Mark Allen: Pepperdine University Mark Allen is an educator, speaker, consultant, and author who specializes in talent management, corporate universities, and human resources. He is the author of Aha Moments in Talent Management*, The Next Generation of Corporate Universities*, and The Corporate University Handbook*. Mark is a professor at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, where he also serves as Academic Director of the Master of Science in Human Resources program. He is also a senior faculty member of the Human Capital Institute. In this conversation, Mark and I explore the changing demographics of the workforce and why it matters for talent acquisition and leadership development today. Mark shares the key strategies he uses with clients to ensure that leadership development ties directly to organizational results. Key Points 10,000 baby boomers a day are turning 73 and will continue to do so for the next 18 years. The competition for talent will become even more intense than it is today. Research shows that 60-90% of all learnings from development programs are never used on the job. Leadership development programs should not be designed to create better leadership. Leadership is not a business outcome - it's a means to an end. Begin with the end in mind. What’s the business result your leadership development program aims to achieve? Get alignment there before you start building or hire someone to build it. Use the 70-20-10 rule to develop people. 70% of time doing experiential learning, 20% of time in coaching and mentoring, and 10% classroom instruction. Resources Mentioned The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels* by Donald Kirkpatrick and James Kirkpatrick Mark’s consulting work Related Episodes The Best Way to Do On-the-Job Training (episode 32) How to Use Strategy and Evaluation in Training, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 33) How to Hire a Trainer or Training Company, with Aaron Kent (episode 35) Three Strategies To Build Talent In Your Organization, with Mark Allen (episode 155) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Jules asks about how transparent she should be with her boss on her long-term career aspirations. Megan is wondering what she can do when reporting to a leader who seems to have checked out. Mason facilitated a strategy meeting with his team is asks for our advice on how he might improve. Julie’s organization is changing and she is seeking input on the best path forward to determine if her current team can go the distance. Resources Mentioned 11 Ways to Facilitate Great Conversations How to Better Control Your Time by Designing Your Ideal Week by Michael Hyatt Audio Course: How to Create Your Personal Vision Drive* by Daniel Pink The Empowered Manager* by Peter Block Analyzing Performance Problems* by Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe Gallup’s StrengthsFinder instrument Related Episodes How Teams Use StrengthsFinder Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293) How to Deal with Opponents and Adversaries, with Peter Block (episode 328) How to Lead an Offsite, with Tom Henschel (episode 377) Align Your Calendar to What Matters, with Nir Eyal (episode 431) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership. Recently, I’ve received a number of questions about “managing up” and “coaching up.” In this conversation, Tom and I discuss the art and practice of managing up, how it is different than coaching up, and where to focus your mindset and time for the best results to influence effectively. Key Points Managing up happens when you want to influence how you’re perceived by your manager. Coaching up happens when you want to create change in the relationship with your manager. A useful phrase to start with when speaking truth to power: “I think differently about that…” Set aside the emotion when addressing a business issue and lead with data and evidence. “Appeal to the nobler motives.” -Dale Carnegie Come to the table with solutions — or at least a first step. Most people know this rule, but far fewer do it consistently. Ask yourself: how is my boss being measured for success? A cardinal rule when managing up: take more off your boss’s plate that you add to it. Bonus Audio How is your boss being measured? Resources Mentioned How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie Managing Your Boss by John Gabarro and John Kotter Related Episodes How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk, with Tom Henschel (episode 164) Managing Up (The Look & Sound of Leadership) Managing Your Boss (The Look & Sound of Leadership) Upward Feedback (The Look & Sound of Leadership) Green Lights Always Change (Dave’s Journal) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Denice Hinden: Managance Consulting & Coaching Denice is the president of Managance Consulting & Coaching, a firm that helps transform organizations with provocative strategic planning and coaches leaders and leadership teams. She was lead researcher and co-designer of Executive Transition Management (ETM), a now widely used methodology for effectively supporting nonprofits through leadership transitions. Denice is the author of The Nonprofit Organizational Culture Guide: Revealing the Hidden Truths that Impact Performance* and Taking Leadership to the Next Level: A Year of Stimulating Essays to Discover More Joy in Leading & Inspiring Others* has a tremendous amount of experience helping leaders and boards find alignment and succeed. In this conversation, Denice and I discuss the purpose of a board and how leaders can build relationships with board members. We explore the importance of transparency, how to keep initiatives moving forward, and the practice of regularly providing context. Key Points Six purposes of a board: (1) set policy and direction, (2) monitor operations for compliance and mission, (3) represent the organization, (4) serve as strategy partners, (5) keep records for the organization, and (6) develop current and future leaders. Leaders who lean into full transparency with their boards will build relationships that weather difficult times. Be cautious of making assumptions about what board members want to know. When meeting one on one, communicate what has happened in conversations with other board members to help keep things moving forward. Connecting board members to context regularly will help them find movement, especially when the board is in a volunteer capacity. Resources Mentioned The Nonprofit Organizational Culture Guide: Revealing the Hidden Truths that Impact Performance* by Denice Hinden Taking Leadership to the Next Level: A Year of Stimulating Essays to Discover More Joy in Leading & Inspiring Others* by Denice Hinden Related Episodes How to Increase Your Conversational Intelligence, with Judith Glaser (episode 271) Executive Presence with Your Elevator Speech, with Tom Henschel (episode 316) How to Find Confidence in Conflict, with Kwame Christian (episode 380) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Nir Eyal: Indistractable Nir Eyal is one of the most respected experts on the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The MIT Technology Review has called him, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” He previously authored the Wall Street Journal bestseller Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products* which received tremendous traction in the technology and entrepreneurial communities. Now, he’s turned his attention to how we can control our attention in a world of complexity. His new book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life*, challenges some of the traditional misconceptions about distractions. In this conversation, Nir and I discuss the practical steps on how to align your calendar with what matters most. Key Points Being a professional is doing what you say you’re going to do. Most people don’t know what they are going to do. Research shows only a third of Americans keep a daily schedule. If you don’t plan your time, someone else will plan it for you. Look to executive leaders for inspiration on being intentional with time. Move away from the to-do list and instead begin the discipline of timeboxing your calendar. Resources Mentioned Resources Nir mentioned in our conversation Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life* by Nir Eyal Book Notes Download my highlights from Indistractable in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Getting Things Done, with David Allen (episode 184) How to Transform Your Limitations Into Advantages, with Mark Barden (episode 207) The Way to Stop Spinning Your Wheels on Planning (episode 319) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Rita McGrath: Seeing Around Corners Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, a sought-after speaker, and a longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She is one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth and is one of the most regularly published authors in the Harvard Business Review. Rita is consistently ranked among the top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Rita is the author of the bestseller The End of Competitive Advantage*. Her newest book is titled Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen*. In this conversation, Rita and I explore how it feels like change happens overnight, but why that’s not usually accurate. We detail four basic stages of inflection points, why it’s critical to be present at the edges, and what leaders can do practically to see around corners. Key Points Strategic inflection points feel like they happen overnight, but in reality there are many indicators over time that inflection points are coming. The four basic stages of almost every inflection point: hype, dismissive, emergent, maturity. Snow melts from the edges. The most effective leaders can and will see this if they are present at the edges. To see early warning signs, create information flows that reach directly from leaders offices into the frontlines of the business. Create incentives that reward useful (and awkward) information. Talk to the future that is unfolding now. There are people, customers, and businesses where the future is already happening. Resources Mentioned Seeing Around Corners by Rita McGrath Rita McGrath on LinkedIn Breaking Up the Degree Stranglehold: Disruption in Higher Education Only the Paranoid Survive* by Andrew Grove Book Notes Download my highlights from Seeing Around Corners in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Lead a 100-Year Life, with Lynda Gratton (episode 266) The Truth and Lies of Performance Management, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 361) The Way to Nurture New Ideas, with Safi Bahcall (episode 418) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Amy McPherson: Advisors for Change Amy McPherson is the managing partner and founder of Advisors for Change. Since 2007, Advisors for Change has developed financial management systems for non-profit organizations so they can spend more time on their mission and less time on their administration. Amy is also a member of the Coaching for Leaders Academy. After discovering this podcast three years ago, Amy sought a practical way to implement the leadership ideas she was discovering. In this conversation, Amy and I discuss how her aim to create more margin for her family has driven more intention for staff development, coaching, and transparency. We also discuss what she’s discovered from expert guests and how she utilized the framework of the Academy to create movement. Key Points The seven questions from The Coaching Habit provided a framework for the kind of culture that would best serve the non-profit partners of Advisors for Change. Shifting focus from lagging indicators to leading indicators helped zero in on the behaviors needed today for success tomorrow. Find the bigger “why” behind what you are doing. In Amy’s case, her leadership growth was fueled by her desire to spend more time with her teenage children. The Coaching for Leaders Academy provided Amy with the framework for deliberate, consistent movement on what was most important for the business. Resources Mentioned Advisors for Change Amy McPherson on LinkedIn Related Episodes These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) How Teams Use StrengthsFinder Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293) How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) How to Challenge Directly and Care Personally, with Kim Scott (episode 302) Growth Mindset Helps You Rise From the Ashes, with Jeff Hittenberger (episode 326) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Key Points In this episode, Bonni and I celebrate Coaching for Leaders recently passing the milestone of 10 million episode downloads since we began airing this podcast in 2011. Today, this podcast is regularly ranked as a Top 50 business show on Apple Podcasts. The growth of the show has been the direct result of listeners like you who have put your trust in us to support your development. As a result, we invited listeners to be featured in this episode by telling us what they’ve gained from the show. Thank you for supporting Coaching for Leaders and for sharing it with others in your professional network. There is no greater compliment to our work. Resources Mentioned Essential Communications with Tom Henschel StrengthsFinder with Isabeau Iqbal Lead Through Strengths with Lisa Cummings Sequentia Solutions with Steve Chase Aid for Aid Workers with Torrey Peace Related Episodes The Power of Introverts, with Susan Cain (episode 44) How to Improve Your Coaching Skills, with Tom Henschel (episode 190) These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile, with Brenda Bernstein (episode 285) Move From Theory to Practice, with Steve Schroeder (episode 369) Unconscious Mistakes Women Make, with Lois Frankel (episode 386) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Pete Mockaitis: How to be Awesome at Your Job Pete Mockaitis is an award-winning trainer and coach who helps professionals perform optimally at work. He hosts the How to be Awesome at Your Job podcast, a show that has been downloaded eight million times and consistently ranks as a top business show in Apple Podcasts. Pete facilitates training for organizations on enhanced thinking and collaboration to increase clarity and reduce rework. He helps teams save an average of 1.4 hours per person per week. In this conversation, Pete and I explore some of the key mindsets and questions that are helpful when getting alignment with your boss. We explore the areas you’ll want to generate clarity, as well a few key questions to consider. Key Points Six areas where clarity is critical: Deliverables Timing Process Resources Audience Motive Questions you may consider when getting alignment with your boss: How do you want this to look when complete? What does the organization value on metrics and deliverables? What’s an example of a time this expectation was not met? What metrics are my boss being measured on for their own success? Resources Mentioned How to be Awesome at Your Job Related Episodes Seven Principles for Leading People Older Than You, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 59) How to Influence Numerous Stakeholders, with Andy Kaufman (episode 240) Effective Delegation of Authority, with Hassan Osman (episode 413) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Former Southwest Airlines executive Ginger Hardage discusses five common lies about corporate culture, emphasizing that defining the culture is crucial. Topics include leadership responsibility in shaping culture, embedding values throughout operations, debunking the notion of culture as fluffy, empowering employees, and the importance of leadership unity in cultural evolution.