Podcast appearances and mentions of Jack Welch

What does great leadership actually look like? Can you make a difference even if you're in the middle of the hierarchy? "If you think you're too small, you've not spent the night under a bedsheet with a mosquito." In this episode, educator and Deming practitioner Balaji Reddie explains why W. Edwards Deming was far more practical about leadership than many people realize. Drawing on both The New Economics and Out of the Crisis, Balaji shares stories and examples that bring Deming's 17 principles of leadership to life. From creating trust and joy in work to understanding variation, coaching people, and improving systems, this conversation challenges conventional management thinking and offers a clear path toward transformation. TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.2 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today I'm continuing my discussion with Balaji Reddie, who is an educator and trainer in the teachings of Dr. Deming and quality management generally. And the topic for today is Principles of Leadership. Balaji, take it away.   0:00:27.9 Balaji Reddie: Good morning. Thank you so much, Andrew. We had left our last session with that, we'd be dealing with this. And of course, Dr. Deming gave us the outline of Profound Knowledge and he gave us 14 points. He also gave us the deadly diseases and the 16 Obstacles. So people often talk about the diseases, but very often they forget the obstacles. And there are 16 of them which he highlighted for us. And if you think that they're outdated, they're as relevant as they ever were. So you need to keep revisiting those. I think if you start working on removing the obstacles, it's like you're taking your foot off the brake rather than pressing on the accelerator.   0:01:11.3 Balaji Reddie: So you're removing the things that actually stop you before you actually take things forward. But nevertheless, we start with point number 14 where he says, take action to complete, to make the transformation. And he says that there should be a critical mass of people that you need to educate and train and get them on the same page as you are. I'm gonna quote Hazel Cannon here, who is current president of the British Deming Forum. And she talks about the time when she was very young and she attended the Deming four-day seminar, I think in Birmingham. And at the end of those four days, she was overwhelmed as you normally are when you hear how the man speak. And he spoke... He wanted you to make drastic changes. It's not just tinkering here and there.   0:02:08.2 Balaji Reddie: And so she went up to him and she said, "I'm really taken up by what you just said." And then she made a statement, "I'm too small to make these changes in my organization." I believe she worked as a lab assistant in a chemical manufacturing company. They used to make chemicals for cosmetics. So she said, "I'm too small." And Deming just interrupted her and said, "Never think you're too small. If you think you're too small, you've not spent the night under a bedsheet with a mosquito." So make a change where you are and take it from there. So I would like to now quote Dr. Deming from Out of the Crisis. This is Plan for Action: Take action to accomplish the transformation. So he writes there, there are three points and then I'll come to what he writes below that.   0:03:01.8 Balaji Reddie: So he says, "Management in authority will struggle over every one of the above 13 points, the deadly diseases, and the obstacles. They will agree on their meaning and on the direction to take. They will agree to carry out the new philosophy. Management in authority will take pride in their adoption of the new philosophy and in their new responsibilities. They will have courage to break with tradition, even to the point of exile among their peers." So he talks about courage. He talks about courage of conviction. And then he says, "Management in authority will explain by seminars and other means." So I think he leaves it to people of the ways and means. And now today there are a lot of means of doing that. DemingNEXT is one of them. And he says, "To the critical mass of people in the company why change is necessary and that the change will involve everybody."   0:04:00.9 Balaji Reddie: Now he writes something very interesting. He says, "This whole movement may be instituted and carried out by middle management speaking with one voice." So he gave instructions. Why are people saying that he did not tell us what to do? It is just that he expected maybe a lot. And now let's get to that middle management and what he expected. He says here... Let's see here. I'm coming to chapter four now in The New Economics where he says, "A System of Profound Knowledge. The aim of this chapter: the prevailing style of management must undergo transformation." So we just heard that, that what we need to do. And he says, "A system cannot understand itself. The transformation requires a view from the outside. The aim of this chapter is to provide an outside view, a lens that I call a System of Profound Knowledge.   0:04:59.7 Balaji Reddie: It provides a map of theory by which to understand the organizations that we work in." Then he says, "The first step is transformation of the individual. This transformation is discontinuous. It comes from understanding the System of Profound Knowledge." Then he says that "the individual, once transformed, will set an example." So setting an example, I believe, is doing the right thing under adverse circumstances, when you stick to your principles despite the fact that there is an easier way out. As they say, choosing a path between good and bad is easy, you choose good. But good and better, you need to make the right choice. And that needs profound knowledge. "So be a good listener," he says, "but will not compromise. Continually teach other people and help people pull away from their current practice and beliefs and move to the new philosophy without a feeling of guilt about the past."   0:06:02.7 Balaji Reddie: So he explains to us what was needed here, right? And he says this is what we actually need to do. Now I'd like to, I mean, I'll be referring to a document. I don't know how we're gonna get this to people, but for the Principles of Leadership. All right, I think I'll have to send this over to you later, but we will do that. So in the Principles of Leadership, just come to them. I am quoting again from both Out of the Crisis and The New Economics. So you will find this there when he speaks about what needs to be done. Modern Principles of Leadership. And he says, "The modern principles of leadership will replace the annual performance review. The first step in a company will be to provide education in leadership." So that would be introducing people to profound knowledge from what we just heard. Then he said, "The annual performance review may then be abolished." Of course, that will take time. "Leadership will take its place, and this is what Western management should have been doing all along."   0:07:12.6 Balaji Reddie: So he says, "The annual performance review sneaked in and became popular because it does not require anyone to face the problems of people. It is easier to rate them, focus on the outcome. What Western industry needs is methods that will improve the outcome." And he says, "Suggestions follow." So first, institute... The first principle. "Institute education in leadership: the obligations, the principles, and methods." And so I think introduction to the System of Profound Knowledge will help. And then after profound knowledge has been sort of brought to the notice of... Of bringing to the notice of the people then you get into perhaps teaching them about 14 Points, et cetera.   0:07:57.8 Balaji Reddie: Comes the second principle. He says, "Ensure more careful selection of people in the first place." So choosing the people, he says again, now here's where it requires you to understand the purpose of what you're doing, purpose of your organization, purpose of the people you're looking out for and making this change. Because when you know your purpose, you know the aim, then you can choose people in the right way. And I believe he said this somewhere, it's a combination of education, training, skills, and experience. So we need to combine these four factors in choosing the right people. Then he says, after selection of the people, ensure better training and education. So we fine-tune all of their... He says a complete background. He said their aspirations, their goals.   0:08:54.2 Balaji Reddie: I kind of borrowed this idea from a company here in India where they had this thing called roles, responsibilities, and objectives. And they used to meet once in a month, but once in a year they used to decide. So the top management, the HR, would sit down with each and every employee and say that, "In this calendar year, this is what we intend to do and this is what we expect from you." And in turn, they used to ask the employee, "What do you expect from us? Because this is what we want from you." And then the employee had a chance of putting forth what he or she wanted, the management, what help they needed. And I think this is where we have to be... It's a give and take. And they didn't just meet once a year; every month they would meet and the question was, "How are we doing?" not "What have you done?"   0:09:51.1 Balaji Reddie: So I think it wasn't a traditional appraisal. If there was any appraisal, it was appraising what top management were doing or intended to do and not so much the employee. I thought that was a good move. So that's what we need to do here: better training and education. Principle number four states: "A manager understands and conveys to his people the meaning of a system. He explains the aims of the system. He teaches his people to understand how the work of the group supports these aims." Now, here's where, you know, when you talk about, say, hiring people in the first place, when you bring in new employees, I believe that there should be a special session by people inside the company who have stayed the longest, who served the company the longest, especially during their bad days. Because the employees need to know what really happened and how the company survived and how we were resilient, we came back despite all the problems that we had.   0:11:00.7 Balaji Reddie: And the historical perspective, especially if there's someone who's in touch with the founding members, that would be a great boon. I know nowadays we talk about the older companies, obviously none of the founders are there, but if there is such a person, exchanging those ideas with the young employees would definitely make a difference. So they would then understand the purpose, the aims, and how your work supports these aims. I think it's the best way to do that. But what I see right now in companies and I'm being very specific about this, because today when new employees join the company, they have an orientation, they have onboarding, as they call it, but that's done by a rookie, someone who's just joined the company and is just making...   0:11:46.8 Andrew Stotz: [0:11:46.8] Following a checklist?   0:11:48.1 Balaji Reddie: Exactly. Like a PowerPoint presentation. They don't talk about the history of the company. And I think there has to be an emotional connect before there is a logical or an intellectual connect. That emotional connect, I think, then makes you feel that pride and you feel good about coming to work and you say, "Oh, I did not know." So I believe this fourth principle is important in that sense, in the way to do that. Now, he says that... Principle five says he helps...   0:12:19.7 Andrew Stotz: By the way, do you know what chapter are you in?   0:12:23.9 Balaji Reddie: Oh, I have combined.   0:12:27.9 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   0:12:29.4 Balaji Reddie: I took some of the text... Okay. If you want to see here, this is management of people, all right? In that chapter. So I've taken... There are 14 principles there, management of people. In the new edition of The New Economics. It appears...   0:12:48.2 Andrew Stotz: So chapter six.   0:12:50.2 Balaji Reddie: Chapter six, yeah. That's chapter six...   0:12:51.8 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   0:12:52.6 Balaji Reddie: All right. And he talks about pictorial effect of transformation, and then he talks about management of people, role of a manager of people. So there were 14 there, but in Out of the Crisis, the first three which were there, he did not include here.   0:13:10.0 Andrew Stotz: Okay. I just just asked...   0:13:11.0 Balaji Reddie: So I just included those. Yeah. No, so that when people read the book, they could read it clearly, right? So, yeah. So he says now principle number five, which in Economics is principle number two or three, right? He says "he helps his people to see themselves as components in a system, to work in cooperation with preceding stages and following stages toward optimization of the efforts of all stages towards achievement of the aim." So we want optimization, not compromise. So you need to sit together. Just if I were to ask a simple question to you, Andrew, and without thinking, if I were to try to answer this question... Okay. I presume you know how to make a cup of tea.   0:13:58.7 Andrew Stotz: Yes.   0:14:00.1 Balaji Reddie: So what is the first step?   0:14:02.7 Andrew Stotz: For me, boil water.   0:14:04.6 Balaji Reddie: Boil water. And what if I say that's not the first step?   0:14:12.0 Andrew Stotz: Well, first of all, I think you probably have more experience with tea than I do, but I have more experience with espresso, probably. But anyways, go ahead and tell me.   0:14:20.9 Balaji Reddie: Okay. The first question is, whom am I making a cup of tea for? So what I just tried to convey is it's not natural to think about the customer. And so the first step is, for whom is the cup of tea? If it's the person...   0:14:30.8 Andrew Stotz: Grandma.   0:14:40.7 Balaji Reddie: That's right. If she's diabetic, then you would not need sugar. So you gather the ingredients accordingly. If he wants black tea, you don't take milk, right? And that's the point he's trying to say here. When you look at different stages, every every person has a customer. So the first question is, who is my customer?   0:15:07.1 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:15:07.4 Balaji Reddie: And that part of profound knowledge, understanding psychology, I mentioned this last time, is empathy. The word empathy captures this. So you go to the next process as, "Whom am I doing this work for?" and sit down with that person and say, "What do you expect from me? How may I help you?" And that's what decides what you're gonna do. So this this fifth principle here, that he helps his people see themselves as components, I think this is important. The next process is your immediate customer, and the rest of them are customers in a very oblique sense. But what you do is critical to the next person in line, right? So you always spend extra time with that person and of course the other people down the line who your work is gonna be impacting over a period of time, right? But these are the... This is the first step you find out. So who's my customer? So that's principle five.   0:16:09.0 Balaji Reddie: Principle number six: now this comes under psychology again, that a manager of people understands that people are different from each other. He tries to create for everybody interest and challenge and joy in work. Now, if you look at the theory of knowledge, what exactly did he give us when he brought that component of profound knowledge into play? He says that theory is a statement that conveys knowledge by relating cause to effect. So I repeat, theory is a statement which conveys knowledge by relating some cause to some effect. It fits without fail all the observations of the past and helps us predict the future with the risk of being wrong.   0:17:04.7 Balaji Reddie: So I'm gonna repeat this whole statement again. Theory is a statement which conveys knowledge. How? By relating some cause to some effect. It fits without fail all the observations of the past and helps us predict the future with the risk of being wrong. So no amount of examples can establish a theory, and even one example can lead to either abandonment of the theory or modification of the theory. That's what he kept saying. Now, how does this work? So he says it's a system of learning, and all of us have this built in, right? Now, he came from the school of Clarence Irving Lewis, Mind and the World-Order. And if you read that book, Lewis says all knowledge is a priori, it's based on what you already know.   0:18:00.9 Balaji Reddie: For example, let me take this example here. Now, suppose I were to start describing the road to my house. Now, you've not been here, but if I start saying that the road bends towards the left and then there is a command you get to see, now you start constructing a picture in your head based on what you have already seen. It's not the same. That's your theory, right? And then when you actually visit, you say, "Oh, it's the difference between theory and what I actually saw," and then you change your theory. So theory is... It's natural. All of us think naturally like this. And that's why he says here that people are different from one another and we need to celebrate those differences. All of us are born with the system of learning, but not all of us learn the same way.   0:18:49.8 Balaji Reddie: There are some who learn by watching, there are some who learn by doing, there's some who learn by reading, there's some who learn by writing. For some people, one word is enough. You utter a word and they say, "I got it." And for some people, you have to repeat the statement maybe 10 times, 11 times, and then the 12th time you repeat it, they say, "Okay, I got it." Now, is that wrong? We're just different, right? And that's why he says here that we need to understand the learning process of people. And when you understand the learning process of a person and then put that person in the right job, you'll have to stop that person from working. That was his definition of joy in work. People enjoy their work when they realize it resonates with them.   0:19:40.4 Balaji Reddie: And how does that resonance come in? When you under... And because this is so difficult to do, we just throw the responsibility on them by saying, "Here's the target." So the target actually distracts them when actually you should be working on understanding their learning process. So it's a lot of hard work. And sometimes people are motivated enough to discover it themselves, which is great, but we need to create that atmosphere for them to enjoy their work. So interest, challenge, et cetera, he tries to optimize. Now, here's the key. This is beautiful. He tries to optimize family background, education, skills, hopes, and abilities of everyone.   0:20:21.7 Balaji Reddie: So this is not ranking people, very clear. It is instead recognition of differences between people and an attempt to put everybody in a position for development. I think this is one of the most important principles in getting things done. When I teach this to the HR students in my college, I keep saying that I don't think you should call this science as human resource management, because the definition of a resource is obtain it, shape it, use it, and throw it away. We don't wanna do that. I think we should change the title of that department to Department of Learning, because that's what exactly this is all about, and it's learning in both ways where you are trying to understand their process of learning and in effect, you're trying to understand how the company is going to be learning.   0:21:17.0 Balaji Reddie: So you put this in... So this principle, he says, combine all of these things: family background, education, hopes, I love that word. Because if you see one of the things that people talk about, customer satisfaction, I think Deming was the only person who said customers should be happy. Not just satisfied, happier, right? Now comes the next principle. "He is an unceasing learner." So you can never say, "I know it all." Unceasing learner, he encourages his people to study. And I think this fits Dr. Deming himself. He made no excuses to learn. "May I not learn," he would keep repeating that. And I remember Bill Cooper getting irritated and said, "The last time I met you, you said this, and now you're saying this. I got that on tape." He said, "Well, you got this on tape now." He said that, "I do, I learn. And as I learn," he said, "that could have been under different circumstances that I said that, but I'm saying this."   0:22:22.4 Balaji Reddie: And so you keep learning. And he encourages his people to study. The word is study. And he provides, when possible and feasible, seminars and courses for advancement of learning, encourages continued education in college or university for people that are so inclined. So I think this bit is in many places getting to be a part of the systems in most companies. I've seen that happen now, which is a good sign. But it doesn't end there, there are a lot of other things to do. This was the Principle 7 in the list of 17. Now comes Principle 8, and this is so difficult to look at. He says "he's a coach and a counsel, not a judge." You judge people, they shut up.   0:23:15.4 Balaji Reddie: So he says coach and counsel. When they need help, guide them, show them the path. Sometimes maybe you need some help in doing that, well, go ahead. So that was principle number eight. Principle number nine says "he understands a stable system. He understands the interaction between people and the circumstances that they work in. He understands that the performance of anyone that can learn a skill will come to a stable state." Now, this is amazing. He said this way back in the 1950s when he was in Japan teaching them the control chart, where he took one example where he says that further training to the worker and the process was still in control. And he says, "I think he's reached the limit of his learning. He perhaps needs to be taken to another process or maybe given something more challenging so that we can develop the learning process."   0:24:17.6 Balaji Reddie: So he was speaking about this way back in the 1950s, which today you can say comes under understanding psychology through variation. And he says, upon which furthest the lessons will not bring improvement of performance, and a manager of people knows that in this stable state, it is distracting to tell the worker about a mistake, because he says you'll actually then demotivate someone. So these three principles...   0:24:44.1 Andrew Stotz: Because a mistake may be just normal variation, or are you saying... Okay. Yep. Okay.   0:24:51.0 Balaji Reddie: Yeah. I mean, it could be anything, right? But if you are highlighting that when he's already reached a stable state, it could just work in a detrimental way, the opposite direction.   0:25:05.4 Andrew Stotz: Ultimately you've reached your goal. A steady state is fantastic.   0:25:07.4 Balaji Reddie: A steady state. And then now you say if you want him to... Anything better here, I think you need to move him out from there, since maybe he needs to be given something either more challenging or whatever it is. But use of psychology and variation together. If people are saying that he spoke about this in the 1990s, he actually spoke about this in the 1950s in Japan. And I have proof. If you go and check Elementary Principles of the Statistical Control of Quality, the series of lectures that he gave in Japan, you will see this in one of the chapters, very clearly stating what needs to be done.   0:25:47.9 Balaji Reddie: Now we come to the next principle, which is... I don't know how to explain this, but it's amazing. He says that "the leader has three sources of power: authority of office, knowledge, and personality and persuasive power, tact." So authority, that's your title, knowledge, and personality. Now, personality, persuasive power, and tact is more of a personal thing. It is something that is an attribute. Authority is the title you're given. I think the only thing that you can really work on is your knowledge. And he says that a successful manager of people develops knowledge and personality and persuasive power, does not rely on authority of office. He nevertheless has obligation to use his authority, a source of power, for him to bring changes. He says that maybe some drastic changes to equipment, to materials, to methods, and to reduce variation.   0:26:55.0 Balaji Reddie: So he attributes this to a gentleman, Dr. Robert Klekamp, or Klekamp, I don't know how to pronounce that. So he says, "He in authority, but lacking knowledge or personality, must depend on his formal power. He unconsciously fills a void in his qualifications by making it clear to everybody that he's in position of authority, his will be done." So I think he said if things needed to be done and if he's being guided the right way, then he has to bring his authority into power. I think this brings me to one of the interactions he had with... Was it James McDonald at Ford? When he made him stand up and asked him, "What is your job?" And he said, "I'm vice president, manufacturing," and he sat down. Deming said, "Stand up. That's your title, not your job." And then for the next half an hour, he grilled him on what his job was. And after half an hour, he still didn't get an answer. He said, "You don't know what your job is. Do you think other people in the company know what their jobs are? I think you're running a mess here."   0:28:02.2 Balaji Reddie: So Jim McDonald, instead of feeling insulted, took it in a very different way. Though he said, "I did feel that I wanted to resign and just walk out of there," but he said, "I knew this man was onto something." And that kind of thing of authority of office, I think he did not like if people used it for the wrong reason, but he wanted them to develop knowledge, personality. Personality, well, I think again, on the soft side, persuasive power tact. Not all of us have that, but I think we are living in a knowledge economy, so knowledge would be the key here. And he also says that if you're in a position of authority, use this to get the right work done.   0:28:47.3 Balaji Reddie: Then next he says "he will study the results with the aim to improve his performance as a manager of people." So when the system is not getting what it's supposed to do, then he does not put the blame on the people. He says, "I have... I may be going wrong somewhere." I'd like to share an example of my father in Japan. My father was in Japan in 1964, I said this last time. And he was on this Asian Overseas Technical Scholarship, AOTS. And they run these courses even today. They have three-month, six-month, nine-month, and one-year courses. And from what I remember my father telling me, it's integrated in the sense, I think he was there for six months. So during the morning sessions, they used to have classroom training, sitting in a classroom. And in the afternoon, post-lunch, they would go and work in a company, and that was like their intern. And so it was a combination of theory and practice taking place almost every day.   0:30:02.4 Balaji Reddie: Now, what happened there was on the first day... And that's where he started working with Showa Electric, and said they were called the interns. So on the first day, he was taken to the company and was introduced to his supervisor. The supervisor took him on the shop floor and introduced him to the team that he would be working with. And then, while he was leaving, that supervisor said, "I just need to tell you this, that we also form what is called as a quality circle." And this was... The quality circle movement started in 1962, so '64, the quality circle. And so my father said, "I don't know what you're talking about." And he said, "Well, this is something new. So would you like to be a part of it?" Because quality circle is voluntary, not mandatory. They make you a part of the quality, so if you want to be a part of the quality circle. It's not imposed on you.   0:31:05.0 Balaji Reddie: So my father said, "I need to talk to my teacher, my sensei, at the class." He said, "Yeah. You can talk to him." So he went back to the class the next day in the morning, he asked the teacher, the sensei, that this is what they said. He said, "Oh, it's a very good system. You can become a member of the quality circle." So on the second day, he said, "Yes, I'll be a member of the quality circle." "Great," he said. Now, on the third day, his actual work started. Now, they used to make television screens, CRO, et cetera. And one of the steps there was soldering. They had to solder. And the soldering was the dip soldering. You had to take the printed circuit board and dip it into the solder bath and take it out. Of course you were to... There was a technique.   0:31:52.8 Balaji Reddie: And so his job was that. His first job that he was assigned is to do soldering on these PCBs. And so the supervisor himself sat with my father and demonstrated 10 to 15 times how to do it. Then he told my father, "Now you do it." And then he was guiding him, and he made him make around 10 pieces until he said, "Okay. Now you're getting it right." Okay. Now he said the ground rules. If by any chance you press it down too hard or you keep it too long because of the extreme heat, there will be a superficial crack on the PCB. And that would not be something that affects the customer right away, but over a period of time, it can result in the board cracking and the radio not working. So when you see a superficial crack, you're supposed to pull the cord. There was a cord there. And when you pull the cord, the supervisor will come and help you. Fine.   0:32:56.1 Balaji Reddie: Now my father started doing his work, and his fifth or sixth piece developed a crack. Now, he said, I don't want to sound derogatory, but the Indian in me caught up. Should I report this? What would he think? I hardly left this man alone, and his fifth piece is a rejected piece. And he said, I did not want to pull that cord. But then... He said that, he told me, "Please pull the cord," I decided, let me go ahead and pull it. So when he pulled the cord, a red lamp went on there, and there's a big siren that went on. And the supervisor came running and turned off the siren and turned off that lamp and said, "What happened?" My father showed him the crack. So he said, "Okay, no problem." He put it aside. He demonstrated to my father 10 times again how to do it. And then he made him do it 10 times till he said, "Ah, see, you did this." And he got it right. Now he said, "Let's continue production."   0:33:58.8 Balaji Reddie: Now they went away and now my father got it right. After an hour or so, or maybe two hours, they had their tea break. And they were sitting around a table. Now, this was the quality circle. So the supervisor got up and started speaking in Japanese. Now, this was my father's third day there, so obviously he did not understand what was going on. The only thing he knew that they were referring to him because they could not pronounce his name properly. So instead of Reddie, he was being called Leddie. So Leddie-san, Leddie-san, Leddie-san. So my father said, "I knew he was talking about me." And he said, "I felt so ashamed, I was looking down at my cup of tea rather than looking up." And then when I looked up, he said, all of them were looking at him in admiration and the thumbs up sign. And he was wondering what the hell just happened.   0:34:51.0 Balaji Reddie: And at the end of it, when that supervisor stopped speaking, they all clapped. They clapped. And as they dispersed, each one came and held his hand and they went away. And now my father told the supervisor, "What did you tell them? Did you tell them I made a mistake?" He says, "Yes, yes, I did tell them that." He said, "Then why are they complimenting me? Why are they... Why did they clap? Why did they clap for me? Why are they shaking my hands?" He says, "They're shaking your hand, they're clapping, and they're complimenting because you pulled the cord." So he said, "What do you mean?" He says, "Well, we have a saying here, here in Japan, if after explaining to a person 10 times how to do something, if the person still makes a mistake, then there's something wrong in the way I explained it." So this bit over here is he will study results with the aim to improve his performance as a manager. Don't blame the other guy. What am I doing wrong?   0:35:54.0 Andrew Stotz: You hired him, you train him.   0:35:56.4 Balaji Reddie: Yep. So when Jack Welch used to say, "Sack the bottom 10% of the people every year," and he called them dead wood, well, I would say when you hired them, they weren't dead. You killed them. So that was principle number 11. Now principle number 12 is where he combined both variation and psychology together. He said "he will try to discover who, if anybody, is outside the system, in need of special help." So he draws a normal curve. I'll pass on this document to you so you could share it along with the podcast. And he says here that people belong to the system. These are people who need not be ranked. But a person outside the system on the lower side needs special help. People outside the system on the higher side, well, we need to take the system to that level to improve the system.   0:37:08.4 Balaji Reddie: So he talks about that. He says this can be accomplished with some simple calculations. If there be an individual with figures on production or on failures, special help may be only simple rearrangement of work. It might be more complicated. He in need of special help is not in the bottom 5%. He's clean outside that distribution. So he's trying to use the understanding of variation in a very different sense to understanding people. And he says that we try to reduce that variation in performance between people. That's the job of the system. So this is principle 11 and 12.   0:37:51.0 Balaji Reddie: Now you come to principle 13: "he creates trust." And that creates trust, I would believe, it's a two-way process. And he creates an environment that encourages freedom and innovation. That is the environment where people are unafraid to make mistakes. Because we learned that theory is not the opposite of practice; it's a guide to better practice. And we need all of us working together. And that trust, I think, has got a very funny meaning in my country. I keep joking about this. In India, trust is we will lie a little less to each other. But that's not what this is. We need to be straight honest with each other. And honest is you can only do that by example. Like what happened in my case. I remember when we had installed the ERP system in our company, and there are interlocks. And I remember there was a backlogged order. And I knew that because when we did not deliver the order on time, I negotiated with the customer and I got the delivery date postponed.   0:39:08.0 Balaji Reddie: Now I was trying to test the ERP that month. So I said, let me see if the ERP can capture this because it should show it as a backlogged order. But it showed it as an order that was to be delivered on the new adjusted date. And I said, "How did that happen?" Because that should not have changed. And so I called my assistant. I said, "This should be in backlog. Why is it showing me as a spillover order?" And he said, "No, I changed the date." I said, "Why did you do that?" And he said, "No, because the finance guy will get angry with me." And I said, "That is my problem." I said, "When I told you you're not supposed to change that date..." And I removed his administrative powers in changing the date so that he could not change the date in the system.   0:40:01.7 Balaji Reddie: I removed his powers. And he apologized profusely and said, "Please let me." I said, "No." So till the day I resigned, I kept it. I said, "You're not gonna be doing this because it's not a question..." I said... If I had succumbed to that Andrew, they would have lost my trust. They would have thought that, "Oh, Balaji just talks. He doesn't walk the talk." I said, "No, you're not supposed to do this. We are trying to go by a system. Let's go by the system." So I think you can only create trust through example, through demonstration, if I may say so, and especially under adverse circumstances that you need to demonstrate this.   0:40:46.1 Balaji Reddie: Principle number 14: he says "he does not expect perfection." I think that even he said it in principle of variation. Principle 15: he says "he listens and learns without passing judgment on him that he listens to." This is an extension of the previous points. Principle number 16: he will hold an informal, unhurried conversation with every one of his people at least once a year, not for judgment, merely to listen. The purpose would be development of understanding of his people, their aims, their hopes, and their fears. This meeting will be spontaneous and not planned ahead. So there should be no bias, like an audit.   0:41:41.5 Andrew Stotz: Right.   0:41:42.2 Balaji Reddie: And lastly, principle number 17: "he understands the benefits of cooperation and the losses from competition between people and between groups." So these were the 17 principles of leadership, the beginning of transformation. I think there can be nothing more to do than this. He was so clear in what he wanted us to do. I wonder why people say that there was no method.   0:42:16.5 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. He definitely outlined a lot of stuff there. One of the questions I had for you on that list is, what do you say to people that say that he's kind of a dreamer? The idea that you can sit down with your employees and have this time and everybody's so busy and just talk about your fears and your goals and all that stuff where we live in this age of, we've gotta get the result, we've gotta be focused. How do you respond to that?   0:42:51.1 Balaji Reddie: Well, I say give this a try. All right? You've done it your way, right? You've done it... Let's just forget about it, and you're seeing what's happening. You want a change, you gotta do something different. So why don't you go by what this man is saying? And if you say that, you know, a dreamer or whatever, well, I'd like to quote John Lennon here: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."   0:43:16.8 Andrew Stotz: Yep. Yep. Yep. And what do you say for people that feel that you gotta have these targets and goals and KPIs to get the most out of people? And when we think about what Deming's talking about, we're talking about this intrinsic motivation. But it's scary for people to think. It's a lot more comfortable to have these goals and structures than what you could argue is a little bit more unstructured. And how do we balance that? And obviously Deming wasn't saying don't have goals.   0:44:02.1 Balaji Reddie: Yeah, yeah. I think Henry addresses this very well in his 12-day course where he has a specific section on goals, et cetera. And he talks about how Deming said that there are some things called facts of life. Facts of life is, okay, we need to turn out, we need to generate so much of revenue this year because we need to pay for all our salaries and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then we need to have some money for the future. So we need to make so much of money this year. Now that's not a goal, that's a fact of life. But when you are bringing that number out and showing that to everyone, please also indicate to them how we intend to achieve that. Don't just leave it to them and say we need to do this.   0:44:54.4 Balaji Reddie: Okay. I'll give an example here. I don't want to sound... It may sound a little self-serving, but okay, take it in the right spirit. I remember when we had our first strategic meeting at my company, and my boss... Okay, was... He said... I think 20 of us sitting in the room and he said, "Last year, our target was 30 million and we're getting there and we're doing a great job. So this year we're gonna aim for 45 million." Now when he said that, I just put my hand up and he said, "Yes." So I said, "Why 45 million?" And he just stared me down and he looked up at everyone and said, "That's it. Meeting dismissed." He just walked out. These are those days when you had... You know the OHP? You know the overhead transparencies, the projector?   0:45:56.9 Andrew Stotz: Oh, yeah. Overhead transparencies, yep.   0:45:58.8 Balaji Reddie: Yeah. So he had the transparencies, and he just took them and walked out. And all the guys came to me, "Are you mad? You're questioning the owner of the company? Are you nuts?" And I was thinking, "God, what did I say wrong?" And then we started going back to our cabins, and when I sat down at my desk, the phone rang, and it was boss. And he just uttered one word, "Come." So when I was walking towards his cabin, I was thinking to myself, "Nice company, nice friends." And then I knocked on the door, and he said, "Yeah, yeah. Come in." He said, "Sit down." And then he said, "Shut the door." He said, "What the hell were you trying to do today? Are you trying to mock me?" I said, "Please, why would I want to mock you, boss? I wouldn't want to mock you. I just wanted to know why 45 million."   0:46:52.9 Balaji Reddie: He says, "All right." And so he took out what is called the blue book, where we have the yearbook, what happened in our country in the last one year. We have these books that get written, right? So he said, "Look, this is growth in our country in industry. This is our... Sector that we are in, and we are in the organized sector in this industry. And the year-on-year growth for the last five years has been this, and this year the expected growth is so much. And can I expect at least 3 or 4% of that growth?" I said, "Of course, why not?" He said, "That, son, is 45 million." So I said, "Why didn't you tell me this? That's all I wanted to know." He said, "You think these asses..." He was referring to my other colleagues... "Would understand?" I said, "Boss, if I can understand, they can understand. It's one and the same." "Okay. Let's meet tomorrow."   0:47:52.1 Balaji Reddie: So the next day we met again. And he said, "Yesterday, when I uttered 45 million, this genius asked me why, and so I'm gonna tell you why." And he went on to explain. After he finished explaining, my sales guy... Sorry, my marketing guy got up and he said, "I have something to share." "Okay, please come forward." He put the transparency. And he had listed there the top 10 selling items in my company based on revenue, based on profits, and based on quantities. Top 10 for each. There were three products that were common to all the three. So obviously he was sending a message to us, that we had to attain our targets, at least by focusing.   0:48:44.8 Balaji Reddie: The moment he showed that, he underlined these three, the sales guy put his hand up and said, "Yes." "That second product you underlined, our competitor is selling it as a package with another product, but we don't seem to have that on our list." So the R&D guy got up and said, "Could you tell me what the part number..." And he says, "It's part number so-and-so." He said, "Hang on, I've already developed that." You know what was happening, Andrew? We were talking to each other. And that meeting went on for three and a half hours. And at the end of the three and a half hours, all of us knew how to attain 45 million.   0:49:23.8 Andrew Stotz: I thought you were gonna ask a question on the second day, "Hey, boss, so 45 million, why is there no market share gain of our business that we're growing faster than the industry?"   [laughter]   0:49:41.4 Balaji Reddie: So anyway, but this was... This is what I think goals should be transparent in this sense, that why are we giving you this number? And more importantly is the discussion that happens is how are we gonna do this? It just doesn't happen by itself, right? And if you leave it to people, they start distorting numbers, right?   0:50:03.8 Andrew Stotz: Yeah.   0:50:04.2 Balaji Reddie: As Brian Joiner said, "Distort the data, distort the system, or distort both."   0:50:12.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And we're working on a growth plan for my coffee business.   0:50:19.0 Balaji Reddie: A growth.   0:50:19.6 Andrew Stotz: And really what it comes down to is three things. Number one, are we as the owners gonna hire more salespeople? Because salespeople bring in revenue.   0:50:36.3 Balaji Reddie: Right.   0:50:37.0 Andrew Stotz: Number two, are we as the owners going to develop together with the rest of the team a higher value-added offering...   0:50:50.6 Balaji Reddie: Wow.   0:50:50.8 Andrew Stotz: That we can bring more value than what we're bringing right now, which would bring potential customers to us and allow us to sell more easily. Or are we as the owners going to buy another company?   0:51:07.8 Balaji Reddie: Oh, okay.   0:51:09.2 Andrew Stotz: So those are the three things. And Dale and I have been discussing each one of those in a lot of detail, testing out and debating and discussing. But those are the type that... When it comes to growth, that's just... We know the growth we can produce with no change. And that's in line with the inflation rate or whatever the economic growth, for sure. But as long as we don't lose people on our team or something like that. But to go to our team and say, "How are we gonna grow faster?" Well, that whole point is we can see. Also the other thing is that we can see bigger about the industry sometimes. Sometimes they see something at a small level that they bring back to us and think, "Whoa, wait a minute, that's something valuable." And yeah, so we're getting ready for our final decisions on where we're gonna go with that. But yeah, without that type of change, we're not gonna reach the type of growth that we want to get. And really our idea is 5x growth in five years.   0:52:19.9 Balaji Reddie: Okay.   0:52:20.5 Andrew Stotz: And in order to do that, we have to have a completely different level of quality, service, product, thinking. And so, yeah, it's fun... It's challenging. Anyways...   0:52:32.9 Balaji Reddie: Right.   0:52:33.2 Andrew Stotz: So how do we wrap this up? What is it you want people to take away? You've shared a lot of different stuff. What would you like them to take away from it?   0:52:42.0 Balaji Reddie: Yeah. One, I'm trying to shatter that myth that Deming did not tell us what was to be done. I think he was very clear and we need to reread and reread. And we have to take these as guidelines. You may come up with your own method, but see these as a guideline by and large to put you on the right path. And once you do that, you may develop something which works for you, and that's what he wanted. But let us not just say that he only philosophized about things. I think he was very clear in his head. He just wanted us to do things our own way because nobody understood our problems better than we ourselves. And he was just showing us how to understand things around.   0:53:32.6 Balaji Reddie: He wanted us to know, to understand what we do not know. Through these principles, we can address some of the gaps. Perhaps we were getting a few things wrong. So point number 14, take action to accomplish the transformation. I think it begins with leadership. So point number seven comes into the picture. It begins with training and education. Point number six comes into the picture and it also brings in point number 13, which is learning and development. And education and training is different from learning and development. Training can be very company specific and you can measure the outcomes of training, but you cannot measure the outcomes of development because that takes time.   0:54:19.8 Balaji Reddie: So you need to have some things going in your favor. And for that you need to choose, and he told us how to do that. And yes, he wanted top management to be a part of this because he said those in authority need to do this. But that one sentence that middle management can commence, it can commence there, is a telling statement. So he knew it was possible.   0:54:45.0 Andrew Stotz: That's great. And I like that. Commence. That there's... It's not necessarily gonna be completed by middle management, but middle management can start right now, right where you are. So that's a great way, that's a great way to end with the start. So, Balaji, I want to thank you on behalf of everyone at the Deming Institute. And it's an interesting discussion and I'm enjoying it very much. And for listeners out there, remember to go to deming.org and also there, jump on DemingNEXT to continue your journey. This is your host, Andrew Stotz, and I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Deming, and that is: "People are entitled to joy in work."   0:55:32.1 Balaji Reddie: Oh, yeah. Andrew, I think saying thank you on behalf of the institute, I am also a part of the institute.   0:55:38.5 Andrew Stotz: Of course. Of course. You are. I appreciate it. Okay.

Führung ist kein statischer Zustand, sondern ein dynamischer Prozess der Weiterentwicklung – für dich selbst, dein Team und deine Organisation. In dieser Folge von Next Level Leadership spricht Julia Peters mit Dr. Peter Hardt, einem Experten für Führung und Veränderung, der einen ungewöhnlichen Werdegang vorweisen kann: vom Bankkaufmann über Theologie und Unternehmensberatung bis hin zur Selbstständigkeit als Senior Berater, Coach und Trainer für obere Führungskräfte. Im Gespräch wird klar: Echte Führung entsteht dort, wo Menschlichkeit, Klarheit und die Bereitschaft zur Veränderung aufeinandertreffen. Peter Hardt betont, dass Führungskräfte heute mehr denn je Komplexität meistern, Partizipation leben und gleichzeitig klare Entscheidungen treffen müssen – ohne dabei die menschliche Dimension aus den Augen zu verlieren. Drei zentrale Erkenntnisse prägen diese Folge: 1. Führung ist kein Zertifikat, sondern Haltung – Es geht nicht darum, perfekt zu sein, sondern reflektiert, authentisch und lernbereit zu bleiben. 2. Veränderung ist der rote Faden – Ob im Beruf oder privat: Wer Führung übernimmt, muss sich selbst und seine Umgebung ständig weiterentwickeln. 3. Next Level beginnt im Basic Level – Bevor man nach der nächsten Stufe strebt, sollte man die Grundlagen der Führung beherrschen – wie Delegation, Kommunikation und Selbstreflexion. Das Gespräch zeigt auch, dass Führung dann besonders gut gelingt, wenn sie menschenzentriert, mutig und gleichzeitig bescheiden ist. Und nochmal 3 Takeaways für dein Next Level Führung: 1. Führung ist kein Soloakt – Partizipation schafft bessere Entscheidungen. Führungskräfte, die nur auf sich selbst hören, verpassen Potenzial. Jack Welch bringt es auf den Punkt: „Ein diverses Unternehmen sieht mehr Wirklichkeit.“ Nutze die Vielfalt deines Teams, um komplexe Herausforderungen zu meistern – aber sei dir bewusst: Partizipation ist anstrengend. Sie erfordert die Fähigkeit, unterschiedliche Perspektiven zu integrieren und dann klare Entscheidungen zu treffen. 2. Next Level fängt im Basic Level an – Meistere die Grundlagen Bevor du nach der nächsten Stufe strebst, prüfe: Beherrschst du die Basics? Delegation, klare Kommunikation und Selbstreflexion sind keine Selbstverständlichkeiten – selbst in höchsten Führungsetagen. Peter Hardts Erfahrung: „Ich arbeite gar nicht am Next Level, sondern am Basic Level.“ Investiere Zeit darin, deine Führungsgrundlagen zu festigen, bevor du dich auf neue Herausforderungen stürzt. 3. Führung braucht Menschlichkeit – Klarheit und Wärme sind kein Widerspruch Autoritäre Führung mag kurzfristig Klarheit bieten, doch auf Dauer zerstört sie Vertrauen und Kreativität. Das Modell Radical Candor zeigt: Echte Führung vereint Klarheit mit sozialer Wärme. Peters Rat: „Führung hat für mich viel mit Menschlichkeit zu tun.“ Sei konsequent in deinen Entscheidungen, aber nie gleichgültig gegenüber den Menschen, die sie umsetzen. Zitate zum Mitnehmen von Dr. Peter Hardt: „Führung und Veränderung sind mein roter Faden – ich habe mich selbst immer wieder verändert und Organisationen mitgestaltet.“ (Peter über seinen Werdegang und die Dynamik von Führung) „Wenn nur der Chef denkt, kommt weniger Intelligentes raus, als wenn eine ganze Organisation denkt.“ (Warum Partizipation und Vielfalt bessere Entscheidungen ermöglichen) „Es geht immer weiter. Dein persönliches Next Level kann auch sein, dass du dir die Eisenhower-Matrix nochmal reinholst und wirklich anwendest.“ (Next Level als kontinuierliche Entwicklung, nicht als feste Stufe)

Warum scheitern B2B-Innovationen oft nicht an der Technologie, sondern schlichtweg am System? In Folge 96 von Working with Startups from Science begrüßt Host Nicolas Rode Klaus Schein, den Programmdirektor für Co-Creation an der Steinbeis-University Schools of Next Practices in Berlin und Autor des Fachbuchs „Co-Value Creating – Mit strategischen Kunden nachhaltig wachsen“. Klaus blickt auf eine über 45-jährige Karriere zurück, von den Anfängen als Entwicklungsingenieur bei Rohde & Schwarz über Stationen bei HP, GE und Rockwell Automation bis zu seiner heutigen Rolle als Architekt für moderne Zusammenarbeit. Das Kernproblem: Die Sackgasse der VorleistungenViele Unternehmen stecken in einer lähmenden Falle : Kunden fordern hochspezifische Gesamtlösungen an. Das Engineering investiert beträchtliche Ressourcen und Know-how in detaillierte Angebote. Am Ende legt der Anbieter sein geistiges Eigentum offen , woraufhin der Einkauf das Konzept nutzt, um den Preis im Gespräch mit Mitbewerbern drastisch zu drücken. Das führt zu einem Teufelskreis aus extremem Margendruck und Innovationsstau. „Wir verlieren nicht wegen Technik oder Beziehung. Wir verlieren wegen des Systems.“ – Klaus Schein Wenn der Anbieter in Vorleistung geht und der Kunde erst sehr spät entscheidet, entsteht ein einseitiges Risiko, das wertvolle Kapazitäten bindet und mühsam erarbeitetes Know-how abfließen lässt. Die Lösung: Co-Value Creating (CVC) & „Beweis vor Budget“Die Antwort auf dieses Dilemma lautet Co-Value Creating (CVC). Das Prinzip bricht radikal mit der rein transaktionalen Logik und setzt konsequent auf das Credo „Beweis vor Budget“. Leistung wird direkt an verbindliche Entscheidungen gekoppelt. Hierzu dient der von Klaus Schein entwickelte evolutionäre VICI-Prozess. Kultureller Wandel und SteuerungsinstrumenteKlaus schöpft aus Erlebnissen bei HP („HP Way“) und GE, wo Jack Welch als „Chief Fun Officer“ Vorgesetzte als Wegräumer verstand. Um Silokämpfe zu überwinden , entwarf er eine Matrix, welche die Beidhändigkeit (Ambidextrie) zwischen dem Nutzen des Bestehenden (Exploit) und dem Erkunden des Neuen (Explore) sichert und vier Basiskulturen integriert: Stabilität, Agilität, Leistung und Innovation. Für die operative Umsetzung bietet CVC konkrete Steuerungswerkzeuge : den CVC-Index mit dem Value Influence Score (VIS) und Work Probability Index (WPI) , das prozessagnostische VOTE-Modell , das Prisma-Modell für vier Dimensionen (strategisch, kaufmännisch, operativ, technisch) sowie das RISE-Framework zur Skalierung. Hinzu kommt die IPPP-Logik (Invest in People & Planet to multiply Profit) : Wer konsequent in Mitarbeiter und Nachhaltigkeit investiert, realisiert Einsparungen und generiert eine enkeltaugliche Rendite. Für wen ist diese Folge relevant? Inhaber, Geschäftsführer, Vertriebsleitungen, Key Account Manager sowie Verantwortliche aus Engineering und Operations. Jetzt reinhören auf podcast.startupsfromscience.de und den Systemfehler beheben! Website: covaluecreating.com | Kontakt: linkedin.com/in/klaus-schein #CoCreation #B2BSales #Mittelstand #Innovation #CoValueCreating #StartupsFromScience #Engineering #KeyAccountManagement #Maschinenbau #Steinbeis

Most clinic owners lose 40 to 60% of their patients in the first 8 weeks. The enthusiasm fades, the patient self-discharges, and the practice quietly bleeds revenue it already paid to acquire.Dr. Jay Greenstein knows the math better than almost anyone. In 2003, his practices were growing fast and he was still going broke, because he understood clinical care but not systems, process, or collections. That crisis sent him to Wharton's small business program, into Jack Welch's playbook and Six Sigma, and eventually to building EMBODI: a platform that uses behavioral science, gamification, and AI to turn patient follow-through into measurable outcomes and practice income.In this episode, Jeff pushes Jay past the pitch and into the operational reality. You get the data, the billing mechanics, the hiring lessons, and the version that failed before any of it worked.What You'll Learn:- The exact retention numbers from 7 independent practices and over 4,000 patients (40.48% more visits, 36.12% more revenue for EMBODI users versus non-users)- How EMBODI qualifies as software as a medical device and opens 6 Remote Therapeutic Monitoring billing codes most owners are leaving on the table- Why rising patient acquisition costs make lifetime value the only number that matters, and how to engineer it- The "first who, then what" hiring philosophy Jay learned the hard way, and the resume-first mistake that cost him for years- What Jay would do to rebuild from zero in 30 days using today's AI toolsIf you got value from today's show, you know the only fee we ask: hit share and send this to one clinic owner who needs it.Want to talk through your own growth bottleneck? Book a call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/discoveryroadmapcallpodcastyoutubeLearn more about EMBODI: https://embodihealth.com/Connect with Dr. Jay Greenstein: https://www.instagram.com/drjaygreenstein/Earnings disclaimer: Results discussed reflect the experiences of the guest and the specific practices studied. Individual results vary and are not guaranteed. Nothing in this episode is financial, legal, or medical advice.

Where in the world am I? In San Diego, talking about Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil This episode has an FAQ about how you can get started with travel, Step 1. Then we talk about Niteroi, near Rio, Brazil. We cover my missteps, trying to get an Uber without service in Brazil. The FAQ is: How do we get started on my travels when I haven't been anywhere? Answer: The first step in your exciting travel journey is to set a goal! What inspires you to explore the world? Do you have a specific timeline in mind that gets your adventurous spirit ready to go? Is there a destination that fills your heart with the desire to go? Perhaps you're waiting for the perfect companion to join you on your travels. These are all meaningful questions that resonate deeply.   Let's get creative! Grab a piece of paper and some colorful crayons, and start drawing your travel dreams. Imagine yourself soaring high in the sky on an airplane, sailing on a beautiful boat, or riding a scenic train to a picturesque destination. Visualize the globe and focus on that one special place you want to visit — and think of the journey to get there and back home. The thrill of dreaming, planning, and contemplating all the endless possibilities is where the magic happens! Even if your travels remain a dream, the joy of imagining them is a treasure you carry with you.   I'd like to share a thought from Viktor Frankl's inspiring book, "Man's Search for Meaning." He penned his reflections during a harrowing time in his life, reminding us of the power of our memories and imagination. I encourage you to relish this time and, first, travel in your mind. Dream boldly, for it's the first step toward making those dreams real. 60-second confidence challenge Your challenge today, Confidence Challenge in Niteroi    The excitement surrounding the confidence challenge in Niteroi was truly invigorating, as millions of people came together in this vibrant city. After spending three wonderful weeks in South America, I arrived in Rio with a solid use of Spanish. However, Portuguese is the primary language spoken in Brazil. Despite this, I found it exciting to communicate by mixing my English and Spanish, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well people understood me.   If you're planning a trip to a new country like Brazil or some of the others I travel to, I highly encourage you to try out the free versions of Duolingo for a week or two beforehand. It's a challenging method for learning essential phrases like "please," "thank you," and "where's the bathroom?" Plus, knowing how to count a little will surely improve your experience. Embrace the challenge and be present in every moment of your journey! If you like today's Confidence Challenge, my book series delves deeper into language skills, while moving through the 5 steps to solo travel, from easy to more challenging, with foreign language communication tips. You can find the series at the link in the description.    See Book A for addressing this concern.  Find it on the website​​ at https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/ or on Amazon. It's a several-part series. Today's destination is Niteró, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Just across the bay from the vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro lies a charming suburb that I hadn't discovered before, and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to stay there for nearly a week! I can't wait to share some of the amazing adventures I experienced during my 90-day journey around the world.   Did you know Brazil has more cows than people? It's true! With a population of 214 million, there are approximately 238 million cows, which means plenty of milk and cheese to enjoy. Niterói truly enchanted me, so here's how I got there.   I started my adventure by strolling through Rio's bustling central area, full of excitement. With my backpack in tow, I hopped on the metro to the stunning coastline. After a lovely 15-minute walk to the ferry, I enjoyed a delightful ride across the bay, surrounded by fellow commuters soaking in the scenery as the sun set. While I could have taken the bridge by bus or car, the ferry was such a refreshing way to leave the city behind and embrace the calm of Niterói. Once I arrived at the dock, I could not get wifi. I'll talk about that later in the second on my mistakes.   What an incredible adventure I had! Livia, my host, arranged for an Uber remotely, which was such a thoughtful gesture. By the time I intended to grab a ride, the sun had set, and the area near the port was buzzing with energy. I walked through a vibrant outdoor market, soaking in the lively atmosphere as I searched for a good meeting spot. I stumbled upon a taxi stand and a newspaper kiosk, where I chatted with the friendly locals about how to navigate my Uber pickup. Thanks to Livia's excellent instructions, the driver found me swiftly, and off I went!   Although the ride took us down some unpaved and bumpy roads, I was filled with excitement. When I finally arrived at Livia's home, it was dark, and I had a moment of uncertainty about whether I was in the right place. But as soon as Livia's family welcomed me with open arms, I knew I was exactly where I belonged for the next five days.   I was shown to a comfortable room with its own bathroom, and I quickly became acquainted with the family's adorable pets and loved ones. I felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and happiness. The next morning, I awoke to clear skies and breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro right from my window. What a magnificent sight!   Let me tell you a bit more about my wonderful hosts! Livia's mom, Valeria, is a delightful person, and her dad, Julio, speaks six languages.  They even have a charming cat named Poseidon. Livia has such interesting aspirations; she's exploring international relations and climate change, studying law, and even aiming to take a UK diplomat exam—what a challenging and rewarding path.   I'm staying in a house nestled in the jungle; it's newly built and offers a stunning view of the trees and the city of Rio. It's just across the bay. My host family has a fascinating history; they lived on a ship for 8 years, which must have created unique experiences. Last night, I watched the show 'Sirens' on Netflix and found it hard to fall asleep, definitely paying for that this morning! I woke up at 7 am to the sound of the radio playing in Portuguese, so I think I'll need to practice in Duolingo again soon.   Today, Livia, her dad, and their dog, Flucky, went to the beach while I enjoyed refreshing coconut water and delicious meals. I also discovered a hidden gem surfing spot that most locals don't know about! In a moment of creativity, I created a mini garden at my hosts' home by clearing rocks and debris, planting seven lovely plants, and creating a decorative circle of white stones. I watered it both tonight and in the morning.    I had the pleasure of attending a vibrant local Forró party, full of lively music and joyful dancing, including Salsa! The delicious food, featuring corn dishes from the Northeast, was a highlight—especially the tasty Mandioca root vegetables and Uta yucca. Everyone wore plaid for this energetic dance celebration! It was a fantastic experience that we didn't want to miss.   I had a wonderful day at Itipu beach, almost completely solo.  I encountered some delightful birds and a handful of other adventurous solo travelers. The tranquility created a perfect setting for relaxation: the cool breeze and shimmering water added to the charm. After walking a mile from my Uber drop-off, I met the friendly Samara from Mato Grosso, Brazil, who works in refrigeration for chicken. While enjoying lunch and reading a business book by American business leader Jack Welch, we had an inspiring chat.  Plus, her husband, Andre, kindly shared his hotspot with me for my Uber, making my day even smoother and more enjoyable!   What an incredible experience I had with my Uber! When the car broke down, that's right. It just stopped. the driver jumped into action, showing impressive skills by getting under the vehicle to fix it right there on the roadside. It was fascinating to navigate the situation without speaking the same language, which made it even more interesting! I almost called for another ride, but my Uber app and phone were acting up. After about ten minutes of dedicated work, he successfully fixed the issue and took me to my destination. This unforgettable ride truly highlighted the resilience and resourcefulness of people. I left with a smile and a fun story to share!   I was so excited to go out to dinner at a fantastic all-you-can-eat restaurant.  The quality and service were promised to be exceptional, making it the perfect way to show my appreciation to my wonderful hosts on my last night in Niteroi. I indulged in a delicious Rodizio meat buffet, which was a real treat! The flavors there were delightfully unique compared to what I was used to back in the USA. I couldn't wait to try everything—from the intriguing Cupin meat to fresh pineapple juice with mint, crispy fried bananas, Guarana, and Farofa made from manioc. That culinary experience was truly memorable and full of surprises! Your trip to Niteroi may be different from mine, but I will never forget how I felt cared for by the Servas hosts, and it was relaxing for me for a few days.   I got the Uber to leave Niterio, sadly. Went to the ferry with driver Katia, the first woman driver I have had all month!  It drizzled on arrival in Rio again, so I was glad I had a taxi for about $5 instead of walking, and I stayed dry.   My misstep: I couldn't get an Uber because of bad settings. I did not have service on my phone.   I had an unexpected Wi-Fi adventure that turned out to be a great learning experience! When I arrived in the charming town of Niterói on a busy Friday night, I discovered my Wi-Fi had been accidentally turned off, and I hadn't even noticed. This made ordering an Uber a bit tricky, but I remembered that McDonald's offers Wi-Fi, so I decided to stop there for some help. I ordered my ride but had to dash across the street to meet the driver. Unfortunately, the heavy traffic made it challenging for him to pick me up, and he had to leave. Not to be discouraged, I walked a few more blocks in search of better reception, but that didn't pan out either. Fix your settings before you need an Uber.   Today's tip: Check your phone's settings regularly.    Here's a helpful tip: if you find yourself in a similar situation, don't forget to check your phone's settings first! I learned the importance of keeping my settings up to date to avoid hassle in the future. Use AI to help you with what to click on or off if you are confused. You won't break it!    Thanks for listening, and I'll see you on the next journey. AI was used to select some of the suggestions for this episode.   Connect with Dr. Travelbest 5 Steps to Solo Travel website Dr. Mary Travelbest X Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest on YouTube In the news  

In this episode, I sit down with Lee Benson — entrepreneur, founder of eight companies, former CEO of Abel Aerospace (which he grew from 2 to 500 employees serving customers in 60 countries before a nine-figure exit in 2016), and now CEO of Dinner Table, a free global community of over 40,000 parents from 67 countries built around one idea: teaching families how to intentionally create value together. Lee's story starts where most don't — kicked out of his house at 18 with his clothes in paper grocery bags, a car he bought himself, a job cooking at Coco's, and a credit card debt his parents had secretly run up in his name. He went from negative zero to building one of the most successful aerospace companies in the country. And he has spent the last decade trying to figure out how to give every family — especially the ones starting from nothing — the framework that changes everything. We get into the monthly family meeting, what it actually covers, and why giving every member of the family — including the six-year-old — a job and a line item in the budget changes behavior almost instantly. We talk about finding your kids' value creation superpowers, what it means to show up with someone's potential instead of their performance, and why Lee's business partner Jack Welch was one of only two people in his entire life who ever made him feel that way. And Lee drops one of the most clarifying lines this show has ever heard: I believe in unconditional love. I do not believe in unconditional relationships.   Timeline Summary [0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities [1:03] Kicked out at 18 — paper bags on the patio, locks changed, one night in a Chevy Blazer [2:19] The credit cards his parents ran up in his name — and why he paid them off instead of turning them in [3:46] Generational dysfunction, siblings lost in it, and why unconditional love does not mean unconditional relationships [5:17] Why being kicked out may have been the best thing that ever happened to him [8:11] Building a chosen family — 40-plus years later, one of his "kids" is staying at his house with his own family [10:06] The rules of engagement — how Lee maintains relationships with difficult family members without enabling them [15:52] Introducing Lee — Abel Aerospace, nine-figure exit, and now CEO of Dinner Table [17:18] The monthly family meeting — family goals, everybody's job, budget review, and what it means to be a leader in the family [20:17] Giving the six-year-old a line item in the budget — and what happened when the kids saw how much Dutch Brothers was costing [21:34] If there's money left over, the kids decide where it goes — including Yellowstone with no technology for a week [22:14] The one-on-one meeting with each kid — how would you like to create value in the world? [25:31] Why Lee calls it a huddle instead of a meeting — and how language changes everything [27:50] The nine-year-old who looked up and said "I have a job for the family" — with pride [28:52] The two people in Lee's entire life who showed up with his potential — and why that is so rare [30:20] Larry's version — the mentor who always referenced Larry 1.0 vs. Larry 2.0 behavior [33:01] How to ask a ten-year-old about value creation without losing them — and what to do with "I like video games" [39:16] Three types of struggle — normal and healthy, struggle that needs support, and struggle to avoid entirely [48:32] The mom whose three boys cook dinner six nights a week — and why that one job changed everything for her [51:26] The difference between adding value and creating value — and why that distinction matters for your kids [56:06] What we say vs. what we model — and why cutting yourself down in front of your kids cancels every "you can be anything" you've ever said   Five Key Takeaways I believe in unconditional love. I do not believe in unconditional relationships. Love without limits does not mean relationships without rules of engagement — and confusing the two enables the very behavior you're trying to change. The monthly family meeting changes behavior almost instantly. When kids have a job for the family, a line item in the budget, and a seat at the table — they stop needing to be told ten times. They're already in. Show up with your kid's potential, not their current performance. The two people Lee remembers most weren't impressed by his resume. They saw what he could become. That's the standard. What you say and what you model are two completely different messages. If you tell your kids they can be anything and then cut yourself down in front of them, they are listening to your actions — not your words. Value creation is a family sport. The earlier you start the conversation — what are your interests, how do you want to show up in the world, what does it mean to be a leader in this family — the more momentum your kids build on their own before they leave home.   Links & Resources Dad Edge Business Boardroom — June 1st cohort, applications open May 21–31: http://thedadedge.com/boardroom Value Creation Family by Lee Benson: https://www.amazon.com/Value-Creation-Family-Playbook-Setting/dp/1636805981 Dinner Table community (free, 40,000+ parents, 67 countries): https://dinnertable.com Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1480): https://thedadedge.com/1480   Closing If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: you can start from anywhere and go everywhere — but only if your belief system allows it. Lee Benson started from negative zero. No father. A toxic home. Credit card debt in his name before he ever had a job. And he built something extraordinary — not because he had a blueprint, but because he believed a different future was possible and did the work to build it. Now he's building that blueprint for everyone else. One family meeting at a time. Go out and live legendary.

Suzy Welch is an award-winning professor, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. She teaches “Becoming You: Crafting the Authentic Life You Want and Need" at NYU Stern School of Business, and helps people discover their purpose by understanding their values. Welch also believes that happiness is not an end goal, but an outcome of a meaningful and productive life. She talked to Hoda about how to understand your values, and what she's learned from the death of her late husband, Jack Welch. Her latest book, Becoming You, was released in May 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are you building a business or building yourself a job?Cliff Nonnenmacher is the founder of Franocity, a franchise consulting firm that has spent 25 years helping investors and displaced executives identify scalable franchise brands with real liquidity and exit potential. His core message is simple: the owner who still works in the business after year one almost never builds an empire.In this episode, Cliff breaks down exactly what separates the 1.4-unit franchise owner from the one who owns 10, why spreading across multiple territories before you dominate one is a wealth trap, and how to build the team, systems, and leadership culture that allow you to step out of the van for good.What you'll walk away with: Why going a mile deep and an inch wide is the most powerful territory strategy in franchising. The 5 KPIs every owner needs to track to work on the business, not in it. Jack Welch's four E's and a P framework for hiring leaders who actually scale. The real reason "if you want it done right, do it yourself" is the most financially suppressive advice you can follow. How Franocity's free consulting model works and how to connect with Cliff.Access Cliff's free franchise discovery consultation at franocity.comConnect with Cliff Nonnenmacher on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/cliffnonnenmacherHosted by John St. Pierre and Rich Hoffmann, Entrepreneurs United is built for founders and leaders who want straight talk on building businesses that actually work. New episodes every week.https://entrepreneursunited.us/links/

May 15, 2026: The Guardian documents the tech industry's accelerating purge of middle managers — and history says companies have tried this exact bet before with Jack Welch and the Reengineering movement, with disastrous long-term results. The Wall Street Journal reports companies are drowning in ungoverned AI agents, raising a critical question: is agentic AI actually different from the RPA sprawl crisis of a decade ago, and is the difference showing up in real outcomes? And Yale's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and NYU's Gary Marcus argue in Fortune that America's 1,200 AI bills have no shared test for what makes good policy — and the regulatory patchwork hardening in place rhymes uncomfortably with the conditions that produced the 2008 financial crisis.

Knowledge Project: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- Joe Liemandt quietly built one of the most successful software empires you've never heard of—then reappeared with a $1 billion bet that AI can make kids learn ten times faster and love school more than vacation. At Alpha School, students spend just two hours a day on AI‑driven academics, consistently score in the top 1% on standardized tests, and use the rest of their time to build real‑world life skills: leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and projects they actually care about. There are no lectures, no moving on without mastery, and a very different role for “teachers”—now called guides. Liemandt is the principal of Alpha School and the founder of Trilogy Software and ESW Capital. He dropped out of Stanford to build Trilogy, made the cover of Forbes twice before turning thirty, became the youngest member of the Forbes 400, then vanished from public life for twenty‑five years while quietly becoming one of the most prolific acquirers of software businesses in the world. Now he's using everything he learned about systems, incentives, and scale to rebuild K–12 from first principles around mastery, motivation, and AI. In this conversation, we cover Joe's full arc, from sleeping on the floor at Trilogy and being mentored by Jack Welch to deciding that “kids must love school more than vacation” would be a non‑negotiable design principle for Alpha. He explains how the Timeback platform works under the hood, why he's comfortable streaming student screens to AI in real time, and how he plans to scale this model to a billion kids. You'll learn: why he thinks the traditional classroom was designed for a narrow slice of students and wastes everyone else's time, what changes when kids master a year of material in roughly 20–22 hours, how guides coach motivation instead of delivering lectures, and the simple rules he uses to make high‑stakes decisions about people, product, and strategy. ------ Timestamps: (00:00) What's Broken in Today's Education System (07:01) What Makes Alpha School Different (11:01) Real Results: 2 Hours of AI, Top 1% Scores (16:55) Who Gets In (23:20) The Everyday Classroom Problems Alpha Is Fixing (26:40) Redefining Mastery: No Moving On Until You “Get It” (35:37) Can You Actually Change a System This Big? (39:19) Teaching Through AI (44:27) Solving the Motivation Problem: Why Kids Love Alpha (57:01) What Makes a Great Guide Instead of a Traditional Teacher (01:01:04) Coaching Kids to Own Their Work (and Their Time) (01:05:17) Teaching Life Skills: Leadership, Teams, and Real Projects (01:08:18) “You Can Do Hard Things”: Building Grit in the Classroom (01:13:25) Streaming Student Screens to AI: How Monitoring Works (01:21:08) Effort vs. IQ: What Actually Predicts Success at Alpha (01:23:36) Rethinking Physics for High Schoolers with AI (01:24:40) After Alpha: What Happens to Graduates? (01:37:08) Why You Should Invest in Yourself (01:38:21) Lessons from Jack Welch: Mentorship and Management (01:45:49) Why Trilogy Didn't Go Public (01:51:40) Physical vs Virtual School: What Kids Actually Need More (02:03:18) Paying Kids to Learn: Incentives, Rewards, and Risks (02:11:01) What Is Success For You? ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Follow Joe Liemandt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liemandt/ Tools to help your kids: Math up to grade 7: https://www.synthesis.com/tutor High School Physics: https://physicsgraph.com Math Grade 8-12: https://www.mathacademy.com ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: +Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes. +Shopify: https://shopify.com/knowledgeproject Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into the rise, dominance, and controversy surrounding Six Sigma — the corporate improvement system that promised near-perfect quality and became a management obsession across America. From Motorola's statistical revolution to Jack Welch's aggressive rollout at General Electric, Six Sigma evolved from a useful quality tool into what some critics call a full-blown corporate ideology. Drawing from Mark DeLuzio's provocative essay "The Six Sigma Hysteria," we explore why many Lean practitioners believed Six Sigma created more bureaucracy than breakthrough innovation. We unpack the clash between Lean thinking and Six Sigma methodology, the explosion of belt certifications and consulting culture, and the argument that companies became obsessed with measuring defects while ignoring waste, flow, and human creativity. Along the way, we examine real-world stories from Toyota, Danaher, and GE, and from factory floors where frontline employees solved problems that data alone could not. We also ask a bigger question: Are modern businesses repeating the same mistake today with AI, Agile, and productivity frameworks? This episode is about more than Six Sigma. It's about the danger of turning tools into religion — and what happens when companies mistake methodology for culture.

SummaryLosing sight of a shared vision can derail even the most promising teams, a theme Jim Robinson tackles head-on in the podcast Visionary Leader with Jim Robinson episode. Jim explores the subtle and not so subtle ways organizations drift from their core mission as they grow. He underscores that while expansion is exciting, it often brings misalignment, especially if growth outpaces processes and systems. Without clear communication and regular alignment, team members can lose direction and motivation.A critical insight from Jim is the necessity of constant, purposeful communication. He stresses that vision is not a one-and-done announcement, but something leaders need to repeat so often they feel like a "Chief Repeating Officer." Ignoring this responsibility leads to confusion and a decline in morale, with employees metaphorically—and sometimes literally—calling in sick due to lack of clarity and engagement.The episode draws on real-world examples, from the shift in Walmart's culture after Sam Walton's passing, to Jack Welch's turnaround at GE. These cases highlight how easily vision can drift without vigilant leadership and regular, transparent dialogue. Jim points to middle management as the essential bridge for executing vision day-to-day, emphasizing that clarity in roles, processes, and individual purpose is paramount.Action steps are clear: leaders should have frequent, purposeful check-ins with their teams, ensuring everyone not only understands the mission but can articulate it confidently. By embedding vision into daily culture and systems, organizations can remain healthy, aligned, and ready to flourish, even through growing pains.Show Notes(00:00) Why Teams Lose Alignment as They Grow(05:52) Strategies for Refocusing Teams(09:15) The Importance of Clear Communication(14:34) Reconnecting Team Members to Purpose(18:32) Targeting Business Growth by Seasons(22:19) Challenges with Implementing New Platforms(23:01) Technology's Impact on ScalingLinksJim Robinson CGP Maintenance and Construction Services

Most companies say they want innovation. Then they punish the team members who take big swings and miss. In this episode, Darren Hardy reveals the emotional intelligence skill that separates world-class leaders, and the 4,000% growth it can unlock. Darren walks through lessons from the late Jack Welch, who grew GE's market value from $12 billion to $410 billion over 20 years as CEO. But Welch's legendary run almost didn't happen. This episode dives into the specifics of that story and how Welch's lesson can play out in your own business and life. Get more personal mentoring from Darren each day. Go to DarrenDaily at http://darrendaily.com/join to learn more.

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Should the Fed still use the PCE as its inflation guide? I've talked a lot about the shelter index being misleading when it comes to inflation, especially when looking at the CPI, but the PCE has its flaws as well. The Federal Reserve has a 2% inflation target and uses monetary policy, which includes adjusting the Fed Funds rate, to tackle its dual mandate of maximum employment and stable prices. A big problem I see with the PCE is that healthcare now accounts for roughly 16% to 17% of index. This comes as an aging population led healthcare spending to be the single largest contributor to consumer spending in 2025. It surpassed housing and utilities in early 2023 as the fastest growing category in the PCE and by Q3 of 2025, it contributed nearly a full percentage point to overall economic expansion and accounted for nearly half of all spending growth. While it's important to keep an eye on healthcare inflation, the Fed's tools won't be able to have a major impact on the sector like let's say the housing sector. So, let's say inflation stays around 3%, but a large reason for that is healthcare inflation. If the Fed hikes rates, it will have little impact on inflation and in fact it could have a huge negative consequence on other areas of the economy and push us into a recession. A big reason I remain worried about healthcare inflation is labor costs. It doesn't appear we have enough workers to meet the demand for these jobs. On the positive side, the sector has provided stability and growth when looking at payroll data. In 2025, it added 686,000 jobs, which was more than all the gains in nonfarm payrolls. The question is though, can this continue without substantial wage inflation considering by 2030, we will have more people over the age of 65 than we do that are under18. I'm not sure how exactly we can rein in healthcare inflation, but I don't believe monetary policy would provide a meaningful solution.   Even with all the noise, the consumer remains strong March retail sales showed a nice increase of 4.0% compared to last year and while gas stations were a large contributor growing 18.1% due to higher gas prices, excluding them from the report still would have resulted in a good increase of 2.9%. The only areas that saw declines in the report were motor vehicle and parts dealers, which were down 2.1%, and furniture and home furnishing stores, which were down 0.8%. Areas of strength included nonstore retailers, which were up 10.1%, electronics and appliance stores, which were up 5.2%, and clothing and clothing accessories stories, which were up 7.2%. Food services and drinking places saw growth slow, but there was still a positive increase of 2.4%. It's not just the retail sales report that showed strength, Bank of America pointed out debit and credit card spending climbed 4.3% in March, the most in more than three years. While a 16.5% jump in spending at gas stations was a large reason for the increase, there was still “healthy growth” of 3.6% excluding gas. We also heard from Wells Fargo CEO, Charlie Scharf, in an interview with Bloomberg Television and he said the U.S. economy remains “extremely strong” and that loan demand is solid, consumer delinquencies are well controlled, and businesses entered this period in strong financial shape. He also said consumer spending continues to grow between 5% and 7% year-over-year. Even with all the noise, the consumer is what drives the US economy, and it appears people remain resilient in their spending, which is a major reason why I believe the economy remains healthy.   Can the new Apple CEO keep the stock gains coming? With the stock trading at a forward price/earnings ratio of around 32 times, I've got to say it's going to be a very difficult task. Keep in mind over the last 50 years the average forward P/E ratio for the S&P 500 has been between around 15 to 19 times, nowhere near 32. I'm also reminded of a similar situation where a prominent company with such great stock success was taken over by a new CEO and the 16-year return was only 27% including dividends. That company I'm referring to is General Electric when Jack Welch retired and the new CEO Jeffrey Immelt who was handpicked by Jack Welch took over. Things could be different this time when the new CEO of Apple takes over on September 1st but again given the current valuation it will be difficult. John Ternus is a mechanical engineer and was head of the hardware division. An engineering degree now represents the highest percentage of degrees among Fortune 500 CEOs, exceeding the number of CEOs with an MBA. I do have some question marks around the choice though as there have not been that many new successful products that have come out of Apple. We've had the AirPods and the Apple Watch, but they've had some major failures with the Vision Pro headset and are trying to build a self-driving car that they lost billions of dollars on. Mr. Ternus, who is 50 years old, is well liked and is said to have a friendly demeanor along with the engineering confidence, but will he have the magic that Tim Cook had finding ways to squeeze more value out of supply chain? Mr. Cook was also a great political negotiator working with President Barack Obama to President Trump and even made deals with China's president that has kept the company going. Mr. Ternus does have has some big shoes to fill and a large mountain to climb. I just don't believe Apple will see returns anywhere near the past returns they saw under Cook when he took over in 2011 and the stock grew by roughly 20 times.   Your annuity may not be as safe as you think! Many people that are sold annuities are told by the broker that they are 100% safe and to be frank they would probably say almost anything to collect their big 7% or 8% commission. But the Treasury department has concerns and is talking to state insurance regulators about the large amount of private loans that insurance companies are using in their portfolios. Back in 2024 even the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which is also known as the NAIC and is the organizing body for regulators for every state in the US, had stated ratings that insurers had on private credit and investments were consistently overinflated. They have since pulled the report from the website. Large redemption requests from individual investors that want to pull their money out of many private loan funds are starting to show up in other areas like pension funds and insurance companies. The insurance industry holds about $6 trillion in invested assets and roughly $1 trillion or about 17% is now in private credit investments. The insurance industry uses what is known as private letter ratings and can also assign a risk score to the investment. In a study that examined 109 private letter ratings that NAIC officials received in 2023, in 106 of those cases the private rating was higher than the NAIC. To make matters worse, 17 of the cases gave an investment grade private letter rating to assets that the NAIC considered junk or below investment grade. It is especially important to look out for the smaller firms that use smaller rating agencies like Eagan – Jones as opposed to your bigger rating agencies. The smaller firms tend to rate things much higher than the NAIC, sometimes as much as three notches higher, which really disguises the risk of what the annuity you hold is invested in. I've said for years that we will someday see an insurance company file for bankruptcy and those investors who invested blindly into annuities because of a salesperson's recommendation will probably be disappointed to see that they lost all their earnings and perhaps even some of the principal. I unfortunately think it's too late for some of these insurance companies that have invested into risky assets to turn the situation around quickly.    Financial Planning: Traditional or Roth Choosing between traditional and Roth contributions comes down to one key question: will you be able to withdraw or convert that money at a lower tax rate than your rate today? Traditional contributions work best if the answer is yes, since you get a tax break now and pay less later, while Roth contributions are better if your future tax rate will be the same or higher. Many people enter a lower tax bracket starting at retirement and lasting until required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin at age 75, but this low-tax window is limited. There's only so much pre-tax money you can withdraw or convert each year before moving into a higher bracket. For example, while working someone may be in the 22% bracket and will drop to the 12% bracket in retirement, giving them some room to access that tax-deferred money at a lower rate. However, the threshold between the 12% and 22% brackets is about $100k of taxable income for joint filers, and other income sources like Social Security and pensions will take up some of that room. If those sources result in taxable income of $50k, then only another $50k can be withdrawn or converted from retirement accounts before being pushed from the 12% bracket back up to the 22% bracket.  If there is $1 million in pre-tax retirement accounts growing at 10%/year, that annual appreciation of $100k is much more than can be converted meaning the account balances would continue to grow. When RMDs begin, the taxable distributions would push income into the 22% bracket or higher and potentially trigger IRMAA. Situations like this are common when retirement account balances are large, and Roth contributions should be heavily considered while working unless the taxpayer is in the highest brackets (32% or above).   Companies Discussed: Abbott Laboratories (ABT), PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) & Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR)

Joe Liemandt is the principal of Alpha School and the founder of Trilogy Software and ESW Capital. Liemandt dropped out of Stanford to build Trilogy, made the cover of Forbes twice before thirty, became the youngest member of the Forbes 400, then vanished from public life for twenty-five years. But he didn't stop building. Through ESW Capital, he quietly became one of the most prolific acquirers of software businesses in the world. Now he's back with a $1 billion bet that AI can make kids learn ten times faster, and that school as we know it isn't just inefficient, it's broken. At Alpha School, students spend two hours a day on AI-driven instruction and score in the top 1% on standardized tests. The rest of the day is devoted to what Liemandt calls life skills: leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and real projects that kids actually care about. There are no lectures, and kids don't move forward until they master the material. He argues the traditional classroom was designed for a narrow slice of students and wastes everyone else's time. The fix isn't more money or better teachers; it's rebuilding from scratch around mastery, motivation, and AI. This conversation covers his full arc from sleeping on the floor at Trilogy to being mentored by Jack Welch, to deciding that “kids must love school more than vacation” was a non-negotiable design principle. He explains how Timeback works under the hood, why he's comfortable streaming student screens to AI in real time, and how he plans to scale it for a billion kids. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. ------ Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:08) Is the Current Education System Broken? (07:01) Alpha School: What is it? (11:01) Alpha School: Results (14:55) Ad Break (16:55) Selection and Affordability (23:20) Current Classroom Struggles (26:40) What Does Mastery Mean? (35:37) Can You Change the System? (39:19) Teaching Through AI (44:27) How Do You Solve Motivation? (57:01) What Makes A Good Guide? (01:01:04) Coaching Kids (01:05:17) Teaching Life Skills (01:08:18) You Can Do Hard Things (01:13:25) AI Monitoring  (01:21:08) Effort vs. IQ (01:23:36) Physics for High Schoolers (01:24:40) What Happens After Alpha School? (01:37:08) Investing in Yourself (01:38:21) Conversations with Jack Welch (01:45:49) Trilogy IPO: The Choice to Not Go Public (01:51:40) Physical vs Virtual  (02:03:18) Paying Kids To Learn  (02:11:01) What Is Success For You? ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Follow Joe Liemandt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liemandt/ Tools to help your kids: Math up to grade 7: https://www.synthesis.com/tutor High School Physics: https://physicsgraph.com Math Grade 8-12: https://www.mathacademy.com ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: +Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes. +Shopify: https://shopify.com/knowledgeproject Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

Send us Fan Mail(50) The 6 Pillars of Development Readiness - Why some projects fail while others succeed? In the 50th episode of the Real Estate Development Insights podcast, Payam Noursalehi (president of Dena Project Management) thanks listeners and introduces shorter-format episodes featuring live events, updates, and practical frameworks alongside ongoing expert interviews. He explains the podcast's core question—why some projects fail while others succeed—and argues that real estate development is fundamentally the business of risk management, where success depends on identifying, pricing, sequencing, and managing risks through effective, disciplined decision-making under uncertainty. Drawing on lessons from guests and references like Sheldon Rosen's “Know your limit, stay within it” and Jack Welch's question “What business are we in?”, Payam presents a non-scientific, living “Development Readiness Framework” to help, especially first-time developers, assess readiness amid growing opportunities in Toronto/Canada. The framework has six pillars: local market fundamentals, capital structure/financial feasibility, ownership/legal/tax liability, design and approval strategy, execution and risk management, and operational discipline/mindset, plus a free assessment at developmentreadinessassessment.com. 00:00 Welcome and Milestone01:12 New Shorter Format02:57 Why Start the Podcast04:15 Why Projects Fail06:44 Development Readiness Framework07:47 Know Your Limit08:25 What Business Are We In10:42 Risk Management Core13:01 Decision Making Under Uncertainty15:25 Mindset and Discipline16:39 Why This Matters Now19:39 Six Pillars Overview22:37 Free Assessment and Wrap Up #RealEstateDevelopment #DevelopmentReadiness  #ProjectFeasibility  #RiskManagement #DeveloperMindset #Housing #HousingSupply #HousingAffordability #TorontoDevelopment #CityBuilding #GTARealEstate #CanadianRealEstateFor more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.comTake our Free Assessment at: DevelopmentReadinessAssessment.com

Rob Walch is a veteran podcaster and industry leader, inducted into the Podcasting Hall of Fame in 2016 for his contributions to the medium. From 2007 to 2025, he served as Vice President of Podcaster Relations at Libsyn, one of the earliest and most influential podcast hosting companies. Before that, he founded podCast411, Inc., a show that explores podcasts, podcasters, and podcasting news, interviewing creators across genres.Rob began podcasting in 2004, years before the medium went mainstream, and has since hosted multiple shows, including podCast411, Today in iOS (one of the first iPhone-focused podcasts), Space Business 411, and co-hosted The Feed Podcast. His work as a consultant has spanned brands and thought leaders such as Jack Welch, Tim Ferriss, and Senator Edwards, and he's spoken at over 100 industry events on podcasting and new media. Rob holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut and an engineering degree from the University of Dayton.Connect with Rob Walch:Website: https://www.podpage.com/podcast411/ Podcast411: https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcast411/ Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast411-learn-about-podcasters-and-podcasting-news/id73330788 TurnKey Podcast Productions Important Links:Guest to Gold Video Series: www.TurnkeyPodcast.com/gold The Ultimate Podcast Launch Formula- www.TurnkeyPodcast.com/UPLFplusFREE workshop on how to "Be A Great Guest."Free E-Book 5 Ways to Make Money Podcasting at www.Turnkeypodcast.com/gift Ready to earn 6-figures with your podcast? See if you've got what it takes at TurnkeyPodcast.com/quizSales Training for Podcasters: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-training-for-podcasters/id1540644376Nice Guys on Business: http://www.niceguysonbusiness.com/subscribe/The Turnkey Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turnkey-podcast/id1485077152

Tu souhaites faire former tes managers ? Prends contact avec adelie@outilsdumanager.com pour voir si l'École des Managers est faite pour eux.***Découvre ce que nous avons créé pour t'aider à aller plus loin :Des formactions pratiques et concrètes pour manager efficacement, quel que soit ton rôle ou ton secteur.Une communauté unique en ligne, le CIEL, où dirigeants et cadres dirigeants, s'entraident pour réussir ensemble.L'offre exclusive du moment pour t'aider à passer à l'action dès aujourd'hui.Clique ici pour explorer le catalogue ODM : https://www.formactions.outilsdumanager.com/cataloguecomplet***Dans ce deuxième épisode de notre série, Cédric s'attaque aux deux grands modèles qui piègent les entreprises : le management à la pression et le management à la bienveillance pure.Beaucoup de dirigeants oscillent entre ces deux extrêmes sans jamais trouver l'équilibre. Entre la logique darwinienne de Jack Welch (General Electric) qui consiste à licencier les 10 % les moins performants et le mirage de la bienveillance inconditionnelle qui dérive souvent vers le laisser-faire , Cédric vous explique pourquoi aucune de ces voies ne garantit une performance durable.Au programme :Le management à la pression : Pourquoi le pouvoir hiérarchique seul crée des "collaborateurs zombies" et des comportements passifs-agressifs.Le piège de la bienveillance : Pourquoi être "trop gentil" sans exigence détruit le respect et la productivité.Le rôle du chef : Pourquoi vos collaborateurs attendent que vous sachiez dire "non" et que vous fassiez le tri dans les initiatives.Vers la Troisième Voie : Une introduction à la méthode qui réconcilie respect et performance.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

John talks with Amos Balongo — executive leadership coach, communications coach, keynote speaker, John Maxwell speaker and coach, corporate trainer, founder of Camp Ohana Foundation (nonprofit serving youth globally), husband, and father. Amos is also an international speaker who has traveled to 32 countries, speaking to groups such as the U.S. Navy, YMCA, United Nations, and U.S. Pacific Command. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro [01:08] - Amos' bio  [02:32] - Amos' journey from Kenya to the U.S. and into leadership [06:02] - Camp Ohana Foundation and its impact on kids [09:31] - Camp Ohana locations around the world [11:12] - Bringing guest speakers to inspire kids with real careers [12:34] - Why Amos connected with John Maxwell team [13:57] - Coaches Need Coaches [15:24] - Amos' fear of public speaking and overcoming it [18:56] - Speakers who don't work on their craft [20:58] - A Voice Empowered book [24:46] - Four pillars of leadership [31:16] - How Amos' faith gives him purpose and strength [33:34] - The pendulum of work and family [35:25] - Creating memories with family [36:49] - Amos' definition of success [38:14] - #1 daily habit [39:31] - Traits of a great leader [41:38] - Legacy Amos wants to leave behind [43:18] - How Amos invests in his growth [44:24] - Best way to connect with Amos [47:11] - Closing thoughts NOTABLE QUOTES: "A lot of times, we focus so much on a destination, not realizing that the journey is where we learn, is where we grow, and the destination is just an end product of the journey." "When you're blessed, it's very important to look back and give back and bless others." "If you're a leader and you're not creating more leaders, something is wrong with your leadership." "You cannot be what you cannot see." "Everybody can teach you something if you're, if you're teachable and willing to learn." "With everything you're doing, you've got to ask yourself, 'How am I growing every day?' And you got to reflect and ask yourself, 'How am I better? How will I be better tomorrow?' And if you're not reflecting, you're not growing, and you're stuck in the same thing." "If you are a leader and you have a great message, but you cannot communicate it, and people can't receive it, then you're going nowhere as a leader." "Success for me is how many people I have impacted and brought along on this journey, because we are on this journey of inspiring each other. We're on a journey. And it's not, did we get to the destination." "Your role as a leader is not positional. Your role is to serve others, is to bring others along. It's, 'I'm in this position because I want to bring others along,' and I'm humble enough to understand that I may not know it all, and there's going to be people that I am leading that would know more than I do. But it's about how we complement each other's strengths, to be able to to work together and bring each other along." "If you're not learning every day, then you're not growing every day. It's just kind of like a banana. If you're green, you grow. If you're ripe, you rot." BOOKS MENTIONED: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch and John A. Byrne (https://a.co/d/clFRSie) Find Your Why by Simon Sinek (https://a.co/d/dCRB22U) USEFUL RESOURCES: https://amosbalongo.com/ https://leaderconsulting.coach/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amosbalongo/ https://www.instagram.com/amosbalongo/ https://www.facebook.com/amosbalongo https://x.com/abalongo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlIweirA1HGSgy3t8m299w Transforming Your Life Volume IX: 9 Incredible Stories Showing the Strength of the Human Spirit (https://a.co/d/bee1AFc) CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen    X - https://x.com/johnhulen    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLX_NchE8lisC4NL2GciIWA    EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/ 

Stretch goals came out of Jack Welch's GE in the 1990s. Corporate America has been obsessed with them ever since. And they don't work.Here's what actually happens: You dump work on someone, disappear, and call it development. That's not a stretch goal. That's abandonment.In this episode, I'm replacing stretch goals entirely with a 5-step framework for developing people by letting go of work—with structure, coaching, and support.You'll learn how to identify what you're hoarding, slice work into learnable pieces, and coach people through it without taking the work back the first time they struggle.This is Part 3 of the Development Reckoning series. If you haven't listened to Parts 1 and 2, start there first.Stop the chase. Grow in place. Starting with the work you're holding onto right now.

If conversation is a superpower, most companies are running on kryptonite. We dive with Don Weber—global communication strategist, human intelligence expert, and former U.S. field operative—into what makes people open up, buy in, and stay loyal, from war zones to boardrooms. When texts replace tough talks and bots gatekeep support, trust evaporates. Don shows how to recover it with presence: read the room, listen first, and choose the right channel for the moment.We explore the hidden math behind modern miscommunication. AI floods hiring with lookalike résumés while starving teams of context. Customer service scripts cut costs and quietly cut revenue. Leaders push top-down memos that morph on the way to the front line. Don breaks down practical fixes: build cross-functional decision rooms before major changes, keep messages repeatable and simple, and empower teams to solve issues in one touch. From greeting customers by name to delivering hard news live, small, human acts compound into retention and referrals no campaign can buy.Don's field stories underline the stakes. In places where a wrong read could cost a life, he learned to track breath, posture, and micro-expressions—and to let silence do the heavy lifting. That same discipline turns meetings into decisions, negotiations into agreements, and talent into believers. We also tackle leadership myths, from the Jack Welch halo to the idea that volume equals authority. The strongest voice is usually the last to speak, the one that listened the most.If you lead a team, run a brand, or simply want your words to land, this conversation gives you scripts, mindsets, and habits you can use today. Subscribe, share with a leader who needs it, and leave a review telling us: where will you bring back the human touch first?Join the What if it Did Work movement on FacebookGet the Book!www.omarmedrano.comwww.calendly.com/omarmedrano/15min

2026 will not reward hope. It will reward intention.In this video, I walk you through a bold, practical framework for goalsetting in 2026—not wishful thinking, not hype, but deliberate planning backed by action. If you want 2026 to be your strongest year yet, it starts with deciding in advance what success looks like and building the discipline to pursue it relentlessly.I break down the PLAN AHEAD framework step by step, showing you how to:• Set macro goals aligned to each quarter• Define non-negotiable outcomes instead of vague intentions• Build flexibility without losing momentum• Communicate your vision so others can support it• Take action even when conditions aren't perfect• Anticipate problems instead of being surprised by them• Maintain a strong mental posture when pressure shows up• Review, reprioritize, and protect what truly mattersThis isn't about doing more.It's about doing what matters.If you've ever felt busy but not moving forward…If your goals keep slipping into “next year”…If you're ready to stop negotiating with your future—This message is for you.Your 2026 is waiting.Plan ahead.Be bold.And take it head on.2026 BOLD GOALSETTING0:00 – Welcome to 2026 & why this year must be intentional0:45 – Hope vs action: why planning separates winners1:38 – Macro goals & the quarterly mindset (Q1–Q4)2:13 – PLAN AHEAD framework overview2:19 – P: Predetermine your course of action2:52 – Deciding success in advance (vision before movement)3:29 – Quarterly goals & highest return / reward thinking4:08 – Real story: climbing out of major debt through planning4:44 – Mapping major moves & eliminating hesitation5:16 – Defining non-negotiable goals & outcomes6:06 – L: Lay out your goals6:14 – Why vague goals produce vague results6:20 – SMART goals explained (specific, measurable, time-bound)6:50 – Macro goals vs micro goals7:07 – Breaking annual goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly wins7:31 – Visibility, accountability & goal tracking8:02 – A: Allow time for adjustments8:08 – Why plans break and flexibility wins8:44 – COVID lesson: pivoting when reality shifts9:16 – Buffer time, reviews, and contingency planning9:42 – AI, market shifts & knowing when to pivot10:32 – N: Notify key personnel10:38 – You cannot win alone10:55 – Alignment, trust, and momentum11:14 – Communicating vision to family, teams, stakeholders11:32 – A: Allow time for acceptance11:39 – Why big change needs time to land11:47 – Kayaku: bad change vs meaningful change12:25 – Leading people at their pace13:01 – Family, teams & avoiding shock change13:16 – Patience now prevents resistance later14:10 – H: Head into action14:21 – Planning without execution is paralysis14:35 – “Do it ugly” & imperfect action15:02 – First 48 hours: momentum rules15:25 – Public accountability & bias toward action15:53 – E: Expect problems15:58 – Obstacles are inevitable, not anomalies16:12 – BEHAG mindset: big, bold, uncomfortable goals16:46 – Risk thinking & if-then scenarios17:23 – Reframing problems as puzzles17:39 – A: Always point to the positive17:46 – Narrative, mindset & strategic optimism17:53 – Zig Ziglar: attitude vs aptitude18:31 – Cutting negativity & complaint cycles19:10 – Wins reviews & gratitude practices19:45 – D: Daily review & reprioritize19:54 – Aggressive prioritization (Jack Welch example)20:49 – Killing noise & focusing on the vital few21:48 – Time as your most valuable asset22:09 – Daily recalibration habit23:26 – Reward, risk & value prioritization filter24:12 – BHAG decisions & early execution24:37 – Be bold, aggressive, and decisive with goals26:39 – Final charge: Your 2026 awaits27:04 – Closing message: plan ahead and take no prisonersTo learn music theory, visit http://phillc.netSupport your buddy Phill with a ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/s/a7ebeb0d04To learn music theory, visit http://phillc.netSupport your buddy Phill with a ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/s/a7ebeb0d04

2026 Bold GOAL SETTING Using the JOHN MAXWELL Plan Ahead Method2026 will not reward hope. It will reward intention.In this video, I walk you through a bold, practical framework for goalsetting in 2026—not wishful thinking, not hype, but deliberate planning backed by action. If you want 2026 to be your strongest year yet, it starts with deciding in advance what success looks like and building the discipline to pursue it relentlessly.I break down the PLAN AHEAD framework step by step, showing you how to:• Set macro goals aligned to each quarter• Define non-negotiable outcomes instead of vague intentions• Build flexibility without losing momentum• Communicate your vision so others can support it• Take action even when conditions aren't perfect• Anticipate problems instead of being surprised by them• Maintain a strong mental posture when pressure shows up• Review, reprioritize, and protect what truly mattersThis isn't about doing more.It's about doing what matters.If you've ever felt busy but not moving forward…If your goals keep slipping into “next year”…If you're ready to stop negotiating with your future—This message is for you.Your 2026 is waiting.Plan ahead.Be bold.And take it head on.2026 BOLD GOALSETTING0:00 – Welcome to 2026 & why this year must be intentional0:45 – Hope vs action: why planning separates winners1:38 – Macro goals & the quarterly mindset (Q1–Q4)2:13 – PLAN AHEAD framework overview2:19 – P: Predetermine your course of action2:52 – Deciding success in advance (vision before movement)3:29 – Quarterly goals & highest return / reward thinking4:08 – Real story: climbing out of major debt through planning4:44 – Mapping major moves & eliminating hesitation5:16 – Defining non-negotiable goals & outcomes6:06 – L: Lay out your goals6:14 – Why vague goals produce vague results6:20 – SMART goals explained (specific, measurable, time-bound)6:50 – Macro goals vs micro goals7:07 – Breaking annual goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly wins7:31 – Visibility, accountability & goal tracking8:02 – A: Allow time for adjustments8:08 – Why plans break and flexibility wins8:44 – COVID lesson: pivoting when reality shifts9:16 – Buffer time, reviews, and contingency planning9:42 – AI, market shifts & knowing when to pivot10:32 – N: Notify key personnel10:38 – You cannot win alone10:55 – Alignment, trust, and momentum11:14 – Communicating vision to family, teams, stakeholders11:32 – A: Allow time for acceptance11:39 – Why big change needs time to land11:47 – Kayaku: bad change vs meaningful change12:25 – Leading people at their pace13:01 – Family, teams & avoiding shock change13:16 – Patience now prevents resistance later14:10 – H: Head into action14:21 – Planning without execution is paralysis14:35 – “Do it ugly” & imperfect action15:02 – First 48 hours: momentum rules15:25 – Public accountability & bias toward action15:53 – E: Expect problems15:58 – Obstacles are inevitable, not anomalies16:12 – BEHAG mindset: big, bold, uncomfortable goals16:46 – Risk thinking & if-then scenarios17:23 – Reframing problems as puzzles17:39 – A: Always point to the positive17:46 – Narrative, mindset & strategic optimism17:53 – Zig Ziglar: attitude vs aptitude18:31 – Cutting negativity & complaint cycles19:10 – Wins reviews & gratitude practices19:45 – D: Daily review & reprioritize19:54 – Aggressive prioritization (Jack Welch example)20:49 – Killing noise & focusing on the vital few21:48 – Time as your most valuable asset22:09 – Daily recalibration habit23:26 – Reward, risk & value prioritization filter24:12 – BHAG decisions & early execution24:37 – Be bold, aggressive, and decisive with goals26:39 – Final charge: Your 2026 awaits27:04 – Closing message: plan ahead and take no prisoners

PODCAST DESCRIPTION In this episode, we explore the privilege, responsibility, and transformational power of leadership. Drawing from Jack Welch's iconic principle that leaders exist to grow others, we dig into what it really means to set the tone, lift people up, and create a culture where teams can thrive. You'll hear a brand-new leadership song capturing the heart of modern leadership: using your words as tools, your emotions as instruments, and your presence as a force for clarity, calm, and inspiration. We dive into the essential question every leader must answer: "What type of leader do you choose to be?" Whether you lead a team, a business, a project, or a community, this episode will challenge you to rise above management and step fully into influence. The best leaders aren't loud — they're aligned, intentional, and quietly powerful. By the end, you'll understand why the greatest leaders are often the ones people barely notice… until they see the extraordinary results.   Free link to CZ6 Sales and Business Growth community group   https://lfbbcz6sales.app.clientclub.net/courses/offers/b366de1c-363e-4bd3-b840-4a6e3d2497fa   3. Unlock Exclusive Tools and Resources   Members get free access to:   Live online sessions and mini-workshops Templates and green sheet tools Action checklists and diagnostics Sales mindset and visualisation training Early invitations to events and certifications "You'll start using the same tools we use with CEOs, executives, and sales teams across industries."   Join Free. Learn Fast. Grow Strong.   No hidden fees. No spam. Just real strategies, tools, and support to help you sell more, lead better, and grow your business.  

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Rusty Gaillard, a man who built one of the quintessential “A-student” careers of our time: Princeton engineering, GE under Jack Welch, an MBA from Stanford, and ultimately 14 years at Apple, where he served as Worldwide Director of Finance. By any external measure, he had “made it”. But internally, Rusty hit a wall — a wall many high achievers eventually reach. That crisis led to deep introspection, divorce, reinvention, and ultimately the insights behind his book, Breaking the Code: Stop Looking for Answers and Start Enjoying Life — a guide to upgrading what he calls your code or your “InnerTech,” the internal operating system that shapes your life. Rusty eventually left Apple to become a transformational executive coach, helping leaders navigate transitions and create meaningful, sustainable success. In this episode, they explore what drove Rusty to the breaking point, how he rebuilt his life, and what he has learned coaching others through change. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don't miss an episode! SHOW NOTES: RUSTY GAILLARD: BIO: https://rustygaillard.com/about-rusty-gaillard-corporate-performance-consultant BOOK: Breaking the Code: Stop Looking for Answers and Start Enjoying Life, by Rusty Gaillard WEBSITE: https://rustygaillard.com

Jack Welch's binder hit the floor before Michael Bourque had time to react. At just 23, he sat in a Honeywell acquisition review meeting as the “keeper of the numbers,” rifling through a binder he knew didn't contain the EPS detail Welch demanded. When the answer didn't come, Welch “swept his binder off the table, threw it across the room, and got up and left,” Bourque tells us. The moment stayed with him—not only the need to anticipate every question, but the feeling of “how I was treated,” a lesson he carried forward.That early scene captures the intensity of Bourque's 15 years at GE, where he rotated every four months on the corporate audit staff, learned to understand a business model quickly, and moved across countries from Mexico to Italy to Canada. He tells us those experiences became “a massive accelerator” but also showed him what he did not want: senior lives “lived 90 days at a time.”Leaving GE led him into Ocwen, where regulatory pressure mounted immediately. Advisers warned him to “run for the hills,” yet he stayed, tracking cash daily and absorbing public blows from the New York DFS. The experience, he tells us, taught him “how to navigate a crisis and try to keep your cool.”At LendingHome (later Kiavi), he applied that calm to redesign the business around two customer cohorts—first-timers and professionals doing “eight or more” flips a year—and anchored decisions in unit economics. That discipline would shape his leadership at Convera, where he now steers a global payments network and pushes teams to adopt AI tools that “help them… get clarity on that next operational step.”

In Part 2 of Episode 50, I'm joined by Scott Munroe, Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and one of the “Hoosiers” from the Two Hoosiers & a Hong crew. Scott is a longtime Teaching Professional at the ultra-exclusive Nantucket Golf Club in the summer. If you've ever wondered what golf looks like behind the gates of one of the most private clubs in the country, Scott takes us there. Nantucket has had members like Jack Welch and Bill Belichick, and the course was designed by our good friend Rees Jones, so the stories run deep. Scott also shares how he develops junior players in a way that may surprise you — teaching them backwards, starting on the putting green and working out toward the tee. It's a strategy we also heard from our friend Eva Rogers. Scott explains why it helps kids understand scoring, feel, and confidence faster than any launch monitor ever could. We also talk about the unique culture among great coaches in golf: the freedom and willingness to share knowledge, not guard it. No “secret sauce.” No holding back. Just helping each other help more players enjoy the game. And before we wrap, Scott gives us a few simple home drills to keep your swing loose and active during the colder months, so you don't feel like you're starting over when spring rolls back around. It's fun, insightful, and full of takeaways you can use right away. Scott is fantastic, you're going to love him.

We're excited to welcome back Jim Brammer, CEO of Special Event Services and Founder of Concert Stuff Group. From a tobacco farm in North Carolina to stages and stadiums around the world, Jim has spent nearly 40 years shaping the live event industry.He's worked with artists like Hootie & the Blowfish, Coldplay, and 3 Doors Down, and pioneered arena-quality production for ministries including Dr. Billy Graham, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen. Founder of a network of companies that simplify large-scale events, Jim's leadership and people-first philosophy earned him the 2024 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award.And he's still building, now bringing world-class entertainment back home with a 5,000-capacity amphitheater in downtown Winston-Salem. From farm fields to global stages, Jim Brammer's story is pure vision, grit, and heart.In this engaging conversation, Jim Brammer, CEO of Special Event Services and founder of Concert Stuff Group, shares his remarkable journey from a tobacco farm in North Carolina to becoming a key player in the live event industry. He discusses the evolution of his career, the importance of partnerships, and the lessons learned from family and early life experiences. Jim reflects on pivotal moments, including his work with Hootie and the Blowfish and Billy Graham's crusades, which shaped his business trajectory. The conversation also delves into the role of AI in modern entrepreneurship and the challenges faced in adapting to a changing industry landscape. In this conversation, Jim Brammer and the host discuss various themes surrounding business strategy, the impact of AI on decision-making, the evolution of the event industry, and the importance of community and work-life balance. They share personal anecdotes about hiring, leadership lessons from Jack Welch, and the challenges and opportunities in the live events sector, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. The discussion emphasizes the need for innovation, adaptability, and a focus on creating meaningful connections in both personal and professional realms.This Episode is brought to you by Elation and Main Light

There is a lot of discussion about the validity of science right now.Researchers talk endlessly about how to make results “more valid,” how to fix problems, and how to improve the system.But here is what I actually think.It is not about “bad apples.”It is almost never about that.The real issue is culture.And culture often comes down to one or two people inside a community who stress performance above all else. Those one or two people create tension. They make others feel lesser than. They make you feel like you are the problem. And then everything starts to bend around that pressure.This is true everywhere.Every organization. Every department. Every field.You can feel it when the conversation becomes only about outcomes:number of citations, number of papers, number of grants.All lagging indicators. All terrible predictors.My field in strategy does this constantly.It is completely wrong.And it has been wrong for a long time.A lot of this came from the old Jack-Welch-style management thinking of the 1980s. That mindset seeped everywhere. It made people believe outcomes were all that mattered. Just hit the number. Hit the target. Hit the metric.But if you look at the research coming out of the systems-dynamics world at MIT — the Sterman group especially — the story is always the same:When you focus on outcomes, everything erodes.Eventually it all falls apart.Because outcomes are not the thing that matters.What matters is whether people feel safe.What matters is whether people feel supported.What matters is whether there is unconditional kindness in the room instead of fear.You fix culture, you fix science.And none of that starts with performance.

Making his Next on the Tee debut is David Eby, Director of Golf at Banyan Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he's been leading the charge for nearly 30 years. David's journey through the game is a great story of passion, hard work, and lifelong dedication to golf. He played his college golf at Augusta University (then Augusta College) from 1986–1989, earning a degree in Economics and helping the team capture multiple tournament titles, including the 1987 Big South Conference Championship. During those years, he also had the unique opportunity to caddie at Augusta National, looping for several notable people like Don Shula, Peter Ueberroth, and Jack Welch. He even got to play the course himself—a dream few golfers ever realize. After college, David began his professional career as an Assistant Golf Pro at Augusta National, followed by a move to Pine Valley as First Assistant Pro, then becoming Head Golf Professional at Cedar Point Club in Virginia. Before long, he found his home at Banyan Golf Club, where he's built one of the finest golf environments in South Florida. In our conversation, David reflects on his experiences at legendary venues like Moraine Country Club (site of Byron Nelson's 1945 PGA win), shares great stories from his college days—including a Joe Namath like experience while playing a tournament at Furman. He then offers insights on how technology has reshaped the game. We also discuss Banyan's world-class facilities, designed by Joe Lee, and how their state-of-the-art practice area rivals even Augusta National's. David's stories span from Augusta to Palm Beach, filled with heart, history, and lessons that remind us why we love this game.

Anthony Djon, leader of a 100-agent "team bridge" doing $50 million a month in volume, provides a masterclass on top-of-funnel lead conversion. He details his military-style team structure, which uses "Team Captains" and strict "floor time" to maximize speed-to-lead. He shares his full tech stack, including Shiloh and Fellow, and confesses his biggest mistake: neglecting client retention. Anthony's core advice is to stop rushing and perfect a relentless, consistent follow-up system.   Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn.   Learn more about his company on LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook or online at anthonydjon.com.   Subscribe to Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@RealEstateInsidersUnfiltered?sub_confirmation=1   To learn more about becoming a sponsor of the show send us an email: jessica@inman.com You asked for it. We delivered. Check out our new merch! https://merch.realestateinsidersunfiltered.com/   Follow Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Podcast on Instagram - YouTube, Facebook - TikTok. Visit us online at realestateinsidersunfiltered.com.   Link to Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RealEstateInsidersUnfiltered Link to Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/realestateinsiderspod/ Link to YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@RealEstateInsidersUnfiltered Link to TikTok Page: https://www.tiktok.com/@realestateinsiderspod Link to website: https://realestateinsidersunfiltered.com This podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative. https://twobrotherscreative.com/contact/  

Reverse mentoring flips the script, pairing ambitious younger employees with seasoned leaders to share insights on today's hot topics, from tech trends to leadership styles. First popularized by Jack Welch at GE in the '90s, it's now a strategic powerhouse for attracting and retaining young talent. The magic happens when the right pairs are formed—think introverts with extroverts—to spark dynamic conversations. Engaging mentees in the process is key, as addressing any fears about crossing hierarchical lines lays the groundwork for trust. Without commitment, even the best matches can fizzle out. The perks are hard to ignore: Companies with reverse mentoring programs report a 72% boost in communication and an impressive 96% retention rate for younger employees. Participants leave feeling empowered, fostering innovation and keeping leaders in tune with market shifts. Plus, it amplifies diversity and inclusion by shedding light on workplace challenges. Take BNY Mellon, where the program has deepened connections and encouraged leaders to seek employee input. Others, like Estée Lauder and British Airways, have tapped into reverse mentoring to drive culture change and dismantle barriers. In short, reverse mentoring is a two-way street, turning the wisdom of experience into fresh perspectives that invigorate the workplace.

Send us a textIn this week's Monday Morning Motivation, host Anna Steinfest unpacks Jack Welch's powerful philosophy of stretch goals—ambitious targets designed to push you beyond what feels possible. Playing it safe keeps your business small, but aiming high—even if you fall short—unlocks creativity, grit, and growth you never thought you had.Anna breaks down three practical ways small business owners can apply stretch goals this week:Reach for the unreachable instead of settling for mediocrity.Forget the decimal points and stop obsessing over perfection.Don't punish falling short—celebrate progress and keep climbing.If you're ready to stop playing small and start building momentum, this episode will inspire you to stretch beyond limits and surprise yourself with what you can achieve.#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #StretchGoals #MondayMotivation #ScalingBusiness #EntrepreneurMindset

Karen Elliott House was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for her coverage of the Middle East. Arguably, she knows more about the region, and Saudi Arabia in particular, than any other active journalist or author.  For her latest book, Why Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Matters to the World, Karen conducted more than half a dozen in-depth interviews with the 40-year-old Saudi Crown Prince, known universally as “MBS.” For global business owners and executives, the dramatic Saudi transformation over the past decade, spearheaded by MBS, presents both promise and peril: vast opportunities for investment and growth but also political and legal risks that demand careful navigation. The pace of change under MBS has astonished even veteran observers like Karen, who has traveled to the kingdom more than 45 times since the late 1970s. Today, Saudi women can drive, hold jobs across industries, and participate openly in public life. Entertainment venues — from concerts to theme parks — are thriving. Restaurants that once erected wooden partitions to shield women from the public now bustle with mixed crowds. Karen compares his confidence and determination to that of Jack Welch at General Electric or Lee Kuan Yew, a founding father of modern Singapore. Like them, MBS is willing to make unpopular decisions in pursuit of national transformation. Whether his reforms endure, she cautions, depends on two factors: keeping the economy growing and avoiding foreign policy missteps that could unite his enemies. With a half-century potentially ahead of him as the next Saudi King, Mohammed bin Salman will be an unavoidable force in global politics and business. As Karen puts it, Americans must move beyond old stereotypes and reckon with the kingdom as it is — complex, evolving, and essential. Purchase Your Copies of Karen's Insightful Books on Saudi Arabia: The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines - and Future Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart. Photo: Karen Elliott House Posted: September 22, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 57:20 Episode: 14.16

David Gelles is an award-winning New York Times reporter and bestselling author. He has extensive experience as a business reporter in particular and has reported extensively on, among other topics, Boeing's safety issues, Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme, and the life and leadership of GE CEO Jack Welch. He's the bestselling author of three books, including The Man Who Broke Capitalism, about Welch, and a new one, Dirtbag Billionaire, a deep dive into the life and impact of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. David joined host Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on Jack Welch's leadership at GE, Yvon Chouinard's extraordinary career at Patagonia, and much more. Thank you to the sponsors of The Elevate Podcast Shopify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indeed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠indeed.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Headway: ⁠makeheadway.com/elevate⁠ (Promo Code: Elevate) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"There's no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences." That's a quote by former GE CEO, Jack Welch. This week's episode is about finding balance in our lives.    You can subscribe to this podcast on:  Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | TUNEIN   Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin The Time-Based Productivity Course Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Time Sector System 5th Year Anniversary The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page   Script | 382 Hello, and welcome to episode 382 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show.  It's always fascinated me how so many people see the attainment of a “work-life balance” as their goal in life. Yet, that balance is easily achieved if you know what is important to you, are clear about your core work activities, and take control of your calendar.  I'm reading Dominic Sandbrook's brilliant book State of Emergency: The Way We Were, Britain 1970 to 1974.  In Britain in the early 1970s, the economy was in dire straits. The labour unions were fighting the employers and the government, inflation was rising uncontrollably and unemployment was becoming a serious problem. Nothing the government tried worked and often made things worse.  Yet, despite all these travails, people got on with their lives. They went to work, came home had dinner with their families or dropped into the pub to meet up with friends. At weekends kids went out to the cinema, or hung out on the high street with their friends. Parents would potter around their gardens or attempt DIY projects at home.  Balance was a given. Work happened at work. Home life happened at home. There were clear boundaries.  Today, it's easy to find people being nostalgic for those halcyon days, yet they weren't all great. There were frequent power cuts (power outages), droughts, and the incessant strikes meant often people couldn't get to work, or their workplace was closed because of the strikes.  Having a work life balance shouldn't be a goal. It should be the way you life your life. There's a time for work, and a time for your hobbies and family. Not in a strict sense, but in a flexible way.  This week's question is about ho to achieve that with the minimal amount of effort and fuss.  So, to get into the how, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question. This week's question comes from Isabelle. Isabelle asks, Hi Carl, I'm having a lot of trouble trying to balance my professional and personal life. I never seem to have time to meet my friends, and often skip going to the gym because I have to finish my work late in the evenings. What do you recommend someone do to regain some work/life balance?  Hi Isabelle. Thank you for your question. One of the most effective ways to start this is to create what I call a “perfect” week calendar. This is where you create a new blank calendar and sketch out what you would like time for each week. Begin with your personal life. How many times do you want to go to the gym, how much sleep do you want each night, and how much time you want to spend with family and friends?  Add these to your calendar. Then sketch out how you would like to divide up your work time. How many meetings per week, how much time can you spend on admin and communications each day and time for doing deeper, focused work.  Once you have done this, you will get to see if what you want time for each week is realistic. I've found most people who do this exercise discover that they are trying to do the impossible.  You only have 168 hours a week. And you do not have to do everything you want to do in those 168 hours.  Before coming to Korea, I used to go to watch Leeds Rhinos Rugby League team every home game. In those days, those games were usually held on a Friday night.  This meant, every other Friday, I'd make sure I left work on time, got home, changed, had a quick dinner, then went to pick up my friends and off we went.  After the game we'd call into the local pub for a few beers before going home.  During the season, we made it a non-negotiable event. It would have been unheard of for any of us to miss a Friday night game.  If I had urgent work to finish, I would rather go back into the office on Saturday morning to finish it off than miss a game.  That was the mindset. Those games and meeting up with friends were non-negotiable.  And that is the first lesson here. If there is something you want to do, then make it non-negotiable.  Of all the productivity and time management tools available, the only one that will tell you if you have time to do something is your calendar.  Task managers and notes apps can collect a lot of stuff. Ideas, things to do, future projects, meeting notes. The list is infinite. Yet, the time you have is not infinite. It's limited. Each day has 24 hours, each week has 168 hours.  Part of the reason many feel there is no balance in their lives is they've allowed task managers to become their primary time management tool.  If you look at your task manager, it's just a list of things you either have to do or would like to do. There's no time frame. Some of the things on there will be important and time sensitive. However, a lot won't be. And when you scroll through the list, all you see are things to do.  It numbs the mind and makes you feel you have no time to rest. The difference between today and the 1970s is what we are prioritising.  Because in the 1970s the only productivity or time management tools we had were desk or pocket diaries and notebooks, the only tool we looked at when asked to do something was our diaries.  This meant we would instantly see a conflict and would be able to say “No, sorry I cannot do that on that day”.  Today, when we are asked to do something we add to our task manager-after all, it's easier to add it there than to open up our calendar app, and look at what we are committed to.  If you have on your calendar a regular aerobics class on a Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. And you're asked to attend a meeting at 4:30 p.m. You'd more likely say you cannot attend that meeting if all you had is your calendar to look at.  Today, we don't do that. We say “yes, okay” then later realise we''ll struggle to get to our class.  I remember when I was at university, my finish time at work was 5:30 p.m. and my lectures began at 6:00 p.m. There was no way I would accept a meeting request on a Tuesday or Thursday after 3:30 p.m.  It took me twenty minutes to get to my university from the office.  Attending university was a non-negotiable for me. Meetings with colleagues could be arranged either earlier in the day or the next.  This is why you cannot afford to leave things to chance if you want to bring balance into your life. If something is important to you, you need to be intentional about it.  But there's another important consideration and that is flexibility. Balance is about being flexible.  Most nights, I finish my coaching calls around 11:00 p.m. Now it would be very tempting for me to quit and flop down in front of the TV and mindlessly watch something. Yet, reading real books is something I get a great deal of pleasure from. So, before I consider turning on the TV, I grab my book, go through to the living room and read for twenty minutes or so.  It's wonderfully relaxing—much more so than trying to find something to watch TV.  Yet, if there is something I do want to watch on TV, I'll skip the book and watch the TV show.  There are sometimes when for one reason or another, I have not cleared my actionable email. If all I have is the hour after my calls finish to do it, then I'll spend thirty minutes or so clearing as many emails as I can.  Doing my email late is far better than having to try and find additional time the next day.  On Wednesday this week, my wife asked me if I would go with her and her parents on a little trip to the mountains that afternoon.  I had not planned for it, but said if I could have the morning to record my YouTube videos and get my Learning Note out, I would love to go.  I knew I would have to edit the videos when I got back that evening, but spending time with my family was important. So, that's what I did.  We had a lovely afternoon in the mountains and I got my videos edited.  As I sat down to read my book on Wednesday night, I had a little smile on my face because the day had been fantastic, and all my important work had been done.  Creating balance in life is not about adding more and more stuff to do in a task manager. It's about how you are allocating your time each day.  What is important to you? That's what goes on your calendar. There's a time when you can sit down at your desk and do work. But there's also time when you need to stop, relax and spend time with the people you care about, or do your exercise, play with your kids or walk your dog.  Everything you want to do requires time. Yet, time is the one thing in your life that is limited.  You can accept thousands of tasks, and have hundreds of ideas to do things but none of those will happen if you do not have the time to do them.  That's why I advocate managing your work by when you will do it, rather than managing endless lists of tasks. When you focus more on your available time to do stuff, you begin eliminating more of the low-value stuff and begin to appreciate your time more.  There are thousands of things you could do, perhaps would like to do someday. None of that matters today. What matters today is you get the important things done. And choosing those are is entirely within your power.  Yes, you can go to the gym, you can also have a movie night with your friends or family. They are important (think family and relationships and health and fitness areas of focus).  Yet, if you have an important interview tomorrow and feel a couple of hours this evening spent preparing would be a better use of your time, then ask if you can postpone the movie night to tomorrow.  Tonight is not zero hour. You can move things around to better fit with your priorities for today.  And that neatly brings us back to the daily and weekly planning.  Weekly planning is about the big picture. The big things you want to get accomplished. If you decide that you will go to the gym three times this week, schedule it.  If you see that a good use of your time would be to work on that big project where the deadline is approaching, schedule time for working on it.  The daily planning is about making the necessary adjustments to deal with the things that you were unaware of when you did the weekly planning. The client with a crisis, your disorganised boss that forgot to tell you about her impending deadline, or your son coming down with a heavy cold.  It all starts and ends with your calendar. That worked perfectly well for hundreds of years, it still works today.  Task managers and notes apps support you. Your calendar is where you get to see what you're committed to and tells you if you have time to take on more, or whether taking a few days break would be more beneficial for you.  I hope that helps, Isabelle. Thank you again for sending in your question.  And thank you to you too for listening. It just remains for me now to wish you all a very very productive week.   

I'm thrilled to share some incredible insights from my latest podcast episode featuring the legendary Maria Bartiromo. With over 30 years in financial journalism, Maria has seen it all—from the bustling floor of the New York Stock Exchange to the intricate intersections of national security and economics. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation that you won't want to miss:Key Lessons and Ideas:Leadership Evolution: Maria discusses how leadership has transformed over the decades, emphasizing the need for adaptability in today's fast-paced, tech-driven world.Fundamentals in Investing: Despite market hype, Maria stresses the importance of sticking to the basics—understanding a company's business model, growth prospects, and competitive positioning.National Security and Economics: Maria delves into the critical intersection of national security and economic policy, highlighting the risks of overreliance on foreign supply chains, especially from China.Space and Defense Technology: Discover why space is the next frontier for national defense and investment, and how companies are innovating in this crucial area.Personal Resilience: From her early days at CNBC to her pivotal move to Fox, Maria shares how she navigated challenges and stayed true to her principles.Curiosities and Anecdotes:Jack Welch's Influence: Learn about the “SOY equation” Maria picked up from Jack Welch at GE, a simple yet powerful framework for leadership.Dot-Com Era Memories: Maria recalls the irrational exuberance of the dot-com boom, where companies added “.com” to their names to attract investors.Joey Ramone's Tribute: A fun and unexpected story about how Joey Ramone wrote a song about Maria, reminding us all to seize unique opportunities.Why You Should Listen:Exclusive Insights: Get a front-row seat to Maria's experiences with influential leaders and her unique perspective on global markets.Timeless Principles: Whether you're an investor, leader, or just curious about the world of finance, Maria's advice on fundamentals and long-term thinking is invaluable.Engaging Stories: From Wall Street to Washington, Maria's journey is filled with fascinating stories that offer both inspiration and practical wisdom.Tune in to this episode of Capitalist Culture to hear more from Maria Bartiromo and gain insights that could transform your approach to leadership, investing, and understanding the global economy.Send us a textConnect with Kip on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kipknippel/Watch Bite-Sized Clips on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@capitalistculture/shorts

In Part One of In the Room Where It Happens, we hear from four CFOs reflecting on formative moments when they found themselves face-to-face with legendary industry leaders. Gabi Gantus of Mytra recounts a pivotal meeting at Tesla with Elon Musk, while CFO Jason Child (Arm) shares an FP&A breakthrough alongside Jeff Bezos during Amazon's early growth years. CFO Brian Gladden of Zelis reflects on leadership lessons from both Jack Welch and Michael Dell, and CFO (emeritus) Bill Korn of MBTC recalls joining Lou Gerstner's high-stakes turnaround at IBM. Each story reveals how proximity to visionary leadership shapes careers and sharpens strategic thinking — long before the CFO title comes into view.

Story of the Week (DR):Trump Demands Intel CEO's Resignation, Says He's ‘Highly CONFLICTED' AND Eric and Donald Trump Jr. to Own Millions of Shares in New U.S. Manufacturing SPAC MMESG Analyst Tom Cotton: Trump's attack, posted on Truth Social Thursday, came two days after GOP Sen. Tom Cotton flagged Tan's prior investments in Chinese companies and his previous leadership at Cadence Design Systems, which recently pleaded guilty to unlawfully selling its tech to a blacklisted military university in China.Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan (~$70M golden hello in March; max potential $400M) directly addressed employees on Thursday after Donald Trump demanded his resignation over national security concerns, saying he has the full support of the board.Tan set up a venture firm called Walden International based in San Francisco that pumped more than $5 billion into over 600 companies. More than 100 of those investments were made in China, including deals with once-obscure startups such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.—today China's largest chipmaker—where he served on the board for a decade and a half.Today, the executive is still chairman of Walden International. And he's the founding managing partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, which focuses on investments in the U.S., Europe and Israel. He also serves in that role at another venture fund, Celesta Global Capital.Tan stepped out of the venture world and joined the chip industry full-time when he became interim head of San Jose, California-based Cadence Design Systems Inc. in 2008. The executive, who had previously served on the board, went on to take the permanent CEO job the next year. He stayed in the role until 2021, when he transitioned to executive chairman, and is widely credited with restoring the company's fortunes. In late July of this year, the Department of Justice announced a plea deal that cost Cadence more than $100 million in fines. Employees at Cadence's China unit allegedly hid the name of a customer—the National University of Defense Technology—from internal compliance in order to keep supplying it. That organization had been put on the Department of Commerce's blacklist in 2015. The Chinese university was one of a group of supercomputer operators there that had conducted simulations of nuclear explosions, the DOJ said.Shares of American Eagle surge 20% after Trump calls Sydney Sweeney campaign 'hottest ad out there' AND Epstein victims are a growing political threat to TrumpThe Fall 2025 campaign, titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," centers on a deliberate pun between "jeans" and "genes.""Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color... My jeans are blue."All the hallmarks of a dick-tatorship:American Eagle gender influence gap is -36%: Jay L. SchottensteinMr. Schottenstein has served as our Chief Executive Officer since December 2015. Prior thereto, he served as our Interim Chief Executive Officer from January 2014 to December 2015. He has served as Chairman of the Board since March 1992. He previously served the Company as Chief Executive Officer from March 1992 until December 2002 and as a Vice President and Director of the Company's predecessors since 1980Creepy nepobaby son: The grown son of an Ohio billionaire is a hooker-loving drug addict who threatened to destroy the renowned Manhattan psychiatrist his parents enlisted to help him, according to bombshell court papers. Dr. Paul Conti, a Stanford-educated psychiatrist from Oregon, alleges in a federal suit that the son also gambled away millions of dollars during trips to Las Vegas while running up credit bills and borrowing money from mobsters.SB360 Capital Partners: owned by Jay and his 3 sons (sorry wife): 13 listed executes: all white menlast time there was a vote on Jay (2023)CEO/Chair control: has been CEO 3 times; chair since 1992; $300k security; 2,011:1 ceo pay ratio; 7% of shares (passive BlackRock/Vanguard/Dimensional/Wellington: 41%; 71% board influenceAudit Committee Chair (which net 20 times last year) and Lead independent Director Noel Spiegel is 77 and over a decade of serviceNominating chair Janice Page is 76 and has served for over 2 decadesCompensation Committee chair has served for nearly 2 decadesUber's Sexual Assault Problem AND Uber beats on revenue, announces $20 billion stock buybackA recent New York Times investigation revealed that Uber has been dealing with a significant sexual assault problem. From 2017 to 2022, the company received over 400,000 reports of sexual assault or misconduct in the United States, which averages to about one incident every eight minutes.The investigation, based on thousands of internal documents, found that while Uber studied the issue and even developed potential safety features like in-car cameras and a feature to match female drivers with female passengers, the company chose not to implement these safeguards because they were concerned about their bottom line and potential lawsuits.Tesla Grants Musk $29 Billion in Stock to Keep ‘Elon's Energies Focused' AND Elon Musk Accused of Stiffing Small Businesses for Millions of Dollars, Causing Some to File for Bankruptcy AND Elon Musk Shares Shockingly Sexist Tweet About Woman Being Property. This one's disgraceful, even for Musk AND "This Will Open the Floodgates": Tesla In Trouble as Jury Orders It to Pay $329 Million After Autopilot Death AND Tesla withheld data, lied, and misdirected police and plaintiffs to avoid blame in Autopilot crash AND Elon Musk Appears to Now Be the Most Hated Person in America, According to New ResearchGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Waste from Ben & Jerry's ice cream factories is now powering the Vermont gridNow that the ice cream waste can travel by pipe to become biogas, Ben & Jerry's can also make 600 fewer truck journeys a year, reducing the company's carbon emissions.DR: Gates Foundation is giving $2.5 billion to fund women's health research MM: Musk, Bezos, and Zuck are going full alpha male. America's girlbosses are fed up.When companies won't offer work-from-home policies or the flexibility that working parents need, it can embolden people to become more entrepreneurial and build under their own terms.This is the greatest backlash - if every woman in a “masculine default”, “founder mode” 13 year old man baby culture where “Jamie Dimon says” and John Stankey (see assholiest) says “maybe you don't fit” goes and founds there own firms, I'm giddy to see them wipe the floor with those smug billionaire assholes. Side note - I missed this quote from January FT article in the post-Zuck-on-Rogan “masculine energy” interview, but it would have been assholiest of the decade:“I feel liberated,” said a top banker. “We can say ‘retard' and ‘pussy' without the fear of getting cancelled . . . it's a new dawn.”MM: In that vein - A long-running anti-DEI lawsuit could help companies defend themselves from reverse-racism claims DR MMHello Alice as goodliest of the week - take down that fucknut Stephen Miller and his fake Nazi manboys.Assholiest of the Week (MM):Alex Karp and the men who go to elite universities and say elite universities are bullshit manbabiesPalantir CEO says working at his $430 billion software company is better than a degree from Harvard or Yale: ‘No one cares about the other stuff'Karp went to Haverford, then Stanford for a JD where he met Peter Thiel (who also doesn't like elite education)This past spring, the company also notably established the Meritocracy Fellowship, a four-month, paid internship for high school graduates who may be having second thoughts about higher education. Program admission is solely based on “merit and academic excellence,” but applicants still need Ivy League-level test scores to qualify. This includes at least a 1460 on the SAT or a 33 on the ACT, which are both above their respective 98th percentiles.According to Karp, the internship was created in direct response to the “shortcomings of university admissions.”Here's the problem: there ARE shortcomings to elite colleges, mostly that they exude exclusivism and a commodity - but it's still a pretty rich for a guy who WENT to Stanford where he met his future funder and mentor to talk about how bullshit it wasJohn Stankey and the re-rise of the Jack Welch man-directive manbabies MMIt is incredibly encouraging that 73% of our employees took the time to respond to the survey, with 79% of those respondents feeling committed and engaged with their work at AT&T. While this is reassuring, especially considering the amount of change we've navigated as a company recently, it wasn't a surprise to me that we fell short of our engagement goal.TRANSLATION: I'm not surprised so many of you think we suck, I've been here 5 years as CEO and I'm not awesome at my job… but hold your breath while I tell you how it's your faultThis note may also help you identify areas where your professional expectations might be misaligned with the strategic direction of this company.TRANSLATION: It's your faultI understand that some of you may have started your tour with this company expecting an "employment deal" rooted in loyalty, tenure, and conformance with the associated compensation, work structure, and benefits. We have consciously shifted away from some of these elements and towards a more market-based culture — focused on rewarding capability, contribution, and commitment.TRANSLATION: Fuck your job, this is a meritocracy now. A manly meritocracy.I understand that many may find the demands of your daily lives challenging and difficult. Elder care, job stress, child rearing challenges, economic uncertainty, community unrest, technology anxiety — the list can get long…We run a dynamic, customer-facing business, tackling large-scale, challenging initiatives. If the requirements dictated by this dynamic do not align to your personal desires, you have every right to find a career opportunity that is suitable to your aspirations and needs. That said, if a self-directed, virtual, or hybrid work schedule is essential for you to manage your career aspirations and life challenges, you will have a difficult time aligning your priorities with those of the company and the culture we aim to establish.TRANSLATION: We know your life is hard, but shut the fuck up about it because I don't care.WHERE THE FUCK IS THIS BOARD?Here are the “go hard or go home” board membersBill Kennard, lead "independent" director connected in 13 loops to other directors, been there for 11 years, who got his undergrad in communications from Stanford and worked at the FCC and was an ambassador - proving once again that “communications” isn't a qualification for communicating?Marissa Mayer - maybe this business thing isn't for you? Mike Mcallister, ex Humana CEO, who was investigated for duping elderly into thinking Obamacare's passage would cut Medicare?Scott Ford, who lead the biggest landline company before pivoting to selling coffee, as your bright star into the future of tech?That's where the board is - unqualified for the moment, highly interconnected, with long careers of average performanceLuis von Ahn and the tech bro “sorry, not sorry” we were just “being edgy” no but seriously I know what's best for you secretly manbabiesDuolingo's CEO says he learned a hard lesson about 'edgy posts' and going viralFirst, says Duolingo, the app for learning languages, would be “AI-first”Then says they're not hiring anymore as long as it can be done by AIThen says schools will really just be childcare with AI teachers, and teachers will just “take care of the children” and you need schools for the “childcare”In his apology, he said sorry for being “edgy”Yes, it was the edginess, not the assholeryIf you want to quickly identify a manbaby, it's easy: first they “say” something they really think, then their apology basically is “sorry you didn't get it, I won't say it again”Headliniest of the WeekDR: Shareholders Judge Directors by Their Faces, Study FindsMM: Trump calls for Intel CEO to 'resign immediately'More ESG analysis:Boeing's ex-CFOBlackRock's ex founderThe former CEO at Jack Dorsey's SquareA partner at SequoiaA Princeton professorThe former CEO of HPThe chair who's a VC and has been there since 2009Who Won the Week?DR: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for calling out the billionaire Kraft family regarding the new stadium proposed for the New England Revolution: “We haven't asked for anything out of the ordinary for any significant development, much less a mega-development like this one … To this day, the Kraft Group has provided the city no meaningful technical information … What we've heard has stayed at a conceptual level that is insufficient for any serious negotiation.Citing the proposed figure of $750,000 that the Kraft Group would pay to Boston as a mitigation fee, Wu said, “It is an unserious proposal … the figure is “just 1.1 percent of the $68 million mitigation package that was paid for the Everett casino project right nearby years ago.”Wu, who as the incumbent is also campaigning against Josh Kraft (son of Revolution owner Robert Kraft) in Boston's mayoral race, didn't miss a chance to land a political dig at her opponent: Referencing the proposed mitigation fee, she said that “$750,000 is just one-and-a-half month's of a billionaire son's allowance. It is nowhere near the scale of what we need to address the plans that have already been laid out by our residents, with our traffic engineers, with the coordination of the entire region.”MM: Jamie Smith at EY for writing the only other 2025 US proxy review that included a whole section on director votesPredictionsDR: Trump tries to fit into a pair of Sydney Sweeney's jeans (re: the OJ glove) to prove he did not know Epstein. The American Eagle stock surgesMM: Duolingo releases a new language choice, “Manbro”, in which it teaches how to apologize, how to be more intense, and why you should bow to your AI overlords

In this episode of Home Business Profits, Ray Higdon shares valuable strategies for coaching underperforming sales reps across different industries, including network marketing. He covers Jack Welch's philosophy on mentoring versus firing and offers insights on maintaining a positive culture within the organization. Ray emphasizes expressing gratitude, understanding individual desires, and praying for guidance. Additionally, he explores the distinction between managing salaried salespeople and network marketers and discusses how to provide effective support tailored to each group. Throughout the episode, Ray also reflects on personal experiences and offers practical tips for leaders.   ——

Kevin Poole is the CEO of Newport LLC, a national business advisory firm specializing in helping middle-market companies accelerate growth, improve profitability, and prepare for successful exits. Before joining Newport, he spent nearly two decades at General Electric during the Jack Welch era, holding senior roles, and later led a $100 million consulting practice at Capgemini. Kevin holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Miami and an MBA in finance and marketing from Columbia Business School. He now leverages his deep operational and consulting experience to guide business owners through growth, succession, and M&A planning. In this episode… How can leaders scale a business they've never scaled before, especially in a market filled with complexity and change? And what happens when the next generation is poised to inherit but may not be ready to lead? Kevin Poole, a seasoned executive with an illustrious career at General Electric under Jack Welch, shares how strategic leadership, operating discipline, and emotional intelligence drive sustainable growth in middle-market businesses. Kevin offers a framework for mentoring Gen 2 leaders, building succession plans, and managing founder expectations, all while adapting to the fast-paced shift toward AI and efficiency. Through case studies and personal stories, Kevin explains how he's helped owners unlock business value, reduce “scar tissue,” and prepare their companies for long-term success. Tune in to this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast as John Corcoran interviews Kevin Poole, CEO of Newport LLC, about scaling middle-market businesses. Kevin discusses operating discipline, family business transitions, aligning Gen 1 and Gen 2 goals, and how AI tools like ChatGPT are transforming both strategy and hiring. Through this engaging conversation, John and Kevin provide a wealth of knowledge and practical wisdom for business leaders looking to elevate their companies to new heights.

Teams want certainty, but in an uncertain world, how can you deliver it? Find out how in this episode. We dive deep with Mike Mears, Leadership Theoretician, former GE change-agent under Jack Welch, and ex-CIA Chief of Human Capital. Mike Mears reveals the neuroscience backed rituals and intelligence inspired frameworks that clear away uncertainty, sharpen your focus, and unleash your team's full potential. From GE's “Workout” sessions to CIA secure briefings, Mike unpacks his three-pillar “Certainty” method. Mike shares the mindset pivots that turn cautious managers into bold innovators, and the battlefield lessons of building true psychological safety, even in the most critical situations. Tune in to discover how these proven insights can elevate your leadership, strengthen your culture, and drive transformative results, starting today. Journey Highlights & Story Beats GE's “Workout” Revelation: Rebecca and Callum discover Mike's first “aha” moment under Jack Welch, how a noisy, chaotic workshop taught him that culture change starts with listening, not lecturing. CIA's Safe-House Confession: Mike recounts the night an agent risked their career to report a critical encryption error, because Mike had built a “safe house” of trust. That moment taught him that psychological safety isn't a luxury; it's a survival tool. Military Roots & Dual-Engine Leadership: From survival-of-the-fittest drills to commanding a nuclear missile site, Mike learned that drive alone breeds burnout and only paired with genuine empathy will people truly follow. Key Takeaways Certainty Overrides Fear Our primitive “survival” wiring clings to the status quo. Weekly 5-minute, agenda-free check-ins and timely praise rewire brains toward confident change. Psychological Safety as a Secure Briefing Room In covert ops, absolute trust saves lives. In business, it unleashes candid feedback and breakthrough ideas. Start small, smile at every team member, ask one open-ended question, then listen. Insight Prompts: Your CEO “Ask” Inspired by CIA Director's, assign each direct report a single, high-stakes question. Give them a week to reflect, and then collect ten ideas back. Dopamine-driven “aha” moments follow. The Dual-Engine Model: Drive + Empathy Military toughness and modern leadership demands both relentless mission focus and genuine concern for people's well-being. Notable Quotes “Great bosses don't force change; they engineer certainty so teams feel safe innovating.” “You don't need all the answers, just the right questions and the space for insights to emerge.” “Pair relentless drive with real empathy, then watch your people follow you anywhere.” Actionable Steps for Leaders. Implement CIA-Style Check-Ins: Five-minute, no-agenda chats each week with every direct report: What's top of mind? How can I support you? Rotate Your Ops: Structure work into three phases, core execution, innovation sprint, and recovery to maintain peak performance and morale. Launch an Insight Prompt: Give each team member one strategic question, set a deadline, reconvene for accountability and harvest high-impact ideas. Connect & Continue the Conversation Mike Mears on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/mike-mears-leadership-theoretician-4627a889 Email: https://www.mikemears.com Tune in to discover how to harness certainty and lead with the confidence of a CIA strategist—wherever you are in the world.   ----more---- Connect with the show hosts below. Callum Jenkins https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumjenkins/ Rebecca Jenkins https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccajenkins-rjen/   Subscribe & Follow: If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and follow the Lead to Succeed podcast for more insights on leadership and business growth.   The podcast is brought to you by RJEN https://RJEN.co.uk Strategic Revenue Transformation Gain Access to the CEO Revenue Architecture Briefing 2025 Elevate your revenue engine with the CEO Revenue Architecture Briefing, the definitive executive briefing revealing the essential moves for impactful, strategic growth. A crisp, insightful read for senior leaders delivering: Claim your FREE copy today and start driving results.            

Send us a textIn business, the biggest risk isn't making a mistake—it's moving too slowly. In this power-packed episode of Monday Morning Motivation, Anna Steinfest shares why the ability to take quick, decisive action might be your most underrated business skill.Drawing inspiration from legendary CEO Jack Welch's biggest career regret—not moving fast enough—Anna reveals how hesitation costs small business owners more opportunities than failure ever will. From missed partnerships to delayed product launches, she breaks down the real cost of overthinking and analysis paralysis.You'll discover the three pillars of quick action: living with productive urgency, making decisions with 80% of the information, and working with focused intention. Anna shares practical strategies for overcoming hesitation and provides a 48-hour challenge to help you break through your biggest barrier.Perfect for entrepreneurs, solo founders, and small business owners who are ready to stop waiting for perfect conditions and start creating momentum. This 10-minute episode will shift your mindset from "when I'm ready" to "ready or not, here I go."Key Topics: Decision-making, business momentum, entrepreneurship, overcoming hesitation, quick action strategies

In this compelling episode of the Productivity Smarts Podcast, Gerald J. Leonard welcomes veteran business strategist and author Tom Hagerty to explore a powerful truth: every productivity issue is ultimately a relationship issue. Drawing on insights from his book The Business of Relationships and over 45 years of executive leadership, Tom discusses how trust, connection, and communication form the backbone of productive teams and thriving organizations. From ghosting in the workplace and quiet quitting to leadership transparency and emotional resilience, Gerald and Tom examine the real-world challenges facing today's workforce. They unpack why “change before you have to” is more than just a mantra—it's a survival skill in today's dynamic business environment. Listeners will learn how to strengthen culture, rebuild trust after conflict, and lead with authenticity. Plus, they'll hear how legendary quotes from leaders like Walt Disney, Jack Welch, and Sheryl Sandberg tie directly into the art of building high-performing relationships. Whether you're a team leader, executive, or aspiring professional, this episode is packed with timeless lessons and actionable insights for turning strong relationships into your greatest productivity tool. What We Discuss [00:02:01] Introduction to Tom Hagerty [00:06:51] Entrepreneurial mindset for success [00:08:17] Information overload & critical thinking [00:09:30] The power of relationships in business [00:11:38] Workplace trends & ghosting [00:16:14] Transparency & mutual respect in leadership [00:21:05] Leadership styles: the bird analogy [00:24:10] Relationship problems are core problems [00:26:54] Walt Disney on people & dreams [00:29:15] Imperfect leaders & business success [00:36:46] How to connect with Tom Hagerty Notable Quotes [04:18] "Every day that we spend, every day that we waste, every day that we don't achieve what we set out to do, we are literally marching toward death, and every one of us has an expiration date” – Tom [09:30] "I'm not a self-made man. I don't think anyone is. But I know it is because of relationships and the relationships I forged through networking that have allowed me to grow and build and do the things that I'm doing.” – Tom [28:14] "If you don't have somebody to sit on that expensive leather couch with you and watch the big screen, if you don't have somebody next to you in the golf cart, I don't care what club you belong to. It's going to be a lonely 18 holes. You know, it's not fun." – Tom [35:47] “Change the budding addiction, the passive aggressive nature with your wife and kids that is destructive in the family, your financial irresponsibility, before you have to.” – Tom Our Guest Tom Hagerty is a seasoned business strategist, speaker, and author with over 45 years of executive leadership experience across multiple industries. He is the author of The Business of Relationships, a book that distills decades of wisdom into practical strategies for strengthening trust, communication, and collaboration in today's workplace. Known for his sharp insights, straight talk, and a deep belief in the human side of business, Tom has helped countless organizations improve their performance by focusing on what truly matters: people. From the boardroom to the breakroom, he advocates for leadership that is transparent, participative, and grounded in authentic connection. Resources Tom Hagerty  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhagerty0126/ Book: The Business of Relationships - Amazon Productivity Smarts Podcast Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com Gerald J. Leonard Website - geraldjleonard.com Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds

In 1816, 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Shelley) birthed science fiction during a rainy vacation on Lake Geneva. Inspired by a vision of a man crouched beside the corpse he reanimated, Frankenstein warned of what happens when man tries to play God. Two centuries later, the monsters are real, and they're called Musk, Altman, and Zuckerberg. Today's tech titans, like Frankenstein's Victor, race to build superintelligent machines in their image: soulless wannabe-gods with devastating reach. Gil Duran, of the Nerd Reich newsletter, connects this to A.I. worship, quoting a billionaire obsessed with “creating God” through algorithms. M.I.T.'s annotated Frankenstein likens Victor's horror to Oppenheimer's nuclear regret. We've entered a new atomic age, but instead of bombs, it's information weapons and hacked minds. As Pulitzer-nominated journalist Carole Cadwalladr warns, this is what a digital coup looks like. A.I. is trained to replace journalists, strip away privacy, and deepen inequality, just as Gaslit Nation has warned since 2018. What's the answer? Community. Skill-sharing. Nature. The real world. Jack Welch, once worshipped like Musk is today, gutted G.E. with fear-based leadership. Now he's a cautionary tale. So will today's tech gods be. Mary Shelley saw it coming. “Frightful must it be,” she wrote. We agree. But there's power in human connection, in rejecting the machine's illusions. Frankenstein's monster was abandoned. Let's not abandon each other. Join our resilience salons. Find your people. Build the future together. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes   The song you heard in this week's episode is “Unspoken Word” by Evrette Allen: https://soundcloud.com/user-726164627/unspoken-word-mix-13/s-GEvlnfQnmh4?si=954f31de09d644948d51a225224bd7ba&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing   Nerd Reich: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein   After two hundred years, are we ready for the truth about Mary Shelley's novel? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein   Astronomers have determined the exact hour that Mary Shelley thought of Frankenstein. https://lithub.com/astronomers-have-determined-the-exact-hour-that-mary-shelley-thought-of-frankenstein/   AI's Energy Demands Are Out of Control. Welcome to the Internet's Hyper-Consumption Era Generative artificial intelligence tools, now part of the everyday user experience online, are causing stress on local power grids and mass water evaporation. https://www.wired.com/story/ai-energy-demands-water-impact-internet-hyper-consumption-era/   Short-term profits and long-term consequences — did Jack Welch break capitalism? https://www.npr.org/2022/06/01/1101505691/short-term-profits-and-long-term-consequences-did-jack-welch-break-capitalism   Carole Cadwalladr TED Talk: This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZOoT8AbkNE   Self-styled prophets are claiming they have "awakened" chatbots and accessed the secrets of the universe through ChatGPT https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/

Suzy Welch is an award-winning professor, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. She teaches “Becoming You: Crafting the Authentic Life You Want and Need" at NYU Stern School of Business, and helps people discover their purpose by understanding their values. Welch also believes that happiness is not an end goal, but an outcome of a meaningful and productive life.  She talked to Hoda about how to understand your values, and what she's learned from the death of her late husband, Jack Welch. Her latest book, Becoming You, comes out May 6th.

In this miniseries, we're exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges. This week, Rodney and Sam dive into one of the most pivotal (and misunderstood) aspects of the framework: stewardship. Depthfinding is built on the idea that organizations are like oceans, not aquariums. That means leaders have to show up in an entirely new way—not as a boss, a hero, or a disciplinarian, but as someone responsible for the ongoing health of a complex system. Embracing stewardship can be an uphill battle thanks to the ghosts of leadership past and the inner work required to show up well in complexity. But when facing down uncertainty, building the conditions for resilience and learning to steward across each Depthfinding zone offers a new way forward. Get the PDF Rodney and Sam talk about in this episode Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it. Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding -------------------------------- Want future of work insights and experiments you can try delivered to your inbox? Sign up here. Follow us on your favorite platforms for more org design nerdery: LinkedIn Instagram -------------------------------- Mentioned references: "Intelligence vs information age" Jack Welch Model T assembly line efficiency gains Henry Ford quote about hands: The Future of Management, by Gary Hamel connection between Gantt chart and slavery Frederick Winslow Taylor MRI study about how power impacts your brain Employee Owned Trust (EOT) 00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is an underrated condiment? 03:46 Stewardship is how to put Depthfinding into action 08:32 Leadership ghosts of the industrial age: Henry Ford and the org chart 15:10 Leadership ghosts of the information age: Jack Welch and cult of personality 20:11 De-centering leaders and re-centering the organization for the future 23:50 Stewardship in the Midnight Zone playbook 28:13 Leaders modeling Midnight Zone moves is critical 30:29 Stewardship in the Twilight Zone playbook 35:46 Stewardship in the Sunshine Zone playbook 38:13 Stewardship in the Sky playbook 43:40 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share this episode with your colleagues! This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio. Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.

In this captivating episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles engages with Dr. David S. Yeager, a leading professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, to uncover the science behind inspiring and motivating young minds. Dr. Yeager, who has worked with renowned experts such as Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth, offers transformative insights into how adults can help young people thrive during their most critical developmental years.Through his groundbreaking research, Dr. Yeager explores in his new book the unique developmental stage from ages 10 to 25, when the brain is especially sensitive to social status and respect. He introduces the concept of the "mentor mindset," showing how adults can effectively guide young people by understanding their social and emotional needs. Dr. Yeager's insights go beyond theory—his practical advice empowers parents, educators, and mentors to create environments where young people can flourish.In this episode, you'll discover the keys to unlocking the potential of adolescents and young adults, gaining valuable tools to foster growth, resilience, and well-being in the next generation.Full show notes and resources: https://passionstruck.com/david-s-yeager-science-of-inspiring-young-minds/SponsorsBabbel: Unlock the power of learning a new language with Babbel's innovative system. Passion Struck listeners can get 60% off their subscription at Babbel.com/PASSION.Hims: Regrow your hair before it's too late! Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/PASSIONSTRUCK.Quince: Experience luxury for less with Quince's premium products at radically low prices. Enjoy free shipping and 365-day returns at Quince.com/PASSION.For more information about our sponsors and promo codes, visit: passionstruck.com/dealsIn this episode, you will learn:The science behind motivating young peopleHow to adopt the mentor mindset to effectively guide adolescentsWhy social status and respect are crucial in adolescent developmentThe transformative power of fostering a growth mindsetTechniques for avoiding miscommunication with young peopleThe role of environment in shaping beliefs and behaviorsStrategies for addressing the rise in adolescent mental health challengesActionable tips to unlock the potential of young individualsConnect with David Yeager: LinkedIn ProfileOrder Passion StruckUnlock the principles that will transform your life! Order my book, Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life. Recognized as a 2024 must-read by the Next Big Idea Club, this book has earned accolades such as the Business Minds Best Book Award, the Eric Hoffer Award, and the Non-Fiction Book Awards Gold Medal. Order your copy today and ignite your journey toward intentional living!Catch More Passion StruckCan't miss my episode with Angela Duckworth on the Keys to Achieving Long-Term SuccessListen to my interview with Angela Foster on Biosyncing for Peak Health and HappinessWatch my episode with Tricia Manning on How to Lead With Heart and Leave a LegacyCatch my interview with Katy Milkman on Creating Lasting Behavior Change for GoodIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review! Even one sentence helps. Be sure to include your Twitter or Instagram handle so we can personally thank you!