We had high expectations for 2018 and it started off so well. Or so I thought.  A few years before, we bought a new house in the Oakland Hills. We were close to family, made new friends and were settling into our favorite activities. Mark was playing golf a couple times a week, had a close relationship with his brother, and we had a new puppy that kept him in smiles.

By mid-January, I noticed something was off. Suddenly, Mark was not enjoying the activities that brought him joy most of his life. He lost interest in golf. He didn't want to go to dinner or out with family. He came down with frequent colds and general feelings of malaise. 

By our 22nd anniversary in mid-June, Mark wasn't eating and he had lost nearly twenty pounds. I was worried. He went to the doctor in early June but their treatment was not having a positive impact. Then in early July, I took Mark to the emergency room. As we sat in the ER, we made plans to take the trips we had put off for a couple of years. For the first time, we were scared.

That day, Mark was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer. We couldn't believe it. Suddenly, we were faced with the inevitable truth, Mark's end date was too close.

In this episode, I will share how my husband and I coped with the unwelcome news of his cancer diagnosis and very quick death.   

Welcome to Part II of my interview with John King.

John is an Internationally recognized as a senior teacher, coach, and program leader. John’s executive clientele have been featured on all major television networks and in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.

John is on Faculty for CELA at American University in Bulgaria, the Middle East Leadership Academy (MELA) in the Gulf Region, and the Southeast Asia Leadership Academy (SEALA). He delivers The Cultural Map, Triads and Strategy, for the University of Arizona, Southwest Leadership Program (SWLP). John is Professor Emeritus at the Moscow International Leadership Academy (MILA). 

In Part I, John discussed how he pivoted from professional dancer to writing and publishing TV and movie scripts. With a natural talent for leadership and training, John pivoted again to a career with Landmark Education followed by 13 years teaching at the graduate level at the University of Southern California.  Please listen to Part I for more on John's career path.

In Part II, John discusses the origins of Tribal Leadership and the model. For John's bio and links to resources mentioned during this episode, please go to the Inspired Wisdom website.

John King is the co-author of The New York Times  #1 best-selling book titled Tribal Leadership. This book changed the trajectory of thinking about Organizational Culture.

The premise is simple in theory – every organization is composed of tribes – naturally occurring groups of 20-150 people. However, few organizations have a repeatable roadmap for leveraging natural groups to build thriving and resilient leaders and organizations.

I first heard about John and Tribal Leadership at a conference where I heard Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos and the bestselling author of Delivering Happiness, present with John. I was a huge fan of Zappos and impressed by how Tony held John is such high esteem.

John has many talents and successes … too many for one episode of Inspired Wisdom. Therefore, I have split our interview into two parts.

In Part I, John will share his experiences as 

• A professional dancer for 13 years on TV, film, and theatre

During his time with Landmark, John met Dave Logan. Over the next 13 years, John

• co-wrote two books with Dave, The Coaching Revolution, and Tribal Leadership

In Part II, John will go into more detail on the Tribal Leadership model and his working internationally with global organizations.

John is an Internationally recognized as a senior teacher, coach, and program leader. John’s executive clients have been featured on all major television networks and in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.

John is on Faculty for CELA at American University in Bulgaria, the Middle East Leadership Academy (MELA) in the Gulf Region, and the Southeast Asia Leadership Academy (SEALA). He delivers The Cultural Map, Triads and Strategy, for the University of Arizona, Southwest Leadership Program (SWLP). John is Professor Emeritus at the Moscow International Leadership Academy (MILA). 

James is the founder and director of MoreThanNow; a behavioral change agency that uses science and creativity to transform the world of work. Their mission is to show that when we look beyond short-term profits, we can create a better workplace for everyone.

It's why James and his team partner with clients who share their belief in social purpose.

"We're here to push the boundaries of what that can achieve. After all," says James, "the workplace is not an island. Large organizations are deeply interconnected with our society and they reflect and influence the world outside. They can be both - a force for good and an engine for growth."

• Disruption in the workplace – what does it mean really?

For additional notes on this interview with host, Cynder Niemela, along with links and resources mentioned, please go to InspiredWisdom.Us

Paul is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shortlist, a recruiting technology startup transforming how talent meets opportunity in emerging markets.

With a law degree from Yale and experience in microfinance and impact investing, Paul has advised major corporations on access to finance issues globally.

Working across India and Kenya, Paul and his co-founder have grown Shortlist to 60 full-time employees in just 2.5 years.

Shortlist is on a mission to unlock professional potential and it does so by combining technology, data, and a human touch to source and screen great job-seekers for growing, purposeful companies across India and East Africa. 

You will find Paul’s bio and resources mentioned during our interview at Inspired Wisdom.

Marilyn O’Hearne is a master certified coach, speaker and author of Breaking Free from Bias. Coaching since ’98 and in 28 countries, Marilyn says it is impossible to not work interculturally! 

Marilyn has been fascinated with culture and committed to peace since age 9. This lead to her coaching leaders from the United Nations since 2013.

"Awareness of our biases is not enough." Marilyn will discuss with us her 6-step IMPACT process companies use to break free from bias and boost their bottom line.

Marilyn will discuss with us her 6-step IMPACT process to break free from bias and boost the bottom line.

For more about Marilyn O'Hearne and show notes, please go to Inspired Wisdom.

Marilyn O’Hearne is a master certified coach, speaker and author of Breaking Free from Bias. Coaching since ’98 and in 28 countries, Marilyn says it is impossible to not work interculturally! 

Marilyn has been fascinated with culture and committed to peace since age 9. This lead to her coaching leaders from the United Nations since 2013.

"Awareness of our biases is not enough." Marilyn will discuss with us her 6-step IMPACT process companies use to break free from bias and boost their bottom line.

Marilyn will discuss with us her 6-step IMPACT process to break free from bias and boost the bottom line.

For more about Marilyn O'Hearne and show notes, please go to Inspired Wisdom.

The New York Times described Andrew Nemr as a “masterly tapper”. Today, he is considered one of the most diverse tap dance artists. An international performer, choreographer, educator and speaker, Andrew:

• mentored with Savion Glover and Gregory Hines

• opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival

To name only a few of his awards. On Inspired Wisdom, I’ve added show notes, links to Andrew's bio and several videos of Andrew tapping.

I didn’t know this history when I was a kid watching musicals from the 40’s with Sammy Davis Jr., Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Eleanor Powell, James Cagney and Ginger Rogers. In the movies, the characters experienced personal challenges. But, their love of dance and song helped them put life into perspective. Finding solace in music and dance during troubling times is a common theme for the artists on the Voice, So You Think You Can Dance and World of Dance.

Artists of all kinds inspire me to think about life from different perspectives and in a more holistic way. In business, we tend to spend a lot of our workday - heck years - in left brain activities. Meetings have agendas, we have roles and responsibilities, and processes and protocols.

Like dance and music, these rules of engagement serve a purpose. Yet, many of us also have a yearning to discover our creative voice and develop it during our workday.

Andrew says that “dance is not about technique, it’s about life and how dancing is a part of it.”

• of self-expression and self-discovery

Finally, Andrew shares with us how trust, play, and fun impact his relationships and his performances with others. He also gives us advice on values, decision-making, and leading others.

If you want to engage your creative side at work and play, I know you will enjoy my conversation with Master Tapper, Andrew Nemr.

Please let me comments at Inspired Wisdom.

Cynder Niemela

Host of the Inspired Wisdom Podcast

Vikki Brock joined Boeing in Seattle right out of college. Vikki took advantage of the many opportunities to learn and grow her career at Boeing. She was the first woman the company sent to the executive MBA program. In 1994, Vikki left her 21-year career at Boeing to launch her consulting and coaching practice. 

Vikki joined the nascent coaching industry and was introduced to Thomas Leonard, founder of CoachU and the International Coach Federation (ICF). She completed her coaching certification at CoachU and was among the first cohort to earn her Master Coach Certification (MCC) from the ICF in 1998.

Curious about the origins of coaching, Vikki went on to earn her Ph.D. in Coaching and Human Development. She went on to publish the most comprehensive history of coaching to date in her book the Sourcebook of Coaching History.

This program is for you

• if you are a coach and want to hear more about the origins of coaching from a pioneer of the coaching industry

Please check Inspired Wisdom.us for speaker notes, links and handouts for this episode with executive coach, Vikki Brock.

Indonesia is a beautiful and vast archipelago that is the size of the US from the east to the west. Bali, New Guinea, and Java are among the more commonly traveled and familiar places in Indonesia. Here are just a few facts about Indonesia: 

• Jakarta is the capital with a population in 2014 of over 10 mm.

Sinartus went on to complete high school and then college in CA before returning to Jakarta in 2000 as a photojournalist.

Sinartus is currently focused on the intersection of customer engagement and employee engagement with digitalization, data analysis, and good business processes.

If you want to do business in Indonesia, you have Indonesians on your team, you are looking for your next travel destination … or you like to learn about different cultures … you won’t want to miss my conversation with Sinartus.

• adjusting to life as a student in the US