In today’s leadership spark, Tiger Tyagarajan, CEO of Genpact, and I dive deeper into the importance of addressing issues such as diversity and inclusion in leadership roles, the potential impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, and personal experiences that have influenced Tiger’s approach to leadership. Tiger also highlights the need for continuous learning, humility, and embracing curiosity.

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This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint.

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In today’s leadership spark, Tiger Tyagarajan, CEO of Genpact, and I discussed the post-COVID work landscape and the nuanced shift in the way work is conducted. We also explore the potential benefits of distributed workforces, reduced commute times, and the ability to tap into new talent from diverse locations. 

Our discussion also touched on the accelerated digital transformation during the pandemic and the reasons why organizations often resist change. At the leadership level, increased virtual communication and empathy play key roles in motivating and engaging remote teams, as well as checking in on employees' well-being and safety.

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This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint.

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In today’s leadership spark, I speak with Tiger Tyagarajan, CEO of Genpact. We delved into his personal journey and the importance of making tough choices and the key factors in navigating them, such as data-driven decision-making, collaboration, and transparency. 

He also emphasized the significance of having clear objectives and aligning them with the company's purpose, values, and culture. It’s important to stick to the organization's North Star and making decisions that prioritize client satisfaction and long-term relationships. Our conversation also touched on Genpact's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, showcasing their ability to adapt quickly and redeploy employees to meet changing demands.

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This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint.

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My interview today is with Dr. James Downing, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading authority in solving the world's toughest problems. With his visionary leadership, Dr. Downing has spearheaded groundbreaking advancements and transformed the landscape of healthcare.

In our conversation, we delve into the essence of problem-solving and explore the methodologies that drive progress. We uncover Dr. Downing's unique approach to breaking down complex challenges and determining their worthiness. Join us as we unravel the secrets of "blue sky" thinking, from assembling brilliant minds to generating and testing innovative ideas. Discover the key metrics for measuring success and learn how failures can be invaluable teachers.

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This episode is sponsored by: AvePoint

Rapidly reduce costs, improve productivity and make more informed business decisions with AvePoint. With the most advanced platform to optimize SaaS operations and secure collaboration, AvePoint helps you transform your digital workplace and collaborate with confidence. To get started, go to www.avepoint.com and learn how you can advance your digital workplace today.

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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/

In today’s leadership spark, Executive Coach Tom Henschel and I talk about how to make your executive presence unique and stand out, emphasizing the importance of confidence and self-awareness. We also explore the three components of executive presence: gravitas, communication, and appearance. 

Tom highlights the significance of negative automatic thoughts and how managing them is crucial for building confidence and gravitas. As we wrapped up the discussion, Tom leaves us with an action item for improving executive presence: recording a short video and seeking feedback from others to gain insights and make adjustments.

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This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint.

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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/

In today’s leadership spark, Executive Coach Tom Henschel and I discuss the importance of communications and presence in leadership. Tom discusses the importance of concise communication, the art of answering questions effectively, and the tendency to drift off-topic in conversations. Tom also shares coaching insights and techniques to help leaders develop these skills and enhance their executive presence.

Tom and I dived deeper into how to determine if one has an executive presence, the importance of feedback and recognition over time, and the challenges and strategies for developing an executive presence in a virtual world. He also addressed the impact of technology on virtual executive presence, such as lighting, microphone quality, and camera positioning. Our conversation also covered whether executive presence is exclusive to extroverts or if introverts can also cultivate it with a game day attitude and conscious effort.

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This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint.

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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/

In today’s leadership spark, Executive Coach Tom Henschel discusses the concept of executive presence and its crucial role in leadership and how it influences how others perceive and trust leaders. The nature of executive presence is diverse, as it varies across industries and organizational contexts.

According to Tom, executive presence encompasses both behavioral aspects and attitude, including confidence, the ability to command a room, and great speaking skills. Leaders often find it challenging to develop executive presence. While executive presence may not directly secure a promotion or job, its absence can hinder progress.

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This episode is sponsored by AvePoint. Take control of your SaaS environment and ensure secure collaboration with AvePoint.

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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/

My guest today us David MacLennan, the Executive Chair and former CEO of Cargill, a global food and agribusiness corporation that employs over 160,000 employees in 70 countries. David shares his journey, from his early days in the company to his rise to the top, and the challenges he faced along the way.

In this conversation, David discusses the importance of followership in leadership. He emphasizes that a title alone does not command respect or followership; it must be earned through credibility, sincerity, and reliability. He also shares his philosophy on leadership, which involves creating a personal connection with those he leads through authenticity and transparency. David believes that trust is the cornerstone of effective leadership, and he strives to earn this trust from his team and the wider organization. 

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This episode is sponsored by: AvePoint

Rapidly reduce costs, improve productivity and make more informed business decisions with AvePoint. With the most advanced platform to optimize SaaS operations and secure collaboration, AvePoint helps you transform your digital workplace and collaborate with confidence. To get started, go to www.avepoint.com and learn how you can advance your digital workplace today.

___________________

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/

In today’s leadership spark, renowned Author Brian Christian and I delve into the creation and challenges of algorithms, emphasizing the distinction between traditional algorithms and machine learning models. We explore how machine learning models are trained using examples and objective functions, highlighting their potential for accuracy and generalization.

Brian also mentions the complexities of AI in fields like aerospace safety and hiring processes. We explore the challenges of balancing automation with human intuition and the risks of biases embedded in algorithms. While cautioning against overreliance on AI, Brian highlights the need for ongoing research, transparency, and ethical considerations in the development and deployment of these technologies.

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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/

In today’s episode spark, I engage in a thought-provoking conversation with renowned Author Brian Christian. In our conversation, we explore the creation of algorithms, from traditional step-by-step code to modern machine learning models. Brian emphasizes the importance of understanding these systems, even for non-technical individuals, as they increasingly shape our lives and decisions. 

Further into our discussion, we dived deeper into real-world examples of AI and machine learning in action, such as medical diagnostics, social media algorithms, and even judicial decision-making. The episode sheds light on the implications and challenges presented by these technologies, urging listeners to be informed citizens in the algorithm-driven world we live in.

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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/

In today’s episode spark, I had the pleasure of chatting with renowned Author Brian Christian. We discussed his latest book, "The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values," and why he wrote it. Brian shared how the public conversation around AI shifted in 2014, leading him to explore the intersection of AI and human values.

He highlighted the emergence of technical AI safety as a research field and discussed incidents that underscored the ethical challenges AI presents. Brian also touched on the history of AI and its breakthrough in 2012, along with the power and potential dangers of AI.

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My interview today is with Bruce Avolio, the Director of the Gallup Leadership Institute and a renowned expert in the field of leadership. Bruce has dedicated his career to studying leadership and developing strategies for effective leadership in today's rapidly changing world.

In our conversation, we explore the topic of leadership and how to become a successful leader. Bruce shares his insights on the debate of whether leaders are born or made, and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and innovation for leaders. He also highlights the growing emphasis on psychological safety in the workplace and the value of authenticity in leadership. We also discuss the different types of leadership, including transactional and transformational leadership, and how each approach can impact employee satisfaction and retention. Bruce shares his research on the impact of CEO approval on board retention decisions and the importance of having a strong core value as a leader.

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In this leadership spark, BJ Fogg, Adjunct Professor at Stanford & Author of Tiny Habits, and I delve into the power of tiny habits, the concept of golden behaviors, and debunk the myth that repetition alone creates lasting habits. BJ shares practical examples and expert guidance on how to design habits that align with your aspirations and motivations.

In our conversation, BJ also shares how to recognize and nurture golden behaviors that have a significant impact on your personal and professional life and the significance of consistency and evolving habits over time. 

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In today’s leadership spark, BJ Fogg, Adjunct Professor at Stanford & Author of Tiny Habits, explains how the Tiny Habits methods can be applied to various aspects of life, including health, productivity, relationships, and even leadership. 

BJ shares insights into the framework of the five-day program, where participants spend just 35 minutes exploring and practicing tiny habits. Moreover, he shares success stories and research insights, highlighting the effectiveness of small steps in creating lasting behavior change. Discover how these small steps can lead to significant growth and expansion, opening doors to personal improvement and achievement.

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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/

In today’s leadership spark, BJ Fogg, Adjunct Professor at Stanford & Author of Tiny Habits, shares his journey from aspiring to be a surgeon to pursuing a doctorate at Stanford, where his focus shifted to habits and behavior change. BJ discusses his research on the pro-social aspects of habits and highlights the significance of finding a balance between achievement and personal fulfillment.

We dived deeper into BJ's book, "Tiny Habits," which emphasizes the power of making small changes in behavior. He shares his own experience of hacking habits and discovering that simplicity and integration into existing routines can lead to lasting change. We discussed how BJ's method has helped many individuals significantly, which led him to teach and coaching others.

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My guest today is Todd B. Kashdan, a professor of psychology at George Mason University, and a leading authority on well-being, curiosity, courage, and resilience. He has published more than 220 scientific articles, his work has been cited more than 40,000 times, and he received the American Psychological Association’s Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology. He has written 5 books including his latest one called The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. Todd also founded the Well-Being Lab at George Mason University which has produced over 210 peer-reviewed journal articles on well-being and resilience, psychological flexibility, meaning and purpose in life, curiosity, and managing social anxiety.

The conversation today is fast paced, energetic, and touches on a lot of topics impacting organizations and individuals around the world. We look at how and why people are struggling with well-being, having a voice at work and if that’s even possible in today’s cancel culture climate, if you can really control technology or if technology controls you, and the woke movement and the impact that is having on organizations and individuals including what Todd calls the speed to intolerance.

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In today’s leadership spark, Molly Fletcher, CEO of The Molly Fletcher Company, and I delve into the art of building relationships and mastering the skill of negotiation. Molly shares valuable insights and strategies for identifying potential in individuals, recognizing red flags, and aligning expectations for successful partnerships.

Molly also mentions how to develop a resilient mindset to overcome setbacks and turn defeat into triumph. She also shares practical tips for effective negotiation, including the importance of preparation, curiosity, and practice.

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