The Leadership Mind

In today’s episode, Massimo is joined by Therese Huston, a cognitive scientist at Seattle University and the author of three books. Her latest book, Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower, was recently published by Penguin Random House. Therese received her BA from Carleton College and her MS and PhD in cognitive psychology from Carnegie Mellon University. She completed a prestigious post-doc in neuroscience at the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition and recently finished a post-graduate program in Organizational Leadership at the University of Oxford. In 2004, Therese founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Seattle University. Her last book, How Women Decide, was named a summer reading title by Oprah.com and called “required reading on Wall Street” by the New York Times. Therese leads workshops and consults internationally on how to give and solicit more actionable feedback. In addition to speaking at TEDx, Therese has talked at Microsoft, Amazon, the Cleveland Clinic, and the US State Department about how to create more inclusive workplaces. Highlights from today's podcast include: The top 5 ways to make your feedback better How to give hard feedback How to ensure alignment on expectations between the manager and employee The importance of creating psychological safety when we give feedback to our employees Why it is so important for managers to praise the ‘superstars’ on the team as well What you can do to be a good listener Connect with Therese: Website Linkedin To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today’s episode, Massimo is joined by Michael Condren, an organizational development and leadership development practitioner and researcher.In the past Michael has worked internally and as a consultant in OD, talent management, coaching and leadership development at F250 companies in technology, healthcare, retail and marketing. His work now focuses on people and organizations that are working to create lasting, positive social change. He helps activists, social change agents and their funders design and manage their organizations in ways that sustain individual and collective engagement and effectiveness over time and through adversity. Michael has an M.A. in positive organizational psychology from Claremont Graduate  University, where he is currently finishing his doctorate on organizational characteristics that support social heroes. His research and publications include articles and book chapters on heroism, mentoring and cross-cultural intelligence. Highlights from today's podcast include: How organizations can maintain engagement, fulfillment, and flow for their employees What positive deviance is and why it is impactful for building organizations How organizations can identify and foster the positive deviants in the company A way that organizations can move away from toxic work culture Connect with Michael: Website Linkedin To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today’s episode, Massimo is joined by James Hereford who joined Fairview in 2016 bringing extensive experience in strategically guiding organizations, strengthening core operations and bringing teams together to drive cultural change.  Prior to joining Fairview, James served as chief operations officer at Stanford Health Care. Previous roles included chief operations officer at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a series of leadership roles with the Group Health Care Delivery System. James holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from Montana State University. He has taught courses with Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, University of Washington’s Master of Health Administration program and The Ohio State University’s Masters of Business Operations Excellence program. He is a frequent writer and presenter on the topic of lean management systems and transformation. Highlights from today's podcast include: Why he says he has learned every good leadership lesson there is to learn from coaching high school basketball in a small town in Montana. How to not become emotionally hijacked What allows James to not carry the burden of mistakes, losses, poor decisions that happen in a large company as the President and CEO The shift in leadership skills need to make the transition from director level to CEO level The biggest challenges James see for leaders as we come to the realization that the world is not going to back to how it was Connect with James www.fairview.org Twitter: @jameshereford To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today’s episode, Massimo is joined by Matthew E. Porter, a father to three amazing kids, a husband to a phenomenal woman, a geek, a trail runner, an ultramarathoner, a sponsored athlete, an MS warrior, and an entrepreneur. He currently serves as Founder and Vice Chairman of Contegix. He is also a board member for a select group of companies - from startup to the established. Porter founded Contegix, the award-winning managed hosting, cloud computing, and colocation service provider based in Saint Louis, Missouri, in 2004. He served as CEO from its founding until 2016. During his time as founder and CEO, Porter organically grew revenues to nearly $20MM. In late 2016, Porter merged two companies into Contegix bursting the company to more than 250 employees and $60MM in revenue. He subsequently sold a majority to Strattam Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX. He realized this was the time to hire his replacement to lead the company and assumed the role of Vice Chairman. He retains a minority share and a board seat. During his tenure at Contegix, The Saint Louis Business Journal named Porter both “30 Under 30” (2007) and “40 Under 40” (2012). Porter was featured in the New York Times (2011) and the Wall Street Journal (2014). In 2015, Forbes featured Porter for his work as an “angel vendor” supporting startups, many in Saint Louis. His family lives by their mission statement, and it drives Porter's desire to serve others. “We have a debt to those before us and an obligation to those after us. We maximize life and potential through heart, intelligence, and grit. We focus on our bond. We do all of this together because we are always stronger together. Mostest.” The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society are the charities that matter most. He is on a selfish mission to ensure his friend with cystic fibrosis remains healthy and in his family’s life for a long time to come. He wants to change the face of multiple sclerosis - one that acknowledges the challenges while still pursuing dreams. Porter is most likely to be found on a trail. He began trail running in 2010 after his then 6-year-old daughter questioned whether he would make it to her far off in the future wedding. He has completed numerous ultramarathons – from 50k to 100 miles. He finished the 100 mile Leadville race in 2018. He turned this race into a fundraiser for the disease impacting him - multiple sclerosis. People wanting to see him finish pledged an amount per mile. As Porter wrote, “If you love me, please pledge an amount per mile to encourage me to finish. If you don’t like me and just want to see me suffer, pledge even more per mile.” In total, more than $50,000 was raised for Race to Erase MS. He has continued to raise money with every race since then. Highlights from today's podcast include: His Multiple Sclerosis story and how him and his family handled the news How he rewrote the story of what MS is and looks like What scares him the most about his diagnosis How his perception of time and his relationship with saying ‘no’ changed after he was diagnosed The way in which he shows up as a leader now vs. before his diagnosis The challenge he is about to embark on to support those with MS and how you can support him Connect with Matthew: www.porterhome.com Twitter: @meporter.com Showme100.ms To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today’s episode, Massimo is joined by Jess Almlie. Jess has worked in the talent development field for more than 20 years in nonprofit, for-profit, and higher education organizations. She is currently serving as Vice President of Learning Experience in the Benefits Division of WEX, a leading financial technology service provider with over 5,000 associates around the world. In this role, she is responsible for casting vision, defining effective learning strategy, developing learning leaders, and working collaboratively across the organization. Jess has a BA in organizational communication and a Master’s in educational leadership as well as a certificate in Improving Human Performance. She volunteers as a National Advisor for Chapters within the Association for Talent Development and is a member of the Talent Development Think Tank Community. Highlights from today's podcast include: How to create impactful learning experiences that people will remember Influencing stakeholders to implement learning and development programs How to help managers see the value of a program if they haven’t had the experience first hand How to know you are chartering a successful path forward with your learning programs in a company Creating a sustainable L&D program that continues to have an impact on those involved The 3 elements to blended learning approach and hybrid model The challenges of scaling L&D programs The one thing she wishes everyone knew about talent and learning Connect with Jess: LinkedIn To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today's episode, Massimo is joined by Taryn Laakso, the founder of UnLaaking Your Potential. Taryn is passionate about igniting the spark in her audience and clients so they play a bigger game in their business. She speaks on topics such as positive mindset, mental well-being, leadership, and overcoming limiting beliefs based on the Positive Intelligence ™ model. She is a contributing author to an Amazon bestseller by Steven Samblis and Forbes Riley, 1 Habit ™ to Thrive in a Post-Covid World, and speaks to the topic of the power of a positive mindset to thrive during challenging times. Before speaking and coaching, she had a long career in the HR Technology field before taking the bold action to leave her soul-sucking corporate job to launch her own coaching business back on March 5th, 2020. Just days before the Covid-19 world shutdown. Despite the risks and fears of becoming an entrepreneur, she strategically prepared to pivot her profession by improving her mindset to be more resilient to challenges and setbacks. She now is a successful business owner of a 6 figure coaching business after just 18 months of becoming a full-time business owner. She now loves to share her professional pivot story by speaking to other service-based business owners who work too many hours and feel overwhelmed and frustrated because they are not seeing the financial abundance flow in despite all their hard work. She provides tips and tools through workshops and keynote speaking engagements to emphasize how the Brain Bullies block their business success, which ultimately keeps them from feeling happy AND successful. She is a leader in sharing the message of building one's Positive Intelligence quotient (PQ score) as she was the first 20 coaches to become certified in the Positive Intelligence ™ coaching framework (CPQC). She is a certified Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and accredited by the International Coaching Federation with her PCC designation. She has hosted workshops and lunch and learns at several small business organizations like Women's President's Organization (WPO) - Seattle Chapter, Dream Factory, and spoken at several business networking groups. Highlights from today's podcast include: What it means to be a ‘leader within’ Her experience of being a doormat and how she stopped the cycle Tips to excavate your inner wisdom The 3-step process for reframing your inner critic voices and stopping them in their tracks How positive intelligence can positively impact your personal and business life Connect with Taryn: LinkedIn Blog Facebook To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today's episode, Massimo is joined by Juan Cortés, a leading emotional intelligence workshop facilitator. Juan has been building and shepherding inclusive cultures for world-class brands for 25+ years. As Co-founder of MatterOfCulture, he helps organizations become exceptional places to work. Highlights from today's podcast include: How to define emotional intelligence What people get wrong about empathy How leaders can empathize with employee concerns How to stay out of judgement in order to be empathetic and validate concerns What self awareness actually is and why it is broken down into internal vs. external awareness  Connect with Juan: Website: https://www.matterofculture.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matterofculture/?viewAsMember=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matterofculture/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFghb42sBl3v3-M2-ScNVw Medium: https://matterofculture.medium.com/ To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today's episode, Massimo is joined by Rebecca Weaver, the Founder and CEO of HRuprise, an online marketplace that flips traditional HR on its head by providing independent, unbiased HR coaching directly to employees. After 20 years in HR leadership at Fortune-50 companies and startups, she became disillusioned with her own profession in the wake of #MeToo, and realized just how much is stacked in favor of the company. Thus, HRuprise was born to help level the playing field for employees. Rebecca advises fast-growing companies on how to build equitable HR practices from the ground up, and provides cutting-edge thought leadership on HR disruption as a public speaker, writer and host of the upcoming Problem Performers podcast. Highlights from today's podcast include: How employees can get support from an HR professional outside of their organization for unrestricted insight on their concerns Leadership challenges in entrepreneurship How to take real action on the issue of white supremacy What it means for an organization to be employee first vs. people first Connect with Rebecca: hruprise.com @hruprise To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today's episode, Massimo is joined by Kevin Campbell, who helps organizations acquire, develop and retain their most valuable asset: their people. Kevin also helps people manage an aspect of their lives that plays a key role in their happiness: their work. He’s spent the last decade of his career building leaders at every level and creating scores of engaged, high-performing, strengths-based teams. He has driven talent strategy, employee engagement, performance management, and leadership development initiatives for clients in the professional services, medical device, banking, hospitality, consumer products, technology, healthcare and life sciences industries. He also served as a principal investigator and researcher for social science programs funded by the U.S. Federal Government. Prior to founding Lifted Leadership, Kevin served as a Lead People Scientist for Culture Amp where he helped organizations like Airbnb, Palo Alto Networks, and ServiceNow reinvent and optimize their performance management and employee engagement initiatives. Kevin also served as a Workplace Consultant and Executive Strengths Coach for Deloitte Human Capital and the Gallup Organization where he helped coach leaders from companies like Stryker, P.F. Chang's, US Bank, Amazon, CH2M (now Jacob's), and PayPal leverage their unique individual talents into greater performance. As a certified coach, Kevin has logged over 1,000 hours of paid executive coaching and workshop facilitation sessions. As a coach he makes use of a variety of psychometric assessment tools and feedback techniques to identify and coach high-potential, high-performance next generation leaders. Prior to his career in industry, Kevin received a Master’s in Organizational Psychology where he studied under Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, co-founder of Positive Psychology and the first researcher to recognize and name the mental state of flow—the optimal experience of total engagement. Highlights from today's podcast include: Understanding your strengths and how to find a career that best suits your strongest characteristics How to find your flow state to make your work easier How to bridge the gap between the inherent promises that organizations have with employee engagement processes and the results that are happening How to help your employees overcome evaluation anxiety The coaching skills needed for managers to ensure they meet the needs of their employees Connect with Kevin: LiftedLeadership.com To download my Conscious Communication Workbook to support you in turning toxic conflict into collaborative gold, please visit Massimobackus.com/workbook

In today's episode, Massimo is joined by Matthew who has a background in applied learning and behavior science with specific focus in individual, team, and organization development through process coaching and performance consulting. He has spent the last decade developing and managing workforce learning and transformation initiatives and currently works as the Head of DEI for Amazon's Student Programs organization. Additionally, he hosts the podcast “Owning It: Leading By Being Unapologetically You”, co-founded the fashion company Dawson & Deveraux, and is an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University. Highlights from today's podcast include: Power questions to ask in the workplace How to set up a polarity map to build stronger teams The intent versus impact polarity and how it can be harmful when we lose sight of our intentions How polarities are useful in DEI right now An exercise you can use to figure out your interdependent polarities Connect with Matthew: Linkedin