Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I’m bringing back an insightful conversation with Michael Chavez that every leader can benefit from.

Michael is the Global Managing Director of Duke Corporate Education, part of Duke University. He joined Duke in 2006 and held various leadership roles before becoming the CEO in 2016. Before Duke, Michael spent over five years as the founding member of a successful startup and was the Director and Senior Learning Consultant at Coca-Cola Company. Today, Michael's research focuses on how leaders can most effectively shape, institutionalize, and lead from a shared organizational purpose.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders, especially those in the middle of an organization, who want to reconnect with their own sense of purpose to inspire those around them to do the same.

TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… leadership and purpose play an even larger role than ever within a company looking to drive change. Because of this, a new kind of leader has emerged, the “center manager,” or someone at the center of the organization, who is managing up and managing down at the same time. These center managers face tremendous tension from all over the organization that they have to navigate.

Leaders are the storytellers of purpose and meaning. Purpose is what drives people to feel like they're part of something larger and more important than themselves. Michael believes, and I agree, that purpose is the stabilizing factor over initiatives or strategies that are disrupting the workforce faster than people can process the information.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… purpose galvanizes and motivates people to bring their best selves every day. Leaders are the makers of meaning because they are the ones who inspire people to be more engaged, which leads to a much better workplace.

Running Time: 37:25

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