The Amiel Show

Greg Thomas (who previously spoke with me here and here) and Jewel Kinch-Thomas of the Jazz Leadership Project join me to explore the extraordinary ways that jazz builds collaborative leadership. This is one of the most enjoyable conversations I've had on the podcast. I learned new ways of thinking about group flow states, elite performance, […] The post Collaborative Leadership Through Jazz With Greg Thomas & Jewel Kinch-Thomas (Episode 110) appeared first on .

Integral politics involves appreciating what's good, true, and beautiful and what's missing in every worldview in our culture. This is neither the mushy middle nor mere theory, but instead a practical way forward in a puzzling world. The idea of integral politics is straightforward: listen closely to every perspective, take the best, and jettison the […] The post Integral Politics With Jeff Salzman (Episode 109) appeared first on .

Mark Milstein has been thinking and talking about sustainable enterprises for a quarter century. In this conversation—which continues the Amiel Show's series on climate change, sustainable business, and clean tech—Mark and I discuss his professional and intellectual journey, how the field of sustainable enterprise has grown, what he's created at Cornell, why the private sector […] The post Sustainable Enterprises Over 25 Years With Mark Milstein (Episode 108) appeared first on .

This week, we turn the tables. Chris Chittenden, senior ontological coach and past podcast guest, interviews me about my journey with sustainable business. I found the experience liberating. We discuss why I started a series on climate change, clean technology and sustainable business, the people and ideas who have influenced me, how I work with […] The post My Journey With Sustainable Business (Episode 107) appeared first on .

Think about climate change. This can feel like walking on a knife's edge. This week, Theo Horesh brings this perspective and many other fresh insights to my series on sustainable business, climate change, and clean technology. Theo and I discuss what it is about human brains and human evolution that makes climate change such an […] The post Climate Change—Walking On A Knife's Edge With Theo Horesh (Episode 106) appeared first on .

What if we reframed climate change as an invitation to live a full and meaningful life? For business leaders, what if it provided the catalyzing purpose that so many of us seek? For my colleagues in the field of leadership development, why not us, and why not now? The first question is the theme of […] The post Climate Change & No-Matter-What Commitment With Terry Patten (Episode 105) appeared first on .

This week I launch a new series about climate change, sustainable business, and clean technology. My goal is to explore these big, complex topics from multiple perspectives, with an open heart, and for the purpose of generating positive action. Multiple perspective-taking matters because each way we frame these topics is both useful and limiting—in the […] The post Sustainable Business Goes Mainstream With Kevin Wilhelm (Episode 104) appeared first on .

  This week, contrarian business thought leader Carol Sanford joins me to discuss her new book, No More Feedback. If the title strikes you as both surprising and unnerving, welcome to the club. Within organizations giving and receiving feedback are widely considered noble acts. Although we may not be competent at feedback, we know it's […] The post No More Feedback With Carol Sanford (Episode 103) appeared first on .

Welcome to 3-minute Thursday. This week I introduce a way to bring more ease into your day. The practice is called Two Feet, Five Breaths. It takes one minute and requires no equipment. All you need is a place to sit and some form of breathing apparatus. (I recommend the lungs.) The other great thing […] The post Episode 102: Two Feet, Five Breaths (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

Teresa Woodland spent three decades working and living in China during its extraordinary economic and cultural transformation. Now back in the United States, she joins me to discuss what the West can learn from China. We discuss the Chinese ability to learn while sprinting, the virtues of systems thinking and embrace of paradox, how to […] The post Learning While Sprinting With Teresa Woodland (Episode 101) appeared first on .

Humble Leadership. Yes, those two words belong together. This week on the podcast, Ed and Peter Schein join me to discuss their book Humble Leadership. We talk about leadership as a verb, the relationships behind the Singapore economic miracle, innovation through psychological safety, script-based modes of adult relating, the costs of maintaining professional distance, giving […] The post Humble Leadership With Ed Schein & Peter Schein (Episode 100) appeared first on .

First, let's get one thing out of the way. Understanding trauma and how it functions is scientifically sound, empirically useful, and one of the most effective ways to develop to your full potential. The great challenge of adulthood is embracing complexity. We do this by taking on multiple perspectives in our minds and building this […] The post Episode 99: Resilience And Racialized Body Trauma With Diane Woods appeared first on .

The first time Roxanne Howe-Murphy and I planned to discuss the Enneagram, we were interrupted by an election. So we explored how to heal from Trump Shock (for those needing such healing). Life gives second chances. This week Roxanne and I took one such opportunity and ran with it. The Enneagram is a system for […] The post Episode 98: Why Enneagram Types Matter With Roxanne Howe-Murphy appeared first on .

Waiting four years to discuss Spiral Dynamics on my podcast is like waiting that long on a show about desserts before bringing up chocolate. Yes, Cindy Wigglesworth used Spiral Dynamics to help us make sense of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, but this week is our first in-depth exploration. And I'm excited to share it. […] The post Episode 97: Spiral Dynamics With Jon Freeman appeared first on .

Three ways to be happy is the topic of today's 3-minute Thursday. My inspiration is Martin Seligman's classic book, Authentic Happiness, which helped me cope through hard times and find joy and freedom in good times. Seligman describes the pleasure life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life. What are these and why do they […] The post Episode 96: Three Ways To Be Happy (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

The story of clean technology is invigorating. The story of global climate change is sobering. What quality of mind and what forms of deliberate practice are needed to hold both stories in place simultaneously—and remain mostly sane? I think about this question when I read about extreme temperatures, massive flooding, and drought…and then get in […] The post Episode 95: The Clean Tech Edge With Ron Pernick appeared first on .

  You can practice better than that. Seriously. It's time to raise the bar in organizations around how we practice leadership. That's why we've looked at how to practice leadership directly and on-the-job. But what, you might wonder, are these an alternative to? What are the most common current methods for improving as leaders? Listen in […] The post Episode 94: You Can Practice Better Than That (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

Unlocking leadership mindtraps. Up for it? I am. This week I'm excited to share another mind-stretching conversation with adult development expert Jennifer Garvey Berger. We discuss her new, shorter, faster, and easier book Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How To Thrive In Complexity. Once again, Jennifer helps me unpack, unlock and uncover some of the biggest questions […] The post Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps With Jennifer Garvey Berger (Episode 93) appeared first on .

(Delayed due to technical glitch. The gorilla sat on my media server. I swear.) Practicing leadership on the job. It's the single best way to improve what you do and who you are becoming as a leader. Practicing leadership on the job involves learning while you work. This is different from practicing leadership directly, the […] The post Episode 92: Practicing Leadership On-The-Job (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

Agile Leadership. The word “agility” has many meanings. As kids, we prided ourselves on being physically agile at sports–or disappointed by our lack of agility. In software, agile is a methodology and set of principles for producing products and engaging teams. What about in leadership? This week's guest, Jonathan Reams, joins me to explore agile […] The post Episode 91: Agile Leadership With Jonathan Reams appeared first on .

Practice leadership like athletes and chess masters! Welcome to 3-minute Thursday. Today's episode is about four ways you can improve your leadership by emulating top performers in sports, chess, and the arts. Let's say you want to become more skillful at having rigorous and respectful conversations with others. In my first book, Practice Greatness, I […] The post Episode 90: Practice Leadership Like Athletes And Chess Masters (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

In this week's episode, Michael Dolan and I show you how to bring about the results you want in life by combining two powerful action frameworks: Getting Things Done (GTD) and promise-based management. GTD, also known as workflow coaching, helps you manage agreements with yourself. David Allen, my guest on episode 13, outlined this model […] The post Episode 89: GTD And Promise-Based Management With Michael Dolan appeared first on .

Photo Credit: davidmoore326 Flickr via Compfight cc Do you know your people? Welcome to 3-minute Thursday. Today, I give you four questions to ask yourself about the people on your team so you can know them better tomorrow than you do today. Why is it important to get to know your people? To retain them. To […] The post Episode 88: Do You Know Your People? (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

Visualize. Welcome to 3-minute Thursday. Today's episode is about visualizing something before you do it. I tell a story that inspired me to integrate visualizing into my day-to-day life. And I invite you to start using this practice. All in 3-minutes. So you can stop listening—and start practicing. Listen to the Podcast Download l Listen […] The post Episode 87: Visualize It First (3-Minute Thursday) appeared first on .

Protecting liberal democracy from fascism isn't just important to the world, however imperfect, that we take for granted. It's also a path to the virtuous life. I've had this intuition for some time. But sometimes it helps to have another person with clear thinking to shape that intuition into a framework for making sense of […] The post Episode 86: Protecting Liberal Democracy & Living Virtuously With Theo Horesh appeared first on .

How do you know when you are alive in the life you are given, the one you were born to live? This week, I don't answer that question for you. In fact, I never will. Instead, please join me in exploring a question that fascinates and haunts me: is my life work solely about leadership […] The post Episode 85: Alive In The Life We've Been Given—My Journey And Yours appeared first on .

This week I look at the Kavanaugh/Ford hearings and the conversations about it from seven different perspectives. You will quickly discover how deeply immersed (OK, obsessed) I've been the past couple of weeks, how closely I've followed both the minute facts and the larger political and cultural story, and, at times, how emotionally involved I've […] The post Episode 84: Kavanaugh/Ford From Seven Angles [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

I've finally done it. I've recorded an interview that should not be played in the workplace. It's perfect for the car ride home or a weekend getaway with your partner. But do not listen to this with your coworkers over lunch or in a leadership team retreat. This episode is about sex, specifically in the […] The post Episode 83: Sexual Polarity In Marriage With Keith Witt [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

It's September. In my part of the world, that means soccer. Soccer was my first love in life. In fourth grade, the year I picked it up, I played for three hours after school every day. In this brief episode, I tell a story from that year.  It's a story of how a rag tag […] The post Episode 82: If You Can't Join Them, Beat Them [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This episode is for people in relatively healthy relationships who are wondering: what else is possible for us? Couples go through stages of growth. Over the past several decades, a new stage has broadly emerged that was barely visible before. Its features include: Balance between giving and receiving Successful patterns for managing tasks, sharing responsibilities, […] The post Episode 81: How Couples Grow Together Into “First Love” With Tom Habib [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

A year ago Sunday, white nationalists marched on Charlottesville, Virginia carrying torches and chanting “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us.” It was not a pretty sight. Most people I know found it abhorrent. The author Ta-Nehisi Coates did, too, but he wasn't surprised. In an earlier episode Diane Woods explained why. The […] The post Episode 80: White Nationalism And Male Identity with Elizabeth Debold [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Introducing… the first integral mashup on managing promises. I've pulled short audio clips from five past interviews and added my own commentary—all on the topic of how we get things done in life through conversation. This is my favorite topic in leadership development, particularly when meshed with other valuable frames, like the idea that we are […] The post Episode 79: Integral Mashup On Managing Promises [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This week's guest, Ruben Rodriguez, is one of the most brilliant designers of learning experiences for leaders. He's also an old friend and trusted colleague. Ruben is super funny. Yet he claims that I once advised him to tone down his humor. Ruben is also smart and accomplished. But he's so humble that I bought […] The post Episode 78: Rising Path With Ruben Rodriguez [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This is part two of my interview with Doug Silsbee about his important new book: Presence-Based Leadership: Complexity Practices for Clarity, Resilience, and Results That Matter. Part one is here. In this portion of the interview, Doug walks us through the core of his book: the nine window panes through which you can view leadership. It […] The post Episode 77: Presence-Based Leadership With Doug Silsbee, Part 2 [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Doug Silsbee joins me this week to discuss his remarkable new book: Presence-Based Leadership: Complexity Practices for Clarity, Resilience, and Results That Matter. The book, like Doug himself, is a grounding presence, a heart-felt invitation, and a wise synthesis. He meets you where you are—offering practical insights and clever experiments to try—and calls you to sink […] The post Episode 76: Presence-Based Leadership With Doug Silsbee, Part 1 [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Fasten your seatbelts. This week, we're going on a rollicking, rhythmic, high-minded, and heartfelt ride through the core of the American experience. Greg Thomas, our guide through the True but Partial Challenge on race and, more recently The Jazz Leadership Project with Jewel Kinch-Thomas, joins me again to steer us through this week's journey. Or should […] The post Episode 75: Stomping the Blues, Reimagining American Identity with Greg Thomas [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

You support Black Lives Matter and oppose racial discrimination because you want to help black people. If you have light skin, you can't get much more noble than that, right? Not quite. According to this week's guest, leadership coach and retired executive Diane Woods, the idea that white people need to be altruistic toward blacks […] The post Episode 74: Whites' Self-Interest In Opposing Racism With Diane Woods [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

 This week, writer and public speaker Greg Thomas, CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project, helps me launch a new podcast series on the American experience of race. Greg provides a refreshing and nuanced take on a complex topic. Listen to him, and you will find that race is not just a political issue or a moral […] The post Episode 73: Five Pivotal Thinkers On Race With Greg Thomas [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Is workplace friendship between women and men possible in a time of #MeToo? If so, what might it look like, and how can both women and men show up differently? In our important societal discussion about sexual harassment and power, these questions aren't exactly on the tips of people's tongues. Yet they are vitally important […] The post Episode 72: Friendship After #MeToo With Hilary Bradbury & Bill Torbert [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This week on the podcast, I welcome back Janet Crawford to discuss sexual harassment as an expression of high and low power tactics rooted in human biology. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and experimental psychology and her own professional and personal experience, Janet brings to light many subtle dynamics overlooked in […] The post Episode 71: Biology of Power & Sexual Harassment With Janet Crawford [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This week on the podcast, I welcome back adult development expert, Susanne Cook-Greuter, to discuss the most advanced stages of leadership maturity. Each of these stages is both increasingly complex—bringing new capacities and new challenges—and increasingly rare. We discuss: Self-actualizing or Strategist stage Construct-aware/Ego-aware or Alchemist stage Unitive or Ironist stage Susanne and I previously […] The post Episode 70: Later Stages Of Leadership Maturity With Susanne Cook-Greuter [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This week on the podcast, I welcome back Bob Dunham to discuss the transition from manager to executive. Bob heads up the Institute for Generative Leadership, where for three decades he has developed leaders and coaches. In episode 7, he described how to make reliable promises and the importance of listening for commitment. This time, […] The post Episode 69: Executives' New Promises With Bob Dunham [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Men, this episode is for you. Executive coach and author Sean Casey LeClaire joins me to describe his remarkable journey from a rough-and-tumble working poor hometown through flirtation with a professional sports career toward early success as an advertising executive and then discovery of what he calls “timeless wisdom.” This interview is filled with heartfelt […] The post Episode 68: Timeless Wisdom For Men With Sean LeClaire [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

How is a lie different from an ungrounded assessment, and why does this matter in leadership? Where does a leader's authority come from? What happens when you provide a well-grounded assessment that doesn't matter to anyone listening? I have a hunch that your answers to these questions will help you understand the peculiar and disturbing […] The post Episode 67: Lies, Authority, And Assessments With Chris Chittenden [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Men who are conscious of their sexual shadows at work are better leaders. They are less likely to do stupid things like sexually harass women or have illicit affairs. By spending less energy fighting their shadows, they can use their human superpowers to do good things like build great teams and guide them toward a […] The post Episode 66: Men's Sexual Shadow At Work With Keith Witt [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

[Update: in July 2017, Ba's school, Summa Academy, suddenly closed. It was a shock to our family and others.  The way Ba and the other administrators handled the ending fell short of what we wanted and expected given the closeness of our relationship the prior four years. It hurt. Still—and this is the main point […] The post Episode 65: Parenting 3-7 Year-Olds With Ba Luvmour [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

This week on the podcast, I welcome back Deborah Helsing to discuss Immunity to Change: what it is, why it matters for leaders and organizations, and how to overcome it. Deb teaches at Harvard and heads up Coach Learning Programs for Minds at Work, the company created by Bob Kegan and Lisa Lahey, who coauthored […] The post Episode 64: Overcoming Immunity To Change With Deborah Helsing [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

Still trying to make sense of the U.S. presidential election? Me, too. This week, leadership consultant and author Cindy Wigglesworth helps us understand what happened through the lens of worldviews. With an approach called Spiral Dynamics as our guide, Cindy describes how worldviews emerge progressively as we grow, what happens when they rub against each […] The post Episode 63: Using Worldviews To Explain The Election With Cindy Wigglesworth [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

It's been two weeks since Trump's victory shocked the world. An avid reader, I've been exploring 101 different interpretations of why he won, what his presidency means for the future, and what actions responsible citizens can take. I know many people who are still in shock even after undertaking practices to heal the body and […] The post Episode 62: Crisis, Healing, Civic Engagement With Terry Patten [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .

When the world turns upside down, when all that is solid melts into air, shock is a natural response. Often, the shock is individual: Death of a loved one. A cancer diagnosis. Loss of a job or home. And then there are events like the Cuban missile crisis, the Kennedy assassination, and 9/11. The ground […] The post Episode 61: Healing Trump Shock Using The Enneagram With Roxanne Howe-Murphy [The Amiel Show] appeared first on .