Redefiners

Unless you’ve somehow avoided all technology for the past three decades, you’ve likely used Microsoft products. The company has been a global technology leader since the start of the Digital Revolution and has positioned itself to grow even further as a leader in the future of computing and artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT.    In this special two-part episode of Redefiners, we’re joined by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, who in his 30 years with the company has had a front row seat to not only how much the tech industry has changed, but also in how much it’s changed business and society in a relatively short timeframe. In fact, The New York Times has called this redefining leader “a de facto ambassador for the technology industry at large.”  We’ll talk with Brad about the big shifts in technology and the tech industry he’s seen over the past three decades, the critical role of government and regulation when it comes to digital technology, how to find common ground in the cybersecurity threat landscape, and how he develops systems thinking with his team to “inspect the trees” while “analyzing the forest” to identify patterns and better navigate complexity. Brad also talks about Microsoft’s commitment to sustainability, which he calls “…the issue of the decade, if not the century.” He likens where we are with sustainability now to where the United States was in 1961 after committing to go to the moon – we may not fully understand the problems we need to solve and we clearly don’t have all the answers, but it’s critical that we figure it out.   We’ll also hear from Maneesh Dube, an Executive Director in our New York office, who explains why finding leaders who are tech-savvy is crucial to the success of your organization.  Be sure to check back for part two of our conversation with Brad in two weeks, where we’ll dig into artificial intelligence (AI), productivity, and his thoughts on the need for the tech sector to assume more responsibility and governments to move faster to address the challenges that new technologies are creating.   To learn more about Brad’s book, Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, visit  https://news.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/tools-and-weapons/.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes: 

We’re in the midst of a new technology revolution—one that is completely rewriting the rules of the game. Gen-AI isn’t hype. It’s here to stay. And the leaders who are quickest to learn how to ride this innovation wave will be the ones that stay ahead.  It’s a high-stakes moment. And yet, there are still questions to be answered: In this time of seismic transformation, how do you keep up? How will Gen-AI challenge our definitions of what it takes to lead? And which traits do you need to hone to thrive in a Gen-AI-driven world?  To help leaders navigate this complex moment in history, we invited Fawad Bajwa and Joe Ghory, our AI practice co-leads, and Harpreet Khurana, our Chief Digital and Data Analytics Officer, into the Leadership Lounge.  They talk through the biggest opportunities (and risks) of Gen-AI for leaders, and share their extensive experience on what it takes to succeed during periods of large-scale transformation. Tune in to discover how to get your hands dirty with Gen-AI, why a learning mindset is key, and why it’s so important to see Gen-AI as a sparring partner, rather than a threat. 

If your organization is like many around the world, you’re trying to figure out how to better lead through uncertainty and change, attract and retain talent, increase employee engagement, and adapt to rapid technological change. In fact, according to our latest Global Leadership Monitor report, only 55% of leaders feel prepared to face these top external threats in the year ahead.   Well, today’s episode should help give you some guidance as we sit down with Jacob Morgan, speaker and bestselling author of five books. We’ll talk with Jacob about his passion and mission to create great leaders, engaged employees, and future-ready organizations. He’ll share his insights gleaned from interviewing hundreds of CEOs and thousands of employees to help you improve your leadership and transform your organization. Jacob discusses what it means to lead with vulnerability and how can leaders tap into it more authentically and effectively; how to increase employee engagement (hint: it’s not more free lunches and happy hours!); his views on return-to-office (RTO) and hybrid work to find a balance between productivity, collaboration, and innovation; and how technology like AI will impact the future of work.  We’ll also hear from Laura Mantoura, a Managing Director in our Stamford office, who dives into our latest research on why employee experience matters—and how boards can take meaningful action.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes: 

What do you get when you combine values-centered leadership with a long-term view of investing? In Tom Gayner’s case, you get an incredible recipe for success! As CEO of Markel Group, Tom helped grow the company over three decades from a relatively small insurance company into the diversified global conglomerate it is today. No wonder Markel Group is often called a "Baby Berkshire." In this conversation, Tom shares his career journey from teenage investor to CEO and how he dealt with various challenges along that path. He’ll talk about how the Markel Style crafted in 1986 has been so critical to their success and continues to serve as the organization’s north star today. Key to that success, Tom shares Markel’s four criteria they use to make investment decisions, including how to define a fair price on a deal. He also talks about his view on the pendulum of investment optimization versus satisfaction. And if you ever wondered how the low interest rates of the past decade encouraged risky decisions, you won’t want to miss Tom’s insightful analogy of interest rates as a form of curfew. So enjoy this episode and get to bed at a reasonable hour!  We’ll also hear from Kurt Harrison, a Managing Director in Russell Reynolds Associates New York office. Kurt digs into our latest Divides & Dividends report to explain why even though sustainability progress is being made, there are four sustainability gaps CEOs must bridge.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes: 

Becoming a leader is an exciting (and daunting) milestone. Here we share the common pitfalls—and how to avoid them.  Whether you’re joining the C-suite for the first time or are about to take on the coveted CEO role—the stakes are high.  For CEOs in particular, you have the unique challenge of transitioning into a role that only a small number of people have ever held.  Any mistakes or missteps made will impact the entire organization, as well as investors, and stakeholders. Couple that with the fact that the current business climate is turbulent at best, and it makes for an incredibly complex role.  How do new leaders put their best foot forward? What sets successful leaders apart?  In this episode of Leadership Lounge, we put these questions and more to four of our leadership advisors; Shannon Knott, Joey Berk, Ty Wiggins, and David Lange. Here they use their extensive experience speaking with new leaders to share their tips and tricks. Tune in to discover why as a new leader you no longer need to be the smartest person in the room, the importance of humility, and why you need to become comfortable with constructive conflict.

Sustainability has quickly risen to the top of corporate agendas, as shareholders, investors, employees, policy makers, and other stakeholders demand action. We talk with two passionate leaders – Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google and Sophia Mendelsohn, former Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG at Cognizant – about how they embed sustainability into their organizations’ core business strategy. They’ll share how they’ve mastered the role of “CEO whisperer” to drive top-down change and connect sustainability initiatives to their company’s business, products and supply chain. We’ll talk about why it’s critical to shift our thinking from how to reduce our business impact on climate change to how to reduce climate change's impact on our business. And for those interested in becoming a CSO, Kate and Sophia share their career advice on how to navigate the often-undefined path to the role.  If you’d like to learn more about Sustainable Leadership, check out Redefiners host Clarke Murphy’s new book, Sustainable Leadership: Lessons of Vision, Courage, and Grit from the CEOs Who Dared to Build a Better World. The book is a complete blueprint for infusing sustainability across business strategy, all while growing your bottom line. Drawing on the stories of 35+ CEOs at world-leading companies, including Adidas, Heineken, Duke Energy, Natura &Co, Maersk, Mahindra Steel, and Salesforce, veteran leadership expert Clarke shows how sustainability action is within reach of every business executive. Perfect for CEOs and boards across industries, Sustainable Leadership is also a can’t miss book for sustainability experts, entrepreneurs, and next-generation leaders looking to make sense of the latest—and most profitable—sustainability strategies. Order your copy here.  To hear more from other global leaders on sustainability, you might also enjoy these Redefiners episodes: 

What’s life really like at the top of a $30 billion healthcare company? While many might find the prospect of serving 300 million patients around the world daunting, Ashley McEvoy, Worldwide Chairman of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, sees it as a privilege. While at the helm of J&J MedTech, her impact has been significant: she has tripled its revenue growth since 2017 and spearheaded its entrance into telehealth, robotics, and digital surgery. At a time when senior executive tenure is often short, Ashley has carved out a career at J&J MedTech spanning almost three decades—all while maintaining an unwavering passion for providing the very best care to patients when they need it most. In this fascinating episode of Redefiners, Ashley lifts the lid on how J&J MedTech is transforming how it delivers care to patients with the help of AI, why being an exceptional listener should be in every leader's toolbox, and why your inner voice is the most powerful voice of anyone in the world. It’s a conversation you don’t want to miss. We’ll also hear from Fawad Bajwa, a Managing Director in our Toronto office. He’ll outline how generative AI tools like ChatGPT are changing the game for leaders, and how great leadership is critical to its successful implementation. Click HERE to access our report How will ChatGPT and other generative AI impact leadership? If you enjoyed this interview, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:• Risk-taking and Dealmaking with Global MedTech Leader, Kevin Lobo• Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur with Mario Schlosser, CEO and co-founder of Oscar• Break the Bias: Closing the Gender Wealth Gap with Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and c-founder of Ellevest 

There are many reasons why people choose to take a career break. We share how leaders can re-enter the executive world with confidence.  Did you know that 62% of all employees worldwide have taken a career break at some point?  Career breaks have become far more commonplace, likely caused by the period of deep reflection that the pandemic sparked.   Often we associate career breaks with being on maternity leave or taking time out to look after children. But in reality, there are lots of reasons why men and women choose to take a break from the typical 9-5—whether that be for mental health reasons, to care for elderly or sick relatives, or to go on a sabbatical.   Even though career breaks have become more common, a stigma remains associated with taking time away. And that means many people still brush their career breaks under the carpet during executive interviews.   In our Leadership Lounge podcast, we invited four of our leadership advisors; Sarah Galloway, Shoon Lim, David Lange, and Stephanie Tomasso, into the conversation, who share their advice for those looking to re-enter the executive world with confidence.   Tune in to discover why taking time away can help you hone different, desirable leadership skills, the importance of leveraging your network when you choose to re-enter the job market, and why honesty is the best policy when it comes to talking about your career break. 

Lorenzo Simonelli knows how to lead and transform businesses in times of uncertainty and change. He did it for more than two decades at GE, leading the company’s Energy, Transportation, and Consumer & Industrial businesses. As Chairman and CEO of energy technology company Baker Hughes, he’s doing it again, helping to redefine the energy sector by accelerating sustainability to decarbonize the energy system. We talk with Lorenzo about how he’s using technology to accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy in the 120+ countries in which Baker Hughes operates. We’ll also learn the key attributes of what he thinks makes a successful CEO, especially when leading in times of crisis, and how to prepare for unexpected change.    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes: 

Failure can be difficult to come to terms with. Even more so if you’re a CEO at a top organization. But we’ve come to learn that failure isn’t all bad.Leaders who have experienced the biggest failures are often the ones who make the biggest strides in their careers.What’s important is how leaders choose to recover from failure. It’s about engaging constructively with failure to understand what went wrong, knowing how to correct course, and applying those learnings to future decision-making.Leaders are also role models for others. Accepting failure and learning from it encourages others to do the same. It moves away from the sense that everyone needs to be perfect—something that’s highly unsustainable.To unpack this fascinating topic in more depth, we invited four of our esteemed leadership advisors Anupama Puranik, Gurprriet Siingh, Shoon Lim, and Nick Henderson into the Leadership Lounge to answer questions about their experience in coaching leaders who’ve experienced failure—and know a thing or two about coming out the other side of it.Tune in to discover why it’s important not to personalize the failure, and crucially, what sets leaders apart when it comes to recovering from failure.