Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

A 21st century career path can take many twists and turns. The skills you learn for one S Curve may not map perfectly to the next. That's why learning is the most important skill of all. That's some wisdom from Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey, the Chief Learning and Chief Diversity Officer at Kraft Heinz. And she should know. Before earning her many prestigious titles in the corporate world, she came from a background in standup comedy and improv. Pamay is a first generation Nigerian-American, born in New York City. Her heritage has deeply informed her approach to diversity and inclusion, but her passion for comedy made her career path unconventional to say the least. Pamay and Whitney discuss how to translate skills from one S Curve to another, especially when it comes to job interviews. And why it's so important to fill your eyes and ears with the stories of others who have accomplished great things. Pamay also explains how journaling regularly became a powerful self-reflection tool, especially during a difficult time of loss. We're conducting a quick, anonymous survey to understand our audience better! It takes less than 1 minute, and is enormously helpful. Take it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021

We all have jobs to pay the bills, but what is your purpose? And what's your company's purpose? Leena Nair asks these questions every day. She's the chief human resources officer at Unilever. She's also the first female, first Asian, and youngest CHRO in the company's history. "Companies with purpose last. And people with purpose thrive," Leena explains. And she has the data to back it up. Ensuring the well-being of 150,000 employees is a monumental endeavor, but her success stems from spending time with people to understand their motivations. And she rejects outdated business models that only view employees as a cost, rather than a company's greatest asset. Leena's made huge investments in purpose workshops and mental health programs. It's not only good for people; it's good for the bottom line, too. "For every $1 I invest in human well-being, we get $2.50 back." Whitney and Leena discuss why raising your hand for the most difficult jobs is one of the most important things you can do. "When was the last time you did something for the first time in your life? That's the last time you grew." We're conducting a quick, anonymous survey to understand our audience better! It takes less than 1 minute, and is enormously helpful. Take it here: href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021&source=gmail&ust=1632857829554000&usg=AFQjCNHNyY4m1QsTDalKt01s9GQDbqQ9OQ">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021

Being a leader and teaching leadership are two very different things. Harry Kraemer found this out when he jumped S-curves later in life. Harry is the former chairman and CEO of Baxter International, a $12 billion global healthcare company. But more importantly for this conversation, he now teaches leadership at Northwestern University. Harry explains the importance of self-reflection and genuine humility, and identifies the nature of "true self-confidence." It's not about taking risks or getting up in front of people. By contrast, true confidence is a leader's ability to say "I don't know." Harry and Whitney discuss the qualities that make leaders both effective and relatable, and why it's never OK to say, "I don't know where you're coming from." Harry's most recent bestselling book is titled: Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life.

When we talk about starting a new S-curve, few exemplify this better than Jacqueline Novogratz. She upended her successful career in international banking to focus on addressing global poverty through the impact investment organization Acumen. Her journey is extraordinary, inspiring, and at times heartbreaking. Jacqueline and Whitney talk about what it takes to have a "moral imagination," the foundational work of building a better world. As she puts it, "the opposite of poverty isn't wealth, it's dignity." Jacqueline explains why top-down and bottom-up solutions lack the nuance to effect lasting change, and how she learned to leverage her privilege, rather than distance herself from it. And when extreme poverty and violence make everything feel futile, Jacqueline reminds us to look for beauty wherever we can find it. "Beauty reminds us why we're here to do the hard work."  

Dr. Astrid Tuminez is the first female president of Utah Valley University, and her journey is incredibly inspiring. Born in the Philippines and raised in extreme poverty, Tuminez made pivotal choices and gained important mentors which led her to the U.S. Her passion for international relations made her an influential voice of peace at the height of the Cold War. In her conversation with Whitney, Astrid explains how she got comfortable with failure, and how the kindness of teachers completely changed her life. "No person in this world is self-made. Somebody along the way did something for you," she says. She shares the three most important decisions in her life, the benefits of getting fired, and a key lesson from martial arts: "Be a limp noodle."

TV host, author, and podcaster Mike Rowe would have been a construction worker if not for advice from his grandfather: "Find a different toolbox." Turns out, Mike wasn't great with his hands, but his grandfather and other mentors recognized different skills. They pushed him out of his comfort zone and in front of microphones and cameras. Today, Mike's wildly popular "Dirty Jobs" TV series has shown millions of viewers what it takes to do extraordinary jobs that don’t get talked about on “Career Day,” but are critical to a well-functioning society. And Rowe credits a lot of his success to multiple failures. The show itself was born out of a TV news segment gone wrong. In this episode, Mike and Whitney discuss the unusual mindset of his early career: He sought out bad ideas and was happy to get paid to work on projects that were doomed to fail. Removing the stakes freed him up to experiment and take risks, which led to much more interesting projects. Mike also discusses the importance of music in his life, and how a conclave of war veterans singing sad barbershop songs changed his perspective. "It was so uncool I was fascinated by it." What did you learn from this conversation with Mike? What risks are you taking these days, and what are your fears about them? Email Whitney Johnson at wj@whitneyjohnson.com for a chance to receive a signed copy of Mike's book, "The Way I Heard It."

Chris Dancy's life used to be a lot different. Back in 2008, he weighed more than 300 pounds, smoked two packs and drank 36 cans of Diet Coke a day. But he had one disruptive skill in his back pocket. As a database engineer, he's obsessive about tracking information. And when he put the lens on himself, it changed everything. By tracking every aspect of his life (food, feelings, TV, social media posts, etc.) he collected "big data" on himself, the way a tech company would. Using a variety of sensors, apps, and home-brewed systems, Dancy harnessed his habits and completely disrupted his life. Today, he's an author and speaker who warns against the dangerous discourse that technology is "breaking" people. Instead, he says "don't unplug," and explains how the systems that suck our attention and data can be reverse-engineered to make our lives better, and ultimately make us more human. "Today's technology is engineered around reactions, not feelings," he says, and shows us that it's within our power to change that. In this extraordinary and emotional conversation, Dancy discusses how our culture weaponizes time, looking back at your own emotional data, his mother's gift that changed everything, and training yourself to schedule things like "kindness" and saying "I love you." In his own words, "we need to stop valuing our schedule and schedule our values.” For a complete transcript and links from this conversation, visit      https://whitneyjohnson.com/chris-dancy

The proverbial "glass ceiling" is real, and can block women from reaching their full potential. There is a lot of work to be done here, but not all women are in a position to effect systemic change. So what can women (and their allies) do in their daily lives and careers to close the gap? That's the subject of Sally Helgesen's book, How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job. Helgesen's groundbreaking research with thousands of women and companies over 30+ years reveals the fascinating differences between genders in the workplace, and the reasons some women struggle to claim credit for their achievements and vocalize their career aspirations — habits that often come more naturally to men. In a corporate culture where achievements are rarely valued unless you shout them from the rooftops, women constantly balance perceptions of being "too aggressive" and not advocating for themselves enough. Helgesen says, "why not both?" And she shares practical advice for women navigating these tricky waters. For a complete transcript and links from this conversation, visit      https://whitneyjohnson.com/sally-helgesen

If you've already answered the question we posed in episode 80 (Why should you disrupt yourself in the first place?), then it's time to revisit risk, the first accelerant of personal disruption. In this encore episode, Whitney discusses why not all risk is created equal, and why taking the right risks can have huge upsides. If this podcast is valuable to you, email Whitney at wj@whitneyjohnson.com. She responds to every one.   80 Why would you disrupt yourself? 7-point framework for personal disruption.   First accelerant of personal disruption, encore.  

There's a lot of common wisdom around building good habits: stick to a schedule, reject constraints, and seek out great advice. But science would like a word. Katy Milkman is an economist and behavioral scientist who has done breakthrough research on how people form (or break) habits. Surprising data from her book, How to Change, shows that flexibility, not routine, is the key to conquering procrastination, exercise, and more. Environmental changes, even small ones like the start of a new week or a new year (resolutions, anyone?) can be psychologically huge in effecting change. And constraints on creativity often yield better results than unlimited resources. Science also explains why when it comes to mastering a skill, tis often better to give advice than to receive it.