Partnering Leadership

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Jerry Sachs.  Jerry is the former president of Centre Group, the operating entity that included the Washington Bullets, Washington Capitals, and Centre Management.  Jerry Sachs shared his leadership journey, including how he ended up working for the Baltimore Orioles, his move down to Atlanta to work for the Braves, and what brought him back to the Greater Washington DC DMV region. 
Jerry shared how he met his wife Joyce, her love and support as a lynchpin of the family, and her role in raising their son Gene and daughter Barb.  Jerry Sachs also shared how the entire family engaged in philanthropic efforts including, volunteering together at So-Others-Might Eat, soliciting Christmas gifts for families at the Children's Inn, and hosting Joe Emmerich's kids each fall before school began.  In addition, Jerry shared stories about Abe Pollin's commitment to giving back, recruiting the Washington Capitals, design of the Capital Centre, and the joy of winning an NBA Championship with the Washington Bullets (Wizards).  Jerry Sachs also talked about his commitment to the Greater Washington DC DMV community through many philanthropic efforts, including as a founder of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP).  

Some highlights:

- Jerry Sachs on how he ended up working for a sports team

- Recruiting the Washington Capitals and building the Capitol Center 

- The inspiration behind the Capital center design and features

- Jerry Sachs on why he helped found the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP)

- How Jerry Sachs championed effective alcohol management throughout sports facilities

- Jerry Sachs on some of the nonprofits he focuses his efforts on

- The impact of good role models in life

- Jerry Sachs on being authentic and recognizing imperfections

Also mentioned in this episode:

- David Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group (Listen to David Rubenstein’s episode on Partnering Leadership here)

 - Abe Pollin - former owner of Washington Capitals 

- Andy Ockershausen, former general manager of WMAL radio

- Chillum Youth Project

- Hoop Dreams

- Bob Hammerman, former Judge in Baltimore

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

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PartneringLeadership.com

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Mahan Tavakoli Website 

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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 

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Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Susan Lacz, principal, and chief executive officer of Ridgewells Catering, shared her leadership journey with Mahan Tavakoli. Susan Lacz spoke about how she has managed the obstacles in her life and has built a successful business that needs to continue changing and adapting through disruption. Susan Lacz also shared why she is so committed to giving back to the community through Ridgwell Catering's support and giving her time and energy to many institutions and organizations, including Marymount University and Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.

Some Highlights:

-How Susan Lacz's Polish culture influenced her love of entertaining

-Susan Lacz on overcoming a significant setback early in life

-Rebranding strategies contributing to Ridgewells Catering's continued growth and expansion

-Growth opportunities through Young President's Organization.  

-How Susan Lacz led her team through the most brutal stretch of the pandemic.  

-Susan Lacz embracing an antifragile mindset in leadership and life

-Why mentorship is essential to becoming more impactful leaders

Also mentioned in this episode:

-Linda Rabbit, founder and Chairman of Rand Construction Corporation (Listen to Linda’s episode on Partnering Leadership here)

-Marymount University (Listen to Marymount’s President Dr. Irma Bacerra on Partnering Leadership here)

Connect with Susan Lacz :

Ridgewells Catering

Susan Lacz 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 Steve Robinson, former executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Chick-fil-A. Steve Robinson shared lessons from his decades-long experience leading marketing at Chick-fil-A, including stories from his book Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A: How Faith, Cows, and Chicken built an Iconic Brand. In addition, Steve Robinson shared what made Chick-fil-A culture and marketing unique and continues to help the brand differentiate in a competitive market.  

Some highlights:

-The importance of hiring the people who fit the organization’s culture and value

-How Steve Robinson come up with the Blue Ocean Strategy and its vital role in the successful branding of Chick-fil-A

-The impact of the leadership of Chick-fil-A’s founder, Truett Cathy, on the organization’s culture

-Lessons that Steve Robinson learned on the 2-million dollar mistake

-Steve Robinson shared marketing and business insights in building a brand that people cannot live without

Also mentioned in this episode:

-John Rossman, author of The Amazon Way book series (Listen to John’s episode on the Partnering Leadership Podcast here)

-Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A

-Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A

-Jimmy Collins, former president of Chick-fil-A

Book by Steve Robinson:

Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A: How Faith, Cows, and Chicken Built an Iconic Brand

Book Resources:

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill by William Manchester, Paul Reid

Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

The Bible: Book of Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Joel

Connect with Steve Robinson:

S. Robinson Consulting

Steve Robinson 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 Gina Schaefer, the Co-Founder and CEO of A Few Cool Hardware Stores, a chain of ACE hardware stores located in the Greater Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia DMV region. Gina talks about her journey founding the hardware store, her commitment to shopping local, and providing opportunities to many who don't often get the first chance in our communities.   

Some highlights:

-Why Gina Schaefer chose to shift from software to hardware!

-The valuable lesson in hiring a returning citizen and employees from a drug rehabilitation program.

-How online retail affected Gina's business and what they did to stay competitive.

-What drives Gina Schaefer in advocating to raise the federal minimum wage.

-Advocating for women and starting a women in retail group. 

-Gina Schaefer talks about writing her book "Recovery Hardware."

Mentioned:

Chick-fil-A

Zingerman's Delicatessen

Michael Gerber – Author, E-Myth 

Bo Burlingham – Author, Small Giants

Connect with Gina Schaefer:

Gina Schaefer on LinkedIn

Gina Schaefer 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 Park Howell, host of Business of Story Podcast, author of Brand Bewitchery, and co-author of The Narrative Gym for Business. Park Howell teaches one of the most powerful tools in storytelling: the And, But, and Therefore (ABT), going through the science behind it and how you can start crafting great stories and communicate more powerfully through the use of this framework. He also shares examples of ABT in history and pop culture and how they shaped and are continuing to shape our world as we know it. 

Some highlights:

-How growing up in a large family impacted Park Howell

-What led Park Howell to the world of marketing and, eventually, the business of storytelling

-On learning how to tell great stories and “studying” alongside his son in film school

-And, But and Therefore: The DNA of impactful stories

-Park Howell gives a Crash Course on ABT

-Learning to spot ABTs, from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe

-Park Howell’s ‘horror story’ exercise

Mentioned:

-Robert Bies, professor and founder of the Executive Masters in Leadership program at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business (Listen to Robert Bies's Partnering Leadership podcast episode here)

-Randy Olson, scientist, filmmaker and co-author of The Narrative Gym for Business

-Red Ogan, founder of Wenatchee Petroleum 

-Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero's Journey

-Yuval Noah Harari, historian and author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

-Christopher Lochhead, category designer and author

-Robert McKee, author, lecturer and story consultant

-Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President

-Edward Everett, former United States Secretary of State

-Ernest Hemingway, novelist, short-story writer and journalist

-The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

-Bill D. Moyers’ PBS Special with Joseph Campbell

-Power of Myth, conversations between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell

-Houston, We Have a Narrative by Dr. Randy Olson

Connect with Park Howell:

Brand Bewitchery on Amazon

The Narrative Gym for Business on Amazon

Park Howell on LinkedIn

Park Howell on Twitter

Park Howell on Facebook

Business of Story Website

Business of Story Courses

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

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

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Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli explains the power of the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, in the world around us. Mahan talks about how we can observe the 80/20 principle in everything we do and use this mental model to focus our attention on the leverage points in systems enabling us to have a more significant impact on our teams, organizations, and the community.   

Some highlights:

-The origins of the Pareto Principle

-Understanding the Pareto Principle in our daily life

-The fractal nature of 80/20 in most systems

-How the Pareto Principle can impact leadership

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 John Rossman, Author of The Amazon Way book series, and managing partner and business advisor on strategy, leadership, and innovation at Rossman Partners. John talks about many lessons leaders can learn from the rationale behind Amazon's 14 leadership principles. John Rossman also shares his experience and advice on navigating and leading through disruption.

Some highlights:

-John Rossman on how Amazon integrated its leadership principles into the organization's culture.

-The balance between the kind of organization leaders want and the organization's current reality. 

-John Rossman speaks about operational excellence and its relevance to innovation.

-How the right approach to operational metrics can support risk-taking and innovation.  

-John Rossman on the value of experimentation even when those experiments lead to failure.  

-Why Amazon is a writing culture and how it helps teams with clarity and sound decision-making.

Mentioned:

-Andreessen Horowitz podcast a16z 

-Kevin Rose podcast Modern Finance

-Geekwire podcast Day 2

Connect with John Rossman:

The Amazon Way book series

John Rossman on LinkedIn

John Rossman blog

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 Ed Offterdinger, chairman of AO People Partners, co-founder of Conscious Capitalism D.C., and co-author of the book Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute. Ed Offterdinger shares lessons learned in his leadership journey and the reason behind his focus on coaching leaders, and his commitment to making a difference in the community through Conscious Capitalism.   

Some highlights:

-How Ed Offterdinger's childhood growing up in the Greater Washington DC region impacted his life

-Why Ed Offterdinger chose to study accounting

-How Ed's son taught him the value of balancing work and life 

-Ed on how he met his business coach, Dave Maguire

-What led Ed Offterdinger to start AO People Partners with Catherine Allen

-The story behind the founding of Conscious Capitalism DC with The Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner

-What Conscious Capitalism is all about and how it's becoming a movement among organizations

-Ed Offterdinger on the importance of Mind Skills and People Skills

-Elements of a conscious organizational culture

-Ed Offterdinger's take on the future of work

Mentioned:

-How to lead through the certainty of uncertainty | Leadership Insight (Listen to this Partnering Leadership podcast episode here)

-David Gardner, co-founder, and chief Rule Breaker at The Motley Fool (Listen to David Gardner's Partnering Leadership podcast episode here)

-Dan Simons, co-founder of the Farmers Restaurant Group (Listen to Dan Simons' Partnering Leadership podcast episode here)

Book Recommendations:

-Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt

-Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey and Rajendra Sisodia

-Firms of Endearment by Rajendra Sisodia

-Built to Last by James C. Collins

-Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman

-Think Again by Adam Grant

-A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

-The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova

-7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis by Bill George

Connect with Ed Offterdinger: 

Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute on Amazon

Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute Website

Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute on Twitter

Conscious Capitalism D.C. Website

Ed Offterdinger on LinkedIn

Ed Offterdinger on Twitter

AO People Partners on LinkedIn

AO People Partners 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 Charlene Li, a Digital Transformation and Disruptive Leadership Expert, Founder of Altimeter, and author of best-selling books, including Open leadership, Groundswell, and her latest book called The Disruption Mindset. Charlene Li discussed how leaders and organizations can embrace and benefit from disruption. 

Some highlights:

- How leaders can stay focused and energized with the pace of disruptions

- Why organizations should shift their focus to meeting the needs of their future customers

- How leaders can create a movement of disruptors and a culture that will thrive on disruption

- Charlene Li explained how growth could create disruption

- The three beliefs of a disruptive organization

Also mentioned in this episode:

- Steve Sasson, Inventor of Digital Photography (Listen to Steve’s episode on Partnering Leadership)

Books by Charlene Li:

The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Organizations Transform While Others Fail

Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Book Recommendations:

- Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan 

- The Heart of Business by Hubert Joly

- The New Rules of Work by Gary Bolles

Connect with Charlene Li:

Charlene Li Official Website

Charlene Li on LinkedIn

Charlene Li 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