What do most leaders get wrong about culture, performance, and the future of work?

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with the former first CHRO of LinkedIn and author of Workquake to unpack what actually drives high-performing teams in today’s rapidly changing world.

We discuss:

• Why culture is a leadership responsibility — not HR’s
• How hypergrowth silently breaks communication
• Why learning agility matters more than job security
• The hidden poison in fear-based performance systems
• How AI should enhance people — not replace them

If you’re leading through change, building a high-performance culture, or navigating AI disruption — this conversation is essential.

Trust scales. Bureaucracy suffocates. Leadership decides.

🎥 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/X5RNRC54cNs

🔔 Subscribe for more leadership insights:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@DrWaynePernell 

#Leadership #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalCulture #AILeadership #ExecutiveLeadership

Steve Cadigan's LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/in/cadigan

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with mission-driven tech founder Dekel Skoop, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who has built companies serving underserved markets—from web accessibility to cybersecurity.

Dekel shares hard-earned leadership lessons on scaling organizations, hiring for adaptability and common sense, and why people always come before process and product. He also unpacks how real growth guarantees change—and why great leaders plan for it instead of resisting it.

This is a grounded, practical conversation for founders, executives, and leaders navigating growth in fast-changing environments.

Key Takeaways

Connect with Dekel 
● LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dekel-skoop-469335118

🎥 Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3bmEkAXph-g

 AI has been around for decades—but only recently has it become accessible, scalable, and deeply personal. In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell speaks with Nick Yaitsky, Chief AI Officer at Lulav Technology Partners, about what actually works when AI meets healthcare, leadership, and organizational culture.

Nick breaks down hyper-personalization, data ethics, failing fast vs. learning fast, and why leaders must fix broken processes before layering in AI. This is a grounded, human conversation about growth, fear, adaptability, and building organizations that are truly future-ready.

What You’ll Learn:

Connect with Nick:

🎥 Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/EUckhht5Ego

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Robert Beaven—human-centered culture architect and leadership coach—to explore why culture isn’t a side initiative, it is the strategy.

Together, they unpack what it really takes to build trust and psychological safety in organizations, especially in a world shaped by rapid change, remote work, and increasing complexity. Robert shares hard-earned lessons from his journey through corporate leadership, consulting, and culture design—along with practical insights leaders can use immediately.

This conversation dives into curiosity as the foundation of trust, the danger of perfectionism, the power of presence, and why great leaders don’t call people out—they call them in.

Key Topics Discussed:

This conversation dives into curiosity as the foundation of trust, the danger of perfectionism, the power of presence, and why great leaders don’t call people out—they call them in.

Robert Beaven is a human-centered culture architect with more than 20 years of experience helping leaders design cultures where people thrive and performance follows. His work focuses on leadership alignment, psychological safety, trust, and courageous conversations.

Connect with Robert:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robertbeaven

🎥 Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/nReCgtQtG3I

What does it take to live above your perceived potential—and help others do the same?  

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Damon Dixon, a lifelong leader whose journey spans Division I athletics, a 33-year Naval career, biotech leadership, and now senior operations at BYU Athletics. Rather than a straight résumé walk-through, this conversation dives into the inner architecture of leadership: identity, vision, faith, perseverance, and service.  

Damon shares the story behind his personal “why”—to inspire all he comes in contact with so they maximize their potential—and how that purpose guided him through setbacks, career pivots, and moments where the plan fell apart… only to lead somewhere better.

🔑 Key Themes & Takeaways

👤 About Damon Dixon 
Damon Dixon is the Chief of Staff for BYU Athletics, a former Naval officer, Division I football player, biotech executive, and mentor. Across every chapter of his career, Damon has focused on one core mission: helping people perform beyond what they thought possible.  

🔗 Connect with Damon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-b-dixon-mba/

🎥 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/6TmCXPsso2g

In this wide-ranging and deeply pragmatic conversation, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Mark Stouse—founder and CEO of Proof Causal AI—to explore what actually drives outcomes in business and life. Together, they unpack the critical difference between correlation and causation, why most patterns we notice don’t matter, and how leaders can reclaim agency in a world where 70–80% of factors are outside their control.

Blending philosophy, math, leadership insight, and real-world examples, this episode challenges conventional thinking about truth, belief, intuition, and effectiveness—while offering leaders a radically practical way forward.  

Key Topics & Insights
• Causality vs. Correlation: Why understanding why things happen matters more than spotting patterns 
• The 70–80% Reality: Most outcomes are shaped by factors outside your control—what matters is how you respond 
• Three Universal Leadership Questions: 
   ∘ How do I get more of what matters? 
   ∘ How do I make it better? 
   ∘ How do I do it faster? 
• Reality Over “Truth”: Why belief can shut down progress—and why reality is the true decision-maker 
• Unlearning: Letting go of outdated knowledge as a leadership superpower 
• Time Lag Effects: Why good decisions take time to show results—and bad ones don’t 
• Efficiency vs. Effectiveness: Why cutting costs without direction misses the point 
• Agency Without Illusion: Doing your best, acting with integrity, and releasing control of outcomes 
• Intuition, Instinct, and GIGO: How flawed data sets lead to consistently bad decisions 
• Radical Pragmatism: Making better decisions without over-philosophizing the process

Mark Stouse is the founder and CEO of Proof Causal AI, and one of today’s most thoughtful voices on causality, fiduciary risk, and executive accountability. Known for blending rigorous mathematics with radical pragmatism, Mark helps leaders make better, defensible decisions in complex, rapidly changing environments. He is also the author of an upcoming book on Unlearning.  

🔗 Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstouse/

🎥 Watch now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/gHnqzgQzEdk

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Aman Mahapatra, Chief Strategy Officer at Tribeca Softech, to explore the rapidly evolving intersection of AI, strategy, and large-scale organizational transformation.

Aman brings a rare operator-investor perspective, sharing how Tribeca Softech partners with Fortune-level organizations—especially in financial services—to modernize legacy systems, break down silos, and responsibly deploy AI at scale. Together, they unpack the real evolution of artificial intelligence—from early machine learning and recommendation engines to large language models, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), and autonomous AI agents.

The conversation goes beyond technology into governance, cybersecurity, decentralized identity, and financial inclusion—highlighting how AI, when designed with guardrails and intention, can democratize access rather than deepen inequality. Aman also shares glimpses of his nonlinear personal journey and teases an upcoming AI spin-off emerging from Tribeca Softech.

This episode is a grounded, human-centered look at AI—not as hype, but as a strategic lever shaping leadership, culture, and the future of institutions.

Key Topics Covered 
• What a Chief Strategy Officer actually does at a modern AI-driven firm 
• Why banks have “a museum of systems”—and how AI can untangle them 
• Machine learning vs. large language models (explained simply) 
• The rise of RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) and AI agents 
• Why governance, permissioning, and security must lead AI adoption 
• Financial inclusion: banking the unbanked through non-traditional data 
• Decentralized digital identity (DID) and encrypted consumer protection 
• Why AI reshapes jobs rather than eliminates them 
• Aman’s nonlinear journey across continents, startups, and venture work 
• A teaser on Tribeca Softech’s upcoming AI spin-off (launching 2025)

Aman Mahapatra is Chief Strategy Officer at Tribeca Softech, where he operates at the intersection of strategy, operations, and go-to-market execution. His work focuses on AI-driven transformation across finance, healthcare, and technology, with a strong emphasis on governance, modernization, and financial inclusion. Aman’s journey spans early entrepreneurship, venture consulting, and global leadership roles—bringing a deeply practical lens to emerging technology.  

Connect with Aman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akm76/
🎥 Watch the conversation on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/t8f2ET8DCQQ

Heather Mulligan joins Dr. Wayne Pernell for a rich, far-reaching conversation about leadership, public policy, global perspective, and shaping the economic future of New York State. As President and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, Heather has become one of the state’s most influential voices for business growth, workforce development, and smart economic policy.

Drawing on a life that began in Tunisia, a fast-tracked academic journey, and a career spanning public defense, legislative work, and executive leadership, Heather offers deep insight into what it means to advocate, adapt, and lead boldly in today’s polarized climate.

✨ Key Topics & Insights
• From Tunisia to New York: A Global Lens on Leadership Heather shares her early years as one of the first Peace Corps babies, her return to Tunisia as a teen, and how global exposure shaped her worldview and sense of fairness.

• Accelerating Through Academics & Pivoting to Law A skipped grade, entrance into college at 16, the dream of becoming a veterinarian, and the unexpected events that led her toward political science, law school, and ultimately a career in advocacy.

• Advocacy at the Core: From Public Defender to CEO Heather discusses her passion for being “the voice for the unpopular,” from defending clients who couldn’t afford representation to representing businesses statewide.

• Business Climate Realities in New York State High taxes, regulatory pressures, the exodus of corporate headquarters, and what New York must do to stay competitive. Heather breaks down the economic ripple effects of policy decisions.

• AI’s Transformational Impact on Workforce & Economy Heather and Dr. P explore AI not as a job-stealing villain, but as a necessary tool for productivity amid shrinking labor pools and demographic shifts.

• Overcoming Partisanship & Embracing Context The danger of sound-bite culture, the importance of understanding “the rest of the story,” and how leaders must resist painting any group with a broad brush.

• Leadership During Crisis: Inside the Pandemic Response Heather shares how her team became the information hub for businesses during COVID shutdowns — while managing burnout, remote-work disruption, and cultural shifts inside the organization.

• The Power of Listening & Asking the Right Questions A deep dive into leadership essentials: creating psychological safety, seeking input, and giving people permission to disagree.

🎥 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/_LfSgFxdLSU

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Tariq Malik, the “Reluctant CPA” whose career path spans engineering, chartered accountancy, international finance, and now fractional CFO leadership. Tariq shares his journey from Pakistan to England, Canada, the Middle East, and the U.S.—and the lessons learned while helping organizations navigate financial strategy, succession planning, and sustainable growth.

Tariq reveals why most business owners underestimate what they don’t know, the dangers of being too owner-dependent, and why bringing in outside expertise (from CFO services to leadership coaching) is essential for scaling. This conversation offers a blend of global perspective, business acumen, and meaningful leadership insight.

🔍 Key Topics & Highlights
• Becoming the “Reluctant CPA” Tariq’s early journey from engineering in Pakistan to studying chartered accountancy in England—mostly because it paid during training—and why he avoided the stereotypical CPA path.

• A Global Career of Service How his CPA credential became a “passport,” taking him to Canada, the UAE, the Middle East, South America, and beyond. He shares the unique cultural dynamic of training successors who later became his bosses—and why it worked.

• Fractional CFO Services Explained Why small and mid-size businesses don’t need a full-time CFO, but do need strategic financial guidance, future forecasting, and infrastructure planning.

• Owner Dependency: The Silent Business Killer Tariq discusses turning around a struggling restaurant chain—from long hours, poor operations, and inefficiencies to a 30-location success story.

• Succession & Multi-Generational Planning Why over 90% of children decline taking over their parents’ businesses — and how families can avoid regret through early, honest conversation.

• Leadership Lessons & Letting Go From operational delegation to brand consistency, Wayne and Tariq highlight the core mindset shift leaders must make:

“Experiment. Stay curious. Assume you’re missing something.” 🧭

Connect with Tariq Malik
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tariq-s-malik-cfo
• Company: FocusCFO.com
Free consultation available; fractional services typically best suited for businesses at $2M+ in revenue.

📺 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/jlWiSUdf_MU

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Purnell sits down with Michael Roth, serial entrepreneur and Chief Revenue Officer at InvestCloud, to explore leadership, culture transformation, personal values, and the power of consistency in creating success.

Michael shares his unexpected journey from startup founder to CRO, lessons learned from major organizational transitions, and how empathy—and not IQ alone—is becoming the defining leadership skill in an AI-driven world.

He also reveals deeply personal stories from his upbringing as a pastor’s kid, his mother’s remarkable resilience through cancer, and how those early lessons shaped his leadership philosophy and decision-making. This conversation is a masterclass in authentic leadership, psychological safety, and intentional living.

Michael Roth is the Chief Revenue Officer at InvestCloud, a global financial technology company. A former derivatives trader turned entrepreneur, he co-founded and led a retirement-technology startup before it was acquired by InvestCloud. Known for his thoughtful leadership, cultural insight, and empathy-driven approach to business, Michael writes extensively about leadership on LinkedIn and speaks frequently about character, consistency, and intentional living.