Leading Forward

By Christie BergerBusiness Careers

Leading Forward episodes

August 16, 2021All about Change and Simple Thinking with Richard Gerver, Acclaimed Speaker, Author and Instructor (Part II)
Episode #23 (Part II): All about Change and Simple Thinking with Richard Gerver, Acclaimed Speaker, Author, and Instructor
In Part II of Leading Forward's Season One Finale, Christie spoke with Richard Gerver. Richard Gerver has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. He is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and world-renowned thinker. Richard began his career in education, most notably as headmaster of the failing Grange Primary School. In just two years, he famously transformed the school into one of the most acclaimed learning environments in the world. He was celebrated by UNESCO and the UK Government for its incredible turnaround.
Richard has since transitioned to the global stage where he uses his trademark humor and natural style to deliver passionate, provocative and authentic speeches. He draws upon the first-hand experiences and unique insights garnered from frontline education to explore the links between great leadership, human potential, change, and innovation. His ability to connect experiences across many seemingly different environments helps people to expand their thinking and perception of potential. It is this authenticity and uniqueness which has helped Richard win him global acclaim and invitations to speak on the most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA and BBC radio.
The three core principles underpinning Richard's philosophy are communication, empowerment, and impact. He argues that great leadership is first and foremost about serving the needs of the people who work for you. His mantra: systems and structures change nothing; people do.
Highlights "All about Change and Simple Thinking"
Brand authenticity and integrity are the most important aspects to consumers.

Today there is a higher expectation of companies to support social issues.

“The great idea could come from anywhere, at any moment, and from any person-wherever, they are in the organization.”

If employees feel their job has value and meaning and can see the impact of their work-that becomes a very persuasive motivator for people.

Middle managers tend to face roadblocks by the people below them and above them.

“Senior management should change the culture and expect the middle managers to find the superstars below them, and that is how their performance is measured.”

If people’s pay is determined by outperforming people, then there is no incentive for collaboration and teamwork.

“Systems and structures change nothing, people do.” This is because oftentimes the systems and structures get in the way.

Organizational change requires a culture shift, and that takes time.

Starting small with organizational change can achieve results much quicker than attempting to change the entire organization by a singular launch date.

Taking people along with you means you “are not doing something to someone but they are along for the process.”

As teachers, parents, managers, and leaders we must remember challenges bring learning, and sheltering too much becomes a hindrance to a person’s potential.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
25 min
August 02, 2021All about Change and Simple Thinking with Richard Gerver, Acclaimed Speaker, Author and Instructor (Part I)
Episode #23 (Part I): All about Change and Simple Thinking with Richard Gerver, Acclaimed Speaker, Author, and Instructor
In Part I of Leading Forward's Season One Finale, Christie spoke with Richard Gerver. Richard Gerver has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. He is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and world-renowned thinker. Richard began his career in education, most notably as headmaster of the failing Grange Primary School. In just two years, he famously transformed the school into one of the most acclaimed learning environments in the world. He was celebrated by UNESCO and the UK Government for its incredible turnaround.
Richard has since transitioned to the global stage where he uses his trademark humor and natural style to deliver passionate, provocative and authentic speeches. He draws upon the first-hand experiences and unique insights garnered from frontline education to explore the links between great leadership, human potential, change and innovation. His ability to connect experiences across many seemingly different environments helps people to expand their thinking and perception of potential. It is this authenticity and uniqueness which has helped Richard win him global acclaim and invitations to speak on the most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA and BBC radio.
The three core principles underpinning Richard's philosophy are communication, empowerment, and impact. He argues that great leadership is first and foremost about serving the needs of the people who work for you. His mantra: systems and structures change nothing; people do.
Highlights: "All about Change and Simple Thinking"
As a parent, it can be difficult to sit back and support your child when they make decisions you may not agree with.

“Some of our most highly qualified, highly gifted, highly talented professionals are the ones that find change most challenging.”

People that have never failed, made mistakes or experienced real adversity tend to walk away.

Adversity and mistakes present an opportunity for the individual to persevere.

“The more time you invest in people at the human level, they will give it back to you in Spades.”

Building your people up develops the most loyal, connected and capable people in your organization.

There is no shortcut to having the best team, it starts with the leader investing in their team members.

Psychological safety is at the core of the most successful corporations.

“Lack of control” is a key component in a person feeling uneasy about change.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
33 min
July 19, 2021Leading to Align and Motivate your Teams with Ann Hatcher, EVP & Chief Human Officer at Wellpath
Episode #22: Leading to Align and Motivate your Teams with Ann Hatcher, EVP & Chief Human Officer at Wellpath
In today's episode, Christie spoke with Ann Hatcher. In April of 2019, Ann Hatcher joined Wellpath as their Chief Human Resource Officer. Prior to joining Wellpath, Ann served more than two decades with HCA where she held a number of positions and was a proven healthcare and human resources leader. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated the ability to build a culture of highly effective and engaged healthcare professionals committed to delivering quality health outcomes for patients. Since joining Wellpath, she has repositioned the Human Resources team to support the execution of business results through leading candidate attraction, employee retention, and leadership development initiatives. 2020 brought a new challenge to the human resource departments across the country with the Covid-19 pandemic and the myriad of employee challenges that followed. Under Ann’s leadership not only did Wellpath announce in early April, enhanced bonuses, but also increased paid time off, and other benefits to help the thousands of frontline team members in sites providing clinical care during the coronavirus crisis.
Highlights: "Leading to Align and Motivate your Teams"
2020 was the “year of HR leadership” because organizations relied heavily upon their HR team to keep moving forward.

Getting organized and assembling key leaders is important to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Expert council is necessary to review data and then develop a plan to accomplish the organization’s goals.

Blurred lines can lead to burnout among staff and it is up to leaders to monitor their people.

Communication cues act as a strong indicator of burnout. Things like looking down at your phone or cutting someone off during a call.

Supporting a direct report or your team begins with the leader being present.

Listen to what’s on the surface, listen to what is not being said, and then a leader can better understand how to support.

Meaningful work, opportunity to influence, and learning something new are key motivators for many people in the job search.

It is not the work that messes people up when they make a transition, it’s the culture.

Do new hires read the culture, understand the culture and help move the culture to where it needs to be?

Learning the unwritten “rules of the road” depends on relationship building and starting slow enough but getting early wins.

The corporate office is a symbol to represent what is important in the culture.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
30 min
July 05, 2021Redefining Success and Priorities of a Global Business Unit During Immense Change with Emily Poladian, President at Firestone Industrial Products
Episode #21: Redefining Success and Priorities of a Global Business Unit During Immense Change with Emily Poladian, President at Firestone Industrial Products
In today's episode, Christie spoke with Emily Poladian. Emily is the President of Firestone Industrial Products. As President, Poladian oversees all aspects of the FSIP business, including management of the more than 1,500 employees around the world who play an integral part in the company’s growth and commitment to designing industry-leading technology to eliminate vibration in global transportation.
Emily joined Bridgestone in June 1995. She began her career with Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC (FSIP) as a Product Engineer and was named Sales Engineer for Industrial Sales four years later. In June of 2009, Poladian was named Manager, North and Central American Distributor Sales responsible for Aftermarket, OES, and Industrial sales.
Highlights: "Redefining Success and Priorities of a Global Business Unit During Immense Change"
Transitioning into a new role requires a lot of navigating- developing the right structure and team.

COVID gave an opportunity for teams to communicate more frequently and move things along more quickly.

Leaders must be transparent with their team- it allows team members to understand the “why” around certain decisions.

Part of leadership’s job is to have aspirations for the organization, but those aspirations have to become inspiration for members of the organization.

Cultural sensitivity around communication is important for global teams.

Surveys and feedback are great metrics to determine that all members are understanding what leadership is communicating.

One-on-one conversations or small group conversations lead to better qualitative “pulse checking” to receive feedback/understand engagement from the team.

The effectiveness of the team and its culture are indicators of a team leader’s success.

Setting the broad vision and then empowering the leaders in your team to lead at their level in the organization.

It is okay for women to be intentional with their goal setting (for both career and personal life), you do not need to be apologetic for any of your goals.

Owning where you want to go, laying out the groundwork to get there, advocating for it (and yourself), and then planning accordingly will help you accomplish your plan.

Focusing too much on the “growth areas” of the business is not sustainable, developing a balance between the “growth” and “bread and butter” leads to balanced success.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
33 min
June 21, 2021Compassionate Care, Systemic Change and Mental Health at Work with Jaclyn Pritchett, SVP of Human Resources at Brookdale
Episode #20: Compassionate Care, Systemic Change and Mental Health at Work with Jaclyn Pritchett, SVP of Human Resources at Brookdale
In today's episode, Christie spoke with Jaclyn Pritchett. Jaclyn Pritchett is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Brookdale Senior Living. Prior to Brookdale, she was at Bridgestone Americas, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and worked within the auto industry, government & non-profit sector, and consulting. Jaclyn previously served on the Board of Directors for MT|SHRM, and currently serves as the Executive Sponsor for the Leadership Development Program. She also currently serves on the Board for New Frontiers, and is President of the Board for Crowned for Ashes.
Highlights: "Compassionate Care, Systemic Change and Mental Health at Work"
COVID-19 has provided businesses with a real-life case scenario that cannot be taught in training classes.

A few business lessons like variables changing every day and making decisions across the nation, are products of 2020.

During a crisis, an organization will be successful if the right procedures were set up prior in the weeks or months before.

Recognizing your leaders, both publicly and privately, is critical for human resources.

Discussions around mental health are necessary because “What’s going on at home is affecting people at work and people need to bring their whole self to work.”

Recharging, “What happens during the loss of control in a crisis?”, Zoom fatigue, guilt, & burnout are conversation starters to let your people know they are not alone.

What support mechanisms are set up in your organization to support your people’s mental health? What roles are dedicated to this?

Step one of systemic change is integrating the new policy into the system. Step two is working to integrate it with your managers and other employees.

Compassionate leadership is a tool for leading during a crisis.

Growing vertically in an organization is standard. Growing horizontally is not as common and having a “playground” of options is ideal.

Creating and letting people see what is possible in the organization, supports employees to develop as individuals and leaders.

Taking risks and saying ‘yes’ to things that you may not check every checkbox, may seem scary at first but can pay off.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
34 min
June 07, 2021Driving Growth and Developing Leaders by Letting Go with Greg Baumer, CGO at naviHealth
Episode #19: Driving Growth and Developing Leaders by Letting Go with Greg Baumer, CGO at naviHealth
In today's episode, Christie spoke with Greg Baumer. As Chief Growth Officer at naviHealth, Greg Baumer serves many of naviHealth’s external functions, including sales, account management, marketing, partnerships, and new solution development. Greg has spent the majority of his career focused on health care, including prior roles in healthcare investing at Advent International and healthcare consulting at McKinsey & Company. When he is not at work, Greg loves to explore Nashville’s burgeoning restaurant scene with his wife and go on “bear hunts” (i.e., family walks) with his three young kids.
Highlights: "Driving Growth and Developing Leaders by Letting Go"
In navigating a crisis, leadership must be ready to expedite necessary change.

To drive growth, it is important to raise your people up and equip them with the resources necessary to support them in their role.

“If I am leading a function, my job is to build up those leaders and put them in a position to lead. They have to do it. I cannot do it for them.”

Moving up in an organization may require letting go of the things that made you successful in your previous role.

Outside of performance reviews, a leader should encourage their team members to have personal development goals and then check-in on their progress during one-on-ones.

Individual goals will help the leader be accountable to allow their team to test different options that allow the team to achieve those individual goals.

Part of the fun in business is engaging in detailed problem solving. When your role evolves you become more involved in people development, that can be hard to balance.

As a leader, only worry about the 2-3 things that could be “catastrophic” if they go wrong. Everything else-allow your leaders to have more bandwidth.

A “pulse-check” on the organization involves asking questions like, “How can I better support the organization” or “Are there any potential issues my leaders will face.”

The best leaders have a great intersection of both confidence and humility.

Having clear development goals can begin with copying your favorite leaders. Think about their story, because there is no need to “reinvent the wheel.”

Sometimes we cannot see what is right in front of us, so just ask, it can be that simple. That shows humility and continuous growth.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
35 min
May 24, 2021The Impact of Surrounding yourself with Extraordinary People with Cordia Harrington, CEO & Founder at Crown Bakeries
Episode #18: The Impact of Surrounding yourself with Extraordinary People with Cordia Harrington, CEO & Founder at Crown Bakeries
In today's episode of Leading Forward, Christie spoke with Cordia Harrington. Cordia Harrington is CEO and founder of Crown Bakeries, a highly automated, high-speed baking company that bakes over 10 million baked goods daily and employs more than 800 people, serving elite customers in the United States, South America and the Caribbean. As CEO, Ms. Harrington guides the executive team to successful planning, business development, sales and marketing, and brand management.
Highlights: "The Impact of Surrounding yourself with Extraordinary People"
“Every leader’s job is to give hope and see the possibilities.”

Leaders need to be resourceful and open to change.

“Great leaders are able to deliver the truth, even when it is painful, it is hard or it hurts. Authentic leaders are not afraid to be themselves.”

If there is disagreement in the team, is the team able to disagree and commit? To continue working together, despite the potential conflict?

Buy-in is necessary for leadership teams. Once the team has “bought” the vision, the more excited and hopeful they are. They will then present the opportunity to their team.

Leaders must recognize that development includes career pathing, people can select out/opt-out and life stages change, people also reprioritize their life. It is okay if team members must leave the organization, in the name of development.

Micromanaging team members gives an impression that their supervisor does not trust them and it can spiral quickly.

Technical and functional expertise often are qualifiers for promotions and for team members to transition “up” in the organization. However, those skills do not translate to leadership.

Who we surround ourselves with and what we read are two factors that play into a leader's success.

When you are around people that do extraordinary things, you realize that YOU can do extraordinary things.

“Making money is not the most important thing, but I think it is more about overcoming challenges and doing things that you think are absolutely impossible, and it makes it so much fun.”

A grave mistake leaders tend to make is not thinking big enough. Instead, have hope and make one step in moving forward.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
32 min
May 10, 2021Developing a Great Work Culture and Leveraging the Collective with Beth Chase, Entrepreneur
Episode #17: Developing a Great Work Culture and Leveraging the Collective with Beth Chase, Entrepreneur
In today's episode, Christie interviewed Beth Chase. Beth R. Chase is a serial entrepreneur, corporate board director, and community leader. She was the founder and CEO of c3/consulting, growing the firm to the largest in Middle Tennessee prior to merging with Ankura Consulting Group. Beth has collaborated with c-suite leaders in an array of industries that include private equity, healthcare, finance, banking, insurance, distribution, logistics, publishing, business services, and technology. She co-founded a successful technology consulting firm prior to starting c3. Her career began with IBM, where she held a variety of sales, financial, and consulting positions.
Highlights: "Developing a Great Work Culture and Leveraging the Collective with Beth Chase, Entrepreneur"
Working in the community is a “triple play”-you make an impact, grow your leadership skills, you’re making new connections, and growing your network.

There isn’t one work culture that works for everyone, leaders need to find what is most natural for their organization.

“Leverage the collective” in a work culture looks like helping and supporting one another, leaning on each other, and challenging/building on ideas.

Leading based on your values, when done right, is not a “check-the-box” task. Instead, when it is incorporated into every aspect of the business, it becomes the company’s work culture.

“Start with the heart,” means to look at the individual first. It does not mean you “end with the heart” (and make poor business decisions), instead, it allows you to have meaningful connections with your team.

Employees cared more about their organizations in 2020. Employees stepped up and had an opportunity to take a new seat at the table.

Leaders poured more into their people and reflected on how people and teams function.

Culture is just a collection of behaviors and does not come about on its own. Great leadership is how culture is manifested.

Great leaders must have the ability to inspire, delegate and mentor others.

How to delegate: start by figuring out what you really love and are good at in the organization. Then determine where the holes are and delegate those items.

Leaders must always be learning.

Opportunities come from relationships. Networking and building relationships go hand in hand.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
40 min
April 26, 2021Leveraging Change to Enhance Your Purpose and Value to All Stakeholders with Kip Hallman, President at Wellpath
Episode #16: Leveraging Change to Enhance Your Purpose and Value to All Stakeholders with Kip Hallman, President at Wellpath
In today's episode, Christie spoke with Kip Hallman, President at Wellpath. Kip has more than 30 years of diverse experience, including co-founding and growing a large national healthcare services company and leading the turnaround of a national diagnostic imaging provider. He has a passion is leading teams to achieve great results. 2020 brought extraordinary challenges not only to Wellpath but across the country with the Covid19 pandemic and the myriad of business challenges that followed. Kip’s passion for leading teams proved invaluable as an integral part of the Wellpath Covid19 Executive Task Force, made up of multi-disciplinary leaders from around the organization. The Task Force met multiple times a week and constantly worked to ensure our partner agencies, our sites leadership and home office staff had the up to date information and resources they need to manage the pandemic and most importantly kept our staff, our partners and our patients safe. His new challenge is charting Wellpath’s “New Normal”.
Highlights: "Leveraging Change to Enhance Your Purpose and Value to All Stakeholders"
To pivot a crisis, an organization must first have their top leaders in alignment before speaking to the rest of the team.

Setting vision for the organization relies upon the repetitive nature of messaging to have it align across the organization.

Communicating to make a change depends on saying it “seven times in seven different ways.”

Leaders must be repetitive in their messaging and demonstrate that they “believe in this.”

“If your organization is doing business the same way a year from now, as it was a year prior, then you’ve let an opportunity go by.”

Virtual calls may allow organizations to have more touchpoints with stakeholders throughout the year, and less in person.

Utilizing technology moving forward past COVID, will help less “wear and tear” on team members.

Building trust within the organization is the most important thing and starts with building trust with each other and with stakeholders.

Authenticity, integrity and doing the right thing are all critical aspects to great leadership.

Core intention and purpose manifest in many ways depending on different leadership styles and the uniqueness of the situation.

If you build the right type of organization, “the best people do not need to be managed.” Meaning, your organization will be a place people want to be.

There is a difference between leading and managing your team.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
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Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
33 min
April 11, 2021The Financial Impact of Leading with Transparency, Heart and Putting Employees First with Sherry Deutschmann, Entrepreneur, CEO and Author
Episode #15: The Financial Impact of Leading with Transparency, Heart and Putting Employees First with Sherry Deutschmann, Entrepreneur, CEO and Author
In today's episode, Christie sat down with Sherry Deutschmann. Sherry is a serial entrepreneur, author, and passionate advocate for entrepreneurship. In 2019, Sherry founded BrainTrust, a company dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses to $1 Million in annual revenue…and beyond. Prior to founding BrainTrust, Sherry was founder and CEO of LetterLogic, Inc., a company she grew to $40 Million and sold in 2016. LetterLogic was named an INC 5000 company (fastest-growing privately held businesses in the US) for ten consecutive years.
Sherry attributes the success of LetterLogic to its unique culture in which the needs of the employees came before those of the customer or shareholder. That culture led Sherry to be recognized by EY as one of their 2009 Entrepreneurial Winning Women and LetterLogic was featured in the New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Business Leaders, INC, and Fast Company. Sherry was honored by President Barack Obama as a White House Champion of Change in 2016.
Sherry’s book, Lunch with Lucy – Maximize Profits by Investing in your People – was released in March 2020.
Highlights: "The Financial Impact of Leading with Transparency, Heart and Putting Employees First"
Employees will not care about their work if the organization’s leaders do not care about them.

Inspiration can come from things that are not inspiring and ideas to fix that.

Leaders need to think about every team member, not just the ones in “glamorous” positions.

Worrying about utility bills, child care or insurance bills takes a toll on employees. If their employer gets rid of that for them, the employer will gain “trust points.”

How do we as leaders drive commitment to the organization and to one another?

“I would advise anybody in leadership to take the time and break bread with the people that report to you, and it doesn’t have to be fancy.”

Just listening to your employees doesn’t do much, acting based on what you hear creates sustainable change.

If you treat your employees right, they won't carry the burden on their own.

Putting employees first is a really good business model.

“It wasn’t just my family that I was trying to support, it was those 50+ other families and their extended families."

Empowering women is necessary and can begin in any organization.

A byproduct of a successful business is gaining influence; it is imperative that when given a "megaphone," leaders empower all of their employees and use their influence to give everyone a better chance at success.
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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.
------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/
40 min

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LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us.

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