Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan

Today's episode is with Lard Friese, both the CEO and Chairman of Aegon, a multinational life insurance, pensions, and asset management company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. It has businesses in over 20 countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In today's episode, we discussed key topics such as leadership, vulnerability, and personal maturity in professional roles. Friese emphasized the importance of leaders being aware of their environment and showing their personality. He also shared a personal story about a significant failure early in his career, highlighting the importance of listening to his team and owning up to mistakes. Lard also discussed the power of authenticity in leadership roles and how it can build trust and improve team dynamics. Today's episode offers a valuable perspective on leadership and personal growth in professional success based on Lard's insights. __________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, Alexa von Tobel, CEO of LearnVest and Founder of Inspired Capital, shares insights on structured learning, self-awareness, and inclusive decision-making. She emphasizes the value of a learning mindset, setting goals, and seeking feedback. Alexa also highlights the importance of bringing people along, fostering transparency, and valuing input for effective decision-making. She emphasizes the importance of transparency, shared norms, and input from team members to create a sense of ownership and collaboration. Alexa's approach focuses on empowering individuals, valuing their perspectives, and making decisions that benefit the collective team. ___________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, Alexa von Tobel, CEO of LearnVest and Founder of Inspired Capital, emphasizes the importance of work-life balance and shares her own experiences of overworking and its negative consequences. She also discusses the value of working with a coach to foster personal growth and highlights the role of vulnerability in leadership. Moreover, Alexa also emphasizes the significance of hiring talent that aligns with the company's mission and values, as well as the importance of continuous learning and self-awareness. She highlights the value of assessments and tools that provide insights into strengths and weaknesses, enabling leaders to make informed decisions and build effective teams. ___________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, I speak with Alexa von Tobel, CEO of LearnVest and Founder of Inspired Capital. Alexa shares her journey and insights on building successful businesses, emphasizing the importance of learning from failures and seeking guidance through coaching and mentorship. Alexa highlights the need for balance in leadership, including managing workloads, prioritizing sleep and exercise, and seeking perspective outside of work. She also emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with trusted advisors who are willing to provide honest feedback. Through her experiences, Alexa demonstrates the growth and personal development that comes from embracing challenges and learning from others. ___________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Today, I have the pleasure of conversing with Kate Johnson, the CEO of Lumen Technologies. Known for her transformative leadership and her ability to drive change, Johnson has been instrumental in reshaping the corporate culture at Lumen. She brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as the president of Microsoft in the United States, and her insights are sure to inspire. In our conversation today, we delve into the heart of corporate culture transformation and the role of leadership in this process. While we have previously discussed her journey at Microsoft, today our focus is on extracting key insights from Johnson's profound understanding of the business landscape and her analysis of the latest happenings at Lumen. From the importance of a clear mission and assembling the right leadership team, as highlighted in her transformation strategy at Lumen, to the shift in mindset required for a company to succeed, we cover several important topics. You can subscribe to Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening, weekly bonus episodes, and early access to new episodes. __________________ This episode is sponsored by: AvePoint Rapidly reduce costs, improve productivity and make more informed business decisions with AvePoint. With the most advanced platform to optimize SaaS operations and secure collaboration, AvePoint helps you transform your digital workplace and collaborate with confidence. To get started, go to www.avepoint.com and learn how you can advance your digital workplace today. __________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, Loran Nordgren, Professor at Kellogg School of Management, explores the concept of inertia as a barrier to innovation and change. Inertia refers to the human tendency to favor the familiar over the unfamiliar. Loran discusses how big transformations can face resistance due to the unfamiliarity of the idea. It would take reframing the change, taking incremental steps, and making the unfamiliar feel familiar to overcome this resistance. Further into our conversation, Loran emphasizes the importance of understanding the human element and finding ways to bring people along on the change journey by addressing their emotions, minimizing effort, and involving them in the process. ___________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, Loran Nordgren, Professor at Kellogg School of Management, talks about the concept of frictions in innovation and change, and the meaning of inertia, effort, and reactance. Loran mentions the four specific frictions that stand in the way of embracing new ideas. We also dived deep into the importance of addressing these frictions and involving the audience in the change process is emphasized, as their reactions and feelings greatly impact the success of innovation and transformation. ___________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, I speak with Loran Nordgren, Professor at Kellogg School of Management. We dive deep into the concept of friction theory and the importance of focusing on barriers rather than just appeal in driving change and selling ideas. He emphasizes that while many people believe that elevating appeal and adding more value is the key to success, it is often the barriers or frictions that hold ideas back. Drawing an analogy to a bullet's flight, Loran explains that simply adding more gunpowder (fuel) does not help if the bullet lacks aerodynamics to reduce resistance. Similarly, in organizations, the key is to identify and address the frictions that hold ideas back. By making ideas more aerodynamic and removing barriers, real progress and growth can be achieved. ___________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Today we'll be diving into the world of author and entrepreneur Seth Godin. Seth has recently released a new book titled "The Song of Significance," which explores the concept of significance in the world and questions whether we are in a new era of leadership. In our conversation, we'll discuss the negative effects of automation, the balance of power shift within organizations, and the importance of leading with vulnerability. We'll also touch on the distinction between management and leadership, and the companies that Seth admires. Throughout our discussion, we'll be focusing on the idea of significance and how to create it in your life and work. Seth will share his insights on where to start and how to crack the egg to make a real impact. __________________ This episode is sponsored by: AvePoint Rapidly reduce costs, improve productivity and make more informed business decisions with AvePoint. With the most advanced platform to optimize SaaS operations and secure collaboration, AvePoint helps you transform your digital workplace and collaborate with confidence. To get started, go to www.avepoint.com and learn how you can advance your digital workplace today. __________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In today's leadership spark, Tiger Tyagarajan, CEO of Genpact, and I dive deeper into the importance of addressing issues such as diversity and inclusion in leadership roles, the potential impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, and personal experiences that have influenced Tiger's approach to leadership. Tiger also highlights the need for continuous learning, humility, and embracing curiosity. _________________ This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint. ___________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email https://greatleadership.substack.com/