Modern Career

In this episode, Mary connects with Ken Coleman who is known as America’s Career Coach, the nationally syndicated radio host of The Ken Coleman Show and No. 1 bestselling author. During the episode, Mary and Ken discuss Ken’s new book; From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love. Ken highlights the relationship between struggle and purpose, the secret to persistence, how the people you surround yourself with impact your success, the criticality of clarity of purpose and addressing the biggest obstacles in your way.

Ken has been featured in Forbes, appeared on Fox News, Fox Business Network, and the Rachael Ray Show. Since 2014, he has served at Ramsey Solutions, where he offers expert advice to help thousands of people every day discover what they were meant to do and how to land their dream job. Follow Ken on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube or at kencoleman.com.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

* From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love by Ken Coleman* The Ken Coleman Show  

What kind of impact do you want to have throughout your life and career? In this episode, Mary talks with Dr. Jann Freed, a leadership development consultant, speaker and a professor of business management, about her concept of The Breadcrumb Legacy. They discuss how to reflect on and leave a meaningful legacy along the way throughout your daily life and career. 

Dr. Jann Freed is the author or co-author of five books and is particularly focused on helping employees find meaning and purpose beyond their careers. She does this through the use of a concept she developed — The Breadcrumb Legacy™ — in which people create new meaning for themselves and others through small daily actions. She blogs weekly about leading, living, and conscious aging.   

Resources mentioned in the episode:

* Leading with Wisdom: Sage Advice From 100 Experts by Jann Freed

In this episode, Mary connects with sport and performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais, one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between the mind and elite performance. Over the course of a 20-year career working with world class performers and organizations, Dr. Gervais has developed a framework for the mental skills and practices that allow athletes to thrive in pressure-packed environments. During the episode, Mary and Dr. Gervais discussed the science and art of recovery and what it looks like, the importance of psychological skill training, why the balance between work and life is a mythical ridge line and what balance we should be looking for instead and much more.  

Dr. Gervais’ influence can be felt across many touchpoints of popular culture. His clients include the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, world record holders, Olympians, MVPs from every major sport, internationally acclaimed music artists, and Fortune 50 CEOs. He is the host of the popular Finding Mastery podcast that explores the psychology of the world’s most extraordinary thinkers and doers. 

In 2020, Gervais wrote an Audible Original, Compete to Create: An Approach to Living and Leading Authentically, with NFL coach Pete Carroll. He also created a six-week online course to bring the principles and practices of high-performance mindset training into businesses and homes. 

He is a published, peer-reviewed author and nationally recognized speaker on optimal human performance. Dr. Gervais has been featured in premier media outlets including NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, Red Bull TV, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Outside Magazine, WIRED, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. Dr. Gervais holds a doctorate degree in psychology, specializing in sport performance, and a master’s degree in kinesiology. He completed his PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce Ogilvie, often referred to as the father of American applied sport psychology.

In this episode, Mary connects with John Goldberg, Global Director, Executive Talent Acquisition at The Coca-Cola Company.  Mary and John discuss how individuals can determine if a company is a good fit for their capabilities and aspirations as well as culturally. They also discuss the many considerations impacting the future of work, qualities of a great interviewer, why empathy is a necessity when leading a team and the value of smart risks.  

John leads the executive talent acquisition function for The Coca-Cola Company globally which he created when he joined 18 years ago. He has extensive global experience in identifying and selecting leaders and executives in over 70 countries. Prior to joining Coca-Cola, John held senior recruitment leadership roles with Microsoft and the Home Depot and was previously the owner and managing partner of a technology focused retained search firm. He has been a member of several Boards and is a frequent speaker at industry forums. His work has been profiled in both the business media and thought leadership organizations. John holds a B.A. in English Literature from Lafayette College and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

In our Leadership Profile series, Mary connects with Eva Sage-Gavin. Eva is a former CHRO and has served in top HR and C-suite leadership roles at many of the world’s well-known Fortune 500 companies, including PepsiCo, The Walt Disney Company, and Gap Inc. Eva most recently was the Senior Managing Director, Talent & Organization Practice at Accenture helping companies evolve their workforces to innovate, unlock human potential, and drive transformation.

In this episode, Mary and Eva discuss how changing industries, functions and geographic experience gives you more choice and opportunity and can make you more resilient. They also discuss the importance of cracking open doors and bringing people with you so your legacy continues to pay it forward, what characteristics can make someone a really great leader in today’s context and much more.

Eva was also a senior advisor to the Boston Consulting Group and the G100 Network and was the first woman to serve on a public technology company board.  She is currently an executive in residence at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. Eva has received many honors -among them: the National Association of Corporate Directors as one of the most influential leaders in corporate governance boardrooms, the Silicon Republic named Eva as a top 16 Future-of-Work Influencer and HR Executive named her as a Top 100 HR Tech Influencer. Eva is also the recipient of Cornell University ILR School William B. Groat Award for lifetime achievement in Human Resources.

Resources mentioned in the episode: 

* ​Ruth Bader Ginsberg book My Own Words

In our Chief Human Resources Officer Perspective series, Mary sits down with CHROs from around the world to uncover insider knowledge about navigating a modern career. The next guest in the series is Lynn Minella. Lynn was the executive vice president and chief human resources officer of Johnson Controls retiring at the end of this year.  In this episode, Mary and Lynn discuss the importance of continuously developing yourself towards your personal aspirations, why you should stretch beyond your ‘job description’ and invest more time into learning and the importance of understanding cultural differences even if you are not in a global role. 

In her role as CHRO, Lynn Minella was responsible for establishing the company’s long-term people strategy and the leadership of the HR organization. Prior to joining Johnson Controls, Lynn served as the senior HR executive for two other organizations.  She was group Human Resources director and a member of the executive committee of BAE Systems plc based out of London.  Prior to BAE Systems, Lynn was senior vice president of Human Resources and Communications at Air Products & Chemicals.  She has also held a variety of Human Resources leadership roles at IBM earlier in her career. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

In this episode, Mary connects with Jim Kouzes, the coauthor with Barry Posner of the award-winning and best-selling book, The Leadership Challenge, now in its sixth edition, with over 2.8 million copies sold. He also currently serves as a Fellow with the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, and previously was the Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University. During the episode, Mary and Jim discuss practices to help leaders at every level be the best they can be, how these practices have shifted in times of disruption, and how all of us regardless of role or title can be extraordinary leaders. 

Jim has co-authored over a dozen books, including Stop Selling & Start Leading, Learning Leadership, The Truth About Leadership, Credibility, Encouraging the Heart, A Leader’s Legacy, and Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership as well as the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)—the top-selling off-the-shelf leadership assessment in the world. The Wall Street Journal named Jim one of the ten best executive educators in the U.S., and he received the Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). He was presented the Thought Leader Award by the Instructional Systems Association. Jim has also been recognized as one of HR Magazine’s Top 20 Most Influential International Thinkers, as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America. Jim believes it was on January 20, 1961 when he was first inspired to study leadership. That was the day he was one of only a dozen Eagle Scouts who served in John F. Kennedy’s Honor Guard at the Presidential Inauguration.

Resources mentioned in this episode

* The Leadership Challenge by Barry Posner and Jim Kouzes* Shared Values Make a Difference: An Empirical Test of Corporate Culture by Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner and Warren Schmidt* Edelman Trust Barometer* Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck 

In our Chief Human Resources Officer Perspective series, Mary sits down with CHROs from around the world to uncover insider knowledge about navigating a modern career. The next guest in the series is Patrick Nicollier, CHRO of The Global Fund. In this episode, Mary and Patrick discuss leadership during times of crisis, the importance of staying true to your beliefs when making career decisions, and how change takes time and requires patience. 

Patrick is a highly respected human resources professional with leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. He has provided strategic leadership in large and highly complex organizations regionally and globally and has extensive experience in transformation, organizational culture and development. Patrick holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations & Development from the Graduate Institute, Geneva and an MBA Essentials certification from the London School of Economics. Patrick volunteers as a Board Member of a non-for-profit organization focused on running education programs in Africa, India and Eastern Europe and is a Member of the Ethics Council at the Geneva Hospital.  

Resources mentioned in the episode: 

* The Global Fund

In this episode, Mary connects with Marc Effron, founder and President of The Talent Strategy Group. He helps the world’s largest and most successful companies improve the quality and depth of their talent. During the episode, Mary and Marc discuss what it means and what it  takes to be a high performer and navigate a career today to reach your aspirations and be most successful.

As the founder and President of the Talent Strategy Group, Marc leads the firm’s global consulting, education and publishing businesses. He co-authored the Harvard Business Review Publishing best-selling book One Page Talent Management, often called the “talent management bible.” His new book 8 Steps to High Performance is quickly reaching best-seller status. He previously served as an HR executive at Bank of America and Avon Products. Marc has been published in or heard on Fast Company, Financial Times, BBC, Bloomberg Radio, Inc., Harvard Business Review, New York Post, Knowledge@Wharton radio and some of the world’s most popular podcasts. Marc earned a M.B.A. from the Yale University School of Management and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington. 

Resources mentioned in the episode: 

*  8 Steps to High Performance: Focus On What You Can Change  by Marc Effron* One Page Talent Management: Eliminating Complexity, Adding Value by Marc Effron and Miriam Ort* Dr. Robert Hogan, Hogan Assessments* Marshall Goldsmith, executive leadership coach  

In this episode, Mary connects with Dan Kaplan, Senior Client Partner for HR Private Equity for Korn Ferry, one of the world’s top global search and talent consulting firms. During the episode, Mary and Dan discuss what it takes to navigate a career and make it to the top of an organization, into the C-suite.  Leading at this level is different than it used to be and will continue to change and evolve, so knowing what it takes is key.  Dan shares new insights for what it takes to be most successful.

Dan has over 20 years of expertise in leadership and organizational consulting; advising CEOs, investors, boards and industry leaders on all aspects of the talent landscape. Dan also held multiple leadership positions at other major search firms as well as leading recruiting in- house at several large organizations. Dan was one of 30 global participants in the World Economic Forum’s Talent Mobility Summit. He has also been named one of BusinessWeek’s World’s 50 Most Influential Headhunters.