The Proteus Leader Show

Marie Holive reconnects with former NBCUniversal colleague Luca Donati, now an Executive Coach at Proteus International.

After more than 25 years as a senior international media executive, Luca took a very different path: studying counselling psychology and building a second career in executive coaching and advisory work.

Marie and Luca explore the often-overlooked gap between a leader’s intentions and the way they are actually experienced by others. They discuss why honest feedback becomes harder to get as leaders become more senior, what pressure reveals about our behavioral patterns, and how strengths can become liabilities when overused. Luca also reflects on what he now understands differently about leadership after moving from the executive suite into coaching.

It’s a practical conversation about self-awareness, behavior change, and the courage to see ourselves as others experience us — so that our leadership impact more closely matches the leader we want to be.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to the podcast episode

 (01:40) The gap between a leader's intention and actual impact

(03:47)  How can leaders understand how they are experienced by others?

(07:27)  What leadership behaviors do you understand differently now than when you were an executive?

(13:05)  What have you seen happens to leaders under pressure, and how can they keep their strengths from becoming liabilities?

(16:08)  Tips for leaders to close the gap between how they intend to be and the way they're actually experienced

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Erika talks with Dominick Miserandino, an internet pioneer since 1995 and now CEO of RTM Nexus.

He has led through the eras of dot.com, search, social media, ecommerce and now AI - and they discuss which skills and assumptions still matter and which ones have become obsolete.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(02:10)  Making people ready for AI-driven change

(04:05) Importance of experimenting with AI capabilities

(06:30)  What does repeated reinvention teach a leader?

(07:45) Dangers with using the word ‘reinvention’ as a leader

(09:56)  What can leaders do to guide and inspire people towards this AI-driven future?

Check out Dominick Miserandino's website: https://miserandino.com/

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Erika talks with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox about the global shift toward more older people than ever before, and how organizations can (and must) think differently about how to take best advantage of this change. Both in terms of their talent pool and their customers.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast introduction

(00:31) Fact: for the first time in history more people will reach 90

(02:08) What is the longevity economy and why does it matter?

(05:22) How to change the mindset around the longevity economy

(06:22) What do business need to understand and do differently for the Q3 life stage (ages 50–75)?

(08:59) What can managers and leaders do today to better support those in Q3?

(11:06) What does research show that people in Q3 (ages 50-75) actually want more of?

Subscribe to the Elderberries Substack: https://elderberries.substack.com/

Check out Avivah's website: https://www.avivahwittenbergcox.com/

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Marie Holive sits down with Andrew Kandel, former CEO of New York Interconnect, to explore one of the most important transitions in a leader’s career: moving from functional leadership to enterprise leadership.

Drawing on Andrew’s experience across Google, Waze, NBCUniversal, the Olympics, NASCAR, IMG, the NBA, and now New York Interconnect, the conversation looks at what changes when a leader moves from owning a function to carrying responsibility for the whole enterprise. Marie and Andrew discuss how CEOs create clarity, build trust, scale excellence, and learn to lead through others.

They also explore the value of trusted advisors — not as a substitute for leadership, but as a mirror and thought partner that can help leaders sharpen their perspective, challenge their assumptions, and make better decisions in moments of complexity.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(02:02) The CEO transition: first feelings

(04:19) Learning the business and assessing talent

(05:18) Strategy and vision for the business

(05:59) Being OK not knowing all the answers

(07:50) Building trust with your team

(09:10) Functional expertise and letting go

(11:13) Importance of humility

(13:07) Trusted mirror and advisory support

(16:52) Finding the right advisor

(21:30) Practical tips for the first 90s in a new leadership role

(24:24) Building a support team around you

The CEO Shift: Moving from Functional Leadership to Enterprise Leadership Quiz 👉 click here

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Marie Holive welcomes back experienced chair, board adviser and author Patrick Dunne to discuss the newly published third edition of his award-winning book, Boards.

Boards today are being asked to navigate extraordinary complexity. Directors must oversee risk, contribute to strategy, challenge constructively and make consequential decisions despite incomplete information and constant change.

Patrick and Marie explore what has shifted in the boardroom since the book’s earlier editions, why some boards struggle despite having strong governance processes and how chairs can create the conditions for honest debate and better decision-making. They also examine the human side of board effectiveness: trust, behaviour, relationships, role clarity and the ability to disagree without becoming divided.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(02:28) Why was a third edition of Boards published?

(04:16)  What separates a well-governed board from an effective one

(06:59) The secret to good facilitation in board meetings

(10:15)  Making decisions without complete information: balancing scrutiny and speed

(16:53)  The Map to Satnav Dilemma

(21:54) Practical advice for aspiring board members on how to prepare, contribute or make decisions

Mentioned in this episode 👇

Five Generations at Work: how do we win together

Cybersecurity for Leaders: What Every CEO and Board Must Know

Boards By Patrick Dunne - 3rd Edition

🏆 Proteus Leader Show Ranks #20 in Top 40 Change Management Podcasts

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Kimberly and Erika talk about the the powerful ripple effect even small, consistent coaching behaviors can have throughout an organization - building morale, reducing burnout and improving results.

Check out Lotic Systems.

Timestamps:

(0:00) Podcast episode starts

(01:57) What is the ripple effect, and why is it important?

(04:09) Positive impacts of a coaching mindset

(07:19) Negative impacts when there is no coaching in an organization

(09:18) Practical tips for leaders to build a coaching culture

🏆 Proteus Leader Show Ranks #20 in Top 40 Change Management Podcasts.

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Marie Holive sits down with Bob Arciniaga, founder of Advisory Board Architects and co-founder of Boardology, to explore what makes boards truly effective and how organizations can assess that effectiveness in a more rigorous and practical way.

Bob shares why the strongest boards are intentionally designed around a company’s strategic imperatives, how leaders should think about board composition and contribution, and why measuring engagement, efficiency, and effectiveness can reveal whether a board is genuinely creating value or simply fulfilling its formal role.

Listen in for practical, actionable ideas you can use right away to evaluate board performance, strengthen board impact, and build governance that better supports long-term business success.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(02:10)  Qualities of a truly effective board

(07:43)  Insights and foresights in the boardroom

(12:16)  Facilitation excellence during board meetings

(16:49)  Process for board members receiving feedback

(19:29)  Assessing personality traits of potential board members

(25:42)  Where would you invest money as a CEO?

(32:09)  Top three tips to improve board effectiveness

🎙️Check out episode E111: Facilitation Excellence

🏆 Proteus Leader Show Ranks #20 in Top 40 Change Management Podcasts

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In this special episode of The Proteus Leader Show, Marie Holive brings together some of the most powerful CEO and CFO insights from the first half of the year.

Featuring Jason Beesley, CFO of Pattern; Mario Azar, Chairman and CEO of Black & Veatch; Karim Chablaine, CEO of Nesma Mobility; Marie Berthelon, Co-founder and CEO of Rouvenat; Alison Moore, CEO of Chief; and Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, CEO of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, this episode explores what modern leadership really requires.

From finance as a strategic business partner to ownership, transformation, purpose-led growth, inclusive leadership, and psychological safety, these leaders offer practical wisdom for building lasting value in a fast-changing world.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast intro

(01:05) How to be a transformational CFO with Jason Beesley

(05:51)  Delivering critical infrastructure under pressure with Mario Azar

(08:01) True transformation in uncertain times with Karim Chaiblaine

(12:28) Entrepreneurship, reinvention, and purpose-led growth with Marie Berthelon

(15:27) Why women's success in business matters more than ever with Alison Moore

(17:12)  Safety as a critical element of organizational success with Benita Fitzgerald Mosley

Podcast episodes mentioned:

👉 Jason Beesley's episode

👉 Mario Azar episode

👉 Karim Chaiblaine episode

👉 Marie Berthelon episode

👉 Alison Moore episode

👉 Benita Fitzgerald Moseley episode

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Marie Holive sits down with David Shrier, Professor of Practice in AI and Innovation at Imperial College London, plus author of WELCOME TO AI and The Intelligence Capital Manifesto.

We explore why the real opportunity with AI is not just automation, but redesigning work around true human-AI symbiosis.

David explains the difference between replacement, augmentation, and symbiosis, why lasting advantage comes from building “Intelligence Capital” rather than simply deploying tools, and what leaders need to change in workflows, decision-making, and culture to make that shift real.

Listen in for practical, actionable ideas you can use right away to strengthen AI fluency, rethink work design, and build more valuable collaboration between people and intelligent systems.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to the podcast episode

(01:42) AI as a collaborator rather than a tool

(03:59) Understanding AI capabilities

(06:54) What does  the intelligence capital economy mean for leaders?

(14:15) Using AI as an  orchestrator

(17:15)  Practical tools for building real human-AI collaboration

(24:32) Podcast episode wrap-up

Mentioned in the episode:

👉 Episode 89, 'Making AI Work for Us'

👉 Episode 115, 'From Experiments to Impact: Building Human-AI Collaboration with Todd McLees'

👉 The Intelligence Capital Manifesto

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Erika talks with Kursten Faller, co-author of The Hidden Project Drivers, about how to stop managing for compliance and start leading to build ownership.

Visit Kursten's website

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(01:59) Stop managing for compliance and start leading for ownership

(04:27)  Impact when employees and teams don't feel like owners

(06:43)  What leaders can do to build greater ownership within teams

(08:49) What it means to step outside the 'problem box'

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