Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

Management isn’t rocket science. It’s harder than rocket science. At least, that’s what Paul Hill, former director of mission operations at NASA, believes. Paul has spent most of his life around rockets: first as a child growing up near the Kennedy Space Center, and then as an adult in mission control. From designing space stations to investigating the explosion of the Columbia space shuttle, Paul has had a front-row seat to the victories and tragedies of the space program.  Join us as we discuss Paul’s solution to the budget cuts; his epiphanies on management at NASA; and how learning management techniques from NASA Mission Control can help your team disrupt itself and stay relevant in rapidly changing environments. Complete show notes and links at https://whitneyjohnson.com/paul-hill

My guest on the podcast is Gina Bianchini, founder and CEO of Mighty Networks. Gina created Mighty Networks to be a social platform that goes beyond the typical scrolling conversations of social media and focuses instead on community and engagement between network members. Whether it’s managing email replies to a podcast newsletter or starting a discussion about living with Type 1 diabetes, Mighty Networks gives creators the opportunity to keep all of their communication tools in one place, facilitate conversations, provide content, and even charge subscriptions. Gina’s enthusiasm is contagious as she describes the possibilities of her platform in helping leaders emerge and create lasting communities.  Complete show notes and links at https://whitneyjohnson.com/gina-bianchini

About six years ago, Tasha Eurich was in a work lull. Her coaching clients were on vacation for the winter holidays, and feeling the bug to accomplish something anyway she began to dig into one of her favorite topics—psychology. Tasha had noticed that many of her clients expressed a desire to see themselves clearly, to clarify who they were, and understand how others perceived them. A correlation was emerging between this self-awareness and her clients’ overall confidence and success, so she delved into the available literature. It quickly became clear that very little research had gone into the topic of self-awareness from a scientific standpoint. So Tasha did what any self-respecting Organizational Psychologist would do.  She decided to study self-awareness. Join us as Tasha and I dissect the nuances of self-awareness; how incremental improvement can change the way we see ourselves; and how musical theatre may have contributed to Tasha’s fascination with the human mind. Full show notes and links at https://whitneyjohnson.com/tasha-eurich

Liz Wiseman knows a thing or two about bosses. She is the author of the best-selling book Multipliers, which explores the impact that leaders have on their teams, whether positive (multipliers) or negative (diminishers). In researching for the book, Liz and her team analyzed data from over 200 leaders and noticed a trend between the groups that seemed to maximize the potential of each individual versus those groups that experienced drains in intelligence, energy, and capability (despite having highly intelligent members).  What her research found was that some leaders inspire employees to stretch themselves and do more, while others, despite high intelligence, “diminish” (sometimes accidentally) that ability of their team members. Our conversation today explores how leaders can avoid the pitfalls that lead to becoming an “accidental diminisher,” as well as how to start on the road to recovery. We also get a fascinating look into Liz’s early life, including how she won a lawsuit at the age of only 17 years old. Complete show notes and links mentioned at https://whitneyjohnson.com/liz-wiseman

When Erik and Emily Orton sailed their boat up the Hudson River, there was no one to greet them. It was late, and no fanfare or celebration disturbed the stillness of the night. But the Orton’s and their five children felt what they had sensed many times over the past year: a quiet victory. They had made it. One year and 2,500 miles after leaving home, the Orton’s had managed to sail their family from St. Martin’s in the Caribbean all the way back to New York City. Today on the podcast my guests have a particularly unusual story of disruption. I typically showcase individuals who jump to a new professional learning curve, but Erik and Emily didn’t just jump, they leapt, swam, and climbed up a curve completely removed from their original day to day life.  As documented in their book Seven at Sea, they chose to live on a boat with their five children for a year while sailing up the east coast of the United States at the breakneck speed of 5 miles an hour. While many would balk at the idea of taking a year off of work (and some would say life) to make such a trip, the Orton’s felt strongly that this opportunity would be transformative—in all the best ways. Through physical strain and emotional courage, Erik and Emily found their balance, strengthened their family, made lifelong friends along the journey and learned that they can, in fact, do hard things. Full show notes and links at https://whitneyjohnson.com/erik-emily-orton

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Disrupt Yourself Podcast, we're disrupting our format a bit. In Episode 80 we gave you a preview of an online course we're developing. It's been our most downloaded to date. So, in celebration of our hundredth episode, and as a way to say thank you for listening, we're going to pick up where we left off. Back in Episode 80 I provided an overview of the Seven Point Framework of Personal Disruption. In this episode we'll do a deep-dive on Accelerant Number One, taking the right kinds of risks. Not just taking risks but taking the right kinds of risk. For links and show notes, including a worksheet that accompanies this episode, visit https://whitneyjohnson.com/right-risks

Ilana Golan is someone who goes first.  She was the first female commander in the Israeli Air Force, and that experience set her up for a career filled with blazing trails and then creating a wider path for others to follow. From her start at Intel in Israel to the work she is doing now with her firm Golan Ventures and her new endeavor, Homrun, she's taking her vast knowledge of startups and technology and easing the way for Israeli entrepreneurs to build a network and open doors so their startups can grow in the US. Hear the full conversation and download a transcript and links from the show at https://whitneyjohnson.com/ilana-golan    

While growing up in a small farm town in Maine, Melissa Smith had the opportunity to try lots of different things. She drove the flatbed to collect hay on the family farm, was captain of the math team, captain of the cheerleading squad and played on the soccer team. But when it came time to start talking about what she wanted to be when she grew up, Melissa had set her sights on something slightly different than the other girls in town. Melissa wanted to be the CEO of Gillette. It was one of the few big businesses near her home, and though she had the opportunity to try a lot of new things growing up, there wasn't a great deal of exposure to what life was like outside her small town. But because Melissa's mother worked in the business world, Melissa knew she wanted to work. She wanted to do something in business. Now as the CEO of WEX, and a wife and mother to three children - giving birth to twins while CEO - she continues to model the things that matter to her - especially in her commitment to team building and creating an environment where her team members can share their perspectives. Full show notes and links at https://whitneyjohnson.com/melissa-smith

Dan Shapero’s team was a rocket ship. When he stepped in as leader of LinkedIn’s recruiting business, annual revenue was around $40 million. By 2014, it was a billion and a half dollars. So it came somewhat as a surprise when the CEO of LinkedIn told him that he was probably in the wrong job. Join us as we discuss the importance of teams, transformations, and the time that Dan told his boss he was the wrong guy for a promotion.  Download a copy of the transcript, or see the full show notes and links at https://whitneyjohnson.com/dan-shapero

The launch point of a learning curve can feel like a slog. There is so much to learn, and just keeping your head above water requires tremendous effort. When progress seems nonexistent it is human nature to feel impatient and want to change direction, but it is important to remember that you are making progress—and, if you stay focused and committed, someday you will hit the steep part of the curve and find yourself in the sweet spot. My guest on the podcast today is Ryan Gottfredson, a leadership and management professor at Cal State Fullerton in California. I sent out the call a few months ago for another listener to be coached on the air, and Ryan was quick to volunteer as tribute. Full show notes and links available at https://whitneyjohnson.com/disrupt-yourself-podcast