The Great Conversation

Rob Tiffany is one of the world's leading experts in the areas of Enterprise Mobility and the Internet of Things. He's the bestselling author of five books on mobile architecture and development. Rob has shipped smartphones at Microsoft, co-founded the world's first, cloud-based, mobile device management company and brought unintelligent vending machines to life using M2M technologies during the early days of wireless. We sit down with Rob to pick his brain and get current on his thinking about the digital transformation of our businesses and our society.

When I asked Sarah Powell, the Director of Emergency Management at Temple University, to join me for another Great Conversation, I told her I wanted to dive into Uncertainty. And one of the first things she said to me was: we must be comfortable with “not knowing”. How do we create a program knowing this to be true? Is this also a mindset for any great leader? Join this powerful conversation with a nimble and creative mind. 

During the summer of 2020, over 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse. Anxiety, trauma from finances, job loss, loss of social connection. When people fall into a pattern it can lead to a trigger of violence to themselves or others. We turned to a leader, Randy Spivey, CEO of the Center for Personal Protection and Safety (CPPS), who has trained 10 million individuals in best practices related to Workplace Violence Prevention, Active Shooter Response, Travel Safety and Security, and Kidnap Survival to understand how we can ensure that our greatest asset can be protected. He has also provided a link to a trailer on his company and perspective. Take a look at https://vimeo.com/231141071/3b984971e1

Rick Morris is a premier thought leader in Project Management. The term, project management, does not adequately represent the impact this has on the efficacy of an organization What we discover is the secret sauce for leaders in defining and executing their dreams. Rick is normally brought in to “run things”. Projects are not getting done. Teams are demoralized. Tons of uncertainty. Rick helps the team and their leaders really understand the value of servant leadership, the value of planning, and the true nature of their role: to realize the dream.

Sanjay Challa, the Chief Product Officer for Salient, provides security leaders with a window into a new world of cross functional leadership in business value and risk mitigation. We move from the traditional role of video management to envisioning a data platform that drives intelligence across the enterprise. 

At Salient, Sanjay’s role is to deeply understand the mind and business process of the customer and translate what he finds into compelling solutions using technology. To do this well, requires a curious and strategic mindset. It also requires being exceptional at decomposing tough technical concepts, ideas, and products into relevant, approachable, and enjoyable narratives. Therefore, he pushes for regular end-user and market interaction to validate product value and messaging understanding, supporting, and contributing to the story of the customer. ​

Dagmar Boettger is a strategic advisor to leaders and their teams on how to create an agile, engaged, culture that will be able to adapt to any situation, including the digitalization of the world. We have a great conversation around a leader’s ability to understand their current position in the market and cast a vision for how their people can help shape a shared and collective future.

When we think about getting something done, we think of managing a project or a program. Many of us turn to a project leader or manager. But the term and the title in many cases diminishes the importance of the outcome we seek to achieve. When we had a conversation with John Stenbeck, an author, consultant, and subject matter expert on project management, it opened our eyes to the possibilities of reframing this important role. It also laid out the mental framework for realizing our dreams and our goals.

Cecil Jentges’ mission is to help us easily navigate the world of risk so that we can plan and act to protect our people and our assets. He envisions a platform that can find a “needle in a haystack of needles” that will make the difference in how you strategically meet the global risk in front of you. 

Mark Lagestee, Chief People Officer of Yum! Brands, a leading global franchisor and brand developer, sat down with us so we could learn the secret sauce behind a company recognized for its global citizenship and its unique culture built on innovation, inclusion, and growth. ​We learn what it means to “believe in all people,” a timely message for organizations intent on developing a leadership culture. 

Garry Ridge is the purpose-driven and intentional leader of a company that is a model for employee, customer, and investor value: WD-40. According to Garry, the “oil-in-a-can" company exists to create positive, lasting memories in everything they do. Garry sits down with us to share his passion about his tribal culture of learning and teaching that sustains and extends the organizational value to its people, its customers, and its investors.