The Mission Driven Leader

Live from a vibrant conference, the hosts delve into the essence of mission-driven leadership, particularly in project management. They contrast humorous personal stories with serious discussions about learning from failures at NASA. A comedic family mishap involving a meat slicer adds a light-hearted touch, while audience engagement flourishes through questions and anecdotes. The conversation emphasizes the need for strong decision-making and the shifting dynamics in leadership roles, especially when navigating the future of innovation.

On this episode of the Mission Driven Leader, Ed Hoffman and Laurel Sim are joined by David Nedohin, Founder & Chief Customer Officer at Scope AR and 3x World Curling Champion. David brings more than 20 years of experience in business development and supporting customers at all stages of the customer journey to drive the company’s vision to revolutionize the world of industrial training, maintenance, manufacturing and field support with augmented reality (AR) technology.  In this role, David manages key relationships with industry partners and works with some of the world’s leading global companies including, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Johnson&Johnson, and Medtronic, among others. He also is an industry thought-leader, often presenting on some of the most practical use cases and AR success stories across industries at leading industry events. Residing in Edmonton, Canada, David is also a 3x World Curling Champion and National team member for 10 years in waterskiing. David has recently been inducted into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame (Class of 2023) as part of Team Ferbey Curling Team. Learn more about Scope AR: https://us.scopear.com/

On this episode of the Mission Driven Leader, Ed Hoffman and Laurel Sim are joined by Laura Dostaler, Professional Hockey Player and Program Director Girls Hockey Calgary. Laura Dostaler plays hockey professionally with the PWHPA and the CWHL with the Calgary Inferno, winning a Clarkson Cup Championship with the Inferno in 2018. Laura is currently the Program Director for Girls Hockey Calgary, where she enjoys the opportunity to give back to the game and pass on the skills she’s learned to the up-and-coming generation. Laura is passionate about inspiring and empowering female athletes to become the best athlete they can become. She believes sports hold a unique role in becoming the best version of ourselves, and living a healthier, and joy filled, life. Follow Laura on Instagram @lauradostaler

Laurel Sim and Ed Hoffman engage with students at Columbia University, discussing the importance of patience and understanding in creating change, unexpected leadership roles, manifestation and self-belief, choosing one's path, being present in Zoom meetings, and the future of learning.

Tara Dafoe, TV Director, Writer, and Script Supervisor, joins the hosts to share her journey in the film industry. They discuss her rise from Script Supervisor to Director on the TV series Riverdale and her commitment to honing her craft. The speakers also delve into topics like the impact of a brilliant individual, leaving NASA for a new direction in career, favorite childhood cartoons, industry disruption, navigating personal issues in acting, and appreciation for Tara's qualities and future plans.

On this episode of the Mission Driven Leader, Ed Hoffman and Laurel Sim are joined by Mia Eng, Partner of Cognascent Inc., Executive Coach, and a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator and trainer. Mia is an executive coach, facilitator, and consultant who partners with individuals and organizations on their journey to develop the leadership capability that is aligned to their vision and mission. She is on a mission to normalize critical characteristics and habits such as self-awareness, adaptability, and accountability to cultivate the small-L leadership that enables individual, team, and organizational success.   Mia has been coaching and facilitating individuals and teams using a variety of tools and techniques -- including LEGO Serious Play -- to enable deeper discovery, insight, and communication. And Mia has also been “passing it on” by training other facilitators, managers, consultants, and even war game designers to use LEGO Serious Play to engage others. Next up, she will start training professional coaches on the use of LEGO Serious Play in 1:1 coaching – a personal project two years in the making.   Mia has direct experience serving clients across a diverse range of sectors and geographies including engineering services, hospitality, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, professional services, the Canadian military (including a regiment she can’t name publicly!) and various fire and emergency services departments. For more information on Mia’s work, Cognascent, and LEGO Serious Play, or to connect with Mia, check out the links below! Connect with Mia on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/miaeng Cognascent website: www.cognascent.co For more information on LEGO Serious Play for groups and teams: https://cognascent.co/lego-serious-play-workshops/ Get in touch with Mia to chat about LEGO Serious Play: https://cognascent.typeform.com/lsp-inquiry

On this episode of the Mission Driven Leader, Ed Hoffman and Laurel Sim are joined by Dr. Nabeel Ahmad, co-founder of changeforce.ai changeforce.ai is an AI-powered consulting firm and data analysis platform that monitors sentiment in real-time. He teaches at Columbia University in human capital management topics on organizational learning strategy, digital HR and the digital workplace. Nabeel authors the Four Minute University, where he shares actionable tips to learn better, using best practices and evidence-based approaches. If you want to learn more about the work Nabeel is doing, or check out some of the resources he mentioned in the podcast, we invite you to explore the links below! http://changeforce.ai/ Four Minute University - https://fourminuteuniversity.com/ DALL•E - https://labs.openai.com/ Hemingway Editor - https://hemingwayapp.com/

On this episode of the Mission Driven Leader, Ed Hoffman and Laurel Sim are joined by Jordon Sims, Founding Partner of Imperium Global Advisors. Jordon has many years of legislative, political, and professional advocacy experience globally. Most recently, he was the Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX), the senior Republican for the House Appropriations Committee and the most senior Republican woman in Congress overall. He has also served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, which included assignments as the foreign liaison for the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), and Secretary of Defense (SECDEF). Jordon’s variety of assignments also included work as the Special Advisor to the Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion (Naval Reactors), in a dual-hatted Department of Defense and Department of Energy role, responsible for all aspects of governmental affairs for the US submarine and aircraft carrier programs. Building upon his work with the defense and energy industrial base, Jordon has led global corporate and government relations teams and initiatives across a variety of markets and jurisdictions in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Australia, U.K., E.U., India, and China. His work has spanned the technology, energy, financial services, defense, healthcare, and infrastructure sectors in both government policy and management strategy. He has served as a contributor to the World Economic Forum working groups for developing economies in the areas of long-term investment planning and infrastructure development. In addition to this work, he has also served in leadership roles for executive and board advisement in large global organizations. Jordon has volunteered time for local youth sports in Maryland, remains involved in an advisory role for the Governor of Maryland’s finance committee and campaign efforts, and serves as “Entrepreneur in Residence on the faculty for Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies - Information and Knowledge Strategy Program - as the co-lead for “The Future of Work.”

Maestro Roger Nierenberg, Symphony Conductor and Creator of The Music Paradigm, discusses leading by listening, the impact of musical instruments, love for a team, superpowers and leadership, and the importance of good listening skills.

On this episode of The Mission Driven Leader, Ed Hoffman and Laurel Sim are joined by Alan McInally, Scottish former professional footballer. Alan played for Ayr United, Celtic, Aston Villa, Bayern Munich and Kilmarnock. After playing for Kilmarnock during the 1993/94 season, McInally retired from playing football. He has since worked in the media, most notably for the Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday. He also commentated on the FIFA 19 video game.