Wildly Capable by NovoEd

In this episode - the first of Season 2 - Todd and Alex interview Chris Forando, Sr. Director, Head of Organization Effectiveness at Subway. Chris explores how an organization is like a human body - its structure its skeleton, its people its muscle - and dissects the organizational joints, ligaments, and tendons that enable alignment at scale. He shares takeaways from his time as a Senior Instructor at the US Coast Guard Academy's obstacle course "The Crucible" - an 8-hour experience designed to test cadets' physical, mental and cognitive capabilities and facilitate the emergence of leadership. Chris also touches on Edward Lorenz's chaos theory and Ikujiro Nonaka's theories of organizational knowledge.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Kate Berardo - Vice President, Leader Development at Meta / Facebook. Kate discusses the importance of cultural self-awareness today for the broader workforce and how to build the cultural competencies needed to thrive. She also examines why true leadership necessitates being able to lead people from a variety of different backgrounds and sheds light on the value of championing and self-coaching.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Dan Cockerell - Disney Keynote Speaker, former Vice President of Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Author of "How's the Culture in Your Kingdom?: Lessons from a Disney Leadership Journey." Dan shares the techniques that he used to help employees manage unexpected events at Disney World and explores how Disney's teams collaborate cross-functionally and interdepartmentally to create seamless and magical experiences for its guests. He also examines the consequences of not giving effective feedback and its bearing on organizational culture.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Adam Neaman - Vice President, Learning & Development at The D.E. Shaw Group. Adam examines his alternative approach to fictional simulation-based training: "Directed Performance Support" (DPS), and how it reduces disparities between work and learning. Adam also dissects the value of sacrificing comfort for interest and challenge at work and shares his take on the relationship between knowledge transmission and knowledge creation.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Carol Sinko - Senior Vice President, Marcel Classes Global Lead at Publicis Groupe. Carol explains how Marcel's custom algorithms connect Publicis Groupe's 85,000+ employees to its learning assets and to one another, reflects on how to facilitate synchronicity and serendipity in remote work environments, and shares her take on how to make really complex concepts user friendly for optimal learning.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Rebecca Stein - Executive Director of the Online Learning Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Rebecca shares her take on capacity building and why social learning is so effective in developing communities of engagement and learning, as demonstrated through the GREAT (Groups for Economic Applied Thinking) and SAIL (Structured, Active, In-class Learning) programs at Penn. Rebecca also reflects on her time in basic training as part of the Israeli Defense Force and its unique connection to instructional design.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Ramzi Rahbani - Vice President of Product, Design & Engineering at ExperiencePoint. Ramzi explores the art and science of constructive pivoting and shares how lessons learned as a mechanical engineer at Rolls Royce inform his perspective on employee experience lifecycles today. Ramzi also discusses how to establish strong conditions for experimentation at work and the relationship between cultures of innovation and digital transformations.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Paul Hunter - Director of Programs and Learning Design at IMD Business School. Paul discusses the difference between transferred vs. transformed learning programs, how lessons from hostage negotiations can inform high performance leadership, and the role of unresolved grief in leadership development.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Max Brawer - Head of People Analytics at Twitch. Max shares how art and music inform his work as a people analyst, discusses how diversity and belonging deliver meaningful impact and explores what it means to be an anthropologist making a study of millennial workplaces today.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Chris Bivona - Vice President Human Resources Americas at PALFINGER. Chris explains his mantra (Global Framework, Regional Alignment and Local Flavor) and shares his take on how human capital is perceived differently around the world, informed by his work experience in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Chris also talks about the importance and value of relationships.

In this episode, NovoEd learning leaders Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Brian Padilla - VP, Human Resources Business Partner at Lionsgate Entertainment. Brian explores how his background in vocal performance and music informs his leadership capabilities, shares his perspective on the evolution of hybrid and remote work in the entertainment industry, and discusses the parallels between resilience in the performing arts and in corporate life.

In this episode, Todd Moran and Alex Gruhin interview Julie C. Henry - former zoo and aquarium senior leader, President of Finish Line Leadership and author of Wisdom from the Wild: The Nine Unbreakable Laws of Leadership from the Animal Kingdom. Julie discusses what animals from sea cucumbers and turtles to lions and hyenas can teach us about leadership capabilities and shares her perspective on how the "gray areas of opportunity," cross-functional and interdisciplinary thinking have bearing on capability building in the never normal.