Your company’s next breakthrough isn’t about doing more, but doing less with purpose.

In this episode, I speak with Bill Canady, CEO of two major industrial companies (OTC Industrial Technologies and Arrowhead Engineered Products), a former U.S. Navy officer, and author of From Panic to Profit, about the operating system he’s used to turn around billion-dollar businesses and lead through uncertainty.

Bill brings a rare blend of military discipline, private equity strategy, and grounded human leadership. With more than 3,600 employees and $1.5 billion in revenue under his care, he shares what really drives growth, and why focus, not frenzy, is the secret to long-term results.

We talk about:

• How Bill used 80/20 thinking to stabilize a struggling company during the pandemic

• Why “doing everything” is the death of momentum and how to identify your critical few

• The real reason most teams fail to deliver (hint: it’s not effort)

• How AI is helping leaders focus on what matters and where human judgment still matters most

• Why you may need to say no to good ideas to unlock great outcomes

• The leadership triangle: visionary, operator, and prophet, and how to build teams that thrive

Bill also shares personal reflections on learning through failure, navigating high-stakes decisions, and how he’s applying his own advice as a continuous learner and leader of leaders.

Whether you’re in a turnaround, scaling up, or simply trying to get more focused in your business or career, this episode offers both strategic clarity and deeply practical tools for creating profitable, people-centered growth.

Bill Canady is the CEO of both OTC Industrial Technologies and Arrowhead Engineered Products (AEP). With over 30 years of experience, he specializes in driving organizational growth, cutting costs, and boosting profitability. At OTC, he led a 43% increase in revenue and an 80% rise in earnings, with annual sales now exceeding $1 billion. At AEP, he oversees more than 3,600 employees and $1.5 billion in sales. A U.S. Navy veteran, Bill holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Business Administration from Elmhurst University. His Profitable Growth Operating System (PGOS) has helped countless organizations overcome challenges and seize new growth opportunities.

Get Bill’s book here: https://rb.gy/3a4mou

From Panic to Profit: Uncover Value, Boost Revenue, and Grow Your Business with the 80/20 Principle

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What if the key to innovation isn’t a process, but a mindset that travels across boundaries, disciplines, and decades?

From international development to McKinsey to leading AI strategy at Microsoft, Dean Carignan has built his career at the intersection of systems, people, and impact. Now, as co-author of The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft, he’s helping organizations rethink how real innovation happens, not just in startups or labs, but in legacy institutions and global companies.

In this episode, Dean shares lessons from two decades at Microsoft, where he’s worked across Xbox, Office, cognitive services, and AI research. He also reflects on why innovation is ultimately about people, not products, and how leaders can create space for meaningful change, even inside complex organizations.

We explore:

• How Dean moved from solving global problems at the World Bank to driving change inside one of the world’s largest tech companies

• The power of being a “boundary crosser” and why innovation happens in the in-between

• Why mission often outperforms money as a motivator, especially in hiring for impact

• The overlooked value of storytelling in innovation (and how case studies bring ideas to life)

• How AI is transforming not only productivity, but the very nature of scientific discovery

• Why learning to build with agents may be the most valuable skill of the next decade

Dean also shares practical examples of how he uses AI today, from research to writing to daily decision-making, and why “thinking about thinking” is the leadership advantage most people overlook.

Whether you're guiding a team through change, building a new product, or trying to stay ahead of the AI curve, this conversation offers a grounded, human-centered approach to innovation in a time of exponential possibility.

Dean Carignan’s career spans international economic development, startup ventures, and strategic roles in technology. He is an alumnus of Georgetown University and INSEAD, he was a charter member of McKinsey & Company's advanced technology practice.

During his 20 years at Microsoft, he has guided new businesses, including the early internet division, Xbox, and multiple Al efforts through the critical growth phases to their first billion dollars in revenue.

Most recently, Dean has focused on leading AI innovations within Microsoft Research and the Office of the Chief Scientist. His intrapreneurial spirit, deep institutional knowledge, and expansive internal network made the behind-the-scenes perspective of The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft

Get Dean’s book here: https://www.innovationatmicrosoft.com/

The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft

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In this episode, Kris speaks with Matthew Dixon, founding partner of DCM Insights and bestselling author, about his latest research on business development in professional services. Drawing on a global study of 3,000 partners, Dixon outlines five distinct sales profiles and highlights the “Activator” as the only approach consistently linked to higher revenue performance.

Key insights: - Traditional models of client loyalty are eroding, with fewer clients returning automatically to the same firm. - Top performers distinguish themselves by proactively delivering value, leveraging internal and external networks, and consistently committing time to business development. - Effective firms drive adoption of these behaviors not through mandates, but by enabling teams with tools, mentorship, and a culture of collaboration. - Technology, including AI and network management tools, reduces the time required to execute these strategies, but success ultimately relies on human relationships and judgment.

Dixon’s upcoming book, The Activator Advantage, provides a practical guide for partners and leaders seeking to future-proof client engagement strategies in a more competitive and fast-changing market.

Matthew Dixon is the Founding Partner of DCM Insights. Matthew is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and a WSJ bestselling author, with his books translated in a dozen languages.

Get Matthew’s book here: https://rb.gy/a6ygc7

The Activator Advantage: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently

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In this episode, Kris speaks with Ken Rusk, nine-figure CEO and bestselling author of Blue Collar Cash, on building and scaling a successful business. Key insights: - True growth comes from empowering entrepreneurial employees and building autonomous teams aligned with the company’s mission and motivated to perform. - Rusk’s approach emphasizes the alignment of personal goals and corporate objectives, using a system of “timed pathways” where employees publicly commit to and pursue personal milestones, creating accountability and shared momentum. - Strategic reinvestment in marketing, reputation, and customer experience fueled steady expansion, while maintaining a clear long-term vision kept the organization resilient during challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. - His leadership philosophy centers on building decision-makers, not just making decisions, and staying focused on time as the most valuable asset, balancing business success with personal well-being, family, and purpose. - Rusk’s recent move to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) reflects his commitment to sharing long-term value and ensuring that the team that built the company benefits from its future growth. Rusk’s message is that sustainable business success stems from developing others, aligning incentives, and ensuring that leaders stay focused on the long view, both in business and in life.

Get Ken’s book here: https://www.kenrusk.com/blue-collar-cash/

Blue-Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for Life

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What if the key to driving real innovation isn’t genius, but orchestration?

Innovation is often seen as the domain of visionaries or tech geniuses. But in this episode, JoAnn Garbin, former Director of Innovation at Microsoft Cloud and co-author of The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft, shows that true innovation is a craft: one grounded in discipline, collaboration, and conscious leadership.

JoAnn brings a rare lens to the conversation — an engineer with a background in philosophy and performance, a systems thinker who has lived through startup exits, corporate reinvention, and a life-altering cancer diagnosis. Her approach to leadership, creativity, and risk is grounded not in theory but in lived experience.

We talk about:

• How real innovation happens inside complex, slow-moving organizations

• Why orchestration, not brilliance, is the most underrated leadership skill

• The critical role of community and trust in long-term innovation success

• How to build political capital without becoming “political”

• What cancer taught her about control, clarity, and letting go

• The mindset shift that makes innovation more accessible (and less magical)

JoAnn also shares how she navigates uncertainty with structured frameworks, how she invests in her learning every day, and why innovation, especially in an AI-powered future, must be inclusive, sustainable, and human-centered.

Whether you’re leading change, launching something new, or trying to stay relevant in a fast-shifting world, this episode will expand how you think about creativity, courage, and what it really means to build something that lasts.

JoAnn Garbin is a former Director of Innovation in Microsoft’s cloud business. She is the founder of Regenerous Labs, where she focuses on building practical solutions across industries that integrate sustainability and innovation.

Get JoAnn’s book here: https://www.innovationatmicrosoft.com/

The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft

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What if the leadership edge you’re looking for doesn’t come from working harder, but listening deeper?

We talk often about productivity, performance, and pushing through. But few conversations explore the quieter forces shaping our best decisions, like intuition.

In this episode, I speak with Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, a director, writer, systems thinker, and an award-winning sustainability leader, about intuition as a source of strength, clarity, and resilience in both leadership and life.

Hrund shares how her work in post-conflict Kosovo with the UN led to burnout and a full reset — one that turned her toward the science and practice of intuition. Through personal stories, research, and the Icelandic concept of innsæi (“the sea within”), she explains how we can train our intuition as rigorously as we train our intellect.

We explore:

• How to know whether your intuition is guiding you, or your ego is pulling you

• Why many of us lose touch with inner guidance (and how to return to it)

• How to use an “attention journal” to strengthen your discernment

• The difference between insight and overthinking

• What it takes to create workplace cultures that respect sensing as much as data

• Why intuition is not the opposite of reason, but essential to it

This episode is for anyone navigating uncertainty, complexity, or the quiet knowing that something needs to change.

Whether you're leading a team, facing a major decision, or simply looking to reconnect with your inner compass, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical tools to help you find your way — from the inside out.

Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir is an Advisory Council member at Yale’s International Leadership Centre and has been recognised for her work as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Cultural Leader and Yale World Fellow. She has qualifications from Yale, Harvard Kennedy School, the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, Oxford Said Business School and the University of Iceland.

Get Hrund’s book here: https://hrundgunnsteinsdottir.com/

InnSaei: Heal, Revive and Reset with the Icelandic art of intuition

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Dr. Tiffany Moon isn’t just breaking stereotypes — she’s rewriting the script.

In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Moon — board-certified anesthesiologist, founder of Aromasthesia, and former cast member of Bravo’s Real Housewives — opens up about what it really takes to balance ambition, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and public scrutiny.

From immigrating to the U.S. at age 6 to graduating from college at 19 and medical school at 23, where she finished in the top ten percent of her class, to launching a wellness brand rooted in science and self-care, Tiffany’s story is as raw and relatable as it is inspiring.

We cover:

• The culture of overachievement and how it can become an emotional cage

• The silent weight of perfectionism in high-achieving women

• How childhood trauma shaped her relentless drive and how she’s healing from it

• Why asking for help isn’t a weakness — it’s a strategy

• The behind-the-scenes reality of being a doctor and a reality TV personality

• Why she’s choosing presence over perfection in parenting, career, and business

Plus:

• Why even the most “put-together” people struggle with self-worth

• How Tiffany balances a medical career with being a mother, wife, and founder

• Why her social media presence is as real as it gets and why that matters

Tiffany also shares the surprising impact of being on reality TV, not on her brand, but on her identity, and why she now uses her platform to champion authenticity, self-care, and breaking generational cycles.

This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about legacy, self-awareness, and the courage to define success on your own terms. 

Tiffany Moon, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, mother of twins, and author of Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Connection. She is also the founder and CEO of Aromasthesia Candles, Three Moons Wine, and LeadHer Summit. Tiffany has published over fifty peer-reviewed articles, is one of D Magazine’s “Best Doctors,” and serves as an Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. She was the first medical doctor and Chinese American cast member on Bravo’s Real Housewives. Her story has been featured in Forbes, Variety, Harper’s Bazaar, USA Today, and more. She lives with her family in Dallas, TX.

Get Tiffany’s book here: https://rb.gy/5fvfl5

Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Connection

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What if the financial advice you trust is actually hurting your future?

Mark Matson believes it is, and he has the data to prove it.

In this episode, I sit down with Mark Matson, founder of Matson Money and a pioneer in the evidence-based investing movement. With over $10 billion in assets under management, Mark has helped thousands of families and advisors break free from Wall Street myths, media-driven panic, and the illusion of market timing.

But Mark didn’t start in finance. In fact, he nearly gave up on the entire industry — until a few key realizations (and one powerful idea from a Nobel Laureate) reshaped his approach to wealth entirely.

We talk about:

• The dangerous psychology behind most investing decisions and how to fix it

• Why traditional financial advice often fails to deliver real value

• What Wall Street doesn’t want you to understand about your money

• The importance of storytelling in transforming investor behavior

• Why “doing nothing” is sometimes the smartest move in volatile markets

Mark also shares how he trains financial advisors to become coaches — not salespeople — and why aligning your portfolio with purpose is key to long-term success.

Whether you’re an investor, advisor, or entrepreneur, this conversation will change how you think about money — and what it really means to grow wealth with integrity and intention.

Mark Matson is an American entrepreneur, author, and innovator in the fields of investing science and financial education. He is the creator of educational experiences, platforms, and tools that make Nobel Prize winning investing research accessible to investors and transform their relationship to money. Most notably, he is the creator of The American Dream Experience and the Matson Method.

Get Mark’s book here: https://rb.gy/h4brr0

Experiencing The American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life

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Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 547, an interview with Bernard Harris, an astronaut, physician, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and author of Embracing Infinite Possibilities: Letting Go of Fear to Find Your Highest Potential.

In this episode, Bernard Harris, the first African American astronaut to walk in space, shares his experiences and describes the thrill of launching into space as well as the physical challenges of microgravity. He discusses the significance of inner strength, resilience, and a growth mindset. His book, Embracing Infinite Possibilities, encourages self-discovery, overcoming obstacles, and opening your mind to life's infinite possibilities, instilling hope in those who have yet to discover their own power.

Get Bernard’s book here: https://rb.gy/fgx6d8

Embracing Infinite Possibilities: Letting Go of Fear to Find Your Highest Potential

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Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 546, an interview with the authors of Radical Listening: The Art of True Connection, Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener.

Most conversations barely scratch the surface, because true connection isn’t just about hearing words, it’s about listening with purpose and presence.

In this episode, Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener introduce the concept of Radical Listening: an intentional, culturally aware approach to making others feel seen, heard, and valued. Drawing from their research and coaching experiences, they explain why our intentions behind listening matter just as much as the act itself and how distractions, politeness, and even the need to be right can undermine true connection. They share practical strategies leaders can use to build stronger teams, navigate conflict, and create space for deeper conversations, even across cultural differences.

Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh (PhD) is a leading academic and executive coach with an international reputation. He is Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences (Ireland) and Principal Fellow at the Centre for Wellbeing Science at the University of Melbourne (Australia). Christian delivers consultancy, training, and executive coaching globally, regularly presenting in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. He is passionate about motorcycling, writing, and coaching.

Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener is a researcher, author, and consultant with 75 peer-reviewed academic articles and over 27,000 citations. His previous books include The Upside of Your Dark Side (New York Times bestseller, 2014) and the 2007 PROSE Award winner, Happiness. He has presented keynotes to Lululemon, Deloitte, Humana, AARP, the World Bank, and others. In 2024, Thinkers50 named Robert one of the “50 most influential executive coaches in the world.” He lives in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys drawing and rock climbing.

Get Radical Listening here: https://rb.gy/z5x7wt

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