Making Waves On Purpose

In this episode, I am in conversation with Bree Fram, Lt Col of the US Space Force. Bree is one of the highest-ranking transgender members of the military. I recently met her at the CECP summit in Boston and we struck up a conversation which we continued on the podcast.

In my opinion, one of the biggest problems we face in the world is "othering." We are tribalizing our local, national, and global cultures and sub-cultures not as a means of fostering belonging but as a means of isolating and "othering." This inhibits our ability to advance on a wide variety of existential issues we face. The work being done to isolate and "other" the trans community is a perfect example of this. With the ultra-conservative wing of the GOP going after the trans community and all manner of things they consider "woke" this conversation is particularly important.

Our conversation touched on a variety of topics but one that stuck with me is how doing the work to define yourself helps you become a better leader and a better person. We become more aware of ourselves, our experiences, and how they mold our opinions and therefore more aware of how they do the same for others. These "crucible moments" drive empathy and understanding which may well be the most important leadership trait of all.

A great conversation that I am sure all will be inspired, informed, and energized by.

Neil Edwards of https://www.neiledwardscoaching.com, works at that intersection of personal and organizational purpose, values, and optimizing potential. He believes that both organizations and individuals need to focus on building trust & creating the future, which requires profound intimacy.

I have always been impressed by Neil. I find him thoughtful, calm, insightful, and just a really interesting person. I am sure you will feel the same. We discuss polarization, inclusion, choices, conversation, common interests, and much more.

Lots has changed for me in the last year and a half. Most profoundly, I began to meditate and it has been a revelation.

Mandar Apte found meditation nearly 20 years ago and committed his life since then to teach meditation practice and support others on their transformational journeys including over 2000 executives at Shell, where he worked. Since leaving Shell he has integrated this inner development work during workshops for corporate clients helping them on their purpose journeys, as well as to community leaders, former gang members, and police officers to become better peacebuilders. For more about his work; www.mandarapte.net

Mandar's documentary film-based module on peace education is a worthy watch; www.Cities4Peace.org/BeTheChange and use this special 50% discount code: TAKE50BTC

A fascinating man doing important work.

I hope you enjoy.

Bea Boccalandro is special. She has the energy, enthusiasm, and intellect to tackle big problems and has recently focused on job purposing. She published a book on the topic, Do Good At Work, and recently spoke at a TED event. I recommend both as she has a knack for taking ideas and making them practical and ring true with the real-world experience many have at work. A great conversation with a great human being!

Zeev is the CEO and Co-founder of Landmark Ventures. I worked with Zeev and his team for many years while I was at PwC and they are really quite amazing.

5 or 6 years ago Zeev and I were talking about the evolution of corporate responsibility (insert whatever term you like best here) and he said that he thought this was all going to where we would have red companies and blue companies. He was right, and when Disney and Bud Light came under fire for being part of the "woke mob" I knew I had to bring him on the podcast. Great conversation with one of the most interesting people I know.

"You have to lead with governance," says Gib Hedstrom.

How are we going to create value? How do we truly integrate ESG into our purpose? How do we integrate ESG into our operations and culture?

These are some of the meaty questions we dig into on in this episode. Gib Hedstrom has been working in the space for many years and works with a wide variety of companies in advancing their business impact goals. His work on ESG Navigator has given him a front-row seat on how companies are designing strategies to reap and provide value. And his take on the need for more of a focus on strategy and governance is much needed.

"We have to get to a place where we care as much about how things impact others as we care about how it impacts us." Dawnita Wilson

Please read that again and let it sink in ............

Isn't that the whole nut? If we can move to this mindset, doesn't that give us one of the missing skills to figure out the rest?

It seems like this improved version of the golden rule - do unto others as they would like, rather than you would like, is a good way to enter into thinking about bias, privilege, and how the majority (like me) can engage in the DEI movement. That was a powerful takeaway for me following my conversation with Dawnita Wilson. Few have as much experience in the DEI space and I found our conversation super open and honest. This was especially interesting and we had only recently been introduced by a mutual friend, @Christy Cook. Enjoy.

ESG involves a whole range of geopolitical, international development, and stakeholder and shareholder expectations. For example, migration can be a great positive for countries and businesses but also a real challenge. This is especially true as globalism is under attack and nationalism is on the rise. In this conversation with Rafael Velasquez Garcia from the International Rescue Committee, we discussed his role and the issues being faced in Mexico as a result of migration.

Raf is a good friend. We met at the United Nations University for Peace, where we both got Masters in international Peace studies. I went on to marry my interest in fostering the public good with my private sector experience in a career focused on corporate responsibility and sustainability. Raf went a different route working in some of the world's most challenging conflict zones on some of the most difficult challenges.

Determining ways businesses can help solve the climate crisis is tricky and requires collaboration, data, and deep analysis. This is exactly what the team at RMI that Josh leads is doing.

Josh is a Managing Director at RMI, leading the Climate Intelligence Program, which focuses on applying data and technology to differentiate climate performance across material and energy industries and their associated value chains. The Climate Intelligence team works to enhance emissions visibility via open-source data platforms; advance carbon accounting systems that attribute emissions at various levels (corporate, facility, asset, product, etc.); establish and/or harmonize standards and marketplaces that allow us to differentiate the emissions intensity of raw materials, goods, and services; and advance the digital infrastructure and exchanges for tracing, valuing, and transacting these differentiated goods and services.

Dylan Siegler is the SVP and Senior Analyst at Greenbiz. has spent nearly two decades building better environmental and social impacts in the nonprofit and public sectors and the Fortune 500. Prior to GreenBiz, she was a lead strategist on the social innovation team at Verizon.

We had a great conversation about the recent GreenBiz conference and where Greenbiz is going. I see GreenBiz as more than a media and events company and more like playing a curator role. Of course, they are a for-profit company, but this is where I see their growth aligned to the growth of the movement as more and more seek to learn from each other on the role that business plays in solving the climate crisis and related issues.

Dylan is someone you should know.