Podcasts about Enablement

The structural shift highlighted in this episode is a move from simple AI enablement to a managed service model centered on agent governance, enforcement, and workflow automation within IT environments. The episode identifies unmanaged AI agents as a source of escalating risk, citing vendors like Scalepad shifting from remote monitoring to SaaS and AI usage discovery, and referencing research and audits from SNCC and Verizon that identify tangible security flaws and unapproved AI activity within organizations. Managed service providers are increasingly positioned as the operational layer that defines and enforces governance over automation systems, rather than simply deploying AI tools. The primary evidence for this shift is found in audit findings and market reports. SNCC's audit of 4,000 AI agent skills showed over a third had at least one security flaw, while Verizon's data cited by The Register noted a fourfold increase in employees using unauthorized generative AI, with 28% of data loss prevention violations involving code or proprietary data submitted to AI platforms. Gartner, as reported by The Register, predicts 40% of organizations will demote or remove AI agents due to failed governance efforts—attributing the problem to all-or-nothing approaches that lead to operational and compliance failures. Secondary developments reinforce the move toward operationalized governance. Scalepad and Watchguard are bringing AI and SaaS governance capabilities to the MSP channel, with product releases focused on real-time discovery, policy enforcement, and automation control. Incidents like Anthropic's leak of its full source code for Claude Code, exposing permission and sandboxing details, illustrate how transparency in AI agent operations can also create attack vectors—emphasizing the need for robust operational controls and ongoing auditability. The market is shifting to sell "coherence"—packaging identity, permissions, and workflow automation—rather than just technological capability. Operationally, the consequences for MSPs include increased responsibility for defining and enforcing permission boundaries, approval rules, and evidence collection. Failure to address agent governance will expose providers to operational ambiguity, unpriced liability, and recurring support burdens. The guidance is to move beyond AI enablement projects and toward agent operation retainers that include clear workflows, permission maps, execution logs, and contractual clarity on responsibility and incident management. MSPs that cannot prove and control agent behavior risk inheriting the complexity and fallout from system failures or misuse. 00:00 Shadow AI Surge  05:01 Context Is Infrastructure 07:46 Agent Control Plane 11:16 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  JumpCloud TimeZest 

 Ramkumar Narayanan | EVP, Head of India and Philippines,AI technology Enablement,FIS  Ramkumar Narayanan is a global leader focusing on data driven, digital product innovation spanning consumer and enterprise markets. He brings a vast experience in product development, product management and product marketing having led both new market entry and turnaround of existing business areas. He has been an advisor to Enterprises, large and small, in the arena of digital transformation, product strategy and product marketing. Ram is currently EVP Technology & Services at FIS India and Philippines. Prior to joining FIS, he served in global leadership positions at VMware, eBay, Yahoo! and Microsoft. He started his career in the auto industry in US developing software solutions for design and packaging of automotive suspension and powertrain systems. Ram formerly served on the Executive Council of NASSCOM and was Chairperson NASSCOM Product/Deep Tech Council.Ramkumar Narayanan holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Anna University, Chennai, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering & MBA from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  

Link: http://www.five1.de/podcast/leitfaden-ai-governance Alle wollen KI nutzen. Aber kaum jemand hat sauber geklärt, wer eigentlich Verantwortung trägt, welche Daten genutzt werden dürfen und wann eine KI-Entscheidung vertrauenswürdig ist. Genau hier beginnt AI Governance. In dieser Folge von AI or DIE spricht Andreas Wiener mit Christian Bühler darüber, warum KI nicht an fehlender Technologie scheitert, sondern an fehlenden Leitplanken. Denn schlechte Daten, unklare Rollen und Schatten-KI werden durch künstliche Intelligenz nicht gelöst — sie werden skaliert. Christian erklärt, warum Unternehmen zuerst verstehen müssen, was bereits im Einsatz ist, bevor sie neue Regeln aufstellen. Denn viele Mitarbeitende nutzen längst KI-Tools, oft ohne klare Freigaben, ohne Governance und ohne Bewusstsein für Risiken. Dabei geht es nicht um Bürokratie. Es geht um Enablement. AI Governance soll Unternehmen nicht ausbremsen, sondern handlungsfähig machen. Sie schafft Rollen, Verantwortlichkeiten, Entscheidungsregeln und Transparenz. Erst dadurch wird KI aus einem Experiment zu einem skalierbaren Bestandteil des Geschäfts. Die zentrale Botschaft: Wer KI produktiv nutzen will, braucht Vertrauen. Und Vertrauen entsteht nicht durch Hype, sondern durch Governance. ⸻ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Warum AI Governance jetzt Pflicht wird 00:41 – Warum KI Datenprobleme sichtbar macht 01:24 – Feedback zur letzten Folge über Datenfundamente 02:15 – Unterschied zwischen Data Governance und AI Governance 03:56 – Kann man KI-Entscheidungen vertrauen? 05:16 – Warum Bestandsaufnahme der erste Schritt ist 06:20 – Schatten-KI und unbekannte Tools im Unternehmen 07:10 – Warum AI Governance mit einem Use Case starten sollte 08:28 – Bestandsaufnahme: Fehler finden und Blueprints erkennen 09:44 – Governance als Enablement statt Kontrolle 10:46 – Warum Regeln bessere Ergebnisse ermöglichen 12:05 – Rollenmodelle: Wer trägt Verantwortung? 13:55 – AI Owner, Risk Officer und klare Zuständigkeiten 14:39 – Warum Berater Governance anschieben, aber nicht leben sollten 15:55 – Betriebsrat, IT, Compliance und Management einbinden 17:20 – Warum AI Governance kontinuierlich weiterentwickelt werden muss 18:55 – Standards, Zertifizierungen und neue Anforderungen 20:00 – Fehlerkultur als Bestandteil von AI Governance 21:59 – Typische Fehler: sensible Daten, fehlende Transparenz, schlechte KPIs 23:19 – Warum AI Governance dynamischer ist als Data Governance 24:30 – Monitoring von AI-Systemen als neue Pflicht 25:13 – AI Governance als echter Wettbewerbsvorteil 26:37 – Die wichtigsten Prinzipien in einer Minute 28:18 – Vom Macher zum Dirigenten: Die neue Rolle des Menschen 30:29 – Guide, Austausch und Abschluss

What happens when early success teaches you confidence… and failure teaches you who you really are? In this episode, Christin and Amber sit down with INSPIRED Vibe's Director of Sales Strategy and Enablement, Phillip Lechter, to talk about the unusual journey that led him from the family business of Rich Dad Poor Dad to sales leadership, coaching, entrepreneurship, and helping companies sharpen how they communicate and grow. Raised around some of the biggest names in personal development and business, Phillip learned early lessons about sales, leadership, risk-taking, and skill-building. But it wasn't until the 2008 housing crisis forced him to rebuild after major losses that he truly understood resilience, humility, and the importance of constantly evolving. Key Topics: Growing up around entrepreneurs and major motivational leaders Why learning skills matters more than chasing titles or income The business and life lessons hidden inside failure and reinvention How sales messaging and coaching became his long-term passion Why pivots, persistence, and experimentation create unexpected opportunities If you're building something, reinventing yourself, or trying to become better at leadership, sales, or life, this conversation is for you. It's especially valuable for those navigating career pivots, setbacks, or seeking personal growth. It challenges the idea that success is linear and reminds listeners that long-term growth comes from continuously learning, adapting, and staying willing to move forward even after failure. Like, subscribe, and listen for more real conversations with leaders, founders, and people who are dedicated to growing. Follow INSPIRED Vibe     IG: https://www.instagram.com/inspirethevibe/    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inspirethevibe    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@inspirethevibe     LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirethevibe/        Follow the hosts and guest  Christin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christindaniels/    Amber's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhalvorson/    Phillip's LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/philliplechter/

In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Tobias Stölkler über seinen einzigartigen Weg vom Aufbau eines PreSales Teams im Hyperscaling-Modus bis hin zur neuen Rolle als Vertriebsleiter. Wir tauchen tief ein in die Herausforderungen, Stolpersteine und echten Learnings, die entstehen, wenn man in nur zwei Jahren von drei auf dreißig SEs wächst – und warum nicht klassische PreSales-Profile, sondern ehemalige Controller und Accountants den Unterschied machen können. Tobias gibt Einblicke, wie Enablement, Technologie und ein eigenes Scoring-Framework messbar machen, was das Team wirklich beim Kunden bewegt. Außerdem sprechen wir offen darüber, wie sich der Perspektivwechsel vom PreSales zur Sales-Leitung anfühlt – und warum echte Kollaboration zwischen AE und SE viel weiter gehen muss als bisher. Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen, viel Praxis, wenig Theorie – und garantiert keine Werbeveranstaltung. Tobias bei LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-stölkler-8191539b/ ----------

Während die Schlagzeilen fast täglich neue Modell-Updates feiern, plädiert Fabian Ulitzka (Gründer von faive) für einen Perspektivwechsel. In dieser Folge von Digitale Vorreiter:innen erklärt der erfahrene Unternehmer, warum Unternehmen nicht primär technologischen Trends folgen sollten, sondern ihre eigene Wertschöpfung konsequent neu definieren müssen. Fabian räumt mit dem Mythos auf, dass KI lediglich ein Werkzeug zur Effizienzsteigerung ist. Er zeigt auf, wie Marketing-Teams durch echtes Enablement und den Einsatz von KI-Agenten den Sprung von der reinen Content-Produktion hin zu echter Innovation und nachhaltigem Wachstum meistern.

JD Dillon is a Speaker, Technologist, and Author of The Frontline Enablement Playbook, a new book focused on helping organizations better support frontline and deskless workers. In this conversation, JD shares why frontline managers are some of the most important and overlooked people in the workplace. He unpacks the challenges they face every day, from constant unpredictability to limited support, and explains why traditional leadership development often misses the mark. Finally, JD also explores what organizations can do differently to better enable frontline teams, build stronger workplace communities, and create environments where people can thrive. LinksJD's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jddillon/JD's Book: https://jddillon.com/frontlinebook/

“If you can prove value with a live prototype, selling the business case becomes much easier.”

THE BACKSTAGE | Dive into Patrick Lencioni's The Six Types of Working Genius, nicknamed “WIDGET,” explaining how work moves through ideation (Wonder, Invention), activation (Discernment, Galvanizing), and implementation (Enablement, Tenacity). Dylan, Vic, Anna and Abbie discuss how Working Genius clarifies which people need to be in which meetings, why meetings get frustrating, and how teams can identify missing “gifts.” They share their own pairings, competencies, and frustrations, connect the model to the other personality profiles used at C21SRE, and emphasize using the framework to collaborate better, reduce anxiety, and intentionally pull in complementary teammates. You can access the resource here. In this episode:   00:00 Behind the Curtain Intro   01:07 Why Working Genius Matters   04:35 Tools and Unique Ability   06:25 Three Phases of Work   08:44 Wonder and Invention   10:46 Discernment and Galvanizing   13:16 Enablement and Tenacity   20:13 Team Results and Frustrations   24:45 Missing Genius Frustrations   26:26 Discernment Isn't Intelligence   28:34 Filling Gaps on Teams   29:03 Vic Questions Her Type   32:18 Unique Ability Shortcut   35:20 Comparing Everyone's Statements   39:39 Team Takeaways and Next Steps   41:06 Using Widgets in Meetings   47:14 Building the Self Awareness Framework   48:54 Quarterly Check-ins Ahead   49:14 Onward and Upward Wrap   Subscribe to the More Than More Podcast for new weekly episodes as we discuss building meaningful and impactful businesses, careers, and lives through real estate. Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube 

The second of three episodes recorded at Google Cloud NEXT, Las Vegas in partnership with Kyndryl where we explore how enterprises are moving from AI experimentation to real, scaled impact, across infrastructure, applications, customer experience and workforce transformation. Host Russell Goldsmith was joined by: 1/ Anshu Kak, Global Vice President Google Cloud, Kyndryl 2/ Rajiv Batra, Director, Head of GSI Partnerships, Google 3/ Kieren Johnson, Head of IT, Ocado Retail 4/ Kimberly Agin, Head of Business Performance and Enablement, KeyBank 5/ Mauro Flores, EVP of Data Democratisation, Virgin Media O2 6/ Ryan Henry, Director, Infrastructure and Support, Randstad US Anshu Kak, Global Vice President, Google Cloud at Kyndryl, and Rajiv Batra, Director & Head of GSI Partnerships at Google, open the episode with a deep dive into the shift from “trying AI” to building agentic operating systems. They explain how Google and Kyndryl's joint plays, innovate, modernise, secure, help enterprises adopt agentic AI frameworks, modernise VMware and mainframe estates, and navigate sovereignty with Google Distributed Cloud. Kieren Johnson, Head of IT at Ocado Retail, reflects on his panel about hyper‑personalised CX. He shares why personalisation at scale requires sensitivity to human behaviour, including the unexpected discovery that drivers preferred speaking to human advisors over voice bots. Kimberly Agin, Head of Business Performance & Enablement at KeyBank, discusses how the bank has built the foundations for agentic CX in the contact centre. She outlines how human and non‑human agents work in tandem, how KeyBank uses data to contain 70% of digital queries, and why natural‑language routing is transforming the IVR experience. Mauro Flores, EVP of Data Democratisation at Virgin Media O2, explains how the organisation is using AI to unlock value from its vast data estate, accelerate decision‑making and empower teams with self‑serve insights. Ryan Henry, Director of Infrastructure & Support at Randstad US, brings a workforce‑technology perspective, sharing how agentic AI is reshaping talent operations, support models and employee experience. A rich, fast‑moving episode capturing how global enterprises are modernising infrastructure, rethinking customer engagement, and preparing their people and platforms for the agentic AI era.

This Inbound Logistics/IFS Softeon video podcast explores the role of WMS enablement tools and how they help organizations unlock more flexibility, scalability, and efficiency within their warehouse operations. Mark Fralick, CTO of IFS Softeon takes a broader look at the challenges operations teams face when configuring, deploying, and maintaining a WMS in dynamic environments. From onboarding new customers and launching new facilities to managing ongoing system changes, we discuss why enablement tools have become critical to reducing complexity and accelerating time to value. FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.softeon.com/ WANT TO RESPOND TO THIS EPISODE? Call our Dialog Line: 888-878-3247 DOWNLOAD THE NEW INBOUND LOGISTICS APP featuring the updated and expanded Logistics Planner! Available on iTunes and the Google Play Store: bit.ly/ILMagApp  bit.ly/ILMagAppGoogle Are you a #logistics Thought Leader that would like to be featured on the Inbound Logistics Podcast?  Connect with me on X:  @ILMagPodcast Email me: podcast@inboundlogistics.com   Connect with Inbound Logistics Magazine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inbound-logistics Follow us on X: www.twitter.com/ILMagazine Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InboundLogistics Catch our latest videos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/inboundlogistics   Visit us at www.inboundlogistics.com

Is AI actually transforming wholesale distribution, or are we just managing our businesses with better dashboards?In Episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack the real story behind AI enablement, tariff refund chaos, Iran and oil market volatility, Amazon Business strategy, Fed rate policy, industrial M&A, and robotics. This episode connects geopolitics, supply chain economics, B2B eCommerce, and AI adoption into one clear message: technology must enable growth, not just manage operations.What You'll Learn:Why most B2B leaders are not AI ready, and why the issue is structural, not technicalHow to use the Discover, Alert, Guide, Automate framework to enable sales and operations teamsWhat tariff refunds mean for distributors, manufacturers, and downstream customersWhy Amazon Business may be a strategic opportunity, not just channel conflictHow Iran, oil markets, and interest rate policy directly impact wholesale distribution marginsWhy industrial branch traffic is improving despite low consumer sentimentEpisode Highlights:03:15 – Why AI is not the strategy, enablement is09:24 – How unified data across ERP, CRM, and eCommerce uncovers hidden growth17:23 – Iran, oil prices, and why the Strait of Hormuz matters to distributors30:49 – Kevin Warsh, rate cuts, and AI productivity gains35:33 – Tariff refund portal launches, what it means for supply chains45:06 – Industrial branch traffic improves, what that signals for demand56:23 – Why 86 percent of B2B leaders are not AI ready01:07:55 – Tesla Optimus and the future of robotics in manufacturingTools, Frameworks, and Strategies Mentioned:Discover, Alert, Guide, Automate enablement modelAI powered CRM and unified data platformsAmazon Business B2B marketplace analyticsTariff refund portal processEnterprise growth platform strategyIndustrial M&A consolidation trendsClosing Insight:The future of wholesale distribution will not be decided by who adopts AI first, but by who uses technology to enable smarter decisions, faster execution, and clearer visibility across the customer journey.Leave a Review: Help us grow by sharing your thoughts on the show.Learn more about the LeadSmart AI B2B Sales Platform: https://www.leadsmarttech.com/Join the conversation each week on LinkedIn Live.Want even more insight to the stories we discuss each week? Subscribe to the Around The Horn Newsletter.You can also hear the podcast and other excellent content on our YouTube Channel.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.

Is your degree program past its "sell-by date"?In this episode of An Educated Guest, Todd Zipper sits down with Norm Allgood, Dean and CEO of the Lyonova Institute at Saint Leo University, for a candid look at the "mechanical truths" of higher education. After years of building Synergis Education and advising over 75 institutions, Norm is sounding the alarm: higher education is sleepwalking toward a cliff.Norm breaks down the framework from his latest book, 10 Pillars of AI Enablement, explaining how universities can move beyond "detecting" AI to leveraging it as a force multiplier for student success. We dive into "Operation Relaunch" at Saint Leo, the urgent need to close the "experience gap" for graduates, and why the 1906 architecture of the Carnegie Unit is the biggest barrier to innovation in Title IV funding today.In this episode, we discuss:Why "Super Catholics" and mission-aligned work brought Norm back to the institutional side.The difference between AI implementation and AI enablement.The rise of "Category Killers": How non-Title IV providers are out-pacing traditional degrees in ROI.Why the 18-to-24-month window for AI adoption is the make-or-break moment for "laggard" institutions.

If you've been paying attention to how AI is changing the freelance landscape, you've noticed something: the types of help clients need are shifting. Fast. A year ago, most conversations were about one thing: how do I keep getting hired when AI can produce a first draft (even it it's low-quality) in seconds? That's a fair question. But it's the wrong place to stop. Because underneath that conversation, something bigger is happening. Clients are recognizing they need different kinds of help. Many don't even know how to articulate what they need yet. They just know they're stuck. And the data backs this up. According to McKinsey's "State of Organizations 2026" report, 88 percent of organizations are now deploying AI in at least some part of their business. Nearly 90 percent of leaders are championing adoption as a core strategic requirement. Yet 86 percent of those same leaders admit their organizations aren't prepared to implement AI into day-to-day workflows. So leadership wants AI deployed yesterday. But teams don't have a plan to do it well. That's where you come in. In this episode, I walk through the four broad ways clients are buying AI-related help right now, so you can figure out where you fit and what you might want to offer. What You'll Learn Why the demand for AI help goes far beyond "content creation" — and what clients are actually buying now The two dimensions that shape every AI-related client need (clarity vs. capability, guidance vs. systems) The four categories of demand: strategic advisory, training and enablement, proof-of-concept builds, and implementation work Why writers are naturally suited for this kind of work, even without a technical background Why you should develop two or three of these offers, not all four How to match your strengths and interests to the categories that fit you best Key Ideas & Takeaways 1. The Opportunity Is Real, and It's Driven from the Top. Leadership across industries is mandating AI adoption, but most teams don't have a clear path to get there. Writers with systems thinking skills are well positioned to bridge that gap. 2. Two Gaps, Two Dimensions. Clients either need clarity (they don't know what to do) or capability (they can't do it themselves). Layered on top of that, some need guidance (a thinking partner) and others need systems (actual workflows and tools). Those two dimensions create four categories of demand. 3. Strategic Advisory. The client needs clarity and guidance. They're overwhelmed, don't know where to start, and need someone to assess their situation and build a plan. You're being hired for judgment, not output. This looks like paid assessments, strategy sprints, or advisory retainers. 4. Training and Enablement. The client needs capability and guidance. Their team is using AI tools inconsistently, with no cohesive approach or standardized workflows. You teach them how to prompt well, build repeatable processes, and review AI output effectively. 5. Proof-of-Concept Builds. The client needs clarity and systems. They've heard about AI-powered workflows but need to see one working before they invest further. You build something small, contained, and tangible that proves the concept and opens the door to bigger engagements. 6. Implementation Work. The client needs capabilities and systems. They know what they want; they need someone to build it. Workflows, automations, prompt libraries, templates, and integrations. This is the highest-volume category and tends to be sticky once you're embedded. 7. Pick Two or Three, Not All Four. Each category requires a different skill set, buyer type, and sales conversation. Trying to do all four leads to muddled messaging and thin delivery. Match your offers to your strengths, your interests, and the clients you already attract. Action Steps Look at the four categories and rank them by where you have the most credibility, energy, and natural pull Think about your last few client conversations and ask: which type of help were they really asking for? Pick two or three categories to focus on and start paying attention to the signals in your prospect conversations.

Kareem Saleh is the CEO and co-founder of FairPlay, an AI enablement platform helping financial institutions test, tune, and monitor AI systems in production. Four years after his first appearance on the show, Kareem returns to discuss how FairPlay has evolved from credit model fairness into a full AI enablement infrastructure layer and why the rise of generative and agentic AI has made that work more consequential than ever.What We CoveredHow generative AI changes the definition of fairness in financial servicesThe shift from model validation to continuous, system-level testingFairPlay's three core capabilities: testing, optimizing, and validating AI systemsHow one customer added one day to their model development cycle but saved 60–90 days in compliance reviewThe 25–33% of declined applicants who would have performed as well as the riskiest approvalsWhy the question for legacy institutions has flipped, from "is AI safe enough to try?" to "is it riskier not to adopt AI?"The political environment and how fairness demand reconfigures, not disappears, across administrationsState-level regulatory frameworks filling the federal enforcement gapKareem's Congressional testimony on AI and algorithmic biasThe agentic AI opportunity in KYC, BSA, and AML workflowsRegulatory look-back risk and why today's decisions can become 2029's consent ordersCash flow underwriting risks and climate risk as underappreciated threats to credit portfoliosConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Welcome to Episode 425 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this audio and video episode recorded live at Microsoft headquarters during the MVP Summit, Ben welcomes a return guest, Joy Apple, to the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast and discuss her 20-year career in the Microsoft collaboration space, from financial services to SharePoint training, consulting, and her current role at Orchestry Software. Joy explains Orchestry as a Microsoft 365 governance automation layer covering templated provisioning for SharePoint and Teams, archiving policies (including Microsoft 365 Archive), guest management, and OneDrive governance. They emphasize that AI and Copilot amplify existing information architecture, permissions, and data hygiene issues, making governance more critical. They describe the MVP Summit as a “family reunion” where MVPs attend sessions and reconnect with peers. Joy and Ben also spend some time describing paths becoming an MVP and how much they just enjoy the community around the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and connecting with people both at MVP Summit as well as various conferences throughout the year. About Joy Apple Joy is a Microsoft MVP and Director of Success and Enablement at Orchestry. With years of experience as an information technologist, I'm dedicated to helping organizations implement technology with a purpose-driven, “human-first” approach, ensuring tools like Microsoft 365 empower people to do their best work. Teaching and knowledge-sharing are at the heart of what I do. Whether it's through volunteering in the Microsoft Community, speaking at events, or writing as the “Joy of SharePoint,” I'm passionate about helping others unlock their potential with modern workplace solutions. Im also a cohost of the Guardians of M365 Governance podcast, where I explore the challenges and rewards of governance, and a columnist for She is Tulsa, a quarterly magazine celebrating impactful stories from my local community. Outside of work, you'll often find me enjoying live music or discovering new spots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining my love of connection and creativity wherever I go. Show Notes See the recording from the Microsoft Studios! Joy Apple on LinkedIn The Microsoft 365 Maturity Model – Governance, Risk, and Compliance Competency The Microsoft MVP Communities About the MVP Program Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive Guests in the Microsoft 365 admin center Mitigate Oversharing to Govern Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents Orchestry About the sponsors   TrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Our robust team of in-house, U.S-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. M365 Licensing Consultation M365 Tenant Assessment Copilot Readiness Assessment Your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365 ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Our Microsoft 365 experts and Microsoft Azure experts focus on the Microsoft cloud, so you can focus on what you do best! Learn more how we can help you!

Company culture is ignored too often as a focused activity of HR. And it's rare to find someone who has a system for intentionally shaping culture. Nadia Uberoi, Head of People at Garner Health, is that person. She argues that shaping culture is one of, if not the most important activity we do in HR. In this episode, we break down:

Designing for Excellence: How AI is Transforming Sales Enablement—Insights from Laura FuIn the rapidly evolving world of sales, the integration of artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it is a present-day imperative for staying competitive. In a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Laura Fu, Head of Revenue Operations and Strategy at DevRev, to discuss the intersection of mechanical engineering, culinary precision, and modern sales strategy. Laura, the author of Designing for Excellence: Sales Enablement in the AI Native World, shares how high-growth organizations can leverage AI to automate the mundane while doubling down on the human elements that actually close complex deals. This episode serves as a strategic roadmap for leaders who want to move beyond the hype and implement AI in a way that truly augments the expertise of their sales professionals.Systems Thinking: Balancing Michelin-Star Rigor with AI VelocitySales enablement is often mischaracterized as a series of disconnected training programs, but true excellence requires treating it as a holistic system that integrates every department from product to marketing. Laura Fu explains that much like a Michelin-star kitchen, a successful sales organization relies on absolute consistency and predictability; every customer interaction must meet a specific brand standard, regardless of which representative is leading the call. By applying "systems thinking," leadership can build repeatable workflows where AI handles the high-velocity, routine tasks—such as call summarization, prospect research, and note-taking—freeing up the human reps to focus on high-value activities like deal qualification and nuanced relationship building. This balance ensures that technology serves as a lever for productivity rather than a crutch that replaces foundational sales skills.The shift toward an AI-native sales environment also demands a fundamental change in leadership engagement and coaching ratios. Effective change management is as much about people as it is about technology, requiring transparent communication to address fears of job displacement while clearly defining where human judgment must remain the final arbiter. Organizations that thrive in this era maintain low rep-to-manager ratios—ideally six or seven to one—to ensure that managers can provide the personalized coaching necessary to interpret the nuances AI might miss, such as tone, context, and unspoken buyer cues. By focusing on leading indicators like the quality of meaningful conversations rather than just lagging revenue metrics, leaders can guide their teams through the discomfort of AI adoption and build a culture of continuous experimentation.Ultimately, future-proofing a sales organization involves establishing strong foundational processes before layering on complex technology. AI moves at the speed of human adoption, meaning that the most advanced tools in the world are useless without a team that is trained to validate AI outputs and prioritize authentic, empathy-based relationships. Leaders must champion this integration by piloting new solutions with small groups, soliciting frontline feedback, and celebrating early wins to build momentum. When AI is used to accelerate research and eliminate administrative debt, it allows the sales force to return to what they do best: building the deep, credible rapport that serves as the bedrock of trust in every high-stakes transaction.About Laura FuLaura Fu is the Head of Revenue Operations and Strategy at DevRev and a seasoned tech leader with an unconventional background in mechanical engineering and culinary arts. Her diverse career path has instilled a unique appreciation for discipline, structure, and creativity in business operations. She is the author of Designing for Excellence: Sales Enablement in the AI Native World and the host of the State of the AI Union podcast, where she explores the impact of artificial intelligence on buyers, sellers, and investors.About DevRevDevRev is an AI-native platform designed to bridge the gap between product development and customer growth. By connecting developers with end-users and sales teams, DevRev helps organizations build more customer-centric products and streamline their revenue operations. The platform leverages advanced AI to provide real-time insights and automate workflows, allowing businesses to scale their excellence while maintaining a deep focus on the customer experience.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeDevRev Official Website: laurafu.aiLaura Fu on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurazfu/Key Episode HighlightsCulinary Discipline in Sales: Applying the rigor of Michelin-star kitchens to create repeatable, high-quality sales processes.Enablement as a System: Why sales success requires breaking down silos between product, marketing, and sales leadership.Augmenting vs. Replacing: Using AI for research and summarization while keeping human judgment at the center of deal qualification.The Manager's Role in the AI Era: The importance of maintaining a low rep-to-manager ratio for high-impact coaching and nuanced deal oversight.Change Management Strategies: Leading teams through technology adoption by prioritizing transparent communication and experimentation.ConclusionThe conversation with Laura Fu highlights that while AI is fundamentally changing the sales landscape, the core tenets of discipline, consistency, and human empathy remain the primary drivers of success. By treating sales enablement as an integrated system rather than a one-off program, organizations can harness AI to eliminate "busy work" and empower their teams to focus on strategic, high-impact engagement.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

What does your Working Genius look like when you're under stress, and would you even recognize it in yourself?In episode 110 of the Working Genius Podcast, Pat Lencioni, Cody Thompson, and Matt Lynch explore what happens to each of the six Working Genius types when they're under stress, a state they call being "in the grip." Walking through Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity letter by letter, the team uncovers how each type's greatest strengths can become their most challenging behaviors when unregulated. The conversation closes with a practical and compassionate framework for extending grace to teammates in the grip, recognizing that what looks like a flaw may simply be a strength operating under too much pressure.Topics explored in this episode: Pat, Cody, and Matt introduce "in the grip" — what each Working Genius type looks like when strengths become distorted under stress.The team explores the Wonder type, revealing how natural curiosity can spiral into analysis paralysis, endless questioning, and loss of direction.(00:00:03) Wonder in the GripPat, Cody, and Matt introduce "in the grip,” what each Working Genius type looks like when strengths become distorted under stress.The team explores the Wonder type, revealing how natural curiosity can spiral into analysis paralysis, endless questioning, and loss of direction.(00:05:15) ADHD, Procrastination, and Invention in the GripPat connects Wonder under stress to procrastination and ADHD misdiagnosis.The team turns to Invention, describing how the drive to generate ideas becomes chaotic under stress.(00:09:46) Discernment and Galvanizing Under PressureThe group unpacks Discernment in the grip, how the healthy instinct to evaluate ideas can tip into hypercriticism, cynicism, and judgment under stress.They move to Galvanizing, exploring how the drive to inspire movement can turn into pushiness and impatience when stress takes hold.(00:15:41) Enablement and Tenacity When UnregulatedThe team explores Enablement in the grip, how the instinct to help can lead to overcommitment, exhaustion, and quiet resentment when the enabler's own needs go unmet.They turn to Tenacity, noting how discipline and follow-through can slide into rigidity, isolation, and frustration with those perceived as lazy or uncommitted.(00:20:28) Applying This to Teams, Pairings, and ClosingPat, Cody, and Matt explore how genius pairs stop working together under stress, and how leaders can use this framework to start grace-filled conversations with struggling team members.This episode of The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. The Six Types of Working Genius model helps you discover your natural gifts and thrive in your work and life. When you're able to better understand the types of work that bring you more energy and fulfillment and avoid work that leads to frustration and failure, you can be more self-aware, more productive, and more successful. The Six Types of Working Genius assessment is the fastest and simplest way to discover your natural gifts and thrive at work: https://workinggenius.me/about Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficialStay Connected with Patrick LencioniLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealthInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficialX: https://x.com/patricklencioniThe Working Genius Podcast with Patrick LencioniApple: https://apple.co/4iNz6YnSpotify: https://spoti.fi/4iGGm8uYouTube: https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTubeBe sure to check out our other podcast, At The Table with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6NWAZzkzl4ljxX7S2xkHvu), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

What happens when your “Plan A” for change becomes impossible overnight?In this week's episode of the Only Constant, Eliza Fendell unpacks with Nellie Wartoft how a global pandemic forced a total rethink of change communication: shifting from in-person roadshows to “roadshows in a box,” empowering managers, using gamification, and even mailing 35,000 postcards to get the message across. Connect with:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nellie@tigerhall.com

Podcast Summary Unlock the secrets of AI and redefine your business strategy with insights from Seth Marrs, Sandler's Chief Strategy Officer. We promise you'll gain a clear understanding of how to wield AI's transformative power effectively without succumbing to the hype. Together, we'll navigate the tumultuous terrain of AI adoption, cutting through vendor-driven noise to focus on enhancing business efficiency. Learn how precision-targeted AI processes and smart technology investments can elevate your sales strategies while safeguarding data accuracy. Step into the future of sales training as technology and data investment revolutionize traditional methods. We explore how companies that embrace advanced data structures and generative AI are setting a new standard in sales enablement and leadership. From boosting conversation intelligence to redefining KPIs, discover how these advancements allow sales leaders to coach with precision and free teams from the shackles of outdated forecasting. This episode promises a remarkable journey into the next era of sales excellence, where strategic foresight and data-driven decision-making take center stage. Chapter 1: Introduction and Guest Setup 00:00:02 – 00:01:16 Dave Mattson introduces the How to Succeed podcast and frames the focus on attitudes, behaviors, and techniques. He welcomes guest Seth Marrs, Sandler's Chief Strategy Officer, and teases a discussion on where "the puck is going" in tech and AI for sales and leadership. Chapter 2: The Innovative Revenue Leader Podcast Overview 00:01:16 – 00:02:11 Seth explains his podcast format: deep-dives on a single topic across multiple episodes, featuring varied expert perspectives and a research-driven synthesis. The goal is to provide practical tools and insights leaders can apply to grow revenue. Chapter 3: Actionable Depth vs. High-Level Concepts 00:02:11 – 00:02:59 Dave highlights the gap between conceptual podcasts and actionable takeaways. Seth confirms they publish companion reports, citing one on five AI-driven capacity levers to ensure listeners leave with concrete steps. Chapter 4: The AI Hype Cycle and Vendor-Driven Chaos 00:02:59 – 00:04:56 They discuss the rapid acceleration of technology and AI since 2020 and a vendor-fueled market pushing "AI" everywhere. Executive pressure to "do AI" leads to misaligned investments, often neglecting foundational needs like data hygiene. Chapter 5: Why AI Initiatives Fail and What Works 00:04:56 – 00:06:08 Referencing studies with high AI failure rates, Seth argues success comes from mapping and improving specific processes with AI, not buying tools to fix problems. Proven change still follows process-first, tool-second discipline. Chapter 6: Pressure, Waste, and Upcoming Market Correction 00:06:08 – 00:08:41 Dave notes external pressure to adopt AI creates fear of being left behind. Both anticipate a near-term shift toward smarter, ROI-focused adoption, driven by CFO scrutiny and repeatable success stories clarifying where AI truly adds value. Chapter 7: Overlapping Tools and the "Can It Do It vs. Is It Good?" Test 00:08:41 – 00:10:24 They unpack redundancy in tech stacks (e.g., multiple tools that "write emails"). The real question is output quality and contextual relevance, echoing prior dynamics like using LinkedIn for accuracy and ZoomInfo for phone numbers. Chapter 8: Education Gap and Overpromising Vendors 00:10:24 – 00:11:18 Most practitioners don't understand nuanced tool differences, exacerbated by vendors claiming universal AI capability. This fuels confusion and misaligned purchasing. Chapter 9: Where the Puck Is Going: Data, Infrastructure, and Enablement 00:11:18 – 00:12:49 AI performance will only improve; organizations investing in data and infrastructure will compound gains. Seth predicts a transformation in enablement and training through conversation intelligence and role-play powered by GenAI. Chapter 10: From Training Events to Continuous, Visible Reinforcement 00:12:49 – 00:14:24 Enablement evolves from one-off training to ongoing assessment across calls and emails, with clear visibility into who applies the methodology and the outcomes. Leaders gain unprecedented insight to reinforce and optimize. Chapter 11: Science Over Art in Sales Performance 00:14:24 – 00:16:28 Dave likens the shift to medicine and pro sports: from art to data-driven science with MRIs and video review. Sales can now diagnose reality over self-reported optimism, though increased transparency may feel threatening to some. Chapter 12: Tools Elevate but Don't Replace Excellence 00:16:28 – 00:19:30 Seth asserts technology equips practitioners but doesn't eliminate the performance spectrum. Blindly following AI produces average results; top performers synthesize AI with judgment, adapting to context shifts like those during COVID. Chapter 13: Empowering High Performers and Institutionalizing Wins 00:19:30 – 00:21:28 AI can surface winning patterns from "rogue" top sellers and scale them across teams. Digital playbooks can capture best moments across individuals, but most organizations still fail to build and maintain them. Chapter 14: Culture, Curiosity, and Leveling the Field 00:21:28 – 00:22:55 Resistance stems from human nature and legacy structures that reward tenure over curiosity. The new environment favors sellers committed to craft, learning, and experimentation, expanding their opportunities. Chapter 15: Manager Adoption and the Coaching Opportunity 00:22:55 – 00:24:36 Historically, reps learned from call libraries more than managers used them. Pressure is mounting on managers to leverage these tools, shifting from generic call quotas to event-driven, targeted coaching triggers. Chapter 16: Span of Control and Precision Coaching 00:24:36 – 00:25:59 AI-driven diagnostics will increase managers' span of control by automating detection of coachable moments. Time shifts from ride-alongs and full-call reviews to focused intervention on specific gaps tied to deal impact. Chapter 17: Practical Playbook for Sales Leaders 00:25:59 – 00:27:39 Leaders should adopt tech for pinpoint coaching, grounded in recorded calls and captured emails. This enables loss mitigation via timely intervention, delivering more performance with less wasted managerial time. Chapter 18: Rethinking CRO Metrics and Forecasting 00:27:39 – 00:29:47 For CROs and owners, the mandate is a new set of leading indicators sourced from conversation and engagement data. Forecasts should become byproducts of actual selling activity rather than self-reported, error-prone rollups. Chapter 19: From Guesswork to Evidence-Based Operations 00:29:47 – 00:32:20 Leaders gain the ability to make forward-looking decisions from real interactions, not hedged numbers. Reclaiming time spent on forecasting and discovering bespoke conversational indicators creates durable competitive advantages. Chapter 20: Closing Guidance: Start Small, Solve One Problem 00:32:20 – end Seth advises choosing a single, well-defined problem, mapping it to a solvable action with a tool, and executing. Mastery and confidence build through iterative wins, avoiding the trap of broad, unfocused AI implementations. Dave closes by recapping takeaways and promoting Seth's podcast.

Rae Cheney, Director, Sales Technology Enablement at ⁠Morningstar⁠! discusses how librarians can reframe their skills to move into a role in industry. During our conversation, Rae discussed ⁠ATD⁠, ⁠Devlearn⁠ and ⁠TechLearn⁠.

Join us for a captivating conversation with Dr. Sabrina Hsueh, AI Enablement and External Innovation Lead at Pfizer, as she shares her journey from being one of the first girls in a gifted program in Taiwan to pioneering AI advancements in healthcare and life sciences at industry leaders like IBM and Pfizer. Hosted by Stephen Ibaraki, this episode dives deep into Dr. Hsueh's milestones, from her educational path across Taiwan, UC Berkeley, and the University of Edinburgh, to her hands-on innovation and leadership through startups and global organizations such as ACM.You'll learn how Dr. Hsueh has shaped the intersection of AI, machine learning, and healthcare, and gain her perspective on responsible AI governance, productization, and adoption. Discover exclusive insights on the future of agentic AI, the role of women in tech, and the critical importance of public-private partnerships in shaping AI's impact on society.

A special report from the Utah Avalanche Center Special Project Lead Chad Brackelsberg and Vice President of Enablement for Rise 8 Adam Furtado on their collaboration which aims to use artificial intelligence to improve hazard forecasting in the backcountry, Park City Golf Manager Vaughn Robinson previews the 2026 golf season and plans for a new irrigation systems, and Wasatch Trails Foundation Executive Director Mia Yue has details on the current state of trails, the trail work schedule for the season and plans to add more trails to the area.

Firms cannot afford to fall at the final hurdle. BD must work alongside fee earners to equip them with greater confidence to win and grow client relationships themselves. On this latest episode of the Passle CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins is joined by Alexis Gray, who has held senior marketing and BD leadership roles at PwC, Grant Thornton, Bond Dickinson and The Berkeley Partnership, as well as spending a decade running a successful marketing and BD consultancy. Alexis joins us to share her experiences on what real BD enablement for fee earners looks like and why so many firms still get it wrong. Alexis discusses where firms assume skills instead of building them, what really helps fee earners have better client conversations, and how to make BD programs stick without relying on the same few rainmakers. Alexis and Charles also dive into: Her critical realization that fee earner enablement drives growth Where firms wrongly assume BD capability Reframing BD from sales to client nurturing  Why partner sponsorship makes initiatives stick Embedding BD through systems and incentives Practical advice for successful fee earner enablement

How can HR Rethink Performance Management?Why is Performance Management broken and what can HR do about it? My guests on this episode are Edie Goldberg & Alan Colquitt, co-authors of “Performance Enablement: A New Model for Driving Organizational Performance.”During our conversation, Edie, Alan, and I discuss the following: Why traditional performance management systems were built for a different era of work.How performance management became more about compensation than improving performance.Why shifting from performance management to performance enablement changes the leadership mindset.How continuous coaching and feedback outperform annual reviews and performance ratings.Why team-based goals better reflect how work actually gets done in modern organizations.Connecting with Edie and Alan: Connect with Edie Goldberg on LinkedIn Connect with Alan Colquitt on LinkedInLearn more about Edie's firm and Performance EnablementLearn more about Alan's firm and Performance EnablementEpisode Sponsor: Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leadersHR Leader's Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.Succession Planning Playbook: In this focused 1-page resource, I cut through the noise to give you the vital elements that define what “great” succession planning looks like.

Ashley Marcotte, Senior Manager of Project & Enablement at Numeracle, spoke with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, during the HIMSS conference about the growing need for trusted voice communications and the role of verified calling technologies in enterprise environments. Marcotte explained that organizations across industries—particularly healthcare—are facing increasing challenges with call authentication and spam filtering. As consumers become more cautious about answering unknown numbers, legitimate business calls are often ignored or blocked entirely. “Organizations need to ensure that when they call a customer or patient, the recipient can clearly see who is calling and trust that the call is legitimate,” she said. Numeracle helps enterprises address this challenge by providing visibility and verification tools that allow businesses to register and authenticate their phone numbers across the telecommunications ecosystem. These capabilities help organizations protect their brand identity, reduce call blocking, and improve answer rates for critical communications such as appointment reminders, patient outreach, and customer service interactions. Marcotte also noted that many enterprises attending HIMSS are recognizing that trusted voice communications are now a strategic requirement rather than a technical afterthought. With increasing regulatory scrutiny and growing consumer awareness around fraud and spoofed calls, organizations must ensure that their outbound communications are both secure and transparent. As digital transformation continues across healthcare and other sectors, solutions that restore trust and accountability in voice communications are becoming an essential part of modern customer and patient engagement strategies. Learn more about Numeracle: https://www.numeracle.com/

In this episode of the Lead Culture Podcast, Jenni Catron sits down with renowned leadership expert and bestselling author Patrick Lencioni to explore his groundbreaking framework, The Six Types of Working Genius.Lencioni—best known for The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and his work on organizational health—shares how the Working Genius model helps leaders and teams understand the kinds of work that energize them and the tasks that drain them. When teams gain a shared language for how people are wired to contribute, collaboration improves, frustration decreases, and culture becomes healthier.Patrick explains the six types of work required in every project—Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity—and how each person typically excels in two of these areas. By identifying these strengths, leaders can build more balanced teams, place people in roles where they thrive, and reduce unnecessary guilt and judgment in the workplace.Throughout the conversation, Catron and Lencioni discuss:Why organizational health is more important than strategy aloneHow the Working Genius framework improves team communicationWhy many leaders unintentionally place people in the wrong rolesHow shared language around strengths transforms team culturePractical ways leaders can use the model to hire, develop, and align teamsWhether you're new to the Working Genius assessment or already using leadership tools like DISC, Myers-Briggs, or the Enneagram, this conversation will help you rethink how work gets done—and how understanding your team's natural gifts can unlock greater engagement, productivity, and purpose.If you want to build a healthier culture, lead people more effectively, and help your team do their best work, this episode is a must-listen.Take the assessment here with 20% off. We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we're available wherever you listen to podcasts. Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

According to research from the State of Sales Enablement Report 2025, businesses with well-integrated enablement tech stacks are 42% more likely to increase sales productivity. So, how do you go about building an effective, well integrated tech stack? Riley Rogers: Hi, and welcome to the Win/Win Podcast. I’m your host, Riley Rogers. Join us as we dive into changing trends in the workplace and how to navigate them successfully. Here to discuss this topic are Nicole Cost, director of enablement and operations, and Becky Garcia, enablement operations manager, at Lantern. Thank you both so much for joining us; it’s so exciting to have you here. I think there’s probably a really wonderful conversation to be had, and I’m excited to jump into it. I’d love to start by learning a little bit about yourself, your background, and your role. Nicole, would you mind kicking us off? Nicole Cost: My name is Nicole Cost. I’m the Director of Commercial Enablement and Operations at Lantern. At Lantern, our department’s primarily responsible for supporting our commercial new hires with their onboarding experience, process strategy, collaboration, and communications, and then in-person meeting operations and logistics. I’m based in New York. I’ve been in this space for about four years, but prior to working at Lantern, I was at Carrot Fertility and I worked in a totally different industry in sport and entertainment; I was a teacher and worked on the business side in a very different world. RR: Becky, would you care to tell us a little bit about yourself? Becky Garcia: Yeah, definitely. So, I’ve been in the industry now, I’d say I'm going on my seventh year in the health services and health tech space. I’ve been kind of all over in terms of my background, but in the last seven years I’ve really been in an operations role. Part of what I love doing here at Lantern is helping companies grow and scale. That's really what I love to do. RR: It sounds like you guys have been here before. This isn’t your first rodeo. You’ve spent the time not only in the industry, but also specifically in healthcare spaces, both at Lantern and in previous roles. I’d be kind of curious to dive into those previous roles and how they kind of affect today before we jump into your work at Lantern. So, Nicole, what challenges have you noticed pop up that people in other industries might not expect? NC: What I loved about this question to kick us off was because I was actually, like I mentioned, one of those people in another industry for about 10 years before pivoting to healthcare, and I will never forget my first manager asking me: “How much do you know about healthcare?” And I responded—I remember it vividly—I responded with: “I know I have great benefits.” I quickly learned that great benefits were not a normal thing, and that is why so many companies either are being created or evolving to provide healthcare benefits that most people in the United States do not have access to. And usually these gaps are incredibly expensive. They’re very emotional, and they’re non-linear in their journeys if everything is just very complex. So one could say that selling in healthcare is more difficult than many other industries. But when we ask our new hires—we ask: “Why did you choose Lantern?” And I would say almost 100% of them say they wanted to be part of a mission-driven company because the work is meaningful. It might be more complex, longer cycles, everything’s a little bit more difficult and nuanced, but it is mission-driven and really meaningful. All of this to is say that our enablement approach at Lantern focuses on collaborating with our friends in learning and development and our cross-functional partners to arm our internal team with tools that they need to succeed. RR: I like what you said there about nuance. I feel like a lot of the time when we talk about difficult selling environments like healthcare, challenging, obstacles, difficulty—this is all kind of what pops up. Those are the words that we use, but I love that reframe of like, “It just is what it is. This is normal and we’re doing our best to help people.” It’s nuanced, it’s not challenging. I love that reframe. As we talk this through, from your perspective, Becky, I know you’re coming in with a background in operations, which likely gives you a bit of a different perspective. Can you walk us through what it means to drive operational excellence in the healthcare space and, again, maybe how that differs from other roles you've held? BG: Definitely. From an operations perspective, I think driving excellence in healthcare really means building reliability into a very complex system. So as Nicole mentioned, healthcare isn’t linear and there are many moving parts. There’s handoffs, regulations, nuance, and a lot of emotion for people that are going through it. So excellence really isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about making sure that the right thing happens consistently, even as you are scaling. Operational excellence is also what ensures that we can deliver on process, discipline, documentation, reporting. And if that’s not strong enough, that’s really where scale breaks down. That’s where enablement comes in. And tools like Highspot really help us turn our best practices into the standard of work, and they help us give our teams confidence that what they’re saying in the market really matches what the organization is expecting. At the end of the day, operational excellence is really how you make impact repeatable, and that’s gonna be for patients, it’s gonna be for customers, and it’s also going to be for our teams who are doing the work. RR: That’s a great answer and I like how you look across excellence to understand how you build the systems to support it. And for whatever environment you’re in, that’s the goal. How you get there maybe differs a little bit— and it probably differs a lot when you’re dealing with, like you said, highly emotional, highly impactful scenarios—but at the end of the day, you’re still driving toward the same things. I'm excited to hear how you’re driving towards those, especially knowing that just a little bit ago, Lantern hit a period of extremely rapid growth. What kind of challenges did that create for the team? NC: Growth is exciting. It’s a privilege. We’re excited to be part of that. And what was great is we already had the building blocks in place for our new hire onboarding experience. They were in place, and we were welcoming new hires on a weekly basis with custom 30, 60, 90 day plans. But we learned quickly that that just was not sustainable for our small team to maintain a level of excellence that we pride ourselves in Just. Wasn’t gonna work because our new hire numbers continued to grow and our team is still the same: It’s Becky and I. So the biggest challenges that we faced, I would break into probably three categories: process lag, quality control, and then updated content and assets. So, we continue to bring in the best talent and the industry, but it was incredibly important to us that we recognize these challenges as opportunities to redesign how the work gets done. So this is when we started to evaluate tools like Highspot. And even as recently, like our colleagues in marketing sing Highspot praises because it helps make their content more discoverable. RR: Becky, can you talk to us from an operations perspective, you know, hearing some of these challenges, how did they influence the decision to invest in a platform and, and why was Highspot kind of the right answer for you guys? BG: From my perspective, I think the biggest impact of rapid growth was really fragmentation. We were scaling headcount, products and processes all at once. Information started to live in too many places. There were decks here, documentation there, and there was really a lot of knowledge in people’s heads. The lack of consistency really created friction fast. It resulted in people not being confident about what the latest and greatest was. At the same time, like taking a step back, we were also going through a rebrand of the company, which actually made it a perfect inflection point. So we had an opportunity to really step back, refresh our message, and our resources all at the same time. And we really got to be intentional about how we showed up both internally and externally. So rather than just updating assets that were in place, we wanted to start with a fresh source of truth. And that’s ultimately what helped us drive the decision to invest in Highspot as we discussed. Like we’re growing so significantly, we’ve doubled in size from our commercial team, and so we needed to onboard a lot of people with very unique roles and then also operationalize best practices as we grew. RR: I knew a little bit about those early days. You’d mentioned hypergrowth and things like that, but knowing that you had doubled headcount, you were going through a rebrand, and you were implementing a new platform and evaluating a new platform at the same time, and it’s the two of you doing all of that. I think there’s probably a lot of people that will listen in and be like: “How?” Because that sounds like quite a lot. We’ve heard about all of the work that was being done, all of those initiatives that were kind of coming together to prioritize the need for a platform, the need to get reps up to speed quickly. So, what did onboarding look like before and why was it kind of time to make a change? NC: So as I mentioned from just the beginning, but our commercial onboarding experience has always had a formalized program, and we’ve always had our building blocks that work really well to create a consistent welcome for all of our new hires, no matter the job title or department. And our focus is who we are, what we do, and how we do it. And this gives all of our new hires an overview of our solution, external assets and collateral, and insights into many internal processes. But in the early days of our organization, when we were onboarding about maybe 10 to 15 people a quarter by 2025, this number doubled, and our old-fashioned Excel spreadsheet trackers and custom PowerPoint presentations that each individual got just was not cutting it. We’ve had two iterations in Highspot. The first pass we simply transferred all of the great content that we had from this PowerPoint deck into an onboarding spot and a spot overview. So we had that. That was like a main piece that we’d walk through with our new hires and we’d make sure we’d give them all this content. But we also had 30, 60, 90 day lesson plans, depending on the new hire’s role and department. We coupled this experience with a live welcome call that we still do. Our president works with our new hires, and we still do all of that and it covers a lot of basics around our company and the commercial culture, and would involve us sharing our screen of Highspot and like, here’s how you use it. It’s a really nice, like way to introduce everyone to the platform and where they’re gonna be living. But after about six months of these custom lessons, we needed something that we could copy and paste, essentially so we could scale. And I even spent time with Brooke Holland from your enablement team and she was lovely and she helped us bounce ideas off each other and just learn what worked really well for Highspot actually internally. And how she could look at our content was like: “This is great, let's translate that.” I think that was really helpful to now take us to our most recent iteration, which we’re in currently, and it took all of this quality content from our foundational onboarding spot. Into a course. So now we have a full course that’s all of this great content. We call it Bright Starts because we love a good light pun at Lantern. And all of our new hires are enrolled in this course and have three lessons. So it’s their first 30 days, the next 30 days, and then that final days to today, 61 through 90 for their first 90 days on our commercial team. I’m really excited because—as of this week—we have 100% new hire adherence to this course, and the average final score is more than 91%. It’s been such a hit, and Becky can attest to this. It’s just been a labor of love and it’s so cool to see it come to fruition and like. RR: Yeah. I liked hearing about the journey it's been. It makes me so happy to hear that. It sounds like you’ve built something really impactful. I mean, 100% adherence—those are impressive numbers and I hope that it feels like you’ve reached the point that you wanted to. NC: Yes. I think it has. I’m so happy. I think—I don’t wanna put words into Becky’s mouth—but I think she is proud of it too. And I also just think what’s nice is we can now like, let it settle and it’s taken about a year for us to, I feel like, really get to that point. So here we are. BG: Yeah, I think one point I just did wanna add on that is Nicole, earlier you mentioned how important our internal team satisfaction is and just like seeing the scores of the satisfaction that come out of this has allowed us to really tweak and where we need to and pivot and make changes. And so, I think when you look at our scores, not only are people adhering to the course, their final scores are really high, but also their satisfaction is extremely high. Highspot really allowed us to easily tailor and improve the process and our team’s feeling it. RR: Amazing. That’s the full picture you want, right? So, we chatted about onboarding being kind of one of the primary drivers of why you started doing this in the first place. And we have also heard that you’ve kind of blown past that early goal. You’ve set up something that you can consistently run with. Now, like you mentioned, it’s not just you in the platform. The content team is trying to do things, the marketing team is singing its praises. Can you talk to us about how other capabilities, things like AutoDocs help you improve the rep experience? And then maybe a little bit about what impact that’s had? BG: We use AutoDocs with our client success team to help automate the marketing pieces that they send out to all of their clients. And so really what our team is doing is they’re self-serving requests that were previously going through our creative and marketing teams. And so with AutoDocs, our client success teams can quickly generate client-ready, compliant assets using the approved templates that we’ve uploaded into the platform. And they can automatically pull in correct logos, they can update client language and also make it contract and plan design specific. And so this really has enabled them to self-serve, but also just really produce some high quality marketing materials to our clients. Today we have 41 marketing assets that live in AutoDocs as templates. Each asset on average generates about 20 documents. So what that means is that we have a variety of assets. Our team can come in here and pick and choose for their clients, which resources they want to customize, and then on average, they’re making 20 of those copies for the various clients that they support. So, that really is about 820 client-ready resources that no longer need to flow through our creative or our marketing teams. This has really helped us one, by giving autonomy to our client success teams, so now they can move faster and respond to clients in near-real time, especially during high volume periods. This is critical for keeping our clients happy, but also the team members who are doing the work, they don’t have to feel like they’re waiting around for marketing. When they can make these changes themselves. Also, this helps ensure that we have just continued to iterate on our brand. So we’ve got brand compliance consistently across the board, no more awkward logos or off-centered logos. That would generally be like the outcome if our team had to go in there and make these manual changes. Another big benefit I think is how we collect and act on feedback as a team. Generally, if we needed to handle like one-off conversations of like, we need to tweak this language on this one because of this specific scenario, that was done in a silo. It went directly to creative and marketing, and then they would have to make these changes. But now everything really lives in a collaborative space, and so this has created transparency and a single feedback loop between our field and our marketing teams so our reps can see what’s already been flagged because the changes are made directly in the template, what’s been updated and what’s already been addressed. So, there’s no need to have that conversation multiple times. Overall, our teams can self-serve confidently. Our creative team is really freed up to focus on the work that truly requires their expertise. I think all of our team is really happy with the product and when we’re looking at those numbers. It just speaks volumes to our ability to scale. RR: Yeah, I think when you’re saying hundreds—800—assets that you can customize, scale and get out the door quickly, I think that does speak volumes. That is fantastic to hear. And I can imagine that was probably a lot of friction that you were able to reduce for your customer success team and your creative team who didn’t have to be like: “Oh, another request in Slack for an improved logo or a changed color.” I’m sure everybody appreciates that. So we talked about onboarding and what you’ve done there. We’ve heard about the way you’re scaling at AutoDocs. Looking across the work that you guys have done, what are you most proud of when you look at the data? What improvements, achievements stand out the most to you? NC: So for me, there are two things that stand out and I’m incredibly proud of our patience as a small team to roll out and iterate our overall strategy using tools like Highspot to be nimble so you can have all the plans in the world. And then—boom—like change that you didn’t expect, or new solution or “we’re not gonna do this any longer.” It just happens in this healthcare world, and it’s not for the faint of heart, especially for those of us—I think you heard our titles—in operations. We thrive on routine and process and formality, like rule followers, right? So it’s really difficult to have the ability to stick to strategy without patience and the ability to pivot. So I’m really proud that we’ve been able to do this a lot. Since our functions started at Lantern almost two years ago, and we’ll continue to operate this way, but I’m also really proud of our colleagues’ willingness to keep learning. I think, Riley, you mentioned it just like so much change happened at once and then poof! Now you gotta learn a new tool and a new way to do things. It’s not easy to adopt new tools and processes, but also managing that ever-changing landscape of our industry. I’m really proud of the fact that not only as our team, like they have been so kind, honestly, and patient with us, but they’ve also just been great teammates. Our number one goal is always going to be to value add, not add more work. I believe a major reason that we have a high satisfaction rating as a team, as an internal team working with us is because of our colleagues’ partnership. BG: What I’m most proud of is that we’ve built some real trust with our teams. Highspot has genuinely become a place where people go first. We hear constantly, or at least I hear from managers and leaders say things like: “Did you check Highspot?” when their teams ask for help or for resources. Or even when team members have looked in Highspot, they’ll come to me and say: “Hey, I already looked here.” It’s moments like this that truly bring me joy because it reinforces that we’ve created something valuable, something that’s reliable, and that’s really embedded in how people work day to day. Also, I think what stands out to me from an operations perspective, I’m always gonna come back here with what data we’re using to guide our decisions. Whenever we receive feedback, we’re not guessing or reacting in isolation anymore. We can look at usage, we can look at engagement and patterns to really understand what’s working and what’s not. And then this also helps us drive, like where we can invest our time. So that really has allowed us to iterate thoughtfully, prioritize accordingly, and then also continuously improve. To look at a couple figures, I think we’ve had tens of thousands of views across our entire platform of the resources that are in there. And so from looking at Q1 2025, we had about 55% of our audiences who had viewed the content. And fast forward, now we’re about halfway through this quarter, but comparing we are now at 93%. RR: That’s amazing. And I’m sure just hearing the way that that was said, you guys are proud of that increase. You know, 55 to 93% recurring adoption proves that like you said, Nicole, your teams are patient with you, and to your point, Becky, you built the trust and you built the brand, so now you have that foundation that everybody reliably uses and can run with to do all of the things that you need to succeed. Hearing all this, it definitely tells me that you’re qualified—more than qualified—to answer this last question I had for you, which is for other teams looking to build high impact programs kind of from the ground up, what’s like one piece of advice you’d share about getting started and building efficiently? NC: Well, did I mention patience? My mom would be really proud of me that I’m mentioning patience and that I have been patient, since that’s just like a theme of my life—I don’t think I’ve ever been patient until I became a professional. My advice actually comes from an author that spoke to us at—we have a Lantern book club—and Max Yoder is the author who wrote the book Do Better Work. It’s an awesome read. Totally recommend. One of his pieces of advice was to share before ready. So honestly, it’s been such a great mindset because of all of the change and when implementing change. We, of course, have always ensured clarity around the problems we’re solving. So I don’t want you to think that we don’t like, that doesn’t mean ‘share because we don’t know what we’re solving for.' It’s more so we know what we need to do, but we’re taking the time to roll out programs and really being thoughtful about the tools that we’re selecting or what we’re adding on, or what we’re encouraging people to use. And when we’re rolling them out, we want it to be automatically useful and simple. We just want it to be like, here it is. Now you have it, bookmark it and use it. And this has allowed us to become efficient in practice over time, and I think that’s what helped us earn our peers trust. BG: I think my biggest piece of advice is to not start by trying to build everything at once. I think the best starting point is to become a trusted source for your teams, so that means solving real problems really well and making it easy for people to know where to go when they need help. When team members trust that the information that they have access to is current is accurate and is. Actually useful. I think adoption follows naturally. From there, I think you can use data and feedback to iterate intentionally instead of guessing or reacting to the loudest request. I think building efficiently isn’t necessarily about moving fast for the sake of speed. It’s about creating clarity early, listening closely, and then letting trust and insights guide what you’re building next. RR: In everything that you have shared today, I think you can see the threads of this advice. You’ve mentioned feedback and trying to understand the experience from your user’s perspective and partnering cross-functionally to understand what people need. So we’re seeing that, you know, share early and then we’re seeing that don’t boil the ocean when you’re facing doubling headcount and a rebrand at the same time as you're launching an entire platform. You guys have this approach that is so measured and calm, so bravo for all of the work there and thank you so much for sharing it with us. It’s been so wonderful to hear more about the world that you’re living in and the wonderful work that you’re doing in it. NC: Thanks for having us, Riley. This was great.RR: To our audience, thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Win/Win Podcast. Be sure to tune in next time for more insights on how you can maximize enablement success with Highspot.

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If you gave your life to Christ today, contact us at thecityofthelordzambia@gmail.comIf you would like to join the COL Church, you may use the link below to register.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WvKlPpoqe5DuZJmcx2Qg7hLyN9gz2EsFeG0JBqMf1Os/edit Be Blessed

In a podcast recorded at ITEXPO / MSP EXPO, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Federico De Faveri, founder of De Faveri Consulting, about the growing demand for highly technical, hands-on consulting that bridges gaps between business needs and complex software systems. De Faveri Consulting focuses on what Federico describes as “tech enablement consulting”—hands-on work that includes software development, system integrations, automation, and custom tooling. Rather than operating through large consulting layers, De Faveri works directly with clients to design and implement solutions that remove bottlenecks, reduce manual processes, and create more auditable, data-driven workflows. “I like going into a company with a real problem and building something that saves time, improves visibility, and just works,” De Faveri said. During the discussion, De Faveri explained that clients engage him both reactively and proactively—either to fix broken or inefficient systems or to bring new ideas to life. His interest in attending MSP Expo centered on identifying emerging challenges faced by MSPs, enterprises, and channel partners, particularly as AI-driven tools and integrations reshape operations. While based in South Florida, De Faveri emphasized that most projects are delivered remotely, allowing him to support clients nationwide while still prioritizing trust-building and occasional in-person collaboration. As a newer independent consultant, De Faveri highlighted the freedom and focus that come with running his own firm, along with a core piece of advice for organizations evaluating technology solutions. “Always get multiple technical opinions,” he noted. “Sometimes the best solution isn't another platform—it's a smart integration or a custom script that connects what you already have.” Visit https://df.consulting/

According to research on organizational alignment led by LSA Global highly aligned companies grow revenue 58% faster and are 72% more profitable than misaligned companies. So how can you cultivate an aligned culture ready to drive improved outcomes? Riley Rogers: Hi, and welcome to the Win/Win Podcast. I’m your host, Riley Rogers. Join us as we dive into changing trends in the workplace and how to navigate them successfully. Here to discuss this topic is Julia Juliano, manager of sales enablement at Cencora. Thank you so much for joining us, Julia! I’d love it if you could kick us off by telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your role. Julia Juliano: Yeah, of course. Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here today. My name is Julia Juliano. I live in the Philadelphia area with my husband, daughter, and two dogs. I’m actually coming up on my seventh year with Cencora. I'm now a sales enablement manager, and I started with the company in generic sales within the New York Metro Territory, where I was a top performing rep. That experience really ignited my passion for empowering sales teams to succeed, which ultimately led me to transition into sales enablement. I entered the enablement world as a specialist about four years ago, and worked my way into my current role as a manager. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting both community retail pharmacies and more recently our specialty distribution business. These experiences have given me a comprehensive understanding of the challenges our teams face and the tools and strategies they need to excel in such a competitive and highly regulated environment. RR: Well, we’re super excited to have you here and to dig into a couple of those things you’ve mentioned—transitioning into that sales enablement role from your desire to help sales teams win, navigating competition. So excited to dig into all of that. I want to start with one of the first things you mentioned, which is that you’ve run the gamut from sales to sales enablement. So, can you take us back to your time as a pharmaceutical sales rep at Cencora? What challenges did you experience that shaped how you enable today? JJ: Yeah, you know, it’s a really unique experience to be able to go from sales to sales enablement. As a pharmaceutical sales rep, I experienced firsthand the challenges of accessing the right resources at the right time. Whether that was finding compliant marketing materials, navigating product specific information, or understanding how to position solutions for different customer needs, there was often a disconnect between the tools available and the realities of working in the field and the conversations that I was having with those customers. That experience really allows me to approach enablement from the rep perspective, knowing that every minute they spend searching for content or trying to interpret complex messaging is a minute that they’re not spending with their customers. My goal is to streamline their workflows, ensure they have what they need at their fingertips, and create alignment between the tools we provide and the outcomes that they’re driving in the field. RR: I think that’s such an important call out: Every minute that you’re distracted with non-essential tasks takes you away from the work that really matters both to you and to our business. I think bringing that kind of lived experience and empathy that comes with it to the table is so huge and helps you kind of build the programs and support arms that you’re like: “I wish I’d had that.” And I know it probably can’t be easy to build those programs because Cencora unites six distinct business units under a single brand. So, from an enablement perspective, what kind of complexity does that create for you? JJ: Yeah, so the complexity really lies in balancing the enterprise wide alignment with the unique needs of each of those six business units. So, the six business units are specialty, GPO, community, retail health systems, animal health, and corporate partnerships. They each serve distinct segments of the healthcare ecosystem; their customers, products, and sales strategies vary significantly, which means that their enablement needs are equally diverse. At the same time as one unified brand, we have to maintain consistency and messaging, compliance and governance across the organization. So from an enablement perspective, this requires a strategic and thoughtful approach to content structure, governance, and collaboration to ensure that we’re effectively addressing both the enterprise and each individual business unit’s priorities. RR: When you’re looking across these priorities and trying to stitch everything together into a clear strategy and message, it's obvious that alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It's a very intentional, thoughtful thing that you have to cultivate. So how do you use Highspot to break down those silos that could potentially appear, and then make sure that everybody’s running to the same drum beat at the same pace? JJ: We’ve accomplished this by building a centralized Spot architecture that balances enterprise-level consistency with business unit-specific relevance. So at the enterprise level, we house shared resources like compliance guides, org charts, corporate initiatives—things like that. At the business unit level, we provide more tailored content and tools designed to meet those unique needs of each team for their specific solutions. Highspot Analytics further enables us to identify content gaps and redundancies, which allows us to continuously refine and optimize our approach By centralizing any efforts on Highspot, we’ve established a single source of truth that fosters alignment while maintaining the flexibility needed to meet those diverse needs across our customer segments. RR: There’s so much in what you said that I really want to dig into in just a second. You know, about how you structured those Spots, how you determine what gets a Spot, what doesn’t, alongside the kind of specific, tailored tools that you’re building for solutions. But I want to start with the foundation, the baseline for all of this, which is that as part of your work, you led the creation of a formal structured governance plan. Why did you see governance as foundational for driving alignment and helping Cencora drive a shared strategy? JJ: Governance is truly the backbone of any successful enablement strategy, especially in a complex organization like Cencora. Without it, you risk content duplication, outdated materials, and a lack of visibility into what’s working and what isn’t. When I joined the team, we had a ton of great content, but it wasn’t always easy for reps to find or trust that they were using the most current and up-to-date version. By implementing a formal governance plan, we established a clear process for content creation, approval, and maintenance. And this not only improved findability and adoption, but also ensured that everything we provide to our teams is compliant, up to date, and aligned with our strategic goals, RR: So, you knew what it could achieve for you, and you’re starting to see those outcomes. Specifically you’re seeing that in the data. You know, as a result of this governance strategy, you’ve seen meaningful improvements in content views, downloads, findability, and even platform adoption. So, what actions or parts of this strategy do you think made the biggest difference in achieving the results that you’ve named? JJ: We implemented a consistent taxonomy or naming convention across all the different business units, which made it easier for reps to navigate and find what they need. We also introduced regular content audits on a quarterly basis to ensure that everything in Highspot is relevant and up to date. Another key action was also leveraging Highspot analytics to identify gaps in content or areas where reps were struggling to find resources. And by addressing those gaps and continuously refining our approach, we saw significant improvements in engagement metrics, like you mentioned, the content views, downloads, and overall adoption of the tool. RR: How did you identify those gaps in content that reps couldn’t find? JJ: So, we created sales surveys and worked with our marketing partners and our solution owners to identify which solutions were being most searched for by reps, what materials they needed to aid in the customer conversations that they were having. Then, you know, in the surveys we addressed: “What would you like to learn more about? What type of content are you unable to find that would be helpful in your day-to-day role?” And so we took those surveys, partnered with marketing and those solution owners, like I mentioned, and were able to create those resources to better drive, you know, adoption and findability within the platform. RR: Okay, amazing. I think that’s such an important approach where you’re building from the perspective of your users. It’s not just: “Here’s what we think works.” It’s: “Okay, what does this actually look like in your day to day and how can we make it better?” And actually that kind of leads me to that Spot architecture that you touched on, which includes enterprise-level and then business-unit specific spots. So, how did you create this structure and then how does it help you create consistency like we talked about, but also keep things relevant to reps' day to day? JJ: Yeah, so we started by clearly defining what belongs at the enterprise level versus the business unit level. Enterprise level Spots include resources that apply across the entire organization—this is our compliance guidelines, corporate initiatives, any distribution information, org charts, and training materials. The business unit specific Spots are tailored to the needs of each team—this is your product specific collateral solution, information, sales playbooks, and any sales execution materials that we have for the teams to ensure consistency. We developed a standardized template for all Spots so that reps know where to find what they need, no matter which business unit they’re in. The structure ensures that the reps have access to both the big picture, along with the details that matter most to their customers. Additionally, each business unit only has access to the enterprise level Spots, plus the materials that are relevant to their team. For example, a rep in health systems won’t be able to see community retail content if it isn’t applicable to their role. So the targeted access keeps search results cleaner and more accurate, reducing noise and helping reps to get to the right asset faster. It also supports a smart marketing model. We may have one enterprise solution, but the go to market strategy, messaging, and customer facing materials can vary by customer profile and their buying environment. So structuring the access this way allows marketing and enablement to maintain the consistent approach for enterprise positioning while still delivering the right version of the story and tailored assets for each individual audience. RR: It feels like there was so much intention and thought put into this. You’ve kind of checked the box for everybody in the org. You know, sales is getting specifically what they need. They don’t have to filter through the noise and the chaos of five other business units. Marketing ensures that their strategy is being executed to its fullest and that the materials they’re producing and investing in are seeing the usage they’d like. Then you as an enablement team have a much easier time governing and maintaining your strict policies because you don’t have that same sprawl, so I love to hear that; it’s a fantastic structure. Not to get too in the weeds, but I’ve heard that as part of this Spot structure, you’re also empowering reps to land the value of Cencora's different product lines by creating Richardson Methodology-inspired Plays for each solution. What do those Plays look like in practice and how are they supporting reps? JJ: Our Richardson-inspired Plays are thoughtfully designed to guide reps through the entire sales process, all the way from discovery to close in a way that’s tailored to each specific solution. Each Play for every individual solution that we offer is structured into three sections:Learn, prepare, and engage. The “Learn” section provides internal facing materials to educate the reps on the solution, ensuring that they have a deep understanding of its value and its applications. The “Prepare” section offers guidance on how to plan and strategize for customer conversations, so this includes tools like questioning frameworks and call planners. And then finally, the “Engage” section houses our customer facing materials. So these are typically created by marketing, and they support reps in effectively communicating the solutions value to customers to support them in those conversations. And these Plays really act as a clear and actionable roadmap, equipping reps with the knowledge, preparation, and resources they need to have more meaningful, productive, and impactful conversations with our customers. RR: So we’ve dug into the details. We talked about thoughtful governance, strategic Spot architecture, and solution-specific plays. When we look at all of this more broadly, how has this approach improved or changed how reps take Cencora solutions to market? JJ: This approach has really transformed how our reps take solutions to market by making it easier for them to find trust and use the resources that they need. With the governance in place, reps know that they’re always accessing the most current and compliant materials, and then the Spot architecture ensures they can quickly find content that’s relevant to their specific customers and sales strategies. The solution-specific Plays also provide a clear roadmap for engaging customers and addressing their individual needs. Together, all of these elements have really improved their efficiency, confidence, and effectiveness, which ultimately has led to better customer outcomes and stronger business results. RR: It really seems like you and the team have built an environment that you as a rep would’ve been like: “This is fantastic. I can go run and do my job and not spend time on the things that take me away from it.” I’d be curious to add onto that impact piece: What key results have you achieved beyond everything that we just covered off on (which was a lot!). What particular wins are you especially proud of? JJ: Yeah, so since we implemented Highspot in 2021—coming up on five years at this point—we’ve seen clear improvements in how our teams find, trust, and use the enablement resources that we’re able to provide for them. Like I’ve mentioned, the content is much easier to locate, adoption is stronger, and engagement is more consistent because reps know that they’re working from a single current source of truth. We’ve talked about most of them today, but the wins I’m especially proud of are the governance foundation we’ve put in place, the Spot architecture that balances the enterprise consistency with the business unit relevance, and then those solution-specific plays that help reps move from learning to preparing to engaging with their customers. Together, those changes have reduced friction for sellers, improved onboarding and readiness for new team members, and strengthened alignment across the organization. The most important thing with having Highspot as our sales enablement platform is that, before we adopted this tool, different versions of materials were just kind of floating around on people’s desktops and an old platform that we used to utilize in Teams channels and through inboxes. You never knew which one was the one that was most recently updated. “What should I be using? Has any of this messaging changed?” Now, there’s one place; I always pitch it to our reps as Cencora's Google. You just search in the search bar, whatever you’re looking for, and the first result that comes up is what you’re looking for. RR: I think it’s really important, that kind of domino effect that you touched on: “We did the work at the very beginning to make sure everything is accessible, to make sure it’s updated and to make sure it’s valuable to our reps and that they know it.” And now you’re seeing the entire progression from finding content to engaging buyers in a more meaningful, trusted way and creating more trusted relationships. So you’ve kind of built that flywheel. Now it’s just kind of spinning and maintaining, which is fantastic to hear. Last question for you: For leaders building similar enterprise-level enablement strategies in a similarly complex competitive environment, what hard-earned advice would you leave them with? JJ: My advice would be to start with the governance and the structure. Without a clear plan for how the content is created, organized, and maintained, it’s really easy for things to become chaotic, especially in a complex environment where multiple teams are involved. There’s lots of hands in the pot. Things get lost in translation. So governance and structure would be the starting point. Additionally, it is so important to always keep the end user in mind. Enablement is all about making the lives of your reps easier. Take the time to understand their needs and challenges so that you can create solutions for them. And finally, don’t underestimate the importance of analytics. Use the data to continuously refine your approach and demonstrate the impact of your efforts. Enablement is truly a journey. It’s not a destination, and the key is to stay agile and focused on delivering value both to the reps that you support and their customers. RR: That phrase there: Enablement is a journey is so important to hear because, to our audience who are all at different stages in the process, maybe you’re building, you’re just writing that enablement charter or maybe you’re just trying to run and optimize. Either way, I feel like you need to hear that because everything is constantly changing and you are constantly adapting. I think that’s a reassuring spot to end on, and I really appreciate you saying that. Beyond that, I really appreciate you joining us and sharing all of this wonderful experience. It’s been so amazing to step into the work that you’re doing and the impact that you’re driving for Cencora. JJ: Absolutely. I’m honored to be invited. I’m so grateful to be here. Thank you for the time and asking all these thoughtful questions. I hope that can help many other organizations out there.RR: To our listeners, thank you for listening to this episode of the Win/Win Podcast. Be sure to tune in next time for more insights on how you can maximize enablement success with Highspot.

“You know, at the core of Working Genius, what it does is it allows us to avoid guilt and judgment—guilt about ourselves and judgment of others.” That's Patrick Lencioni, bestselling author and organizational health expert, talking about his breakthrough Working Genius productivity framework on the Sales Gravy podcast. If you're leading a sales team, this explains why high performers thrive in some roles and burn out in others. Right now, you probably have high performers who are miserable, rockstars who've lost their spark, and top reps who suddenly can't hit quota. And you're wondering—did you hire wrong, did someone lose their edge, or do you need to have “the conversation”? What if the problem isn't the person at all?  The Real Reason Your Best People Are Struggling Not all work is created equal, and your sales reps aren't wired to do all of it. Lencioni stumbled on this insight while reflecting on himself. He'd show up to work loving his job and the people he worked with, yet swing from energized to frustrated without understanding why.  His colleague asked, “Why are you like that?” Over a few hours, Lencioni and his team pinpointed six distinct types of work. Depending on which type you're doing, you're either energized or drained. Five years later, over 1.5 million people have taken the Working Genius assessment. Why? Most organizations force talented people into work that drains them, then blame them when they struggle. Most sales leaders hire a closer for their ability to seal deals, then wonder why they can't prospect. They promote a quota-crusher into management, then watch them implode under administrative responsibilities. Or move an account manager into new business development and act shocked when performance tanks. The talent was there all along, but their positioning was wrong. Six Types of Work—and Why Most People Only Excel at Two Patrick Lencioni identified six distinct types of work that exist in every organization: Wonder (W): Spotting opportunities, asking big-picture questions Invention (I): Creating new solutions, processes, or systems Discernment (D): Evaluating ideas, figuring out what will work Galvanizing (G): Rallying the team, getting people moving Enablement (E): Supporting others, clearing obstacles, making things happen Tenacity (T): Following through, finishing tasks, closing deals Here’s what matters: most people are strong in two, competent in two, and are drained by the remaining two. And there are no good or bad geniuses. Your closer with natural Tenacity isn’t more valuable than your strategic thinker with Wonder and Discernment. Your rep who rallies the team (Galvanizing) isn’t better than the one who quietly enables everyone behind the scenes. Different geniuses are valuable in different ways. The goal is to build a team where all six are represented, and people work in their areas of strength. Force someone into work that drains them, and sales team performance tanks. Leave them in their genius zones, and energy and results skyrocket. Stop Judging Your People (And Yourself) You’ve probably got a rep right now who frustrates you. Maybe they’re brilliant in client meetings but terrible at following up. Maybe they generate incredible account strategies, but can’t stand the daily grind of outbound prospecting. Maybe they close deals but never update the CRM. Your first instinct is to judge them. “They’re not coachable.” “They don’t care about the details.” “They’re lazy.” Working Genius removes that judgment. It shows you that their struggle isn’t about character—it’s about wiring. A rep isn't bad at follow-up because they don’t care. They’re bad at it because Tenacity isn’t their genius. A rep isn't a bad team player because they don't remove obstacles for others. Enablement isn't their strength. And here’s the part most sales leaders miss: you need to stop judging yourself, too. You feel guilty that you hate certain parts of your job. You think you should be better at forecasting, or administrative work, or whatever drains you. But guilt about your own limitations makes you harder on your team. When you accept that you’re not built to excel at everything, you can extend that same grace to others. You stop punishing people for being human and start positioning them for success. Start With Self-Reflection Which activities give you energy? Which leave you drained? I’ll be honest about my own wake-up call. I travel over 300 nights a year, giving keynotes and working with clients. Last summer, I got to the point where I thought I was going to have a mental breakdown. Days stacked with short calls, client check-ins, alignment meetings, and podcasts. I was furious when I got to the office, and furious when I left because those days completely destroy my brain. I’m a wonderer and a thinker. I need space to ideate. Without that time, I can’t function. So I implemented a new rule: no more than two meetings per day. I understood my working genius and restructured my time. Once you see your own patterns, look at your team. Track what lights people up and what slows them down. Patterns emerge quickly. How to Apply Working Genius to Your Sales Team We had a team member at Sales Gravy who was noticeably unhappy. Not complaining out loud, just clearly not thriving. When we looked at what the job required versus their working genius profile, the answer was obvious. We had them doing work completely opposite of their natural abilities. Once we restructured their role to align with their strengths, everything changed. Here's how you can apply it: Pair complementary geniuses. Big-picture thinkers need execution-focused partners. Strategic planners need implementers. Someone strong in Wonder and Invention but weak in Tenacity needs to work with someone who loves finishing and closing. Restructure roles around natural strengths. Don't force people into weaknesses. Reassign or support tasks that drain them.  Be intentional with promotions. Top performers don’t automatically make good managers. Your best individual contributor may hate administrative work. Your best manager may dislike strategic planning. Know what fits before making moves. Have your team take the assessment. Get everyone’s working genius profile. Put it at their workstation. Use it in real-time during team meetings when you’re trying to figure out why something isn’t working. We do this at Sales Gravy, and it’s transformed how we work together.  The Bottom Line Your sales team isn't broken, but your understanding of how they work might be. When you force talented people into roles that clash with their natural strengths, you get frustration, underperformance, and attrition. Then you blame the person and start hiring again.  Everyone has areas of frustration. Everyone faces work they aren't naturally good at. Working Genius doesn't let people avoid the draining tasks—but it helps you understand why some work feels impossible, build teams that complement each other, and stop punishing your people for being human. Stop judging that rep who struggles with CRM updates. Stop feeling guilty that you hate certain parts of your job. Start positioning people where their natural abilities can shine. Over 1.5 million people have discovered their working genius. Most of them wish they’d found it sooner. Visit workinggenius.com and take the assessment. Use coupon code GRAVY for 20% off. 

"You know, at the core of Working Genius, what it does is it allows us to avoid guilt and judgment—guilt about ourselves and judgment of others." That's Patrick Lencioni, bestselling author and organizational health expert, talking about his breakthrough Working Genius productivity framework on the Sales Gravy podcast. If you're leading a sales team, this explains why high performers thrive in some roles and burn out in others. Right now, you probably have high performers who are miserable, rockstars who've lost their spark, and top reps who suddenly can't hit quota. And you're wondering—did you hire wrong, did someone lose their edge, or do you need to have “the conversation”? What if the problem isn't the person at all?  The Real Reason Your Best People Are Struggling Not all work is created equal, and your sales reps aren't wired to do all of it. Lencioni stumbled on this insight while reflecting on himself. He'd show up to work loving his job and the people he worked with, yet swing from energized to frustrated without understanding why.  His colleague asked, “Why are you like that?” Over a few hours, Lencioni and his team pinpointed six distinct types of work. Depending on which type you're doing, you're either energized or drained. Five years later, over 1.5 million people have taken the Working Genius assessment. Why? Most organizations force talented people into work that drains them, then blame them when they struggle. Most sales leaders hire a closer for their ability to seal deals, then wonder why they can't prospect. They promote a quota-crusher into management, then watch them implode under administrative responsibilities. Or move an account manager into new business development and act shocked when performance tanks. The talent was there all along, but their positioning was wrong. Six Types of Work—and Why Most People Only Excel at Two Patrick Lencioni identified six distinct types of work that exist in every organization: Wonder (W): Spotting opportunities, asking big-picture questions Invention (I): Creating new solutions, processes, or systems Discernment (D): Evaluating ideas, figuring out what will work Galvanizing (G): Rallying the team, getting people moving Enablement (E): Supporting others, clearing obstacles, making things happen Tenacity (T): Following through, finishing tasks, closing deals Here's what matters: most people are strong in two, competent in two, and are drained by the remaining two. And there are no good or bad geniuses. Your closer with natural Tenacity isn't more valuable than your strategic thinker with Wonder and Discernment. Your rep who rallies the team (Galvanizing) isn't better than the one who quietly enables everyone behind the scenes. Different geniuses are valuable in different ways. The goal is to build a team where all six are represented, and people work in their areas of strength. Force someone into work that drains them, and sales team performance tanks. Leave them in their genius zones, and energy and results skyrocket. Stop Judging Your People (And Yourself) You've probably got a rep right now who frustrates you. Maybe they're brilliant in client meetings but terrible at following up. Maybe they generate incredible account strategies, but can't stand the daily grind of outbound prospecting. Maybe they close deals but never update the CRM. Your first instinct is to judge them. "They're not coachable." "They don't care about the details." "They're lazy." Working Genius removes that judgment. It shows you that their struggle isn't about character—it's about wiring. A rep isn't bad at follow-up because they don't care. They're bad at it because Tenacity isn't their genius. A rep isn't a bad team player because they don't remove obstacles for others. Enablement isn't their strength. And here's the part most sales leaders miss: you need to stop judging yourself, too. You feel guilty that you hate certain parts of your job. You think you should be better at forecasting, or administrative work, or whatever drains you. But guilt about your own limitations makes you harder on your team. When you accept that you're not built to excel at everything, you can extend that same grace to others. You stop punishing people for being human and start positioning them for success. Start With Self-Reflection Which activities give you energy? Which leave you drained? I'll be honest about my own wake-up call. I travel over 300 nights a year, giving keynotes and working with clients. Last summer, I got to the point where I thought I was going to have a mental breakdown. Days stacked with short calls, client check-ins, alignment meetings, and podcasts. I was furious when I got to the office, and furious when I left because those days completely destroy my brain. I'm a wonderer and a thinker. I need space to ideate. Without that time, I can't function. So I implemented a new rule: no more than two meetings per day. I understood my working genius and restructured my time. Once you see your own patterns, look at your team. Track what lights people up and what slows them down. Patterns emerge quickly. How to Apply Working Genius to Your Sales Team We had a team member at Sales Gravy who was noticeably unhappy. Not complaining out loud, just clearly not thriving. When we looked at what the job required versus their working genius profile, the answer was obvious. We had them doing work completely opposite of their natural abilities. Once we restructured their role to align with their strengths, everything changed. Here's how you can apply it: Pair complementary geniuses. Big-picture thinkers need execution-focused partners. Strategic planners need implementers. Someone strong in Wonder and Invention but weak in Tenacity needs to work with someone who loves finishing and closing. Restructure roles around natural strengths. Don't force people into weaknesses. Reassign or support tasks that drain them.  Be intentional with promotions. Top performers don't automatically make good managers. Your best individual contributor may hate administrative work. Your best manager may dislike strategic planning. Know what fits before making moves. Have your team take the assessment. Get everyone's working genius profile. Put it at their workstation. Use it in real-time during team meetings when you're trying to figure out why something isn't working. We do this at Sales Gravy, and it's transformed how we work together.  The Bottom Line Your sales team isn't broken, but your understanding of how they work might be. When you force talented people into roles that clash with their natural strengths, you get frustration, underperformance, and attrition. Then you blame the person and start hiring again.  Everyone has areas of frustration. Everyone faces work they aren't naturally good at. Working Genius doesn't let people avoid the draining tasks—but it helps you understand why some work feels impossible, build teams that complement each other, and stop punishing your people for being human. Stop judging that rep who struggles with CRM updates. Stop feeling guilty that you hate certain parts of your job. Start positioning people where their natural abilities can shine. Over 1.5 million people have discovered their working genius. Most of them wish they'd found it sooner. Visit workinggenius.com and take the assessment. Use coupon code GRAVY for 20% off. 

Pastor Wayne Van Gelderen shares biblical truth that will bring hope and comfort in these uncertain days. May we draw closer to God through this time and impact those around us for eternity. https://fallsbaptist.org https://baptistcollege.org https://www.theegeneration.org https://ontovictorypress.com If you'd like to support this ministry - https://fallsbaptist.org/give/

Jason Beal, President, Americas, and Danielle Skipper, HR Business Partner at Exclusive Networks, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing MSPs and VARs today: the shortage of qualified cybersecurity talent and the need for practical, scalable solutions. Beal opened the conversation by describing Exclusive Networks as a global go-to-market specialist and value-added distributor focused on cybersecurity and security-adjacent technologies. As the company worked closely with vendors and channel partners worldwide, a consistent theme emerged—partners were struggling not only to attract skilled cybersecurity professionals but also to retain them. “We heard over and over from our partners and vendors that they were really struggling with attracting the right talent and retaining that talent,” Beal said, noting that this feedback prompted Exclusive Networks to develop a structured response. That response is CyberFarm, a university-based workforce development program launched at Cal Poly that combines hands-on experience with real-world channel exposure. Skipper explained that the program began four years ago with just three students and has since grown to support more than two dozen at a time, with over 100 students having passed through the initiative overall. “Imagine having someone who's spent two years learning the channel, working with vendors, earning certifications, and supporting real partners—by the time they graduate, they're ready to hit the ground running,” Skipper said. Unlike traditional internships, CyberFarm students work for at least 12 months—often two years or more—supporting both Exclusive Networks and its ecosystem of partners and vendors. Participants gain experience across a wide range of functions, including SOC analysis, business development, marketing, content creation, and sales operations. For MSPs and VARs, this creates access to a proven talent pool with significantly reduced ramp-up time and risk compared to traditional hiring. The discussion also highlighted how CyberFarm enables partner growth. Skipper shared examples of MSPs using CyberFarm talent to scale operations rapidly, adding capacity in engineering, marketing, and renewal management at critical growth stages. “For some partners, CyberFarm has been the difference between staying flat and scaling their business two, three, or four times,” she said. Beyond talent development, Beal outlined Exclusive Networks' broader enablement strategy for the channel. This includes pre- and post-sales technical services, go-to-market support, authorized training and certification programs, and CloudRise, a security services organization acquired by Exclusive Networks to act as a virtual engineering bench for partners. “Enablement isn't just a buzzword for us,” Beal said. “It's about putting MSPs in a position to succeed—technically, operationally, and now from a talent perspective as well.” As the conversation wrapped up, both guests emphasized that while AI and automation are reshaping cybersecurity, human expertise remains essential. Exclusive Networks' approach blends “AI and AIR”—artificial intelligence alongside authentic human relationships—to help partners grow sustainably. More information about Exclusive Networks and its channel programs is available at https://www.exclusive-networks.com/.

In this episode of RevOps Champions, host Brendon Dennewill talks with Hayden Stafford, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Seismic. Drawing on 25+years leading go-to market teams at Microsoft, Salesforce, IBM, and Pegasystems, Hayden explains why modern growth depends on a "well-plumbed" revenue system, where sales, success, support, partners, and service operate as one connected engine. Hayden reframes enablement as the strategic translation layer that turns boardroom strategy into frontline execution with the right context, content, and coaching inside the flow of work. The conversation also tackles market downturn readiness, the CFO/CRO tension, and the importance of leading indicators, and a pragmatic view of AI adoption. What You'll LearnHow revenue strategy and revenue systems work together to drive resultsWhy enablement is a cross-functional translation layer, not just trainingWhat it means for RevOps to move from reporting outcomes to surfacing signalsWhere AI delivers the most value when embedded in daily workflowsThe first alignment levers CROs should focus onHow to recognize when AI adoption stalls before impact shows upResources MentionedSeismicSatya Nadella Microsoft Dynamics 365 Salesforce AgentforceMicrosoft CopilotIs your business ready to scale? Take the Growth Readiness Score to find out. In 5 minutes, you'll see: Benchmark data showing how you stack up to other organizations A clear view of your operational maturity Whether your business is ready to scale (and what to do next if it's not) Let's Connect Subscribe to the RevOps Champions Newsletter LinkedIn YouTube Explore the show at revopschampions.com. Ready to unite your teams with RevOps strategies that eliminate costly silos and drive growth? Let's talk!

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We analyzed 1,474 CSM conversations to uncover why they are leaving and what keeps them in 2026. Grab the Free Talent Report here: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/reportCSMs don't leave because they're bad at their jobs — they leave because no one can see the impact they're making. In Part 2 of this series, I'm breaking down the real reason high-performing CSMs feel invisible, even when they're driving renewals, expansion, and retention behind the scenes.We're unpacking what “impact” actually means when CSMs say they're missing it, why this isn't a motivation problem but a systems problem, and the three patterns I see over and over again in teams with high turnover. I'll walk you through where leaders unintentionally lose their best people, the gaps that prevent CSMs from articulating their value, and the exact operational, enablement, and management shifts that change everything without adding more work.By the end of this episode, you'll finally have language, structure, and a clear action plan to make impact visible and undeniable. If you're tired of feeling overlooked or watching top CSMs walk out the door, this is the missing piece you haven't addressed yet. Hit plat and let's dive in.1:07 – Why High-Performing CSMs Still Feel Invisible (and Leave Because of It)3:13 – The True Meaning Behind “I Want More Impact” (It's Not Just About Praise)4:42 – How Being Forced Into Reactive Work Stops CSMs from Contributing Strategically6:10 – The Real Cost of Not Having Access to Key Metrics and Business Data11:51 – 5 Root Causes Leadership Misses That Make CSMs Feel Disconnected15:29 – 3 Critical Fixes: Better Operations, Enablement, and Coaching (Not Just More Tools)19:16 – Why Advocating for Growth or Finding a Company That Invests in You Matters Now More Than EverOTHER EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:

Everyone's chasing AI. Meanwhile, most organizations are wasting 25-30% of their software budget on tools nobody uses.In this episode, we meet James Malek, Senior VP of IT Infrastructure at Lexitas, who inherited chaos—45 acquisitions in five years, no structured IT department, and a hodgepodge of contracts everywhere. Instead of chasing the next shiny thing, James took a different approach: foundation first.What his team discovered when they finally got visibility into their software estate—including 300 employees using ChatGPT at a legal services company handling sensitive data—changed everything.In this episode, you'll learn:• Why software waste persists despite decades of awareness—and what actually fixes it• How one company consolidated seven separate ShareFile contracts into one• The shadow AI problem hiding in your organization right now• Why you can't do it all yourself—and what to do insteadFeaturing:• James Malek, Senior VP of IT Infrastructure, Lexitas• Elizabeth D'Amico, Manager, SAM Programs & Enablement, Softchoice• Josh Brewer, Account Executive, SoftchoiceThe Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

How can pairing geniuses enhance the customer service experience?In episode 105 of the Working Genius Podcast, Pat and Cody dive deep into the world of customer service roles and enablement. They explore how unique combinations of working geniuses, such as enablement paired with discernment or tenacity, can enhance customer interactions and improve service outcomes. By aligning strengths with job demands, being authentic about one's abilities, and providing tailored solutions to customers, individuals can excel in customer service roles and find satisfaction in their careers.Topics explored in this episode: 00:00:47 – Types of Customer Service* Great customer service depends on the right mix of working geniuses* Enablement shines when helping others feels energizing, not draining00:04:46 – Discernment and Enablement* Discernment helps decode what customers actually mean* Enablement turns confusion into clear, helpful solutions00:06:35 – Tenacity and Enablement* Tenacity makes sure no email or question gets left behind * Enablement brings the drive to serve fast, fully, and well00:11:09 – Types of Employee Geniuses* Different genius types shape how people show up at work* Customer service thrives when roles match natural strengths00:24:22 – Choosing the Right Job* The wrong role leads to burnout, even if you're good at it* The right fit makes work sustainable and satisfyingThis episode of The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. The Six Types of Working Genius model helps you discover your natural gifts and thrive in your work and life. When you're able to better understand the types of work that bring you more energy and fulfillment and avoid work that leads to frustration and failure, you can be more self-aware, more productive, and more successful. The Six Types of Working Genius assessment is the fastest and simplest way to discover your natural gifts and thrive at work: https://workinggenius.me/about Subscribe to The Working Genius Podcast on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube). Follow Pat Lencioni on https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth, http://www.youtube.com/@PatrickLencioniOfficial, and https://x.com/patricklencioni. Be sure to check out our other podcast, At The Table with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6NWAZzkzl4ljxX7S2xkHvu), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

With the Ralph loop going mainstream, how are engineering organizations utilizing it at scale? Andrew and Ben sit down with Angie Jones, VP of Engineering AI Tools and Enablement at Block, to pick her brain on how they are using the Ralph Wiggum technique to automate updates across 25,000 repos and how she is strategically preparing for Gas Town. The team also breaks down the launch of OpenAI's new GPT-5.2 Codex model before closing out the week with a look at the weirdest tech from CES, from hypersonic knives to music-playing lollipops.LinearB: Measure the impact of GitHub Copilot and CursorFollow the show:Subscribe to our Substack Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelLeave us a ReviewFollow the hosts:Follow AndrewFollow BenFollow DanFollow today's stories:Angie Jones: angiejones.tech | LinkedIn | X (Twitter)Goose (Block's AI Agent): github.com/block/gooseSteve Yegge's "Welcome to Gas Town": Read on MediumGeoffrey Huntley's Ralph Loop: ghuntley.com/ralphRyan Dahl on the End of Coding: @rough__seaThe Weirdest Tech of CES: Read the ArticleOFFERS Start Free Trial: Get started with LinearB's AI productivity platform for free. Book a Demo: Learn how you can ship faster, improve DevEx, and lead with confidence in the AI era. LEARN ABOUT LINEARB AI Code Reviews: Automate reviews to catch bugs, security risks, and performance issues before they hit production. AI & Productivity Insights: Go beyond DORA with AI-powered recommendations and dashboards to measure and improve performance. AI-Powered Workflow Automations: Use AI-generated PR descriptions, smart routing, and other automations to reduce developer toil. MCP Server: Interact with your engineering data using natural language to build custom reports and get answers on the fly.

Guest: Samantha Phillips Guest Bio:  Samantha Phillips is the Sales Enablement Manager at SHI International, leading strategic initiatives across Commercial and Public Sector divisions. With over five years of enablement experience in high-volume IT sales, she builds scalable onboarding programs, develops impactful training, and drives process improvements that boost sales performance. Samantha partners with sales and technical leadership to coach enablement teams, ensuring sellers are equipped for success. Her programs have achieved high satisfaction scores and retention rates, reflecting her commitment to results and culture. Samantha is passionate about creating engaging learning experiences and fostering professional growth. She is recognized for her collaborative approach, problem-solving skills, and dedication to elevating sales teams. Connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phillips-samantha   Key Points: Background & Career Path Samantha Phillips started her career in sales at SHI, not enablement. She transitioned into sales enablement after networking with the enablement team and being encouraged to apply. Her enablement experience includes Sales enablement trainer (onboarding & workshops), Program manager, and Sales enablement manager (for the past 3 years). She values continuous learning and has worked across nearly all aspects of sales enablement.   Why Sales? Samantha entered sales after moving to Austin and being drawn to the energy and culture of sales, the competitive environment, the ability to build her own book of business, the people and fast-paced atmosphere were the biggest drivers.   What Sales Enablement Is (and Is Not) Sales enablement has evolved beyond traditional L&D (Learning & Development). It is no longer just training or professional development. Modern sales enablement focuses on driving the sales process, helping sellers close deals faster, improving sales productivity and developing the right mindsets and behaviors. L&D serves the whole organization; sales enablement is specific to the sales org.   What Sellers Need to Be Equipped for Success The most critical focus is a customer-centric approach. Relationship-building is more important than just "getting the meeting." Sellers should aim to become a trusted resource, not just a vendor, build long-term customer relationships and short-term wins are easy; long-term relationships drive sustainable success.   Cold Calling & Prospecting Philosophy Samantha agrees that meetings matter—but they should be pursued with strategy and value, not just metrics. Effective prospecting requires researching what matters to the customer, understanding why it matters, and clearly articulating value. Cold calling without value is just "throwing things at the wall."   Role of Sales Enablement Tools Tools include CRM, internal systems, data resources, and content. Sellers must first be exposed to tools early (despite information overload). Enablement focuses on high-level understanding of frameworks and strategies and application, especially through role play. Role playing helps sellers sound natural and authentic, avoid reading scripts and build conversational confidence. AI is increasingly used to support practice and application. Skill retention requires ongoing practice—like muscle memory or sports.   Research & Preparation Sellers should deeply research their customer and the customer's customers. Understanding the full ecosystem helps sellers communicate broader value. This approach resembles a modern, automated version of a sales readiness checklist.   Driving Tool Adoption (Especially CRM) Tool adoption fails when middle managers aren't bought in. Success requires buy-in at all levels: Executives, Sales enablement, Middle managers and Sellers. Managers must reinforce tools during one-on-ones and team meetings. Enablement should test tools with pilot groups, gather feedback and adjust based on real usage. Sometimes tools don't fail—they're just being used differently than expected. "Fail forward" and pivot based on how sellers actually work.   CRM Challenges & the Future CRM resistance is common across sales organizations. Current problems include complexity, too many fields/tabs and poor usability. Samantha believes CRM is entering a new phase, driven by AI with more automation, less manual input and more "behind-the-scenes" functionality. The future of CRM should reduce friction for sellers.   What Samantha Loves About Sales Enablement Creativity in approaches and problem-solving Different strengths across sellers, managers, and trainers Freedom to experiment, test, and learn A "fail forward" mindset   What Drives Her Crazy People who don't try or limit themselves Sellers and leaders who stay stuck in their comfort zones Seeing people underestimate their potential Belief that even 1% improvement per day can be transformational   Final Takeaway Growth—in sales and enablement—comes from stepping outside your comfort zone, practicing consistently and being open to feedback and change. Sales enablement succeeds when it blends strategy, application, mindset, and leadership buy-in.   Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillips-samantha/     About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts. Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs. If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time. Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/. 

Welcome back to Snafu with Robin Zander. In this episode, I'm joined by Jeff Jaworsky, who shares his journey from a global role at Google to running his own business while prioritizing time with his children. We talk about the pivotal life and career decisions that shaped this transition, focusing on the importance of setting boundaries—both personally and professionally. Jeff shares insights on leaving a structured corporate world for entrepreneurship and the lessons learned along the way. We also explore the evolving landscape of sales and entrepreneurship, highlighting how integrating human connection and coaching skills is more important than ever in a tech-driven world. The conversation touches on the role of AI and technology, emphasizing how they can support—but not replace—essential human relationships. Jeff offers practical advice for coaches and salespeople on leveraging their natural skills and hints at a potential future book exploring the intersection of leadership, coaching, and sales. If you're curious about what's next for thoughtful leadership, entrepreneurship, and balancing work with life, this episode is for you. And for more conversations like this, get your tickets for Snafu Conference 2026 on March 5th here, where we'll continue exploring human connection, business, and the evolving role of AI. Start (0:00) Early life and first real boundary Jeff grew up up in a structured, linear environment Decisions largely made for you Clear expectations, predictable paths Post–high school as the first inflection point College chosen because it's "what you're supposed to do" Dream: ESPN sports anchor (explicit role model: Stuart Scott) Reality check through research Job placement rate: ~3% First moment of asking: Is this the best use of my time? Is this fair to the people investing in me (parents)? Boundary lesson #1 Letting go of a dream doesn't mean failure Boundaries can be about honesty, not limitation Choosing logic over fantasy can unlock unexpected paths Dropping out of college → accidental entry into sales Working frontline sales at Best Buy while in school Selling computers, service plans, handling customers daily Decision to leave college opens capacity Manager notices and offers leadership opportunity Takes on home office department Largest sales category in the store Youngest supervisor in the company (globally) at 19 Early leadership challenges Managing people much older Navigating credibility, age bias, exclusion Learning influence without authority Boundary insight Temporary decisions can become formative Saying "yes" doesn't mean you're locked in forever Second boundary: success without sustainability Rapid growth at Best Buy Promotions Increasing responsibility Observing manager life up close 60-hour weeks No real breaks Lunch from vending machines Internal checkpoint Is this the life I want long-term? Distinguishing: Liking the work Disliking the cost Boundary lesson #2 You can love a craft and still reject the lifestyle around it Boundaries protect the future version of you Returning to school with intention Decision to go back to college This time with clarity Sales and marketing degree by design, not default Accelerated path Graduates in three years Clear goal: catch up, not start over Internship at J. Walter Thompson Entry into agency world Launch of long-term sales and marketing career Pattern recognition: how boundaries actually work Ongoing self-check at every stage Have I learned what I came here to learn? Am I still growing? Is this experience still stretching me? Boundaries as timing, not rejection Experiences "run their course" Leaving doesn't invalidate what came before Non-linear growth Sometimes stepping down is strategic Demotion → education Senior role → frontline role (later at Google) Downward moves that enable a bigger climb later Shared reflection with Robin Sales as a foundational skill Comparable to: Surfing (handling forces bigger than you) Early exposure to asking, pitching, rejection Best Buy reframed Customer service under pressure Handling frustrated, misinformed, emotional people Humility + persuasion + resilience Parallel experiences Robin selling a restaurant after learning everything she could Knowing the next step (expansion) and choosing not to take it Walking away without knowing what's next Core philosophy: learning vs. maintaining "If I'm not learning, I'm dying" Builder mindset, not maintainer Growth as a non-negotiable Career decisions guided by curiosity, not status Titles are temporary Skills compound Ladders vs. experience stacks Rejecting the myth of linear progression Valuing breadth, depth, and contrast The bridge metaphor Advice for people stuck between "not this" and "not sure what next" Don't leap blindly Build a bridge Bridge components Low-risk experiments Skill development Small tests in parallel with current work Benefits Reduces panic Increases clarity Turns uncertainty into movement Framing the modern career question Referencing the "jungle gym, not a ladder" idea Careers as lateral, diagonal, looping — not linear Growth through range, not just depth Connecting to Range and creative longevity Diverse experiences as a competitive advantage Late bloomers as evidence that exploration compounds Naming the real fear beneath the metaphor What if exploration turns into repeated failure? What if the next five moves don't work? Risk of confusing experimentation with instability Adding today's pressure cooker Economic uncertainty AI and automation reshaping work faster than previous generations experienced The tension between adaptability and survival The core dilemma How do you pursue a non-linear path without tumbling back to zero? How do you "build the bridge" instead of jumping blindly? How do you keep earning while evolving? The two-year rule Treating commitments like a contract with yourself Two years as a meaningful unit of time Long enough to: Learn deeply Be challenged Experience failure and recovery Short enough to avoid stagnation Boundaries around optional exits Emergency ripcord exists But default posture is commitment, not escape Psychological benefit Reduces panic during hard moments Prevents constant second-guessing Encourages depth over novelty chasing The 18-month check-in Using the final stretch strategically Asking: Am I still learning? Am I still challenged? Does this align with my principles? Shifting from execution to reflection Early exploration of "what's next" Identifying gaps: Skills to acquire Experiences to test Regaining control External forces aren't always controllable Internal planning always is Why most people get stuck Planning too late Waiting until: Layoffs Burnout Forced transitions Trying to design the future in crisis Limited creativity Fear-based decisions Contrast with proactive planning Calm thinking Optionality Leverage Extending the contract Recognizing unfinished business Loving the work Still growing Still contributing meaningfully One-year extensions as intentional choices Not inertia Not fear Conscious recommitment A long career, one organization at a time Example: nearly 13 years at Google Six different roles Multiple reinventions inside one company Pattern over prestige Frontline sales Sales leadership Enablement Roles as chapters, not identities Staying while growing Leaving only when growth plateaus Experience stacking over ladder climbing Rejecting linear advancement Titles matter less than skills Accumulating perspective Execution Leadership Systems Transferable insight What works with customers What works internally What scales Sales enablement as an example of bridge-building Transition motivated by impact Desire to help at scale Supporting many sellers, not just personal results A natural evolution, not a pivot Built on prior sales experience Expanded influence Bridge logic in action Skills reused Scope widened Risk managed Zooming out: sales, stigma, and parenting Introducing the next lens: children Three boys: 13, 10, 7 Confronting sales stereotypes Slimy Manipulative Self-serving Tension between reputation and reality Loving sales Building a career around it Teaching it without replicating the worst versions Redefining sales as a helping profession Sales as service Primary orientation: benefit to the other person Compensation as a byproduct, not the driver Ethical center Believe in what you're recommending Stand behind its value Sleep well regardless of outcome Losses reframed Most deals don't close Failure as feedback Integrity as the constant Selling to kids (and being sold by them) Acknowledging reality Everyone sells, constantly Titles don't matter Teaching ethos, not tactics How you persuade matters more than whether you win Kindness Thoughtfulness Awareness of the other side Everyday negotiations Bedtime extensions Appeals to age, fairness, peer behavior Sales wins without good reasoning Learning opportunity Success ≠ good process Boundaries still matter Why sales gets a bad reputation Root cause: selfishness Focus on "what I get" Language centered on personal gain Misaligned value exchange Overselling Underdelivering The alternative Lead with value for the other side Hold mutual benefit in the background Make the exchange explicit and fair Boundaries as protection for both sides Clear scope What's included What's not Saying no as a service Preventing resentment Preserving trust Entrepreneurial lens Boundaries become essential Scope creep erodes value Clarity sustains long-term relationships Value exchange, scope, and boundaries Every request starts with discernment, not enthusiasm What value am I actually providing? What problem am I solving? How much time, energy, and attention will this really take? The goal isn't just a "yes" Both sides need to feel good about: What's being given What's being received What's being expected What's realistically deliverable Sales as a two-sided coin Mutual benefit matters Overselling creates future resentment Promising "the moon and the stars" is how trust breaks later Boundaries as self-respect Clear limits protect delivery quality Good boundaries prevent repeating bad sales dynamics Saying less upfront often enables better outcomes long-term Transitioning into coaching and the SNAFU Conference Context for the work today Speaking at the inaugural SNAFU Conference Focused on reluctant salespeople and non-sales roles Why coaching became the next chapter Sales is everywhere, regardless of title Coaching emerged as a natural extension of sales leadership The origin story at Google Transition from sales leadership to enablement Core question: how do we help sellers have better conversations? Result: building Google's global sales coaching program Grounded in practice and feedback Designed to prepare for high-stakes conversations The hidden overlap between sales and coaching Coaching as an underutilized advantage Especially powerful for sales leaders Shared core skills Deep curiosity Active listening Presence in conversation Reflecting back what's heard, not what you assume The co-creation mindset Not leading someone to your solution Guiding toward their desired outcome Why this changes everything Coaching improves leadership effectiveness Coaching improves sales outcomes Coaching reshapes how decisions get made A personal inflection point: learning to listen Feedback that lingered "Jeff is often the first and last to speak in meetings" The realization Seniority amplified his voice Being directive wasn't the same as being effective The shift Stop being the first to speak Invite more voices Lead with curiosity, not certainty The result More evolved perspectives Better decisions Sometimes realizing he was simply wrong The parallel to sales Talking at customers limits discovery Pre-built pitch decks obscure real needs The "right widget" only emerges through listening What the work looks like today A synthesis of experiences Buyer Seller Sales leader Enablement leader Executive coach How that shows up in practice Executive coaching for sales and revenue leaders Supporting decision-making Developing more coach-like leadership styles Workshops and trainings Helping managers coach more effectively Building durable sales skills Advisory work Supporting sales and enablement organizations at scale The motivation behind the shift Returning to the core questions: Am I learning? Am I growing? Am I challenged? A pull toward broader impact A desire to test whether this work could scale beyond one company Why some practices thrive and others stall Observing the difference Similar credentials Similar training Radically different outcomes The uncomfortable truth The difference is sales Entrepreneurship without romance Businesses don't "arrive" on their own Clients don't magically appear Visibility, rejection, iteration are unavoidable Core requirements Clear brand Defined ICP Articulated value Credibility to support the claim Debunking "overnight success" Success is cumulative Built on years of unseen experience Agency life + Google made entrepreneurship possible Sales as a universal survival skill Especially now Crowded markets Economic uncertainty Increased competition Sales isn't manipulation It's how value moves through the world Avoiding the unpersuadable Find people who already want what you offer Make it easier for them to say yes For those who "don't want to sell" Either learn it Or intentionally outsource it But you can't pretend it doesn't exist The vision board and the decision to leap December 18, 2023 45th birthday Chosen as a forcing function Purpose of the date Accountability, not destiny A moment to decide: stay or go Milestones on the back Coaching certification Experience thresholds Personal readiness Listening to the inner signal The repeated message: "It's time" The bridge was already built Skills stacked Experience earned Risk understood Stepping forward without full certainty You never know what's on the other side You only learn once you cross and look around Decision-making and vision boards Avoid forcing yourself to meet arbitrary deadlines Even if a date is set for accountability (e.g., a 45th birthday milestone), the real question is: When am I ready to act? Sometimes waiting isn't necessary; acting sooner can make sense Boundaries tie directly into these decisions They help you align personal priorities with professional moves Recognizing what matters most guides the "when" and "how" of major transitions Boundaries in the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship Biggest boundary: family and presence with children Managing a global team meant constant connectivity and messages across time zones Transitioning to your own business allowed more control over work hours, clients, and priorities The pro/con framework reinforced the choice Written lists can clarify trade-offs For this example, the deciding factor was: "They get their dad back" Boundaries in entrepreneurship are intertwined with opportunity More freedom comes with more responsibility You can choose your hours, clients, and areas of focus—but still must deliver results Preparing children for a rapidly changing world Skill priorities extend beyond AI and automation Technology literacy is essential, but kids will likely adapt faster than adults Focus on human skills Building networks Establishing credibility Navigating relationships and complex decisions Sales-related skills apply Curiosity, empathy, observation, and problem-solving help them adapt to change These skills are timeless, even as roles and tools evolve Human skills in an AI-driven world AI is additive, not replacement Leverage AI to complement work, not fear it Understand what AI does well and where human judgment is irreplaceable Coaching and other human-centered skills remain critical Lived experience, storytelling, and nuanced judgment cannot be fully replaced by AI Technology enables scale but doesn't replace complex human insight The SNAFU Conference embodies this principle Brings humans together to share experiences and learn Demonstrates that face-to-face interaction, stories, and mutual learning remain valuable Advice for coaches learning to sell Coaches already possess critical sales skills Curiosity, active listening, presence, problem identification, co-creating solutions These skills, when applied to sales, still fall within a helping profession Key approach Use your coaching skills to generate business ethically Reframe sales as an extension of support, not self-interest For salespeople Learn coaching skills to improve customer conversations Coaching strengthens empathy, listening, and problem-solving abilities, all core to effective selling Book and resource recommendations Non-classical sales books Setting the Table by Danny Meyer → emphasizes culture and service as a form of sales Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara → creating value through care for people Coaching-focused books Self as Coach, Self as Leader by Pam McLean Resources from the Hudson Institute of Coaching Gap in sales literature Few resources fully integrate coaching with sales Potential upcoming book: The Power of Coaching and Sales  

In a moment of cultural tension, Patrick Lencioni invites us to rethink our role—not as louder voices, but as faithful contributors. In this THINQ talk, he introduces Working Genius, the six ways God uniquely wires each of us to serve: Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity. No one has all six—and that's by design. When our gifts work together, wisdom becomes truth in action. This conversation reframes culture as a shared work to steward, showing how honoring our strengths and the strengths of others leads not only to better work, but real cultural change. Resources: You may also like Beyond Vanity by Tim Chaddick. Take the THINQ Asessment to help you understand how you naturally think, learn, and grow in your faith.  Take the Working Genius Assessment to discover your natural gifts. Dwell offers several Bible-in-a-Year plans to match how you want to journey through Scripture - whether by theme, by story, or by order of the books themselves. Head over to dwellbible.com/thinq and find your perfect plan! Create a free THINQ Account and download the THINQ Media app on your smart TV to access more trusted content like this on topics from all channels of culture at thinqmedia.com. Apply the THINQ Framework as you think through cultural topics. Attend THINQ events where you can gather with like-minded leaders, ask better questions and have conversations that lead to wisdom: Sign up for THINQ Summit 2026 October 1-2 in Nashville, TN. Host a THINQ Family conversation series in your home:  Let's Talk Civility Let's Talk Relationships Let's Talk Mental Health Let's Talk Tech Detox More from the THINQ Podcast Network: Rhythms for Life with Rebekah & Gabe Lyons The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips NextUp with Grant Skeldon NeuroFaith with Curt Thompson UnderCurrent with Gabe Lyons Now on YouTube! Subscribe, Like, and Share:  THINQ Media UnderCurrent with Gabe Lyons NextUp with Grant Skeldon Rhythms for Life with Rebekah and Gabe Lyons  The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips

In this episode, Saurabh Bhansali, Partner at Health Velocity Capital shares how his firm identifies and scales market leading healthcare companies, highlights emerging investment themes like AI enabled services and revenue cycle management, and explains what he looks for in founders who thrive through disruption.

What if the key to success and happiness isn't working harder, but finally understanding how you're wired to thrive? Many people unknowingly work against their own strengths and personality, leading to stress, stalled career growth, and strained relationships. In this episode, you'll learn how to uncover obstacles, unlock your personal greatness, and start living in your type of working genius. Burnout doesn't always come from doing too much. Often, it comes from spending too much time doing the kind of work that drains you. Patrick Lencioni and I talk about why stress, frustration, and self-criticism are frequent signals of misalignment rather than failure, and how understanding your natural skills can change the way you work, lead, and relate to the people you love. Patrick is the creator of the Working Genius assessment and author of The Six Types of Working Genius. Together, we explore how the Working Genius framework helps people understand their strengths, release shame around what feels hard, and create healthier relationships at work and at home. We also talk about why rest alone doesn't resolve burnout, and why doing more of the right kind of work often restores energy, confidence, and momentum. As you listen, you may find yourself reconsidering long-held beliefs about success, productivity, and what you “should” be good at, and noticing where clarity could replace stress. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Feeling Burned Out and Self-Critical at Work and Home 05:06 Burnout as Working Outside Your Strengths 06:56 The 6 Types of Working Genius Explained 11:45 How Working Genius Differences Affect Relationships 17:50 Enablement and Tenacity as Essential Strengths 21:08 Shame, Comparison, and Misunderstood Skills 32:41 Using Working Genius to Improve Couples and Team Communication 41:34 Why Doing Less Does Not Fix Burnout 55:35 Moving Toward Career Alignment Without Major Life Changes Are you feeling stretched thin while trying to crush it at work and keep up with everything at home? Burnout might be looming and that isn't just because you're doing too much. It's often about doing the wrong kind of work. Patrick created the Working Genius assessment to help you discover what kind of work gives you energy and what drains it. It's helped me find more balance, not by doing less, but by focusing on what I'm actually wired for. If you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or anyone trying to level up in business and life, take the Working Genius assessment today and get 20% off with code LHS at https://www.workinggenius.com/  xoxo, Dr. Lisa Marie BobbyGrowing Self

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. My Guest: Patrick Lencioni is the founder of The Table Group and a bestselling author of 14 books, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The 6 Types of Working Genius. Behind his achievements (valedictorian, straight A's, business success) were childhood wounds that drove him to prove himself. Key Learnings "I think I'm really good at anticipating people's objections." I think about what they might be thinking and what I need to put out there. Whether talking interpersonally, giving a speech, writing a book, or on a podcast, I like to think about what the other person might be objecting to. Lean into empathy. I always felt like I needed to prove myself in order to be successful and to feel safe. That's not healthy.  "When people tell you they got straight A's and were the valedictorian, the student body president, and got accepted to all the schools they wanted to get into, there's a wound there." Based on my personality type, I shouldn't have done all those things, but it was out of the need to prove myself. Which wasn't healthy for me. My parents had a hard time being affirming because of their own lives. It wasn't until I was 55 years old that a friend who's a psychologist said, "You, my friend, have childhood wounds you've never dealt with." I got good Christian counseling and realized that the way I grew up, I wasn't supposed to grow up that way. It's common in athletes & CEOs to feel like they haven't done enough. They need to do more. "You're a noun, not a verb. You are enough, and you're not defined by what you do." Great achievements come out of fear, but "true greatness is best when it's only in the things that you're meant to be great at, and that you're doing it out of freedom and passion and love, not out of fear of failure." I remember seeing Tiger Woods on the Tonight Show when he was four years old. He was being groomed to be a golfer when he was four. It's best in life when we discover who God means us to be, then we do the things we're supposed to do and we're okay with not being good at the things we're not supposed to. Are we too affirming now as parents? People who are pretty darn good at everything it's usually because they're doing something out of fear. When I was a kid, my parents came from World War II and the Depression. It was like, hey, you got a roof over your head. There was a lot of suffering, and they weren't really attuned to that. Now we are hyper worried of our own kids suffering. No, suffering is actually good. They need to know they're loved and safe, but they're not gonna be protected from what is necessary for their development. The mistake I made was, oh no, I don't want them to feel like I did. Thankfully at my age, I'm now interacting with my mostly adult children and explaining to them what I did wrong. The Teammate Trifecta - How should we use it?: When I wrote The Five Dysfunctions of a Team right after 9/11, I thought, "That's the book on teamwork." Then we realized you need The Ideal Team Player (humble, hungry, and smart) to hire people that fit on teams. Years later, we came up with Working Genius: Are they in the right seat?  3 steps to building a team: Don't let people on the bus if they're not humble, hungry, and smart. Make sure you have them in the right chair based on their gifts. Then teach them the Five Dysfunctions. Pat's Two Working Geniuses: Invention and Discernment "Invention means I love to come up with ideas out of nothing. Discernment means I love evaluating things, curating things. God wired me to do that kind of thing." When people say, "Pat, we have five minutes, and we need a new idea," I just take a deep breath and smile. One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Every new idea I've come up with has been in the field, working with people. I asked Jim Collins, "Jim, you do all this research with data. I go into a room with leaders and just think, What's going on here?" He said, "Pat, that's just as valid as what I do. That's called field research and face validity."  What is Pat terrible at? Finishing things. People say, "Well you finished 14 books." And that's because I had the help of others to make me finish those.  I got a 4.0 in high school. That wasn't my personality. I went to every class in college, never blew off classes. My personality is the kind that should blow off classes that don't matter. But I was so afraid of failing and disappointing my parents and teachers that I did anything they asked. That was not natural; that was fear-based. Can we use fear as useful fuel? "You can use it in the short term, but if you're doing it in your life, no." "We should celebrate what other people are better than we are at things. We should literally celebrate what we suck at." If we have two kids and one's creative and the other's disciplined, we tell the creative one to be more disciplined and the disciplined one to be more creative. No. We have to say, understanding that you're not creative is good for you. That's not who you're meant to be. The hardest thing about being a parent is constantly asking yourself, "Am I pushing them too hard or not enough?" The hardest question you ask yourself as a parent is, "Am I pushing my kids too hard or not hard enough?" This question also applies to yourself.  In Working Genius, should I work on my working frustrations? The short answer is no.  Working Genius is all about knowing what you love to do. Enablement and Tenacity are my working frustrations, and so many of those things fall into parenting. I'd say to my wife, "Hey, Laura, let's outsource some of these things." Out of fear and guilt, she said no because she felt like she'd be a bad mother. Outsource the work you don't enjoy, and when you have to do it, try your best and don't feel guilty with the result. The electrical company turned off our power for not paying the bill. We need to accept our deficiencies and need to be able to laugh at the things we're not good at.  Ryan's Learning Leader Team: When your whole team has Tenacity as their working genius, your team loves to finish things. You will never be flaky. You might stick to something that needs to be changed way before it needs to be. In my company, we're always up for a change in plans, but not great at following through. If your team doesn't have Wonder and Invention, force yourself to borrow from others outside the organization to get new ideas. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Vulnerability-based trust changes everything in teams. Eric Spoelstra uses Five Dysfunctions with the Miami Heat. He started when they acquired LeBron James. He said, "I don't know what offense we're gonna run this year, but I know we're gonna use the Five Dysfunctions." I love it in basketball, especially because you see them on the court. When people can be so vulnerable that they can say it was my fault, or I need help, or I'm sorry I was kind of a jerk yesterday at practice, it changes everything. But when you have a player who doesn't admit when they made a mistake or who blames everybody else, the ceiling of that team being great is so low. Humble, Hungry, Smart has been a great tool for athletic teams. I define it: no ego, it's about the team (humble). Hungry means I go above and beyond. Smart means I have emotional intelligence. I have the team members say, "Which of those three is your lowest?" It is crazy how people will call out. The goalie said, "I'm not smart. I yell at guys on the field, and I demean them. I gotta get better." Another kid said, "I need to be hungrier. I don't do the workouts at home." Pat phrases it this way when meeting with athletic teams. "Okay, everybody, look around at your teammates and think about the thing they want to get better at. If you want to be a good teammate, when you see your teammate doing the thing he just admitted he wants to get better at, you need to call him out on it." Once people start to have that language, it's amazing how they're coaching each other. And if as a coach yourself, I think you should tell people, "When I was a player, this was mine." They're gonna go, hey, if the coach admits that, I'll do it too. For leaders with Enablement & Tenacity as top geniuses, how do they avoid burnout? You have to be willing to start with "I am prone to burnout if you guys aren't aware of what's going on." The people with enablement and tenacity will say, "I'll just do it," and then they do. We had 12 employees and only one had Tenacity. We said we are going to kill her because every time we have to get something done, we're gonna say, "Jackie will finish." When people have enablement and tenacity, they and everybody else need to say, let's not abuse them. How do we assess a company in a short amount of time without focusing on their financials?  When I go into a company, I find out what their meetings are like. If there's no disagreement and they're not exhausted at the end of a meeting, that's a red flag. If good people are leaving an organization, that's a massive red flag. I like going around and checking interactions. Is there an intensity with people together? Or are they alone and quiet? Also, keep an eye on customer reviews. What are the customers saying? There are two extremes of humility problems: arrogance on one end, and lack of confidence on the other. I first identified humility as a problem when I saw a CEO who didn't care about his company's results, but if he went on TV and answered questions about why they didn't meet their numbers, he would make jokes and make others laugh. If he was happy from that versus getting the results they needed, that's an issue. What specific traits do leaders need to have to get hired? A leader has to simultaneously believe they are no more important than the people they lead. They also have to accept the fact that their behaviors and words ARE more important than others in the company. "The one thing the leader has to do is break the tie." This past Friday, I was in a meeting trying to deal with a strategic issue between two great people. I dropped a curse word and said, "Listen, I'm pulling the CEO card right now. I don't do it all that often, but since I am the CEO, this is where we're going." Because I don't pull it every time, people are glad to have a CEO that will do that. If you're doing it every time, you lose credibility. Advice for young professionals: I wrote a book called The Motive, and what I say to leaders when they're young is: make sure your motive for being a leader is about sacrificing and suffering for others. "I want to help this organization, or I want to be the kind of person that takes on more than others for their good." Leadership is a lonely and selfless thing. It's wonderful, but the personal economics of leadership are not good. If you don't sign up for that, don't be a leader. Too many people say, I want to be a leader. And if you really scratch below the surface, they'll say, I think it would make me feel important, I'd get attention, maybe I'd make money, I'd have power. When that's your motive for being a leader, you're not gonna be a great leader. Reflection Questions Pat says people who were perfect students (straight A's, valedictorian, student body president) often have childhood wounds driving them. What in your past might be driving your current achievements? Are you operating from freedom and passion, or from fear and the need to prove yourself? He teaches his kids' sports teams to identify which of Humble, Hungry, or Smart is their lowest, then hold each other accountable when they see teammates struggling with that area. What would you identify as your lowest, and who in your life could you invite to call you out when you're not living up to it? Pat says the motive for leadership should be "sacrificing and suffering for others," not feeling important or controlling what you work on. If you're honest about why you want to lead (or why you currently lead), what's really driving you? Would people who report to you say you're other-motivated or personally motivated?