisive problems, in which students can learn from each other, regardless of how uncomfortable it is, at first.

As Dean Khurana says, “let’s be hard on the problem, but easy on each other.”

We should all be keeping an eye on Harvard's progress. Lessons gleaned may help other universities - and other divided institutions and partisan leaders across America in the media, politics, education, and business.

www.imperfectleaders.com, Jefffrey Cohn