Partnering Leadership

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Azeem Azhar - writer, technology analyst, and creator of the acclaimed Exponential View newsletter. Azeem Azhar is a senior advisor to PwC and is an investor in early-stage startups in AI, renewable energy, female health tech, self-driving cars, and marketplaces.

In the conversation, Azeem Azhar shared perspectives from his book The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics, and Society. Azeem shared how our societies and ways of life will change due to exponential technologies, why it's essential to understand the exponential changes better ahead, and how to thrive through the many changes ahead.

Some highlights:

- Azeem Azhar explained the impacts of technology on society, politics, and business

- Why many people find it hard to understand and keep up with the pace of technological change

- Understanding exponential growth and its potential impact on all aspects of life

- The rise of AI, automation, and other exponential technologies, such as renewable energy, 3D printing, and synthetic biology

- The impact of old tech regulations and approaches in a new digital world 

- How leaders can effectively lead through exponential change

- The dilemma of understanding technology in policymaking

Also mentioned in this episode:

- The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics and Society by Azeem Azhar

- Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil

- Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

- The innovator's dilemma by Clayton Christensen

- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Connect with Azeem Azhar:

Exponential View Official Website

Azeem Azhar on Twitter

Azeem Azhar on LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

MahanTavakoli.com

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

PartneringLeadership.com

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Diane Hoskins. Diane Hoskins serves as co-CEO and chair of the board of directors for Gensler. As an MIT-trained architect and an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, Diane's career has touched architecture, design, real estate, and business. She has broad responsibility for running the company, which spans over 6,000+ employees across the globe.

Diane Hoskins shared how her upbringing impacted her professional and leadership choices as well as leadership lessons from her career at Gensler and the challenges of leading Gensler through the pandemic. Diane Hoskins also addressed how Gensler focuses on purpose by aligning actions, big and small. Finally, Diane shared insights on rethinking collaborative spaces and the future of work.

Some Highlights:

- Diane Hoskins on choosing MIT and becoming an architect

- Why Diane Hoskins decided to go to business school 

- How business and architecture connect

- Diane Hoskins on leading people to collaborate on a purpose-driven mission

- The impact of the design of workspaces on work performance

- The influences of technology on workplace experience 

- Diane Hoskins on purpose-driven leadership

- Future of work: connecting and bringing people back together through renegotiating and reimagining the work environment 

Also Mentioned:
- Linda Rabbit, Founder and chairman of rand* construction corporation (Listen to Linda’s episode on Partnering Leadership here)

Connect with Diane Hoskins:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianehoskins

Gensler: https://www.gensler.com/people/co-ceos

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

MahanTavakoli.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahan/

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

PartneringLeadership.com

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with John Kotter, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, co-founder of a management consulting firm Kotter International and a pioneer in organizational change. John Kotter is the author of 22 books on change, including his most recent book, Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile times. John Kotter talks about the struggles leaders and teams face when it comes to change and how to transform organizations to adapt to change effectively and rapidly.

Some highlights:

-John Kotter on the role of human nature on our resistance to change

-The essential components for initiating change in the organization

-Understanding the Survive and Thrive mode and how it impacts our ability to change

-The power of Guiding Coalition to help bring expertise, energy, and perspective across the organization

-The difference between management and leadership

Also mentioned in this episode:

Kelly King, Chairman, and CEO of Truist Financial

Book by John Kotter:

Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile Times

Connect with John Kotter:

John Kotter - Kotter International Inc

John Kotter on LinkedIn

John Kotter on Facebook

John Kotter on Twitter

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

MahanTavakoli.com

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

PartneringLeadership.com

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder and chief executive officer of Generation Hope. This non-profit organization provides holistic assistance to young families. Nicole Lynn Lewis shares her story as a young parent attending college, the challenges she faced, and how it served as the inspiration behind her founding of Generation Hope.   

Some highlights:

- Nicole Lynn Lewis' childhood growing up in communities that didn't have much diversity

- 'Your life is over!" Nicole shares her experience finding out she was pregnant while a senior in high school 

- Nicole Lynn Lewis on what motivated her to finish college with honors

- Social Capital and the vital role it played in Nicole Lynn Lewis' journey and can play for all young adults

- From communications to non-profit; what inspired Nicole Lynn Lewis to switch careers and start Generation Hope

- Lack of diversity: the additional challenges many leaders of color face in trying to raise funds for their non-profits

- How Generation Hope's 'holistic wraparound model' works

- Why Nicole Lynn Lewis believes flexibility is crucial for the future of higher education

- Generation Hope's plans on extending their impact 

Mentioned:

Terri Freeman, board member at Generation Hope

Connect with Nicole Lynn Lewis:

Generation Hope Website

Nicole Lynn Lewis Website

Nicole Lynn Lewis on LinkedIn

Nicole Lynn Lewis on Twitter

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

MahanTavakoli.com

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

PartneringLeadership.com

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley. Ken is the founder of the Ken Blanchard Companies and has co-authored more than 65 books on leadership, including all-time classics such as The One Minute Manager and Who Moved My Cheese, each with over 20 million copies sold. In this conversation, Ken Blanchard is joined by Randy Conley, Vice President of global professional services for the Ken Blanchard Companies. The discussion focuses on the leadership lessons from Ken Blancard and Randy Conley's latest book:   Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust, which he co-wrote with Randy Conley. Ken and Randy share how to apply the leadership principles to build trust and become the kind of leader others would want to follow.  

Some Highlights:

- Ken Blanchard on the impact of his upbringing on his leadership thinking and approach

- Randy Conley on models for servant leadership

- The importance of humility in leadership

- Randy Conley on the complexity of leadership and the need to focus on fundamental principles

- Ken Blanchard on how to build on your team's desire to contribute 

- Randy Conley on authenticity and its importance to servant leadership 

- Ken Blanchard on why "love" powers leadership

- Randy Conley on extending trust 

- How leaders can encourage feedback from their teams

- The ABCD model of trust 

- Ken Blanchard's breakdown of the servant leadership mindset

- Putting situational leadership into practice

- Ken Blanchard on having the reflective self versus the task-oriented self 

- Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley on the future of work 

Also mentioned in this episode:

- Jim Collins, Level 5 Leadership

- Garry O. Ridge, Chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of the WD-40 Company

- Dale Carnegie, author

- Rick Tate, author

Books Mentioned:

- Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust by Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley

- The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

- The Power of Ethical Management by Ken Blanchard & Norman Vincent Peale

- 10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times: Coaching Your Team Through Immense Change and Challenge by Ken Blanchard and Zig Ziglar

- Everyone's a Coach by Ken Blanchard and Don Shula

Connect with Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley:

Ken Blanchard Official Website

Randy Conley’s Blog

The Ken Blanchard Companies on LinkedIn

The Ken Blanchard on Facebook

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

MahanTavakoli.com

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

PartneringLeadership.com

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Jim Detert, John L. Colley Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and author of Choosing Courage: The Everyday Guide to Being Brave at Work. In this conversation, Jim Detert shares how we can become more courageous by developing our courage capabilities. Jim Detert also shares how leaders can nurture a psychologically safe organizational culture, enabling and encouraging more courageous interactions and decisions at work.  

Some highlights:

-Why attributing courage just to historical figures can be counterproductive 

-The importance of being more courageous and how to develop our courage muscle

-Jim Detert on the benefits of courage at work

-How leaders can create a psychologically safe environment that encourages team members to speak up and contribute their best at work

Mentioned:

-Amy Edmondson, Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School and author of Fearless Organization and Creating Psychological Safety

-Vanessa Bohns (Listen to Partnering Leadership conversation with Vanessa Bohns)

-Gary Bolles (Listen to Partnering Leadership conversation with Gary Bolles)

-Difficult Conversations by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone, and Sheila Heen

-Radical Candor by Kim Scott

-Giving Voice to Values by Mary C. Gentile 

-The Silent Language Of Leaders by Carol Goldman

Connect with Jim Detert:

Jim Detert Website

Choosing Courage on Amazon

Jim Detert on Facebook

Jim Detert on LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

https://mahantavakoli.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahan/

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

https://www.partneringleadership.com/

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Gary Bolles, chair for the Future of Work for Singularity University, co-founder of eParachute.com, and author of The Next Rules of Work. Gary Bolles shares how his father’s career advice book What Color Is Your Parachute impacted his early life and how he has gone through continual reinvention while guiding leaders through ongoing disruption. Gary Bolles also shares insights from his book The Next Rules of Work.

Some highlights:

- How Gary Bolles father’s book What Color Is Your Parachute impacted his life

- The ‘leader’s dilemma,’ how it manifests in times of disruptive change, and how to overcome it

- Gary Bolles on how to foster a growth mindset within an organization

- Embracing change and promoting diversity in organizations

- What flex skills are and their importance in the future of work

- Gary Bolles on the future of leadership and work

- A framework for leaders in leading their teams and organizations forward

Mentioned:

-Richard Nelson Bolles, Gary Bolles’ father and author of What Color Is Your Parachute?

-Jeffrey S. Moore, university teacher, and researcher

-John Hagel, author

-Carol Dweck, psychologist and author

-Sidney Fine, professor, and author

-Vint Cerf, developer and internet pioneer

-Esther Wojcicki, author of Moonshots in Education

-The Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni

Connect with Gary Bolles:

The Next Rules of Work on Amazon

Gary Bolles’ Website

Future of Work on Singularity Hub Website

eParachute Website

Gary Bolles on LinkedIn

Gary Bolles on Twitter

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

MahanTavakoli.com

More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

PartneringLeadership.com

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares thoughts on how to lead with more confident humility. Mahan also goes through five mindsets and practices of leading with confidence and humility. Finally, Mahan Tavakoli shares why we need to celebrate confident humility in leadership and the necessity of this approach to leadership through greater uncertainty. 

Some highlights:

-Why confidence and humility are not on opposite ends of the spectrum

-The Dunning Kruger effect and its impact on Selfie Leadership

-The fragility of the ego of selfie leaders and why ego is the enemy!

-The failure of arrogant leadership and how to keep from becoming an arrogant leader

-Why humility is not the same thing as self-doubt

-The importance of intellectual humility and a growth mindset

-On seeking truth-tellers and encouraging dissent


Mentioned:
-Ed Hess (Listen to Ed Hess's episode on Partnering Leadership here)
- Ken Blanchard (Listen to Ken Blanchard's episode on Partnering Leadership here)
- Listen to the Partnering Leadership episode: A Powerful Question to Ask Yourself and Your Team
-Listen to the Partnering Leadership episode: The Selfie CEO and the Impact of Selfie Culture on Leadership


Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
https://mahantavakoli.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahan/

More information and resources are available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website:
https://www.partneringleadership.com/

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Robert Dilenschneider, founder of The Dilenschneider Group and strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies. Robert Dilenschneider talks about the most effective way to use public relations to benefit organizations. Robert also shared the importance of engaging the community and how to use the power of words to more clearly communicate the organization’s message. Finally, Robert Dilenschneider addressed the specific skill sets that public relations leaders need today.

Some highlights:

-Robert Dilenschneider’s early career in public relations with Hill and Knowlton, becoming the firms CEO and eventually launching his public relations agency 

-The significant changes in public relations over the years 

-Robert Dilenschneider on why organizations need to take a stand on what they want to communicate

-The essential elements in engaging the community 

-The struggles that organizations face in reaching potential customers

-Determining the right words for effective public relations

-How to position public relations messages for greater social media reach 

-Robert Dilenschneider on the importance of prioritizing internal communications

Connect with Robert Dilenschneider:

Dilenschneider Group Website

Robert Dilenschneider Personal Website

Robert Dilenschneider’s Published Books on Amazon

Robert Dilenschneider on Twitter

Robert Dilenschneider on LinkedIn


Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

https://mahantavakoli.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahan/

More information and resources are available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

https://www.partneringleadership.com/

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Tara Thiagarajan, Founder, and Chief Scientist at Sapien Labs. Tara Thiagarajan shares studies and insights on mental well-being, its key indicators, and how it influences people and communities. Tara Thiagarajan also highlighted the biggest factors contributing to mental well-being and its impact on economic outcomes. Finally, Tara Thiagarajan talked about Sapien Lab’s latest studies on the current state of the world’s psychological well-being, its driving factors, and how it impacts organizations. 

Some highlights:

-Tara Thiagarajan on the impact of growing up with a multicultural background

-On why she pursued a degree in Math and soon found her way to Business School

-How Tara Thiagarajan decided to pursue Neuroscience 

-The purpose behind Sapien Labs

-How cultural elements are correlated with mental well-being 

-The cognitive factors that challenge people 

-Sapien Labs’ report on the mental state of the world

-The components that are associated with higher mental health scores

-Younger generation’s mental well-being

-The importance of mental health in the workplace 

Connect with Tara Thiagarajan:

Sapien Labs Website

Tara Thiagarajan on Twitter

Tara Thiagarajan on LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

https://mahantavakoli.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahan/

More information and resources are available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: 

https://www.partneringleadership.com/

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website