Off The Shelf

In this episode of Off The Shelf John Metselaar talks with Bruce Vojak and Walter Herbst to review their recently published “No-Excuses Innovation: Strategies For Small- and Medium-Sized Mature Enterprises”.  The book's premise starts with a quote by Andy Grove: “Success breeds complacency.  Complacency breeds failure.  Only the paranoid survive”.   This should be the wakeup call for business and innovation leaders from medium-sized mature enterprises, but frankly pretty much everyone.  And it provides the basis for Bruce and Walter to offer a tangible, actionable recipe - covering process, people, and strategy perspectives - that, together, sets you up to generate the new value your innovation should deliver.

In this episode of Off The Shelf John Metselaar invites Ron Adner to discuss his recent, acclaimed book “Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World”.  The conversation uncovers insights on how to thrive in today's reality of ecosystem innovation.  In this environment, “Winning” takes on a very different meaning.  It's about taking an expansive view of your industry breaking through historical boundaries and then creating integrated solutions and value propositions for your customers, in partnership with others.  You win by building ecosystems (and not ego-systems) through alignment, relationships, collaboration, and trust.

In this new podcast, Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board, sits down with John Guerard, Director of Quantitative Research at McKinley Capital, to discuss his new book, "The Leading Economic Indicators and Business Cycles in the United States: 100 Years of Empirical Evidence and the Opportunities for the Future."   

The past two decades have witnesses sluggish economic growth, mounting inequality, dysfunctional competition, and a host of other ills that have left people wondering what has happened to the future they were promised. Listen in as our guest Stian Westlake gives us some key insights from the book he co-authored with Jonathan Haskel, Restarting the Future-How to fix the intangible economy. In the podcast we discuss how these problems arise from a failure to develop the institutions demanded by an economy now reliant on intangible capital such as ideas, relationships, brands, and knowledge.

John Metselaar sits down with author, Hortense le Gentil for a conversation about her recently published book, Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You're Meant to Be.  Together, they explore why today's leaders should above all cultivate the human touch, what's holding them back, and how can they overcome this. An inspiring, human conversation on Leadership!

Listen to the story of Kara Goldin, in which she shares insights from her life journey from “accidental entrepreneur” to founder of Hint. An accomplished podcaster herself, this time Kara found herself at the other side of the mic as John Metselaar hosted her for The Conference Board's Off The Shelf channel.  Listen in as they cover lessons from her life which she documented in her book. How she combined passion and purpose to develop a vision, turned into reality through commitment and perseverance.  How, in the process she faced her doubts and fears, confronted them (rather than run away), and rose above them.  And how her fundamental curiosity and keenness to learn had her break through every challenge.  Facing a problem, you don't give up, you dig in emphasizing "Well, what CAN we do".

Evert Bleijenberg joins John Metselaar from The Conference Board exploring a novel way to organize work in the future. Evert talks enthusiastically from his “Swarm Organization: Designing Work for a Resilient Future".  Listen to this podcast as we cover three main aspects: the concept of swarms, how to generate the mindshift required and how to learn to use "structure" as a verb (agile, situational) rather than a (rigid) noun. Inspiration for a more human culture and organization of happier, more fulfilled employees doing better work producing stronger results.

As anxiety about the crisis in the Ukraine and lingering burnout as a result of two years of the pandemic continue to increase, a lack of empathy is exacerbating tensions in the workplace. In this podcast, Rob Volpe discusses his new book, Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. His book demystifies empathy and presents five steps that anyone can use to get to empathy when they are interacting with others.

Ed Morrison introduces how to do strategy in today's world turned upside down, and how to connect it to innovation.  He lays the foundation on why and how to design ecosystems supported by collaboration, conversations, and (double-loop) learning.  He then goes to introduce his 2x2 questioning approach to lead forward and the 10 skills to apply throughout the journey of discovery.   A real, and uniquely applicable gem in today's complex, networked world!

Register Here for The Conference Board's Women Lead 2032 Festival on September 29-30,2022| Westin New York at Times Square | New York, NY: https://www.conference-board.org/events/women In this episode of Off the Shelf, Cindy Cisneros, Vice President, Education Programs, Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED), interviews Jennifer Barrett, Head of Content at Fidelity Investments on her latest book, Think Like a Breadwinner: A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More (and Worry Less).  Nearly half of working women in the U.S. are their household's main breadwinner. Yet most women still aren't being brought up to think like breadwinners. In fact, women are discouraged by institutional bias and cultural conditioning–from building their own wealth, pursuing their full earning potential, and providing for themselves and others financially. In this podcast, financial expert Jennifer Barrett reframes what it means to be a breadwinner and will answer questions on how she got to where she is today. 

In this episode of Off the Shelf, John Metselaar, ESF Center Director at The Conference Board, interviews Dan Toma, Founding Partner at Outcome, on his latest book, Innovation Accounting. Innovation accounting is a critical component of the corporate innovation process to manage its inherent uncertainty and risk. It complements the conventional financial accounting system.  It needs to be an integrated system of measures encompassing strategy, management, and tactics. In other words, we can change what we measure so let's measure what adds value!

In this podcast, Laura Sabattini, Principal Researcher at the Conference Board speaks with Dr. Rohini Anand, a strategic global business leader and trusted board member who has successfully transformed culture. Anand was the former SVP Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo and is currently Principal and CEO of Rohini Anand, LLC. Her book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Systemic Change in Multinational Organizations, offers several successful principles for companies to advance D&I across different regions. In this podcast, Dr. Anand shares her inspiration for the book and examples that can help organizations get a nuanced understanding of local context, culture, and language.

Overwhelmed by the volume and variety of HR software, apps, and platforms? In this podcast, HR research analyst, Stacey Harris discusses her new book, Introduction to HR Technologies: Understand How to Use Technology to Improve Performance and Processes. Writing in jargon-free language for non-technologists, Stacey also believes that C-Suite executives will also benefit by understanding how investments in HR technologies can be used to save time, streamline processes, and drive business performance. This book covers all the core areas of HR from administration and service delivery through talent management and analytics, as well as AI, machine learning, and the Internet of Things. With case studies from multiple organizations including Fedex and Macy's, this book is an innovative and practical handbook.

Why was there so little progress over last decades in sustainability and what is a pragmatic plan, each of us can engage with to tackle the global climate crisis and all the other challenges facing us, like loss of biodiversity, abuse of human rights or inequality and discrimination. Listen-in as our guest Andrew Winston gives us some key insights from the book he co-authered with Paul Polman, Net Positive. They reveal, for the first time, key lessons from Unilever and other pioneering companies around the world about how you can profit by fixing the world's problems instead of creating them.

Beyond Diversity: 12 Non-Obvious Ways to Build a More Inclusive World presents insights from conversations with over 200 diversity, equity, and inclusion experts who attended the inaugural Non-Obvious Beyond Diversity Summit in early 2021. The goal of the summit was to go beyond speaking about diversity to identify ways to take real action. The solutions from these discussions are compiled into one volume and organized into twelve important themes including: storytelling, technology, workplace, identity, retail, and more. The book offers an actionable blueprint for creating a more inclusive world.

In this episode of Off the Shelf, our guest Gabor George Burt introduces in his Slingshot book. An integrated, three-pronged approach to make the Blue Ocean principles more actionable: 1) Stretch the definition of the business you're in and want to extract value from, 2) take consumer satisfaction into “infatuation” implying its transient and needs to be constantly re-invigorated, and 3) look for “innovation shortcuts” by creatively combining existing elements into new solutions. Did you like what you heard in our podcast and want to learn more? You can get an e-copy of Gabor's only privately available, critically-acclaimed book 'SLINGSHOT' here: https://gaborgeorgeburt.com/get-the-book As a special treat to our podcast listeners, enter the coupon code 'SPECIAL' for a 30% discount. You can also contact Gabor directly at https://gaborgeorgeburt.com, using the 'Contact' tab

Global population ageing will soon reach a point where saving for retirement tips over into increased spending and demand for labor. This will result in much higher inflation and interest rates than many of us are expecting currently. Join us to hear Manoj Pradhan, Chief Economist at the independent macroeconomic research firm Talking Heads, on his latest book ‘The Great Demographic Reversal', which he co-authored with Charles Goodhart.

In times of chaos and uncertainty, steadfast and confident leadership is critical to the success of any organization. Yet, in our world of social unrest, sharp divisions, pandemic and fear, people seek leaders who are also sensitive to ethnic and cultural differences, listen to their concerns, and demonstrate empathy. A seasoned executive and mentor with experienced insights on preparing future leaders, Dr. Andrew Temte, CFA, President and Global Head of Corporate Learning at Kaplan North America, firmly believes: “The most important attribute of strong leadership is balance.” In his new book, "Balancing Act: Teach Coach Mentor Inspire,” Dr. Temte shares candid insights and timely lessons about the balance needed to succeed as a leader. A thought leader on issues related to workforce reskilling and upskilling, Dr. Temte's 30+ year career includes teaching and executive leadership roles in both professional education and higher education institutions. In his interview with Rebecca Ray, Dr. Temte introduces the concept of organizational entropy and dives deeper into the tools used to combat it. Specifically, Dr. Temte discusses the benefits of adopting a "Lifelong Learning Mindset," a unique view into the tenets of continuous improvement, the basic tools to identify and minimize waste in your business, the relationship between organizational health and business success, and the importance of having a laser-focus on your customer. More information on "Balancing Act" can be found here.

Craig Carroll, leader of The Conference Board's Communications Institute, sits down for an engaging talk with Eric Schwartzman about his new book, 'The Digital Pivot: Secrets of Online Marketing'. Drawing on his experience leading online marketing programs for clients such as Toyota, UCLA, Marine Corps, and dozens of small and midsize companies, Eric gives us key insights on how companies can effectively participate in the ever-growing digital economy. Eric shares practical advice and easy to follow strategies while covering a wide range of digital marketing topics such as SEO, social media, digital literacy as it relates to today's top business decision-makers.

Feeling anxious or stressed out? You're not alone as over 40% of the US population has been officially diagnosed with anxiety or depression disorders--up from only 8% pre-COVID-19. To find out how to thrive amidst adversity, join Dr. Leo Flanagan as he discusses his new book: Thriving in Thin Air: Developing Resilience in Challenging Times. Based on neuroscience, Dr. Flanagan shares tangible suggestions for how we can rewire our brains to reduce anxiety and improve our emotional health--including recommendations for focus, pragmatic optimism, and empathy. For more information, you can read his blog here or an article he coauthored, COVID-19 Reset & Recovery: Developing Resilience to Move Through Uncertainty to New Beginnings. Dr. Flanagan is a Distinguished Principal Research Fellow here at The Conference Board and the founder and president of The Center For Resilience.

Questions about remote work post-COVID-19? Join us to hear Kim Shepherd discuss her new book, Remote Work: Redesign Processes, Practices And Strategies To Engage A Remote Workforce. There are no magic wands but Kim does have some tangible recommendations and great stories. If you plan to have remote employees, work with a mixed or hybrid system, or have teams spread across different locations, this book will be your guide for the new normal. In addition, Remote Work includes case studies on how other top organizations use remote work as part of their talent strategy, e.g., Cornerstone OnDemand, AMN Healthcare, Buffer, and the United States Marine Corps. And if you're interested in The Conference Board's latest data on remote work, check out The Reimagined Workplace a Year Later: Human Capital Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Join Rebecca Ray as she and business strategy expert John Hagel III break down his new book 'The Journey Beyond Fear'.  In this conversation, John dives in on how to identify your fears, face your fears, move beyond your fears and how these lessons can apply to organizations and careers.  The pair also touch on the importance of cultivating your personal passions and harnessing the potential of platforms.

Join Dr. Curtis Odom, business leader and Executive Professor of Management in the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, as he shares his 20 years of professional insights, lessons learned, and personal experiences about how to be a successful business leader. What makes the writing of this book so beautifully ironic is that you will be reading the career learnings of someone who barely made it out of high school and yet found his personal definition of success as a business owner and full-time faculty member at a top business school in Boston. This book started with a student who gave Dr. Odom the greatest gift of his career: a transcript of his academic lectures taught over a fall semester in a college classroom that encapsulated an entire career's worth of experience. This engaged student distilled the insights from Dr. Curtis Odom lectures into simple, impactful statements that most influenced him as a student and now can be shared with the book's readers.

John Pabon founder of Fulcrum Strategic Advisors, talks with Uwe Schulte, Leader of the TCB Global Sustainability Centre about his book Sustainability for the Rest of Us. Why was there so little progress over last decades in sustainability and what is a pragmatic plan, each of us can engage with to tackle the global climate crisis and all the other challenges facing us, like loss of biodiversity, abuse of human rights or inequality and discrimination? Listen in as John gives you some insights into the book's 5 main points on how to tackle these hard questions.

How can civilian employers improve the way that they locate, hire, and retain military veterans and military spouses?  Join Rebecca Ray as she discusses this and more with Nathan Ainspan, Senior Research Psychologist with the Military-Civilian Transition Office at the Department of Defense and Kristin Saboe, Global Senior Manager for Organizational Research and Employee Listening at Boeing.  Their new book, Military Veteran Employment:  A Guide for the Data-Driven Leader draws on principles and research from industrial/organizational psychology and best practices from human resources management.  The discussion touches on the current state of veteran employment in the US and why it’s such an important issue, what separates their research from what’s been presented before, the benefits of veteran employment and the common misconceptions that civilians have about veteran employment.  Order Military Veteran Employment:  A Guide for the Data-Driven Leader here. Other related content from The Conference Board: Supporting Veteran-owned Businesses, Employees, and Communities – Are Corporations Doing Enough to Help? (Podcast, November 2020) Corporate Citizenship Watch: Supporting Military Caregivers During COVID-19 and Beyond (Webcast, July 2020)

John Mestelaar, co-leader of Innovation Institute at The Conference Board interviews Tendayi Viki on his latest book “Pirates in the Navy”. Listen in as Tendayi gives us a taste of some the insights this book provides. Tendayi endeavors to arm innovators with practice tools and guidance to navigate the choppy water of corporate politics while successfully transforming their companies.

Why does the gender gap still persist and how can we close it? In 2019, the gap between the percentage of women and the percentage of men in the workforce was the smallest on record. But despite these statistics, women remain underrepresented in positions of power and status, with the highest-paying jobs still remaining the most gender-imbalanced. The persistence of these inequalities begs the question: Why haven't we made more progress? Join Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg as they discuss their new book, Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work, and reveal the pervasive organizational obstacles and managerial actions that create gender imbalances – as well as important strategies both leaders and businesses can use to break these barriers down.

Since employees who walk out the door can cost their organizations up to 200 percent of their annual salaries to replace, retention is one of the most important issues facing businesses today. And with so many surveys reporting that employees are not happy and not working up to their full potential, engagement is also a serious and costly issue. And yet, how many talent management books truly stand the test of time? In its sixth edition and published in more than 20 languages, Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay provides managers around the world with 26 practical engagement strategies. Join internationally renowned Dr. Beverly Kaye as she suggests simple ways for managers to get started engaging their employees, ranging from the benefits of conducting stay interviews (first suggested in Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em over 20 years ago!) to why it’s essential to always tell the truth to when it’s appropriate to question the rules. Dr. Kaye challenges organizations to think about how they can keep their best employees through internal mobility and describes how diversity and inclusion are essential components to all 26 of the engagement strategies.

Craig Carroll, leader of The Conference Board's Communications Institute, sits down for an engaging talk with Professor CB Bhattacharya, H.J. Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics, about his new book, 'Small Actions Big Difference:  Leveraging Corporate Sustainability to Drive Business and Societal Value'. Professor Bhattacharya outlines how employees can take charge, the pathway to sustainable ownership, lessons learned from the pandemic, and driving business value.   

As we enter a new year that is sure to be filled with further disruptions, Jeff Schwartz’s new book Work Disrupted: Opportunity, Resilience, and Growth in the Accelerated Future of Work is essential reading for those looking to embrace these fast-paced changes as an opportunity to accelerate forward and flourish.  The challenge, in a nutshell, is that you can’t navigate 21st century work and careers with 20th century maps and mental models. Albert Einstein once remarked, “You can’t use an old map to explore a new world” but a lot of leaders are trying to do just that.  As Schwartz says, this new era of “accelerated change” does not have to feel as stressful and scary as it did this past year. But it’s essential that we reframe how we face the future. To do so, he maps out the skills and practices that require fresh perspectives as we prepare our workforces, workplaces and the definition of work itself for a very different tomorrow. You can find Work Disrupted here:  https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/human-capital/articles/digital-workforce-transformation-roadmap.html

Future growth will require that all corporations undergo… The Big Shift. The convergence of a changing demography, new technologies and a fragmented media ecosystem has transformed marketing as we know it, yet marketing to Latinos continues to lag significantly, bound by an outdated paradigm and a total market strategy that has failed to address an increasingly diverse marketplace. Join The Conference Board Chief Marketing Officer Chiqui Cartagena as she sits down with Dr. Jake Beniflah, Marketing & Communications Senior Fellow at The Conference Board and Executive Director of the Center for Multicultural Science, to discuss his new book, The Big Shift: Redefining Marketing in a Multicultural America. This book proposes the unpopular – namely that, in order to thrive, organizations must place multicultural consumers front and center of mainstream marketing and right size the traditional cultural silo.

How are the most successful businesses creating value and igniting smart growth in a fast-paced, competitive market? In his latest book, The Interaction Field: The Revolutionary New Way to Create Shared Value for Businesses, Customers, and Society, management expert and professor Erich Joachimsthaler maintains that only organizations that work to solve the immediate challenges of people today, as well as the major social and economic challenges of the future, will be the ones that continue to survive and grow. Join our Marketing Institute Leader JP Kuehlwein as he speaks with Erich about his latest book which offers a model to help generate, facilitate, and benefit from data exchanges among multiple groups – not just from customers and stakeholders, but also from suppliers, software developers, regulators, and even competitors. And how to ensure that everyone in this field can work together to solve big, industry-wide, or complex and unpredictable societal problems to help ensure future success for both your business and the public as well.

What are the major forces and emerging trends that are set to reshape luxury over the next decade? As a younger generation is entering the luxury market, they will bring new values and demands that will redefine the very meaning of luxury. Brands will need to take seriously issues such as diversity, sustainability, and ethical production. In his book, Future Luxe, Erwan Rambourg presents an in-depth and nuanced approach to those dealing with this changing market and its new demands, drawing on interviews with several CEOs from the largest brands, including Kering, Cartier, Puma, and Moncler, along with his own experience working over two decades in the luxury market. Join Erwan as he sits down with our Marketing Institute Leader JP Kuehlwein to discuss his book which offers powerful guidance to those both new to the industry, as well as veterans planning for continued success.

Have you ever followed your GPS device to a deserted parking lot? Or unquestioningly followed the advice of an expert—perhaps a doctor or financial adviser—only to learn later that your own thoughts and doubts were correct? Too often, we've stopped thinking for ourselves. With stark and compelling examples drawn from business, sports, and everyday life, Vikram illustrates how we have outsourced our thinking to a troubling degree, relinquishing our autonomy. Join Vikram as he discusses his new book, which offers an indispensable guide for those looking to restore self-reliant thinking in a data-driven and technology-dependent yet overwhelmingly uncertain world.

In these unprecedented times, when numerous employees are forced to work from remote locations, many wonder how they can continue to operate successfully – even from within the tightest and most chaotic of spaces? In her timely new book, Working From Home: Making the New Normal Work for You, author and Salesforce executive Karen Mangia explores how to make yourself vital to any organization without ever setting foot in an office building. Join Karen as she discusses her book which provides guidance on how to create a work-from-home culture designed for success and helps team managers and business executives prepare their employees for future work.

Even amid the seeming chaos, there's always that indispensable go-to person who thrives on their many working relationships with people all over the organization chart. How do they do it? In this practical book, talent guru and bestselling author, Bruce Tulgan, reveals the secrets of the go-to person in our new world of work and shows how go-to people think and behave differently, building up their influence with others, regardless of whether they have the formal authority.

Curiosity has profound implications for organizations, leaders and individuals inhabiting today’s digital reality. Pointing to practical tools and case examples, Simon Brown, one of the authors of The Curious Advantage and Chief Learning Officer at Novartis, makes the case for how curiosity can be the greatest driver of value in the new digital economy. Visit www.Curiousadvantage.com for more info on how to listen to a dedicated podcast and how to buy the book.

What does it take for women to succeed in a male-dominated world? Shannon Huffman Polson would know, serving as one of the Army's first female attack helicopter pilots, and eventually leading an Apache flight platoon on deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina. In her latest book, The Grit Factor, Shannon shares her own life lessons, as well as the candid stories of several other elite military women, to energize and enlighten current and aspiring leaders everywhere — whether male or female.

85% of the active population in the world is disengaged from their work. The dramatic impact on health and well-being, as-well-as the global economy is colossal. Employees and employers are getting stuck in transactional relations. In this podcast Demet Tunc, Council Director at The Conference Board interviews Olivier Onghena on his book 'The Book of Noble Purpose'. Together they explore the root cause of this issue and how bringing noble purpose into our lives, our enterprises, and the society we live in will alter things for the better.

Properly valuing brain gender diversity in the workplace is a competitive advantage. In ‘All the Brains in the Business’ Kate Lanz explores how the brain works and how it impacts the performance of individuals and the teams. Moderated by Demet Tunc, this podcast highlights the importance of knowing about how to enable conditions that create optimal energy flow in the brain. Creating a brain gender friendly work place through understanding the differences in the stress response of the brain and moving from ‘survive’ to ‘thrive’ mode are the main highlights of this podcast.

What's missing from gender equality efforts? Men. Research shows that when men are deliberately engaged in gender-inclusion programs, 96 percent of women in those organizations perceive real progress in gender equality, compared with only 30 percent of women in organizations without strong male engagement. Join co-authors David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson to discuss their important, new book which explores the critical role men can play in promoting gender equality at work.

The world is drastically changing. By 2030, a new reality will take hold, and before you know it, there will be more grandparents than grandchildren, the global economy will be driven by the non-Western consumers, there will be more global wealth owned by women than men, and there will be more robots than workers. So how can businesses prepare for what comes next? In his new book, Wharton Professor Mauro Guillen encourages us to consider the dynamic inter-play between a range of forces that will converge on a single tipping point -- 2030, and offers a guide to help revolutionize the way we think about cataclysmic change and its consequences.

Leaders have experimented with open innovation programs, corporate accelerators, venture capital arms, skunkworks, and innovation contests. Yet, most would admit they've failed to create truly innovative cultures. There's a better way. And it all starts with the power of habit. Join innovation expert and co-author of The Little Black Book of Innovation to discuss his latest book, Eat, Sleep, Innovate: How to Make Creativity an Everyday Habit Inside Your Organization, which offers a new guide for using the power of habit to build a culture of innovation. Hear groundbreaking research in behavioral science to provide a first-of-its-kind playbook for empowering individuals and teams to be their most curious and creative—every single day.

Join Chris Gentle talking to Mark Goyder, founder of Tomorrow’s Company, about his new book Entrusted.  In these volatile and uncertain times, the book captures how we can build better stewardship in companies.  The discussion offers some fascinating and practical insights on shifting away from extractive capitalism towards a new era of responsible wealth creation from around the globe.

Pet-owners now make up the fastest growing demographic of the US population, with the number of domesticated animals increasing at about five times the speed of the human population. This means that there is an entire economy that has been created just to serve this population. Join Mark Cushing, founder and CEO of the Animal Policy Group, as he talks with our Marketing Institute Leader, JP Kuehlwein, about his new book and how pets – and their owners – are transforming the American culture, economy and nation. https://conference-board.org/podcasts