Talking Talent

The Value of High Performing Teams

Most work today is done in teams. Even "individuals' whom we think of as great inventors or entrepreneurs don't see the culmination of their idea without the efforts of others, those others often being the people on their team.

So why are some teams greater than the sum of their parts? Why do some teams simply achieve and others achieve greatness? What does the research tell us about what really matters in creating high performing teams that perform even better over time? You might also be surprised (we were) by what wasn't a factor in creating high performing teams (hint: one of them has particular relevance in a post-pandemic world of work).

Tune in as David and Angela discuss the factors that go into creating high performing teams and what you can do to replicate this success in your own teams

Resources:

Collaboration & Creativity: The Small World Problem

Republic Of Letters - Stanford project showing the interlocking relationships of enlightenment thinkers

Why It's Time to Forget the Pecking Order at Work

Three Things Nascar Pit Crews Can Teach You About Geek Work

Google Study On Teamwork - Insights On What Makes Great Teams

Twilight of the Imperial Chef

Why makes a Broadway show succeed

The Captain Class: A new theory of leadership by Sam Walker

The Culture Code:The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School - "Building a psychologically safe workplace"

The difficulty of figuring out cause & effect - Skinner's experiment

Emma Hayes Chelsea FC Coach - Leader's being open about their failability

You probably know the words "apprentice" and "apprenticeships." However, what do you really know about the critical role they've played in the transfer of skills and capabilities across centuries? In this episode David and Angela explore apprenticeships, when they began, the role they've played in human evolution (ever wondered why the Neanderthals died out and modern humans became the dominant life species?), and their critical role in helping individuals learn and develop, organizations thrive and society at large flourish.

In the making of this episode we learned quite a bit ourselves. We were helped in this effort by experts in the field. Thanks to Esta Bigler, Director Labor and Employment Law Program at Cornell University, ILR School. Esta provided us with a rich overview of apprenticeships specifically in New York State. Esta also generously opened her network to us and introduced us to a number of the people from whom you'll hearing in this episode.

Thanks also to Jane Thompson, Director of Apprenticeships for the New York State Department of Labor. Jane helped us understand about registered apprenticeship programs and the New York State's Department of Labor's role in working with organizations to help them register and establish certified apprenticeship programs.

We started our recording by talking to Dr. Rudolph Bell, who among his many talents, is a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, an expert in Italian civilization and culture from the Middle Ages to the present. We were especially keen to get his insights on apprenticeships as a factor during the European Renaissance. Dr. Rudolph Bell is the author of multiple books including How To Do It: Guides To Good Living For Renaissance Italians.

We spent time talking to Martha Ponge. Martha serves as the Director of Apprenticeship for the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) and represents the statewide alliance of manufacturing associations who make up the NYS Manufacturers Intermediary Apprenticeship Program, MIAP. She was joined by her colleague Laury Ferguson. Laury is the Associate Director of Apprenticeships with MACNY, where she works with manufacturers as well as educational institutions. Both women bring a real passion to their work.

We also spoke with someone who had been through an apprenticeship program and could share her lived experience. Tamara Rivera is a council representative for the New York City District Council of carpenters. In that role Tammy works in the organizing department, which is now called area standards. However, long before this Tammy herself was an apprentice carpenter where she learned her trade.

If you are interested in learning more, here are some sources and resources.

Bait & Switch Intro: The Story of Grandparents - Senior Citizens As The Key To Civilization & The Evolution of Grandparents

Linkage to how we learn, learning from watching others:

Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Documentary Movie

How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens -

Manufacturing Industry Producing More With Less People

https://www.urban.org/events/policy-matters-reflections-past-and-future-apprenticeship?fbclid=IwAR0sFIJUbdvjI60l4HKYgDKkXMyeJnDp2j_MeyL0cgcFUYGuQsnLka3UuOo

https://www.econtalk.org/robert-lerman-on-apprenticeships/?fbclid=IwAR24Ql9PegTTLadq-x0PwMueFIln8NrIoLOFovzcHcCKK8r00Vsk4CR7z-M

Economist Robert Lerman of the Urban Institute talks about apprenticeships with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Lerman argues that apprenticeships--a combination of work experience and classroom learning--have the potential to expand opportunities for young people who don't want to attend college. https://www.apprenticeship.gov/

Ripped From The Headlines: What You (& The Mets) Can Learn From Headhunters

What can organizations do to better vet candidates? Why are organizations seemingly constantly blindsided by post hiring scandals? We look at this through the recent story regarding the fired New York Mets General Manager Jared Porter.

What does the "just like me" bias have to do with these recurring issues? How does the lack of diversity within industries make abuse more likely?

https://reflectionsonbaseball.com/ambushed-mets-face-unsettling-and-complex-front-office-decisions/ - Why Jared Porter is just the "poster boy" for an ongoing problem in baseball (and other sports?)

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-jared-porter-sexual-harassment-20210119-r556mbcwrvfadjypc7otbnkc3a-story.html - Baseball cannot be surprised by Jared Porter

https://sports.yahoo.com/former-mets-manager-mickey-callaway-accused-of-unrelenting-lewd-behavior-toward-women-in-media-020746255.html - Mickey Callaway

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/20/sports/mets-firing-gm-jared-porter-reveals-an-ongoing-hole-mlbs-vetting-process/ - Alderson talks Porter's vetting process

https://www.wsj.com/articles/incoming-premier-league-chief-resigns-following-allegations-11575052379#:~:text=Joshua%20Robinson,-Biography&text=The%20newly%20appointed%20chief%20executive,toward%20a%20female%20former%20employee. - David Pemsel dismissed as Premier League CEO prior to even taking the role due to sending sexual explict

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/jaguars/2021/02/11/jacksonville-jaguars-hire-chris-doyle-ex-iowa-coach-accused-racism/6723057002/ - Chris Doyle Hired By Jacksonville Jaguars

The Future of Work with Todd Cherches

In Season One of Talking Talent, David and Angela discussed The Future of Work. That conversation focused on the changing nature of work and the impact that change will have on education, the role of cities, our political systems and what capabilities will be prized and those that will have less importance. David and Angela promised that this would just be the start of a series of conversations that would continue in Season Two, with guests who would bring insight about specific aspects of not only how work is changing but how it will change society and us.

Spoiler alert! Since that episode in Season One we have been living with a global pandemic. Businesses and other organizations that wanted and needed function have taken actions that have accelerated our race to that future state of work.

This new episode features guest Todd Cherches. Todd Cherches is the CEO and the co-founder of BigBlueGumball, which is a New York City based management and leadership consulting, training and executive coaching firm. In addition, he's a TEDx speaker and a two-time award winning adjunct professor of leadership at the NYU School of Professional Studies. And he's a lecturer on leadership at Columbia University. He is also the author of the recently released book, VisuaLeadership, Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking, in Leadership and in Life.

According to Todd, we've been talking about a "Vuca" world for years - Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. However, because of the pandemic, everything's gotten expedited by at least five years. So the things that we have been slowly, methodically planning and talking about are now here. Specifically people working from home and leveraging technology and video and living on Zoom or similar platforms. All of those things that seemed wildly futuristic when we saw them in cartoons such as robots, artificial intelligence, all of these things are here now.

In a VUCA world leaders need to do the opposite. So what does the idea of "opposite" evoke? The opposite of volatile is calm. As Todd says, "In a world of volatility as leaders, we need to create a sense of calmness. Now, we may be in panic mode, there's a sense of urgency, we don't know what's going on. But how do we calm people down? Because there's a difference between urgency and panic."

Listen in to hear more of Todd's ideas as he also talks about how being a Visual Leader will help leaders lead more effectively now ans in the future..

WEBSITE:

www.toddcherches.com

TEDx TALK:

"The Power of Visual Thinking"

BOOK:

VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life

(Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster, May 2020)

The best current English striker Harry Kane just might finish his career as the greatest striker in Premier League history. However, his career path has not been one long coronation towards greatness. On today's podcast we look back on the beginnings of Harry Kane's soccer journey, how contingent his opportunities were, and what we can learn about talent identification through an analysis of what almost went wrong for Harry Kane.

NOTE: Episode was recorded in November 2020 after Harry Kane scored his 150th Premier League goal. Since Harry has scored another 5 goals and his ex-coach Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as Paris Saint-Germain.

The Rise of Harry Kane - First team breakthrough

The Fall & Rise of Harry Kane - Why anointing youth players is a fools game

Leicester City Fans Labast Harry Kane - Foul language incoming

We ended 2020 by looking back at 2020. We start the New Year, 2021, by looking ahead and more specifically by looking ahead to what the Future of Work holds in store.

We had this conversation with no less a leading expert than Paul Miller, CEO and Founder of the Digital Workplace Group (DWG), rated by the Financial Times in 2020 as one of the UK's leading management consultancies in digital transformation. On January 14th, only a week after we drop this episode, Paul will be releasing his latest book Nature of Work: The new story of work for a living age. Co-written with his Digital Workplace Group colleague, Shimrit Janes, Director of Knowledge, the book is already receiving lots of pre-publication praise!

Paul's previous books include The Digital Renaissance of Work: Delivering digital workplaces fit for the future' (co-authored with Elizabeth Marsh), which was shortlisted for the Management Book of the Year 2016 Award. Before that Paul's book, 'The Digital Workplace: How technology is liberating work', helped popularize and explain the term "digital workplace".

Paul Miller

Paul Miller is a business and social entrepreneur. Paul has given many inspirational talks on the digital future of work, for audiences at Microsoft, IKEA, Google, Accenture, Harvard Business Review, Cisco, European Commission, IMF, Adobe and Oxford University. He hosts the Digital Workplace Impact podcast.

Paul hosted the pioneering internet radio show Digital Workplace Live and is Executive Producer of the 24-hour global digital experience Digital Workplace 24. Prior to founding DWG, Paul was Founder and CEO of a communications company The Empowerment Group; Publisher and Editor of social and digital innovation magazine "Wave"; and, in pre-internet days, co-founder of the Ideas Café salon. He lives in the Cotswolds in the UK and is a keen tennis player and long-time yoga practitioner.

Connect with Paul on Twitter: @paulmillersays

Join us as we look back on our Talent in the Time of a Pandemic conversations from this past year. What has transpired since then? What did we get right and what did we underestimate? Also we'll give you a sneak preview of what we will be releasing early in 2021 and what our listeners will learn about The Future of Work from some experts in the field.

In today's episode we look at adaptability and resilience through the story of three individuals and also an organization. Although the stories are different in many ways, we find similarities in the skills used that led to adaptability and strengthened resilience. Those skills and capabilities are relevant today as we all must adjust to ever-changing circumstances; the good news is that these skills can be learned and acquired.

Forged in Crisis: The Making of Five Courageous Leaders by Nancy Koehn

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

Chelsea B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III

Captain Sully (video of Sully describing the incident)

Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters by Captain Chelsea B Sullenberger III

Washington Post article by Gillian Brockell on Witold Pilecki

The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather

The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery by Witold Pilecki

Netflix: How a DVD Rental Company Changed the Way We Spend Our Free Time

That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph

No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

When & How To Do A Career Pivot or Change

Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School.

Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra

Strong and Weak Ties: Why Weak Ties Matter

Why Every Employee Should Be Building Weak Ties at Work

Weak Ties Matter

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

Destination Unstoppable by Maureen Electa Monte

If you're interested in learning more about my course "How to Do a Career Pivot or Change" please drop me a note at [email protected]

Beth Bengtson, Founder/CEO

Beth Bengtson is the Founder/CEO of the nonprofit Working for Women (W4W). She has more than 20 years of experience working with both marketing agencies and client side for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and not-for-profits. Her focus has been to help organizations evolve through purpose-driven marketing, communications and business practices. She brings her enthusiasm for facilitating change, teaching, and her understanding of how to empower organizations to every engagement.

In creating W4W, Beth combines two key passions: believing that businesses can play an important role in supporting their larger communities, and her dedication to women's empowerment. W4W started out of her own frustration in running a business that sought to support organizations geared to creating opportunities for underserved women. She lacked time and staff to ensure that her company was supporting the right organizations in the right ways, and she imagined that other companies were facing the same predicament.