During times of uncertainty, it’s natural for leaders to want to lean into their ‘best practices’; of sticking to what they know and what got them to where they are today. But is this really the smartest and best approach? Or should leaders instead “lean into risk” by embracing different mindsets and conducting experiments to help gain new information and insights?It’s the latter approach that my guest on this episode of Leadership Biz Cafe advocates for, especially if leaders and their employees are to become better problem solvers and innovators during times of uncertainty.Charles Conn is an investor, environmentalist, and entrepreneur.  He is co-founder of Monograph, a venture firm, the founding CEO of Ticketmaster-Citysearch, and was previously CEO of the Rhodes Trust in Oxford. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Board at Patagonia and sits on The Nature Conservancy European Council.Along with Robert McLean, he co-authored “Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything”. His latest book is “The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times”, in which Charles makes the compelling case that there are six distinct, but critical mindsets leaders need to have if they are to become better problem solvers and innovators who embrace periods of uncertainty, while their competition hunkers down to hopefully wait out the storm.It's a fascinating discussion on leadership and uncertain times that not only challenges what many leaders are doing right now, but actually provides some clarity on leaders should be doing to not just how their organization endure periods of uncertainty, but thrive in spite of what’s going on around them.https://open.spotify.com/episode/5A8c5oqKN4Uu3cFbSxRi6J?si=cc67f34a68e74430Noteworthy links:Learn more about Charles at Monograph.Buy his book “The Imperfectionists” on Amazon.**sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of delivering keynotes to several audiences on a wide range of issues leaders are grappling with today – from how to better navigate the current turbulent waters of change, to how leaders can create impact in a fast evolving and transforming workplace.While the insights and advice I shared varied, what I enjoyed immensely – in addition to being on stage in front of a live audience – was the depth and breadth of conversations I had with the leaders in attendance around what I shared and in particular, with these new insights in mind, where do we go next.It was during one of these conversations with these many leaders that I was asked an intriguing question – which naturally lead to a fascinating discussion – about how leaders go about inspiring their employees to not just deliver on stated targets, but to go beyond them.At a time of rising employee stress and declining trust for those in charge, how do leaders inspire others to do more than just survive the day, but to thrive in spite of what’s going on around our organization and at times, within in?In this latest instalment of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I share two important and powerful truths about leadership and inspiration. And I’m confident once you become aware of them, it will not only change your understanding of what it means to inspire others through your leadership, but of our collective capacity to do so.As I spoke about in a previous episode of Leadership Espresso Shot, leadership is hard and it’s meant to be. But I hope this episode will give you the drive and yes, inspiration to recognize what your employees require from you to not just succeed, but thrive under your care.https://open.spotify.com/episode/2bMqUSVUBKZuvHFoQUCiVq?si=f62c38e44dfa4c7a

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If there’s one certainty in leadership these days it’s that you better be comfortable leading through unending change. Key to your ability to succeed under such conditions is making sure you take care of your employees and also yourself, while also helping their organization prepare for the future. And according to my guest for this episode of the “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast, John Baldoni, you have to do all of this with a firm sense of grace.John is a globally recognized executive coach, speaker, and author of 16 books that have been translated into ten languages.  He’s been recognized by Thinkers 360 and Global Gurus as one of the world’s top thought leaders on coaching. And he’s written more than 800 leadership columns for a variety of online publications including Forbes, Harvard Business Review and Inc.com.John and I have been mutual fans of each other’s work, but we’ve never had the chance to sit down and speak about leadership and the current challenges leaders face. That’s why when he released his latest book, “Grace Under Pressure – Leading Through Change and Crisis”, I knew this would be a perfect opportunity for us to meet up and talk about a subject we both care deeply about.And I can definitely say the conversation was worth the wait. I hope you’ll check it out and let me know what you think of some of the ideas John and I talked about in terms of what leaders should be doing to help their organizations not just succeed today, but be prepared for whatever’s to come in the future.https://open.spotify.com/episode/6VSJkeiUhl35yMlHkZCXwS?si=9dccab1d51824419Noteworthy links:Buy John’s book “Grace Under Pressure” on Amazon*. Learn more about John’s work on his website.*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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There’s a lot of attention and efforts being put forth by organizations and their leaders to promote ‘greater collaboration’ in their workplaces.  This drive has lead some organizations to completely rework their office spaces in order to create “collaboration spaces” that would encourage the exchange and free-flow of ideas and thoughts.While it might be the case for some that this drive is an attempt to rationalize why leaders want more employees to return to the office, the bigger issue at play here is that mandating collaboration is not the same thing as empowering collaboration within the various teams in your organization. Indeed, what leaders should be putting greater focus on – especially as concerns continue to linger about the possibility of difficult economic times ahead – is how to engender and empower team cohesion at a time when an organization's workforce is being disrupted by both employees leaving and being laid off.That’s why in this latest edition of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I explore three principles leaders in every industry and field should be employing to promote team harmony.At a time when things remain not only uncertain, but in flux thanks to issues as broad as a scarcity of workers to the burgeoning rise of AI, it’s becoming even more critical for leaders to ensure team cohesion no matter how often their team changes or will change in the months ahead.These three principles discussed in this episode of my leadership podcast will help you create conditions to ensure your team can weather any storm that crosses their path.https://open.spotify.com/episode/7A1H2RjwzEbZcpc1lTu9s6?si=1858843a62524689

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If you were to ask a random group of leaders if they’d heard of executive presence, almost all of them would answer yes. But if you asked that same group of leaders how many could clearly describe what executive presence is, few if any would answer this question in the affirmative.But if executive presence is key to leadership development and success, why are so few of us capable of explaining it? And if we can’t explain it, how can we develop it? Those are questions I explore with my guest, Joel Garfinkle, in this episode of my “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast.Joel is the author of 11 books and over 300 articles on leadership. He’s been recognized by Global Gurus as one of the Top 30 global coaching experts, and his executive coaching clients include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Deloitte, Ritz-Carlton, Genetech, NBC, and the NBA.Joel was one of the first guests I spoke to when I started my podcast over a decade ago, which is why I’m delighted to speak with him again, this time about his latest book, “Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence, & Lead With Conviction”.It’s a revealing conversation with some practical insights on how every leader – regardless of their gender or race – can develop and strengthen their executive presence and with it, become a better leader in their organization.https://open.spotify.com/episode/35QXOSIRIqwxM3nMZm4CqC?si=ca70672414924e00Noteworthy links:Buy Joel’s book “Executive Presence” on Amazon*.Learn more about Joel’s work on his website.Listen to Joel’s previous appearance on Leadership Biz Cafe.*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Over the past several months, I’ve noticed the rise of two troubling trends in the leadership space. While much of the focus these days is on the exponential rise and growth of AI, these other two trends will certainly play a bigger role in determining the kind of impact leaders will have on their organizations in the months and years ahead, and no doubt with it, how to address the current transformation to the way we work.I explore these two trends in this latest edition of my Leadership Espresso Shot series on my podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”. I hope you’ll check it out as this is an important issue every leader needs to be mindful of if they want to be successful not just in the short-term, but over the long term as well.https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Bke4wZNsTfvCCnjVCGAL9

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After the murder of George Floyd, the world seemed to rise up collectively to demand an end to racial inequality. And while many organizations openly spoke about commitments to improve racial and gender equality within their workforce, the situation hasn’t improved. In fact, in some cases, it’s actually gotten worse.So how do we move past performative efforts to genuine action to overcome persisting racial and gender inequalities in today’s workplaces? That’s a conversation I’m eager to have with my guest in this episode of Leadership Biz Cafe, Dr. Tina Opie.Tina is an Associate Professor of Management at Babson College and a well-regarded thought leader in the field of organizational behaviour. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Business Insider, O Magazine, Essence Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Harvard Business Review. In fact, Tina’s podcast episode “Lead with Authenticity” was selected as one of Harvard Business Review's Most Influential and Innovative articles from Harvard Business Review’s first century.Tina is also the co-author of “Shared Sisterhood – How To Take Collective Action For Racial And Gender Equity At Work”, which serves as the focus of this episode.I know for many people discussing racial and gender inequality can be uncomfortable, which is why I wanted to have this conversation with Tina – to start that conversation in the hopes it will lessen the discomfort so others can start having it in their workplaces. After all, a problem will not go away if we continue to ignore it. And being a leader means being willing to have tough conversations, and not just those you’re comfortable with having.I want to strongly encourage everyone to take the time to listen to this episode to learn what each of us can do to overcome racial and gender inequalities in our workplace.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4DFOwU4u5n2QUJS8Q4un6v?si=a5d8e91fda8e4a73Noteworthy links:Learn more about Tina’s work here: drtinaopie.comBuy Tina and Beth’s book “Shared Sisterhood” on Amazon*.Listen to "Why Leadership Should Be Hard | Leadership Espresso Shot 29"*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Last month, I was invited to speak to a group of European leaders about leadership competency and vulnerability. As part of the discussion, I shared a story about some recent decisions returning Disney CEO Bob Iger has made and what we can learn from them in terms of how leaders should address the current economic and organizational challenges many are grappling with today.Since then, I’ve read news reports that demonstrate leaders and their organizations are continuing to face this same challenge that undoubtedly will have long-term repercussions on their organization’s ability to adapt, evolve, and grow.So for this Leadership Espresso Shot, I’d like to share this story about Disney, along with a set of powerful questions leaders need to be asking themselves to ensure their decisions and efforts are not focused on strategies for short-term gains at the expense of long-term growth and success.I hope you’ll take a few minutes to give this episode a listen as I’m sure it will challenge your assumptions and maybe even some of the decisions you might be making right now.But it will also give you some much needed clarity for where you should be putting the focus of your leadership right now to ensure the collective success of your team and organization.https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PtmfaXMaZkRUHg00gI7QG?si=354a9f8d672c479d

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Rising employee stress levels and employee burnout are becoming a worrisome trend in today’s workplaces. And yet, despite the wellness economy being estimated to have a value of over $4 trillion, little if any traction is being made on resolving this mental and physical health crisis. Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom as my guest on this episode of Leadership Biz Cafe has a prescription that any leader and organization can apply to create a healthier, happier, and more resilient workforce.Dr, Richard Safeer is the Chief Medical Director of Employee Health and Well-Being for Johns Hopkins Medicine where he leads the Healthy at Hopkins employee health and well-being strategy. He also serves on the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst Insight Council and previously served on the board of directors for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.In his book, “A Cure for the Common Company – A Well-Being Prescription for a Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient Workforce”, Richard shares a simple, but powerful approach for how any organization can address the current workplace health crisis while continuing to achieve your organizational goals.Over the course of our conversation, Richard and I discuss:What organizations are getting wrong in their efforts to address employee wellness.Some simple measures leaders should employ to change the social climate in their organization so it better supports employee wellness and resilience.What are norms and how they impact employee well-being and our efforts to improve working conditions.What leaders need to be doing to create a well-being culture in their organization.Obstacles leaders should be mindful of that can impede their efforts to create a well-being culture.As my background is in the medical sciences, it was truly a pleasure to speak with Richard about this timely subject. And it’s especially encouraging how the ‘prescription’ he shares to build a well-being culture can be employed by any leader in any organization.Given how employee stress and burnout is a growing issue, I strongly encourage you to check out this interview to get some ideas on where to begin on finding a solution to this costly workplace problem.https://open.spotify.com/episode/56WYALsuX73vSVS2IPi89L?si=de60fad37c374336Noteworthy links:Buy Richard’s book “A Cure for the Common Company” on Amazon*.Learn more about Richard’s work: richardsafeer.com*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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It seems like every day there’s another news report of yet another company mandating employees return to their office, another report of new findings about the consequences of rising employee anxiety and burnout, and more reports warning about the ever impending arrival of another economic downturn.Against that backdrop, I had the pleasure to sit down with a few friends as a guest on their podcast, as well as conversations with various leaders and leadership experts, to talk about these various issues and what it means about the future of work.In this latest episode of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I make the case that what driving all these headlines in our news feeds is a lack of compassion in leadership, but that there’s still hope as we only need to embrace the innate behaviours we’re all hard-wired to express. Take a listen to this episode from my podcast and get inspired to bring more compassion to your leadership to help your employees and your organization at large to succeed.https://open.spotify.com/episode/5omqvHUrfxbaPvEIBX0ovc?si=cb315f504c0d44d6

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