Looking Outside

Today we’re speaking of all things sweet in life, with French trained pastry chef, and Group Head Pastry Chef at Black Star Pastry, Arnaud Vodounou. Arnaud describes how his six year long training in Paris, covering all the basics of pastry making, gave him the foundation to be confident, flexible and creative in his craft today. A kind of intensive training that is rarely seen today.Despite his extensive training, Arnaud hesitated when offered his first opportunity as head pastry chef, initially turning it down from fear of letting others down. (A type of humility that is arguably also missing today.) Jo and Arnaud discuss how others' confidence in our potential can push us into places we didn't think possible for ourselves. Now a confident expert in his field, Arnaud speaks to the importance of continuing to look for creative inspiration for innovation, not just in coming up with new products but in improving the technical processes that form the foundation of pastry making. He describes this kind of creativity as the ability to improve with modern techniques but without a quality compromise. Chefs around the world are doing this and sharing new methods with each other today, which Arnaud says is a critical part of innovation for a traditional field that benefits from open collaboration. Having worked as pastry chef - including at 2 Michelin star Parisian restaurant Taillevent - across France, Switzerland, Vietnam and Australia, Arnaud also speaks to diversity of experience he has lived, alongside personal learnings of adapting his approach as a leader. Pastry making after all is a precise art, but like everything in life, knowledge is gained through living and learning through failure. >>>To look outside, Arnaud travels, either physically or online. Pastry is always in his head and anything can spark his curiosity to create something new and "sensational". But to do this Arnaud says it's important to be observational, to keep your head up and look out, because travel gives you access to different products and techniques no matter where you are.>>>Arnaud Vodounou is Group head Pastry Chef for Black Star Pastry, based in Sydney Australia.With over 16 years of global experience in the culinary arts, Arnaud has cultivated exquisite desserts across many prestigious establishments worldwide. Originating from France, his started his career in Paris, where Arnaud was quickly appointed the Head Pastry Chef at the famous Le Taillevent, a 3 Michelin star restaurant at the age of 24. Arnaud went on to work as the Executive Pastry Chef at the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Geneva, then taking a role as the Executive Pastry Chef at Aman Resorts in Vietnam. His career took him to Melbourne Australia in 2014 where he worked as the Executive Head Pastry Chef at local icon Chez Dre and Bibelot. Arnaud then took a pivotal role as the Group Executive Pastry Chef at George Calombaris’ Made Establishment, across multiple locations. Arnaud's next venture took him to Sydney Australia where he currently oversees Blackstar Pastry, managing all pastry operations for multiple boutique stores across Australia, including Black Star Pastry's iconic Strawberry Watermelon Cake, acclaimed as the world's most Instagrammed cake.Driven by the pursuit of perfection, Arnaud remains dedicated to elevating the pastry experience and continuous innovation. With a wealth of experience and an unwavering commitment to excellence, he continues to redefine the boundaries of pastry craftsmanship.Follow Arnaud on InstagramCheck out Black Star Pastry>>>Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.>>>All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2024. Theme song by Azteca X.

Data Scholar Michael Clark joins Looking Outside to discuss the value behind the data we collect and how the definition of data is changing. Michael is a futurist focused on data, a digital payment and open banking and Vice President of Global Digital Transformation at Mastercard. His interest in the interconnection of data to other aspects of our lives has led him to become a leading voice in this space and to write a book on the topic. To explore the topic, he starts quite simply by defining what data even is. Speaking to how data’s origin as a gift, quite literally the meaning of the word being datum or gift, has changed over time, Michael contextualizes not just what the concept of data is but how our relationship with it has changed.There is a difference between holding data as a highly valuable thing, which captures people’s unique memories and stories, with viewing data as a byproduct of a transaction or a statistic. This changing idea or re-evaluation of data has meant we have lost sight of what the value behind that data is, or as Michael puts it, quite literally giving our ‘gift’ away. In observing the signals of change in the world, Michael says this is not what the future holds for data. Rethink the concept of data means economies may change based on the value that’s ascribed to data, greater granularity may be ascribed to the true ‘cost’ of things and we may be able to even measure what is today unmeasurable.Through his research for the book he’s writing, “Data Revolution”, Michael provides a glimpse of the future of data, where it is more representative of your identity, where open and democratized systems provide greater sharing of economic rewards and where holders of data are required to operate more ethically as a cost of doing business.Jo and Michael also discuss the role of private organizations in evaluating what data they even need to collect in the first place, as they look to build first party data loyalty programs. If an individual is re-evaluating how their data is used and the previously hidden value in it, how should companies be thinking about the future customer and the relationship they have with customer data?Michael stresses the point of asking hard questions when it comes to data, particularly as the systems around it – like GDP driven by limited data capture, or even capitalism itself – are coming into question. It’s what Michael says will help us better understand the interconnected nature of technology to every other system that maintains our livelihoods. As well as the role of experts in democratizing knowledge on the topic; as Michael says, “When you know stuff you have a duty of care to give back, to work with governments and regulators to help them understand it”.>>>To look outside, Michael gets outside, literally - out of his own head, into fresh air. This not only helps him get outside himself, but the forced push to stop what he's doing helps him to come back to it better focused. Michael says it's important to be comfortable stopping and simply doing nothing. >>>Michael Clark is a data scholar, seasoned industry advisor, and innovation evangelist with over two decades of experience in cutting-edge technology solutions. Leading the data charge, Michael is redefining value and preparing institutions and governments for a future they haven’t even envisioned. His upcoming book, Data Revolution: The New Currency of You, is a roadmap that will decode the world of data and prepare you for the data revolution.Part of the Digital Labs leadership team at Mastercard, Michael leads Global Digital Transformation with a mandate to drive Disruptive Innovation, Agile Principles, and execution of Mastercard’s Digital vision, whilst also accelerating our client’s digital ambitions.Follow Michael on LinkedIn /futureofmichael and Twitter/X @FutureofmichaelMichael's book is available for pre-order soonWatch Michael's panel on data at the Dubai Future Forum 2023Check out the book Jo mentioned: Economix>>>Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.>>>All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2024. Theme song by Azteca X.

Today we welcome Elena Doms, climate tech leader and head of Earth Plus, on Looking Outside to discuss the progress and positive action taking place in the field of climate tech. Having spent 11 years at Mastercard on the corporate side, and now in the entrepreneur space in a start up, Elena brings with her a pragmatic and motivating perspective to driving impact in the climate space through partnership with companies big and small. Elena speaks to how she approaches climate change topics through an optimistic lens, despite the fact that the climate crisis is escalating and is riddled with anxiety and delayed by hardship. She says not despite this but because of it, climate innovation is becoming easier, because it’s no longer an issue that can be ignored but justifies a change in behavior and accelerates investment.Called a speaker who delivers ‘goosebumps’ with her talks, Elena shares how her stories about climate change are intentionally personal, recalling her time growing up in the Arctic (now classified a zone of risk) and calling to personal stories she finds interesting in the climate innovation space that resonate with people. While the data and facts are important, she says what every one wants is a story with hope at the end. And for that to be told by someone whose values are visible and relatable. Elena says public platforms of communication help to enable this - especially for young people, or people who want to be taken more seriously.Elena also recounts how the idea for her start up, Earth Plus, an organization designed to clean the planet from pollutants using nature based solutions, began, inspired by tragically true research on forever chemicals in Belgium and their impact on people’s health. She says she has developed tremendous respect for people who run their own start ups as the expectation of progress and pace of innovation is at a level she hadn’t experienced in the big corporate world.On the big corporates, Jo and Elena discuss the pointlessness of pointing fingers, particularly at people in big corporations, as these businesses are full of funding and resourcing needed to help collaborate to scale climate innovation. Elena also stresses these organizations are full of people who want to make a difference. The challenge, she highlights, is in creating a compelling case for investment with every stakeholder’s interest in mind. As she puts it, making climate investment ‘the candy everyone wants’.>>>To look outside, Elena follows people in the climate space that she can learn from. She calls it a dynamic fast developing area and reminds herself not to be arrogant enough to not think she knows everything. She also reads books in different and unconnected areas and considers how to connect them into the climate space to enable unique ideas from contrasting topics.>>>Elena Doms was born and raised in the Arctic. She spent 18 years there, surrounded by ice and boreal forests, witnessing climate change happen right in front of her. Throughout her career Elena led an NGO, focusing on social impact. Worked as a Director at Mastercard, merging digital and sustainable transformations. Led teams up to 500 people and became a LinkedIn influencer with a video series “What’s new in Sustainability this week in 1 min”. Seeing her childhood home melt away and becoming a mother inspired Elena to quit her corporate job in search for real impact. In partnership with C-biotech, she launched Earth Plus, a start-up with a crazy bold mission: To create the largest soil & CO2 cleanup in history with nature. Earth Plus team collaborates with scientists to clean soils from chemical pollution and capture CO2 with plants. These plants are then turned into local circular construction materials that help decarbonize our cities.Follow Elena on LinkedIn /elenadomsLearn more about Elena, her public talks and her art elenadoms.comFind out what Earth Plus does earthplus.eu Check the book Elena mentioned, The Serendipity Mindset>>>Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.>>>All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2024. Theme song by Azteca X.

In this episode of Looking Outside, we’re exploring Culture and the role of brands leveraging or influencing it, with University of Michigan marketing professor and best selling author of For the Culture, Dr Marcus Collins.Marcus has one foot in Academia and the other in marketing practice, having led strategy Wieden+Kennedy New York, which allowed him to go deep on the theory and science of culture, while helping brands to understand those systems of cultural norms to activate their marketing strategies in a more relevant and impactful way. To be able to balance the theory and practice, Marcus studied the social sciences, making his knowledge of culture less shallow and deeply nuanced.On the show, Marcus explains how culture is shaped, defined and cultivated by people, to create uniformity and ‘normality’. Because culture is a curation process to find others like us and create synergy in commonalities, Marcus explains that the curation process evolves from the definitions of ‘how to behave’ that you’re born into (that are ascribed to you), through to the cultures to subscribe to once you’re older. Jo and Marcus discuss the challenge for marketers to more deeply understanding human beings, their values and behaviors (which often do not match) in the effort to predict human responses and effectively persuade towards a favorite action for our brands. To achieve this, Marcus’ advice is to follow the path of least resistance; to seek out the ‘collective of the willing’ as he calls them, those people who are already leaning into the behaviors you’re looking to amplify. It’s a marketers job to spot those collectives and to reflect in their work things that make these people feel ‘seen’. This requires a certain level of intimacy with the customer that goes beyond easy segmentation by demographics or even psychographics.In a world where brands are more intertwined with popular, social and sometimes political issues, it’s important to know what you stand for, your role to play and your right to play in responding to cultural movements (or not responding, purposefully). Marcus stresses that first and foremost brand owners must pay attention to changes in culture, because the mainstream, normal or ‘middle’ customer base is not necessarily representative of your future customer. After all, everything that started in the fringes, that was once small or weird, later became popular. >>>To look outside, Marcus speaks to his nine year old daughter to get her transparent and unfiltered perspective. Her responses help Marcus poke a hole in the wall as she usually sees something that he does not see. >>>Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator with one foot in the world of practice—serving as the Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York—and one foot in the world of academia—as a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. He has spent his career translating culture for brands and translating brands for culture, becoming the architect of some of the best-known advertising campaigns of our time. Marcus has championed strategies for blue chip brands such as McDonald’s, Apple, Google, State Farm, Target, Peloton, and Budweiser, and even ran digital strategy for Beyonce. His honors include being an AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement Inductee, 2022 Cannes Lions Jury Member, a member of the 2023 Thinkers50 Radar Class and one of the favorite professors of the University of Michigan MBA class of 2022. He is also the recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award and Crain’s Business’ 40 Under 40 award.His much-anticipated book, “For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be”, examines the influence of culture on consumption and unpacks how everyone from marketers to activists can leverage culture to get people to take action. Before joining Wieden+Kennedy, Marcus served as the Chief Consumer Connections Officer at Doner Advertising and led Social Engagement at Steve Stoute’s advertising agency, Translation. Prior to his advertising tenure, Marcus began his career in music and tech with a startup he co-founded before working on iTunes + Nike sports music initiatives. He holds a doctorate in marketing from Temple University, where he studied cultural contagion and meaning-making. Marcus received an MBA with an emphasis on strategic brand marketing from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in Material Science Engineering. He has spoken for Fortune 100 audiences such as Google, United Healthcare, Toyota, Verizon and Fannie Mae.Grab a copy of Marcus' book For the CultureFind out more about Dr Marcus Collins at marctothec.comFollow Marcus on LinkedIn and Instagram>>>Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.>>>All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2024. Theme song by Azteca X.

Today we’re talking about catapulting your career into unexpected places, driven by self-reflection, self-determinism, and a recognition of your own self-limitations, with change advocate, and Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, Jason Feifer.Speaking to a range of successful entrepreneurs is a part of Jason's day job, but he's also a bit of a start-up thinker himself. Aside from his role as editor, Jason is a podcast host, newsletter writer, speaker, start up advisor, book author … and perhaps most importantly, a reinventor, describing himself as an all purpose swiss army knife. Rather than staying in the specialty field he had worked to define himself an expert in, Jason chose to rethink, and reconsider, who he was to people, to live up to the largest opportunity in front of him. Jason says a good starting point is to better understand yourself by creating a mission statement, not for what you do but what you’re skilled in and what you can uniquely create. Jo and Jason also discuss working through trepidation that perhaps your success is a fleeting moment in time. That it may be a fluke, specific to the context, or unrepeatable. (A worry many successful people hold.) Jason advocates for sitting with the things you are good at and not discounting and offloading your strengths.Jason also explores the role of nostalgia as a change barrier. The past provides comfort and predictability, but also the false belief that things from our past were better than what the future can bring. He says, “The problem isn’t changing but in defining yourself too narrowly" within the comfort of what was. >>>To look outside, Jason leverages his trusted network who he can be vulnerable with. These are people who he can ‘think out loud’ with, who give him honest feedback on ideas, and help him get out of his own head.>>>Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, a podcast host, book author, keynote speaker, startup advisor, and nonstop optimism machine. His goal is to help you become more resilient and adaptable in a world of constant change — so you can seize new opportunity before anyone else does!Find out more about Jason jasonfeifer.comSign up to Jason's newsletterBuy Jason's book, Build for Tomorrow on Amazon Listen to the Build for Tomorrow Podcast and the Help Wanted podcast Follow Jason on LinkedIn>>>Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.>>>All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2024. Theme song by Azteca X.

Data & AI expert Usama Fayyad discusses the risks of relying on AI outputs solely, highlighting the importance of scrutinizing data sets. He emphasizes the need for human intervention in critical thinking tasks, as AI may not always provide accurate or complete information. The conversation explores the challenges of training generative AI models, addressing issues like bias and unpredictability. The podcast stresses the significance of diverse perspectives in understanding the complexities and implications of AI technology.

Looking Outside comes to you LIVE from the Dubai Future Forum, the largest gathering of futurists in the world.In this conversation we talk about disruptive technology and transformative blue sky innovation with Airbus Senior Vice President and Head of Disruptive Research and Technology, Dr Grzegorz (Greg) Ombach. Greg describes the mindset shift he experienced in leading innovative transformation across various industries, each with their own lifecycle - from Telecommunications with 1 to 2 year innovation cycles, then to Automotive where it moved out to 7-10 years and now in the Aerospace industry where he has 30-50 years in sight. As Greg considers future disruption, he is looking out to the next 50 years with a clear goal in mind. For Airbus, this takes the ambition of the company from accessible air travel, to sustainable air travel, and then to aerospace. Greg describes how this focus on transformation through disruptive technology requires active monitoring and proactive imagining. At Airbus, this is enabled firstly by enlisting open and curious people called 'Scouts' whose role it is to spot new trends across varied regions. These people are inhouse engineers who have a finger on the pulse of the air travel and aerospace ecosystem in which they operate daily and are therefore in the best position to assess the viability of the trends for the business. Accompanying this is the center of research where the 'Blue Sky Thinkers' live. Their job is to come up with moonshot ideas that are turned into pilots.Jo and Greg also discuss the need to look more broadly, assessing a product based on its ecosystem - what keeps the structure standing on the outside as well as the components that keep it relevant on the inside. --If Greg was not a futurist, he would be sailing around the world. He gets energy and drive from exploring new places, from discovering new places and being able to adjust the course based on the conditions. --Dr Grzegorz (Greg) Ombach, is Head of Disruptive Research & Technology, Senior Vice President at Airbus. Greg is passionate about managing technological innovation from an idea to broad market adoption. His combination of technology, leadership and commercial expertise together with a truly global outlook, having worked across Europe, the USA and China, puts him in a solid position to drive international market success for high-tech innovations. As a Head of Disruptive R&T, he shapes Airbus’s ability to be the global leader in innovation and future technologies across all Airbus divisions. He works very closely with all businesses and divisions globally. Before as Executive Vice President, Head of Battery Systems Business and Group Strategy and Innovation at Dräxlmaier, he was responsible for the strategy for the business and led the entire product commercialisation, from the initial concept to high volume production of cutting-edge technology in a premium market for the automotive sector. One example is the first high volume production of an 800V battery system for the Porsche Taycan. Earlier, he worked at Qualcomm as a Global Vice President and General Manager of a breakthrough automotive technology licensing business. He also has experience from Siemens VDO, Continental and Brose. Greg holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Silesian University of Technology, Poland and a Certificate in Global Management from INSEAD, The Business School for the World. He has also been awarded Guest Professorship at the Zhejiang University in China.Connect with Greg on LinkedInLearn more about Airbus--Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.--All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2023.OBOY & PALA music features in Episode 47.

Looking Outside comes to you LIVE from the Dubai Future Forum, the largest gathering of futurists in the world.In this conversation we talk about sustainable design with Arup's Director of Foresight, Josef Hargrave. Arup is focused on creating more sustainable built environments, and Josef speaks to how designing for the future needs to be anchored in decisions for the present, by understanding deeply the structural limitations and infrastructure of today. Josef details several projects he's run for designing out to 2050 across geographies exploring building for cities, having worked in and with over 30 cities around the world. He boils success down to context: it's easy to identify what is changing in the world, but the effort should be in what it means to the project and stakeholders holding the brief. Contextualizing the environment you're designing for will influence how you design for the future and the future populations living in this infrastructure. Jo and Josef also discuss how foresight done well should ultimately be about making yourself useful to the organization that you're a part of. As the company evolves over time, as Arup has in the 13 years Josef has been there, the application of foresight needs to evolve with it. --If Josef was not a futurist, he would be an artist or designer. Or open a Chinese restaurant, so he can craft something by and for himself.-- Josef Hargrave is Global Foresight Leader responsible for the delivery of Arup’s foresight services, tools, and projects globally, leading a multi-disciplinary team of programme managers, designers, and consultants that specialise in trends research, design thinking, strategic planning, innovation programmes, thought leadership, and vision making for both internal and external clients. Over the past 10+ years, Josef has delivered projects in over 20 countries, working for some of the world's leading organisations in property, technology, chemicals, mobility, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, consumer goods, and finance.Outside of Arup, Josef is an Associate Lecturer at Central Saint Martins as part of the MA for Innovation Management (London), a member of the World Cities Summit Science of Cities Knowledge Council (Singapore), a member of the International Panel of Experts at Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), a member of the Friends of the Forum at Dubai Future Foundation (Dubai), and a member of the Advisory Board at Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (Manchester).Connect with Josef on LinkedInLearn more about Arup--Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.--All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2023.OBOY & PALA music features in Episode 46.

Retail, shopping and lovers of physical activations, this one is for you. But perhaps it’s for all of us who look at bringing our brands to life in physical spaces. Today on Looking Outside we’re speaking with top voice in retail, Curator of Shop Drop Daily & Chief Thinker at iiiF, Tim Nash. Tim's passion for brands led to his career specialty in shop and retail design. He fell into the fashion industry, starting in visual merchandising, and then fell in love with inspiring brands to best show up in physical spaces.As a natural creative who was always good at art, Tim helps brands find ways to reach their consumers in ways that spark a connection through visual cues, smart use of space, and rethinking the DNA across platforms. This is a critical part of the brief, Tim says, as activations or campaigns built for a specific channel is old fashioned thinking - it breaks apart brand cohesion and dilutes the message. Brands need to find new ways to connect the dots across platforms, to offer the consumer something that makes them feel special but also delivers on the unique brand promise, no matter where they’re shopping. Having researched, created and curated in the retail space for over 20 years, Tim describes how the pandemic was a critical turning point for retail that not all brands saw or understood. Retail spaces designed for the city center, as the best (or only) way to buy what you need, is not how the world operates now. New brands are able to build a community without a physical space, and to shape their DNA to live across all sub-channels. A lot of older brands stuck in the middle still think retail first, with other channels ‘thrown in’.Jo and Tim discuss other critical moments of pause that need to take place for retail to properly set it up for the future – including the one where we re-assess the environmental or ethical impact of ‘fast’ retail, shopping and fashion. Tim says retail has traditionally been painted with a negative brush, but it has the ability to wash this away if we can move past cookie-cutter, formulaic and old school ways of creating not just retail places, but brand spaces.--To look outside, Tim finds physical spaces that allow him to digest information and think through things. This can be city walk, a long train ride, or strolling through galleries and art exhibitions. It doesn’t have to be a grand experience, just something small to properly disconnect with the physical world, and connect with his thoughts.--Tim Nash is a strategic, forward-thinking creative dedicated to crafting immersive physical brand experiences that captivate the consumer.With an extensive background spanning two decades in the retail industry, Tim has been the architect behind a variety of celebrated global brand activations and visual concepts that engage and delight customers IRL.From a shop floor start to leadership roles within global businesses, Tim currently collaborates with a diverse portfolio of brands to curate innovative campaigns that relevantly talk to their audience. Beyond this, he's the driving force behind Shop Drop Daily, a pivotal inspirational resource and authoritative voice on the future of the industry.Follow Tim on LinkedIn and hereSign up to Shop Drop Daily shopdropdaily.com & on InstagramLearn more about Wild Visual Communications and iiiFCheckout Pop Up Grocer mentioned on the show--Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.--All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2023.OBOY & TAYME music features in Episode 45.

Today we’re talking about the big topic of Sustainability within big business. Former Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer at McDonalds, Bob Langert, joins the show and shares his three decade long journey in making environmental change happen at one of the biggest organizations in the world.An environmental activist at heart, Bob shares how he was able to take a topic he cared deeply about but was low on the company priority list, and over time use his passion to make people notice and act. Sustainability started as Corporate Social Responsibility and Bob recalls how in the 1980’s it was just starting to gain prominence and it took a long time for the topic to reach the mainstream status it has today in business. Companies need to be willing to change if they want to compete in a future environment 20 years from now which will look different to how it does today. Bob stresses the need for change agents within that; fewer people laying low and trying to stay out of trouble, more people who are open, patient and bring big ideas. Ultimately that passion and persistence helps the business, because as Bob says, “Businesses that are satisfied and content are going to die.”Bob does recognize that a key challenge in getting action on sustainability issues is trying to force it, either by being too emotional or pushing too hard. He describes how over time he achieved success by creating connections with people inside and outside the organization. These relationships rested on truthfulness, trust and empathy; putting yourself in others’ shoes to see different ways of influencing them. That empathy allows you to see new allies, as often we assume people don’t care, or will not be supportive, but they can surprise you. In fact some of your harshest critics can become your collaboration partners for change, or even your public advocates.Jo and Bob also discuss the need for companies to be more proactive and preemptive, but that often, that comes with little glory, as a hero in a crisis is easy to find, but credit for preventing a problem often never happens. But issues, like critics, will never stop coming, and Bob says that’s a reality you need to accept, and a target you need to bear on your back, when part of a big organization that needs to make money (and there’s nothing wrong with that).--To look outside, Bob reads a lot, particularly other perspectives of leadership and change through biographies. He also relies on travel to observe people across settings and cultures. He treats these as learning experiences that help him see things differently and promote a push beyond complacency, or accepting that 'things are the way they are'.--Bob Langert led McDonald’s Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability efforts for more than twenty-five years before retiring in 2015. Currently, he provides corporate sustainability consulting through Mainstream Sustainability. Bob has been engaged in social responsibility issues at a global level since the late 1980s, leading environmental affairs, animal welfare, and Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities’ grants. He was appointed McDonald’s first vice president to lead sustainability in 2006 with contributions spanning sustainable fish, coffee, palm oil, beef, packaging, extensive animal welfare progress, protecting the Amazon rainforest, nutrition strategy and CSR reporting, measurement, and accountability. His book about McDonald’s sustainability journey, The Battle To Do Good: Inside McDonald’s Sustainability Journey, was published in January 2019.Langert received his BA from Lewis University and his MBA from Northwestern University. In 2007, Langert was named as one of the 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics by Ethisphere. Follow Bob on LinkedIn @BobLangertGrab a copy of Bob's book The Battle to Do GoodCheck out the other books that Bob mentioned: Watergate Girl, Elon's biography, the Netflix story, Angela Merkel's story.--Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.--All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2023.OBOY & xJWill music features in Episode 44.