Way We Work Podcast with Brendon Schrader

Every single one of us aspires to build a career ignited by passion, driven by purpose, and ultimately, one that leaves an impact on our world. Dr. Arleigh Reynolds is a World Champion Sled Dog Racer, Professor, Veterinarian, Senior Scientist and Director of the One Health Initiative at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Throughout his life, Arleigh has made career decisions that followed a combination of passion and purpose. At the center of his life’s work has been a unique relationship with an unusual group of close friends – his dogs.Early in his career, Arleigh saw an opportunity to meld his passion for endurance sports and his love for veterinary medicine. The result has been a 30-year career that has led him to become a world renown expert in his field and three-time world champion. Arleigh may now be embarking on the most important journey of his career – working on the future of global health and the One Health Initiative.In this episode, Arleigh and I discuss what his dogs taught him about trust and leadership, how he makes purpose driven career decisions and why all of us have a critical role to play in creating a healthy planet, in a post-pandemic world.Take a listen to my wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Arleigh Reynolds.

Have you considered entering the gig economy? A new world of work often described as a work life that is filled with freedom, flexibly and happiness. Although this may be true, striking out on your own and sustaining this type of career forces us to develop new skills and attitudes that are different from those we have used in traditional careers. My guest Diane Mulcahy created the first college course on the Gig Economy. The course gained immediate traction and was named by Forbes as one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Business School Courses in the country. Out of that course grew a best selling book called The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off and Financing the Life You Want. In this episode Diane describes the emergence of the “new” American dream, how to create your own security by cultivating multiple sources of income, and the exact steps you can take, while you are employed, to prepare and plan a career inside the gig economy. Take a listen to my conversation with Diane Mulcahy.

“Why do you get up in the morning?” A simple, yet complicated question that many of us struggle to answer, as we try to understand our life’s purpose – and its impact on our work and careers.My guest, Richard Leider, has pioneered the way we answer that question. Widely viewed as a pioneer of the global purpose movement, his PBS Special – The Power of Purpose – has been viewed by millions of people across the U.S. Richard is ranked by Forbes as one of the “Top 5” most respected coaches in his field. He has written eleven books, including three best sellers, which have sold over one million copies and have been translated into 20 languages. Repacking Your Bags and The Power of Purpose are considered classics in the field of personal growth and human development. In this episode, Richard clears up some common misconceptions about what purpose means, provides specific tools and action steps we can all take to define our own unique purpose, and shares why purpose is fundamental to health, happiness, and longevity.Take a listen to my conversation with Richard Leider.

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being an impostor? Millions of people around the globe - including CEOs, PhDs, managers and entrepreneurs – secretly worry they’re not as bright or capable as everyone thinks they are. Dr. Valerie Young is an international expert and an award-winning author on the topic of impostor syndrome. She has spoken to over 200,000 professionals on this topic at some of the world’s largest and most respected companies and universities. In this episode, Valerie and I discuss how impostor syndrome shows up differently in men and women, why it holds us back from success, and what everyone can do to stop feeling like an impostor and unlock their true potential.If you lead, manage, mentor, or parent others - you won’t want to miss this discussion. Listen in on my conversation with Dr. Valerie Young.

As the professional gig economy has grown, millions of well-qualified Americans are now attracted to contract work. The on-demand workforce is stronger and more sophisticated than ever before. This workforce, along with advances in technology, has pushed our corporations, our governments and our society to reconsider what the future of jobs and work may look like.Jeff Wald is the Co-Founder of WorkMarket, an enterprise software platform that enables companies to manage the on-demand workforce. His experience building WorkMarket turned into a deep interest in the future of work, and in turn, spurred Jeff to take both a historical and data driven approach to understanding what this future may mean for all of us. In this episode, Jeff clears up some common misconceptions about the on-demand workforce, shares how technology will disrupt our jobs, and provides some ideas on why the future of work is brighter, better and in some cases, further out, than many of us may think. Take a listen to my conversation with Jeff Wald.

Managing disruption is not new to business leaders. But in addition to the disruptive forces any specific industry may face, there is now an added focus on racial injustice and the realities of the global pandemic – which has added new dimensions to the topic of disruption and its impact on companies.Chiaki Nishino is the President of Prophet, a global consulting firm that helps clients find growth through marketing, brand, experience, innovation and organizational capabilities. In this episode, Chiaki and I discuss the traits needed to lead through disruption, what key priorities have shifted for marketing leaders and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion – specifically inside the marketing industry. Take a listen to my conversation with Chiaki Nishino.

Regardless of what industry you may be in, the success of any organization hinges on the talent inside. And building teams through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion has been proven to lead to strong cultures and high performance outcomes.  By any measure, our world has always been diverse. But factors such as the global economy, shifting expectations of corporate social responsibility, and nationwide protests, all highlight that reflecting this diversity inside our organizations is both the smart and right thing to do. Many of us what to make change, but how do we get started? For over a decade, Chaka Booker has crisscrossed the country identifying and developing talent. He has interviewed nearly 3,000 professionals from Fortune 500 companies, the military, leadership programs, and non-profit institutions. The start of how we make change may reside inside one of our most common business practices - how we interview talent.In this episode, Chaka talks with us about how bias shows up in our interviews, why we should take a deep look at the term “culture fit” and how we can manage our organizations most important investment—our people. Take a listen to my conversation with Chaka Booker.

A recent CEO study found that 75% of business leaders are concerned about whether they will have the talent they need for the future. More specifically, how a lack of the right talent will ultimately constrain growth.  As businesses look to protect their workforce, they will still face the challenge of skill gaps within the organization.How can companies adopt new ways of thinking as they build the workforce of the future?If you ask Pat Petitti this question, he’s confident he has the answer.  Pat is the co-founder of Catalant, a software platform designed to help companies get mission critical work done, faster. Catalant’s technology, along with an expert marketplace of over 60,000 world-class independent consultants, is designed to manage work differently, while engaging the right talent at the right time.  In this episode, I talk to Pat about the rapid pace of change facing organizations, how an agile workforce can drive innovation and the best piece of advice he received from one of his early investors, entrepreneur Mark Cuban.  Take a listen to my conversation with Pat Petitti.

Now more than ever before, our workplaces are experiencing massive change. As a result of the coronavirus, our offices have been turned upside down and literally, shut down.The global pandemic has forced us all to ask some very basic questions. What changes do we need to make to our workplaces to help our society return to work? And, how do we keep our employees safe? Rachelle Schoessler Lynn is the Workplace Director at Gensler, a global architecture, design, and planning firm with more than 5,000 professionals spread across the globe. At Gensler, she helps design workspaces that keep the health and well-being of employees top of mind.In this episode, we talk to Rachelle about the impact the global pandemic has had on our workplaces, the key considerations needed for us to return to work, and what we can learn from China’s plans to get employees back to the office. Take a listen to my conversation with Rachelle Schoessler Lynn of Gensler.

Today more than ever, large and small companies alike are facing new challenges with their teams. How do we efficiently and effectively manage and engage remote and distribute teams? How can we use people data to put the right people on the right projects at the right time? My guest Scott Burns spends his days thinking about these questions. As the co-founder of Structural, he is working to develop a new level of productivity and connection inside organizations, that in turn, can help harness the talent you have through intelligent search, AI and data science. In this episode, I talk to Scott about the power of human networks, the pandemic’s impact on internal teams, and how a “connected enterprise”, isn’t just busier, but also becomes more productive, personalized, agile, and joyful for everyone inside. Take a listen to my conversation with Scott Burns.