Michael Daehne discusses the people side of AI with Tony Peleska, Chief Information Officer at Kraus-Anderson and a seasoned leader at the intersection of technology, business strategy, and organizational leadership. They cover common AI pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as rethinking team structures and leadership mindsets in the age of AI.

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Michael Daehne sits down with Joe Han to talk about his path to leading wilderness-based leadership development experiences and his passion for praxis – the cyclical process of experiential learning. Joe describes how he has lived out the spirit of praxis in various environments, from sales leadership and enablement to mentorship-focused outdoor adventures. 

Stay tuned all the way through the lightning round to hear what Joe brings on every wilderness retreat – we couldn’t have guessed it with 100 tries!

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Our guest this episode is Justin Nguyen, a senior data leader at the Home Depot with previous data leadership roles at organizations like Chewy and 7-Eleven. 

Justin talks with Michael Daehne about data engineering’s critical inflection point, the importance of organizational culture and intellectual curiosity in the teams he’s led, and some of his favorite AI hacks for parenting.

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Michael Daehne and Lynda Garcia discuss the value of real world, on-the-job training, the often-overlooked common-sense test, and some tips and tricks for talent calibration and succession planning.

Lynda is a passionate HR executive with a proven track record of developing and implementing organizational effectiveness strategies across a number of industries. Her expertise and dedication to putting people first in org design and talent management really shine through in this conversation.

And in the lightning round, Lynda shares her favorite thing to do outside of work, a book that has helped her navigate stressful situations more effectively, and what she’d be doing if she weren’t working in organizational design and talent management.

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

In this episode, Michael Daehne and Biron Pickens, Vice President of Organization Effectiveness and Change Leadership at McKesson, discuss culture and ways to effectively lead an organization through change.

Biron has an impressive background in change management, including time at Amdocs, Nieman Marcus, Southwest Airlines, and now McKesson. Biron shares lessons he’s learned in leadership and cultivating a rich culture from employers like Southwest. Additionally, Biron and Michael discuss the implications of Artificial Intelligence and other technological advancements for people and how organizations can best prepare for these looming changes. 

In the lightning round, Biron shares wise advice he received from a mentor, a great wellness-related book recommendation, and what job he would pursue if he weren’t at McKesson.

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Michael Daehne goes behind the scenes of preparing for business transformation with FlexPoint business readiness experts Pedro Cortez and Liz Pryor. 

This conversation builds on a three-part blog series on making the most of the on-ramp to major programs, including preparing the team, defining the transformation, and preparing for transformation.

Liz and Pedro add color to the recommendations based on their experience in consolidating tools in a merger, building custom software, leading major transformation programs, and more. You’ll hear what has worked well for them, as well as natural tensions to navigate throughout business transformation.

Mentioned
Three-part blog series on preparing for business transformation:

• https://flexpointconsulting.com/blog/preparing-your-organization-for-transformation 
• https://flexpointconsulting.com/blog/defining-the-transformation 
• https://flexpointconsulting.com/blog/planning-your-transformation 

Books & Podcasts:

• Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri: https://melissaperri.com/book
• The Product Kata by Toyota: https://melissaperri.com/blog/2015/07/22/the-product-kata
• Working Backwards by Colin Bryan & Bill Carr: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250267597/workingbackwards
• Find Your Why by Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/books/
• Start With Why by Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/books/
• Think Again by Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/books/
• Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/books/
• Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history
• Your Undivided Attention by Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast 

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Michael Daehne is joined by Amy Mills, fellow animal lover and CEO of Emancipet, a veterinary care non-profit.

Amy reflects on her tenure at Emancipet, sharing about her journey transitioning from youth service to veterinary care and into leadership at a rapidly growing non-profit. Amy explains Emancipet’s mission to address the access-to-care gap that 60 million pets are challenged by in America. Amy also shares about Emancipet’s large cultural shift when expanding beyond only spay/ neuter services to provide more holistic veterinary care for pets in need. 

There’s no doubt that Amy has had an immeasurable impact on Emancipet and hundreds of thousands of pets and families across the country.

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Michael Daehne is joined William Wu, fellow Longhorn, public accountant, and expense optimization aficionado. 

William describes his path from public accounting to management consulting focused on ERP implementations and then to expense optimization consulting, sharing lessons learned from across his expertise. He then takes us behind the scenes at his firm, Expense Reduction Analysts, and talks through the process of assessing, baselining, and optimizing spend.

William’s passion for coaching his son’s baseball team shines through near the end of the episode, which is particularly delightful.

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

In this episode, Michael Daehne talks with Ben Rogers, Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, where he teaches and conducts research around management and organizational behavior. 

They discuss Ben’s research around the meaning of work and narratives in the workplace, and specifically how the hero’s journey is a way for us all to find meaning in our work. He shares how using the seven hero’s journey elements that he and fellow researchers identified – protagonist, shift, quest, allies, challenge, transformation, and legacy – can apply from large-scale business transformations to our everyday lives.

In the lightning round, he shares some wise advice from a show Michael and Ben both love, Parks and Recreation, as well as pointing us to a podcast about comedians working at theme parks. 

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.

Kim Ehrman takes the mic from Michael Daehne to share what barbecue and business transformation have in common – and what we can learn from their similarities. 

Since at FlexPoint, we care deeply about both barbecue and business transformation, and excelling in them can be tricky, we compiled five lessons that apply to both. They include:

1. Make a plan before you light the fire. 
2. Keep it simple, stupid. 
3. Measure, monitor, and adjust. 
4. Pack your patience and survive the stall. 
5. Don't over-index on the sauce. 

We hope this playful comparison will equip you for success in one or both of these arenas. 

Find transcripts and more episodes of Inflect at https://flexpointconsulting.com/podcast, and engage with the FlexPoint team on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexpoint-consulting.