Leadership and Business

We’ve all been there: You go to a local business, or visit a hotel, or go online to make a purchase, and the experience is awful. If it’s bad enough, you decide to never go back again. Which means the business - at a minimum - has lost a customer. In today’s competitive market, no business can afford to lose customers. That’s where Chris Caracci steps in. He helps organizations improve their customer experience. He spent years at the Disney Institute working with clients across the world. Today he continues to help all types of businesses and organizations deliver a high quality customer experience. He joins us to talk about the customer experience, its importance, and how improvement starts at the top.  If you are a professional who would like a non-degree executive education, or you would like to learn more about leadership and business, visit us at http://www.wmleadership.com.

in 2017, when William & Mary graduate Michael Medline became CEO of Empire, he knew the organization was in need of major change. he’d been successful at PepsiCo Canada and as CEO of Canadian Tire but turning around Canada’s second largest grocery retailer, would be a significant challenge. Fast forward to 2022. Medline has executed one of the most effective turnarounds in Canadian retail. Empire and its key brands——Sobey’s, Safeway, IGA, and others---is stronger than ever. and people have noticed. Medline was named CEO of the year by the Globe & Mail. he was also named Canada’s most admired CEO. He joins us to talk about leadership, company culture and transformational change. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

If you’re looking for a new job, now is the time to look. Due to a number of factors, we’re experiencing the hottest job market in decades. Salaries are up, the number of openings across sectors and industries has increased, benefits are improving, and employers are becoming more flexible. The news is great if you’re a job seeker. Patrice Lincoln is a career coach. She’s the Director of Graduate Career Advising and Education at William & Mary’s School of Business. She’s on the front lines in the job search environment helping graduate business students land the right positions. She joins us to discuss our current hot job market, and how - if you’re seeking a new opportunity - you can succeed.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Every aspect of business deals with continuous change, but one area has constantly evolved from the beginning: Marketing. The audience, tools, and channels change rapidly as marketing continues to grow in terms of complexity. It wasn’t that long ago that reaching your audience was as easy as placing an ad in the newspaper. But now, marketing is more sophisticated, strategic, and segmented than ever. And when done right, it’s tied to the organization’s mission and purpose. And while marketers work to manage the changes and opportunities in front of them, our guest says one element is critically important to successful marketing in the year ahead: Brand Storytelling. Megan Cunningham is the founder and CEO of Magnet Media, a creative studio that uses brand storytelling and data to drive business results for some of the top brands in the world. She says brand storytelling has the potential to do great things for marketers and the products, services, and organizations they represent.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

As we’ve seen, the pandemic has changed just about everything; the way we live, the way we communicate, and no doubt the way we work. Transformational change is taking place at work and it will continue for the foreseeable future. And at the center of the changes: People. How can employers create a new work environment that attracts, retains, and satisfies the best people? One organization has its finger on the pulse of the evolution of work - EY. The global organization recently conducted a study that included over 1000 business leaders who shared their strategies to reimagine work. In addition, EY surveyed over 16,000 employees worldwide. The result: A report titled “Work Reimagined - How are companies redefining work with humans at the center.” Jennifer Engelhardt is a principle at EY. She joins us to discuss EY’s Work Reimagined report, and the implications and opportunities that come along with a new work environment.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

For those who’ve spent years in the military, or intelligence community, transitioning to the private sector (or any sector) can be daunting. That’s why William & Mary, and its Center for Military Transition has created a unique two-week on campus program to be held in June called Flourishing Through Life’s Transitions. Designed to be a transformational experience, the program will train veterans and members of the intelligence community to transition to civilian positions while flourishing in their lives and careers. It’s a transition program like no other. Two of the program’s faculty leaders join us today to talk about this unique program. Dr. Kelly Crace is the Director of the Center for Mindfulness and Authentic Excellence at William & Mary. David Long is a veteran and professor at the William & Mary School of Business where he teaches organizational behavior. They join us to discuss flourishing through life’s transitions, what makes the program special, and how it will prepare each participant to be successful during the transition and beyond. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

There is no one path to a leadership position; some people are asked to lead, some are assigned. For others, leadership is a goal. At an early age, Brad Martin sought leadership roles. As a 20 year old, with no political experience, he ran for public office and became the youngest person ever elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives where he served for five terms. Later he turned to business where he became the CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue and its predecessor firm for nearly 20 years. During his tenure, the value of the company’s stock increased more than 12-fold. Martin’s leadership journey also took him to higher education where he served as interim president of the University of Memphis - his alma mater. He’s currently chairman of RBM Ventures and CEO of the Riverview Acquisition Company. He visited the William & Mary School of Business last month as part of the 10th Annual McGlothlin Leadership Forum. He joins us to discuss leadership, his experience, and the attributes he says are critical to being a successful leader. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

In today’s highly competitive environment, the best businesses, organizations, and professionals create value. How and for whom may differ somewhat, but the outcome’s the same: Creating value helps you succeed. The target may be customers and organizations, stakeholders or others, but the goal is fairly consistent across sectors. Creating value often means delivering an outcome the client seeks. One that leads to a benefit. Quimby Kaizer knows all about creating value, she’s a consultant and principle at KPMG. Over the course of her 25 year career in consulting, she’s learned that value does not manage itself. It’s deliberate. She visited the William & Mary School of Business recently as a guest speaker in an undergraduate consulting class, afterward she joined us on the podcast to talk about creating value and the necessary steps involved, such as presenting a fresh picture of the problem, defining value, and nailing down the goal. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Leadership is tough. For that matter, just about every job today is tough; the hours, the effort, the competition, the people, the pandemic. Success today requires a certain level of mental and physical fitness. As a result, exercise is key. And while it’s important, it can be challenging to find the time to work out regularly. If you’re ever in need of some motivation, look to Strauss Zelinick - the Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software, and founder of the private equity firm Zelnick Media Capital. A successful leader, entrepreneur, and executive, he’s in his 60s and he’s often called “America’s Fittest CEO.” He’s the author of “Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets to Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever.” Zelnick believes that if he can do it, you can do it. He visited the William & Mary School of Business last month as part of the 10th Annual McGlothlin Leadership Forum. He joins us on the podcast to discuss the connection between success and fitness. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Virtually every leader has been faced with a turnaround situation - bringing a failing organization back to its former successful state. Or finding a high-quality solution to a problem that can no longer continue. A new leader is brought in to direct the turnaround situation in some instances. In other cases, the current leadership team is expected to get things back on track. And most often sooner rather than later. Because turnarounds are challenging, complex, and often situation-dependent, each one is unique. But all turnarounds have one thing common: They require effective leadership. As Rosabeth Moss Kantor wrote in Harvard Business Review, “turnarounds are where leadership matters most.” Kim Lopdrup knows how to lead turnarounds. He successfully faced a number of them in his career at Red Lobster, where he served as CEO for 14 years across two different stints before retiring this past summer. Under his watch, Red Lobster has more than exceeded expectations through the pandemic. He joins us today to talk about the elements of successful turnarounds, including communicating with employees, believing in the plan, and getting it done quickly. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.