Leadership Meets Life

In my 13th episode of the Leadership Meets Life Podcast, I dig into the neuroscience behind creativity and problem-solving and cover the five stages of insight and innovation.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Primary Source: The Neuroscience School, led by Dr. Irena O’Brien

Podcast Episode: Leadership Meets Life on technical and adaptive challenges, by Phil Bergey: Technically Speaking, It’s Adaptive - Tackling Challenges in a Changing World

Blog Post: Leadership Meets Life on technical problems and adaptive challenges, by Phil Bergey: Leadership Fruit Bowl: Navigating Technical & Adaptive Challenges With Your Team

Book: The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World, by Ronald Heifetz

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

In this episode, we’ll look at how to make progress every day in our leadership and life. We'll cover the Progress Principle and provide helpful tips to make meaningful progress.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Primary Source: The Neuroscience School, led by Dr. Irena O’Brien

Book: James Clear, Atomic Habits

Nutritionist: Chelsea Gloeckner, owner of Victae.

Video: James Clear, Atomic Habits: How to Get 1% Better Every Day

Video: Carol Dweck, The Power of Believing that You Can Improve

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

This episode looks at the current understanding of willpower and motivation. We'll learn about the progress principle and fixed and growth mindsets and make some valuable connections to leadership and life.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Primary Source: The Neuroscience School, led by Dr. Irena O’Brien

Book: Lisa Feldman Barrett, Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain

Book: David Rock, Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long.

Video: James Clear, Atomic Habits: How to Get 1% Better Every Day

Video: Carol Dweck, The Power of Believing that You Can Improve

Web Article: James Clear, Procrastination

Diagram: Progress Loop

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

In this episode, we look at the neuroscience behind focus, what it means to pay attention, and what’s going on in our brain when we’re multitasking. Lastly, we'll discuss the three distinct networks of our brain, Central Executive Network, Default Mode Network, and Salience Network.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Primary Source: The Neuroscience School, led by Dr. Irena O’Brien

Book: Lisa Feldman Barrett, Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain

Article: Multicosts of Multitasking

Article: Who Multi-Tasks and Why? Multi-Tasking Ability, Perceived Multi-Tasking Ability, Impulsivity, and Sensation Seeking

Phone App: Ten Percent Happier: Meditation and Sleep

Video: What multitasking does to your brain | BBC Ideas

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

This episode will define and provide an overview of neuroplasticity and make valuable connections to leadership and life.  We'll discuss the two principles of neuroplasticity, the first being neurons that fire together wire together and the second being we either use it or lose it.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Primary Source: The Neuroscience School, led by Dr. Irena O’Brien

Document: Select Brain Myths with links

Book: Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain, by Lisa Feldman Barrett 

Book: Neuro: The New Brain Sciences and the Management of the Mind, by Nikolas Rose and Joelle M. Abi-Rached.

Article: “The Impact of Studying Brain Plasticity”

Article: “Neuroplasticity 101,” by BrainFutures

Article: “The Neuroplasticity of Phineas Gage”

Video: What Actually Happened to Phineas Gage?

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

In this episode, we take our first dive into the application of neuroscience to leadership and life. We'll unpack some of the complexities and capabilities of our brain and discuss its purposes that keep us alive and well. 

A few resources to go along with this episode:

The Neuroscience School, led by Dr. Irena O’Brien

Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

If I Only Had a Brain – Video Clip

Wizard of Oz Script

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

In this episode, we explore the notion of meaning, and the importance of trust in the crazy times we’re living in today. I'll provide some resources and ideas that will help cultivate trust with those around you.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Bergey’s Electric, Inc.

The 2021 Trust Outlook: Executive Edition published by the Trust Edge Leadership Institute

The Thin Book of Trust: An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work by Charles Feltman.

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

Today, we’re going to explore an approach to leadership and change that is one of my favorites. It’s the work of Otto Scharmer, a disciple of Peter Senge and Edgar Schein at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s called Theory U.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, and facilitator. Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their 8 grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

In this episode, we explore the work of Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey and what they call the Immunity to Change.

What is your tolerance to change? I'm sure each of us would say we would make the necessary changes if our life was on the line, but what about those changes and decisions we make each day? “The problem is the inability to close the gap between what we genuinely, even passionately, want and what we are actually able to do.” Let's explore this gap and how you can use this change model to impact where your Leadership Meets Life.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Immunity to Change Model Sample (Figure 2-8, from Kegan and Lahey, Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock Potential in Yourself and Your Organization)

Books by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey:

An Evening with Robert Kegan and Immunity to Change, Robert Kegan [VIDEO]

Seeing & Overcoming the Immunity to Change, Lisa Laskow Lahey [VIDEO]

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. Some theory, a little humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Access all of the Episodes and more resources: http://leadershipmeetslifepodcast.com/

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He grew up and was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, facilitator, and educator.  Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their eight grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.

Change, especially transition, is hard. It just is. And you know why? Because it involves loss. In this episode, we look at the difference between change and transition and making sense of the three phases of transition proposed by William Bridges.

A few resources to go along with this episode:

Leadership Meets Life Podcast is for leaders who want to grow both professionally and personally. It’s practical and focused on helping leaders make meaning of their work, lives, and relationships while exploring the head, heart, and soul of leadership. Each podcast features a leadership tool or approach to apply immediately to your work and life, drawing from my experiences as an executive, process consultant, executive coach, business owner, and professor. A little theory, some humor, and tons of results-oriented wisdom served up in about 20 mindful minutes.

Access all of the Episodes and more resources: http://leadershipmeetslifepodcast.com/

Meet Your Host, Philip C. Bergey - An executive leadership coach who builds on 30 years of diverse leadership experience in business and non-profit roles to form trusted relationships and deliver results with humor, flexibility, and depth. He grew up and was a partner in what is now a three-generation-led family business and has led both start-ups and 300-year-old organizations. Phil has served hundreds of leaders, boards, businesses, and organizations as an executive leadership coach, process consultant, facilitator, and educator.  Phil is married to Evon, and in addition to enjoying their eight grandchildren, he loves walking, kayaking, paddleboarding, birding, and fishing. His formal education includes an MA in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. His coaching is focused on helping executives and other senior leaders live with greater effectiveness, more meaning, and increased health as they grow personally and professionally. He has held a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation since 2009 and is certified to use multiple psychometric assessments.