Podcasts about mckinsey company

The following article of the Professional Services industry is: “The Value Creation Imperative With AI” by Philipp Haugwitz, Partner, McKinsey & Company. (AA1584)

Raising capital isn't just about getting funding; it's about choosing the right strategy at the right stage of growth. In this episode, James Mendelson shares how businesses can balance debt and equity, prepare for acquisitions, and maximize company value before seeking outside investors. Learn what capital providers look for, why clean financials matter, and how founders can position themselves for long-term success.    Key Takeaways To Listen For Biggest mistakes founders make before raising capital When debt becomes a smarter option than giving up equity Why clean financials can dramatically increase your company's value How private equity firms decide which businesses to acquire The hidden milestones that make companies more attractive to investors   Resources/Links Mentioned In This Episode John Maxwell How to Get a Return on Failure by John C. Maxwell | Kindle and Hardcover   About James Mendelson James Mendelsohn is the Managing Director of Proximo Capital, where he advises businesses on debt and equity financing, capital strategy, and long-term growth. A seasoned financial services executive, James has extensive experience in lending, payments, and capital markets, helping companies optimize capital structures, expand into new markets, execute mergers and acquisitions, and accelerate growth. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions at Capital One, CAN Capital, and McKinsey & Company, where he advised global organizations and emerging fintech firms on strategy, marketing, and business development. Combining deep financial expertise with a practical, growth-focused approach, James helps businesses secure the capital and strategic direction needed to scale successfully.   Connect with James Website: Proximo Capital  LinkedIn: James Mendelson    Connect With Us If you're looking to invest your hard-earned money into cash-flowing, value-add assets, reach out to us at https://slipstreamaii.com/.    Follow Keith's social media pages LinkedIn: Keith Borie Investor Club: Secret Passive Cashflow Investors Club Facebook: Keith Borie X: @BoboLlc80554  

Erin Krawiec is the President and co-founder of Pitch Your Peers Seattle ("PYP Seattle), a nonprofit that turns philanthropy into a collaborative, pitch-driven experience where women fund impactful local causes. Her career spans entrepreneurship, high-tech business roles, and serving as an expert witness in corporate litigation—an unconventional path shaped by curiosity and a drive to make an impact. Today, she focuses on building community and creating opportunities for others to engage in meaningful philanthropy. Nicole Small has served as CEO of LH Capital, Inc. and Lyda Hill Philanthropies since 2014 and is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of both entities. As part of her work at LHP, Ms. Small, co-founded the IF/THEN initiative which was built to encourage and advance women and girls in STEM. She is also the co-founder and advisor of Pegasus Park, a life sciences innovation campus based in Dallas. From 2001-2013 Ms. Small was the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer of the Perot Museum of Nature & Science. Earlier in her career, Ms. Small held positions including founder and CEO of a tech start-up, EIR at a Bay area business incubator, and analyst with McKinsey & Company. Ms. Small holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

The following article of the Professional Services industry is: “The Power of Companies to Boost Productivity” by Marina Cigarini, Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company.

Why do most new products fail — even when they solve a real problem? In this episode of The Voice of Retail, presented by Konek – Canada's way to pay. Visit Konek.ca to learn more., host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Rob Snyder, founder and author of the new book The Power of Pull, to unpack why understanding customer demand is fundamentally different from pitching supply — and what that means for retailers, vendors, and startups trying to win business today. Snyder's path here started at McKinsey & Company, where he grew frustrated with consulting from the outside and moved into the startup world to learn how companies actually work. After Harvard Business School, he built his first startup selling into retail and restaurants — and spent two brutal years hitting a wall before finally cracking the code and scaling to $4 million in annual recurring revenue in under two years. That hard-won experience became the foundation for his PULL framework, and for a career spent studying, through Harvard Innovation Labs, startup advising, and angel investing, why some new ideas take off while most don't. The conversation digs into the core distinction at the heart of Snyder's book: demand is not the same thing as wanting a product. Demand is a person trying to accomplish something in their life; supply is simply the tool they pull in to get it done. Snyder revisits the famous (and possibly apocryphal) Henry Ford "faster horses" quote to explain why asking customers what they want often produces the wrong answer — and why the real skill is identifying what people are stuck trying to do with the options already in front of them. For retailers fielding constant vendor pitches, Snyder offers a practical filter: can this startup speak your language, cite specific relevant case studies, and explain exactly how they've unstuck a comparable business — or are they hiding behind buzzwords like "agentic AI"? He also tackles how AI is reshaping the competitive landscape for B2B startups, arguing that as AI closes gaps in the "limitations" side of the PULL framework, vendors need to find pull in places AI hasn't reached yet. The episode closes with Snyder's advice for retail leaders trying to uncover genuine, unfiltered demand: skip the customer interviews, and instead watch shoppers struggle in real time — in-store and online — to find the moments where existing options fall short. Rob Snyder's new book, The Power of Pull, is available now wherever books are sold. Connect with him on LinkedIn or at robsnyder.org.  This episode presented by Konek – Canada's way to pay. Visit Konek.ca to learn more. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025 and 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Welcome to episode #1045 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). Chris Bradley has spent more than twenty-five years helping organizations navigate strategy, growth, and long-term transformation as a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. He also serves as a Director of the McKinsey Global Institute, the firm's independent research arm, where he explores some of the biggest economic, technological, and societal questions shaping our future. His latest book, A Century of Plenty - A Story of Progress for Generations to Come, challenges one of today's most pervasive narratives: that humanity's best days are behind us. Drawing on years of research, Chris argues that another century of extraordinary progress is not only possible, but achievable... if we choose growth, innovation, and optimism over scarcity and zero-sum thinking. In this conversation, we explore why economic growth remains one of the greatest drivers of prosperity, health, culture, and opportunity, and why so many people nevertheless feel increasingly pessimistic about the future. Chris explains the historical forces that created unprecedented advances over the past century, examines the demographic, energy, and productivity challenges that lie ahead, and shares why he believes AI could become one of the most important catalysts for renewed growth rather than a force to fear. It is a conversation that pushes back against today's prevailing pessimism while offering a thoughtful, data-driven case that progress remains humanity's greatest competitive advantage. Enjoy the conversation... Running time: 1:00:36. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Chris Bradley. A Century of Plenty - A Story of Progress for Generations to Come. McKinsey & Company. McKinsey Global Institute. Follow Chris on LinkedIn. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Chris Bradley and His Work. (02:59) - The Evolution of Guitar and Modern Musicians. (05:56) - A Century of Plenty: Economic Growth and Its Impact. (12:03) - Reflections on Progress and Generational Optimism. (17:54) - The Dichotomy of Growth: Opportunities vs. Challenges. (23:47) - Imagining a Prosperous Future for All. (30:47) - The Dangers of Zero-Sum Thinking. (36:02) - The Need for Innovation and Productivity. (44:24) - AI: A Double-Edged Sword. (55:21) - Transforming Workplaces with AI.

Why Parkinson's disease is now the fastest-growing brain disease in the world. Why environmental toxins may play a much bigger role than genetics than most people realize. How pesticides, air pollution, and contaminated water may contribute to Parkinson's disease. The surprising ways Parkinson's may actually begin in the nose or the gut—years before it reaches the brain. Why losing your sense of smell or acting out your dreams during sleep could be important early warning signs. How scientists are uncovering different pathways that may explain why Parkinson's progresses differently from person to person. Why researchers believe prevention—not just treatment—may be the key to changing the future of this disease. The exciting science behind protecting your brain by reducing everyday environmental exposures and supporting lifelong brain health. Practical takeaways to help you make smarter choices for yourself, your family, and future generations. RAY DORSEY, MD Dr. Ray Dorsey is the director of the Center for the Brain & the Environment at the Atria Health and Research Institute. The center's mission is to identify the root causes of brain diseases from autism to Alzheimer's so that we can prevent them. With his colleagues, he wrote Ending Parkinson's Disease and The Parkinson's Plan, which details a new path to preventing and treating this terrible disease. Ray previously directed the Center for Health + Technology at the University of Rochester, chaired the international Huntington Study Group, led the movement disorders division at Johns Hopkins, and consulted for McKinsey & Company. In 2015, the White House recognized Ray as a "Champion for Change" for Parkinson's disease.     

This week, Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Marja Fox. The two talk about the power of diverse backgrounds in management consulting, the realities of transitioning from corporate roles at McKinsey and Ecolab to entrepreneurship, and how Marja built her own consulting practice specializing in strategic facilitation for executive teams. In this episode, we discuss: How trial and error, plus finding a community of other entrepreneurs, helped Marja Fox learn to manage the cadence between delivery and infrastructure. What it was like for Marja to join McKinsey with a science background and how the company purposefully sought out people with alternative professional degrees to bring diverse perspectives to client problems. Why Marja believes you should recognize the value of your accrued experience, "you owe me for the years, not the hours", and how this affects pricing and self-worth as a woman leader. What strategies she uses to build a client pipeline and maintain discipline in business development, including mindset shifts from "selling" to helping former clients solve problems. How Marja discovered her "source of distinctiveness" at McKinsey, focusing on problem-solving and deep intuition about people.    Marja Fox STRATEGIC FACILITATOR | EX-McKINSEY | PhD Meet Marja Fox, owner of Marja Fox Consulting. Marja is a former Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company with broad strategy, business development, and commercial operations expertise across multiple industries. Before turning independent, she was a VP of Marketing and Strategy & Business Development at Ecolab, responsible for growth strategy, innovation, new product launches, sales support, and marketing communications of a$1B growth business. As an independent consultant, she focuses on strategy and facilitation. She has found that client service - helping them succeed - is where her heart is; it's what gets her up in the morning. Marja's education is in the sciences. She holds a BS in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She brings her analytical background and ongoing drive to understand how things work to every project.   Social Media & Contact Email: marja@mfoxconsult.com  Website: www.marjafox.com   LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marjafox/   YouTube: youtube.com/@marjafox Based in Minneapolis, MN    

The Israeli election must be held by October 27, latest, and Dr. Einat Wilf, former MK and prominent public presence (not sure what to call her - politician? Advocate? Public intellectual? All of the above?) is emerging as a strong voice in the mix of candidates vying for Israeli votes. Her newly constituted party - Oz - advocates a return to the fundamental principles of political Zionism, or, as she puts it - “from exilic mindset to sovereign conduct.” Einat was raised in a very progressive, left-leaning environment. I would not suggest for a moment that she has veered rightward. I happen to find the “right-left” paradigm obsolete these days but especially so when it comes to Israel. Those often tagged as being “right” are anything but. They have morphed into extremists of different types. What we have in Israel today is a large left/centrist/center right majority that is looking for a way to ensure that the extremist coalition that we have lived with for four years is not re-elected. Einat Wilf and the Oz party are solidly in that majority mix. We talk about her party's fierce dedication to the founding principles of the state of Israel; a pluralistic, liberal democracy. And she makes no apologies for standing firm.As I mention in the podcast introduction, I first met Einat Wilf when I began my tenure as Canadian Ambassador to Israel in winter, 2014. She has continued to embody the best of Israel. Proud. Strong. Knowledgeable and courageous. We need people with Einat's integrity and intelligence in the mix in the Knesset…….and, frankly, we need women in positions of leadership in Israel. In the last decade we have slipped terribly in that regard. Not only is the political sphere male-dominated, but they tend to be repressively so - towards women. That's my view. Do not attribute it to Einat - although I expect she would agree.We begin this podcast with the horrifying attacks recently on US Congressional candidate Scott Wiener. Why? Because the harassment of him is exactly what Oz is all about. Reclaiming our dignity and nationhood.Show your support for STLV at buymeacoffee.com/stateoftelavivPodcast Notes* Link to five minute animation video recently released by Einat Wilf explaining the history and political concept of Zionism.* Website for Einat Wilf's Oz Party - in English (also Hebrew, if you prefer - just toggle in the menu at the top of the page. https://www.ozparty.co.il/enDr. Einat Wilf is Chair of Oz Party and a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company. Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University. Dr. Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society. “We Should All Be Zionists”, published in 2022, brings together her essays from the past four years on Israel, Zionism and the path to peace; the co-authored “The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace”, was published in 2020.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Be intentional. Design Your New Life in Retirement. Our next groups start in September. The very early registration discount ends June 21st. Learn more. What if everything you've been told about retirement is quietly working against you? John Coleman has spent his career around money and purpose, which makes his message all the more striking: money is a tool, not the point. In his new book, Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose, he rethinks personal finance around human flourishing, and one of his steps reframes retirement itself: save for freedom, not retirement. We explore why the conventional retirement script, a withdrawl into pure leisure, carries real costs to meaning, community, and health; how continued, self-directed work changes both the math and the meaning of your plan; why your worth is never your net worth; and how to design your next chapter deliberately. It's a conversation that bridges the financial and non-financial sides of retirement, looks at retirement and purpose, and gives you a fresh way to think about what comes next. John Coleman joins us from Atlanta. ________________________ Bio John Coleman is the author of Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose and The HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose. He is Co-CEO of Sovereign's Capital. He has prior professional experience at McKinsey Company, Invesco, and Bridgewater Associates, among others. He's active in his community, with current or prior experience on the boards of Teneo, the Heritage Foundation, Berry College, the DeKalb County School System, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the Georgia Charter Schools Association, and the Georgia Independent College Association. He's been recognized as a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and as one of both Georgia Trend's and the Atlanta Business Chronicle's “40 Under 40.” A frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, John and his work has been featured in Forbes, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Financial Times, and the LA Times among other publications. He's previously published Passion & Purpose and How to Argue Like Jesus. John is an MBA graduate with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he was Class Day Speaker and a Dean's Award Winner for leadership and service. And he's an MPA graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a George Fellow and a Zuckerman Fellow. John lives in Atlanta with his wife Jackie, their four young children. _______________________ For More on John Coleman Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose _______________________ Retirement Podcast Conversations You’ll Also Love How to Flourish…in Retirement – Daniel Coyle Mattering…in Retirement – Jennifer Breheny Wallace The Good Life – Marc Schulz, PhD How to Live a Meaningful Life – Dave Evans ______________________ Wise Quotes On Retirement “In general, I'm opposed to the idea of retirement…People are made for meaning, they're made to deploy their talents in productive ways…The frame I encourage people to take is that they're saving, not so that they have enough that they can withdraw from the world, but saving so that they have the buffer to engage the world in the way that they want to at the pace that they want to.” On Money “Breaking the hold that money has on us, making sure it's a tool, not a totem, is one of the very first mindsets that people need to adopt…Money isn't intrinsically good. Money is good only in so much as you use it for things that build flourishing in your lives and the lives of others.”  On Identity “Too often we fall into making our identity the things that are easiest to measure rather than things that are most important.” On Purpose “I believe purpose is a thing that's built, not found. It's crafted, it's not found.” __________________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You'll get smarter about the investment decisions you'll make about the most important asset you'll have in retirement: your time. About Retirement Wisdom I help people who are retiring, but aren't quite done yet, discover what's next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn't just happen by accident. Schedule a call today to discuss how the Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one — on your own terms. About Your Podcast Host Joe Casey is an executive coach who helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Joe has earned Master's degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University. In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 2 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He's the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.  

Julian Lighton, executive coach, strategic consultant, board advisor, and author of the book Navigating Your Next, joins me on this episode. Julian is one of Silicon Valley's leading strategy practitioners and business coaches, helping individuals and organizations navigate what's next. He has served as Chief Strategy Officer at four billion-dollar public companies, a General Manager of a $300M+ business, an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, and a senior executive at Cisco and Hitachi. In this conversation, we explore why so many successful people struggle to answer one simple but powerful question: What do I actually want next?

L'intelligence artificielle transforme en profondeur l'économie du conseil. Automatisation des analyses, baisse des coûts, réduction des équipes, les grands cabinets comme McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group ou Accenture font face à une remise en question historique de leur modèle économique. Une révolution qui touche particulièrement les jeunes consultants et oblige le secteur à se réinventer. L'intelligence artificielle inquiète de plus en plus les grands cabinets de conseil dans le monde. OpenAI et Anthropic ont récemment annoncé le lancement de structures spécialisées dans le déploiement de leurs technologies directement auprès des entreprises. Une évolution qui pourrait profondément modifier l'équilibre du secteur du consulting. Traditionnellement, lorsqu'une entreprise souhaite restructurer son organisation, lancer une transformation ou revoir sa stratégie, elle fait appel à des consultants. Ces derniers réalisent alors des études de marché, des analyses financières, des audits concurrentiels ou encore des présentations stratégiques destinées aux directions générales. Un travail souvent long, coûteux et mobilisant parfois plusieurs dizaines de consultants pendant plusieurs semaines. Mais l'arrivée de l'IA générative bouleverse complètement cette mécanique. Désormais, certains modèles d'intelligence artificielle sont capables d'exécuter une partie de ces tâches en quelques minutes seulement : résumer des centaines de documents, produire des analyses sectorielles, créer des présentations ou générer des diagnostics préliminaires. À lire aussiAvec l'essor de l'intelligence artificielle, faut-il craindre une vague massive de licenciements? Des cabinets plus productifs mais moins dépendants des consultants juniors Cette transformation améliore fortement la productivité des cabinets de conseil. Chez McKinsey & Company, certaines équipes auraient vu leur taille réduite grâce à l'automatisation de nombreuses tâches analytiques. Le cabinet développe également des milliers d'agents IA internes afin d'assister ses consultants. Officiellement, les grands groupes du conseil ne parlent pas de suppressions massives d'emplois. Mais tous reconnaissent une forte hausse de la productivité. Et lorsqu'un secteur de services devient soudainement beaucoup plus efficace grâce à la technologie, une question finit forcément par émerger : aura-t-on encore besoin d'autant de salariés ? Les premiers concernés sont les jeunes diplômés. Historiquement, les consultants juniors étaient chargés des tâches de recherche, d'analyse et de préparation des supports stratégiques. Des missions qui servaient aussi de formation avant de monter progressivement en compétences. Or précisément, ce sont ces tâches de base que l'intelligence artificielle automatise aujourd'hui le plus rapidement. Le secteur fait donc face à un paradoxe majeur. Si l'IA réalise désormais les missions d'apprentissage des jeunes consultants, comment ces derniers pourront-ils acquérir l'expérience nécessaire pour devenir les experts de demain ? Pour l'instant, les cabinets peinent à apporter une réponse claire à cette question. À lire aussiIA et recrutement: pourquoi les entreprises changent leurs critères d'embauche Le conseil ne disparaît pas : il change de valeur Au-delà de l'emploi, c'est surtout le modèle économique du conseil qui évolue. De plus en plus d'entreprises commencent à utiliser directement les outils d'intelligence artificielle en interne pour produire des analyses ou des diagnostics auparavant confiés à des cabinets spécialisés. Dans un contexte où les entreprises cherchent à réduire leurs dépenses, beaucoup de dirigeants s'interrogent désormais : pourquoi payer plusieurs centaines de milliers d'euros une mission de conseil si une partie du travail peut être automatisée ? Pour les cabinets, tout l'enjeu consiste désormais à démontrer que leur valeur ne repose pas uniquement sur la production d'analyses. Car si l'IA progresse très rapidement, elle ne sait toujours pas gérer certains aspects fondamentaux de la vie des entreprises : arbitrer entre des intérêts divergents, piloter des transformations complexes, convaincre des équipes réticentes ou gérer les rapports humains et hiérarchiques. C'est précisément sur cette dimension humaine que les cabinets veulent aujourd'hui se repositionner. L'intelligence artificielle rend l'information largement accessible et peu coûteuse. En revanche, la rareté économique se déplace vers d'autres compétences : le jugement humain, la capacité à gérer la complexité, la confiance ou encore l'accompagnement stratégique des organisations. La question n'est donc peut-être plus de savoir si les consultants seront remplacés par les machines, mais plutôt quels consultants sauront travailler efficacement avec elles.

Welcome to episode #1036 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). Ashley Herd did not set out to become a management expert. Trained as an employment lawyer and later serving in senior HR and leadership roles supporting organizations including McKinsey & Company, Ashley built her career at the intersection of people, performance and workplace culture. What began as practical leadership advice shared through short-form social media videos evolved into a massive online following, with hundreds of thousands of managers turning to her for direct, actionable guidance on how to lead teams without burning people out. Her new book, The Manager Method - A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results, distills that experience into a deceptively simple framework built around Pause, Consider, Act… a reminder that leadership is not about reacting faster, but thinking more clearly. In this conversation, Ashley explores why so many organizations continue promoting high performers into management roles without preparing them to lead people, why workplace culture is often shaped more by individual managers than company values, and how the modern workplace has been reshaped by the pandemic, generational shifts and AI. Ashley argues that the biggest failures in leadership are rarely strategic… they are relational. Silence, unclear expectations, lack of feedback and the inability to coach people effectively create cascading organizational problems. At the same time, she remains optimistic that AI can become a meaningful thought partner for managers… not replacing judgment, empathy or coaching, but helping leaders pause long enough to think better about how they communicate and support others. Grounded in practical experience rather than abstract theory, Ashley's work is ultimately about helping managers become more human… and helping organizations remember that people are not line items on a spreadsheet. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 1:00:07. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Ashley Herd. The Manager Method - A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results. Follow Ashley on Instagram. Follow Ashley on YouTube. Follow Ashley on LinkedIn. Follow Ashley on TikTok. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Ashley Herd and The Manager Method. (02:57) - The Power of Social Media in Leadership Development. (05:50) - The Journey from Law to Leadership. (09:05) - Understanding Management Challenges and the Peter Principle. (12:08) - The Role of Empathy in Management. (15:09) - Navigating the New World of Management Post-Pandemic. (17:54) - The Importance of Clear Expectations in Leadership. (21:02) - The Impact of Generational Differences on Management. (23:51) - The Role of AI in Modern Management. (27:04) - Coaching vs. Managing: The New Paradigm. (30:12) - Creating a Culture of Feedback and Recognition. (32:54) - The Importance of Pausing and Reflecting in Leadership. (36:02) - Final Thoughts and Resources for Managers.

Learn what happens when the executive accountable for data strategy is also the executive accountable for the business results that depend on it. Saugata Saha, President of S&P Global Market Intelligence and Chief Enterprise Data Officer at S&P Global, shares how he manages one of the world's largest financial data estates while driving business outcomes across public and private markets. He breaks down the four pillars of S&P Global's data strategy, the federated organizational model that connects data teams to business value, and why capturing ROI from AI requires deliberate workflow transformation. Key Moments Why Data Strategy Must Follow Business Strategy (04:57): Saugata challenges the idea that data and business strategy can run in parallel. Market trends, customer pain points, and existing capabilities must come first. Building an AI-Ready Financial Data Estate (15:10): Scale alone does not create intelligence. Saugata explains why semantic layers and graph databases are the hard work behind connected financial data. How AI Compresses Post-Acquisition Data Integration (18:29): Manual reconciliation of millions of records is no longer the only path. Discover how AI entity matching accelerated post-acquisition integration. The Federated Model That Connects Data to Value (22:49): Most large organizations either over-centralize data teams or leave them too embedded to scale. Saugata outlines the federated model that actually bridges both. Rethinking AI Productivity: From Marginal to Transformative (28:29): Most AI programs stop at training and tooling. Saugata explains why deliberately redesigning workflows is the missing step between AI investment and real ROI. Key Quotes “Data strategy and business strategy have to be very tightly connected. And if they're not, that's when value capture does not happen. In fact, I would go so far as to say data strategy actually follows from business strategy.” - Saugata Saha “Stop treating data as an afterthought or byproduct, but start thinking about data as a key ingredient for value creation and competitive advantage.” - Saugata Saha “We don't want everybody to become 10% more productive, because that's a little squishy. We want 10% of the people to become a hundred percent more productive so they can do other things.” - Saugata Saha “If a company can really use data at scale for better decision making, better client service, [and] better outcomes, that creates a lasting edge over the competition.” - Saugata Saha Mentions S&P Global Agrees to Acquire With Intelligence from Motive Partners for $1.8 Billion, Establishing Its Leadership in Private Markets Intelligence The Data & AI Chief: Why a Federated Data Team is Crucial for Business Value, with Dow Private Companies Wait Too Long to Go Public The Lex Fridman Podcast Guest Bios  Saugata serves as President of S&P Global Market Intelligence, leading the division's efforts to deliver essential insights and intelligence to clients worldwide. He is also S&P Global's Chief Enterprise Data Officer, responsible for driving innovation and excellence in the company's enterprise data strategy. Saugata is a member of S&P Global's Executive Leadership Team, contributing to the strategic direction and growth of the organization. Before joining S&P Global, Saugata was a consultant at McKinsey & Company's New York office, where he advised clients on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and operational improvements across various industries, with a strong focus on financial services. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

In Episode 20 of the Finish Big Podcast, host Mark Dorman welcomes Laura Bonnet, Founding Director of the Center for Family Business at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Established in 2023, the Center for Family Business was created to connect and equip multi-generational family enterprises to build stronger legacies. Laura brings a powerful blend of strategy, corporate leadership, and advisory experience to the role — having held executive positions at American Greetings and advisory roles at McKinsey & Company, as well as experience with General Motors and Disney. In this episode, Mark and Laura explore the unique dynamics of family enterprises, the challenges of multi-generational transition, governance, strategy, and the importance of intentional legacy building. This is a must-listen for family business owners navigating succession, leadership development, and long-term continuity. Mark and Laura Discuss: The Birth of the Center for Family Business – Why Case Western launched it in 2023. Family Business Complexity – Why governance and relationships matter as much as performance. Multi-Generational Transition – Preparing next-gen leaders early. Strategic Discipline – Lessons from McKinsey applied to family enterprises. Corporate vs Family Culture – Key differences in decision-making. Legacy Thinking – Moving from wealth creation to legacy stewardship. Emotional Capital – The unseen driver of family business success. Board Structures & Governance Models – Professionalising the family enterprise. Education & Community – The role of universities in supporting family firms. Balancing Growth & Harmony – Keeping business and family aligned. Connect with Mark Dorman: Succession Plus US LinkedIn: Mark Dorman LinkedIn: Succession Plus Facebook: Succession Plus (330)-416-9271 mdorman@succession.plus About the Guest: Laura Bonnet is the Founding Director of the Center for Family Business at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to launching the Center in 2023, she served in executive leadership roles at American Greetings and worked at McKinsey & Company advising clients across industries. Her career also includes experience with General Motors and the Walt Disney Company. Laura combines strategic expertise with a deep understanding of multi-generational enterprise to help family businesses build governance, leadership continuity, and sustainable legacies.

In this episode, Avanish and Rob discuss: Canva's two-step mission — grow as large as possible in order to do as much good as possible, including giving away over $1 billion in software annually and serving 100+ million students worldwide The cupcake framework for platform architecture — the "cake" is the core product for everyone; "frosting and sprinkles" are the enterprise-specific features, keeping the product intuitive across all customer segments From PLG to enterprise — how Canva is making the shift from buyer-led growth to a seller-led motion, and why that requires sales, enterprise marketing, and a deliberate partner ecosystem Building the "most pluggable platform" — Canva's ecosystem philosophy: agency partners, integration partners (including OpenAI and Anthropic/Claude), and strategic partners like Deloitte and EY each play distinct, purpose-built roles AI as infrastructure, not a feature — with 28 billion AI interactions in the product, Rob explains why Canva thinks of itself as an AI platform that does great design, and how new features like Magic Layers were built by starting with the customer problem, not the technology Show Description This season features conversations with key decision-makers who have shaped the evolution of today's leading technology platforms and ecosystems. We talk to C-suite executives, board members, investors, and others who must be brought into the platform journey. In this episode, Avanish and Rob discuss how Canva is scaling from a beloved consumer product to a global enterprise platform—and the frameworks, partner strategies, and customer-first principles guiding that evolution. About Rob Giglio: Rob Giglio is Chief Customer Officer at Canva, where he leads the company's go-to-market, enterprise, and ecosystem strategy as Canva scales from a beloved consumer product to a global business platform. Rob brings a rare cross-industry perspective to platform building, having spent the early part of his career at world-class consumer brands including Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Gap, and Williams-Sonoma before moving into tech. He served in senior leadership roles at Adobe, DocuSign, and HubSpot before joining Canva. That consumer-first lens—centered on brand clarity, customer orientation, and ease of use—shapes how he thinks about product, partnerships, and growth. At Canva, Rob is focused on helping businesses of all sizes realize the value of design and communication as a platform capability, while building an ecosystem that is, in his team's words, "as easy to integrate with as Canva is to use." About Canva Canva is a global visual communication platform used by more than 260 million people every month. Founded in Australia, Canva makes design accessible to everyone—from students and solo creators to the world's largest enterprises. The company recently crossed $4 billion in ARR and gives away over $1 billion in software annually through its education programs, serving more than 100 million students worldwide. Canva's platform includes AI-powered design tools, an open API ecosystem, and integrations with leading platforms including OpenAI and Anthropic. Learn more at canva.com. Host Avanish Sahai Avanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and served as a Board Member of Hubspot from 2018 to 2023; he currently serves on the boards of Birdie.ai, Flywl.com and Meta.com.br as well as a few non-profits and educational boards. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow.  From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase.  Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early to mid-stage startups in Silicon Valley. About Tidemark Tidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale.  Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years.  Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com. Links Follow our host, Avanish Sahai Learn more about Tidemark

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 361, an interview with the author of Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World, Darryl Stickel. In his book, Darryl outlines his groundbreaking Trust Unlimited blueprint for building trust. Stickel moves away from the traditional approach of influencing people's willingness to trust—the con artist's tactic—to employing one or more of ten levers, which leaders can "pull" to close the gap between how much they are trusted and how much they should be. This approach also makes them more trustable and increases trust where it is deficient. Darryl Stickel is one of the world's leading experts on trust with over twenty years of experience. His Ph.D. ¨Building Trust in Hostile Environments¨ from Duke University established him as a global leader for governments, businesses and NGOs on practical approaches to building trust.  Darryl has worked for Mckinsey & Company in their Toronto office, as well as advised the Canadian Military on trust building in Afghanistan. He has served as faculty for the Luxembourg School of Business and the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California and recently completed his book Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World. His contribution to the field of trust has been recognized by his nomination to the Top Thought Leaders on Trust by Trust Across America; Trust Around the World. Get Darryl's book here: https://rb.gy/3boas Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World, Darryl Stickel Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift

Audrey AI, the Dublin-based startup building AI purpose-built for financial auditors, has closed a $1.8 million pre-seed funding round. The round is led by SVV (Sure Valley Ventures) and Delta Partners, with participation from Enterprise Ireland, Donnchadh Casey (ex-CEO Calypso), Conor Jones (ex-CBO Wayflyer) alongside former Big 4 auditors. Financial auditing is a global market worth more than $100 billion, yet it remains one of the most manual professions in financial services. Qualified professionals spend the majority of their time in spreadsheets, chasing documents and testing evidence – manual work that drives up costs, squeezes time for higher value work and pushes talented professionals out of the industry. General-purpose AI tools have struggled with the messy tabular data and complex evidence workflows that define the profession. Audrey AI was founded in 2025 by Ryan Loughran and David Burke, who met on the Founders programme at Dogpatch Labs.Loughran, who holds a degree in Accounting and an MBA from Stanford GSB, previously worked at McKinsey & Company and Qualtrics. Burke, formerly VP of Engineering at Inscribe, built document and data automation technology for regulated financial institutions. The platform automates the most time-intensive, manual parts of an audit engagement; evidence gathering and testing. Purpose-built as an agentic system, it orchestrates messy client data and applies audit procedures end-to-end, eliminating context switching. Crucially, it learns how each firm audits, compounding in value the more it is used. Audrey has piloted at top-10 and top-20 audit firms, delivering 85%+ time savings on client data collection, validation, and tests of detail, alongside measurable improvements in audit quality. The investment will fund growth across engineering and audit specialists as the company expands with firms across Ireland, the UK and beyond. "Developers have Copilot, lawyers have Harvey, but auditors still primarily work in Excel," said Loughran. "We're building AI that understands auditing deeply enough to raise the bar on quality, not just speed, freeing auditors to focus on the judgment and oversight that matters most." Liam Te-Wierik, Partner and Head of Digital Assurance at Grant Thornton Australia, echoed the focus on quality: "The value of Audrey lies in how it enables a step change in audit quality by redesigning the execution of manual procedures – not by changing our methodology, but by strengthening how it's applied in practice. That's the kind of innovation we believe will define the next generation of audit." Barry Downes, Managing Partner at SVV, described the investment as addressing "a critical pressure point for audit firms – chronic talent shortages and margin pressure in a heavily regulated industry," adding that Audrey's ability to "save 80-90% of time on repetitive work and tailor to each firm's methodology gives it the unique ability to scale capacity and dramatically improve margins." Dermot Berkery, Partner at Delta Partners and a former auditor himself, added: "Ryan and David have built something that doesn't just automate tasks but raises the bar on audit quality across the profession. We're excited to back them." About Audrey AI Audrey AI is building agentic AI purpose-built for financial auditors. Its platform automates the manual workflows that dominate the audit process, from intelligent data requests and evidence gathering to automated review and transaction testing, allowing auditors to focus on judgment and client relationships rather than spreadsheets and document chasing. Audrey AI generates smart, context-aware requests for client data, reviews submissions in real time and provides instant feedback, eliminating the back-and-forth that consumes a disproportionate share of audit hours. The platform adapts to each firm's methodology, compounding in value the more it is used. Audrey AI is headquartered in Dublin. For more information, visit tryaudrey.ai. See mo...

In this episode, I'm joined by lifelong mountaineer, cross-country skier, and author Tom French to discuss his memoir, The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back. A senior partner emeritus of McKinsey & Company, Tom has spent decades operating at the highest levels of business leadership — while also pursuing a deep connection to the outdoors. In this book, he reflects on a profound personal journey of disruption, recovery, identity, and rediscovery through climbing, skiing, and nature. This is a conversation about resilience, purpose, and what it means to find your way back — not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic featuring an interview with the author of Inside the Competitor's Mindset, John Horn, where he shares proven techniques to help businesses think like the competition and understand why they act the way they do. Inside the Competitor's Mindset presents a systematic approach to competitive intelligence that starts with three frameworks to get inside the competitor's mindset, predict their reactions to your moves, and assess whether the competition is getting ready for a spontaneous move of their own.  John Horn is a professor of practice in economics at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches MBA students microeconomics, macroeconomics, and global business. John was a Senior Expert in the Strategy Practice of McKinsey & Company for 9 years, working with clients on competitive strategy, war gaming workshops, and corporate and business unit strategy across a variety of industries and geographies. He helped over 100 clients with war game workshops and developed a set of simulation exercises to help companies understand the challenges of reallocating resources. He continues to consult through his LLC: Gateway Competitive Insights. John has published nine papers in the McKinsey Quarterly and three in the Harvard Business Review, mostly on the application of behavioral economics and competitive insight to business strategy. John has a PhD in economics from Harvard University, where he also received a Masters degree in economics. Get John's book here: https://tinyurl.com/4dbv29ju Inside the Competitor's Mindset: How to Predict Their Next Move and Position Yourself for Success   Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift

Though Sarah Robertson was drawn to design from an early age, she took a more practical route at first, earning an MBA from Northwestern and then working as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. But eventually her creative side won out: after purchasing properties and renovating historic homes in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood with her mother, she left consulting behind and launched Studio Dearborn. Since then, Robertson has built a reputation for kitchens that are as functional as they are beautiful, earning recognition as both an award-winning designer and a thoughtful voice in the industry. On this episode of the podcast Robertson and her son Owen—who recently became Studio Dearborn's second employee—speak to host Dennis Scully from the garage studio of their Mamaroneck, New York, home. They discuss Robertson's roundabout path to design, the Amish cabinetmakers she can't live without, and the organizational ethos that guides her. This episode is sponsored by Ernesta and CryptonLINKSStudio DearbornDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

As digital change accelerates across healthcare, payors face an urgent need to modernize how they communicate, educate, and engage. The AI-Orchestrated Experiences portfolio from Adobe and IBM represents a new paradigm where data, design, and intelligence work seamlessly together to improve outcomes for every stakeholder. In this episode of the AI at Health series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Melissa Geissler, Partner for Healthcare and Life Sciences Strategy and Transformation at IBM, and Ted Roman, Healthcare and Life Sciences Digital Strategy Principal at Adobe, to unpack one of the most exciting partnerships in healthcare AI right now. Together, IBM and Adobe are building AI-orchestrated experience solutions that help payers deliver personalized, seamless, and scalable member experiences without the white-glove price tag. From helping members find the right health plan to automating prior authorization and appointment booking, this episode is a must-listen for any payer, provider, or health tech leader who wants to understand where consumer experience in healthcare is headed next.  In this episode, they talk about: Healthcare is data-rich, but still behind every major retailer when it comes to personalized member experiences IBM and Adobe are combining platform capabilities, agentic AI, and change management into one integrated framework AI agents can now handle health plan selection, appointment booking, and benefits navigation for members Brokers serving small and mid-size employers are one of the most underserved audiences in healthcare technology The best AI strategy starts with defining the business problem first, then building the technology around it Social determinants of health data can now be integrated into personalized member recommendations Organizations that feel under-resourced are the ideal candidates for AI-orchestrated experiences The partnership is already live with clients and expanding into provider and life sciences use cases  A Little About Ted and Melissa: Ted Roman, PhD, brings over a decade of expertise in healthcare and life sciences research, management, technology, operations, and digital strategy to Adobe. He is a principal in the Digital Strategy Group, serving organizations globally pursuing more interconnected experiences. Prior to Adobe, Ted served the needs of Highmark Health and McKinsey & Company's clients. He holds a PhD in Computational Biology from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He also earned bachelor's degrees in computer science and mathematics from Case Western Reserve University. Melissa Geissle is a Partner at IBM, leading Public Market activities, where she applies experience strategy and service design to solve complex innovation challenges and leads a diverse team of designers, researchers, analysts, and strategists to help organizations create meaningful stakeholder connections while improving market outcomes. Over two decades, she has partnered with healthcare, life sciences, government, and nonprofit organizations to define and execute digital health initiatives, applying data-driven insights and ecosystem platform capabilities to redefine strategic marketing, service, and digital engagement functions. Melissa holds a BA in Economics from Bates College and an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, and has participated in global corporate citizenship initiatives across the UK, South Africa, and Poland.

Chris Bradley, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Director of the McKinsey Global Institute, discusses the ideas behind his book A Century of Plenty and the long-term drivers of economic growth. Bradley explains that much of the public debate about the economy assumes growth is limited or zero-sum. His research argues the opposite. Over long periods, societies have repeatedly expanded prosperity through investment, technology, and knowledge. A central theme in the conversation is the importance of investment. Bradley notes that productivity growth depends heavily on sustained investment in capital, infrastructure, and innovation. When investment slows, productivity usually slows as well. He also discusses the institutions that support economic progress. Stable rules, strong legal systems, and functioning markets create the conditions that allow investment and innovation to take place. When these conditions exist, growth tends to follow. The conversation also addresses the common belief that the world is running out of resources. Bradley explains that history shows a different pattern. Improvements in exploration, technology, and substitution have often increased available resources even as demand rises. Demographic change presents another challenge. Many countries are now experiencing falling birth rates and aging populations. With fewer workers supporting more retirees, future growth will depend increasingly on productivity improvements. Artificial intelligence may play a role here. Bradley describes AI as a general-purpose technology that could automate certain tasks while increasing productivity in many fields. As with earlier technological advances, the likely result is a change in the type of work people do rather than the disappearance of work altogether. Key insights from the conversation: Economic progress depends on investment. Productivity growth historically follows sustained investment in capital, infrastructure, and new technologies. Growth is not inherently zero-sum. Economic expansion often occurs because innovation and knowledge enlarge the productive capacity of societies. Resource scarcity has repeatedly been mitigated by discovery. Advances in exploration, extraction, and substitution have historically expanded the available supply of critical materials. Demographic change is a major structural risk. Aging populations and declining fertility rates will increasingly challenge economic growth and fiscal systems. AI is likely to augment productivity rather than eliminate work. As in previous technological shifts, automation changes the mix of tasks while enabling new forms of economic activity. The discussion provides a structured view of how growth, technology, and demographics interact—and why the long-term outlook for human prosperity remains closely tied to investment, innovation, and institutional choices. Chris Bradley is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company based in Sydney and serves as a director of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), where he leads research on the economic and business issues most critical to the world's companies and policy leaders. He is an author of a new book, A Century of Plenty: A Story of Progress for Generations to Come Get Chris's book, A Century of Plenty, here: https://tinyurl.com/mryykcxc Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift

A new study, Women in the Workplace 2025, reports a troubling reversal: stalled early advancement, declining company commitment, and a new ambition gap as fewer women aspire to promotion than men for the first time in a decade. In a fast growing Central Ohio economy, this Columbus Metropolitan Club forum asks: are women being left behind just as opportunity expands? New research from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org shows that only 80% of women now aspire to promotion, compared with 86% of men—a reversal of long-standing trends. Yet the data tells a more hopeful story as well: when women receive the same sponsorship, support, and clarity about advancement as their male peers, the ambition gap disappears entirely. The problem, it turns out, may not be women's ambition—but workplaces that make ambition harder to sustain. Leaders from business and the nonprofit sector discuss what is driving the ambition gap, why it disappears when women receive equal sponsorship and support, and what leaders can do to build workplaces where women can advance. Featuring: Michelle Bryant, Partner, McKinsey and Company Dr. Pamela Gregory, Owner and CFO, National Center for Urban Solutions Kelley Griesmer, President and CEO, The Women's Fund of Central Ohio Lillian Morales Laster, Executive Director, Empowering Latinas Leadership Academy The host is Margaret D Finley, President, Central Ohio Belonging Consortium. This forum was made possible by the Mary Lazarus Legacy in Civic Engagement Fund and was sponsored by Advanced Drainage Systems, Event Marketing Strategies, and The New Directions Career Center. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. If you'd like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our friends at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading This Isn't Working: How Working Women Can Overcome Stress, Guilt, and Overload to Find True Success by Meghan French Dunbar (2025). This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus Ohio on March 4, 2026.

You introduce a new system. A new expectation. A new metric. And someone struggles. They're not aggressive. Not insubordinate. Not openly defiant. But they're hesitant. Slow. Guarded. Quietly pushing back. So the question becomes: Do we show empathy? Or do we hold accountability? In this episode, Dana and Sandy unpack the reality that most employees aren't resistant to change — they're protective of competence, routine, and confidence. But understanding human behavior does not mean lowering standards. Drawing on research from McKinsey & Company showing that nearly 70 percent of major change efforts fail due to employee behavior and leadership misalignment, they explore why great ideas fade out after implementation. They discuss: • Why consistency builds discipline • How unclear follow-through trains teams to ignore new systems • When coaching turns into enabling • The power of written protocols and documented conversations • Why accountability is clarity, not punishment Because in a growing practice, adaptability is not optional. The standard is the standard. Special thanks to our sponsors:

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim : 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 --------- Brian Halligan co-founded HubSpot, ran it as CEO for about 15 years, and now coaches Sequoia's fastest-growing founders as their in-house CEO coach.We discuss:1. His LOCKS framework for evaluating founders2. Why you should build your team like the 2004 Red Sox3. Why hiring “spicy” candidates beats consensus picks4. Why enterprise sales will be the last white-collar job AI replaces5. Some of my favorite “Halliganisms”—Brought to you by:Sentry—Code breaks, fix it faster: http://sentry.io/lennyDatadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lenny—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sequoia-ceo-coach-why-its-never-been—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Brian Halligan• X: https://x.com/bhalligan• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/bhalligan• Podcast: https://sequoiacap.com/series/long-strange-trip—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Brian Halligan(03:56) The perpetual state of constructive dissatisfaction(05:25) Coaching CEOs(07:49) The art of interviewing and hiring(11:21) Getting the most out of reference calls(13:10) Homegrown talent vs. big company hires(16:31) Traits of successful CEOs(19:40) Brian's LOCKS framework for evaluating founders(21:34) Are great CEO's born or made?(23:41) Giving effective feedback(25:54) The future of go-to-market strategies(31:56) Understanding forward deployed engineers(34:17) How the CEO role has evolved over the last 20 years(38:10) Halliganisms(01:01:18) The CEO's role in scaling a company(01:02:41) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Dev Ittycheria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dittycheria• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Jensen Huang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang• Winston Weinberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winston-weinberg• James Cadwallader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsca• Gabriel Stengel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabestengel• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures: https://orbit.mit.edu/classes/scaling-entrepreneurial-ventures-15.392• OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai• Ruth Porat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-porat• Mike Krzyzewski: https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/mike-krzyzewski/4159• Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living: https://www.prm.nau.edu/prm205/Dalai-Lama-18-rules-for-living.htm• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building• Kareem Amin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin• Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• Katie Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-burke-965767a• Jerry Garcia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Garcia• Bob Weir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Weir• Phil Lesh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lesh• Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_%22Pigpen%22_McKernan• Marc Andreessen: The real AI boom hasn't even started yet: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/marc-andreessen-the-real-ai-boom• The American Revolution: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai• Sonos: https://www.sonos.com• Yamini Rangan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan• The Boston Red Sox: https://www.mlb.com/redsox—Recommended book:• Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

For two decades, organisations have invested heavily in ERP and procurement platforms to digitise source-to-pay. Yet many procurement leaders still find themselves managing critical processes in Excel, chasing approvals over email, and relying on experience rather than real-time intelligence to negotiate with suppliers. The uncomfortable truth? Most enterprise systems were built for control and record-keeping, not optimisation. Unfortunately, we now live in a world increasingly defined by margin pressure, supply chain volatility, and investor scrutiny. So archaic, clunky, limited technology is no longer good enough, especially in Europe with strong economic headwinds, that will last for several years and rapid growth of AI disruption. CFOs Want Efficiency. Procurement Is Under-Resourced. Today's forward thinking CFO's are laser focused on cost discipline, working capital, OpEx/CapEx optimisation, and resilience. Global advisory firms consistently reinforce this and amplify the need for urgent digital transformation and efficient implementation of AI technology across all functions, especially procurement. McKinsey & Company highlights that digital procurement leaders can unlock 5–10% cost savings while improving speed and compliance. PwC points to AI-driven automation reducing manual effort and improving decision quality across finance and procurement. Deloitte emphasises that procurement must move from transactional processing, to insight-led value creation to meet modern CFO expectations. The ambition is there. The problem is structural. Procurement teams are often: Lean relative to spend under management Burdened with manual processes Operating across fragmented systems Dependent on legacy ERP architecture Even when CFO's fully support cost efficiency initiatives, procurement leaders struggle to execute because they lack manpower, clean data, optimal process and intelligent tooling. The ERP Illusion: Control Without Intelligence Multinational ERP platforms — such as SAP S/4HANA, Oracle ERP Cloud, or Microsoft Dynamics 365 — are incredibly powerful financial engines. But they are not purpose-built data driven intelligence platforms, especially for areas such as procurement. They: Capture transactions. Enforce controls. Process invoices. Store supplier records. What they do not do well is: Continuously benchmark pricing. Detect commercial leakage, proactively. Provide dynamic, AI-driven negotiation insights. Surface supplier optimisation opportunities automatically. Remove friction from Supplier relationships. Worse, these systems are extremely expensive and complex. Companies often pay for vast feature sets they never fully deploy, let alone understand. Customisation is costly. Implementation cycles are long and upgrades can be highly disruptive. As a result, procurement teams have no choice but to revert to: Excel models. Offline bid comparisons. Manual supplier evaluations. Email-driven approvals. Even pen and paper in parts of the workflow. The industry becomes digitally "enabled", but not digitally optimised. Even Major Procurement Suites Have Limitations Many of the major procurement platforms such as Coupa, SAP Ariba, and Jaggaer have advanced the market significantly. Yet challenges remain: Rigid workflows. Heavy configuration. Limited/Non existent contextual AI. Fragmented modules across sourcing, contracts, and P2P. High total cost of ownership. They digitise process, but often stop short of delivering continuous, embedded intelligence. Procurement becomes systemised, but not truly strategic. AI Changes the Equation Artificial intelligence shifts procurement from reactive administration to proactive optimisation. Instead of merely recording what has happened, AI answers: Where are we overpaying? Which suppliers present commercial risk? Which contracts contain value leakage? Where can we renegotiate based on real-time market data? Which spend categories are fragmented and unleveraged? AI can: Benchmark pricing at ...

Brian Halligan co-founded HubSpot, ran it as CEO for about 15 years, and now coaches Sequoia's fastest-growing founders as their in-house CEO coach.We discuss:1. His LOCKS framework for evaluating founders2. Why you should build your team like the 2004 Red Sox3. Why hiring “spicy” candidates beats consensus picks4. Why enterprise sales will be the last white-collar job AI replaces5. Some of my favorite “Halliganisms”—Brought to you by:Sentry—Code breaks, fix it faster: http://sentry.io/lennyDatadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lenny—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sequoia-ceo-coach-why-its-never-been—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Brian Halligan• X: https://x.com/bhalligan• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/bhalligan• Podcast: https://sequoiacap.com/series/long-strange-trip—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Brian Halligan(03:56) The perpetual state of constructive dissatisfaction(05:25) Coaching CEOs(07:49) The art of interviewing and hiring(11:21) Getting the most out of reference calls(13:10) Homegrown talent vs. big company hires(16:31) Traits of successful CEOs(19:40) Brian's LOCKS framework for evaluating founders(21:34) Are great CEO's born or made?(23:41) Giving effective feedback(25:54) The future of go-to-market strategies(31:56) Understanding forward deployed engineers(34:17) How the CEO role has evolved over the last 20 years(38:10) Halliganisms(01:01:18) The CEO's role in scaling a company(01:02:41) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Dev Ittycheria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dittycheria• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Jensen Huang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang• Winston Weinberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winston-weinberg• James Cadwallader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsca• Gabriel Stengel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabestengel• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures: https://orbit.mit.edu/classes/scaling-entrepreneurial-ventures-15.392• OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai• Ruth Porat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-porat• Mike Krzyzewski: https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/mike-krzyzewski/4159• Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living: https://www.prm.nau.edu/prm205/Dalai-Lama-18-rules-for-living.htm• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building• Kareem Amin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin• Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• Katie Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-burke-965767a• Jerry Garcia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Garcia• Bob Weir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Weir• Phil Lesh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lesh• Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_%22Pigpen%22_McKernan• Marc Andreessen: The real AI boom hasn't even started yet: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/marc-andreessen-the-real-ai-boom• The American Revolution: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai• Sonos: https://www.sonos.com• Yamini Rangan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan• The Boston Red Sox: https://www.mlb.com/redsox—Recommended book:• Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

With a career spanning the US Navy, executive leadership positions at PetSmart and Banfield Pet Hospital, and pioneering online training, Don brings unique insights into building and scaling businesses across industries. Throughout the conversation, Avanish and Don discuss OpenSesame's evolution from an online learning marketplace to an AI-powered platform that serves enterprises, learning management systems, and content publishers. They explore the "Intel Inside" ecosystem strategy, the Simon AI tool that democratizes course creation and enables instant translation into 70 languages, and how organizations can successfully navigate workforce reinvention in the AI era while meeting customers where they are.In this episode, Avanish and Don discuss:OpenSesame's dual-sided platform strategy: Partnering with 200+ LMS/HRIS systems on the delivery side while aggregating 50,000 courses from 200+ publishers, providing distribution for small publishers to reach enterprise customers and enabling large publishers like Harvard Business Publishing to access mid-market and SMB segments.The Simon AI course creation tool: Democratizing content development by enabling subject matter experts to create high-quality courses without instructional designers, with built-in translation capabilities across 70 languages for voiceover and text—expanding global reach for multinational organizations.Workforce reinvention as strategic imperative: Positioning OpenSesame at the center of organizational AI transformation by providing not just technology but comprehensive change management roadmaps, helping HR and learning leaders guide their teams through adoption with curated content and use cases.The "meet them where they are" philosophy: Balancing long-term product vision with practical customer adoption paths, especially during transformational periods like AI implementation, by understanding customer needs deeply before prescribing solutions and allowing products to flex without compromising the ultimate vision.The 1% better daily improvement mindset: Embracing continuous learning and incremental progress as the foundation for breakthrough innovation, recognizing that overnight successes are built on consistent dedication and discipline over time.About Don Spear:Don Spear is CEO of OpenSesame. Before his current role, he founded BlueVolt.com, held executive leadership positions at Banfield Pet Hospital and PetSmart, and served as a submarine officer aboard the USS Tunny (SSN 682).About OpenSesameOpenSesame, the leading provider of online business training, is the choice for L&D professionals wanting to drive learning initiatives forward with innovation, agility, and care. We offer the world's most comprehensive digital learning catalog, with regularly updated content from expert publishers in a variety of formats and languages. By providing comprehensive learning resources and innovative tools like Simon, OpenSesame empowers L&D professionals to exceed their goals and champion learning across their entire organization.Host Avanish SahaiAvanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and served as a Board Member of Hubspot from 2018 to 2023; he currently serves on the boards of Birdie.ai, Flywl.com and Meta.com.br as well as a few non-profits and educational boards. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow.  From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase.  Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early to mid-stage startups in Silicon Valley.About TidemarkTidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale.  Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years.  Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com.LinksFollow our host, Avanish SahaiLearn more about Tidemark

In this episode, Avanish and Drew discuss:Drew's early journey from systems integrator to one of Salesforce's first top sales leadersHow Salesforce's “connect the dots” sales motion enabled enterprise expansion beyond PLGWhy relationship visibility—not lack of relationships—is the real bottleneck in enterprise salesThe concept of “social capital” and why misused intros burn trust instead of creating itCTD's hybrid model for individuals and enterprises—and why both matterDrew's vision for CTD as a trust layer and emerging relationship platformHost Avanish SahaiAvanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and served as a Board Member of Hubspot from 2018 to 2023; he currently serves on the boards of Birdie.ai, Flywl.com and Meta.com.br as well as a few non-profits and educational boards. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow.  From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase.  Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early to mid-stage startups in Silicon Valley.About Drew SechristDrew Sechrist is a Salesforce veteran who helped grow the company from $0 to over $1B in revenue. As the #1 global sales manager and account executive, Drew mastered the art of leveraging relationships for warm introductions to close deals faster and bigger.With co-founder Ian Swinson, another Salesforce alum with deep expertise in CRM and social networks, they've built Connect The Dots™ to empower professionals and companies to harness the power of their networks. The vision? A free, intuitive way for individuals to carry their relationships with them, while helping companies replace expensive, ineffective cold outreach with strategic network intelligence.About Connect The Dots (CTD)CTD is the Relationship Activation Platform that helps go-to-market teams instantly find and request introductions to key decision-makers using real relationships from across their company, board, investors, advisors, customer champions, and more.Whether it's a warm path through your CEO, a trusted investor, a strategic partner, or even a personal connection, CTD reveals who actually knows your target buyers and makes it easy to request and track trusted intros at scale. We turn hidden networks into a repeatable, high-impact channel for modern sales teams. Learn more at www.ctd.aiAbout TidemarkTidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale.  Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years.  Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com.Relevant LinksFollow our host, Avanish SahaiLearn more about Tidemark

In this conversation, A.J. Peak discusses his unique approach to healthcare real estate, focusing on dental and veterinary buildings. He shares his personal journey from working at McKinsey & Company to building a successful dental business and transitioning into real estate. A.J. emphasizes the importance of scaling operations, building relationships, and leveraging mentorship to achieve success in the competitive landscape of healthcare real estate investment.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

In this episode, Wayne Pollock (Founder of the Law Firm Editorial Service) discusses the technique law firms can steal from McKinsey & Company to motivate their people to produce thought leadership content.====+ Learn more about Wayne Pollock, the host of Legally Contented and the founder of the Law Firm Editorial Service: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynepollock+ Learn more about the Law Firm Editorial Service:http://www.lawfirmeditorialservice.com+ Do you have any idea how much money your firm is losing when its lawyers write thought-leadership marketing and business development content themselves?Learn how much with the Law Firm Editorial Service's Thought Leadership Cost Calculator:http://www.WriteLessBillMore.com+ Do you want to elevate your thought leadership, distinguish yourself from your competitors, and never again be your target clients' second choice?Our Legal Thought Leadership Accelerator is a FREE five-day educational email course, in which you will learn five advanced principles for conceptualizing and crafting revenue-generating legal thought leadership that positions you to be your target clients' top choice over your competitors (and the one the media regularly calls and conference organizers regularly put on stage):https://www.lawfirmeditorialservice.com/legal-thought-leadership-accelerator+ Check out blog posts and videos designed to help you and your colleagues improve their content marketing and thought-leadership marketing efforts:https://www.lawfirmeditorialservice.com/bloghttps://www.lawfirmeditorialservice.com/videos+ Do you have a question about content marketing or thought-leadership marketing you would like us to answer on a future Practice Pointer episode? Please email us at hello@legallycontented.com

J. T. Price is the CEO of Landscape Workshop, one of the leading commercial landscape maintenance firms in the Southern United States. Since taking the helm in 2014, J. T. has led the company through explosive growth—driving a 65X increase in equity value and growing the team to nearly 2,000 employees. With a background that includes time at McKinsey & Company, roles in private equity, and extensive operational leadership, J. T. brings a unique blend of analytical rigor and practical execution. He's deeply committed to making Landscape Workshop the premier destination in the Green Industry for high performers, while delivering consistent, professional service to clients. J. T. holds degrees from the University of Richmond and Harvard Law School, and currently serves on several boards, including the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (as Chair), and the Altamont School. He lives in Alabama with his wife, their two children (ages 13 and 11), and their dogs, Chewie and Oreo.  

This episode examines what happens when strategy is applied in environments where institutional stability, reliable data, and conventional partners cannot be assumed. Former McKinsey partner and University of Notre Dame Professor Emerita Viva Ona Bartkus draws on decades of experience across management consulting, academic research, and frontline fieldwork in conflict-affected regions to explain why many standard strategy doctrines collapse outside developed markets. Bartkus reflects on her path through McKinsey, including what truly determines advancement inside elite professional services firms. She argues that early career performance is less about isolated brilliance and more about establishing trust, judgment, and reliability in the first months, when reputations are formed and remembered long after individual mistakes are forgiven. The conversation then turns to "frontline environments," defined as regions typically far from international hubs, under-invested, and operating with weak formal institutions. Bartkus outlines why these areas, often ignored during recent decades of globalization, represent substantial economic opportunity when approached with rigor rather than optimism. She explains why traditional international expansion models, particularly reliance on single local partners, can introduce severe strategic and ethical risk. Using concrete examples from Lebanon, West Africa, and rural Colombia, she details how broad-based partnerships, careful sequencing of investment, and disciplined listening are prerequisites for sustainable commercial activity. The discussion also addresses failure directly. Bartkus notes that more than half of frontline initiatives do not meet their objectives and explains how those failures sharpened her views on data verification, assumption testing, and understanding local motivations rather than projecting external logic. The episode concludes with a broader argument on the role of business in post-conflict recovery. Aid and humanitarian efforts matter, but without durable economic activity and the dignity of work, recovery stalls. For senior leaders, investors, and strategists, this conversation offers a sober, experience-driven view of what strategy requires when conditions are uncertain and stakes are real. Viva Ona Bartkus is Paul E. Purcell Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. She is a former partner at McKinsey & Company and the founder of the revolutionary course Business on the Frontlines.   Get Business on the Edge here: https://rb.gy/a505d2   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

As AI becomes increasingly prevalent, many companies are exploring ways to leverage the technology to enhance strategic effectiveness. However, the real advantage lies not simply in the tools themselves, but in how organizations use their existing data - from historical performance and operational efficiency to market expansion potential. When integrated effectively, AI can offer deeper insights into opportunities and challenges, while a clear understanding of the business remains essential to success.AI tools are most powerful when combined with human judgment. While AI can accelerate processes and improve analytical accuracy, strategic decision-making, creativity, and organizational alignment continue to rely on human thinking. It is the synergy between AI and human intelligence that enables a more holistic and sustainable approach to strategy.Listen to Mr. Bruce Delteil, Lead of Asia Strategy Service Line, McKinsey & Company, in episode 372 of the Vietnam Innovators podcast, as he shares insights on how organizations can harness AI and data to strengthen strategic development in today's business environment.____Listen to this episode on YouTubeAnd explore many amazing articles about the pioneers at: https://vietcetera.com/vn/bo-suu-tap/vietnam-innovatorFeel free to leave any questions or invitations for business cooperation at hello@vni-digest.com

What makes a complete stranger walk up to you on a bus and say, "I'm really having a hard time today"? In this episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Darryl Stickel—trust researcher, founder of Trust Unlimited, and author of Building Trust—whose life's work reveals that connection isn't magic. It's a skill you can learn, practice, and pull off even when everything feels like it's falling apart.    Darryl shares why trust isn't just about certainty—it's about being willing to get hurt. He breaks down the formula, explains why leaders who admit they're not perfect inspire fierce loyalty, and walks through the exact steps he used to help warring union reps and board executives shake hands after five years in court. With disarming honesty, he opens up about surviving multiple concussions, navigating life as a legally blind leader, and discovering that accepting help isn't weakness—it's a gift you give other people.    Together, Cathleen and Darryl explore what it means to lead without pretending, why "share, don't scare" transforms relationships, and how pulling three specific levers can rebuild trust faster than you think. This conversation is for anyone who's tired of surface-level connections and ready to do the uncomfortable work that actually brings people closer.     Episode Timeline:   00:02:38 Why vulnerability is the part of trust everyone ignores  00:05:02 The trust equation: uncertainty × vulnerability = perceived risk  00:09:51 When not to be vulnerable: protecting yourself while staying open 00:15:54 Three levers every leader needs: benevolence, integrity, ability  00:26:35 Men, mental health, and the Aspirational Men's Program  00:30:53 Internal vs. external locus of control: what you actually control  00:39:43 The benevolence conversation: "What does success look like for you?"  00:50:41 Five years in court: how he got unions and executives talking again  00:57:48 "I feel uncertainty" vs. "I don't trust you": the language that neutralizes conflict  01:08:56 The one small step: start with a dose of vulnerability  01:14:09 The father who went from "they're scared of me" to "they fight over who sits next to me"  01:18:12 Hockey, concussions, and finding purpose in the wreckage     Key Takeaway:   Trust = Uncertainty × Vulnerability, and Both Are at All-Time Highs: Trust isn't just about predicting someone's behavior—it's about being willing to be hurt when you can't know for sure what they'll do. In deep relationships, uncertainty shrinks and vulnerability expands. But right now, with uncertainty spiking everywhere, even small asks for vulnerability feel like jumping off a cliff.  Refusing Help Is Selfish—You're Robbing People of Joy: Darryl told a room of executives: "You just shared how powerful it is to help someone. Now explain why you're so effing selfish—you never let anyone have that experience with you." When you never admit you need help or show vulnerability, you steal the gift of contribution from others. Even the struggling woman panhandling on the street felt meaning when she could help the blind guy cross.  Change the Story, Change Everything: Darryl's son wanted a baseball scholarship, so Darryl "nagged" him about eating well, practicing, studying, being a good teammate. But because they'd defined success together first, his son heard every nudge as "Dad has my back" instead of criticism. We interpret the world through stories—if you don't actively shape the narrative, 20 different versions will spread, and most won't work in your favor.  Start With One Small Dose of Vulnerability: Don't open the kimono. Don't pretend you're clueless. Just admit you made a mistake in the past, probably will in the future, or need someone's expertise on something. Leaders reach positions because of technical skill—that skill atrophies the moment you sit behind a desk. Tell people: "You're the expert now. I'm going to need your help." That small crack opens everything.     About Darryl Stickel:   Darryl Stickel is founder of Trust Unlimited and author of Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World. He holds a PhD from Duke University, where his doctoral thesis on building trust in hostile environments was so groundbreaking his advisors admitted he'd solved what they thought was impossible. After consulting at McKinsey & Company, Darryl founded Trust Unlimited in 2001 and has since worked with unions, military units, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits worldwide—from helping the Canadian military build trust with locals in Afghanistan to reuniting fathers with sons who'd given up hope. Legally blind and navigating the world with his guide dog Drake, Darryl teaches that vulnerability isn't weakness—it's the foundation of everything that matters.      Connect with Darryl Stickel: LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/darryl-stickel-phd  Website: https://www.trustunlimited.com/  Book: https://www.trustunlimited.com/book/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Trust-Unlimited-Inc/61563450129818/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/darrylstickel  YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@DarrylStickel_BuildingTrust Podcast: https://imperfectcafe.buzzsprout.com/      Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:  Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/      FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS  

In this episode, Avanish and Antonio discuss:BBVA's data transformation journey, including the strategic decision in 2017 to create a global data function at the executive committee level reporting to the CEO and ChairmanBuilding hybrid data architecture combining centralized lake house (AWS) with data mesh approaches to balance agility and control across global operations in regulated environmentsThe "eight robots" framework—a top-down AI transformation agenda targeting the most critical parts of BBVA's value chain, from digital client relationships to banker productivity to risk underwritingHow BBVA defines data democratization as "responsible access" not "open access," implementing strict governance while enabling self-service analytics in a highly regulated industryReal-world AI impact: solutions reducing tasks from 11 minutes to less than 1 minute, generative assistant "Blue" serving 20+ million clients in Spain and Mexico, and IVR improvements saving minutes to secondsThe partnership and ecosystem strategy leveraging enterprise-focused innovation through AWS, OpenAI, Google Gemini, and vertical solution providers to increase speed of learning and innovationWhy the "mode in this cycle is learning—how fast you can learn, how fast you can test hypotheses"—embracing experimentation and continuous improvement as models rapidly evolveAntonio's vision for the future: using AI and data to expand bankarization globally, serving underserved populations and fueling economic growth for families and businessesAbout the host:Avanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and served as a Board Member of Hubspot from 2018 to 2023; he currently serves on the boards of Birdie.ai, Flywl.com and Meta.com.br as well as a few non-profits and educational boards. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow.  From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase.  Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early to mid-stage startups in Silicon Valley.About Antonio Bravo, Global Head of Data at BBVAAntonio started his career in 2009 as a consultant focused in Technology, Media and Telecom. There he had the opportunity to learn how (mobile) internet growth blurs barriers between different industries and makes them converge. One of those industries is finance. He joined BBVA in 2011 to be part of its transformation strategy, and since then he has had different jobs. Started working in the Strategy & M&A area, with focus on the BBVA Ventures team (today Propel) investing in fintech startups, continued with a role in Digital Banking Strategy team, and later in 2015 assumed the responsibility of Business Development in South America (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Perú, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay).He also held the responsibility of Agile Organization until July 2019, focused in scaling the Agile methodology through-out the entire organization, more than 33.000 people including holding and countries, to improve quality, time to market, productivity and team engagement.From July 2019 until September 2021 he held the responsibility of IT Strategy & Control within BBVA, a function that manages some of the core IT functions at a global level, such as IT strategy, finance, vendor management, PMO, first line of defense and IT spin-offs.Since September 2021 he holds the position of Head of Sustainability Strategy & Business Development, where he contributes to the design of the strategic plan for all segments and manages investment in descarbonization funds. In January 2024 he was also appointed as Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Strategy, Industrial client coverage and cross border business.In January 2025 was appointed Global Head of Data at BBVA. Antonio is responsible of leading the transformation of the Group towards a data-driven company.About BBVA:BBVA is a global financial services group founded in 1857. The bank is present in more than 25 countries, has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and Turkey. In the United States, BBVA also has a significant investment, transactional, and capital markets banking business.BBVA contributes with its activity to the progress and welfare of all its stakeholders: shareholders, clients, employees, providers and society in general. In this regard, BBVA supports families, entrepreneurs and companies in their plans, and helps them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by innovation and technology. Likewise, BBVA offers its customers a unique value proposition, leveraged on technology and data, helping them improve their financial health with personalized information on financial decision-making.About TidemarkTidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale.  Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years.  Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com.LinksFollow our host, Avanish SahaiLearn more about Tidemark

In this episode, we cover:Nicolai's global journey across 11 countries and 10 years at McKinsey Why ambition can either propel you forward or trip you up The difference between wisdom and knowledge in career decisions How to move from “outside-in” expectations to “inside-out” self-authorship Nicolai's three-part reflection framework: past, present, and future Why so many high performers feel stuck, and how to get unstuck Practical tools for sustainable peak performance (without losing your edge) The “future of work” that's already here—and how to not miss the waveTimestamps (approx.)00:00 – 01:05 – Intro: Nicolai's background, Potential Academy, and global journey 01:05 – 04:20 – Nonlinear paths, ambition, impatience, and learning patience as wisdom 04:20 – 07:00 – Where Nicolai's ideal clients hang out and why online media is the new TV 07:00 – 12:17 – Big goals, Potential Academy's vision, and helping people find their path 12:17 – 15:03 – Why so many of us feel stuck & the shift from outside-in to self-authored lives 15:03 – 19:50 – Sustainable peak performance, presence, cosmic perspective, and micro-practices 19:50 – 23:59 – Intuition, “feather–brick–truck” messages, and listening to your gut 23:59 – 26:04 – “Know your I before your why” and getting honest about trade-offs 26:04 – 28:58 – The future of work as a moving target and massive opportunity 28:58 – 29:04 – Where to find Nicolai and final thoughts About Nicolai NielsenNicolai Nielsen is a Danish-Chinese bestselling author, coach, and founder of Potential Academy. Born in Brazil and now living in Italy, he's lived in 11 countries and spent 10 years with McKinsey & Company focusing on leadership and culture. Today, he helps ambitious individuals and leaders unlock sustainable peak performance and design lives that truly fit who they are.Website: www.nicolainielsen.com Potential Academy: www.potentialacademy.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaicn/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolaicnielsen/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolaichennielsen X (Twitter): https://x.com/nicolaicnielsenKey Questions(01:05) Can you share a little bit more about how you ended up where you are today?(02:00) Who are your ideal clients these days?(02:47) Okay, so why should I have patience in moving forward? Or when should I?(04:20) Where do you find your people? Where are they hanging out? How do you get in front of them?(05:21) Which channels do you like to be on?(07:00) What are some big goals you're looking to achieve in the next year or two?(08:05) So is Potential Academy, is it a group program or a one-on-one? How's that one laid out?(12:17) Why do you think so many of us are feeling stuck these days?(15:03) So amidst all of this confusion and muddle and stuff, how do you help us become the best version of ourselves?(18:23) How do you make sure that you can still focus on the flowers but yet not lose sight of your ambition and your goals?(19:50) What was the best advice that you have ever received?(22:40) What's the best advice you've ever given?(25:07) Is there anything that we haven't talked about yet that you'd like to touch on?(26:04) Can you give me an example?(28:28) Where can we learn more about you and what you do?Nicolai Nielsenwww.nicolainielsen.comwww.potentialacademy.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaicn/https://www.instagram.com/nicolaicnielsen/https://www.facebook.com/nicolaichennielsenhttps://x.com/nicolaicnielsenVirginia PurnellFunnel & Visibility SpecialistDistinct Digital Marketing(833) 762-5336virginia@distinctdigitalmarketing.comwww.distinctdigitalmarketing.com

Ale pouze 34 procent změnových projektů se podaří a jsou úspěšné ? vyplývá to ze souhrnných dat o řízení firemních změn, která dlouhodobě sleduje konzultační společnost McKinsey & Company. Proč tomu tak je, vysvětluje expert na inovace a firemní změny Luboš Malý ze sítě Red Button. Moderuje Tatiana Čabáková.

About Ajay Gannerkote:Ajay Gannerkote is a global healthcare leader with deep experience spanning life sciences, medical devices, and healthcare services. Now serving as president of Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a Danaher company, he oversees the organization's growth and strategic direction from Redwood City, California. Before IDT, he led Siemens Healthineers' global ultrasound business as president and head, steering a complex, vertically integrated operation across more than 30 countries. Under his leadership, the business moved from negative growth and margins to strong, sustainable performance, becoming an industry leader in AI-driven clinical technology. Prior to that, he served as Director at KKR Capstone, where he co-led healthcare operations, drove large-scale transformations for portfolio companies, and created significant enterprise value across services and medical device sectors. Ajay spent more than a decade at McKinsey & Company as a partner in the Global Medical Products practice, advising Fortune 500 companies on product development, commercialization, operations, growth strategy, and large-scale turnarounds. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Federal-Mogul, Cambridge Technology Partners, and Infosys, building a foundation in operations, technology, and global business integration. He holds an MBA in Corporate Strategy and Marketing from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Mysore.Things You'll Learn:Genomic technologies, such as NGS and MRD, are enabling earlier cancer detection, sometimes years ahead of traditional diagnostic methods. This early visibility allows clinicians to intervene sooner and build more personalized treatment strategies.Precision medicine is rapidly maturing as high-quality genomic data becomes central to diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy planning. The next era of oncology will rely heavily on personalized, data-driven decisions.Collaboration across industry, researchers, and regulatory bodies is essential for breakthrough medical innovations. A recent case of a rare disease demonstrates how a coordinated effort can compress the journey from diagnosis to therapy into just a few months.Custom manufacturing and high-quality reagents are critical enablers of clinically reliable genomic insights. Tailored solutions allow researchers and clinicians to analyze tumor-specific markers with greater accuracy and confidence.Strong leadership in genomics requires trust, transparency, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. Ajay's “obligation to dissent” principle encourages continuous innovation and pushes teams to think beyond the status quo.Resources:Connect with and follow Ajay Gannerkote on LinkedIn.Follow Integrated DNA Technologies on LinkedIn and visit their website.

Discover how a simple daily ritual can transform your energy, focus, and overall well-being. In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Aisha Chottani, Founder and CEO of Moment, a mood-boosting botanical beverage brand, who shares her journey from high-pressure management consulting to creating a product that supports mind-body health. With a focus on functional ingredients, mindfulness, and ritual-building, Aisha has grown Moment into a movement with thousands of daily users across the country. In this episode, she reveals how thoughtful design, intentional habits, and innovative wellness solutions can help anyone reset, recharge, and thrive. Key Takeaways: → How Moment transforms a beverage into a full mind-body experience. → Why meditation and functional ingredients became central to her brand. → The role of ritual and routine in managing stress and energy. → How packaging and design influence consumer wellness experiences. → Insights on creating a brand that changes culture, not just habits. Aisha Chottani is the founder and CEO of Moment, a pioneering brand at the intersection of wellness, adaptogens, and mindful living. A true global citizen, she grew up in Saudi Arabia and has lived across Pakistan, South Africa, Denmark, and the U.S., gaining a deep appreciation for diverse cultures and holistic traditions. Grounded in South Asian wellness principles, Aisha's lifelong curiosity about natural ingredients like Tulsi, Turmeric, and Chaga fuels her mission to enhance mind-body health through nature. A graduate of Harvard Business School, where she studied leadership and entrepreneurship, Aisha launched multiple ventures and collaborated with international brands before joining McKinsey & Company, where she led global consumer projects. Today, she's recognized as a keynote speaker across e-commerce, food, and adaptogen conferences. Outside of business, Aisha is an avid swimmer, boxing enthusiast, and proud New Yorker who lives life with balance and purpose. Connect With Aisha: Website: https://drinkmoment.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkmoment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drinkmoment X: https://x.com/drinkmoment Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkyourmeditation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a leader reaches the top, the climb doesn't stop, it just changes shape. The real challenge isn't getting to the corner office, it's knowing how to stay relevant, resilient, and ready for what's next. The best CEOs don't just lead well once; they lead well through change, mastering the cycles of their own growth. In this episode, I sit down with Kurt Strovink, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Global Head of McKinsey's CEO Practice, to break down the cyclical nature of leadership from his book A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership. Drawing from research on 200 high-performing CEOs, we explore the four seasons of leadership—stepping up, starting strong, staying ahead, and sending it forward—and what distinguishes those who sustain excellence over time. We dive into how cognitive diversity strengthens decision-making, servant leadership keeps power grounded in purpose, and renewal strategies prevent success from breeding complacency. We also explore how great CEOs develop resilience under pressure and create leadership factories that outlast them. This episode offers CHROs a playbook to help leaders evolve through every phase of their journey, and build organizations capable of thriving through every season of change. ------------ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/ Looking for what actually moves the needle on performance and retention? It's in The 8 Laws of Employee Experience. Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com

Hello, all you great people trying to figure out how to do right by patients. Welcome to it. I was and am always extremely curious if any of what we talk about over here on Relentless Health Value has, in any way, percolated over to your average employer CEO—the ones who do not listen to this show, I mean. For a full transcript of this episode, click here. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter to be a member of the Relentless Tribe. This is what I try to figure out during my conversation upcoming here with John Quinn from Wellnecity® today, and I score some advice to boot for employers in the face of any of these revelations that they may have. That's what's gonna go down today, and this whole endeavor is a decent plan, if I do say so myself, because John Quinn chats up a lot of employer CEOs. He's certainly got a bit of a catbird seat there. So, taking it from the top, I wanted to see how clued in these employer C-suites might be to a fundamental myth, which, if employer folks don't realize it is in fact a myth, it means that a whole lot of transformational power is going nowhere fast. And this myth is the mother of all myths: the "there is a market in healthcare" myth. We've been on a tear about this for three episodes now, at least as it relates to hospitals and health systems. I'm gonna refer everybody to LinkedIn because Luke Trocchio put up a, I don't know what you call it, a reel, highlighting something that Shane Cerone said in episode 490. And then I'm gonna tell you why whatever CEOs at self-insured employers are thinking here makes all the difference in the world. But what Shane said is this, "The myth is that we have a functioning marketplace, and we don't." Shane continues, "What I mean by [there is no actual healthcare market], as somebody who's been a CEO of multiple hospitals and health systems, hospitals don't compete on price for patients. It … doesn't work that way. And so, we don't really have a normal market incentive to reduce cost or, in this case, the price of services in order to remain competitive." Now look, and this isn't rocket science, but it needs to be said out loud. The reason there is no healthcare market largely is because self-insured employers have not insisted upon there being one. Is that fair? I don't know. And whether or not it's fair is irrelevant to this point. Self-insured employers pay for healthcare for, like, 160 million Americans. They are largely the demand curve. They are the demand side of any market that exists. Because you know something that doesn't our market make? You can't ask the supply side to create demand elasticity. You can't get a seller to get a buyer to buy or not buy at some price point. That would be like a comedy skit. Except in this case, you know, patients die or go bankrupt because they can't afford care. So, it's not really all that funny. But if in this country we are depending on health system prices being constrained by a market, and then you don't have a buyer who doesn't buy when the price is higher than the buyer wants to pay or a buyer who doesn't buy unsafe stuff or low-quality goods or services, you're gonna get sky-high prices. Welcome to it right now. Also, if there's no competition, again, no market. But competition a lot of times doesn't surface if there's no point in starting up a business because there's no demand for lower prices or higher-quality care. I mean, if no one cares if you have lower prices or higher quality, then how are you gonna attract patient volume or steal market share, right? Like, unless you're really good at marketing, I guess, or have accumulated market power. I'll say this again. If our whole, the whole healthcare sector pricing structure is built on the myth that there is a market and then there's no market and employers aren't filling for whatever reason, the vital demand side role that they have to play for there to be a market, then, right … hello, 37% renewals like we see coming up in New Jersey. Listen to the show with Kevin Lyons (EP487, Part 1). So, I say all this to say, do employer CEOs even know they have one job here? And I'm not talking about, again, whether or not this is fair, whether they're capable of pulling this off. I'm just distilling this whole thing down to this is the question that remains on the ground. So anyway, this is first and foremost what I go after John Quinn from Wellnecity to figure out today: Where's your average CEO in this learning curve? Now here's some demand curve optimism. The show from two weeks ago with Elizabeth Mitchell (EP491) from PBGH, the Purchaser Business Group on Health. In that show from a couple weeks ago, we talk about what PBGH members, who are very large employers, what they're up to. So, certainly go back and listen to that if you haven't. Okay, so with that, here's my conversation with John Quinn from Wellnecity, as I have mentioned; and you'll get two things out of this conversation. Number one, a level set on what employers' leadership teams are figuring out and why they are figuring this out. (Renewal shocks and employees complaining about affordability much?) But also how the mindset needs to shift in the C-suite for anything to really happen here. In other words, what's the assignment and what's some very top-line advice to get there? That's how I finish up the conversation with John Quinn today. Do just wanna note that Wellnecity so kindly offered to pick up some of the tab to produce this Relentless Health Value show, which, as I keep saying is … yeah, it is expensive to keep this train on the track. People often forget it's not just what goes into the recording, the hosting, the producing, the editing of a podcast, but there also is a whole Web site and an API feed and headshots and graphics and transcriptions and a proofreader. It's a whole thing, guys, even if the host is a volunteer with a day job. So, thanks much to Wellnecity for the contribution to the fund and for coming on the pod today. John Quinn is CEO of Wellnecity. Wellnecity does health plan management for employers that self-fund their health plan. The key role Wellnecity plays is how do they help those employers better manage the spend category called health benefits. This podcast, as I said, is partially sponsored by Wellnecity and also Aventria Health Group. Also mentioned in this episode are Wellnecity; Luke Trocchio; Shane Cerone; Kevin Lyons; Elizabeth Mitchell; Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH); Paul Holmes; Peter Hayes; Healthcare Purchaser Alliance; Mark Cuban; Lauren Vela; Cora Opsahl; Andreas Mang; Jon Camire; Eric Bricker, MD; and Christine Hale, MD, MBA. For a list of healthcare industry acronyms and terms that may be unfamiliar to you, click here. You can learn more at Wellnecity and follow John on LinkedIn.   John Quinn is the founder and CEO of Wellnecity, a health tech innovator on a mission to measurably improve the quality and affordability of employer-sponsored health plans in the United States. Under John's leadership, Wellnecity developed the groundbreaking Smart Hub platform, which integrates data from multiple vendors to simplify health plan management. Smart Hub enables organizations to measure ROI objectively, uncover savings, enhance member engagement, and reduce fiduciary risk. Building on this foundation, Wellnecity has launched its next-generation plan management platform, equipping HR leaders with real-time oversight, vendor accountability, and measurable ROI. The platform empowers leaders to act in the moment, redirecting spend, simplifying oversight, and delivering better healthcare for employees. John is also the author of Benefits Revolution: The Next Generation of Employer-Sponsored Healthcare and is widely regarded as a thought leader in the healthcare space. He believes healthier businesses are built on smarter healthcare for employees, and that data is the key to driving this transformation. Prior to founding Wellnecity, John spent 25 years at Andersen Consulting, Diamond Technology Partners, and McKinsey & Company. He advised Global 1000 companies and high-growth start-ups, helping them build new businesses, products, and channels. His expertise in digitized information and network effects has driven meaningful business model innovation. John is a sought-after speaker on topics such as the benefits revolution, the power of data, fixing what's broken, and health tech leadership. Helping organizations deliver innovation is his mission; fixing what's broken is his passion.   07:06 Why CEOs are looking more closely at healthcare spend. 08:06 EP397 with Paul Holmes. 08:21 How savings and health benefits are directly connected. 10:45 EP436 with Elizabeth Mitchell. 11:46 What missed earnings look like in relation to healthcare. 14:27 How costs have been shifting to employees for years, and why this doesn't work anymore. 17:36 EP475 with Peter Hayes. 18:23 What employers need to do instead of cost shift. 19:12 EP406 with Lauren Vela. 21:30 Why it's important to make health benefit changes at the speed of business, not at the speed of the benefits year. 26:17 Why is it important to put a finance function into your benefits? 27:10 EP488 with Mark Cuban and Cora Opsahl. 27:33 EP478 (Part 1) with Andreas Mang and Jon Camire. 27:35 Why daily data matters. 31:10 EP487 (Part 1) with Kevin Lyons. 31:21 Why it's important to hold vendors accountable. 31:47 Why it's important to move on from vendors who can't hold up to your scrutiny and needs. 33:46 EP472 with Eric Bricker, MD. 34:46 EP471 with Christine Hale, MD, MBA.   You can learn more at Wellnecity and follow John on LinkedIn.   John Quinn gives advice to #employer #CEOs on the #healthcaremarket on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #financialhealth #patientoutcomes #primarycare #digitalhealth #healthcareleadership #healthcaretransformation #healthcareinnovation   Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Dr Sam Flanders and Shane Cerone (EP492), Elizabeth Mitchell (EP491), Shane Cerone and Dr Sam Flanders (Part 1), Dan Greenleaf (Part 2), Dan Greenleaf (Part 1), Mark Cuban and Cora Opsahl, Kevin Lyons (Part 2), Kevin Lyons (Part 1), Dr Stan Schwartz (EP486), Dr Cristin Dickerson

Jen Abel is GM of Enterprise at State Affairs and co-founded Jellyfish, a consultancy that helps founders learn zero-to-one enterprise sales. She's one of the smartest people I've ever met on learning enterprise sales, and in this follow-up to our first chat two years ago (covering the zero to $1 million ARR founder-led sales phase), we focus on the skills founders need to learn to go from $1M to $10M ARR.We discuss:1. Why the “mid-market” doesn't exist2. Why tier-one logos like Stripe and Tesla counterintuitively make the best early customers3. The dangers of pricing your product at $10K-$20K4. Why you need to vision-cast instead of problem-solve to win enterprise deals5. Why services are the fastest way to get your foot in the door with enterprises6. How to find and work with design partners7. When to hire your first salesperson and what profile to look for—Brought to you by:WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUsLovable—Build apps by simply chatting with AICoda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace—Where to find Jen Abel:• X: https://x.com/jjen_abel• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earlystagesales• Website: https://www.jjellyfish.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Welcome back, Jen!(04:38) The myth of the mid-market(08:08) Targeting tier-one logos(10:50) Vision-casting vs. problem-selling(15:35) The importance of high ACVs(20:45)  Don't play the small business game with an enterprise company(25:09) Design partners: the double-edged sword(28:11) Finding the right company(36:55) Enterprise sales: the art of the deal(43:21) The problem with channel partnerships(44:41) Quick summary(50:24) Hiring the right enterprise salespeople(56:49) Structuring sales compensation(01:01:01) Building relationships in enterprise sales(01:02:07) The art of cold outreach(01:07:31) Outbound tooling and AI(01:14:08) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• The ultimate guide to founder-led sales | Jen Abel (co-founder of JJELLYFISH): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/master-founder-led-sales-jen-abel• Mario meme: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/missing-meme-led-me-woman-johann-van-tonder-im6df• Kathy Sierra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Sierra• Cursor: https://cursor.com• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Justin Lawson on X: https://x.com/jjustin_lawson• Stripe: https://stripe.com• Building product at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession | Jeff Weinstein (Product lead): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-product-at-stripe-jeff-weinstein• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• OpenAI's CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more | Kevin Weil (CPO at OpenAI, ex-Instagram, Twitter): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/kevin-weil-open-ai• Anthropic's CPO on what comes next | Mike Krieger (co-founder of Instagram): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/anthropics-cpo-heres-what-comes-next• Linear: https://linear.app• Linear's secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu• Gemini: https://gemini.google.com• Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com• How Palantir built the ultimate founder factory | Nabeel S. Qureshi (founder, writer, ex-Palantir): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-palantir-nabeel-qureshi• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Deloitte: https://www.deloitte.com• Accenture: https://www.accenture.com• Building a world-class sales org | Jason Lemkin (SaaStr): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-a-world-class-sales-org• Peter Dedene on X: https://x.com/peterdedene• Hang Huang on X: https://x.com/HH_HangHuang• Hugo Alves on X: https://x.com/Ugo_alves• A step-by-step guide to crafting a sales pitch that wins | April Dunford (author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting• Clay: https://www.clay.com• Apollo: https://www.apollo.io• Jason Lemkin on X: https://x.com/jasonlk• Gavin Baker on X: https://x.com/GavinSBaker• Jason Cohen on X: https://x.com/asmartbear• Baywatch on Prime Video: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Baywatch/0NU9YS8WWRNQO1NZD5DOQ3I8W6• Playground: https://www.tryplayground.com• ClassDojo: https://www.classdojo.com• Jason Lemkin's post about Replit: https://x.com/jasonlk/status/1946069562723897802—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

We are living in a post-trust era. Trust is at an all-time low, and people are more on guard than ever. How does this impact the property management industry? In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, property management growth expert Jason Hull sits down with Darryl Stickel of Trust Unlimited to talk all about building and maintaining trust. You'll Learn [01:30] The Foundations of Building Trust [06:51] Where Uncertainty Comes From and How to Eliminate it [11:37] The Golden Bridge Formula [21:27] The Role of Vulnerability in Building Trust [31:49] AI and the Post-Trust Era Quotables “Sales and deals happen at the speed of trust.” “Trust is the willingness to be vulnerable when you can't completely predict how someone else is going to behave.” “There's three levers within us as individuals, and those are benevolence, integrity, and ability.” Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:00) This is really what property managers sell. They sell trust. They don't really sell property management.   Darryl (00:03) Yeah. Jason Hull (00:05) All right, I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we have brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry. At DoorGrow, we have spoken to thousands of property management business owners, coached, consulted, and cleaned up hundreds of businesses, helping them add doors, improve pricing, increase profit, simplify operations, and build and replace teams. We are like bar rescue for property managers. In fact, we've cleaned up and rebranded over 300 businesses. We run the leading property management mastermind with more video testimonials and reviews than any other coach or consultant in the industry. And at DoorGrow, we believe that good property managers can change the world and that property management is the ultimate high trust gateway to real estate deals, relationships, and residual income. We are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now, let's get into the show. And today, I am hanging out with Darryl Stickel of Trust Unlimited. Welcome, Darryl to the DoorGrow Show. Darryl (01:26) Thanks for having me, Jason. It's a pleasure to be here. Jason Hull (01:29) It's great to have you. So I'm really excited about the topic of trust because I talk about this all the time. In fact, one of my most common phrases that I say to clients when talking about sales is that sales and deals happen at the speed of trust. And so I'm excited to get into this. So give us a little bit of background on you and then we'll get into the topic at hand. So tell us a little bit about Darryl and how you sort of Darryl (01:45) They do, yeah. Jason Hull (01:56) arrived at Trust Unlimited. Darryl (01:59) Yeah. So I was born and raised in a small town in Northern British Columbia, Canada, fairly isolated community, harsh winter conditions. And so people learned that they had to pull together and it meant that you needed to look out for your neighbor and that if you could help someone, you should. And so growing up in that background, I had a sense of responsibility to others, desire to be helpful. When I was 17 years old, I was playing hockey in a neighboring community and I was attacked by a fan at the club. And he shattered my helmet, knocked me unconscious. I ended up with a severe concussion and I had a visual impairment. I knew that I was going to become legally blind, which I am now. So my plan had been to think for a living. Jason Hull (02:32) I ended up with a severe concussion. And I had a visual impairment. Hmm. ⁓ Darryl (02:46) And now all of a sudden I had the attention span of a fruit fly and I couldn't think. and so this experience promoted a sense of empathy for me because there were such feelings of, of helplessness and hopelessness. And fast forward a few years and I'm studying psychology and moving towards becoming a clinical psychologist. And people would just come up to me and.   Jason Hull (02:52) And so this experience promoted a sense of empathy. I like... Yeah. Darryl (03:08) start telling me their problems. I'd be sitting on a bus and a complete stranger would sit down next to me and say, I'm really having a hard time. And so I wanted to understand why that was happening. And I went and did a master's degree in public administration, worked in native land claims in British Columbia. And they would ask me these sort of deep philosophical questions like, what is self-government or what will the problems look like 50 years after claims are settled? Jason Hull (03:15) So I went to understand why that was happening. And I went to do the master's degree in public administration. I worked in native land claims in British Columbia. They would ask me certain questions like what is self-government? What will the province look like 50 years after claims are settled? The last question they asked me was how do I condescend people who have shafted for over 100 years and should trust us? I thought man, that's Darryl (03:35) The last question they asked me was how do I convince a group of people who have shafted for over a hundred years, they should trust us? I thought, man, that's a good question. So I went to Duke, wrote my doctoral thesis on building trust in hostile environments. Um, had a couple of leading experts in the field of trust on my committee. And when I finished, they said, you know, when you first started, we first came to us, we had a conversation. We agreed too big, too complex. He never solves it. Jason Hull (03:43) So I went to Duke, wrote my doctoral thesis on building trust in hostile environments. Had a couple of leading experts in the field of trust on my committee. And when I finished, said, you know, when you first started, when you first came to us, we had a conversation. We agreed, too big, too complex, you never saw us. Darryl (04:03) We'll give him six months and then he'll come crawling back to us and we'll let him chisel off a little piece of this and that'll be his thesis. I said, six months in, you were so far beyond us, we couldn't help anymore. All we could do was sit and listen. And here we are years later, we think you've solved it. And so I went and worked for McKinsey and Company, a big management consulting firm, and got to start applying the concepts that I'd learned. Jason Hull (04:03) gave him six months to come from the back to us. we just left with a piece of this. would be the thesis. He said six months in, you were so far beyond us, couldn't help it. All we could do was send him us. And here we are years later, we're all sold. And so I went and worked for McKinsey Company, a big management consultant for him. Yeah. Darryl (04:25) And then on the way to a client side, was involved in a car accident, ended up with post-concussion syndrome again, and couldn't work those kinds of hours anymore. So I just started a small company called Trust Unlimited and started helping people better understand what trust was, what it is, how it works, and most importantly, how to build it. Jason Hull (04:36) started helping people better understand what trust was, what it is, how it works, and most importantly how it goes. And that's quite the journey. That's quite the story. And so now this is what your, this is your gig. This is what you focus on. You focus on helping people understand trust. Yeah. Darryl (04:52) Yeah, it's what I've devoted my career and my life to. And so for the last 20 years, I've been helping nonprofits, private sector, public sector, Canadian military got me to help them figure out how to try to build trust with the locals in Afghanistan. Yeah, so I've been trying to help solve problems. Jason Hull (05:10) Well, let's make this one of those opportunities for you to help some people that are listening figure out this challenge of trust. Because trust, really feel like, is fundamental and foundational to any relationship and to sales and to growing a business and all of that. Darryl (05:27) It is. It's so critical for your audience because they need the trust of the property owners, but they also need the trust of the tenants. They act as an intermediary and so they need to be experts at building relationships with others. Jason Hull (05:36) Yeah. Right. Yeah. So I'm sure this is, I don't know if this can be answered in a short time period, but give us an idea of how do we create trust from scratch? How do we make this work? What did you figure out? Darryl (05:56) Yeah, so we start with the definition, trust is the willingness to be vulnerable when you can't completely predict how someone else is going to behave. And that definition has two elements in it. It's got perceived uncertainty and perceived vulnerability. And those actually multiply together to give us a level of perceived risk. So we've got uncertainty times vulnerability gives us a level of perceived risk. We each have a threshold of risk that we can tolerate. Jason Hull (06:03) Okay. Darryl (06:21) If we go beyond that threshold, we don't trust. If we're beneath it, then we do. And so.   If we want to understand trust, need to understand where does uncertainty come from? Where do perceptions of vulnerability come from? And how do we take steps to manage those? Because early in a relationship, uncertainty is really high. means we can only tolerate a small range of vulnerability and still fit beneath that threshold. As that relationship gets deeper, the uncertainty declines, the range of vulnerability we can tolerate starts to grow. Jason Hull (06:41) Right. that relationship gets deeper, the uncertainty declines, the range of vulnerability increases. And so really, for your audience, it's going to be about how do I take steps to understand somebody else's uncertainty. Darryl (06:51) And so really for your audience, it's going to be about how do I take steps to understand somebody else's uncertainty? How do I help reduce it? Jason Hull (07:00) What are some typical examples of uncertainty that people might have? Darryl (07:06) Yeah. So uncertainty comes from two places. comes from us as individuals and it comes from the context we're embedded in. And so for owners, their uncertainty is what are the tenants doing? How are they treating the property? Is it going to be well maintained? Are they going to pay on time? And so property managers can help manage that by helping them set up contracts, helping. Jason Hull (07:17) Hmm. Yeah. Darryl (07:31) by reviewing the property on an occasional basis, monitoring behavior patterns for tenants, understanding tenant behavior in a way that most property managers don't have the opportunity to, or property owners don't have the property, because you see a much broader swath of humanity than the typical property owner does. You're more engaged, you're on the ground. And so, Jason Hull (07:35) monitoring behavior patterns for tenants, understanding tenant behavior in way that most property managers... Because you see a much broader swath of humanity than the typical property of the country. You're more engaged, you're on the ground. And so if we start to think about how we reduce uncertainty, uncertainty comes from me and it comes from the context. Well, what are the things that I can do as a property manager to reduce some of this uncertainty? Darryl (07:59) If we start to think about how we reduce uncertainty, uncertainty comes from me and it comes from the context. Well, what are the things that I can do as a property manager to reduce somebody's uncertainty? There's three levers within us as individuals, and those are benevolence, integrity, and ability. Jason Hull (08:18) benevolence you said in integrity what was the last what was the third one ability ability yeah okay got it I got it okay Darryl (08:19) integrity and ability and benevolence is just ability, competence. Yeah. Can I do the job?   And so Jason, we, all have the ability to build trust with others. Just some are better than others at it. Those who aren't very good have a lever that they pull and they pull that lever over and over again and just hope it lines up. Those who are better have multiple levers. Those who are really good have multiple levers and they know when to pull which one. And so. Jason Hull (08:37) This one. Hmm. ⁓ So what I do is I walk people through the different levers and help explain how to pull them. So benevolence is just the belief you got my best interest. Darryl (08:54) What I do is I walk people through the different levers and then help explain how to pull them. So benevolence is just the belief you've got my best interest at heart and that you'll act in my best interest. Jason Hull (09:03) Right. Darryl (09:06) So as a property manager, you're thinking about what does the property owner's best interest look like? What does success look like for them? How do I help them get there? Integrity is do I follow through on my promises and do my actions line up with the values that I express? Jason Hull (09:16) integrity is do I follow through on my promises? ⁓   Darryl (09:22) And so what are the both the explicit promises I'm making to people and the implied promises, the things that they're expecting from me. And then ability is, I actually have the competence to do the job? And a lot of times when we pull the ability lever, we make assumptions about what excellence looks like, but we don't include the other person in that conversation. Jason Hull (09:41) Hmm. Okay. Darryl (09:41) So as a property manager, you may think having the right forms in place and, you know, having a scheduled set of routines and you've got an idea of what excellence looks like. But if you actually included your stakeholders in that conversation, you might come up with a different list of things. And that's both the property owner and the tenant. Jason Hull (09:49) scheduled set of routines and you've got an idea of what essence of something. But if you actually included your stakeholders in that conversation, like both the property owner and tenant. Darryl (10:03) So including them in that conversation can be really eye-opening. Jason Hull (10:03) So including them in that conversation could be really helpful. Yeah. Yeah, just making sure you're both on the same page. Darryl (10:09) And then exactly. And we interpret the world through stories. one of the challenges that your audience faces is that they may have a story about what's going on with the property. The owner might have a different story and the tenant might have a third story. And that's where we run into conflict. Jason Hull (10:14) What are the challenges that your audience faces? they may have a story about what's going on. Yeah. Right. And so if we're not active, you know, a lot of times I'll talk to owners and senior executives and I'll tell them about those three levers and they'll say, well, I do all Darryl (10:29) And so if we're not active, you know, a lot of times I'll talk to owners and senior executives and I'll tell them about those three levers and they'll say, well, I do all those things. And my response will always be says who, because if it's me telling you I'm benevolent, Jason, it doesn't carry a lot of freight. You have to actually believe it. Right. So I need to include you in the conversation to understand. Jason Hull (10:42) And my response will always be, says who? Because if it's me telling you about the devil, Jason, going to carry a lot of freight. Right. I need to include you in the conversation to understand what are your best interests? How do I help you be successful? What are your best Darryl (10:56) What are your best interests? How do I help you be successful? What are your values? What are your, what's your understanding of my values and the actions I take? And can I tell a story about each decision I make and how it aligns with my values? Am I transparent about following through on my commitments? Do I say to you, I'm going to check the property every three months or every six months or once a year. Here's how I'm going to do that. Here's how I'm going to monitor.   Jason Hull (11:11) Okay. Am I transparent and I follow through on my commitments? Do I say to you, I'm going to check the property every three months or every six months or once a year? Here's how I'm going to do that. Here's how I'm going to monitor it. And then do I follow up with the owner and say, Darryl (11:28) And then do I follow up with the owner and say, as per our agreement or as per my commitment, this is me following up on the promise that I made. Jason Hull (11:31) As for our Okay, so Darryl, I love this. This aligns a lot with a book that I'm writing right now called The Golden Bridge Formula. And this Golden Bridge Formula is something that I've used in creating trust quickly in order to facilitate sales. And it's a formula that I've taught my clients. And I think it aligns really well with this. And the basic formula is, Darryl (11:44) Okay. Okay. Jason Hull (12:00) It's based on the idea that everybody trusts others to follow their own motives, to do what's in their best self-interest. We generally can trust that. And so the Golden Bridge formula is basically in simple form is me sharing my personal why, what drives and motivates me, connecting it to the business and the business's why, and then connecting the business why to the prospects why, or your targets why, like what they want. Darryl (12:07) Okay. Jason Hull (12:26) which means you have to figure out their why first, right? You gotta figure out and ask questions first and then you can share and reveal. You know, once you figure out what they want, you can share and where they wanna go. You can share your motives. so, the more extended version of the formula is personal why, what that means, plus the business why, what that means, which is where we get into the values of the company, stuff like this. And then connect it to the prospects why and what that would mean for them. And this is... Darryl (12:47) right. Jason Hull (12:52) One of my greatest shortcuts for getting somebody that's terrible at sales to do sales in an authentic way and dramatically increase their close rate. Because any objection really always boils down to, I don't trust you. That's really the only true objection in sales. I don't trust your product or your service enough to believe that it's worth the price or that it's actually gonna work or it's gonna benefit me. The one thing people trust is for others to be selfish. Darryl (13:00) Nice. Right. Jason Hull (13:20) They trust people to do what's in their best interest. So if I can share my motivation, my golden bridge, and the actual bridge is the business. The business is this vehicle that gets me what I want and it gets my client what they want, right? And so if I can relate that, it creates this connection where we can both trust each other because if I'm selfish, I am able to help them and I get what I want. And so I'll give you my example. Darryl (13:34) Right. Jason Hull (13:46) personal why is to inspire others to love true principles. And so what that means is I love learning what works and sharing it with other people. I would do that for free for fun. I love paying for it. I take it coaches and mentors and door grow secretly not so secretly exist because I love being able to spend a lot of money on coaches, mentors, programs to be able to learn new stuff that I can turn around and then benefit and share with other entrepreneurs, with my clients. Darryl (14:12) Great. Jason Hull (14:13) And they can trust that if I continue to do that, I'm going to benefit them. DoorGrow exists because everyone on my team, our why at DoorGrow is to transform property management business owners and their businesses. And so everybody on my team buys into that. We want to see our clients win and we want to change their businesses. And so that's why they come to us. And so they know if they come to us that I'm going to continue to learn, I'm going to continue to share the best stuff that I can find. in hopes that we achieve this business goal because it selfishly feeds my addiction to learning and it's going to benefit them. It's a win-win-win for everybody that's involved. Darryl (14:46) Right. Yeah, that's a powerful approach, finding shared superordinate goals, right? Finding the overlap between wins for both of us. And partly that requires, you're right, the conversation with the other to find out what their goals and objectives are, how we help them be successful. It also requires an awareness on our part of what our goals and objectives are. Right. And I mean, for me, I'm trying to have a positive impact on the world. Jason Hull (14:55) Hmm. Yeah. It also requires an awareness on heart rate.   And I mean, for me, I'm trying to have a positive impact on the world. I get a charge out of it. Trying to make the world a place. And so I'm trying to get the signal through the noise. There's a number of folks who've said I'm one of the world's leading experts on trust. There's a couple of well-placed people who said I'm the guy. I'm just really trying to have as much positive impact as I can. Darryl (15:15) I get a charge out of trying to make the world better place. And so I'm trying to get the signal through the noise. There's a number of folks who've said, I'm one of the world's leading experts on trust. There's a couple of well-placed people who've said I'm the guy. Um, and I'm just really trying to have as much positive impact as I can. And you're right. It's selfish. I've got two sons that are 24 and 21. I want the world to be a better place for them. And I like it when people are able to be successful and have powerful, productive relationships because I believe that that's one of the few things we actually control. It's how we show up in the world, how we engage with others. Jason Hull (15:49) I love it. Yeah, great stuff Let's pause there and I'll share a little word from our sponsor and then we'll get back into the topic of trust because I really love this topic. And I know that this is super beneficial because This is really what property managers sell. They sell trust. They don't really sell property management. All right. So our sponsor is CoverPest. CoverPest is the easy and seamless way to add on-demand pest control to your resident benefit package. Residents love the simplicity of submitting a service request. Darryl (16:18) Yeah. Jason Hull (16:33) and how affordable it is compared to traditional pest control options. Investors love knowing that their property is kept pest free and property managers love getting their time back and making more revenue per door. Simply put, CoverPest is the easiest way to handle pest control issues at all your properties. To learn more and to get special door grow pricing, visit coverpest.com/doorgrow. That's coverpest.com/doorgrow. All right, Darryl. back to trust. Cool. I love this idea. You talked about benevolence, integrity, and your ability, and figuring out how to relate those in a way that is believable to others. I shared a little bit about my Golden Bridge formula. I'm curious what you think of that because you're the expert on trust. Maybe I'll have to quote you in my book or something. Darryl (17:04) Yeah. Right. Yeah. that'd be awesome. Yeah. So I think part of the DoorGrow principle or part of the golden bridge principle is finding a way to be benevolent and have it be transparent. Right. Because what I, the conversation I convince, or I get my clients, my coaching clients to go through is find someone to practice with. Cause that's how we really learn and have the following conversation. Jason Hull (17:37) Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Darryl (17:52) I heard this guy, Darryl, he was talking about trust. He said that benevolence is really important, which is just a fancy word for having someone's best interest or having their back. And I think I do that, but it doesn't always seem to land that way. Have you ever experienced that? Jason Hull (18:00) Sure, yeah,   Darryl (18:07) Yeah, and just what everyone has. And so... Now we get curious and we ask the other person, can you think of an example of when you tried to act on someone's behalf and it backfired or they had the wrong story? And it creates this conversation and it starts priming them. Then we narrow the funnel and we say, has someone ever really had your back? Have they ever really looked out for you? What did they do? How did it feel? Jason Hull (18:12) Now, we get curious and we ask the other person, can you think of an example of when you tried to act on someone's behalf and it backfired or they had the wrong story? And it creates this conversation and starts priming them. Then we narrow the funnel and we say, has someone ever really had your back? Have they ever really looked out for you? What did they do? How did it feel? Now we're priming them even more. Darryl (18:36) Now we're priming them even more and we're getting a chance to get some hints about what benevolence looks like for that person. So that when we do try to pull that lever, it really lands. Then we narrow the funnel further and we say, a success for you. How do I help you get there? What would it look like if I had your best interest at heart? And that's what you guys do every day when you're trying to help companies grow the number of doors that they sell. Jason Hull (18:38) And we're getting a chance to get some hints about what benevolence looks like to that person. So that when we do try to pull that lever, it really lands. Then we narrow the funnel further and say, what's success for you? How do I help you get there? What would it look like if I had your best interest and heart? And that's what you guys do every day when you're trying to help companies grow the number of doors that they sell. You're trying to help them be successful. Darryl (19:04) you're trying to help them be successful. And so. Jason Hull (19:08) Absolutely. It sounds like almost a variation of a common sales question that some call the crystal ball question, which is like, 12 months from now, if we were to work together, how would you know that this was a success? What would success look like? If this was a win for you, what would have been true for you to feel like this was really a great decision? Darryl (19:23) Right. Right. And then here's how I'm going to help you get there. And it opens up the opportunity for us to be transparent moving forward. Because we can say, you remember when you told me this is what mattered to you? This is what success looked like? This is me doing that. So there isn't room for misinterpretation or a crossing of the wires. Now context is the other element of uncertainty, right? It's the rules of the game. Jason Hull (19:41) This is me doing that. So there isn't room for misinterpretation or crossing the border. Now, context is the other element of uncertainty. Right? It's the rules of the game. And you just talked about pest cover. That's a way to change the context so that there's a structured system in place where people can respond more consistently. It reduces uncertainty. Darryl (19:55) and you just talked about CoverPest. that's a way to change the context so that there's a structured system in place where people can respond more consistently. It reduces uncertainty. Similar with the programs that you develop for your clients. was listening to one of your podcasts around leadership. You have offerings that help them change the context. So it becomes more automated, more consistent, which creates a greater consistency for property owners and for clients or tenants that you're interacting with.   Jason Hull (20:09) Similar with the programs that you develop for your clients. was listening to one of your podcasts around leadership. You have offerings that help them change the context so it becomes more automated, more consistent, which creates a greater consistency for property owners and for clients or tenants that you're interacting with. And so you're taking steps to reduce uncertainty. Darryl (20:34) And so you're taking steps to reduce uncertainty. So how do we have a conversation with property managers about doing that same thing, about putting rules and regulations in place that govern their behavior, that push them towards a more consistent place? Jason Hull (20:38) So how do we have a conversation with property managers about doing that same thing? About putting rules and regulations in place that govern their behavior, that push them towards a Yeah, yeah, could be, I mean, it's a lot of factors go into this, right? Like their company core values certainly is how they might go about doing this. Their policies and procedures goes into more specific tactical implementation of those values. And then you're getting into like, what's the motive behind it? Which is where we maybe define like some sort of external focused client centric mission statement. Which. Darryl (20:57) Yep. and the incentive structures and the job descriptions, right? Jason Hull (21:16) relates to that benevolence. Yeah,   so even with individual team members having really solid job descriptions where there's clear outcomes defined. Yeah. Darryl (21:27) Then we go to the vulnerability side of the equation. Sometimes a sale doesn't happen because people feel too vulnerable. They want to find a solution that's cheaper or easier. Think about ice cream stores that let you try a sampling of different flavors before you buy. Or retail outlets that have return policies that are very generous. These are all ways for them to reduce your perceived vulnerability. Jason Hull (21:27) And we could They want to find a solution that's cheaper or easier. Think about ice cream store. Yeah. Darryl (21:52) So if I'm trying to grow doors, partly I want to get referrals, but partly I also want to have an opportunity for people to try me out a little bit so that they can reduce that uncertainty so that we've got varying levels of vulnerability that they can experience with us so that our relationship with them can grow over time. And so does that mean that I'm having conversations with them, sharing information with them, giving things to them for free? Jason Hull (21:53) So if I'm trying to grow doors, partly I want to get referrals. But partly I also want to have an opportunity for people to try me out a little bit so that they can reduce that uncertainty so that we've got varying levels of vulnerability that they can experience with us. So that our relationship with them can grow over time. So does that mean that I'm having conversations with them, sharing information with them, giving things to them for free? Darryl (22:22) so that they start to get a better sense of who I am and what my why is, and they can see the consistency between my values that I've expressed and the actions I'm taking. Jason Hull (22:22) so that they start to get a better sense of who I am and what my line is. And they can see the consistency between the lines that I've expressed in the actual company. Darryl (22:32) Once we've made the trust decision, we have what I call perceived outcomes. So we can have exactly the same experience, but have dramatically different interpretation of what's just happened. And we, in the outcome section, we have two levers. There's was the outcome a success or a failure and who gets the credit, who gets the blame. And because we interpret the world through stories, if we're not active in the creation of the narrative, Jason Hull (22:32) Once we've made the trust decision, we have what I call perceived outcomes. So we can have exactly the same experience, but have dramatically different interpretation of what's just happened. And we, in the outcome section, we have two levers. There's, what is the outcome of success or failure? And who gets the credit? Who gets the blame? And because we interpret the world through stories, if we're not active in the creation of the narrative, Darryl (23:01) we run the risk of people coming up with a completely different story from ours. And that perceived outcome then feeds back into our next interaction with that same person. Jason Hull (23:02) we run the risk of people coming up with a completely different story from ours. And that perceived outcome that feeds back into our next day of rationing that same person. True. Yeah. In the middle of all this, Jason, is our emotional states. So 99 % of the trust research treats people like rational actors. You've met people, right? Darryl (23:13) In the middle of all this, Jason, is our emotional states. So 99 % of the trust research treats people like rational actors. You've met people, right? Jason Hull (23:24) Yeah, they're not rational actors. We're not. We're emotional actors. Yeah.   Darryl (23:25) we're not always rational. And the more emotional, yeah, the more emotional we become, the less rational we are. Right? And so we, need to find a way to reset those emotional states before we pull these other levers because otherwise we're just wasting our time. Jason Hull (23:35) Yeah. Right. So we need to find a way to reset those emotions. Right, yeah. If we start trying to attack their story or start trying to attack when they're already preloaded or angry with logic, it's not generally gonna be super effective. Darryl (23:55) doesn't tend to work. And so the research that I do and the doctoral thesis that I wrote is different from most of the trust research in a few different ways. One is I include context, which the other work tends not to, which helps explain why we trust some people without knowing anything about them, right? Go to a doctor's office. Doctor says, off your clothes and, and you do, right? Jason Hull (24:11) Hmm. Yeah, they're kind of an earned authority in some people's minds. They've got the lab coat and they are the person we were shown to after we got through the lobby. And so we're like, I guess I will do what they tell me to do unless it gets weird. Yeah. So now take that and shift it from a doctor's office to a gas station restroom. Same two people, guys wearing the white lab coat. Darryl (24:20) Yeah. Yeah. So now take that and shift it from a doctor's office to a gas station restroom. Same two people, guys wearing the white lab coat.   Same conversation, take off your clothes. goes from credible to creepy in a heartbeat, right? Jason Hull (24:42) Right, context is definitely going to have an impact. Darryl (24:46) And then I include vulnerability, which most of the trust research doesn't, which means that trust is a continuous variable, not a dichotomous one, right? Dichotomous variable means that it's like an old time light switch. It's either present or absent. Reality is we trust some people more than the others and the trust can grow and evolve over time. Yeah. And so what I do is I try to help people learn how to build deeper relationships. Jason Hull (24:51) which means that trust is a continuous forever. The conness variable means that it's like a Right. It's on or off. Yeah. Yeah. It's a spectrum. Darryl (25:15) so that they're more resilient. So that when something goes wrong, you don't lose clients. And when things go wrong, because they inevitably go wrong, right? Jason Hull (25:20) Right. Darryl (25:27) Our response is given the most positive story you can. Tenants who leave for one reason or another aren't bad mouthing our company or are less likely to. That's what trust buys us. Jason Hull (25:28) Our response is given the most positive story you can.   Tendents to leave for one reason or another aren't bad. likely to, that's what trespassers. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. They give us the benefit of the doubt if we, and I think, you know, a lot of this is established even before the sale, during the sales process, that's how we get to the sale. And then afterwards, how we onboard them can have a massive impact so that they don't have buyer's remorse. And, you know, it's that beginning of the relationship because it's so fresh and new, it's where we're kind of establishing. Darryl (26:00) Yeah. Jason Hull (26:07) and showcasing benevolence, integrity, and ability, right? Darryl (26:11) That's right. And we're setting that story for the future interactions that we have so that they look for confirming evidence. Jason Hull (26:18) Yeah, because if we create some confirming strong evidence in the beginning and then something is out of congruence or there's something seems off to them, they may give us the benefit of the doubt. They may look at this and go, well, they've always been good to me in the past. So maybe something's off here. So they might be a little more open to having a conversation to understand why things went the way they did. Right. Darryl (26:39) Right, they might give you the opportunity to retain their business rather than just leave it. Jason Hull (26:44) Yeah, got it. Cool. Well, yeah, this is really fascinating. I really have enjoyed this. Is there anything in wrapping up that you feel would make a big impact for people that are wanting to increase this? Maybe how do they know how vulnerable to be without making themselves look like they're incompetent and hurt the ability thing? Yeah. Darryl (26:44) Yeah. Yeah. So share, don't scare, right? Yeah. ⁓ a lot of times when I talk about building trust, I talk about small dose of vulnerability, share, don't scare, you know, acknowledge that you're not perfect or that you don't know something or that you're curious about the other party. and heavy dose of benevolence. So Jason Hull (27:09) Yeah. Hmm. videos Darryl (27:26) really trying to find out what's in the best interest of the other party. ⁓ I think if we do it right, if we engage with a small dose of vulnerability to start, it triggers a natural response in the other party to want to respond the same way. Jason Hull (27:29) Right. I if we do it... gauge with a small dose Yeah. Well, I have a good example. So I have a client and I thought I was being benevolent. He felt he hadn't really utilized our services for a couple of months or a few months because he was focused on other things. So he was looking to cancel. So I said, hey, why don't we discount your monthly fee down to like a third and to take care of you and make sure you're getting the benefit. And Darryl (27:44) And yeah. Okay. Jason Hull (28:07) I got on a call with him and he hadn't really fulfilled his part of the deal, which was he was gonna work on adding another 25 units in outdoors and I was gonna sponsor him or lower our fee for two to three months. And he came back and he was like, well, I thought you were gonna let me continue this indefinitely until I got 100 doors. And I'm like, but you're not doing any work. So he's frustrated, I'm frustrated and he's wanting to cancel and... Darryl (28:30) Great. Jason Hull (28:35) I want to let him cancel because I feel like he's taking advantage of me and our team's goodwill. But I can see he feels that we'd sort of made some promise, even though we misunderstood it, that we would just help him indefinitely until he got to 100 doors, regardless of whether he's doing the work or not. Darryl (28:51) Right. Yeah, and sometimes being benevolent isn't being nice. Right. Jason Hull (28:52) Yeah, and sometimes you... Hmm. Yeah, yeah, sometimes people what people need is a punch in the face metaphorically. Yeah. Darryl (29:02) Right. Or a kick in the butt. Yeah. So my, my son wanted to get a baseball scholarship and he told me that. And I said, well, to do that, you need to have good grades. You need to work hard. You need to play well. You've got to be a good coach, a good assistant to the coach. Like the coach needs to like you to advocate on your behalf and you've got to be a good teammate. And so I, I said, I'm going to.   Jason Hull (29:08) Hmm. Do that. Yeah. ⁓ on your behalf. And so I said, I'm going to ask you about all these things. so I'm like, are you eating right? you doing your homework? Are going to get good grades? Are you working hard? And so I'm asking him all the things that parents don't ask their kids, except that he perceives it as me having his back, not being on his back. so holding into a count in that moment, similarly, if we've got Darryl (29:29) ask you about all these things. And so I'm like, are you eating right? Are you doing your homework? Cause you gotta get good grades. Are you working hard? And so I'm asking him all the things that parents normally ask their kids, except that he perceives it as me having his back, not being on his back. And so holding him to account in that moment, you know, and similarly, if, if we've got people in our office who want promotions, well, Jason Hull (29:54) in our office who want promotion. Well, that means that you need to show up like that. Darryl (29:58) That means that you need to show up like that new role. Right? I need to be confident that you can handle that role before I give it to you. So that means I need to ask more of you. I need to hold you to a higher standard. Need to push you harder. And if your client says he's going to get 25 doors and he hasn't... Jason Hull (30:03) I need to be confident that you can handle that role before I give it to you. So that means I need to ask more of you. I need to hold you to a higher standard. I to push you harder. And if your client says he's gonna get 25 doors and he hasn't... Darryl (30:23) then the response may well be, want you to be successful, but right now I'm just enabling you to kind of coast. And I may not be the right solution for you at this moment. Jason Hull (30:23) then the response may well be, I want you to be successful, but right now I'm just unable to cut costs. And I may not be the right switch for you at this point. Yeah, yeah, it's true. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I don't need his money, so I generally wanna help him grow, but yeah, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink, I guess. But you can't the roads, right? Darryl (30:43) Yeah. Right. Yeah. And so if you really want to have his best interests at heart, it starts to become a conversation of what's getting in the way. How do we help pull away some of those barriers that you're experiencing? And if, if we're just part of the noise, then we probably need to stop for awhile. Jason Hull (30:48) I don't know. Yeah, and so if you really want to have these best interests at heart hmm it starts to become a conversation of what's getting Yeah Right is there something else that would help you be more productive and if you Darryl (31:11) Is there something else that would help you be more productive? And if you really had his best interest at heart, you might have other solutions or suggestions that you could offer to him.   Jason Hull (31:17) If you really have his best interest in art, you might have other solutions or suggestions that you can offer him. Yeah. And I have, yeah. He doesn't want to do the sales. So I said, you need to get a salesperson and you need to hire. Yeah. Yeah. So, Well, Darryl, I really appreciate this. This is really interesting. I'd like to stay connected. think, I think your, you know, your message and I would be very interested in reading your book. What's the name of your book if people are looking? Darryl (31:29) Yeah. Yeah. It's called building trust, exceptional leadership in the times of uncertainty. Jason Hull (31:48) That's good for today. Yeah, we're living what a lot are calling the post trust era. Darryl (31:49) Yeah. Trust levels are the lowest we've ever measured. And if you think about the model that I proposed, our vulnerability hasn't really gone down, but our uncertainty is bouncing all over the place. it makes asking people to trust us just a little more hard, a little more difficult than it has been in the past. Jason Hull (32:01) Yeah Yeah, I think one good final question is how do you perceive trust being impacted by AI? Because a lot of people are trying to leverage AI, use AI. They're pretending that it's them that did something and they're using AI. What do you see for the future of trust related to this AI revolution that we're going through right now? I think it's going to be an extreme challenge. think social media has caused problems to start with. Yeah. Darryl (32:29) I think it's going to be an extreme challenge. think social media has caused problems to start with. ⁓ Our relationships tend to be a mile wide and an inch deep now. They're not as resilient as they used to be. Jason, when I grew up, I could be an idiot multiple times in a row and people were stuck with me. And so I learned. Now people have this feeling that if I make one mistake, I'm done. Jason Hull (32:42) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Disposable friendships and relationships. Darryl (32:56) And I'll just find somebody, some other group to hang out with on the internet. we need to be more right and isolated and lonely and talking to AI, like it's a real human being. And so I think we need to be more intentional than we've ever been about building trust. And that's, that's why I do the work I do. Jason Hull (33:00) And then we end up in these echo chambers for sure. Right. And isolated at moment, not in AI, like it's really easy to be. Okay, yeah. And so I think we need to be more intentional than we've ever been to build trust. Yeah, yeah. And that's why I do the work I do. Yes, I think it's more valuable than ever. more valuable than ever, yeah. Darryl (33:21) I try to teach people how to build stronger relationships. Yeah. Jason Hull (33:27) Yeah, and I think it'll become more valuable. I think that our failings and flaws as human will become more valuable because we're imperfect. And I think that humanity is going to be, or just our humanness is gonna be a premium. It's gonna be a premium experience to be able to be with a human. And so I think that relationships will matter even more and trust certainly. Darryl (33:50) Yeah. Jason Hull (33:52) And there's a lot of people that are trying to eliminate the need for trust. It's like forced blockchain stuff and tech and things are defined and there's no way they could steal, or lie. And like we force it so we can eliminate the need for trust. And maybe there's a little progress that can be made that way, but I think for sure trust will be a premium. Yeah, it's, it may eliminate. Darryl (33:58) Yeah. Yeah, it may eliminate our need for trust, it doesn't eliminate the need for us to be able to build trust with others. We still need to engage with other human beings. Jason Hull (34:18) Yeah. Yeah, well said. Well, Darryl, how can people get in touch with you or find out more about what you do? Tell us a little bit about what your offerings are and how they can get in touch. Darryl (34:23) Yeah. Right. So I offer executive coaching, consulting, uh, training and development, uh, workshops, those kinds of things. Uh, the book was written because I don't want what I know to go away if I do. and they can find me on my website at trust unlimited.com. Uh, there's a blog section there with plenty of articles and topics like rebuilding trust with the police or. Jason Hull (34:45) because I don't And they can find me on my website at trustunlimited.com. There's a blog section there with plenty of articles and topics like rebuilding trust with the police or Darryl (35:01) Trust in parenting or trust in leadership. ⁓ I have a podcast called the imperfect cafe. ⁓ Jason Hull (35:02) trusting parenting or trusting leadership. I have a podcast called The Uperca Cafe. Darryl (35:09) and they can reach out to me directly by email at Darryl at trust unlimited.com. Jason Hull (35:09) and they can reach out to me directly by email, darryl.trusthumbln.com. Perfect. Darryl, it's been a pleasure. Appreciate you coming on the show. Thanks for being here. Thanks for the opportunity. Absolutely. All right. So for those of you that enjoyed the show and you maybe have felt stuck or stagnant and you want to take your property management business to the next level, you can reach out to us at doorgrow.com. Darryl (35:22) Thanks for the opportunity, Jason. Jason Hull (35:37) Also join our free Facebook community just for property management business owners at doorgrowclub.com. And if you want tips, tricks, ideas, and to learn about our offers, subscribe to our newsletter by going to doorgrow.com slash subscribe. And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review. We'd really appreciate it. And until next time, remember the slowest path to growth is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.

As a Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Russ brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a wealth of financial and operational expertise to Transom. He thrives on solving complex problems, and has earned a reputation as a responsive, proactive leader, investor, and business-builder. Russ manages Transom day-to-day, plays an active role in new investment evaluation & execution and with portfolio companies, and is a member of the investment committee. Prior to forming Transom, Russ was a Junior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on operational transformations across several industries and worked in the firm's Private Equity Practice.  Prior to McKinsey, Russ was a product developer at Microsoft and an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he executed corporate finance transactions for technology companies. Russ graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Russ is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization, Santa Monica Bay Chapter.  

Christiana Smith Shi is a seasoned leader in global, multichannel retail, co-author of national, best-selling book Career Forward: Strategies From Women Who've Made It, founder and principal at Lovejoy Advisors, LLC., and an experienced corporate director on multiple Fortune 100 boards. Christiana made an early career pivot from finance to join McKinsey & Company, where she ultimately served as Senior Partner. After 25 years in management consulting, Christiana became the President of Direct-to-Consumer at Nike. In 2016, she retired from Nike and founded Lovejoy Advisors to help provide guidance around digital transformation for consumer and retail businesses. She joins Roy to share insights into navigating a rewarding career, talent lessons from McKinsey and Nike, and much more. Highlights from our conversation include:The timely issue that prompted her to write a book (3:58)Why Christiana puts career first, job second (9:18)How to take a strategic long view with your career (10:55)Advice for building “professional equity” (15:27)What it means to “think like an investor” when it comes to your career (16:58)Christiana's core leadership philosophy (22:20)Her perspective on the value of leadership coaching (25:38)The role of feedback as a leader (26:47)Lessons learned about hiring and talent and the major differences between hiring at McKinsey and Nike (30:25)How Christiana worked to integrate her team into the culture of Nike (35:35)Identifying strengths and opportunities of a team (37:20)How to avoid what she calls "benevolent stagnation” (42:09)How Christiana has applied her career experience and strategies to her work on boards (45:19)Advice for landing board roles (46:45)The ultimate payoff of a rewarding career and what Christiana is thinking about for the future (55:05)Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities.Subscribe to How I Hire:AppleSpotifyAmazon

Women control more wealth than ever—so how do you find an advisor who listens, explains clearly, and shares your values? According to McKinsey & Company, by 2030, women are expected to control nearly two-thirds of U.S. assets—around $30 trillion. With that kind of stewardship comes both opportunity and responsibility. Today, Sharon Epps joins us to share five simple practices that women should expect from their financial advisors.Sharon Epps is the President of Kingdom Advisors, FaithFi's parent organization. Kingdom Advisors serves the broad Christian financial industry by educating and equipping professionals to integrate biblical wisdom and financial expertise.Key Practices Every Client Should Look ForWhen it comes to choosing a financial advisor, women don't need a different standard—they simply need the right standard done well. At Kingdom Advisors, we train Certified Kingdom Advisors (CKAs®) to integrate biblical wisdom into their practices while also serving clients with excellence and care.If you're interviewing an advisor, here are five practices to watch for. These principles will help you find someone who not only understands finances but also values clarity, empathy, and shared purpose.1. Clear TerminologyFinancial jargon can be overwhelming. Terms like RIA or CFP® often make sense only to industry insiders. A good advisor should be able to pause, explain concepts in everyday language, and use analogies that make complex ideas easier to understand. Look for someone who welcomes your questions and ensures you truly understand the path forward.2. A Warm and Welcoming EnvironmentWe often say to “light a candle”—not literally, but figuratively. The goal is to create a space that feels safe and welcoming, rather than intimidating. Just like hotels offer warm cookies to make guests feel at home, a thoughtful advisor will create an environment where you feel respected and comfortable.3. Transparency in All ThingsAn advisor has a fiduciary responsibility to be transparent—but the best ones go beyond compliance. They openly share how they are compensated, outline every fee on paper, and invite accountability. As a client, don't hesitate to ask where you can see these details clearly documented.4. Interest in More Than MoneyWe teach advisors to “use a magnifying glass”—to look beyond the numbers. Money is simply a tool to help you fulfill God's calling on your life. A trusted advisor should ask about your values, dreams, and purposes—not just your portfolio. That's why the CKA® designation is so important: it connects you with advisors who share your values and can integrate them into financial decisions.5. Developing God's Heart for the Whole PersonThe most important practice is what we call whole-person care. Advisors aren't just money managers—they're disciple-makers. They should walk alongside you and your family in prayer, through significant life transitions, and in building unity between spouses. Women's voices should be heard and respected just as much as men's in every financial conversation.Our prayer is that these five practices give you confidence as you search for the right advisor. You deserve clarity, empathy, and values that align with your faith. If you'd like to find a Certified Kingdom Advisor in your area, visit FindaCKA.com.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:Back in 2018, my home insurance company agreed to replace my roof. In 2020, contractors found I also needed new decking, and an insurance employee told me they'd cover it once the work was finished. Now the company is threatening not to renew my policy unless I replace the roof at my own expense. How can I get them to honor their commitment?My dad passed away over a year ago, and my mom is trying to qualify for Social Security benefits. The issue is that my dad didn't have 40 credits, and neither does she. Is there any way their credits can be combined so she can meet the requirement?I heard about a provision in a new bill that allows accounts to be set up for children. Is it true that the government will put money into accounts for kids born in the next few years? If so, how would I participate?I'd like to encourage my two adult children to start investing in Roth IRAs. Where can they open accounts with low fees, especially since they'll only be making small contributions at first?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Sound Mind Investing (SMI)Wise Women Managing Money: Expert Advice on Debt, Wealth, Budgeting, and More by Miriam Neff and Valerie Neff Hogan, J.D.Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Lareina Yee, Director at McKinsey Global Institute, to explore how women can thrive at the intersection of time management, technology, and radical empathy. From the promise of AI to the power of experience capital, Lareina shares data-driven insights and practical strategies for navigating the barriers women face in tech and beyond. Whether you're wrestling with the “broken rung” in career advancement or wondering how AI can open new doors, this conversation is packed with both inspiration and actionable takeaways. Inside This Episode: AI as Opportunity: Why it's a tool for everyone, no matter your starting point. Experience Capital: How 50% of lifetime earnings are tied to the skills you build along the way. The Broken Rung: Why women face slower promotions and what to do about it. Sponsorship Over Mentorship: Why finding advocates early matters more than advice alone. AI as Equalizer: How tech is democratizing access and reshaping workplaces. Who This Episode Is For: Women in tech (or aspiring to be) looking for tools to rise and lead. Leaders who want to foster equity, empathy, and innovation. Anyone curious about how AI and experience capital shape the future of work. Tune in to learn why AI is an opportunity, why experience capital is crucial, and how radical empathy can change the game for women in leadership.   More about Lareina Yee: Lareina Yee is a McKinsey Global Institute director leading the technology agenda and the global head of Tech Alliances. Based in San Francisco, she is a senior partner whose client works focus on technology and AI. She served as McKinsey's first Chief Diversity Officer and, in 2015, co-founded Women in the Workplace, an annual research study that has worked with more than 1,000 companies and surveyed nearly half a million employees to understand the barriers to women's advancement in corporate America. She is the author of THE BROKEN RUNG: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women--and How They Can Succeed in Spite of It with fellow McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud and María del Mar Martínez. Blocked time, made lists, promised yourself this time will be different—and yet by 5 PM, the work that actually matters is still staring back at you. Enter The Ready-Made 90-Minute Focus Kit: your done-for-you reset for ditching distractions and finally making progress on what matters most. With this simple framework, you'll reclaim your brainpower, protect your energy, and actually finish the work you care about. Download it now and turn “Where did the day go?” into “Wow, I crushed that.”   No, You Hang Up First (Let's Keep Connecting) Did today's episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight and we'll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader's Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy. Have another question that we can answer? Leave us a Speakpipe audio clip and we'll answer it in an upcoming episode. Don't want to miss another episode? If you're a Spotify listener, find our show here and click “Follow.” If you're an Apple Podcast listener, click here and make sure to hit “+Follow.” Want access to a bunch of free resources for your work life? This is your personal jackpot that gives you access to the frameworks that help us thrive both personally and professionally. Whether you're trying to improve your daily routine, flesh out an idea that you've had for quite some time, or want to add more play into your day - these resources have got your back. Want 2 emails a week from us? One with a quick tip you can implement right away to enhance your personal and/or professional lives & one of our famous F.A.I.L. Fourward Friday newsletters? Subscribe here. Connect with Lareina Yee Lareina's LinkedIn Lareina's McKinsey & Company profile, research, and experience Lareina's book, The Broken Rung Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Erin's website Erin's Instagram Erin's TikTok Erin's LinkedIn improve it!'s website improve it!'s Instagram

We're taping this podcast at the Morningstar Investment Conference, where we're delighted to be joined by Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji, who joined Vanguard just about a year ago. Prior to joining Vanguard, Salim was a senior leader at BlackRock, where his most recent position was as global head of iShares and index investing. Before that, he was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. Salim started his career as a lawyer at Clifford Chance in London and Hong Kong.BackgroundBioVanguard Announces Appointment of Salim Ramji as New CEOA message From Salim RamjiTopicsVanguard Chooses an Outsider as Its New CEO, by Daniel Sotiroff, Morningstar.com, May 14, 2024.Vanguard's New CEO: The Story Everyone Is Missing, by Susan Dziubinski and Daniel Sotiroff, Morningstar.com, April 22, 2025.Ramji Discusses Vanguard at 50 With Wall Street Week, May 22, 2025.2025 Morningstar Investment Conference: How to Invest Today, Laura Lallos, Morningstar.com, June 27, 2025.Vanguard CEO on Outages, Expansion Plans and Culture, Bloomberg, Aug. 5, 2024.2025 MIC: Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji on AI, Fees, and the Future of the Firm, Hedge Fund Alpha, June 27, 2025.Vanguard Unveils Generative AI Client Summaries for Financial Advisors, Vanguard, May 5, 2025.Automated Investing With Digital AdvisorThe Best Robo-Advisors of 2025, Dan Culloton, Morningstar.com, May 2, 2025.How Vanguard plans to play disruptor again, by Brooke Masters, Financial Times, Feb. 11, 2025.Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji cools the jets on private assets, by Tania Mitra, Citywire, June 26, 2025.Vanguard CEO says its public-private efforts rooted in partnerships, not acquisitions, by Rob Kozlowski, Pensions & Investments, June 26, 2025.Vanguard sets sights on private markets (at the right price), by Lachlan Maddock, Investment Magazine, March 5, 2025.