Podcast Blog

Learn what motivates you and others so you can collaborate better

While I have used the Enneagram personality framework with clients, I have never had as great a discussion about it as I had with Karl Hebenstreit. Karl is a certified executive coach, organization development consultant, international speaker and author of two books: The How and Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram and Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision (for younger readers). So what is the Enneagram, you may ask? More than just another personality test or behavior identification technique, this human psychology-based theory opens your mind to how you see yourself, the teams you work with, and the world at large regarding motivation and behavior. Which of the nine personality types are you? Listen to Karl to find out!

Hear how you can be the change your organization needs 

Can you build better businesses by creating positive cultures in which people can work with joy instead of dread? Yes! That's the premise of Marcella Bremer's book, Developing a Positive Culture where People and Performance Thrive, which focuses on helping organizations achieve more effective, productive cultures. I interviewed Marcella for this podcast back in 2018 and what she said about how you can be a force for change in your organization even if you're not a CEO or boss or manager was so groundbreaking that I want to share our conversation with you again, in my salute to amazing women throughout the fall. Marcella also leads a Positive Culture Academy where you learn how to apply her principles. Every working person needs to hear this!

Hear why a great customer experience means everything

I am always excited to share a great woman’s story with you, our audience. Melissa Copeland is a great woman to know. She had a wonderful career, as so many women have had, only to discover that flying all over the world was not great for her family, or even herself. She pivoted and launched Blue Orbit Consulting, which allowed her to refocus her attention on clients closer to home and on projects dear to her heart—like improving customer interactions for her customers. Our conversations roam all around the challenges she, and I, see among our clients as their customers are changing, service expectations have dramatically shifted (where fast means right now), and staffing has become an uphill climb, to say the least. What to do? Call Melissa, who brings her expertise in organizational transitions and interpersonal growth and development to the task at hand. Clients love her approach, and I think you will as well. Enjoy. 

Hear how to build a culture that values men and women 

There are times when you are fortunate to meet exceptional women. Kim Graham Lee is one wonderful woman who is moving in a very important direction — how to build allyship for men and women. Kim is the CEO of Integrating Women Leaders (IWL) which is joining with Women Business Collaborative, of which I am a member, to conduct the first nationally-focused study to measure the practice of allyship with women in corporate America today. The primary focus of IWL's 2022 benchmark study is to take stock of where we are in building better cultures where men and women can support each other. This is truly groundbreaking...please plan to listen.

Learn a new way of thinking for new types of solutions

Have you ever really wanted to know how to think about a problem in a new way? Maybe you need to improve your company’s communications and conversations. Or your employees' motivation and productivity. Perhaps a Design Thinker could help you step back and objectively observe what the problem is and how you could conceptualize different ways to resolve it. Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Perrine. We have known each other for quite some time, and I am endlessly amazed at what she brings to our audience. Please listen, learn and share!

Learn how to attract and retain the best staff for your business

In this podcast, I was so excited to speak with Kip Wright about the work he has been doing to help corporations and businesses find the right talent and retain them with great performance. Having been an executive in banking and healthcare organizations, I remember far too well the pain of attracting and retaining the right staff. If we went too far afield to find new talent, they often could not fit into the existing culture — even when we wanted to change that culture. If we found the "right" staff, we had to develop and retain them. It is not easy to run a business. Does this speak to you? Lots to learn here from Kit!

Learn how you can become a more dynamic, effective leader

Alain Hunkins is the author of a new book, "Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets
to Building Strong Leaders," which offers a very impactful way to develop leaders. As you know, I direct two leadership academies for two clients. And what I’ve learned over the years is that leaders need to lead to the right places and followers need to know what work they need to do to get there. As you'll hear in our podcast, it’s not that easy. Alain and I talk about recognizing the bad habits inherited from previous generations of leaders and why “old-school” leaders flounder in the “new-school” world. Please listen, learn and share.

Hear how the pandemic is affecting gender roles at work

What impact has the pandemic had on women in the workplace? Andie Kramer, who is featured in my new book,"Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business," and her husband Al Harris share their perspectives during this repeat of our podcast interview in 2020. All throughout March, Women's History Month, I've been re-posting podcasts I've done with the amazing women in my book, and I really wanted you to hear this one. Andie, Al and I talk about how people change, or resist change. Especially now in this upside down time, take a listen.

Learn how to finally solve office politics! 

In this podcast with Nancy Halpern, I had the amazing opportunity to learn more about how she helps companies find workable solutions to that awful problem of office politics. You might think they just come with the territory, that office cultures are all the same: inherently competitive, male-driven and toxic. Well, maybe that is not true. And it doesn’t have to be for your organization. Nancy will help you see how to use her proprietary Political IQ model to assess your organization and pinpoint the sources of the disruptions that are threatening your workplace — particularly during these times of remote work and a new normal. If you want to focus on what matters most and get things done, I urge you to listen.

Learn how today's crisis affects women and gender roles

We have a serious concern about the impact of the pandemic on women in the workplace. So, we invited Andie Kramer and Al Harris back to share with us their perspectives. On April 1^st, Andie had a new article published in Forbes entitled, "Why Stay-At-Home Orders Might Be Good For Gender Equality."  Or, if China is a leading indicator, it might be good for divorces. While we have been called futurists, this is not a time for us to offer anything that sounds like “certainty.” But we do know that these times are changing, fast, and we will have to as well. In this podcast, Andie, Al and I talk about how people change, or resist change. Especially now, please listen in.

Learn how to change so you can really grow!  

Jackie Kibler brings to our listeners a fresh perspective on how to run a business, just better. It is always a challenge for us to work with clients who have great ideas but are not great at growing them, managing the daily tasks, or developing the scalability that is needed. One of our favorite clients could have really used Jackie. Like those in my book, "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights," this client just didn’t have the processes or perspective to see what was all around them. Jackie's business uses the methods of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to help companies obtain accountability from their staff, the communication needed to stay on strategy, and the focus required to grow. Maybe she can help you grow too?

Learn how to arm your employees with a sense of purpose!

Stefan and I had one of those great podcast discussions that took us into the work he is doing to get people to pay attention to our sustainability challenges. Unless we stop what we are doing to our environment, we won’t have much left of the earth to live on, he firmly believes. But what I most enjoyed about our talk was learning how Stefan is mobilizing communities to change. As culture change experts, that's what we're all about at SAMC: helping organizations and the individuals within them change. Want or need to change? Stefan teaches us how to do it, now.

Learn how a nomadic mindset helps you see where you are going!

I was introduced to Anthony Willoughby by Diana Wu David after our podcast interview. She said, “You just must meet Anthony. He will take you on his adventures around the world where people learn to build their trust and their abilities to work together.” So I  did! As you will hear, Anthony grew up in Africa, wandered the world, and  much like an anthropologist, learned how to observe, listen and learn from different cultures, particularly nomadic tribe s. This led him to found the Nomadic School of Business, whose c oncept of a nomadic mindset helps leaders and their teams achieve clarity, purpose and agility. There's so much to apply to your own teams...enjoy.

Learn how to completely transform how women are described!

As so often happens, I found Sarah Soule as I wandered around the internet looking for women doing amazing work trying to dismantle the stereotypes that shackle women and keep them from rising. Dr. Soule co-authored an outstanding article in the June 2019 Harvard Business Review, “The Stereotypes in MBA Case Studies,” in which she describes her research on case studies and gender stereotyping within Stanford University’s MBA program. In the study, Sarah and her co-authors examined 249 case studies used in Stanford’s MBA core curriculum from 2015-2017 and found similar trends as Symons and Ibarrain in their 2014 research, “What the Scarcity of Women in Business Case Studies Really Looks Like.” The common thread? Continual reinforcement of outdated (false) gender stereotypes. So much to learn here. Don't miss this!

 Tristan White explains why culture is everything!

What if you started on your life's journey only to find out that it wasn’t really what you wanted to do? Perhaps you thought you'd become a teacher, until you realized you were never going to love it. Or you thought engineering was your calling, until you found out you weren't very good at math. Today's interviewee, Tristan White, thought he was going to be a physiotherapist working with sports stars helping them stay healthy and agile, until he actually started doing it. Not loving it, he pivoted, and the rest, as he will tell you, is history. We can all learn from Tristan's story!

 Roger Dooley explains how your business can run smoothly and more powerfully!

I brought Roger Dooley back to our podcast because he is publishing his next book, Friction: The Untapped Force that Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage, which might just be your next “must read." Think about it: In 2016, $4.6 trillion of merchandise was left in abandoned e-commerce shopping carts. Every year, the U.S. economy loses $3 trillion in productivity due to excess bureaucracy. Red tape and over-complicated licenses have enabled China’s GDP to exceed India’s by $82 trillion in just three decades. According to Roger, these statistics illustrate the real and growing threat of “friction,” which he defines as the unnecessary expenditure of time, effort or money in performing a task. There's so much we can learn from him...be sure to listen in!

 Richard Sheridan shares how to build a workplace full of joy!

A little over a year ago, in January 2018, I had the pleasure, or should I say “joy,” of speaking with Richard Sheridan and several of his staff about the Joy he has infused into his business, Menlo Innovations. After leading a workshop on culture change at a conference hosted by Richard, I've grown very fond of him and his approach to life, not just business. He now has a new book out, “Chief Joy Officer,” a powerful follow-up to his first book, “Joy, Inc.” In his book and in our podcast, Richard shares his approach to leadership. Definitely listen, learn and share!

 Listen now as Roger Nierenberg explains how The Music Paradigm helps you see your organization with fresh eyes!  

We are delighted to have with us today Roger Nierenberg, an exceptional conductor and innovator who has taken his musical passion and skills and become a “go-to” inspiration for businesses. Through the metaphor of music, Maestro Nierenberg helps organizations “see, feel and think” about themselves with fresh eyes. Quite amazing. Very anthropological, which as you know, is right up our alley! Wait til you hear—and I mean hear—this pioneering musical genius. 

 Listen now as Maureen Berkner Boyt explains how diversity and inclusion are very good for business!  

Many years ago, the founder of The Moxie Exchange, Maureen (Mo) Berkner Boyt, walked out of yet another leadership meeting where she was the only woman present and thought, “Something has got to change.” So she changed it. Since then, her company Moxie has grown into a thriving community of corporations committed to building inclusive workplaces, as well as women committed to leadership development and professional growth. Its mission? To disrupt unconscious bias and create inclusive and diverse workplaces where talent can thrive. Listen!

 Listen now as Mike Scott explains why accountability is so important to an organization's success!

One of the reasons I love our On The Brink podcasts is that they give me, and you, the opportunity to learn from thought leaders, CEOs and consultants who want to help you see, feel and think in new ways so you can actually soar. This often means taking a look at your company processes and determining if they need changing, something that my guest today, Mike Scott, specializes in. Mike's focus is accountability: why it matters and how it can really be the key to an organization's success. How do you help a person become more accountable? Mike tells us!