What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

Retired army colonel and Silicon Valley investor Pete Newell discusses bringing battlefield problem-solving techniques to the boardroom. Emphasizes the importance of understanding the problem before offering solutions, innovation exhaustion, and the need for internal and organizational transformations for advancement.

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week I am very excited to bring our first NFL coach, Michael Lombardi, to What's Next! Michael is an American Football Executive and Media Analyst with over 30 years of experience who enjoyed front row access to football titans Bill Walsh, Al Davis, and Bill Belichick. He was an assistant to the coaching staff of the New England Patriots and is a former Analyst for the NFL network. He previously served as an NFL executive for the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Philidelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders. He currently works for sports and pop culture blog The Ringer and has a book coming out on September 11th! THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who loves football and wants a masterclass in leadership and culture building. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Culture is key. In an organization like football, the role of the Head Coach goes beyond making calls, training players, or winning games. It's the culture that Head Coach develops that will ultimately determine how successful that team is. The same is true of business; it starts with your leadership and the culture set by that leadership. But, you can't sit around and wait for it to develop, you have to be deliberate about building your team's culture if you expect to be successful. You have to figure out and know who you are as a person, as a team, as a business, and develop a plan to establish that culture as a leader. It starts with self-evaluation and planning. Whether you are 18 or 80, being self-aware and knowledgeable in your craft will make you a leader worth following, because you can develop a culture worth being a part of. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Michael talks about the importance of self-evaluation in culture-building and working at the things that make you struggle, not merely following the "best light." When you are good at self-evaluating, you are better prepared to grow and change with your industry and your craft. Running time: 36:20 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Michael Lombardi on social: Twitter Michael's Book Michael on The Ringer

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I have a great conversation with Andrew Grill. Andrew is an experienced corporate leader and a former IBM Global Managing Partner. He has launched and run technology companies in Europe and Australia and worked with (and for) some of the world's leading companies including Vodafone, Nestle, BBC, American Express, and Unilever. He is also a seasoned speaker and has presented at four separate TEDx events. He speaks to and consults for organizations to develop their strategy around digital disruption, social selling, the workplace of the future, emerging technologies, and digital diversity. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… believers of Andrew's motto: if you want to get digital, you have to be digital. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Andrew and I live in the thought leadership space and share similar viewpoints on innovation and disruption. We both believe that the nature of work is changing, especially as technology continues to lead our lives and as Millennials begin to speak their voices in the professional world. WHEN YOU WORK FOR A COMPANY AND YOU WANT TO GROW YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT… Never forget that your employer doesn't own you. No matter what, we're all building our personal brands. Of course, it's helpful to be attached to a brand that already has a following, but you're still growing your own brand while you're renting your time to that employer. LET YOUR DIGITAL SELF FLOURISH… Sharing your life online and being a consumer/seller in the gig economy is not going anywhere. When you (and businesses ) begin to see this, you can shape your digital self around this changing workforce. Andrew believes that when you allow your digital persona to morph between private, public, and inside the organization, there will be broken rules but more human interaction. Are you ready for this kind of disruption? Running time: 29:30 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Andrew on social: Website Twitter LinkedIn

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I have a great conversation with Maria Konnikova. Maria graduated from Harvard, earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia. She's written two New York Times bestsellers: The Confidence Game and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. While she had zero poker experience before her first trip to Las Vegas in the fall of 2016, she has now won multiple tournaments, including the PCA National Championship, and finished second at an Asian Pacific Tour, Macau event. Her third book The Biggest Bluff explores how to play high stakes poker is due out in 2019. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… those looking to be confident when facing change. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… You might think that it's all about luck when it comes to being successful in life, but Maria differs. The old adage that luck is opportunity and preparedness meeting sounds great in theory but is only applied to positive aspects of people's lives. Luck just happens. It's not personal. It's not about a linear career path that led you to a moment of success. In fact, successful people often come from the outside. They have a true advantage because their mind is more flexible; they are not hemmed in by convention to behave in a certain way. They are free from preconceptions. IF YOU'RE A BUSINESS LEADER… Be willing to make good decisions right now and being willing to change later. Many leaders don't want to change once they've already invested significant resources into a project, but change will always come. IF YOU'RE A STUDENT (OR PARENT OF A STUDENT)… Maria encourages you to read fiction and poetry. Get curious about the world, beyond your current interests and skill-sets. Consider what you'll learn from taking the "outsider" courses that make you more curious. WHAT I LOVE MOST… the marriage of psychology, game theory and poker that uncovers insights to be a better leader and change agent. Being an outsider may come with challenges, but having a fresh perspective on the established set of wisdom may be the key to unlocking the unmet potential in yourself and your company. Get uncomfortable - seriously, it makes you (and your business) better. Running time: 40:55 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Maria on social: Website Twitter Facebook

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I have a great conversation with Steve Blank, a career entrepreneur and academic. Steve is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur in eight startups over two decades with four IPOs, and currently, he is an academic teaching at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, and NYU. Steve is also the author of The Four Steps to the Epiphany, which is credited with launching the Lean Startup Movement and the best-selling book The Startup Owner's Manual. Steve has been named to Thinkers50 top management thinkers, and recognized by the Harvard Business Review as one of 12 Masters of Innovation. He is also a senior fellow for Entrepreneurship at Columbia University. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… startups or those who want to be more innovative. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Steve begins our conversation by reminding us what a startup truly is: a temporary organization designed to search for and find a repeatable and scalable business model or repeatable and scalable sales model. Many times, startups are pressured to act like big companies, and established companies are encouraged to think like a startup. But the two are very different and deserve to be treated as such. Those caught between those two is what Steve calls "the frozen middle." IF YOU WANT TO BE MORE AGILE IN YOUR COMPANY… Step back and start by determining if you are an entrepreneur or an innovator. An innovator is the idea person who needs help with the physical work or with the business process. Whereas an entrepreneur is someone who knows how to make things happen. Steve opines that it is rare to have both skills. IF YOU'RE AN ENTREPRENEUR… Get comfortable with chaos and uncertainty. You have to be tenacious and resilient. Steve declares that if you're an entrepreneur who is succeeding, you're beating all the odds. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Steve's insight around the frozen middle got me thinking about different mental models, business models, and metrics, and how complacency can leave you stranded in a no man's land of little-differentiated value. Running time: 41:10 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Steve on social: Homepage Twitter LinkedIn

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I feature Steven Dennis on the show. Steve is the president of SageBerry Consulting, a strategic advisory firm focused on innovation and growth strategy for retail, luxury, and social impact brands. Prior to SageBerry, Steve was SVP, Strategy and Multi-channel Marketing, for the Neiman Marcus Group and earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions with Sears including Chief Strategy Officer and VP of Multi-channel Integration. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… sellers, retailers, and e-commerce marketers. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… It's true - some retailers are getting left behind, which means there is no shortage of store closings. Yet, even with the volume of closures, some retailers are actually growing and opening new retail storefronts. Why is that? Those that are thriving are becoming much more experiential, customer focused and have a clear, differentiated value proposition. If you want to make sure you are not left behind, ask yourself if you are fundamentally customer-centric and if you truly understand how your customers' behaviors are changing. You'd have to be living under a rock to not realize that there has to be innovation for retail across the board. Today, technology is "a must-have, not a nice-to-have." You must look at your customer beyond their demographic descriptions or other generic data points. Assess how and where your customers are influenced. Go beyond the single transaction to build relationships and create a lifelong customer. Notice how the customer buys and shops, and view those interactions separately. WHAT I LOVE MOST… We finally have the truth behind the adage, "retail is dead!" It's not - mostly. As much as people want to believe this blanket-statement, it's just not true. Yes, the digital download market has disrupted a few key players, but the markets that have focused on customer data and experiential shopping are going strong. Running time: 36:10 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Steven on social: SageBerry Consulting LinkedIn Twitter

Double-Clicking on Diversity and Inclusion Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I feature Dr. Tony Byers on the podcast. He is best known for leading Global Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at Starbucks where was responsible for developing and leading the strategic direction for D&I to drive engagement, innovation, and business growth. He's an accomplished inclusion and change management specialist with 20 years of demonstrated experience leading change in large, multinational organizations. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… people looking for more information on the power of diversity and inclusion to drive growth in business. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Tony begins our conversation by defining diversity simply as who you are (looks, background, etc). Inclusion, however, is a behavior driving people to be involved, respected, valued, and connected. In short, diversity is a noun and inclusion is a verb. These definitions not only encompass everything I (and my past guests have said all along) but is succinct, simple, and spot-on. Tony's research found that leaders do not see the full spectrum of diversity, which results in a lack of innovation. There's a small chance — the innovation window — when organizations can positively affect their product growth. This window lives at the top of the S-Curve when a product has peaked. How companies uncover WHAT I LOVE MOST… is the distinction between "D" and "d." Finding diversity goes beyond gender, race, ethnicity, age and other factors we cannot control. However, what we can control is our thinking styles and the ways in which we behave when working with people who are different in some way. I will continue to think about D&I as an all-encompassing term and will continue to talk about how D&I can help companies be better at growth, product development, and innovation. Running time: 32:53 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Tony on social: LinkedIn

Dr. Linda Hill, a top expert on leadership and innovation, dives into the misconceptions of innovation. She discusses how collaboration, not individual 'aha' moments, drives innovation. Dr. Hill highlights the messy, purpose-driven process of innovation and the importance of creating a supportive environment for innovative endeavors.

Leading expert Adam Grant discusses the importance of interpersonal interactions in team dynamics, emphasizing the need to screen out takers and create a balance of givers and matchers. He explores the value of diversity of thought for innovation and growth, and shares insights on navigating idea selection in innovation, promoting honesty, feedback, and credibility.

Michael Chavez, CEO of Duke Corporate Education, discusses the importance of purpose-driven leadership in organizations. Leaders are the storytellers of purpose, driving motivation and engagement. The podcast explores the evolving role of leadership, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and the art of making meaning in today's business landscape.