Working on Purpose

Fear. A powerful and necessary human emotion. Yet, deadly once it seeps into the very DNA of an organization. Once there, it silently and insidiously drives dysfunction in every aspect of the organization: strategy, operations, cross-functional collaboration, human capital management, team dynamics, employee engagement, and employee well-being. It’s not about removing fear or denying it, but rather to transform our relationship with fear. In this episode, we learn how to achieve both high performance and employee wellbeing by addressing how people relate to their fears individually and collectively.

Developing your ability to lead effectively in a remote or hybrid environment has become a whole new game. Learning to be an effective leader in this demanding environment requires you to be agile enough to grow and, lead and influence the team at a time when so much change and turmoil is still occurring. This is the new normal. Are you fit for the job? And how can you lead your team so they can perform at their best and succeed?

As close to 40 percent of employees returned to the office in March, the notion of “the workplace of the people” has become clearer than ever before – and it’s been quite a challenge for senior leadership. In this episode, we talk with a work culture guru about the more democratized environment appearing in workplaces around the country, and how leaders can take the reins on purposeful work and employee wellness.

Let’s get real – it’s difficult and uncomfortable for almost everyone to talk about race and racism at work. And yet, doing so in a way that increases understanding and connection is essential to reduce the costs of the lack of diversity in your organization. Study after study proves again and again that diverse businesses perform better on every metric that businesses use to evaluate success. It’s time to move away from excuses to take action on diversity and inclusion and recognize that there is still so much you can do to foster an environment of equity where all stakeholders can feel comfortable, welcome and wanted, and valued for their contributions. Yes, that’s the world we all want to live in.

In this conversation with the author of FIXED, she helps listeners to effectively articulate ideas and goals that encourage tangible and strategic development. Works of art are engaged to address breakdowns in communication, navigate new landscapes, and remove assumptions. She shares how you can use the powers of observation to promote best practices and more effective problem-solving. Since the pandemic began, Amy has worked with a myriad of organizations to address various issues through the lens of art, including burnout, unconscious bias, and navigating the new landscapes that COVID has presented. Amy gives listeners tips to hone their powers of perception and discover deep-seated truths that can obstruct clear-thinking and optimal decision-making.

Many people set artificial limitations on themselves and their lives. They convince themselves they can’t reach their highest goals because they’re simply too far out of reach. What they need is someone to help hold up a mirror to their full potential and what lies beyond their immediate perception. A coach can help activate and awaken what is already present in someone and ignite their flow state. And in that place, all manner of possibilities await. In this episode, we talk with an executive flow coach who helps people realize their wildest dreams. Tune in and glimpse the possibilities for your own life.

Leading in today’s COVID times requires a whole new breed of competency. The workforce’s needs and wants have changed, and employees are voting their preferences in strong numbers by resigning from their jobs, often before their next one is secured. Leaders are scrambling to keep their businesses running and are desperate to find ways to shore the tide of departing talent. In this episode, Dr. Garlick provides a perspective on the importance of companies stewarding a good experience for all stakeholders and the critical roles pride in work and pride in the company play in keeping them fulfilled and staying.

Are you and your team willing to take personal risks for the sake of your company and its performance? No? Why not? Likely because there exists at least some element of workplace toxicity that is stifling innovation, collaboration, succession planning, and productivity. Particularly attuned to the critical effects of a toxic environment, Melanie spent more than 20 years of progressive corporate experience studying the impact leaders and workplace cultures have on employee security and performance. Through that effort, Melanie learned how to shape a corporate environment to manifest powerful teamwork, authentic communication, diverse creativity, and heartfelt loyalty.

“Do you really care about me? Or, do you just need me to get the work done?” Such a common refrain among a frazzled workforce still weathering the COVID fallout after two years. People everywhere have gotten sick with the virus, their loved ones have died from it, and the intensity of it seems to have both led to burnout and elevated what is wanted and possible in life. As employees contemplate their choices and options, they are increasingly leaving their current employer often without having a new job secured, a phenomenon referred to as The Great Resignation. Companies understandably are, for their part, scrambling to remain viable in a world turned upside down by supply chain issues, labor shortages, and a whole myriad of other challenges. As the pandemic continues to unfold, one trend is that talent, especially the millennial generation which comprises the majority of workers, is on the hunt for companies who will honor their well-being.

The term “purpose” has been deployed superficially by companies to appear virtuous without the benefit of using it as a core operational principle. Companies that treat purpose as an existential intention that informs every decision, practice, and process are thriving in today’s times where business is expected to be a force for good in the world. This new breed of stakeholder capitalism adopts purpose as their operating system, perceiving it as a vital animating force with near-spiritual power. As a result, these companies can navigate the tumultuous terrain of multi-stakeholder capitalism far more adeptly than most, increasing value for all stakeholders, including investors, over the long-term.

Confidence, or the lack of it, is the ultimate deal maker or breaker, and no one is immune from its tenuous presence. Whether just starting your career or leading a large organization, and everything in between, your ability to learn, improve, and apply confidence makes all the difference in your desired achievement. In this conversation with the Director of Performance Psychology Program at the United States Military Academy West Point, you will learn how to understand confidence, build it, protect it, and rely upon it when your performance matters most.

There is promise for a brighter future when we learn to lead by unlocking a new navigational system built on the Unfolding Path. By enacting the set of reinforcing commitments and practices that underpin the Unfolding Path approach, we can create a powerful cycle that builds on itself. When we lead from this way, the more we find our inner stability and power, the more we step into the fullness of who we are and who our lives want us to be, and the more we all shine and lift everyone around us. This is your invitation to shine by leading brighter.

Purpose is essential to a fulfilled life. Yet, it’s not necessarily about “finding” our purpose as much as it is building a concrete web of purpose that suits our goals visions, and desires. Crafting your purpose doesn’t have to be difficult. When you do so, you can transform your role at work into something much more fulfilling, build positive relationships, and connect your work to service and beyond. Crafting work well worth the effort.

What’s your relationship with change? Friend? Enemy? We seem to do better when we opt for change. But what about those foisted upon us? In this playful episode, we’ll learn about 8 counterintuitive superpowers that help us develop a “flux mindset.” The future of work, our climate, personal relationships suppl chains, investing, and technology – they all require radical changes in our response and connection to them. This episode will help equip you for a vibrant, innovative future.

Did you know your business could be so much more than an engine of profitability? That through it, you and your team can be much more impactful and exponentially more valuable? The way to do it? Shepherd your business, with brilliance, guts, and grace, to venture outside the superficial into the profound, past the collection of things into the realm of connection. Go beyond fragmentation into belonging, past the ordinary into the extraordinary, beyond transactions into transcendent experiences. Here as evolved leaders we become alchemists of possibility and can create “a beautiful business,” crafted intentionally with conscious capitalism principles and an eye to making the most of your one, precious life.

Want to unite your remote team and elevate them to a whole new level? How about incorporating Virtual Reality (VR) to blend exquisite human creativity with the extension and scale of technology? You can utilize VR to connect remote teams to enable learning what comes from diving off with wild abandon that can only come (safely) with VR! We’ll learn from the ever-adventurous CEO of Vestigo just how to make this happen by inviting everyone to go into a VR headset and shatter communication barriers by having teams meet in VR worlds in which their survival depends on their ability to listen and be heard. Next level!

What if we lived every day of the year as if it were Christmas – and as if we were Santa Claus? What if we let ourselves be called into a higher state of being that embodied love, gratitude, and giving, every day – not just during the holidays? It’s a good bet that not only would our own immediate life and well-being skyrocket to a higher level, but the ripple effect could literally cascade across the world. Christmas is a state of mind that is available to us all, no matter what religion we observe. Let it live on every day of the year and thread us together as a unified, grateful whole.

Corporate “short-termism” is killing a robust, resilient and purpose-driven future. Companies are governed by the quarterly profit reporting system that encourages short-term, smaller value results. The opportunity is to help companies and their leadership to develop smarter, more strategic financial incentives and instilling an ownership culture among employees to take actions that materially increase long-term value by linking strategy and execution to the core drivers of Total Shareholder Returns.

Ambition is a precious resource in life that can drive people to pursue all manner of initiatives important to them. But pursuit of ambition at the expense of growth and well-being has serious repercussions. Learning to understand the source of ambition and the strengths and weaknesses associated with its pursuit are critical in transforming the energy transmitted into a worthy result. This episode explores seven “frenemies” of ambition, healthy ways to optimize it, and discusses ways companies can create a culture where ambitious people thrive.

System Choreographers. These are the disruptive big picture generalists rule breakers that drive high impact system innovation. They comprise an emerging career breed that pushes innovation beyond simple products and incremental change. They are a passionate band of talent that help organizations confront the “wicked combination of urgent threats and exceptional opportunities.” In this episode, we meet a leading member championing the cause, Dan McClure.