Leading in a Lonely World

Meet Dr. Jill Huntley Taylor a social psychologist who has focused her curiosity about group dynamics and decision-making into a successful career in jury and trial consulting. Among other tools, Jill uses the “Story Theory” to assist trial attorneys present their most compelling and persuasive stories.  The approach captures the “story” that a juror will create based on personal experiences and the evidence presented at trial. The juror uses this story to explain the case and come to a decision.  Jill overlays the story approach with data collected from jurors – examining their attitudes, listening to their decisions and analyzing results. During COVID-19, Jill took the bold leap to open her own firm after 22 years.  Jill describes herself as a collaborative leader and likes to engage her team. She believes being a leader means being a role model and learning to listen well.

I think you will enjoy hearing Jill’s views on trial preparation and jury selection, leadership and more.

DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions. 

Meet serial entrepreneur, Heather Dawson.  Heather is a co-founder of Xiggit, a fin-tech startup with a vision to reinvent access to health, retirement, and savings benefits to help financially vulnerable people improve their financial outlook. Xiggit provides curated benefits that are 'individual' but packaged for the six million small business employers who do not offer any employee benefits as workers select benefits that matter to them and benefits portability lets them take their benefits even when they change jobs. Xiggit also has a financial education component that helps workers improve their financial literacy and wellbeing. This venture is meaningful for Heather because as a teenager, she went from an upper-class family to being homeless after her mom’s poor money management and speculative investments wiped them out. From that point, Heather made a pact to herself that she would never be in such a financial fiasco. Heather worked hard, moved up the career ladder, and became a successful sales executive at IBM. She transitioned to senior executive roles at few tech startups, several of which had successful exits. Through her personal experience, she's built a deep conviction that everyone can transform from being enslaved by money problems to harnessing it for personal gain. Heather makes time to mentor those around her, especially young girls with an interest in STEM or young entrepreneurs.  

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

During this episode, we hear Michele Meyer-Shipp, the first woman and person of color to lead Major League Baseball’s Human Resources and become a part of the C-suite. Culture and Talent Management describe her leadership journey. She describes her current role as her “dream job” for a self-proclaimed sports “fanatic.” She is able to lean into all of her skill sets and expertise and activate her talents in one role. As a “first,” Michele feels tremendous responsibility to those young women and women of color who look to her. Her goal is to do her job well and leave a meaningful legacy. Michele speaks to building a “Board of Directors” of mentors that have helped her during her career and she pays it forward by mentoring students, attorneys, HR professionals as they pursue their own path towards excellence. Michele is spearheading a Leadership training program within MLB with a focus on building inclusive leaders with high emotional intelligence.  Her Leader’s Bench shares best practices and tips for  MLB’s leaders and emerging leaders.  Our listeners will enjoy hearing Michele talk about her brand of “authentic” leadership.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

On today’s episode, we meet Claire Wheaton, a seasoned HR professional for the Kindred Group working in London. During the pandemic, she learned firsthand, that “while we may all be in the same storm, not everyone is in the same boat.” A key reminder that as individuals, we have our own unique experiences, views, coping mechanisms, and support.  Kindred was at the forefront of caring for its employees' mental health and developed a robust program for mental health awareness in the workplace. Claire became a mental health first responder to be in a knowledgeable position to respond to her employees' needs. She believes her ability to be empathetic and to build trusted relationships has been a key to her success in her HR leadership role. Claire is a purposeful leader, clear on what she and her team want to accomplish, and making sure that all are working in alignment with that purpose.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

In this episode of "Leading in a Lonely World: Conversations with Transformative Leaders”, host Vanessa Kelly talks to Dr. Marc Williams. Dr. Marc has an interesting career journey including representing some of the biggest brands in sports, such as Champs Sports, Reebok, and Footaction. He serves now as the Global Scholar Practitioner at HBCU Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida where he created an innovative STEM program preparing students for careers in eSPorts, AR/VR, game design, marketing, communications, and entrepreneurship.  He's driven to help students, especially women and persons of color succeed in the STEM field where they are underrepresented.  He seeks to channel his students' adversity into resiliency setting them up for a lifetime of success.  Motivated by his own mentor, he also hopes to instill the message of being your own HERO through H – hope, E-efficacy, R-resiliency, and O-optimism.  Listeners will enjoy Dr. Marc’s story of grit and determination.  

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions. 

Meet Rich Vaill,  as he shares his leadership journey beginning with the US Naval Academy and his career as Marine Officer.  He is a strong advocate for hiring VETS and has some persuasive arguments for why VETS make great employees– loyalty, discipline, mission-oriented, and fierce integrity. Helping him during the pandemic was his Marine mantra:  Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!  He describes himself as “decisive” leader who stands by his decisions, takes accountability for missteps, but is confident making decisions on the basis of available resources, and moving forward with the mission.

Rich shares that the service academies completely immerse you in service and leadership where you “learn, apply and correct.”  The Service Academies’ emphasis on training, preparing for the unknown and unexpected, and the commitment to service of the interest of your country is at the forefront.  One of the biggest lessons he learned is “take care of your people.”  Train your people, equip them with the resources they need to succeed, and then let them perform, don’t micromanage.  Rich learned in his command posts that leadership encompasses understanding and managing the “whole person”– dealing with marital, financial, other concerns of his team. His military experience served him well his roles of civilian leadership.  Key qualities and principles that carry over:  proficiency, communication, seeking self-improvement, endurance, enthusiasm ,and  knowing yourself.  Rich seeks to embody what he learned in the military: “integrity, discipline, lead by example, be professional, respectful, humble, stay in shape, and shine your shoes.”   Rich, like many of the transformative leaders we have been speaking to on our podcasts is devoted to giving back.  He has a passion for assisting veterans successfully transition into civilian careers.  He even returned to active duty service to be the New Jersey’s  “Hometown Link” in the Marine for Life” program. He has some words of wisdom for hiring managers to uncover humble veteran’s experiences to fully understand the unique qualities they can bring to the job. 

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Our guest this episode is Sue Ann Van Dermyden, founder of Van Dermyden Maddux Law Corporation, a preeminent workplace investigation firm.  Sue Ann shares her ability to “see and seize opportunities” and provides a great reminder for our leaders to recognize and capitalize on the opportunities that are all around us.   Her legal skills are focused on investigations so that she can serve both employers and employees by contributing to safe working environments.  She surrounds herself with the best and the brightest to constantly challenge herself to grow and learn.  Sue Ann is a shining example of taking a risk on yourself – really believing in your own abilities to soar.  She sees her role as a leader as a champion of others.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Jamie Pagliaro is the co-founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Learning Officer of Rethink, a global health technology company that provides cloud based treatment tools, training, and clinical support, specifically for persons with developmental disabilities.  Listen to his journey from an aide to a small child with autism, to founding a Charter School for Children with autism, to founding Rethink which has extended his reach globally by providing parents, teachers, clinicians and others with the vital tools and support to improve the lives of persons with neuro diverse conditions.  Jamie loves to inspire his team to collaborate and serve the company’s mission. Jamie, an innovator and entrepreneur, finds his drive to create as his inspiration. Jamie is a wonderful example of being able to make work a passion and to serve a community often ignored or underserved.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.   

“Listen In” to Allison Manswell as she talks with Vanessa Kelly about her impactful book on race relations:  “Listen In: Crucial Conversations on Race in the Workplace,” its relevance today, and why now is the right time to make real changes to bring lasting racial equity.

Allison Manswell was born and raised in Montreal, Canada and began her career in criminal justice with the Royal Canadian Mounties.  Moving to the United States for marriage, she found herself in a new field, HR. Listen in as she discusses her growth in HR and how she views her journey from policing to influencing behavior proactively by crafting effective organizational interventions.  Allison wrote “Listen In: Crucial Conversations on Race in the Workplace” as an organic response to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25 year old man who died from spinal cord injuries while in police custody and the ensuing Baltimore riots that she lived through. While racial inequity and the issue of police brutality were not new concepts in the black community, Allison felt a calling to write about the black experience at work.  Knowing that she had to be 100% authentic, she found a way to describe what many people of color experience in the workplace that did not involve shaming, but was designed to instill empathy and understanding.  Forward to present day, with racial tensions flowing from the George Floyd killing and the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on BIPOC workers and women, the interest in racial equity has never been greater.  Allison fears that if we do not make real sustained improvement in racial equity now, it will be difficult to ever “sell the notion of hope” for change again.  Recognizing that racial equity in our workplaces is a systemic change, she encourages leaders to embrace the concepts of change management, including providing historical perspectives and preparing those with privilege and power for the changes that will come.  Allison also advocates for making leadership accountable and making sure that today’s leaders have the tools, resources, empathy, and emotional intelligence to lead our diverse workforces.  “Leadership is its own discipline” and should be a “powerful factor for progress.”   

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.                                                                                                                                                                   

Meet Sonya Richburg, Employment Counsel with Coca-Cola Consolidated, as she shares her views of being a servant leader and having candid conversations about race in the workplace. 

Sonya Richburg is a bright light among in-house employment lawyers who uses her passion for mentorship, community, and leading with a genuine voice to guide employment at Coca-Cola Consolidated.  Sonya was in the unique position of leading the employment response for essential workers, remote workers, and workers in the disadvantaged recreational and entertainment parts of the business.  She describes her leadership style as flexible depending on who she is working with – it may be “top-down,” collaborative, or as an influencer based on the situation.  She views leadership as being “responsible” for others.  Sonya also shared her perspectives on being a woman of color and being able to have candid conversations about race in the workplace and equipping people to continue those conversations.  She is committed to mentoring those within and outside of her organization.  She also makes it her job to ensure that leadership recognizes the talent within the organization and provide opportunities for developing leaders to be seen and promoted, instead of hiring outside. During COVID, she has learned to prioritize the relationships that are meaningful to her and spend time developing these relationships.  As a Board member of Campfire, she seeks to provide girls and boys with the tools to meet the challenges where they are at, not just for the future.  Please join us for conversation and be uplifted by Sonya’s positivity and genuineness.  

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.