Guests: Ryan Redington, Amazon Music GM, & Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer An open door is an opportunity – and a risk. Assess that risk a little easier with the one-way and two-way door framework. It’s just one of the tools Amazon uses to innovate better and faster. In this episode, two Amazon execs explain how and why they innovate in areas outside of the company’s stereotypical retail business: in sustainability and in the music industry.The impact has been huge. Over 500 compani...
Dec 24, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Mike Hardy, founder & former director, Coventry University’s Centre for Peace & Security Is peace relevant to business? Absolutely, according to Mike Hardy. Profits and stability arise from peacefulness, yet we relegate its pursuit to nonprofit and government leaders. In this episode, Mike shares both his research and diplomatic experience to show how leaders in all sectors can create, and benefit from, peace and security in their communities and around the globe. Here's what Mike...
Dec 17, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Alicia Pittman, Global People Chair – Boston Consulting Group Fast and furious: that’s how change is hitting our workplaces with AI, multiple generations, and more. Yet Boston Consulting Group has figured out how to turn those changes into advantages. Their Global People Chair, Alicia Pittman, shares how to unlock all that potential in your business, too. Here's what Alicia and Maureen cover: Why BCG started reverse mentorships, and how that energizes their teams; What an exoskeleton does...
Dec 10, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Greg Moran, Former Ford Senior Executive How do you negotiate the best deal possible? Our guest, Greg Moran, shares the three key elements he discovered negotiating for Ford and other top corporations. The ultimate success, he found, came when both parties found great benefit in the results. Here's what Greg and Maureen cover: Why going for the win is less important than finding the win-win; Why the other party isn’t the enemy – it’s something else entirely; and Why the other side tries t...
Dec 03, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Christopher Washington, Franklin University Provost What awaits leaders in 2025? You’ll find out in this special future-scanning episode. We turn the tables this week, as our host, Maureen Metcalf, is interviewed by guest Christopher Washington, the provost of Franklin University. Maureen has determined the five major global trends which will affect leadership in 2025. It’s based on her countless interviews with CEOs and other though leaders over the past few months. Here's what Christoph...
Nov 26, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Ken Moore How can you have solutions for your customers before they even know they need them? Or BE the change instead of reacting to change? That’s all part of the job for Mastercard’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ken Moore. He says the rate of change for businesses will soon increase 400%, as if the world isn’t changing fast enough already! But no worries; Ken shares the keys to innovation and being ready for change with you in this episode. Here's what Ken and Maureen cover: The five thin...
Nov 19, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Jennifer Marriner, Sr. VP, & Sherri Haymond, Co-President, of Mastercard divisions What happens when innovation means life or death for your company? In this first of a two-part series of innovation at Mastercard, guests Jennifer Marriner and Sherri Haymond describe the ongoing innovations in their divisions: Global Acceptance Solutions and Global Partnerships, respectively. As customers and retailers alike continue to change how they move money, Mastercard must not only keep up with...
Nov 12, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Éliane Ubalijoro, Rwandan Presidential Advisor, Consultant, & Professor Clues about the leadership you’ll need in the near future are coming from unexpected places: Africa and genetics. Our guest, Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, shares success stories in leadership development she’s seen in African communities. Nuance, cultural competencies, and persistence stand out as qualities not usually seen in lists of leadership qualities, but they enhanced success – and with growing multiculturalism in ...
Nov 05, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Betsy Myers, Former White House Advisor, Author, & Leadership Consultant The concept of the ideal leader changed dramatically over the last few decades, and Warren Bennis was one of the first researchers to analyze modern leadership. Our guest Betsy Myers shares the traits he found, then merges that with her own extensive experience in leadership – which reaches right up to the President of the United States – to look at the continuing gender divide in corporate and political leadersh...
Oct 29, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Greg Moran, Former Ford Senior Executive We’ve distilled seven absolutely vital mindsets every leader must have to succeed. They’re extra critical in today’s business environment, which continues to evolve and change years after the infamous COVID quarantine. The only constant: there’s no going back to the old way of leading. In this episode, Greg Moran joins Maureen to discuss these seven mindsets, and give examples on their effectiveness from his extensive real world experience – from s...
Oct 22, 2024•30 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Gill Hickman, Jepson School of Leadership Studies Professor Emerita; Jorrit Volkers, dean of Deloitte University EMEA; and Cynthia Cherrey, CEO of the International Leadership Association “CEO clashes with their own corporate culture.” That’s the subtext of business headlines at least once a week. What’s going on? Simply put: they’re sticking with their old leadership styles, even though the world – and their own organization – has changed around them. The solution is simple: change…and ...
Oct 22, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Amazon Vice-Presidents Udit Madan (Worldwide Operations), Jamil Ghani (Worldwide Prime), & Sarah Rhoads (Workplace Health & Safety) Answer honestly: can you innovate? Most organizations can – but their leaders won’t. Fear of change is often cited, but the reality is they don’t know how. Amazon’s success is predicated on constant innovation, so leaders there have deeply embedded it into their business culture. In this episode, we hear from three high-level Amazon executives, each ...
Oct 15, 2024•42 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Cynthia Cherrey, CEO of the International Leadership Association, & Ajay Bramdeo, African Union Ambassador to the EU This classic episode, revisited, focuses on global challenges. Migration – legal and illegal – is just one major issue haunting the globe. As the world faces this, climate change, and other international challenges, what can you do? Plenty, as we learn in this episode! ILA CEO Cynthia Cherrey opens the conversation by discussing the frameworks and forum for the new lea...
Oct 08, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Deb Liu, Ancestry President & CEO You are who came before…personally and as a leader. Your ancestors have been shaping you for generations. That’s one key lesson from Deb Liu, who heads Ancestry, the world’s leading genealogical service. Even though we like to think we’re completely self-made, we’ve been heavily supported by our teams and communities. But, more invisibly, we’ve also been shaped by decisions our ancestors made generations ago: when they immigrated, who they married, th...
Oct 01, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece Do you want to lead like an Olympian…or a gladiator? The Olympics were founded by the ancient Greeks as a model for collaboration and cooperation, developing a city-state’s Olympians to their highest potential. That dovetails with the mission of today’s best leaders – and Greece’s former prime minister, George Papandreou, shares why that Olympic vision is all the more important now. As he shares with host Maureen Metcalf, it’s the key to ...
Sep 24, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Catherine Teitelbaum, Head of Family Trust at Amazon Your current skills can take you to surprising places. That’s the backstory for Amazon’s Head of Family Trust, Catherine Teitelbaum. It could be your story, too! Catherine started as a classroom teacher; she’s now a tech leader. And, as she tells host Maureen Metcalf, it was a natural progression…but one she never foresaw. In this episode, she shares her journey, how those skills were perfect as online companies realized they needed tru...
Sep 17, 2024•28 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Susan Cannon, Leadership Professor & Futurist, and Mike Morrow-Fox, Organizational Development & Leadership Consultant What you know now probably won’t cut it in a few years. You need to adapt your leadership skills to succeed through the next generation – and today’s guests tell us how! Futurist Susan Cannon and consultant Mike Morrow-Fox emphasize the need for modern leaders to develop higher-order skills to navigate the complexities and rapid changes happening now…and yet to c...
Sep 10, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: David Rodin, Chair and Founder of Principia & Former Co-Director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict Even the mightiest corporate juggernaut can crumble under an ethics scandal. But even minor ethics issues can taint your business – not just with PR, but in reduced employee morale, engagement, and more. But ethics can be taught, forged, and grown throughout an organization. Guest David Rodin researches and teaches ethics for businesses and militaries, and he sh...
Sep 03, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece, & Jorrit Volkers, Dean of Deloitte University EMEA Can you change the world? Our two guests have been doing it for years. In the first half of this episode, former Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou dives deep into defending democracy – and how the European Union has evolved into a model of independent nations resolving differences to band together for the common good. Then, Deloitte’s Jorrit Volkers unveils the reasons he c...
Aug 27, 2024•40 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Michael Morrow-Fox, Organizational Development & Leadership Consultant They say talk is cheap, but not listening can be very expensive. Yet many leaders don’t listen to their teams, especially in today’s climate of disagreements and divisiveness. So how can you have these difficult conversations, and keep your team running smoothly? Our guest, Mike Morrow-Fox, has the answer: conversational receptiveness. It’s a four step technique that moves the needle on workplace dialogue, so the l...
Aug 20, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Ambassador Thomas Greminger & Peter Cunningham (Geneva Center for Security Policy) War in Ukraine and Gaza. Disunity on climate change. Human trafficking. Water shortages. The list of international crises is growing. So where is the leadership to solve these global crises? It seems sadly lacking, but the qualities for this new kind of leader are well studied and defined at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). In this episode, GCSP's Ambassador Thomas Greminger and Peter Cunn...
Aug 13, 2024•48 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Chris Nolan, Director/Writer, & Michael Schindler, Writer/Exec. Producer, It’s VUCA documentary Do you face uncertainty with fear…or with confidence? In the 1980s, the US military began developing the concept of VUCA: ways to deal with Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Today, as change happens at an exponentially accelerating pace, anti-fragility is a key concept in not just surviving, but thriving through the chaos. VUCA experts and documentarians Chris Nolan and M...
Aug 06, 2024•34 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Faris Alami, CEO of International Strategic Management, & Christopher Washington, Provost & EVP for Academic Affairs at Franklin University You already know the workplace has changed. But have workers changed? Some have, but not enough. That’s where leaders come in. With AI, WFH, and more, work will continue changing at an ever faster pace, so leaders must provide ways for their teams to mentally retool, too. It’s called being future-fit: the ability to constantly learn new skill...
Jul 30, 2024•49 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Shruti Gandhi Buckley, SVP of Hampton by Hilton & Spark by Hilton How do you survive a disaster? Or, like Hilton, how do you thrive after one? The answer is: great leadership. The COVID pandemic devastated the hospitality industry, but Hilton’s leadership adapted to this new world. As guest Shruti Gandhi Buckley reveals, the hotelier’s leadership resiliently embraced change, risk, and diversity to emerge stronger than ever. Here's what Shruti and Maureen cover: Why connecting people –...
Jul 23, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guests: Cynthia Cherrey (CEO) & Mike Hardy (board chair), International Leadership Association Leadership theory is one thing; real-world leadership practice is another. But the International Leadership Association does both: taking cutting-edge leadership research from academics and incorporating them in the ILA's daily operations. Their goal is to identify and find solutions for the global challenges today’s leaders face. They chose Geneva, Switzerland, for their 2021 international confere...
Jul 16, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Steve Robinson, former Chief Marketing Officer, Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A – and their cows – are now an iconic fast food brand. That type of brand recognition doesn’t happen by accident: it requires great leadership creating a culture of innovation. What can you learn from their success? Steve Robinson unfolds the layers of leadership principles with real stories from Chick-fil-A’s history to demonstrate each one. Like other major brands, they’ve had PR bumps along the way, but worked throu...
Jul 09, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Leah Lizarondo, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (Carnegie Mellon University) & Co-Founder of 412 Food Rescue When an organization truly understands a problem and an innovative solution is implemented, people get behind it and true change happens. That’s the story of 412 Food Rescue. Leah Lizarondo saw massive food insecurity, and food waste recovery was the solution. Moreover, she reimagined food recovery as an organization that solves multiple problems. Leah joins host Maureen Metcalf to d...
Jul 02, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Dave Levy, Vice President of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Worldwide Public Sector (WWPS) AI is all the buzz — but how do you lead your team through all the noise to find what works for you? Dave Levy clears the noise in this episode. By helping governments discern the best AI tools to serve their communities, he sees the qualities any leader needs to look for…and security is right at the top of the list. So is education, including growing the talent pool to meet demand! Here's what Dave and ...
Jun 25, 2024•34 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Helle Bank Jorgensen, CEO & Founder, Competent Boards Is your board ready to steer your business into the future? Probably not… Your board of directors must have several critical competencies to truly benefit your organization. Competent Boards CEO Helle Bank Jorgensen goes through those requirements with host Maureen Metcalf. They start with a primer on ESG – a concept some US politicians have maligned, but understanding it holds opportunities and future profits. Produced in associat...
Jun 18, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest: Sander van ‘t Noordende, CEO, Randstad The world is becoming talent-led. The talent pool is shrinking, which means leaders must radically shift their thinking on how to recruit — and retain — top performers. Fortunately, Sander van ‘t Noordende sees a number of solid solutions arising from his vantage as CEO of multinational HR firm Ranstad. He shares them with host Maureen Metcalf in this episode. Here's what Sander and Maureen cover: The Big Three issues nearly all corporations and gove...
Jun 11, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
