Rebecca Braitling, Poyee Chiu, and Sue Covelli-Buntley of UpSpiral Leadership interview Ken Warman. Ken is the founder of The Leader’s Evolution, a leadership consulting firm with the mission to “Build and develop successful people, great leaders, and high-performing teams”. Ken helps his clients become more purpose-driven leaders through his coaching practice and improves their individual and organizational performance. Before founding The Leader’s Evolution, Ken led teams as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Head of Consulting Practice for Prudential Financial. He is also a coach with UpSpiral Leadership.

[00:29] Introducing Ken Warman

[10:09] The Leader’s Evolution

[17:27] Finding Your Purpose

[20:22]  What Ken Has Learned about Himself

[22:44] Ken’s Definition of Success

[27:54] The Challenges Ken Has Faced

[30:25] Lightning Round: A Series Of Brief Questions

[38:47] The Flip: Career growth is a series of positions

Adversity instigates change. For Ken, losing his job forced him to pivot. He used the time to reflect on what impact he wanted to have on the world around him and identify the qualities he believed would facilitate that change. The prospect of working with different types of people drove him to start his own company, rather than with a single company and certain kinds of leaders.

To Ken, leadership is an evolution that requires time and considerable effort. In his work, he tries to meet people where they are in their journeys and help them move forward. He aims to help his clients maximize their impact on the people around them and act as a catalyst in their leadership evolution.

It is a worthy endeavor to find your purpose. Finding his passion and helping others find it has been very rewarding for Ken. However, he maintains that finding one’s purpose is very challenging to do in isolation. To propel you forward in your journey, he stresses the importance of having a coach to challenge you and your beliefs. Attempting to find your purpose requires a commitment to the cause and the person you have chosen to help you.

Your purpose changes over the course of your life. The things that motivated him in his 20s are not the same things that inspire Ken now. His purpose and priorities have shifted, so he urges people to take a fresh look at what drives and motivates the person they are in this moment.

It is healthy and exciting to pivot. Ken encourages people to think differently about their career trajectories and what they could do. Many people experience a transformation within their lifetimes that shifts their frame of reference and their priorities, so it’s worth looking into how they can align their career trajectories with their new focus.

Through starting The Leader’s Evolution, Ken learned that he has at least some tolerance for risk, which is in part what allowed him to make such a drastic change at a late stage in his career. His definition of success has developed and changed alongside his career. He sees resilience and consistency as vital traits of success.

According to Ken, career growth is an excellent opportunity to learn, spread our wings, and try things we may struggle with. Greatness is about expanding our horizons, as well as growing and evolving. Ken is energized by people who are inspired when they do something new or do something differently.

For more information on becoming an excellent leader, visit the UpSpiral Leadership website, and remember to tune in on the next episode!

Rebecca Braitling, Poyee Chiu, and Sue Covelli-Buntley of UpSpiral Leadership interview Joel Wright, the founding president of the Leadership Forum Community. Rebecca, Poyee, and Sue met Joel almost five years ago through the Leadership Forum, one of the longest-running leadership conferences worldwide. Joel is currently launching Democratizing Leadership Exchange, a resource hub that aims to empower all members of society on exceptional leadership.

[02:32] Introducing Joel Wright

[06:50] Democratizing Leadership

[12:52] Defining the Democratizing Leadership Exchange

[17:22] The Importance of Integrating Leadership Strategies in Schools

[20:34] Challenges Plaguing Leadership Education

[ 32:05] How Leadership can Positively Impact School Life

[34:40] The Lightning Round: A Series of Brief Questions

[41:45] The Flip: “Leadership is for Grownups”

Joel believes everyone can be a leader regardless of their background; we just have to tap into people's leadership potential and offer a little bit of leadership development. In the past, people would only be exposed to leadership training during the latter stages of their career. By this time, it's usually too late, and it becomes a burden to the new leader since they are forced to consume all this new material and still lead others. Moreover, many leaders often say that they wish they had been taught about leadership from a young age. Joel believes we can change the narrative by teaching students about leadership before entering the job market.

Teaching students about leadership packs its own set of unique challenges. First, teachers are already busy as is, and adding extra teaching material to their schedules will be met with frowns. Thus, Joel believes that the only way to do this is by using short and easy-to-implement tools. This way, a teacher will not be burdened with any extra material, and the learner gets to gain leadership training quickly and efficiently.

The past couple of years have witnessed an increased number of schools adopt the democratizing leadership framework. The framework aims to offer learners short learning materials that they can consume and apply to their student lives. This helps them think about how to understand and overcome challenges that they might be going through. Since leadership affects many aspects of a person's life, these tools can also be used to solve challenges plaguing the family unit and the community.

As earlier mentioned, most senior leaders never learned leadership practices and how best to pass on their knowledge. What happens then is that they develop mindsets that limit other people's opportunities to step into leadership positions. As a leader, it's your duty to nurture your team members, especially new employees, and push them to become the leaders they were meant to be. However, as much as you'd love to hold their hand throughout the journey, it would be best if you gave them the freedom to make mistakes. Learn how and when to step back and let the upcoming leaders tap into their creativity and solve problems for themselves.

For more information on becoming an excellent leader, visit the UpSpiral Leadership website, and remember to tune in next week! Check out Joel’s website and get in touch with Joel via LinkedIn.

Poyee Chiu, Sue Covelli-Buntley, and Rebecca Braitling welcome Rodney Davis to another inspiring episode of the UpSpiral Leadership Podcast. Rodney is the co-founder of a video-interviewing technology platform called Bondfire LLC, whose primary focus is connecting the best talent to the best opportunities. He is also the President of L.I.F.E. Support Inc., a nonprofit that offers educational and recreational activities to underserved individuals in Aurora, Illinois and surrounding communities.

Rodney is also a published author, having written the book 'After the Buzzer, Seven Steps for Winning the Big Game: Life',  a book that inspires young athletes to be the best, both on and off the field.

In this interview, they discuss Rodney's journey into entrepreneurship, how student-athletes can change their mindset towards their education, and the struggles people of color face in a society that's struggling to accommodate them.

[02:23] Introducing Rodney Davis

[02:10] Rodney's Leadership Journey

[04:50] Life's Lessons That Inspired Rodney's Journey

[08:58] Great Management and Coaching

[10:40] Challenges Faced and How He Overcame Them

[15:35] Having a Positive Attitude

[19:55] Lightning Round: A Series of Quick Questions

[46:28] The Flip: "It's Not Worth Trying"

Leaders are not born; they are made, and like most great leaders, Rodney's journey started when he was still young. His exploits on the basketball court earned him a full scholarship and later tryouts with some big league teams such as the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rodney admits that his interactions with coaches and teammates during his playing days shaped him to become the leader he is today.

Like most student-athletes, Rodney was only concerned about his game, a mistake that made him fail his first semester exams. Rodney explains that a majority of student-athletes fail to understand that the student part of a scholarship is even more important than the athlete part. Seeing that this was an issue that needed to be addressed, Rodney decided to tackle the problem by inspiring student-athletes to take their education as seriously as they do their sport.

Everybody is unique in their special way. Most leaders don't understand that uniqueness makes people different, not their skin color or social-economic backgrounds. Rodney encourages managers to get to know each individual on their team on a deeper level to get the best out of each of them.

Rodney attributes his leadership to watching his parents face challenges in their lives, including his sister who was the first in their family to go to college and his father who had to quit school in sixth-grade to earn money to support his family. Motivated by his father’s tenacity and hard work, Rodney focused his energy on doing what he was passionate about. He expects that things won’t go right and focuses on the bright side to be ready for challenges and keep moving beyond them.

As a parting inspiration, Rodney advises aspiring leaders to remove the word 'not' from their vocabulary. He also notes that people fail to try because of the fear of failure. If you're passionate about something, then it's definitely worth the try. Get out of your comfort zone and follow your passion. What's the worst that can happen?

For more information on becoming an excellent leader, visit the UpSpiral Leadership website, and remember to tune in on the next episode!

Sue Covelli-Buntley and Poyee Chiu of UpSpiral Leadership interview Eric Bailey, best-selling author of The Cure for Stupidity. His consulting firm, Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, has an extensive portfolio of clients which include Google, the US Airforce, and many others. Equipped with a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development, Eric is passionate about using radical curiosity to incite change and understanding.

[00:41] Introducing Eric Bailey

Eric recognizes that all of his life experiences have brought him to where he is today. At the age of 5, he was living on the streets with his family. His mother put herself through dentist school, which eventually improved their living conditions. As an adult, Eric had a colorful career having worked at a restaurant, zoo, and a healthcare company. He obtained his master’s degree from Saint Louis University. During graduate school, he met Dr. John P. Kotter and had the opportunity to work with him for a year. Afterwards, he started his own consulting company that specializes in organization culture and business strategy.

From his experience working in training and development, he noticed that HR departments are fixated on correcting behavior. Similarly, we have the same goal when communicating with others. We enter conversations because we want to prove that we are right. Opinions different from our own are immediately dismissed. No real dialogue can happen because people refuse to take a new vantage point.

Eric explains that this divide is rooted in human nature. We have created tribes as a way for us to know who to trust. In the process of forming groups, we determine who is a friend or foe. If they are not one of our own, then we do not hear them out. Creating an enemy out of the other group feels good because it highlights membership in our tribe. It is this “us vs. them” mentality that creates the empathy gap. When people perceive that they are on different teams, they lose their empathy for the opposing team. Rivals are no longer cared for as human beings.

Judging others has become a learned reflex but there is a way to close the empathy gap. First, you need to be aware that these tribal boundaries are based on perception. Instead of emphasizing differences, choose to look at similarities. Create categories that would put you and your “rivals” on the same team.

Next, replace judgment with radical curiosity. Have that genuine yearning to understand the other person’s context. Let go of your desire to be understood and to be correct. Assume that you are talking to a rational being and find out their why. By identifying the “why”, you’ll see that people aren’t so different after all. From that realization of a shared goal, we can collaborate on a solution to achieve our “why”. Radical curiosity makes space for innovation and possibilities.

Check out Eric’s book: The Cure for Stupidity on Amazon. Get in touch with Eric via LinkedIn or via Bailey Strategic Innovation Group’s website. For more information on becoming an excellent leader, visit the UpSpiral Leadership website, and remember to tune in on the next episode! 

Rebecca Braitling, Poyee Chiu, and Sue Covelli-Buntley of UpSpiral Leadership interview Ron Arigo.

Rebecca, Poyee, and Sue all worked with Ron at Chubb Insurance where Ron served in multiple senior-level HR and business roles. After moving on from Chubb, Ron became the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is currently the Head of Human Resources at AAA Northeast. Ron believes in cultivating talent and has often played the role of mentor and friend.

[00:30] Introducing Ron Arigo

[07:53] Ron’s Passion for Creating Change

[11:08] How Ron Was Able to Think Bigger and Face Challenges

[15:27]  The Art of Storytelling

[16:29] Managing Resistance to Change

[23:25] Lightning Round: A Series Of Brief Questions

[40:21] The Flip: “Change Is Hard”

After 28 years at Chubb Insurance, Ron sought a new path to attain his goal of becoming the Head of HR and occupy a position in which he could leverage what he had learned at Chubb to drive change. His time at Chubb had helped him establish many best practices and learn the value of investing in people, but the change had been mostly incremental.

Following his time at Chubb, Ron served as Chief Human Resources Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ron had essentially inherited a multifaceted business in his role. Though it was government, there existed a representation of various businesses like health and human services, transportation, information technology, and finance. He would be accountable for enterprise-wide recruitment, development, and retention of talent in a pool of stalwarts of public service. Many of the employees could not appreciate what they were missing in terms of HR and how it could serve them more effectively. He was hired and introduced as a change agent, but faced doubt among the team about the need for change and would have to sell every idea to them.

An important lesson Ron learned in his endeavors to drive change, often with audiences of varying change tendencies, is the art of storytelling. Often management uses either data or anecdotes to persuade and inspire. Ron’s winning formula is both. He affirms the importance of using data to ensure that you root yourself in fact and avoid being dismissed as not credible and using anecdotes to represent what else may be going on in the organization that data is ill-equipped to communicate. Ron adopted storytelling as a way to merge the data with the anecdotes.

According to Ron, the leadership trait that the world needs most right now is collaboration. As he sees it Project Warp Speed is an example of “best practice collaboration”. Government, scientists, business leadership, military, airlines, and other logistics-based organizations are collaborating on an incredible scale to end the global crisis of coronavirus. Although he believes government is sorely lacking in the skill of collaborative leadership, he identifies Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts as a leader who best models this leadership trait. “He is a leader who reaches across the proverbial aisle to get things done,” says Ron.

Ron’s biggest wish for the world right now is (relative) normalcy. The pandemic has created conditions that impede development and self-actualization in the different phases of our lives and we are living in the realm of protectionism. He shares his personal mantra for the times, “take this time to get physically healthy, mentally healthy, and as best you can, financially healthy, and emerge strong.”

Rebecca Braitling of UpSpiral Leadership interviews Diane Menard. Diane is a trailblazer, mentor and advocate for women in business. She currently leads the Commercial Real Estate Division of Prestige Title Business Development. Diane has spent the majority of her career in sales and marketing in the commercial real estate industry. During her career, Diane has taken an active role and career in New Jersey dedicated to advancing women in commercial real estate. She currently serves as a board member for 2020 WomenRising and previously served on the advisory board for Montclair State University. Diane has been recognized for her accomplishments by Leading Women Entrepreneurs as a Top 25 award winner.

[00:28] Introducing Diane

[04:48] Diane’s Motivation for Mentoring Women

[08:37] Limiting Mental Models

[18:30]  Diane’s Early Experiences with Strong Women and the Ms Foundation

[23:53] The Importance of Collaborative Leadership

[31:43] Pain Manifests as Anger

[33:28] Lightning Round: A Series of Brief Questions

[39:37] The Flip: “It is Important to Fit In”

Diane attributes her work mentoring and advocating for women in business to her upbringing. She believes that growing up around a lot of men and boys was a reprieve from how women are generally socialized to be more demure and self-conscious when advocating for themselves. Additionally, she sees her ability for empathy as particularly useful in the context of mentorship.

Diane’s approach to mentorship and helping women in the workplace is grounded in one-on-one conversations and asking questions about their experience and strengths they have rarely been asked. Also, in college and in her early career, she found herself networking with women who provided hands-on support to other women, including Gloria Steinem. These networks of women influenced her to pay it forward by mentoring other women and helping them see the strengths that lie within them.

When we approach people with skepticism and feelings based on fear, we tend towards limited outcomes.

Approaching people with empathy, being curious about what’s happening with them, and assuming positive intent allows us to think bigger and create a model for empathetic leadership. When someone is showing up angry, Diane tries to understand their point of view because that anger comes from some sort of pain.

According to Diane, the leadership trait the world needs most right now is compassion. To her, Michelle Obama best models compassion, hearing and responding to all sides with empathy without losing herself along the way. She urges us to consider other people’s perspectives and collaborate better so that we can develop solutions together.

Diane flips “It’s Important to Fit In” with a suggestion that we change the parameters of what it means to fit in. She suggests that the Generation Z’s are doing this by getting rid of the defining variables that keep people in boxes.

Rebecca Braitling of UpSpiral Leadership interviews Elaine Rocha, the Chief of Staff to the President and Global Chief Operating Officer of AIG, a multinational insurance and finance company. While at AIG, Elaine previously served as the Global Chief Operating Officer for their Investments business, and previously as Associate General Counsel and Vice President for several lines of business in General Insurance. She has been recognized throughout her career for her strong leadership and advocacy for diversity and inclusion.

[00:30] Introducing Elaine

[04:07] How Elaine Became a Bold and Authentic Advocate

[09:13]  Dealing with People’s Mistakes as a Leader

[14:01] How to Navigate Career Uncertainty and Changes

[16:16] How to Activate Positive Change

[21:05] Elaine’s Proudest Achievements

[23:10] How to Be a Good Mentor

[25:43] Lightning Round: A Series of Brief Questions

Ever since she was young, Elaine has been driven to advocate for those who cannot defend themselves. During her senior year in high school, Elaine recalls writing a letter to the Superintendent and Board of Education to advocate for her friend who got kicked off the wrestling team for punching someone to defend his sister’s honor. She then attended the Board of Education meeting, and successfully won her first case for her first client, despite not having been to law school at the time. Years later, her friend is still grateful that she took the initiative to step in.

Law and finance are fields with very high expectations. As a leader in these fields, Elaine encourages her subordinates to strive for excellence, she wants them to trust her and to be comfortable. If subordinates make a mistake, she expects them to let her know, so that they can figure out a solution together. Leaders must provide psychological safety and support. She walks in humility and welcomes constructive disagreement from her colleagues, knowing that the best decisions come from making the most of everybody’s strengths and expertise.

Elaine consistently chases and embraces disruption. She cites her transition from legal into investments as an illustration of this attitude of welcoming change. She did not know much about investments, but she took the time to figure it out. She encourages us to ask ourselves, “What is the worst that could happen?” Disruption enables us to learn.

Although she embraces uncertainty, Elaine does not condone nor embrace a lack of preparedness. If you have a passion, and want to invoke change, that is great! But building on this passion, you need to know your stuff, and to be able to “yell with data” to the naysayers and eye rollers.

According to Elaine, to be a great mentor, you need to be willing to be mentored. Using this humility and willingness to learn, you can plant this same posture in your mentees. Mentoring is amongst Elaine’s proudest accomplishments, and she enjoys building trust and shaping change in the lives of others, especially women.

Elaine’s greatest wish for the world is that we stop judging a book by its cover. After some time, we might decide that someone is not worth it. However, never make this decision prematurely. You never know what is going on, and you may risk missing the opportunity to know a wonderful person.

For more information on becoming an excellent leader, do visit the Upspiral Leadership website, and do remember to tune in to our next episode! Check out Elaine’s LinkedIn profile.

Poyee Chiu and Sue Covelli-Buntley chat with Matt Mullens, Founder of Empasta Food, a vegan cheese sauce company, and SkillDivvy, a community platform to share common interests and to collaborate on projects. They discuss how Matt applied his passion for sustainability, his fearless grit, and his interest in collaborating with others to chase fear and achieve a shared vision to make the world better.

[00:30] Introducing Matt

[01:27] How Matt Aligned His Passion with His Purpose

[06:06]  How Matt Chases Fear to Break the Glass Ceiling

[12:05] How Matt Collaborates with Others to Improve His Vision

[20:14] Building SkillDivvy to Allow Collaboration Around a Common Purpose

[25:11] Lessons Learned

[29:25] Lightning Round: A Series of Brief Questions

Matt became interested in sustainability when he participated in a pre-college summer research program and his group was tasked with lifting a hot air balloon with renewable energy. The group used solar panels, which led Matt to later internships in Ghana and Hawaii to build solar panels. Later on, Matt developed a vision for selling vegan cheese sauce, aligning his passion for food with his commitment to sustainability. He built this business to align with his values and to benefit the world.

Sustainability is important to Matt because he believes that sustainability is an overarching problem that impacts so many aspects of our lives. Furthermore, Matt loves doing outdoor activities, so he is especially compelled to take care of the environment. Additionally, with his technical background in engineering, Matt is well-equipped to tackle this issue.

Matt discusses how he is building Skilldivvy, a community platform to allow people to collaborate around purpose-driven projects. Matt started Skilldivvy with a partner to fulfill their joint purpose of making the world a better place.

Matt has learned three primary lessons about himself from his entrepreneurial journey: 1. be authentic, 2. do not be overly resilient because you need to recognize each person’s strengths and bring them along, and 3. surround yourself with people who genuinely want to see you win, who are passionate, and who are positive.

For more information on becoming an UpSpiral leader, visit the Upspiral Leadership website, and tune in to this podcast for our next episode! Check out the Empasta Food website as well. And do connect with Matt on LinkedIn.

Rebecca Braitling, Poyee Chiu, and Sue Covelli-Buntley interview Judy Sammarco, who has been with UpSpiral Leadership since its inception, and has worked with each of the hosts individually before that. They discuss the importance of a positive mindset, and other tips for getting through tough times.

[00:30] Introducing Judy & What UpSpiral Means to Her

[04:40] Challenges Judy Has Faced

[09:23] Judy’s Battle with Ovarian Cancer

[13:56] How to Navigate Bad News

[18:26] Creating Your Own Reality

[20:15] Best-Case/Worst-Case Scenario Thinking

[23:17] Taking Control of Difficult Situations

[27:07] Lighting Round: A Series of Quick Questions

[32:26] The Flip: “Our Circumstances Define Us”

Throughout Judy’s career and in her battle with ovarian cancer, she exemplified UpSpiral Leadership. Judy shares several tips for dealing with adverse life situations: 1. keep a positive mindset, 2. take care of yourself, and 3. act on whatever is within your control.

According to Judy, cancer patients who sustain a positive mindset live on average 24 months longer than their counterparts. She recalls sitting at her daughter’s eighth-grade graduation and praying & believing that she would get to sit at the high school graduation. At her daughter’s high school graduation, she believed that she would make it to the college graduation. She says that her positive mindset is what keeps her going, and is the reason cancer has not defeated her yet.

Secondly, when dealing with any kind of conflict or bad news, Judy remembers to go to sleep or to more generally take care of herself before acting. This leads to better, and more rational decisions. Finally, Judy says she has always believed that she can make a difference. Even in scenarios that are very stressful, such as waiting for a medical test result, she finds some way to influence the outcome, for example by getting a second opinion. She knows what  is within her control and acts on it. At work, she describes being a spokesperson for various parties and not being afraid to speak up.

For more information on becoming an excellent leader, do visit the Upspiral Leadership website, and do remember to tune in to our next episode!