Great Leadership With Jacob Morgan

What this episode is all about and why you should Listen

Today I have an interview with Stephen Hoover, CEO of PARC a division of Xerox. PARC is the home of the Ethernet and many other Innovative tools that most people use every single day in the workplace. Stephen & I talk extensively about Open Innovation in the workplace. Open innovation is a very interesting topic and we get deep into what is going on, what is it, why it is happening, what are the trends that are driving it, what are the benefits of open innovation, the challenges, the impact & what organizations should be doing and what they should be thinking about.

Stephen Hoover explains what PARC’s take on the Business of Breakthroughs is all about. Find out what they are working on for the future of work. Stephen’s perspective is very intriguing and spot on with exactly what a forward thinking company needs to be doing and implementing. Discover what his number one tip is when it comes to having a Grand Vision. Stephen really believes that innovation is a contact sport. Find out how he is assisting PARC and their employees with having a Vision beyond what is in the everyday workplace. We explore the problems that arise with people who have an “I can do it all” attitude, and why in the real world you need the assistance of many other smart people to be successful when it comes to open innovation. Stephen talks about how to go out and find those smart people and create partnerships to accomplish open innovation. This conversation is very interesting both from a personal approach and a business approach.

What you will learn in this episode

  • What is Open Innovation?
  • Why is it happening?
  • What are the trends that are driving Open Innovation?
  • What are the Challenges?
  • What is the Impact in the workplace?
  • What should Organizations be doing with Open Innovation and what they should be thinking about.
  • Explore what PARC’s take on their very own philosophy is.
  • What are the problems with Open Innovation?
  • What you need to be thinking about when it comes to implementing Open Innovation.
  • Is personal innovation just as important as business innovation?

(Music by Ronald Jenkees)

Direct download: Stephen20Hoover20Podcast_DONE.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:48pm PDT

What this episode is all about and why you should Listen

Today dive in with me as I sit down with Mary O’Hara, of Blue Cross Blue Shield of California on the topic of high performing teams and individuals in the future of work. Mary has a mass amount of insight when it comes to different techniques and everything that encompasses “touching the people” within an organization. She has great tips on Workplace Rewards and how to collaborate across an organization. Listen as Mary explains if she feels Employee Experience is more prominent now than it has ever been in the past.

All things effect different aspects of having a high performing team and individual in the workplace. Talent is extremely important when finding individuals that are at the heart of specific innovation & strategies which leads to less supply. You need to have an employee experience that is reflective in your specific marketplace. Mary shares with me how different industries have different pressure points, and when you have quality leaders in your organization you will differentiate yourself from other companies. Find out what the Lead of Excellence program at Blue Cross Blue Shield is all about. Mary is very knowledgeable on how important it is to grow strong leaders and stay on top of the employee experience in the workplace.

What you will learn in this episode

  • Workplace Rewards
  • How to Collaborate across an organization
  • How to create Trust amongst leaders
  • What is fundamental in creating a great employee experience
  • What’s going on in the SF Bay Area compared to the rest of the nation when it comes to labor market & cost.
  • Growing People from within
  • Developing Leaders
  • How to measure goals.
  • Why annual feedback is important.
  • What is a people management index?
  • Lead of Excellence Program
  • How to evaluate talent.
  • How can you be an enabler to execute what development needs to be done to accomplish the overall strategy.
  • Having better quality conversations and interactions with those within an organization.
  • What advice for employees to become High Performing Individuals?

(Music by Ronald Jenkees)

Direct download: Mary20O27Hara20Podcast_DONE.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:36am PDT

What this episode is about and why you should care

Today I sit down with Kristen Robinson, Chief HR at Pandora located in Oakland, CA. Kristen flourishes and has a phenomenal impact in the Human Resources department with a vast amount of insight on how to successfully operate in the HR arena with any corporation. Pandora for those of you who don’t know, is a free personalized internet radio service that consists of over 1750 employees. Kristen and I dive into why the Employee experience is crucial in any workplace and how it can benefit any business. 

The Employee experience is about happiness & helping employees fulfill happiness and accomplishment in their lives. Employees that are the happiest both at work and in their lives are the ones that are going to have a strategic advantage compared to other companies. Learn about what Pandora is doing to unleash the employee experience to make it a better work environment for everyone. Kristen shares with me how Pandora is hyper-focusing on integrating very powerful tools to improving the employee experience. Take some time in your day to be sure to listen to Kristen’s view on the overall employee experience. She truly knows what it’s all about and I’m certain you will enjoy and agree with everything she has to say! 

What you will learn in this episode

• Learn about Kristen Robinson and Pandora

• What Kristen is doing at Pandora to help make the employee experience better.

• Learn about the Employee Experience at Pandora & why it is important.

• Why should Managers and executives care about the Employee Experience? 

• How changing your space can affect the mindset of people in your work environment.

• Giving back and how it can personally enhance one’s life. 

• What is PERG’s at Pandora?

• Why Pandora has shifted to having an annual review process without employees having the fight or flight syndrome through Growth & Development.

• Why they employee experience that is so becoming in the world today. 

• In your short time here what are the short phrases that the Pandora Road Crew uses to explain their experience. 

(Music by Ronald Jenkees)

Direct download: Kristen_Podcast_DONE.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 8:36pm PDT

Centro is a media managment software company with around 700 employees. They were ranked as the best place to work in Chicago for 4 years in a row by Crain's, the #1 best place to work by Fortune among all mid-size Ameican companies, and they have a 4.5 rating on Glassdoor. Clearly Centro is doing something right. At the helm of the company is their CEO Shawn Riegsecker. He has a very simple philosophy around work which is that happiness is the new ROI.

In this episode of the future of work podcast Shawn and I explore some of the things he is doing over at Centro, how he defines happiness, the overall business impact of happiness on Centro employees, the role of corporate culture, and much more! Tune in and listen to this episode of the future of work podcast with the CEO of Centro, Shawn Riegsecker as explore why happiness is the new ROI!

(Music by Ronald Jenkees)

Direct download: Shawn_Riegsecker_Podcast_DONE.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 9:58pm PDT

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