Work For Humans

Talentism: Building Organizations Around Human Potential | Jeff Hunter, Revisited

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 02:00:00 -0700

After years leading recruiting and talent systems at companies like Bridgewater, Electronic Arts, and Dolby, Jeff Hunter came to believe that many of our assumptions about talent, hiring, and performance are fundamentally wrong. The problem is not that people lack potential. The problem is that the systems around them often fail to recognize or develop it. In this revisited episode, Dart and Jeff discuss what gets in the way of human potential and what organizations can do differently.

Prior to founding Talentism, Jeff served as Head of Recruiting at Bridgewater Associates and held leadership roles at Electronic Arts and Dolby. His work has focused on designing and scaling systems that help people learn, grow, and perform at their best.

In this episode, Dart and Jeff discuss:
- What limits human potential
- Why talent matters more than capital
- The hidden flaws in hiring
- Why skills can be misleading
- What Bridgewater taught Jeff
- The problem with managing people
- How systems shape behavior
- Why context changes everything
- The challenge of hiring for values
- What great organizations do differently
- And other topics…

Jeff Hunter is founder and CEO of Talentism, a company that helps leaders build organizations that unlock human potential. Previously, he served as Head of Recruiting at Bridgewater Associates and held senior talent leadership roles in the technology industry. His work focuses on helping organizations design systems that enable people to learn, grow, and perform at their best.

Connect with Jeff:
Website: www.talentism.com

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Beyond Collective Impact: What It Really Takes to Change a System | John Kania

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Many of the problems we care most about cannot be solved by a single organization. That insight helped John Kania develop Collective Impact, a framework for bringing people together around shared goals. But over time, Kania noticed that coordination alone was not enough. Even when groups made progress, the deeper patterns of the system often remained unchanged. In this episode, Dart and John discuss the evolution of systems change thinking and why lasting change requires more than alignment, strategy, and good intentions.

John Kania is Executive Director of Collective Change Lab, a nonprofit that develops new approaches to collaboration and systems change. He is a leading thinker on collective impact, systems leadership, and the relational work of creating social change.

In this episode, Dart and John discuss:
- Problems no one can solve alone
- Why good intentions often fail
- The limits of coordination
- What keeps systems stuck
- The hidden power of mental models
- Why relationships drive change
- The challenge of sharing power
- What leadership looks like in uncertainty
- The role of healing in systems change
- Why changing systems means changing ourselves
- Building islands of coherence
- And other topics…

John Kania is Executive Director of Collective Change Lab, a nonprofit focused on advancing transformational systems change practices. He previously served as Global Managing Director of FSG, where he helped develop and popularize the concept of collective impact. John is co-author of the influential Stanford Social Innovation Review articles Collective Impact, The Dawn of System Leadership, and The Relational Work of Systems Change, as well as The Water of Systems Change. His work focuses on helping people and organizations collaborate across boundaries to address complex social challenges.

Resources Mentioned:
Collective Impact, by John Kania, Mark Kramer, and Peter Senge: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/collective_impact
The Dawn of System Leadership, by John Kania, Mark Kramer, and Peter Senge: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_dawn_of_system_leadership
The Relational Work of Systems Change, by John Kania, Jennifer Splansky Juster, and Peter Senge: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_relational_work_of_systems_change
The Water of Systems Change, by David Peter Stroh, John Kania, Mark Kramer, and others: https://www.fsg.org/resource/water_of_systems_change/
Collective Change Lab: https://collectivechangelab.org/

Connect with John:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kania-1a294020/

How Treating Employees Like Customers Transforms Performance and Belonging | Mark LeBusque, Revisited

Tue, 26 May 2026 02:00:00 -0700

After becoming painfully aware that he cared more about the numbers than the well-being of his employees, Mark LeBusque began to question his management philosophy. An insight to start thinking of his employees like customers helped Mark breakout of the "employees as inputs to production" model that previously informed his thinking. With this shift in management style, Mark was able to lead his team to unprecedented levels of growth and a new found sense of belonging.

In this revisited episode, Dart and Mark discuss management, belonging, emotional labor, and what happens when leaders stop treating work as a system to control and start treating it as a human relationship.

Mark is internationally known as the Human Manager. He is a Harvard-trained speaker, facilitator, mentor, coach, and author focused on making businesses more human-centric.

In this episode Dart and Mark discuss:
- Why results can hide bad management
- What happens when people feel like inputs
- Why belonging changes how people work
- Why management is really relationship work
- How trust changes team performance
- Why discomfort can lead to growth
- The difference between metrics and meaning
- How leaders create psychological safety
- Why some workplaces make people feel invisible
- What work costs us emotionally
- And other topics…

Mark LeBusque is an Australian speaker, facilitator, coach, and author known for his work on human-centered leadership and workplace culture. After more than 25 years in sales, operations, and executive leadership roles, he developed his “Human Manager” philosophy, which focuses on belonging, trust, and human connection at work. He is the author of Being Human and The Little Book of Human, and works with leaders and organizations around the world to build healthier workplace relationships and cultures.

Resources mentioned:
Being Human: Why Robots Are Not the Answer to Business Success, by Mark LeBusque: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Human-Robots-Business-Success/dp/0995429618
Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153

Connect with:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklebusque?originalSubdomain=au
Website: https://marklebusque.com/

Moral Economics: Where Human Values Shape Markets | Alvin Roth

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:00:00 -0700

A kidney transplant does not work like buying a gallon of milk. Neither does hiring or getting into a medical residency. In these markets, both sides care deeply about who they end up with, and a good outcome depends on more than money.

Alvin Roth has spent his career studying what makes those systems succeed or fail. His work designing kidney exchange programs showed that even when people desperately want to help each other, the market can still break down unless the rules create the right kind of match. In this episode, Dart and Al discuss matching markets, moral economics, and the hidden rules that shape opportunity, fairness, and work itself.

Alvin Roth is an economist and professor at Stanford University best known for his work on market design and matching theory. He received the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on stable matching and the design of markets used in medical residencies, school choice, and kidney exchange.

In this episode, Dart and Al discuss:
- Why some markets depend on matching
- Why fit matters more than money
- What makes a market stable
- Why real markets are messy
- The difference between theory and engineering
- What “repugnant transactions” are
- Why societies ban some exchanges
- How social norms shape markets
- Why work is also a matching problem
- And other topics…

Alvin Roth is the Craig and Susan McCaw Professor of Economics at Stanford University and recipient of the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, awarded with Lloyd Shapley for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design. His work has helped design matching systems for medical residencies, public school admissions, and kidney exchange programs. He is the author of Who Gets What — and Why and Moral Economics: Why Good and Bad Markets Exist.

Resources Mentioned:
Al’s Book, Moral Economics: Why Good and Bad Markets Exist: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Economics-Good-Markets-Exist/dp/1324076445
Al’s Book, Who Gets What — and Why: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Gets-What-Why-Matchmaking/dp/0544705299

Connect with Al:
Stanford profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/alvin-roth
Market Design Blog: https://marketdesigner.blogspot.com/

Team Chemistry: The Intangible Forces That Make Teams Win | Joan Ryan, Revisited

Tue, 12 May 2026 02:00:00 -0700

When Joan Ryan stepped into the locker room to conduct her first post-game interview as a sports journalist, she was all but kicked out by the players. Feeling both unwelcome and undeterred, she made a firm decision to stick around and make a name for herself as one of the first female sports columnists in the country.

Intrigued by the concept of team chemistry, Joan wrote Intangibles, where she shares what team chemistry really is, how to identify it, and how to use it to elevate the performance of any entity, from sports to businesses and beyond. In this revisited episode, Joan and Dart explore the hidden forces behind great teams, why chemistry matters more than most people think, and how human connection can elevate performance.

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and media consultant with the San Francisco Giants. Her work has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time Magazine.

In this episode, Dart and Joan discuss:
- Whether or not team chemistry exists
- How team chemistry elevates performance
- The neurophysiology of human connection
- The essential archetypes within team chemistry
- Connecting over emotions vs. connecting over a shared task
- How chemistry and skills affect the likelihood of team success
- Using an intangible concept to create tangible results
- And other topics…

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and media consultant with the San Francisco Giants. She pioneered sports journalism as one of the first female sports columnists in the country; her work has earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Award, and the Edgar A. Poe Award from the White House Correspondents Association, among others.

As an author, Joan has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time Magazine. Her expansive career inspired her book, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry, which draws from hundreds of interviews to understand the phenomenon known as team chemistry.

Resources mentioned:
Intangibles, by Joan Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/Intangibles-Unlocking-Science-Soul-Chemistry/dp/B086KJFGBW
Organizing Genius, by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman: https://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Genius-Secrets-Creative-Collaboration/dp/0201339897

Connect with Joan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-ryan-intangibles/

The Hidden Cost of Leaving Faith Outside Work | Elaine Ecklund

Tue, 05 May 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Most workplaces don’t quite know what to do with faith. It often gets simplified, avoided, or treated as something too divisive to bring into professional life. Elaine Ecklund studies what happens when people try to leave that part of themselves outside the workplace, and what is lost when they do. Her research shows that faith is rarely just about religion. It becomes a window into bigger tensions around ethics, identity, belonging, and the struggle to feel fully present at work.

In this episode, Dart and Elaine discuss how faith shapes the experience of work, why workplaces often misunderstand religion, and what designing for people of faith can teach us about designing work for everyone.

Elaine Ecklund is a sociologist at Rice University and director of the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. She studies religion, work, science, and how people make meaning in everyday life.

In this episode, Dart and Elaine discuss:
- Why workplaces avoid conversations about faith
- What happens when belief stays hidden
- Faith as part of bringing one's whole self
- How people decide what is ethical at work
- The difference between personal and systems morality
- Why some people see work as a calling
- The risks of feeling called to work
- How minority identity shapes belonging
- Why discrimination depends on workplace context
- How churches shape ideas about work
- How religion and science overlap
- And other topics…

Elaine Howard Ecklund is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and professor of sociology at Rice University. She is also the founding director of the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. Her research explores how people’s deepest beliefs shape work, science, leadership, and civic life. She is the author of several books, including Religion in a Changing Workplace, Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work, and Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us Beyond Fear.

Resources Mentioned:
Elaine’s Books;
Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Better-Approach-Faith-Work/dp/1514011263
Religion in a Changing Workplace: https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Workplace-Scheitle/dp/0197675018
Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us Beyond Fear: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Faith-Need-Each-Other/dp/1587434369

Connect with Elaine:
Official website: https://www.elainehowardecklund.com/
Rice University profile: https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/elaine-howard-ecklund
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-howard-ecklund/

Why People Want Conflicting Things from Work | Derek Sivers, Revisited

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 02:00:00 -0700

People often want conflicting things from work because they carry different ideas about what makes a good life. What feels meaningful to one person can feel draining to another, and those differences often go deeper than personality or preference. That is what makes Derek Sivers’s book, How to Live, so useful here. It lays out 27 competing ways to live, each one convincing in its own voice. In this revisited episode, Dart and Derek discuss how those deeper beliefs shape the way people think about work, choice, and the lives they are trying to build.

Derek Sivers is an author, entrepreneur, and former musician who founded CD Baby. He writes about business, creativity, philosophy, and how beliefs shape action and meaning.

In this episode, Dart and Derek discuss:
- How beliefs quietly shape our actions
- The 27 ways to live
- Why no one philosophy fits everyone
- How work reflects deeper life beliefs
- Why people want opposite things from work
- Introverts and extroverts at work
- Using beliefs as a listening tool
- Nature and nurture at work
- Why companies should have personality
- Useful beliefs versus true beliefs
- Data models as philosophical experiences
- And other topics…

Derek Sivers is an author, entrepreneur, and programmer best known for founding CD Baby, which became a major online seller of independent music. He later sold the company and transferred the proceeds into a charitable trust for music education. He is the author of Anything You Want, Your Music and People, Hell Yeah or No, How to Live, and Useful Not True. He is originally from California and now lives in New Zealand.

Resources Mentioned:
Derek’s Book, How to Live: https://sive.rs/h
Derek’s Book, Useful Not True: https://sive.rs/u
Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, by David Eagleman: https://www.amazon.com/Sum-Forty-Tales-Afterlives-Eagleman/dp/0307389936
Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs, by Ari Wallach: https://www.amazon.com/Longpath-Becoming-Ancestors-Antidote-Short-Termism/dp/0063068737

Connect with Derek:
Official website: https://sive.rs

What Does It Mean to Be Rational at Work? | Barry Schwartz

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Rational choice theory has become so familiar that it can feel like common sense. We talk about trade-offs, optimization, ROI, and risk as if they capture what it means to think clearly. But many of the decisions that matter most do not work that way. They are shaped by context, values, relationships, and the larger story of a life. In this episode, Barry Schwartz returns to discuss how rational choice theory became the default way we think, how it shapes work and decision-making, and what a more human approach to being rational might look like.

Barry Schwartz is a psychologist and professor emeritus at Swarthmore College. He studies decision-making, motivation, and the role of meaning in work and life.

In this episode, Dart and Barry discuss:
- Why we treat decisions like math
- What gets lost when everything becomes a number
- Why some choices cannot be compared
- The difference between risk and uncertainty
- How framing shapes every decision
- Why metrics can crowd out judgment
- The danger of maximizing everything
- Why good enough can be wiser
- How choices fit into a larger life story
- Why counting is not the same as thinking
- And other topics…

Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin P. Cartwright Professor Emeritus of Social Theory and Social Action in the Psychology Department at Swarthmore College, and Visiting Professor of Management at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. His work focuses on decision-making, motivation, moral judgment, and meaning in work and life. He is the author of The Battle for Human Nature, The Costs of Living, The Paradox of Choice, and Why We Work. He is also the co-author of Practical Wisdom (with Kenneth Sharpe) and Choose Wisely (with Richard Schuldenfrei).

Resources Mentioned:
Barry’s Book, Choose Wisely: Rationality, Ethics, and the Art of Decision-Making: https://www.amazon.com/Choose-Wisely-Rationality-Ethics-Decision-Making/dp/0300283997
Barry’s Book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less: https://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005688
Barry’s Book, Why We Work: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books/dp/1476784868

The Future of Work Starts Now: What You Do Today Shapes Tomorrow | Reanna Browne, Revisited

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:00:00 -0700

In many organizations, some people are focused on keeping the lights on. Others are pushing for change. But what if the future isn’t something out there waiting for us at all? What if it’s shaped by what we do—and don’t do—right now? For Reanna Browne, that shift starts with how we think. Change how we think about the future, and we change how we act in the present. In this revisited episode, Dart and Reanna discuss how the way we think about the future shapes what we do today.

Reanna Browne is a futurist and founder of Work Futures, a strategic foresight consultancy. She works with organizations to rethink the future and translate foresight into action in the present.

In this episode, Dart and Reanna discuss:
- Why the future does not exist as a fixed endpoint
- How thinking about the future changes how we act today
- The difference between futures studies and strategic foresight
- Why prediction is less useful than action
- How action and inaction both shape the future
- Keeping the lights on vs. making change
- What “small bets” look like in everyday decisions
- Why young people are rethinking the meaning of work
- How language reveals deeper shifts in work and culture
- Why there is no single future
- And other topics…

Reanna Browne is the founder of Work Futures, a consultancy specializing in strategic foresight. She has over a decade of experience working with public and private organizations on workforce strategy and change. She holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Foresight from Swinburne University. Her work focuses on helping organizations understand change and act with intention in the present.

Resources Mentioned:
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned, by Kenneth O. Stanley: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237
“The Bitter Lesson,” by Rich Sutton: http://www.incompleteideas.net/IncIdeas/BitterLesson.html
Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker: https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570

Connect with Reanna:
Work Futures: https://workfutures.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannabrowne

Still Working at 80: When Retirement Isn’t an Option | Noah Sheidlower

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:00:00 -0700

An 81-year-old woman shows up for work at Home Depot while managing serious health issues. She isn’t there because she loves retail. She’s there because stopping isn’t really an option. That story is one of many Noah Sheidlower encountered while reporting on Americans working into their 80s and 90s.

Together, they point to something that's changing about retirement: for many people, it doesn’t arrive as a clear finish line, but as something delayed, reshaped, or out of reach. In this episode, Dart and Noah discuss what these stories reveal about work, aging, responsibility, and how people navigate a retirement that doesn’t go as planned.

Noah Sheidlower is a senior economy reporter at Business Insider. He covers retirement, aging, and labor, and leads the 80 Over 80 series.

In this episode, Dart and Noah discuss:
- The real lives behind retirement statistics
- Working out of necessity, not choice
- What it actually looks like to work in your 80s
- An 81-year-old working through serious health issues
- How financial shocks reshape retirement
- Divorce and long-term financial consequences
- Aging without a partner or safety net
- The role of health in limiting choices later in life
- How systems and policies shape who can retire
- And other topics…

Noah Sheidlower is a senior economy reporter at Business Insider covering retirement, aging, and labor. He leads the 80 Over 80 series, which explores how Americans continue working into their 80s and 90s. His reporting focuses on individual stories to show how health, family, financial shocks, and broader economic forces shape people’s ability to stop working.

Connect with Noah:
Business Insider author page: https://www.businessinsider.com/author/noah-sheidlower
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-sheidlower-64a789190/
Twitter: https://x.com/NSheidlower

Designing Transformation: How Experience Changes People | Claus Raasted and Paul Bulencea, Revisited

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Most organizations approach change as something to manage. A new strategy, a new structure, a new set of goals. But what if real transformation doesn’t come from plans or policies, but from experiences that change how people see themselves and each other? Claus Raasted and Paul Bulencea design those kinds of experiences. Through the College of Extraordinary Experiences, they bring together people from very different worlds and immerse them in something unfamiliar, often uncomfortable, and deeply human. The goal isn’t just learning. It’s transformation.

In this episode, Dart, Claus, and Paul discuss what it means to design for transformation, why difficulty is often a necessary part of growth, and how leaders can create the conditions for meaningful change inside organizations.

Claus Raasted is an experience designer and entrepreneur known for his work in live-action role-play and organizational transformation.

Paul Bulencea is an experience designer, author, and educator focused on creating co-creative, transformational experiences.

In this episode, Dart, Claus, and Paul discuss:
- What makes an experience truly transformative
- Why discomfort is often required for real growth
- How immersive design changes how people think and behave
- Why traditional learning often fails to create lasting change
- What leaders get wrong about driving transformation
- How environment and context shape human behavior
- The difference between entertainment and transformation
- How to design experiences people carry back into work
- Why transformation can’t be forced
- And other topics…

Claus Raasted is a Danish entrepreneur, speaker, and experience designer. He is a pioneer in live-action role-play and has authored more than 40 books. His work focuses on mindset change, leadership, and designing experiences that drive behavioral transformation.

Paul Bulencea is an experience designer, author, and educator working at the intersection of innovation and transformation. He has collaborated with organizations including IKEA and Google to design co-creative experiences, and is co-founder of the College of Extraordinary Experiences. He holds a master’s degree in Innovation in Tourism from Salzburg University of Applied Sciences.

Together, Claus and Paul co-founded the College of Extraordinary Experiences, a five-day immersive program that brings together people from around the world to explore transformation through lived experience.

Resources Mentioned:
World Experience Organization: https://worldxo.org/
London Experience Week: https://londonexperienceweek.com/
College of Extraordinary Experiences: https://www.extraordinary.college/

Connect with Claus and Paul:
https://www.clausraasted.com/
https://de.linkedin.com/in/paulbulencea
https://dk.linkedin.com/in/clausraasted

From “Me” to “We”: What Leadership Is Really About | Josh Block

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Josh Block became president of his family’s medical imaging company at 29, just months after layoffs had shaken trust across the business. People were asking whether he was ready. His answer was simple: not fully. But he knew what he didn’t know. That humility became the starting point for how he chose to lead. Instead of protecting his position or pushing for performance at any cost, Josh shifted from what he calls the “Me Cycle” to the “We Cycle.”

In this episode, Dart and Josh discuss whether leadership alone can shape culture, whether performance is the goal or the byproduct, and what it really means to believe that people matter at work.

Josh Block is Executive Advisor and former President at Block Imaging, where he led the company through significant growth and cultural change. He is the founder of Cube Mobile Imaging and author of People Matter at Work.

In this episode, Dart and Josh discuss:
- Work as a reflection of leadership beliefs
- The shift from “Me” to “We” leadership
- Why humility builds trust
- Performance as a byproduct, not a goal
- What it means to feel safe at work
- How transparency changes behavior
- Why culture shows up in daily decisions
- The role of leaders in shaping experience
- When growth follows people, not pressure
- What it means to believe people matter
- And other topics…

Josh Block is Executive Advisor at Block Imaging, where he previously served as President from 2011 to 2025, helping grow the company into a global provider of refurbished medical imaging equipment. He is also the founder of Cube Mobile Imaging and the author of People Matter at Work, which explores how leadership shapes culture and performance.

Resources Mentioned:
Josh’s Book, People Matter at Work: https://www.amazon.com/People-Matter-Work-Fostering-Everyone/dp/1637635044

Connect with Josh:
https://www.blockimaging.com/blog/author/josh-block
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshblock1/

Building a Customer Movement: How Companies Create Experiences That Work | Alain Thys, Revisited

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Many companies treat experience as the final layer of the business: a nicer interface, a friendlier script, a smoother customer interaction. But the real experience of a company comes from something deeper. It grows out of the systems, incentives, and environments that shape how people behave. If those foundations are wrong, no amount of design can fix it.

Experience architect, Alain Thys, has spent years helping organizations rethink those foundations so the experience customers and employees feel is actually built into the way the company works. In this episode, Dart and Alain discuss how organizations turn vision into lived experience, how leaders create environments where people naturally do the right thing, and why choosing the right customers and employees may be the most important design decision a company makes.

In this episode, Dart and Alain discuss:
- Why experience must be architected
- Turning vision into lived experience
- Why you cannot design a smile
- Creating environments where people do the right thing
- Listening to employees like customers
- Emotional and rational space in leadership
- Choosing the right customers for your business
- Hiring for fit before skills
- Why some customers drain the organization
- Designing for future customer expectations
- And other topics…

Alain Thys is the founder of Alain Thys & Co., where he helps organizations design and implement customer and employee experiences that drive business performance. He previously served as Managing Partner of Futurelab and has worked with global brands including Adidas, Audi, Mercedes, Reebok, Toyota, and ING. His work focuses on experience architecture, customer transformation, and aligning organizations around meaningful experiences. He is the author of So You Want To Be Customer-Centric?

Resources Mentioned:
Alain’s Book, So You Want To Be Customer-Centric?: 8 Steps To Profitable Customer Relations: https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Customer-Centric-Profitable-Relations/dp/1463785143

Connect with Alain:
Website: https://www.alainthys.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainthys/

The Hidden Cost of Certainty at Work | Margaret Heffernan

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0700

In a world that feels increasingly uncertain, making confident business decisions is hard. So we grasp for certainty. Numbers feel certain, but they often give us the false comfort of measuring the wrong things. In her book Embracing Uncertainty, Margaret Heffernan explores a different approach. Looking at artists, writers, and musicians, she asks what we can learn from people who produce extraordinary work in conditions where the future simply can’t be known. In this episode, Dart and Margaret discuss the hidden costs of certainty, why systems built around prediction can undermine human agency, and how artistic ways of working offer a different relationship to risk, failure, and learning.

Margaret Heffernan is an author, playwright, and former CEO who has run multiple businesses in the U.S. and U.K. Her TED Talks have been viewed more than fifteen million times.

In this episode, Dart and Margaret discuss:
- The pressure to be certain
- Why uncertainty is treated as a problem
- How prediction slides into control
- Why systems reduce human agency
- Why total certainty would strip away human choice
- How technology trains us to comply rather than think
- What artists do when the future can’t be known
- How power disrupts independent thinking
- The courage required to let go as a leader
- And other topics…

As Chief Executive of InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation, and then iCast Corporation, Margaret Heffernan was named one of the “Top 25” by Streaming Media magazine and one of the “Top 100 Media Executives” by The Hollywood Reporter. Her books include A Bigger Prize, Beyond Measure, Uncharted, and Willful Blindness, which was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times.

Her TED Talks have been viewed more than fifteen million times. She is Professor of Practice at the University of Bath and, through Merryck & Co., mentors CEOs and senior executives of major global organizations. In 2023 she was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame for her lasting contribution to management thinking.

Resources Mentioned:
Margaret’s books:
Embracing Uncertainty: How Writers, Musicians, and Artists Thrive in an Unpredictable World: https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Uncertainty-writers-musicians-unpredictable/dp/1447372670
Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-Navigate-Future-Margaret-Heffernan/dp/198211262X
Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril: https://www.amazon.com/Willful-Blindness-Ignore-Obvious-Peril/dp/0802777961

Connect with Margaret Heffernan:
Website: https://www.mheffernan.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-heffernan-ab5205/

The Cost of Managing From Above | William Hurst, Revisited

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0800

William Hurst is all too familiar with the disasters that have resulted from tops-down governance. Through years of fieldwork in China and Indonesia, William has seen what happens when decision-makers are cut off from life on the ground. In this revisited episode, Dart and William explore how companies experience similar problems when they try and optimize complex systems for narrow outcomes.

William Hurst is a political scientist who studies power, institutions, and labor. His work focuses on China and Indonesia, with lessons that extend far beyond politics.

In this episode, Dart and William discuss:
- Why rules fail people doing real work
- Seeing like a state—and like a company
- What James C. Scott gets right about power
- How simplification distorts complex systems
- When efficiency destroys what it measures
- Why coercion is built into governance
- How good intentions caused mass starvation
- What fake compliance looks like at work
- Why local knowledge keeps getting ignored
- What makes work feel meaningful
- And other topics…

William Hurst is the Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development at the University of Cambridge. He is a political scientist whose research focuses on labor politics, political economy, and the politics of law and institutions in China and Indonesia. Prior to Cambridge, he served as a professor at Northwestern University and held academic positions at Oxford, the University of Texas, and the University of Toronto. He is the author of Ruling Before the Law: The Politics of Legal Regimes in China and Indonesia and The Chinese Worker After Socialism.

Resources Mentioned:
Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Like-State-Schemes-Condition/dp/0300078153
Ruling Before the Law: The Politics of Legal Regimes in China and Indonesia, by William Hurst: https://www.amazon.com/Ruling-before-Law-Indonesia-Cambridge/dp/1108427200
The Chinese Worker After Socialism, by William Hurst: https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Worker-after-Socialism/dp/0521898870

Connect with William:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-hurst-05597723/

The Toxicity We Tolerate at Work | Catherine Mattice

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0800

Toxicity at work isn’t always obvious. Most times, it shows up as sarcasm, neglect, and unresolved conflict. Catherine Mattice learned this firsthand while working as an HR leader inside an organization where one person slowly broke a good culture. Leadership would not step in, and she watched good people leave. That experience led her to spend years helping organizations understand and address the quiet harm they often ignore. In this episode, Dart and Catherine discuss how toxicity emerges from systems, not just people, why it is often tolerated for far too long, and what leaders misunderstand about responsibility, power, and repair.

Catherine Mattice is the founder and CEO of Civility Partners, where she helps organizations address workplace toxicity, bullying, and incivility. She is the author of Navigating a Toxic Workplace For Dummies.

In this episode, Dart and Catherine discuss:
- How toxic behavior actually shows up at work
- Why ambiguity fuels bullying
- When neglect becomes a form of harm
- The spectrum from incivility to harassment
- Why leaders tolerate “low-level” bad behavior
- How culture lives in everyday interactions
- When high performers become protected sources of harm
- Why managers shape culture more than CEOs
- What repairing a toxic workplace really takes
- And other topics…

Catherine Mattice is the founder and CEO of Civility Partners. Her work focuses on helping organizations identify and address workplace bullying, incivility, and toxic behavior. She works closely with leaders, managers, and HR teams to redesign the conditions that shape how people treat one another at work. Under her leadership, Civility Partners has worked with over 250 clients, including major organizations like Chevron, NASA, and Stanford University. She is the author of Navigating a Toxic Workplace For Dummies and has created over 60 courses on LinkedIn Learning.

Resources Mentioned:
Navigating a Toxic Workplace For Dummies, by Catherine Mattice: https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Workplace-Dummies-Catherine-Mattice/dp/1394326130

Connect with Catherine:
Official website: https://civilitypartners.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemattice/

Technology Alone Won’t Change the World | Kentaro Toyama, Revisited

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0800

In this revisited episode, Dart and Kentaro discuss why technology is never the solution on its own, how human systems shape outcomes, and what it really takes to create meaningful social change.

Kentaro Toyama is W.K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan, a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center at MIT, and author of Geek Heresy.

In this episode, Dart and Kentaro discuss:
- Why technology needs a human touch to succeed
- Kentaro’s leadership at Microsoft Research India
- The 10 fallacies of technology
- Why the most important areas of focus are unmeasurable
- The pitfalls of focusing on the end-goal
- How to create societal change
- Innovation versus tried-and-true approaches
- The law of amplification
- 3 elements of intrinsic growth
- And other topics…

Kentaro Toyama is W.K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, and author of Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology. Before moving to Michigan, Kentaro co-founded Microsoft Research India, where he helped grow the lab into 60 full-time research staff. Kentaro is also a former researcher for UC Berkeley and former co-editor-in-chief of the Information Technologies and International Development journal.

Resources Mentioned:
Geek Heresy, by Kentaro Toyama: https://www.amazon.com/Geek-Heresy-Rescuing-Social-Technology/dp/161039528X

Connect with Kentaro:
www.kentarotoyama.org

The Problem With Scale: What Growing Too Big Does to Work | Geoffrey West

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0800

Geoffrey West didn’t set out to explain work. He was a physicist trying to understand why living things grow, age, and die. But when his questions expanded into biology, cities, and organizations, they offered a way to think about why growth changes how organizations behave and why success often brings new constraints. In this episode, Dart and Geoffrey discuss why work feels different as organizations scale, why cities keep renewing themselves while companies tend to burn out, and what these hidden constraints mean for the people doing the work.

Geoffrey West is a British theoretical physicist and Distinguished Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He is a former president of the Institute and the author of Scale, which explores how size shapes growth, innovation, and lifespan across living and social systems.

In this episode, Dart and Geoffrey discuss:
- Why work changes as organizations grow
- How simple scaling laws shape complex systems
- Why larger animals live longer
- Why companies die younger than cities
- How scale speeds up innovation
- Why bureaucracy grows with success
- How innovation gets crowded out over time
- Why cities tolerate difference better than firms
- What keeps work alive inside organizations
- And other topics…

Geoffrey West is a British theoretical physicist and Distinguished Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, where he previously served as president. Earlier in his career, he led the high-energy physics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory and held faculty positions at Stanford University. His research focuses on universal scaling laws in biology, cities, and social systems, examining how size shapes growth, innovation, and lifespan. He is the author of Scale.

Resources Mentioned:
Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies, by Geoffrey West: https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainability-Organisms/dp/014311090X

Connect with Geoffrey:
Official website: https://www.geoffreywest.com/

What Classrooms Reveal About Designing Better Work | Peter Liljedahl, Revisited

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0800

After decades in education, Dr. Peter Liljedahl realized that many classrooms fail to engage the people inside them. Rather than accept that reality, he began challenging every classroom norm he could find, asking a single question of each one: does this increase thinking?

What followed was a decades-long effort to redesign learning environments from the ground up, dramatically increasing student engagement and understanding. In this revisited episode, Dart and Peter discuss how rethinking classroom norms can reshape learning, collaboration, and the design of work itself.

Dr. Peter Liljedahl is an author, researcher, and professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. His work focuses on increasing thinking, engagement, and collaboration through classroom design.

In this episode, Dart and Peter discuss:
- Peter’s redesign of the classroom and how it can be applied to work
- How to create an environment that cultivates thinking
- Transforming norms to achieve better results
- The importance of collaboration in work and learning
- The best ways to evaluate employee performance
- Deconstructing ideas into actionable points
- What creates “Aha!” moments
- The structure of a good task
- And other topics…

Dr. Peter Liljedahl is a professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. His work focuses on increasing thinking, engagement, and collaboration through classroom design. He is the author of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics and works internationally with educators, schools, and education systems. His work has been recognized with the Cmolik Prize for the Enhancement of Public Education and the Fields Institute’s Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award for Innovation and Excellence in Mathematics Education.

Resources mentioned:
Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12, by Peter Liljedahl: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Thinking-Classrooms-Mathematics-Grades/dp/1544374836
Weapons of the Weak, by James Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Weak-Everyday-Peasant-Resistance/dp/0300036418
A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander: https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199

Connect with Peter:
X: https://x.com/pgliljedahl
https://buildingthinkingclassrooms.com/

What Complex Organizations Do to Ethics | Ed Freeman

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 02:00:00 -0800

Ethical questions at work rarely show up as rules or compliance issues. They show up in the systems organizations design and the outcomes those systems produce. And even well-intentioned leaders can create harm without meaning to. In this episode, Dart and Ed explore legitimacy, responsibility, employees, power, and why acting ethically inside complex systems is so difficult, even when people know what the right thing is.

Ed Freeman is best known for stakeholder theory, which challenged the idea that companies exist only to serve shareholders. He argues instead that businesses are built on relationships, and that ethics and strategy can’t be separated.

In this episode, Dart and Ed discuss:
- Why stakeholder theory was never “shareholders versus everyone else”
- What legitimacy means and why companies lose it
- How ethics and strategy got separated
- Why values come before business models
- Managing stakeholders vs. building relationships
- Why interdependence matters more than primacy
- When trade-offs signal a lack of imagination
- How ignoring people can lead to harm
- Why ethics can’t be outsourced to regulation
- What it means to act ethically inside complex systems
- And other topics…

R. Edward Freeman is Stephen E. Bachand University Professor of Business Administration and Olsson Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He previously taught at the Wharton School and the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on stakeholder theory, business ethics, and the role of purpose in strategy. He is the author of the award-winning Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach and numerous articles on ethics, value creation, and capitalism.

Resources Mentioned:
Ed’s Book, Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach: https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Management-R-Edward-Freeman/dp/0521151740
Ed’s Podcast, The Stakeholder Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stakeholder-podcast/id1526139352

Connect with Ed:
Darden faculty page: https://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty-research/directory/r-edward-freeman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-edward-freeman-98b8897/

The Experience IS the Brand | Alder Yarrow, Revisited

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Experience is brand. The experiences people have with a company shape how they feel, what they trust, and whether they stay. Creating those experiences is not just about interfaces or marketing. It requires rethinking internal processes, digital systems, and the everyday realities of work. Alder Yarrow has spent decades helping organizations understand experience from the inside out, and why lasting growth depends on getting it right. In this revisited episode, Dart and Alder talk about experience as brand and define experience design and experience modeling. They also discuss employees as customers and how companies can understand their specific needs.

Alder Yarrow is an experience designer, advisor, and writer. He has spent over 25 years creating customer experiences for some of the world’s leading brands.

In this episode, Dart and Alder discuss:
- How experience becomes brand over time
- What experience design really means
- What experience modeling is and why it matters
- Why employees should be treated as customers of work
- How companies can better understand employee needs
- Why in-context studies matter more than surveys
- The Manager Work Practice Study
- Grounded theory and its role in research
- Experience design versus user experience
- The Jobs-To-Be-Done theory
- The say do gap
- What changes when you redesign employee experience
- Trauma-aware management
- And other topics…

Alder Yarrow has spent over 25 years helping organizations understand experience from the inside out. He has led brand and experience work for companies including Google, Twitter, Home Depot, and Tesla, and previously founded the experience design firm HYDRANT. He later served as Chief Experience Officer at Cibo and is also the founder and editor of Vinography and the author of The Essence of Wine.

Resources Mentioned:
The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen:
https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Technologies-Management-Innovation/dp/1633691780

Alder’s blog, Vinography: https://www.vinography.com/

Connect with Alder Yarrow:
Website: https://www.vinography.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alderyarrow/

What Happens When AI Removes Friction from Work | Aaron Horwath

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 02:00:00 -0800

While leading L&D at Creative Force, Aaron Horwath and his leaders began treating work as a product to be designed. That shift had wide effects, including something unexpected. Creative Force became one of the few companies to implement AI in a way that actually improved the experience of work. Instead of chasing tools, Aaron and his team started with people. In this episode, Dart and Aaron discuss why starting with people led to AI success, how work can be designed as a product, and what it takes to prepare humans for a fast-approaching future.

Aaron Horwath is the Director of AI Operations at Creative Force. He helps teams redesign work by starting with people and using AI to reduce friction and improve the experience of work.

In this episode, Dart and Aaron discuss:
- Why AI should start with people, not tools
- How treating work as a product changes everything
- Finding the work that drains people and removing it
- Using the bubble chart to redesign jobs
- The difference between human work and AI work
- How non technical teams are building real software
- Why AI shortens the relay race of work
- Why soft skills matter more in an AI world
- How AI can make work more expressive
- What leaders get wrong about AI adoption
- And more…

Aaron Horwath is the Director of AI Operations at Creative Force, where he leads the company’s move toward AI augmented work. He previously led Learning and Development at the company, where he began treating work as a product and focusing on reducing friction in how people do their jobs. His work centers on starting with real business problems, understanding what work people love or hate, and using AI to remove low value tasks. Aaron takes a people first approach to AI, helping teams spend more time on meaningful, value generating work.

Resources Mentioned:
Creative Force: https://www.creativeforce.io

Connect with Aaron:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronhorwath

Psychological Design: How Environments Predict Our Psychology, Behavior, and Ability to Thrive | Jan Golembiewski, Revisited

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 02:00:00 -0800

Every building comes with a set of expectations. Students are quiet in a library, but loud on a playground. Adults are focused in their deckchairs yet chatty on bar stools. Witnessing the limitations of conventional building design, Jan Golembiewski began to leverage design psychology to improve the lives of different groups, from inmates to the elderly. As one of the world’s leading researchers in architectural design psychology, Dr. Golembiewski works to create spaces that prioritize health and overall flourishing.

In this revisited episode, Dart and Jan discuss how salutogenic design works, how the spaces around us shape the way we think and feel, and what it means to create workplaces and buildings where people can truly thrive.

Dr. Jan Golembiewski is an architect and researcher focused on the psychology of the built environment. He studies how design can support health, dignity, and human flourishing.

In this episode, Dart and Jan discuss:
- A unique design approach called salutogenesis
- Designing a workplace where employees can thrive
- Salutogenic architecture
- Balancing affordances and choices in design
- The narrative context embedded in architecture
- How money-driven architecture affects livability
- The key traits of salutogenic architects
- And other topics…

Dr. Jan Golembiewski is an architect and researcher who specializes in the psychology of the built environment. He is the director and nominated architect of Psychological Design and the co-founder and CEO of Earthbuilt Technology. His work explores how architectural settings affect health, behavior, and well-being, with a particular focus on salutogenic design. Golembiewski received his Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Sydney and has served as an adjunct professor and a judge for international design and health awards.

Resources mentioned:
Claus Raasted and Paul Bulencea on Work for Humans: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-transformation-experience-design/id1612743401?i=1000623034271
The Battle for the Life and Beauty of the Earth, by Christopher Alexander: https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Life-Beauty-Earth-World-Systems/dp/0199898073
Magic, by Jan Golembiewski: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Jan-Golembiewski-ebook/dp/B07J5RNFWV

Connect with Jan:
Website: www.psychological.design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-golembiewski-a4802a15/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vwuUGOkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Investing in the Future of Work: A New Path for Venture Capital | Virginie Raphaël

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Ideas don’t grow on their own. Something has to amplify them. Universities amplify what they teach, consultants amplify what they recommend, and money amplifies the ideas it chooses to back. If we want to understand how work changes at scale, we have to look at how capital shapes which ideas take root. Virginie Raphaël is redesigning that amplifier.

In this episode, Dart and Virginie discuss how venture capital amplifies ideas, how trust networks shape who gets funded, and why rethinking the incentives behind early-stage investing may be key to building a more equitable future of work.

Virginie Raphaël is the Founder and Managing Partner of FullCircle, a perpetual pre-seed venture fund. She invests in founders building a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous workforce.

In this episode, Dart and Virginie discuss:
- How money amplifies ideas and shapes systems at scale
- Why traditional venture funds push short-term returns
- How a perpetual fund changes founder–investor alignment
- Why trust networks shape who gets funded
- The danger of capital crowding into the same ideas
- What pre-seed investing really means for founder risk
- Why geography still matters in early-stage innovation
- How AI hype is distorting investment decisions
- What she looks for in founders who want to change work
- Why impact and market returns don’t have to conflict
- And other topics…

Virginie Raphaël is the Founder and Managing Partner of FullCircle, a perpetual pre-seed fund focused on building a more equitable and sustainable workforce. Before founding the firm, she was a Managing Director at Tusk Ventures and previously worked in banking at Lehman Brothers and Barclays. She has spent her career supporting early-stage founders in complex and highly regulated sectors.

Resources Mentioned:
FullCircle: https://www.fullcirclefund.io/

Connect with Virginie:
Twitter: https://x.com/VirginieRaphael
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginie-raphael-7197271/

Alive at Work: The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do | Daniel M. Cable, Revisited

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Dan Cable was doing his job and getting compensated for it, but there was a problem: he was going through the motions with no growth, learning, or sense of excitement. He knew he needed to make a change to excel. By exploring the neuroscience behind thriving at work, Dan has since used his experience to help companies like Coca-Cola and Twitter (now X) optimize employee conditions. In this revisited episode, Dart and Dan discuss the neuroscience of enthusiastic employees, the practices that shut people down, and what we can do to set them free.

Dan Cable is a researcher, author, and Professor of Organizational Behavior at the London Business School. He is the author of Alive at Work and uses his expertise to assist clients like Coca-Cola, Twitter, McDonald’s, and Prudential.

In this episode, Dart and Dan discuss:
- Dan’s book, Alive at Work
- The biology behind enthusiastic employees
- How Dan helped reduce a company’s turnover by 30%
- Why experimentation and play at work are essential
- Creating conditions for experimentation without risking company goals
- What stifles employee energy
- Playing to the strengths of your team
- The type of leadership that creates thriving employees
- How managers can create personalized work
- And other topics…

Daniel M. Cable is a researcher, author, and Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. He uses his expertise to assist clients like Coca-Cola, Twitter, McDonald’s, and Prudential, among others. He has won the London Business School’s Excellence in Teaching Award and was selected for the 2018 Thinkers50 Radar List.

Dan holds a BA from Penn State University and an MS Ph.D. from Cornell. He has published three books – Change to Strange, Alive at Work, and Exceptional – as well as more than 50 articles in top scientific journals. His work has been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC.

Resources Mentioned:
Alive at Work, by Daniel Cable: https://www.amazon.com/Alive-Work-Neuroscience-Helping-People/dp/1633697665
Design for Belonging, by Susie Wise: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Belonging-Inclusion-Collaboration-Communities-ebook/dp/B0998BMN9H

Connect with Dan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-cable-a0b581a0/
Twitter: @dancable1
Website: www.dan-cable.com

The Business Case for Experience Design: A New Lens for Work | Mat Duerden

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

We experience the world through what we notice, how we feel, and what we remember. Yet most organizations still focus on products instead of the experiences those products create. Mat Duerden has spent his career studying how experiences work, why they matter, and what turns an ordinary moment into something meaningful or even transformative. In this episode, Dart and Mat discuss what makes an experience meaningful and how reflection deepens its impact. They look at how organizations can build experience playbooks that bring brand, culture, and design together into one coherent story.

Mat Duerden is the Department Chair of Experience Design and Management at the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. He is the co-author of Designing Experiences and a researcher focused on how experiences become memorable, meaningful, and transformative.

In this episode, Dart and Mat discuss:
- Why attention drives every experience
- What makes experiences memorable, meaningful, or transformative?
- What designers of work can learn from studying leisure
- How core design principles travel across contexts
- Why experiences should be orchestrated, not staged.
- How hardship can make experiences more powerful
- How shared experiences build connection
- What Bach and river rafting have in common
- How telling the story helps learning stick
- And other topics…

Mat Duerden is the Department Chair of the Experience Design and Management program at the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. His research examines how experiences become memorable, meaningful, and transformative, with a focus on reflection, storytelling, and attention.

He is the co-author of Designing Experiences, written with Bob Rossman, and teaches experience design across business, education, and leisure contexts. Prior to academia, Mat worked extensively in outdoor recreation and youth development, shaping his interest in how shared experiences create connection.

Resources Mentioned:
Designing Experiences, by Mat Duerden & Bob Rossman: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Experiences-Columbia-Business-Publishing/dp/0231191685
Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle: https://www.amazon.com/Nicomachean-Ethics-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449493
Experience Economy, by Joe Pine & James Gilmore: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Updated-Joseph-Pine/dp/1422161978

Connect with Mat:
Faculty Page: https://marriott.byu.edu/directory/details?id=5773
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mat-duerden-8740969/

Rethinking Career Design: How Traditional Education Set Up a Generation to Fail, and How to Course Correct Today | Farouk Dey, Revisited

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

In an ideal world, college would help students explore possibilities and imagine a future that fits who they are. Instead, many choose majors before they know themselves and get pushed onto a career conveyor belt with little space to discover what matters to them. Farouk Dey wants to change that. His work encourages students to pause, experiment, and learn from real experiences before deciding where they want to go. In this episode, Dart and Dr. Farouk Dey discuss how life design can help students find direction through experimentation, and how universities can create fuller, more meaningful journeys for the people they serve.

Dr. Farouk Dey is the President of Palo Alto University. He has spent more than two decades reimagining how universities help students prepare for life and work.

In this episode, Dart and Farouk discuss:
- The Imagine Center for Integrative Learning and Life Design
- How economic shifts drive national career changes
- The growing need to develop minds, not just careers
- Changing the outdated career service models of American universities
- Balancing competition and curiosity when choosing a career
- The importance of experiential learning for life design
- How universities can give students a higher return on their investment
- Farouk’s advice for companies who want to build a life design center
- How to construct your passion – not find it
- And other topics…

Dr. Farouk Dey is the President of Palo Alto University and the former Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design at Johns Hopkins University. He previously held senior roles at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University, where he led work in career and experiential education. His focus is helping students navigate learning, work, and meaning through applied design principles. Dr. Dey holds a PhD and EdS in Higher Education Administration, an MBA, an MEd in Counseling Psychology, and a BBA in Finance.

Resources mentioned:
Bill Burnett on Work For Humans: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designing-your-life-how-to-use-design-principles-to/id1612743401?i=1000738307337

Connect with Farouk:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faroukdey/

Workflow Friction: The Missing Link in Work Design and AI Transformation | Stephanie Denino

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Friction is part of every workplace. It shows up in the meetings that don’t need to happen, the unclear steps, and the small barriers that make work harder than it has to be. It’s a cost we’ve come to accept, but it doesn’t need to stay that way. When we look more closely, we start to see the real experience of work where people get stuck, where energy drains away, and where better design could help them thrive. In this episode, Dart and Stephanie Denino discuss what friction really means, how language shapes the way we think about work, and why AI is putting new pressure on workflow design.

Stephanie Denino is Head of Advisory at FOUNT Global and a Managing Director at TI People. She helps leaders understand friction in workflows and redesign work so people can get things done with less effort.

In this episode, Dart and Stephanie discuss:
- Why friction is “the tax you pay when work is poorly designed”
- How workers describe friction in their day-to-day tasks
- Why focusing on workflow changes how leaders see problems
- The two types of workflows inside organizations
- How language shapes the way leaders talk about work
- Why HR is becoming central to workflow design with AI
- What friction reveals about customer outcomes and capacity
- How process diagrams mask the lived experience of work
- How product thinking improves workflow design
- And other topics…

Stephanie Denino is the Head of Advisory at FOUNT Global and a Managing Director at TI People, where she helps organizations identify and reduce friction in employee workflows using data and design. Before joining TI People, she spent more than a decade at Accenture in experience design and talent transformation roles. Her work centers on improving how people get work done through better systems, clearer processes, and intentional practices.

Resources:
FOUNT Global: https://www.fount-ex.com/

Connect with Stephanie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniedenino/

Designing Your Life: How to Use Design Principles to Get What You Want in Work and Life | Bill Burnett, Revisited

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 02:00:00 -0800

From kitchen tables to self-driving cars, everything around us was designed to solve a problem. Bill Burnett, award-winning Silicon Valley designer, believes we can use the same approach to design careers that bring fulfillment and joy. By using curiosity, reframing, collaboration, and other tools, Bill shows how to enjoy the present while shaping a better future. In this revisited episode, Dart and Bill discuss how to adopt a design mindset for life and work, tackle the sunk-cost fallacy, rethink work-life balance, and share practical management advice.

Bill is an award-winning designer, New York Times bestselling author, adjunct professor, and Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University. Throughout his career, Bill has designed everything from the first slate computer to Hasbro Star Wars action figures, assisting and advising Fortune 100 companies and start-ups alike.

In this episode, Dart and Bill discuss:
- The design mindset you need to build the life you want
- The problem with hyper-focusing on one goal
- How to reframe problems to discover new solutions
- Avoiding the sunk-cost fallacy
- Enjoying what you have while building a brighter future
- Management advice for interviewing and hiring adaptable employees
- An antidote for the work-life balance problem
- And other topics…

Bill Burnett is an award-winning Silicon Valley designer and New York Times best-selling author. He currently serves as the Adjunct Professor and Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University, and over 350 universities now use his curriculum on how to design your life. Throughout his career, he has designed everything from the first slate computer to Hasbro Star Wars action figures in the toy industry, assisting and advising Fortune 100 companies and start-ups alike.

Bill is the co-author of the bestselling book Designing Your Life and recently published Designing Your New Work Life, both of which have garnered significant acclaim. His impact on design, education, and professional development continues to shape industries and inspire aspiring designers worldwide.

Resources Mentioned:
Designing Your New Work Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Work-Life-Happiness/dp/0593467450
Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Life-Well-Lived-Joyful/dp/1101875321

Connect with Bill:
www.DesigningYour.Life

Work-as-a-Product: How Dropbox Redesigned Work for the Virtual Era | Melanie Rosenwasser

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800

Dropbox didn’t just adapt to remote work. It redesigned work itself. After the pandemic, Melanie Rosenwasser and her team joined forces with Dropbox’s designers to study how people actually work and what they need to do their best thinking. Backed by data, they made the leap to their Virtual First operating model in which the vast majority of the workforce is remote and physical spaces are used primarily for planned team events. In this episode, Dart and Melanie explore how Dropbox leadership supported the move to work-as-a-product, how design thinking has fundamentally reshaped the people function, and what it takes to build human-centered systems at scale.

Melanie Rosenwasser is the Chief People Officer at Dropbox and a key architect of its Virtual First model. She focuses on designing human-centered, high-impact ways of working.

In this episode, Dart and Melanie discuss:
- How Dropbox rebuilt its operating model
- Why most companies misunderstand remote and hybrid work
- The principles behind Virtual First
- What happens when HR behaves like a product team
- How clarity, norms, and intentionality replace meetings
- The experiments that changed how Dropbox collaborates
- How leadership transforms in a remote-forward world
- Why work must be designed, not assumed
- And other topics…

Melanie Rosenwasser is the Chief People Officer at Dropbox, where she leads the global HR organization spanning People Operations and Tech, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Organizational Development, People Analytics, and Employee Experience. She is known for championing innovative talent practices, cultivating continuous learning cultures, and designing workplaces where people can do their best work. Melanie is a lecturer in Columbia University’s Human Capital Management program and a key architect of Dropbox’s Virtual First model.

Resources Mentioned:
Virtual First: https://experience.dropbox.com/virtualfirst
Dropbox blog, Work in Progress: https://blog.dropbox.com/

Connect with Melanie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanierosenwasser/

Immersive Experience Design: How to Use Story to Design Work Experiences | Stacy Barton, Revisited

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Stacy Barton was assigned an exhaustive project at 9 pm and had to complete it by 6 am if she wanted to receive a paycheck. While most of us would have deflated under the pressure, Stacy saw an opportunity; it was time to get creative. By being inventive and working around the rules, she learned how to deliver a product that companies, employees, and her audience love. In this revisited episode, Stacy shares how constraints spark creativity, why the audience is always the star, and how storytelling can transform leadership, teamwork, and workplace culture.

Stacy has been creating multimillion-dollar immersive experiences for over 37 years as a designer, award-winning writer, and story lead. She uses her creativity to work with high-network individuals and companies like Disney, Ringling Bros, DreamVision, and SeaWorld, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Stacy discuss:
- Creating an immersive experience to engage customers
- How to show your customers/employees you care about them
- Discovering the story behind your brand
- Finding employees that complement your company
- The importance of appreciation at work
- Applying storytelling to real-world business problems
- Being creative within the constraints of work
- And more…

Stacy Barton has been creating immersive experiences as a designer, writer, and story lead for over 37 years. Utilizing immense creativity and problem-solving skills, she helps build multimillion-dollar pop-up experiences, escape rooms, shows, and theme park areas for high-network individuals and companies, including Disney, Ringling Bros, DreamVision, and SeaWorld.

As a writer, Stacy brings stories to life through her scripts, narrative development, and novels. She is the award-winning author of three books, five children’s picture books, and over 30 magazine publications. She presented as a panelist for the National Association of Writers and Writing Program and is a speaker for events such as the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference and the Disney Institute.

Resources Mentioned:
Why We Work, by Barry Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-Barry-Schwartz/dp/144237814X

Connect with Stacy:
Website: https://www.stacybarton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-barton-58b7997/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stacy-Barton/author/B001JS4R6A

The Master Servant Doctrine: How Feudal Law Still Shapes Modern Work | Elizabeth Tippett

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Modern work is haunted by an idea that began in feudal Europe. The Master Servant Doctrine gave employers the right to command and control workers while imposing a duty to provide for them. That ancient logic still shapes the modern workplace — from “at-will” employment and HR policies designed to protect companies, to benefits that bind people to their jobs. In this episode, Dart and Elizabeth explore how feudal ideas of control and obligation still structure employment today, and what it would take to build something better.

Elizabeth Tippett teaches employment law and legal ethics at the University of Oregon School of Law. She is the author of The Master Servant Doctrine, and her research examines how historical legal frameworks continue to influence the modern workplace.

In this episode, Dart and Elizabeth discuss:
- How feudal law still shapes modern work
- The three pillars of the Master Servant Doctrine
- Why “at-will” employment persists in the U.S.
- How HR became a modern tool of control
- Why employee benefits reinforce dependency
- The moral legacy of servitude in labor law
- How law and culture preserve inequality at work
- What a modern social contract for labor might look like
- And other topics…

Elizabeth Tippett is Professor and James O. and Alfred T. Goodwin Senior Fellow at the University of Oregon School of Law. She teaches courses on employment law, torts, negotiation, and dispute resolution, and her research examines how historical legal doctrines continue to shape modern employment practices. She is the author of The Master Servant Doctrine: How Old Legal Rules Haunt the Modern Workplace, forthcoming from Stanford University Press in 2025.

Resources Mentioned:
The Master–Servant Doctrine: How Old Legal Rules Haunt the Modern Workplace, by Elizabeth Tippett: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Servant-Doctrine-Legal-Modern-Workplace/dp/0520382323

Connect with Elizabeth:
Website: https://liztippett.com

Designing Time: The Future of Experience Design | Dave Norton

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Most organizations think about the design of work in terms of products, services, or customer journeys. But Dave Norton has spent his career arguing that experience design goes much deeper. It is about shaping how people spend their time and, in some cases, their lives. In this episode, Dart talks to Dave about how experience design has evolved, why context matters more than personality, and how AI may finally make transformational design scalable.

Dave Norton is the founder of Stone Mantel, an insights consultancy focused on helping companies create meaningful experiences for their customers and employees. A pioneer in experience strategy, he helps organizations across industries rethink the meaning of time, transformation, and context in design.

In this episode, Dart and Dave discuss:
- The evolution of experience design
- Why context matters more than customer psychology
- How to design time that is well saved, well spent, and well invested
- Why transformation requires discomfort
- The power of modes and modularity in designing for focus
- How to design whole offerings that get the “whole job” done
- Why AI could help scale transformational design
- And other topics…

Dave Norton is the founder of Stone Mantel, the experience strategy firm built on the belief that meaningful work is less about what you sell and more about how people spend their time. He began working with Joe Pine, co-author of The Experience Economy, in the early 2000s and in 2005 launched Stone Mantel to help organizations design experiences that are “time well spent.” Over the years, he has guided clients across industries, including healthcare, banking, and hospitality, shifting the focus from features to whole offerings and from channels to moments.

Resources Mentioned:
Stone Mantle: https://www.stonemantel.co/
The Experience Strategist (Substack): https://theexperiencestrategist.substack.com/
The Experience Economy, by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Competing-Customers-Service/dp/1422161978

Connect with Dave:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davenortonphd/

Designing AI Tools That Think With You | Dimitri Glazkov

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 02:00:00 -0700

The tools we use shape how we work, what we see, and how we think. Dmitri Glazkov, Strategy Lead at Google Labs, initiated Breadboard and helped launch Opal—tools that let people connect prompts into systems that think together like Tinkertoys for the mind. His passion is building technology that makes creativity easier and more human. In this episode, Dart and Dmitri explore how AI can capture tacit knowledge, why strategy gets embedded in culture, and how to design “tiny brains” that think with us, not for us.

Dmitri Glazkov is Strategy Lead at Google Labs and the initiator of Breadboard, the open-source foundation for Google’s Opal project. He is a longtime Google engineer and an early contributor to Chrome and Web Components.

In this episode, Dart and Dmitri discuss:
- How AI tools reshape the experience of work
- Why Breadboard and Opal make creativity easier
- How AI can help capture and share tacit knowledge
- The difference between dandelion and elephant growth strategies
- How strategy becomes embodied in company culture
- What “lensical thinking” means and how to use it
- Why Dmitri calls Opal a cognitive WYSIWYG
- How chains of prompts can act as “tiny brains”
- And other topics…

Dmitri Glazkov is the Strategy Lead at Google Labs and the initiator of Breadboard, the open-source project that underpins Google’s Opal tool for creative AI experimentation. Over nearly two decades at Google, Dmitri has shaped how people interact with technology—from helping build Chrome and pioneering Web Components to exploring how artificial intelligence can amplify human thought. His work focuses on designing systems that think with us, not for us, making creativity more accessible to everyone.

Resources Mentioned:
Opal: https://opal.withgoogle.com
Dmitri’s Blog: https://glazkov.com
Dart and Dmitri’s article, “The Unvarying Infrastructure of Variation”: https://read.fluxcollective.org/p/69

Connect with Dmitri:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dglazkov

Vitsœ: Building a Company That Lasts by Breaking the Rules | Mark Adams

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Most companies chase growth by selling more things to more people, faster. Mark Adams has spent nearly 40 years proving there is another way. As Director of Vitsœ, he runs the company with one mission: to help people live better with less that lasts longer. In this episode, Dart talks to Mark about why Vitsœ resists conventional business rules, how it builds longevity and trust into everything it makes, and what it means to design a company that could outlive its founders.

Mark Adams has led Vitsœ, the British furniture company known for its long partnership with Dieter Rams, since 1985. He has shaped it into a quiet revolution against planned obsolescence and short-term thinking. Rejecting titles, hierarchies, and corporate clichés, he has built a company where design, culture, and ethics operate as one system, showing that a business guided by principles rather than profit can thrive for generations.

In this episode, Dart and Mark discuss:
- Why Vitsœ rejects CEOs, boards, and traditional hierarchies
- How longevity gets built into culture
- Why Vitsœ recruits for character before skill
- Why Vitsœ’s customers keep coming back
- Raising over £8 million directly from customers
- What “love” in customer emails really means
- How Dieter Rams’ design philosophy guides Vitsœ’s decisions
- Why design is really about systems, not things
- What it takes to build a company designed to last
- And other topics…

Mark Adams is the Director of Vitsœ, the British design company best known for its long partnership with Dieter Rams and its modular furniture that grows with people’s lives. After encountering the 606 shelving system in 1985, Mark established Vitsœ UK in 1986 to bring Rams’s designs to a wider audience. He later succeeded Niels Vitsœ as Managing Director in 1993 and has led the company ever since with a quiet but radical vision: to build a business grounded in longevity, sufficiency, and trust. Mark believes companies should exist to help people live better with less, and he has spent nearly four decades proving that principle through every part of Vitsœ’s work, from design to manufacturing to culture.

Resources Mentioned:
Vitsœ: https://www.vitsoe.com/us
Good to Great, by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996
Built to Last, by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras: https://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402

Connect with Mark:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markekadams/

AI as Dramaturg: What It Means to Create Art with a Machine | Matthew Gasda and Isobel McCrum

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0700

When playwright Matthew Gasda credited ChatGPT and Claude in the program for his play Doomers, it sparked a debate about whether machines belong in the creative process. The play wasn’t written by AI. It used AI as a dramaturg, a kind of philosophical collaborator, and that simple credit forced audiences to confront what it means to create alongside a machine. In this episode, Dart talks to Matt and Isobel about AI as dramaturg, the creative tension between human and machine, and how the source of a work might matter as much as the work itself.

Matthew Gasda is known for reinventing New York theater with intimate, independent productions that challenge how art is made and who it’s for. Microsoft language scientist and producer Isobel McCrum joined him after seeing Doomers, bringing her fascination with the intersection of language, technology, and creativity.

In this episode, Dart, Matt and Isobel discuss:
- When an audience debate exposed our unease with AI in art
- The origin of Doomers and its link to Sam Altman’s firing
- AI as a dramaturg, not a co-author
- How Isobel trained a model on Matt’s plays to study imitation
- What happens when a playwright prompts a machine to think
- Why AI-generated writing often feels like parody
- How Borges’ Pierre Menard changes how we see authorship
- Can AI art still carry human depth?
- What does it mean for art to be both human and synthetic?
- And other topics…

Matthew Gasda is a playwright, novelist, and founder of the Brooklyn Center for Theater Research. He’s known for reinventing New York theater with intimate, independent productions that exist outside traditional institutions. His plays, including Dimes Square, The Sleepers, and Doomers, explore modern culture through realism, philosophy, and personal reflection. With Doomers, he captured the human drama behind Sam Altman’s near firing from OpenAI, using theater to question creativity, technology, and what it means to be human.

Isobel McCrum is a language scientist and content designer at Microsoft, where she works on the language experience for AI tools like Copilot in Word. With a background in linguistics and storytelling, she focuses on making AI systems more precise, inclusive, and human-centered. Isobel also collaborates on creative projects that investigate the intersection of art, language, and machine intelligence, including Doomers, which she produced for its London release.

Resources Mentioned:
Doomers: https://www.doomerslondon.com/
Brooklyn Center for Theater Research: https://brooklyncenterfortheatreresearch.com/

Connect with Matt and Isobel:
Matthew’s Substack: https://substack.com/@matthewgasda
Isobel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isobel-mccrum/

Stories Over Surveys: Unlocking Human Truths About Work and Life | James Warren

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Surveys and numbers can capture averages, but they can’t reveal the raw humanity of lived experience. Stories can. Stories connect us, capture nuance and emotion, and uncover the “why” behind our choices in ways numbers never will. In this episode, Dart and James Warren talk about why stories reveal truths surveys miss, how personal narratives can be transformed into meaningful change, and how organizations can flip the script to see their people more fully.

James Warren founded Share More Stories in 2014 on the belief that everyone’s stories matter — that by listening to them, organizations can do better and be better. Today, the company combines human expression with digital tools like its SEEQ Platform to help leaders uncover deep human insights and turn them into better decisions, stronger relationships, and sustainable growth.

In this episode, Dart and James discuss:
- Why stories reveal truths surveys miss
- How prompts unlock surprising vulnerability
- Turning personal narratives into organizational change
- The role of vulnerability in leadership
- Why being heard is often the most powerful outcome
- What it means to flip the script
- Why your company is inside your people
- And other topics…

James Warren is the Founder and CEO of Share More Stories, a human experience insights company powered by the SEEQ Platform. He leads work that blends storytelling, AI, and research to uncover emotional drivers in both employee and customer experiences. Over the last decade, he’s built SEEQ into a platform that goes beyond surveys to surface the “why” behind experience. A researcher, strategist, writer, and facilitator, he helps companies listen, reflect, and act on human truths.

Resources Mentioned:
Share More Stories: https://sharemorestories.com/
SEEQ Platform: sharemorestories.com/seeq
Register to attend the UWEBC Conference, where Dart keynotes the HR track alongside Ethan Mollick and Nancy Giordano – September 30, University of Wisconsin: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/conference/registration/

Connect with James:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-warren-seeq/

Architects of Transformation: Unlocking the Real Value of People | Michael Smith

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Leaders today are under pressure from every direction: an unpredictable economy, the rise of AI, and the constant demand for transformation while keeping the business running. Few people see those challenges more clearly than Michael Smith. He argues that leaders make the greatest impact when they act as architects of transformation rather than playing defense. In this episode, Mike and Dart discuss what happens when HR is seen only as a cost and how CEOs and CFOs can unlock the real value of the people in their organizations. They also explore the future of HR and why doing well and doing good go together.

As CEO of Randstad Enterprise, a division of one of the world’s largest HR services companies, Mike has spent more than 20 years leading businesses across four continents. That vantage point gives him a rare perspective on how people, technology, and transformation shape the future of work.

In this episode, Dart and Jim discuss:
- Why HR leaders have the most impact as architects of transformation
- What happens when people are treated as a cost instead of the engine of growth
- How CEOs and CFOs can unlock the real value of talent
- The future of HR in a world shaped by AI and constant change
- Why companies are hiring and laying off at the same time
- How AI is reshaping recruiting and freeing HR for higher-value work
- The risk of excluding talent through rigid hiring processes
- Why HR must become data visionaries to stay at the table
- The ethical challenges of leading with AI
- And other topics…

Michael Smith is Chief Executive of Randstad Enterprise and part of Randstad’s global leadership team. Over two decades with the company, he has led businesses across the US, Europe, and Asia, including CEO roles at Randstad UK and Randstad Sourceright EMEA. Today, he oversees Randstad’s global talent solutions portfolio — from recruitment outsourcing and managed services to career transition, coaching, and advisory. His work puts him at the center of how the world’s largest organizations adapt to change, balance people and technology, and unlock the real value of talent.

Resources Mentioned:
Randstad Enterprise: https://www.randstad.com
Get discounted tickets to the Responsive Conference, featuring past Work for Humans guests Bree Groff and Simone Stolzoff – September 17–18, Oakland, CA. Use code “11fold”: https://www.responsiveconference.com/tickets
Register to attend the UWEBC Conference, where Dart keynotes the HR track alongside Ethan Mollick and Nancy Giordano – September 30, University of Wisconsin: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/conference/registration/

Connect with Mike:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohnsmith/

Leadership Beyond the Individual: Relation in the Space Between Us | Jim Ferrell

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 02:00:00 -0700

One line in Martin Buber’s I and Thou stopped Jim Ferrell in his tracks. It made him realize that leadership isn’t inside the individual — it lives in the space between us. That insight became his new book, You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership. In it, Jim argues that progress doesn’t come from sameness, but from uniting across difference. In this episode, Jim and Dart discuss the four laws of relation, why relation is not the same as relationships, and how leaders can shift attention from individuals to the “between.”

Jim Ferrell is a leadership consultant, founder of Withiii Leadership, and bestselling author of several leadership classics. He has spent nearly 30 years working with leaders and organizations around the world.

In this episode, Dart and Jim discuss:
- Relation vs. relationships
- The four laws of relation
- Why progress depends on difference
- How individualistic leadership fails
- What happens when we ignore the “between”
- Levels of relation: division to compounding
- Practices that move leaders toward integration
- How relation reshapes how we see ourselves and others
- And other topics…

Jim Ferrell is the founder of Withiii Leadership and author of You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership. Prior to Withiii, he co-founded and led the Arbinger Institute, where he authored international bestsellers including Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace. His work on leadership, culture change, and conflict resolution has shaped organizations from Apple, Google, and Nike to the White House and U.S. Treasury. A graduate of Yale Law School, Jim has also served as an adjunct professor on law and leadership at Brigham Young University. He is recognized as one of the most influential voices in relational leadership and organizational change.

Resources Mentioned:
You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership, by Jim Ferrell: https://www.amazon.com/You-We-Relational-Rethinking-Leadership/dp/1637747330
I and Thou, by Martin Buber: https://www.amazon.com/I-Thou-Martin-Buber/dp/1578989973
Withiii Leadership: https://www.withiii.com/
Get discounted tickets to the Responsive Conference, featuring past Work for Humans guests Bree Groff and Simone Stolzoff – September 17–18, Oakland, CA. Use code “11fold”: https://www.responsiveconference.com/tickets
Register to attend the UWEBC Conference, where Dart keynotes the HR track alongside Ethan Mollick and Nancy Giordano – September 30, University of Wisconsin: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/conference/registration/

Connect with Jim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslferrell/

Skills at Scale: Building Organizations That Truly Learn | Sandra Loughlin

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 01:00:00 -0700

For years, Dart doubted that companies could actually make skills the building blocks of work. They felt too abstract, too static, too disconnected from real daily work. But Sandra Loughlin proved that in some cases, skills can deliver real value. In this episode, Sandra explains why skills only matter in context, why stretch assignments drive real learning, and what it takes to build a true learning organization at scale.

Dr. Sandra Loughlin is Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems. She holds a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Maryland and previously taught and led learning initiatives there.

In this episode, Dart and Sandra discuss:
- Why learning is different from training—and why it matters
- How EPAM connects skills to work
- Why skills only become powerful when grounded in context
- The role of stretch assignments in developing real capabilities
- How data and human agency work together at EPAM
- What it takes to keep a skills ontology fresh as work evolves
- Lessons for leaders building organizations that truly learn
- And other topics…

Dr. Sandra Loughlin is Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems, a $5 billion global engineering and professional services company. At EPAM, she integrates learning science, organizational psychology, and data to help employees and clients develop the skills needed to succeed in a fast-changing world. She holds a PhD in educational psychology and learning analytics from the University of Maryland, where she also served as a faculty member and led transformational learning initiatives, and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. Her work has been recognized for bridging cutting-edge learning research with large-scale business practice.

Resources Mentioned:
Get discounted tickets to the Responsive Conference, featuring past Work for Humans guests Bree Groff and Simone Stolzoff – September 17–18, Oakland, CA. Use code “11fold”: https://www.responsiveconference.com/tickets
Register to attend the UWEBC Conference, where Dart keynotes the HR track alongside Ethan Mollick and Nancy Giordano – September 30, University of Wisconsin: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/conference/registration/

Connect with Sandra:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandraloughlin/

What the History of Germ Theory Teaches Us About Paradigm Shifts at Work | Dr. Robert Gaynes

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 02:00:00 -0700

The germ theory of disease is one of the greatest breakthroughs in human history. But it took more than 2,000 years of false starts and resistance before medicine finally recognized that germs cause disease. In his book Germ Theory, Dr. Robert Gaynes unpacks why this shift was so hard to achieve. In this episode, he and Dart explore what it teaches us about paradigm shifts today: why new ideas face such resistance, how the personalities of innovators influence acceptance, and what happens when a powerful new paradigm leads us to overcorrect.

Dr. Robert P. Gaynes is an infectious disease physician and Professor of Medicine at Emory University. He is the author of Germ Theory, a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title.

In this episode, Dart and Robert discuss:
- Why it took centuries to accept that germs cause disease
- What resistance to handwashing reveals about change
- Breakthroughs Robert witnessed in his career
- How medicine’s history reveals patterns of change
- HIV’s transformation from fatal to treatable
- What happens when new paradigms go too far
- How personality shapes whether innovations are accepted
- Lessons for anyone driving change at work today
- And other topics…

Dr. Robert P. Gaynes is an infectious disease physician and Professor of Medicine at Emory University. He chairs Emory’s Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship Committees, attends at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, and has written extensively on hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial use. He is the author of Germ Theory: Medical Pioneers in Infectious Disease, named a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title.

Resources Mentioned:
Germ Theory: Medical Pioneers in Infectious Disease by Robert Gaynes: https://www.amazon.com/Germ-Theory-Pioneers-Infectious-Diseases/dp/168367376X
Get discounted tickets to the Responsive Conference, featuring past Work for Humans guests Bree Groff and Simone Stolzoff – September 17–18, Oakland, CA. Use code “11fold”: https://www.responsiveconference.com/tickets
Register to attend the UWEBC Conference, where Dart keynotes the HR track alongside Ethan Mollick and Nancy Giordano – September 30, University of Wisconsin: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/conference/registration/

Connect with Robert:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-p-gaynes-49b1541/

Human-Centered AI: Designing Ethical Systems for Trust and Human Agency | Emily Yang

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Emily Yang’s work sits at the intersection of AI ethics, governance, and human experience. She is an early advocate for bringing human-centered design and responsible innovation into the heart of enterprise AI, especially in HR and talent functions. For her, ethics is an activity — something we do, not just something we believe. In this episode, Dart and Emily talk about why AI feels both helpful and destabilizing, how bias and invisible harms emerge, and what it takes to preserve human agency as AI tools shape our work and lives.

Emily Yang is the Head of Human-Centered AI and Innovation at Standard Chartered, where she leads efforts to embed ethics, governance, and design into enterprise AI. She is a global speaker and advisor on responsible AI and human-centered innovation.

In this episode, Dart and Emily discuss:
- How AI is changing the meaning of data consent
- How training data bakes in human bias
- Why checklists aren’t the same as ethics
- Trust between people vs. trust in companies
- How design preserves or erodes human agency
- Why councils alone can’t govern AI responsibly
- Emily’s personal struggle with AI’s big questions
- How generative AI reshapes identity, craft, and trust
- The rise of “AI stewards” in organizations
- And other topics…

Emily Yang is the Head of Human-Centered AI and Innovation at Standard Chartered. She works to bring ethics, governance, and human-centered design into AI, especially in HR and talent. Emily serves on the bank’s Responsible AI Council, Data Ethics Working Group, and GenAI Task Force. She has more than a decade of experience in UX, innovation consulting, corporate venture building, and big tech. Emily began her AI journey researching empathy and emotional intelligence in virtual agents. She is also an advisor to the Centre for Synchronous Leadership’s “Agents of Change” and a frequent global speaker on responsible AI.

Resources Mentioned:
Diaspora, by Greg Egan: https://www.amazon.com/Diaspora-Novel-Greg-Egan/dp/1597805424
WFH Episode 11 with Don Norman: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-design-of-everyday-things-design-for-a/id1612743401?i=1000582265202

Connect with Emily:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyyangy/

Hope Before Purpose: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants | Jennifer Moss

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 02:00:00 -0700

When we think about fixing burnout, most conversations start with purpose, work design, or leadership. But according to Jennifer Moss, the real starting point is hope. And not vague optimism, but cognitive hope—a measurable skill that gives people the power to set goals, find ways to reach them, and keep moving forward, even in uncertain times. In this episode, Dart and Jennifer discuss the link between hope and purpose, the warning signs of hopelessness at work, and what leaders can do to build cultures where people thrive.

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist and author of The Burnout Epidemic and Why Are We Here? She’s a leading expert on workplace well-being who has advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, and the UN.

In this episode, Dart and Jennifer discuss:
- Why hope comes before purpose
- How hopelessness shows up in workplaces today
- How micromanagement kills hope
- The “language of permanence” as a red flag
- Moving from empathy to compassion in leadership
- What organizations can do to steward hope at scale
- How community and belonging fuel hope at work
- Why self-care alone won’t fix burnout or despair
- Practical ways leaders can build pathways and agency
- And other topics…

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist recognized globally as a leading voice on burnout and well-being. She is the author of Unlocking Happiness at Work, The Burnout Epidemic and Why Are We Here? A former member of the Global Happiness Council and co-founder of the Work Better Institute, Jennifer has advised governments, the UN, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies on building cultures where people can thrive. Her work has earned honors including Canadian Innovator of the Year, International Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and a Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama.

Resources Mentioned:
Why Are We Here?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants, by Jennifer Moss: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Are-We-Here-Creating-ebook/dp/B0CT6NB5Q3
The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It, by Jennifer Moss: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Epidemic-Rise-Chronic-Stress/dp/1647820367

Connect with Jennifer:
Website: https://www.jennifer-moss.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenleighmoss

The Magic of Code: Wonder, the Experience, and Future of Programming | Sam Arbesman

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Sam Arbesman writes deep, beautiful books about the boundary between technology, knowledge, and wonder. His most recent book, The Magic of Code, is another profound exploration—this time into the wonders revealed by code. Sam describes code as “a universal force—swirling through disciplines, absorbing ideas, and connecting worlds.” In this episode, Dart and Sam talk about the experience of coding: what makes it great, when it feels arduous or magical, and how AI could change the experience.

Sam Arbesman is a complexity scientist trained in computational biology and applied mathematics. He is the author of The Magic of Code, Overcomplicated, and The Half-Life of Facts. Sam is currently Scientist in Residence advising on emerging trends at Lux Capital—a venture firm investing at the outermost edges of what’s possible.

In this episode, Dart and Sam discuss:
- The experience of writing software—and how to improve it
- How Sam first discovered the magic of code
- When code feels magical and why
- How simple tools spark creativity
- Two ways to see computing: utilitarian vs. wondering
- The joy of coding just for yourself
- What simulations teach us about reality
- How coding reframes how we see the world
- The hidden connections and limits of debugging
- How AI could reshape coding and create leaner teams
- Why the history of computing matters
- And more…

Sam Arbesman is Scientist in Residence at Lux Capital, where he advises on emerging trends at the edges of science and innovation. Previously he was a Senior Scholar at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a Research Fellow at Harvard. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. He holds a PhD in computational biology, and is the author of The Magic of Code, Overcomplicated, and The Half‑Life of Facts.

Resources Mentioned:
The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World―and Shapes Our Future, by Sam Arbesman: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Code-Language-Connects-World_and/dp/1541704487/

Connect with Sam:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arbesman/
Website: https://arbesman.net/

Work Should Be Fun, Not Just Productive | Bree Groff

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Bree Groff’s new book, Today Was Fun, pushes the reset button on expectations about work. There is no reason work can’t be fun. About half of the things that make it un-fun are self-inflicted—we can just stop doing them. Take off the serious-people costume. Stop all performative work. Take a nap that is for you, not just to recharge for more work. Stop suppressing emotions. Have fun with work friends, and keep work in its place—a good part of life, but not your whole life.

Bree Groff is a former partner at SYPartners and a transformation expert who helps organizations lead through change. With a background in systems thinking and behavioral science, she works at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and culture.

In this episode, Bree and Dart discuss:
- Why most transformation efforts fail
- The role of rituals in driving behavior change
- What leaders often get wrong about resistance
- Why relationships matter more than strategy
- How to build “cozy teams” and why that matters
- Designing systems that reinforce cultural shifts
- The emotional and ethical case for fun at work
- Why professionalism often kills creativity
- How to know if it’s time to leave your job
- What it means to “shoot straight with love”
- What Bree means by putting “laughing” on your KPIs
- And other topics…

Bree Groff is a transformation expert who helps leaders and organizations navigate complex change. A partner at SYPartners, she works at the intersection of strategy, culture, and human behavior, bringing together systems thinking, design, and behavioral science to shape workplaces that actually work for people. She’s also the author of Today Was Fun, a book that rethinks our relationship with work and makes the case for putting joy and humanity at the center of it. Bree is a frequent speaker on the future of work and teaches graduate courses on innovation and organizational change at Northwestern University.

Resources Mentioned:

Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously), by Bree Groff: https://www.amazon.com/Today-Was-Fun-About-Seriously/dp/1774585596

Connect with Bree:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-groff/
Website: https://www.breegroff.com/home

The System Is the Problem: Rethinking Business at the Systems Level | Sandra Waddock

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Sandra Waddock has spent decades exploring the systems beneath the systems, asking questions about purpose, story, and the deeper operating logic of business. Sandra argues that the current model focused on growth, control, and short-term profit is no longer serving people or the planet. Instead of fixing surface-level symptoms, she invites us to reimagine the foundational assumptions business is built on.

In this episode, Dart and Sandra talk about the myths that drive our current system, the limits of control, and the power of new narratives. They explore leadership as sensemaking, how small actions can shift big systems, and what it means to build organizations that support life, not just profit.

Sandra Waddock is a professor at Boston College and a leading voice on systems change, corporate responsibility, and sustainable business. She’s the author of Catalyzing Transformation and has earned multiple lifetime achievement awards for her work.

In this episode, Dart and Sandra discuss:
- Why business needs a new operating system
- The myths that hold outdated systems in place
- How to shift from control to connection
- Leadership as sense-making
- Why small wins matter more than we think
- The role of moral imagination in business
- Designing for flourishing, not just growth
- And more…

Sandra Waddock is the Galligan Chair of Strategy, Carroll School Scholar of Corporate Responsibility, and Professor of Management at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. A globally recognized expert in systems transformation, corporate responsibility, and sustainable enterprise, her work brings together systems thinking, narrative change, and human development to explore new models for business. She has received multiple lifetime achievement awards, including honors from the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), Humboldt University, and the Humanistic Management Network. Sandra’s latest book, Catalyzing Transformation, offers a practical framework for driving large-scale systems change.

Resources Mentioned:
Sandra’s Book, Catalyzing Transformation: Making System Change Happen: https://www.amazon.com/Catalyzing-Transformation-Making-System-Change/dp/1637425082

Connect with Sandra:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-waddock/
Profile: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/carroll-school/faculty-research/faculty-directory/sandra-waddock.html

Customer Centricity: Designing Your Business Around Your Best Customers | Peter Fader

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 02:00:00 -0700

As one of the world’s leading experts on customer centricity, Peter Fader noticed that many businesses were making a critical mistake: they were treating all customers the same. Peter argues that customer centricity means focusing on the customers who matter most—those who are truly driving value for your company. His work is reshaping how businesses think about growth, loyalty, and strategy.

In this episode, Dart and Peter talk about why not all customers are created equal, how to measure true customer value, and why brand loyalty may be overrated. They also explore what it takes to design a business around your best customers and why doing so might be the most human move of all.

Peter Fader is a Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a leading expert on customer centricity. His research helps companies identify their most valuable customers and build strategies around them.

In this episode, Dart and Peter discuss:
- Why product-first thinking holds companies back
- How loyalty programs often reward the wrong people
- What customer lifetime value really tells you
- Why probabilistic models beat classic segmentation
- How personas can hide what customers actually do
- The power of small wins in shifting company mindset
- What top customer-centric brands get right
- And other topics…

Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the co-founder of Theta, a company that helps firms value their customer base. Peter is the author of Customer Centricity and The Customer-Base Audit, and his research has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Through his work, he helps companies identify their highest-value customers and build strategies around them.

Resources Mentioned:
Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage, by Peter Fader: http://amazon.com/Customer-Centricity-Customers-Strategic-Essentials/dp/1613630166

Connect with Peter:
Profile: https://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/faderp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterfader

Time Poverty at Work: What It Costs and How to Reclaim Your Time | Ashley Whillans

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Ashley Whillans has spent years studying how time, money, and workplace culture shape our well-being. As a behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School, she’s found that time poverty is more than a personal stressor—it’s a leadership challenge, an organizational blind spot, and one of the biggest barriers to well-being at work.

In this episode, Dart and Ashley talk about why traditional perks miss the point, why more control over your time can matter more than a raise, and what it looks like to build companies where people actually have time to think, rest, and grow. They explore urgency culture, the myth of work-life balance, and the tradeoffs we make without realizing it.

Ashley Whillans is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of Time Smart. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review.

In this episode, Dart and Ashley discuss:
- How time poverty affects performance and well-being
- Why leaders should care about how their teams spend time
- The limits of traditional perks
- How to shift from burnout to sustainability
- Why work-life balance is a myth—and what matters more
- What “time affluence” really means
- And other topics…

Ashley Whillans is the Volpert Family Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Her work focuses on how people spend their time and money—and how those choices shape happiness and success. She is the author of Time Smart, a book that helps people reclaim time in a world that constantly steals it. Ashley’s research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. Her PhD from the University of British Columbia earned the 2018 CAGS Distinguished Dissertation Award in Canada for her work on time and happiness.

Resources Mentioned:
Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life, by Ashley Whillans: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Smart-Reclaim-Your-Happier/dp/1633698351

Connect with Ashley:
Harvard Business School profile: hbs.edu/faculty/ashley-whillans

Transform Your Team: Redesigning Work for Clarity and Value | Stephanie Reuss & Victoria Stuart

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Stephanie Reuss and Victoria Stuart noticed that companies were making big decisions about jobs, teams, and strategy without really knowing what people were doing. So they built Beamible, a platform that maps work at the task level. It helps organizations see what is working, what is slowing people down, and what actually creates value for the business. In this episode, Dart, Steph, and Vic talk about why visibility is the first step to meaningful change, how AI is transforming job design, and what it looks like to optimize rather than simply balance the needs of people and business.

Steph and Vic are the co-founders and co-CEOs of Beamible. Steph is an award-winning entrepreneur and former global consultant with a background in finance, futures trading, and executive advisory. Vic is a former Google executive with expertise in strategy, technology, and workforce innovation.

In this episode, Dart, Steph, and Vic discuss:
- Why visibility into actual work is the first step to change
- What the “bubble chart” reveals about energy and value
- How AI transforms the way we think about job design
- What drains employees and how to identify it
- The human cost of misalignment between teams and leaders
- How to design for optimization instead of balance
- Shifting culture toward transparency and shared ownership
- And other topics…

Stephanie Reuss is the co-founder and co-CEO of Beamible. Her career spans corporate finance, consulting, and leadership roles across four continents, including positions at KPMG, the New York Mercantile Exchange, and CEB. She was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Women’s Agenda and was a finalist for NSW Business Woman of the Year. Steph is known for challenging traditional workforce models, and her work has been featured in the AFR, Sydney Morning Herald, and SmartCompany.

Victoria Stuart is the co-founder and co-CEO of Beamible. Before launching the company, she led industry strategy at Google and held leadership roles at Accenture and Digitas, working across technology, banking, and retail. With a background in both business and science, Vic brings a systems lens to complex workforce challenges. Her focus is on creating flexible, human-centered workplaces that are ready for the future.

Resources Mentioned:
Beamible: https://beamible.com/

Connect with Steph and Vic:
Steph’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-reuss-04a8ab15
Vic’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-stuart-76508810/

The Map to Fearless Growth: Moving Beyond Fear at Work and in Life | Amon Woulfe

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Most of us don’t realize how much fear shapes how we live and show up at work. But Amon Woulfe sees it clearly. As the founder of 432Hz, he has spent over a decade helping leaders understand the deeper fears that silently drive behavior, limit growth, and erode connection. In this episode, Dart and Amon explore how fear shapes leadership, why change agents often burn out, and what it takes to shift from protection to presence. They also discuss the limits of personality tests, the illusion of control, and how tuning in can unlock more grounded, courageous leadership.

Amon Woulfe is a leadership coach and founder of 432Hz, a company that blends psychology, performance, and transformation to help people lead with presence, clarity, and courage.

In this episode, Dart and Amon discuss:
- The nine psychological fears that shape leadership
- How fear creates protective patterns that limit range
- Why personality tests can become boxes instead of tools
- The role of curiosity in emotional freedom
- How leaders can move from performance to presence
- What it means to be "in tune" as a human being
- Why change agents burn out
- And other topics…

Amon Woulfe is the CEO of 432Hz and the creator of the world’s first holistic MAP of human development. He helps leaders overcome fear, unlock their potential, and grow from the inside out. As a coach and consultant, he has worked with executives, elite athletes, first responders, and military teams around the world. Amon’s mission is to help people live beyond fear so they can lead, grow, and create lasting change. He’s now focused on scaling this work to reach more people through human-centered technology.

Resources Mentioned:
432Hz: https://432hz.global

Connect with Amon:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amonwoulfe

Website: https://www.amonwoulfe.com/

Is Work Worth It? A Philosopher on Why We Work | Michael Cholbi

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Michael Cholbi approaches work not just as a function of economics or management but as a deep philosophical question. He brings a rare lens to the topic, one that connects ancient wisdom, contemporary ethics, and the day-to-day experience of workers today. In this episode, Michael and Dart explore how work shapes us and how it might be reimagined to serve us better. From Plato and Marx to Bullshit Jobs, dignity to autonomy, they ask what makes work just, and whether companies are morally responsible for the work they design.

Michael Cholbi is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and the author of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s definitive entry on the philosophy of work. His research explores ethics, justice, and how societal structures influence human well-being.

In this episode, Dart and Michael discuss:
- Why many people are “work-positive” by necessity, not choice
- What adaptive preferences reveal about our relationship to labor
- The moral obligations of companies that design work as a product
- Is the duty to work just?
- How automation could decenter work and expand freedom
- Working for dignity vs. being used as a means
- What a less work-centered future might offer us all
- And other topics…

Michael Cholbi is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in moral philosophy and the philosophy of work. He is the author of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s definitive entry on work and labor—a leading scholarly resource. His research examines ethics, justice, and how social structures impact human well-being. He is also widely recognized for his work on the philosophy of death, grief, and autonomy. Michael has written or edited numerous influential books and frequently contributes to both academic and public debates on labor, meaning, and ethics. His work connects ancient philosophical insights with contemporary issues like automation and workplace dignity.

Resources Mentioned:
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, by David Graeber: https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp/150114331X
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Work and Labor, by Michael Cholbi: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/work-labor/
The Republic, by Plato: https://www.amazon.com/Republic-Plato/dp/1503379981
Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, by Karl Marx: https://www.amazon.com/Economic-Philosophic-Manuscripts-Western-Philosophy/dp/0486455610

Connect with Michael:
Website: https://michael.cholbi.com/

Metacognition: The New Essential Skill for an AI World | Anthea Roberts

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Anthea Roberts began her career in international law. But after years of studying global conflict and power, she realized the real problem wasn’t policy—it was perspective. People weren’t just disagreeing on solutions; they weren’t even seeing the same problems. This realization led Anthea to develop "Dragonfly Thinking," a framework designed to help individuals and organizations view challenges through multiple lenses. She is now creating AI tools to apply this methodology to real-world decision-making. In this episode, Dart and Anthea talk about designing better thinking, why diverse mental frames matter, and what it means to build tools that make us better thinkers, not just faster ones.

Anthea Roberts is the founding CEO of Dragonfly Thinking and a Professor at the Australian National University. Her award-winning book Six Faces of Globalization explores competing narratives shaping the global order, and her work blends law, systems, and cognition to help people and institutions think better at scale.

In this episode, Dart and Anthea discuss:
- Why thinking better—not faster—is the key to solving complex problems
- How to help teams see their blind spots and cognitive defaults
- What AI can and can’t do to improve decision-making
- Why tools must fit the human hand (and mind)
- The value of metaphor and reframing in shaping insight
- How to operationalize integrative complexity inside organizations
- And other topics…

Anthea Roberts is a Professor at the Australian National University’s School of Regulation and Global Governance and a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School. A globally recognized legal scholar and systems thinker, she created “Dragonfly Thinking,” a framework for navigating complexity through multiple perspectives. Anthea is the award-winning author of Is International Law International? and co-author of Six Faces of Globalization, named one of the Best Books of 2021 by the Financial Times and Fortune. Through her company Dragonfly Thinking, she is developing AI tools to support better decision-making in complex environments.

Resources Mentioned:
Anthea’s website: anthearoberts.com
Dragonfly Thinking: dragonflythinking.net
Six Faces of Globalization, by Anthea Roberts and Nicolas Lamp: amazon.com/Six-Faces-Globalization-Loses-Matters/dp/0674245954
Superforecasting, by Philip Tetlock: amazon.com/Superforecasting-Science-Prediction-Philip-Tetlock/dp/0804136718
Images of Organization, by Gareth Morgan: amazon.com/Images-Organization-Gareth-Morgan/dp/1412939798
Kate Griggs on Work for Humans: open.spotify.com/episode/6JogZDTsIeABNKsuCGV6Ve

Connect with Anthea:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthea-roberts-a8596b142/

How to Design the Future On Purpose | Lisa Kay Solomon

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 04:00:00 -0700

Lisa Kay Solomon sees design everywhere—not just in products, but in conversations, strategies, systems, and futures. As a futurist and strategist, she has spent her career helping leaders and organizations think long-term, navigate uncertainty, and drive meaningful change through intentional design.

In this episode, Lisa and Dart talk about how to lead with imagination in uncertain times, why good strategy needs emotional engagement, and how design can be a form of applied hope. They also explore what leaders can learn from scenario planning, the surprising lessons of an early GNC wellness experiment, and how future-readiness starts with asking better questions.

Lisa Kay Solomon is a futures and design educator at Stanford University’s d.school, where she teaches classes on long-term thinking, systems leadership, and civic imagination. She is the co-author of Moments of Impact and Design a Better Business.

In this episode, Dart and Lisa discuss:
- Why the best leaders are also designers of the future
- The power of imagination in strategy and systems change
- What scenario planning can teach us about agency
- How emotional connection drives effective strategy
- Lessons from civic design and community-led change
- And other topics...

Lisa Kay Solomon is a futurist, strategist, and Designer in Residence at the Stanford d.school, where she helps leaders and students develop the skills to navigate uncertainty and shape long-term change. She is the co-author of the bestselling books Moments of Impact and Design a Better Business. Named to the Thinkers50 Radar list and recognized by ixDA as a Woman of Design, Lisa is known for blending design, foresight, and civic imagination to prepare people for the future.

Resources Mentioned:

Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations That Accelerate Change, by Lisa Kay Solomon and Chris Ertel: https://www.amazon.com/Moments-Impact-Strategic-Conversations-Accelerate/dp/1451697627

Design a Better Business: New Tools, Skills, and Mindset for Strategy and Innovation, by Patrick Van Der Pijl, Justin Lokitz, and Lisa Kay Solomon: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Better-Business-Strategy-Innovation/dp/1119272114

Stanford d.school: https://dschool.stanford.edu

The Long Now Foundation: https://longnow.org

Connect with Lisa:

Website: https://www.lisakaysolomon.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakaysolomon/

Course: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/leading-like-a-futurist

Inside Nubank’s Bold Experiment: HR as a Product | Suzana Kubric & Jessica Matsumoto

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Nubank is the largest digital bank outside of Asia and one of the fastest-growing companies globally, recently surpassing 119 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Much of that growth has been fueled by an obsessive focus on customer experience. Now, Suzana Kubric and Jessica Matsumoto are bringing that same mindset to employees. In this episode, Dart talks with Suzana and Jessica about what it means to design HR as a product, why Nubank brought in PMs and designers from other disciplines to lead the effort, and how to lead an organization as it goes through this kind of transformation.

Suzana Kubric is Chief People Officer at Nubank, where she’s leading a transformation of HR into a product and design function. She brings a customer-obsessed lens to building employee experience at scale.

Jessica Matsumoto is Senior Director of People Experience, Growth, and Culture at Nubank. She co-leads the People & Culture Product team, applying product thinking to reimagine how work is designed.

In this episode, Dart, Suzana, and Jessica discuss:
- How HR can be reimagined as a product team
- Why employee experience needs more than policies and programs
- What journey mapping looks like inside a 100-million-customer company
- How designers and PMs are reshaping HR’s role and process
- What makes employees feel like true customers of work
- The risks and rewards of building in the open
- Why this shift changes not just what HR does, but what it is
- And other topics…

Suzana Kubric is Chief People Officer at Nubank, where she is leading a transformation of HR into a product and service design function. She is helping one of the world’s fastest-growing companies redesign work to be as intentional and human-centered as its customer products.

Jessica Matsumoto is Senior Director of People Experience, Growth, and Culture at Nubank. She co-leads the People & Culture Product team, applying product thinking and experimentation to the full employee lifecycle.

Resources Mentioned:
Nubank: https://nubank.com.br

Connect with Suzana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzana-kubric-8948b57/

Connect with Jessica:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-matsumoto-5a836620/

How Platforms Are Rewriting the Rules of Work | Andrei Hagiu

Tue, 27 May 2025 04:00:00 -0700

If work is a product, and employees are customers of that product, then every company is a multi-sided business, one that must serve both consumers and workers. According to platform economist Andrei Hagiu, how companies design that experience, how they structure control, pricing, and participation, matters more than we realize. He has spent his career studying the world’s most influential platforms, from Uber and Airbnb to Apple and Amazon. In this episode, Dart and Andrei explore what platform strategy can teach us about modern work design, why the “employee vs. contractor” debate is outdated, when it is efficient to give employees more control, and what “platform governance” means inside a company.

Andrei Hagiu is a professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and a leading expert on multi-sided platforms. His research focuses on the strategic decisions that shape platform businesses, including pricing, control, and design.

In this episode, Dart and Andrei discuss:
- What Uber, Airbnb, and Upwork get right—and where they fail workers
- The difference between a multi-sided business and a true platform
- Why “employee vs. contractor” is a false dichotomy
- How outdated laws are holding back the future of work
- When giving workers more control is smart—and when it’s not
- What a Mexican cockfight reveals about platform pricing
- How employers can learn from platforms to design better work
- And other topics…

Andrei Hagiu is a professor of Information Systems at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and one of the world’s leading experts on multi-sided platforms. His research explores how platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Apple make strategic decisions about pricing, control, and governance—and what those decisions mean for users, workers, and markets. Prior to BU, Andrei taught at MIT Sloan and Harvard Business School. He advises global companies on platform strategy and is the co-author of several foundational papers on platform economics. His work helps businesses, from tech startups to established firms, navigate the complex dynamics of serving multiple stakeholders at once.

Resources Mentioned:
Andrei Hagiu’s website: https://andreihagiu.com

Connect with Andrei:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrei-hagiu-0646751/

Built on Audacity: How to Be Bold at Work and Take Worth-It Risks | Anne Marie Anderson

Tue, 20 May 2025 02:00:00 -0700

At its best, work is co-created. It’s not something companies hand out—it’s something employees help build by showing up fully and taking risks. But that kind of courage requires something we don’t talk about enough: audacity. Anne Marie Anderson has built her career on it. She’s worked in 20 countries, broken ground as one of ESPN’s first female sideline reporters, and navigated some of the most high-stakes environments in sports broadcasting. For Anne, audacity isn’t about fearlessness—it’s about dismantling doubt, trusting your voice, and building the kind of support system that helps you leap anyway.

In this episode, Anne and Dart talk about what makes someone bold enough to raise their hand, speak up, or swing big, even when failure is possible. They explore the four barriers to audacity, the difference between recklessness and worth-it risk, and how to build the kind of support system that helps people take meaningful leaps at work.

Anne Marie Anderson is a keynote speaker, leadership coach, and former sports broadcaster who has worked with ESPN, CBS, and NBC. She’s the author of Cultivating Audacity, and helps individuals and teams unlock courageous performance through mindset, resilience, and presence.

In this episode, Dart and Anne discuss:
- The four barriers that hold people back from bold action
- The difference between recklessness and worth-it risk
- How to turn rejection into resilience
- Why boldness is a habit, not a personality trait
- The “front row” mindset and how to build one
- The connection between belonging and courage
- Lessons from high-pressure moments in sports and broadcasting
- And other topics…

Anne Marie Anderson is a keynote speaker, leadership coach, and former ESPN broadcaster. She’s the author of Cultivating Audacity: Dismantle Doubt and Let Yourself Win. Anne helps individuals and teams build confidence, take bold risks, and lead with authenticity. Through her 25+ year career in sports media and performance coaching, she has worked in over 80 countries and brings deep experience in high-stakes communication and personal growth.

Resources Mentioned:
Cultivating Audacity, by Anne Marie Anderson: https://cultivatingaudacity.com
Limitless, by Laura Gassner Otting: https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-Ignore-Everybody-Carve-your/dp/1940858763

Connect with Anne:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-anderson-3557ab39/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemarieandersontv/
Website: https://annemarieanderson.com

The Surprising Power of Humility at Work | Simon Moss

Tue, 13 May 2025 02:00:00 -0700

When we talk about what makes a great leader, we tend to focus on confidence, decisiveness, and maybe even charisma. Less often do we talk about humility. And yet, humility, according to psychologist Dr. Simon Moss, may be the trait that unlocks the most growth, resilience, collaboration, and trust. In this episode, Dart and Simon talk about why humility isn’t the opposite of confidence, how future clarity increases self-awareness, and how organizations can be structured to reward groundedness instead of ego.

Dr. Simon Moss is a psychologist and Dean of Graduate Research at the University of Wollongong. His research focuses on workplace behavior, ethical leadership, and the psychological conditions that promote wellbeing, performance, and integrity at work.

In this episode, Dart and Simon discuss:

- The difference between humility and insecurity
- Why humble leaders often drive stronger performance
- How clarity about the future shapes grounded leadership
- The cultural conditions that reward narcissism
- The relationship between time pressure and defensiveness
- How to design humility into hiring, leadership, and culture
- The mission of Radical Humility
- And other topics…

Dr. Simon Moss is a registered psychologist and the Dean of Graduate Research at the University of Wollongong. His research focuses on how organizational and government policies impact individual wellbeing, progress, and innovation. He has authored approximately 10 books and over 100 peer-reviewed papers, with a focus on workplace behavior, ethical leadership, and emotional intelligence.

Simon is the founder of Radical Humility, a research initiative aimed at reducing narcissism in leadership and helping organizations cultivate grounded, human-centered cultures. His books include The Negative Side of Positive Thinking, Where Should I Work? and Emotional Intelligence: Journey to the Source.

Resources Mentioned:
Radical Humility: https://radical-humility.com

Connect with Simon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-moss-5334944/
Email: simon_moss@uow.edu.au

Listening Beyond Words: How to Really Hear People at Work | Oscar Trimboli

Tue, 06 May 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Oscar Trimboli has spent his life helping people hear what’s not being said. As a listening expert and advisor to some of the world’s largest companies, he’s discovered a surprising truth: most of us only catch a fraction of what’s being communicated. We hear the words, but miss the silences, emotion, and meaning beneath them. In this episode, Dart and Oscar explore the five levels of listening, what it takes to make someone feel truly seen, and how listening can be taught, measured, and embedded into teams.

Oscar Trimboli is a speaker, leadership coach, and the author of How to Listen. He hosts the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and has worked with clients such as Microsoft, AstraZeneca, and Cisco to improve communication and collaboration through listening.

In this episode, Dart and Oscar discuss:
- The five levels of listening
- What it takes to make someone feel truly seen at work
- Why most of us only hear 14% of what someone really means
- The link between listening and action
- How listening can reduce meetings and increase effectiveness
- Why silence is the most powerful listening tool
- What metaphors reveal about how people see the world
- How to teach listening as a core leadership skill
- And other topics…

Oscar Trimboli is a speaker, author, and host of the Deep Listening podcast. His mission is to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. He’s advised organizations including Microsoft, AstraZeneca, and HSBC on how to listen beyond the words and build cultures of understanding. His latest book, How to Listen, explores the science and practice of listening well—and why most of us do far less of it than we think.

Resources Mentioned:
How to Listen, by Oscar Trimboli: https://www.amazon.com/How-Listen-Discover-Hidden-Communication/dp/1774581914
The Deep Listening Podcast: https://www.oscartrimboli.com/podcast/
Listening Quiz (Discover your listening barriers): https://www.listeningquiz.com
Unreasonable Hospitality, by Will Guidara: https://www.amazon.com/Unreasonable-Hospitality-author/dp/1529146828
Don't Think of an Elephant! by George Lakoff, Howard Dean, & Don Hazen: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Think-Elephant-Values-Politics/dp/1931498717

Connect with Oscar:
Website: https://www.oscartrimboli.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartrimboli

How Employee Ownership Could Save America’s Democracy | Joseph Blasi

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

What do the drafters of the U.S. Constitution, 19th-century industrialists, and a modern defense contractor have in common? According to economic sociologist Joseph Blasi, they all believed in one powerful idea: that democracy itself depends on ownership, and that ownership should be broadly shared. He argues that if we want work to truly work for humans, we need to think beyond job design to a more fundamental question: Who owns the value that work creates? In this episode, Dart and Joe tell the story of shared ownership, from 1700s fishing crews and America’s founding ideals to an $8 billion worker-owned defense contractor, and what it means for the future of work.

Joseph Blasi is a Distinguished Professor at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, where he studies the economic sociology of corporations, governance, and the workplace. He is director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and co-author of The Citizen’s Share.

In this episode, Dart and Joe discuss:
- How democracy depends on shared ownership
- The surprising history of profit-sharing on cod fishing ships
- How early U.S. policies supported worker ownership
- Why ESOPs work and where they fall short
- The role of tax policy in spreading employee ownership
- What the founders envisioned for property and citizenship
- How wealth distribution shapes democratic institutions
- Does America have enough ownership to sustain democracy?
- And other topics...

Joseph Blasi is a Distinguished Professor at the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. He directs the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and is a leading scholar in the economic sociology of corporations and the future of work. He is the co-author of several books, including The Citizen’s Share, Shared Capitalism at Work, and In the Company of Owners. His research has shaped public policy on employee ownership and equity compensation in the U.S. and internationally.

Resources Mentioned:
The Citizen's Share: Reducing Inequality in the 21st Century, by Joseph R. Blasi, Richard B. Freeman, and Douglas L. Kruse: https://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Share-Reducing-Inequality-Century/dp/0300209339
Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing: https://smlr.rutgers.edu/content/institute-study-employee-ownership-and-profit-sharing
ESOP Association: https://www.esopassociation.org/

Connect with Joseph:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-blasi-870102111/

The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works | John Truby Replay

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

From an early age, John Truby knew that stories are not just something that happens on a page. Story is all around us. It structures how we interpret events, and even how we decide how to live. For John, story forms explain the way the world works.

John is a screenwriter and the founder and director of Truby’s Writers Studio in Los Angeles, where he teaches novelists, screenwriters and TV writers the deep secrets of what makes a great story. His students have generated more than fifteen billion dollars at the box office, and studios like Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, HBO and AMC routinely consult John on how to improve the stories they tell.

In this replay episode, Dart and John discuss:
- The 14 genres that categorize everyday life
- Which genres produce the most fulfilling work
- Sales as an action story
- Business Analysis as detective story
- Corporate culture as western
- Career as coming of age and memoir
- How the horror genre lurks in the shadows around every layoff
- And more…

John Truby is a screenwriter, director, screenwriting teacher, author, and Hollywood consultant for studios such as Disney, Sony Pictures, Fox, HBO, and AMC. He is the founder and director of Truby’s Writers Studio and has worked on over 1,000 film scripts over the last 30 years.

John created his 22-step outline for storytelling in his first book, The Anatomy of Story, teaching his techniques through global masterclasses to over 50,000 students worldwide since the start of his career. His latest book, The Anatomy of Genres, was released in 2022.

Resources Mentioned:
The Anatomy of Genres, by Jon Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
The Anatomy of Criticism, by Northrop Frye https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Criticism-Essays-Princeton-Classics/dp/0691202567
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers/dp/B09PC69XV3
The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels, by Patrick O’Brian: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Aubrey-Maturin-Novels-volumes/dp/039306011X
Cinema Paradiso (film), 1988
Master and Commander (film), 2003
Shane (film), 1953
Glengarry Glen Ross (play), by David Mamet
World Experience Organization: https://worldxo.org/

Connect with John:
Website: www.truby.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johntruby

How to Build an Economy That Works for Everyone | Nick Romeo

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

As a journalist, Nick Romeo has interviewed people doing remarkable things, from running worker-owned companies to redesigning gig work as public infrastructure. These experiences shaped his new book, The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy, and led him to one big insight: a better economy isn’t just possible—it’s already here. In this episode, Nick and Dart talk about the difference between market wages and living wages, why mainstream economics underestimates people, and how everything from co-ops to experiments in building gig work platforms as public utilities are reimagining the role of work in society right now.

Nick Romeo is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. He writes about policy, power, and the systems that shape how we live and work.

In this episode, Dart and Nick discuss:
- Why we need a new definition of a “living wage”
- The power of co-ops, trusts, and employee ownership
- How gig work can be redesigned to serve workers
- What it means to design an economy around fairness
- How ownership models shape the future of work
- Why traditional economics misses what really matters
- And other topics…

Nick Romeo is a journalist and author who covers bold ideas in economics, policy, and philosophy. He’s reported for The New Yorker on everything from Austria’s job guarantee experiment to Spain’s Mondragon cooperative and Nicholas Humphrey’s theory of consciousness. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, and Scientific American. He teaches at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. His latest book, The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy, offers a roadmap for a fairer, more sustainable economy. Praised by The Guardian as “enlightening and inspiring” and called “brisk and sensible” by The Washington Post, it showcases real-world models that are already changing how we think about work, wages, and ownership.

Resources Mentioned:
The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy, by Nick Romeo: https://www.amazon.com/Alternative-How-Build-Just-Economy/dp/1541701593
CORE Economics Project: https://www.core-econ.org
MIT Living Wage Calculator: https://livingwage.mit.edu/
Well-Paid Maids: https://www.wellpaidmaids.com/
Tax Justice Network: https://taxjustice.net/

Connect with Nick:
Website: https://www.nickromeowriter.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-romeo-b4486393/

The Progressive Work Ethic: What We Lost and How to Win It Back | Elizabeth Anderson

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

For centuries, the work ethic was used to justify inequality, but it also fueled a powerful movement for justice. In the final part of this series, Elizabeth Anderson and Dart Lindsley explore the progressive work ethic, a vision of labor rooted in dignity, equality, and shared prosperity. They trace how thinkers like Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, the Ricardian Socialists, and Karl Marx inspired reforms in education, labor rights, and social insurance, laying the foundation for social democracy. The conversation then turns to the neoliberal revival of the conservative work ethic, where leaders like Reagan and Thatcher redefined work to cut protections, concentrate power, and suppress wages. This isn’t just history—it’s a framework for how we treat work today.

Elizabeth Anderson is a political philosopher known for her work on democracy, economic justice, and the ethics of work. Her latest book, Hijacked, explores how the work ethic was distorted by neoliberalism to undermine workers and how it can be reclaimed to support fairness and dignity in the workplace.

In this episode, Dart and Elizabeth discuss:
- How the progressive work ethic reshaped labor
- Why Smith and Mill saw work as freedom, not control
- How Marx and the Ricardian socialists fought for justice
- The rise of worker protections and education
- How neoliberalism shifted power to corporations
- The fall of social democracy and its effects today
- Reclaiming work as a source of dignity and fairness
- And other topics…

Professor Elizabeth Anderson specializes in moral and political philosophy, feminist theory, social epistemology, and the philosophy of economics. She holds the positions of Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, John Dewey Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies, and Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy at the University of Michigan. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Elizabeth has written extensively on democracy, labor, and economic justice, including her latest book, Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic Against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back.

Resources Mentioned:
Hijacked, by Elizabeth Anderson: https://www.amazon.com/Hijacked-Neoliberalism-against-Workers-Lectures/dp/1009275437
The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith: https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
Principles of Political Economy, by John Stuart Mill: https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Political-Economy-John-Stuart/dp/0678014531
An Essay on the Principle of Population, by Thomas Malthus: https://www.amazon.com/Principle-Population-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0192837478

Connect with Elizabeth:
Profile: https://lsa.umich.edu/philosophy/people/faculty/eandersn.html

Work Ethic's Dark Turn: The War on the Poor | Elizabeth Anderson

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 13:00:00 -0700

The work ethic began as a religious principle before evolving into an economic theory. But by the 18th and 19th centuries, it had taken on a new role: a justification for social inequality. Thinkers like Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill saw work as a path to dignity and opportunity, while economists like Thomas Malthus and Nassau Senior argued that keeping wages low and limiting aid would encourage self-reliance. This perspective had real consequences, especially during the Irish Potato Famine, when relief efforts were deliberately restricted under the belief that hardship would force people to work. In Part 2 of this series, Elizabeth and Dart explore how the work ethic shifted from a moral belief to an economic tool.

Elizabeth Anderson is a political philosopher known for her work on democracy, economic justice, and the ethics of work. Her latest book, Hijacked, explores how the work ethic was distorted by neoliberalism to undermine workers and how it can be reclaimed to support fairness and dignity in the workplace.

In this episode, Dart and Elizabeth discuss:
- How the work ethic became a tool for control
- Work as dignity vs. work as discipline
- The idea that poverty keeps workers in line
- The fear of rising wages and worker power
- The Irish Potato Famine as a test of forced labor policies
- How unemployment became a moral failure
- Reclaiming work as a source of empowerment
- And other topics...

Professor Elizabeth Anderson specializes in moral and political philosophy, feminist theory, social epistemology, and the philosophy of economics. She holds the positions of Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, John Dewey Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies, and Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy at the University of Michigan. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Elizabeth has written extensively on democracy, labor, and economic justice, including her latest book, Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic Against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back.

Resources Mentioned:
Hijacked, by Elizabeth Anderson: https://www.amazon.com/Hijacked-Neoliberalism-against-Workers-Lectures/dp/1009275437
The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith: https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
Principles of Political Economy, by John Stuart Mill: https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Political-Economy-John-Stuart/dp/0678014531
An Essay on the Principle of Population, by Thomas Malthus: https://www.amazon.com/Principle-Population-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0192837478

Connect with Elizabeth:
Profile: https://lsa.umich.edu/philosophy/people/faculty/eandersn.html

How Work Became a Moral Duty: The Origins of the Modern Work Ethic | Elizabeth Anderson

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0700

Elizabeth Anderson is one of today’s leading political philosophers and has spent years studying how the work ethic shapes our economy, society, and politics. In her latest book, Hijacked, she explores how hard work, a principle originally intended to advance the virtue of helping others, has been used by parts of society in ways that harm workers.

This is the first of a three-part series tracing the history of the work ethic, from its religious roots in Martin Luther and the Reformation to its influence on modern policies like prison labor reform in California. In this episode, Elizabeth and Dart dig into the early history: how the Protestant Reformation shaped ideas about labor, how work became a moral obligation, and how these centuries-old ideas still shape our world today.

In this episode, Dart and Elizabeth discuss:
- How work became a divine duty
- How Locke’s labor theory shaped ideas of property and work
- The work ethic as a moral weapon against the poor
- The origins of blaming poverty on personal failure
- Why we still measure human worth by productivity
- How poor laws shaped early ideas of economic survival
- The hidden influence of these ideas on work today
- And other topics…

Professor Elizabeth Anderson specializes in moral and political philosophy, feminist theory, social epistemology, and the philosophy of economics. She holds the positions of Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, John Dewey Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies, and Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy at the University of Michigan. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Elizabeth has written extensively on democracy, labor, and economic justice, including her latest book, Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic Against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back.

Resources Mentioned:
Hijacked, by Elizabeth Anderson: https://www.amazon.com/Hijacked-Neoliberalism-against-Workers-Lectures/dp/1009275437

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, by Max Weber: https://www.amazon.com/Protestant-Ethic-Spirit-Capitalism/dp/1603866043

Second Treatise of Government, by John Locke: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Treatise-Government-Joseph-Carrig/dp/0760760950

Connect with Elizabeth:
Profile: https://lsa.umich.edu/philosophy/people/faculty/eandersn.html

Designing Work Like a Subscription Product: How to Retain Top Talent | Luke O’Mahoney

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Luke O’Mahoney is one of the leaders of the movement to reframe work as a product that every company sells to employees. In particular, Luke has gone deep into the implications of recognizing work as a subscription product, and brings an absolute wealth of ideas to bear on how to create the kind of work experience product that employees want to buy every day. People don't stay in jobs because of free snacks, ping pong tables, or flashy recruiting campaigns. They stay because work works for them.

Luke is now a chief people officer - in recovery. As the founder of Sapienˣ, he helps organizations stop playing the short game and start designing work experiences that drive long-term retention and advocacy. In this episode, Dart and Luke discuss why hiring funnels are broken, what it really means to design work as a product, and how companies can build flywheels that continuously reengage employees. They also explore why transparency, not perks, keeps people invested in their roles.

In this episode, Dart and Luke discuss:
- Why work should be designed as a subscription product
- Funnels vs. flywheels in hiring and retention
- How bad recruiting leads to employee buyer’s remorse
- The role of delight in keeping employees engaged
- How hiring attracts more hiring and losing creates churn
- Why transparency in recruiting matters more than perks
- What Luke hires his job to do for him
- How to build work experiences people want to subscribe to
- And other topics...

Luke O'Mahoney is a people strategist and founder of Sapienˣ, where he helps companies design work experiences using product-led thinking. With a background in recruitment, talent operations, and startup leadership, he applies lessons from subscription business models to hiring and retention. Previously, he led people and operations at a high-growth startup, overseeing product, marketing, and GTM strategy alongside HR. His work focuses on building sustainable people strategies that drive engagement, retention, and advocacy.

Resources Mentioned:
Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6
Built for People by Jessica Zwaan: https://www.amazon.com/Built-People-Experience-Management-Principles/dp/1398608025

Connect with Luke:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeomahoney

Who Owns the Experience of Work? Managers as Product Managers | Alex Komoroske

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 02:00:00 -0700

This is the third in a series of episodes with world-leading product management experts about how we might build product management best practices into team leadership.

Alex Komoroske spent years as either a Product Manager or Director of Product Management for platforms that most of us use every day: Chrome, Google Maps, Google Earth, and others. He then went on to lead corporate strategy at Stripe, another platform \most of us use every day. While at Google, Alex wrote an internal how-to called “Practical PM Stuff” that many Google PMs referred to as the Product Managers Bible. It covered everything from basics like how to answer an email to esoterica like the difference between complexity and ambiguity or how Schelling points form in organizations.

In this episode, Dart and Alex discuss:
- Work as an ecosystem, not a machine
- Indirect influence over direct control
- How frameworks can kill creativity
- The role of product management in work design
- How companies stifle innovation
- The power of riding momentum
- Managers as curators, not controllers
- Balancing autonomy and structure
- Why great ideas bypass leadership
- And other topics...

Alex Komoroske is a product leader and systems thinker who specializes in platforms and ecosystems. Alex is known for his "Gardening Platforms" approach, which encourages guiding ecosystems toward greatness instead of controlling them. Now Co-CEO of Common Tools, he continues to explore how technology and organizations evolve.

Resources Mentioned:
Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse: https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse/dp/1476731713

The Stacy Barton conversation about Disney storytelling and work. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/immersive-experience-design-how-to-use-story-to-design/id1612743401?i=1000599527522

The Marty Cagan conversation about product management and work https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-design-products-people-love-principles-and/id1612743401?i=1000668997003

The David Obstfeld conversation about brokering social networks and work https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-networks-the-1-predictor-of-economic/id1612743401?i=1000677462011

Connect with Alex:
Website: https://www.komoroske.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-komoroske-6597336/
Twitter: https://x.com/komorama

Beyond Accommodations: How Personalization at Work Benefits Everyone | Charlotte Dales

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Most employees need some form of support to thrive at work, whether it’s flexible hours to care for a loved one, mental health resources, or a quieter space to focus. But asking for help can feel risky. That silence holds people back and costs companies more than they realize. Charlotte Dales is trying to fix that.

As the co-founder and CEO of Inclusively, Charlotte is building a platform that helps employees easily and privately access the support they need to do their best work. From mental health tools for sales teams to caregiving support for frontline workers, Inclusively is proving that when employees thrive, businesses thrive too.

In this episode, Dart and Charlotte discuss:
- Why everyone needs accommodations at work
- The hidden costs of silence and burnout
- What sales teams need to thrive
- Small adjustments that unlock performance
- Why benefits fall short and what people really need
- Gen Z’s push for personalized work
- ERGs as engines of workplace change
- Why supporting employees is smart business
- And other topics...

Charlotte Dales is the co-founder and CEO of Inclusively, a platform helping companies design personalized, inclusive work experiences. Starting with a focus on disability accommodations, Inclusively has expanded to offer “success enablers” for all employees, allowing businesses to match individual needs with existing resources. Before founding Inclusively, Charlotte co-founded CAKE Technologies, a mobile payment solution later acquired by American Express. She started her career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank in London.

Resources Mentioned:
Inclusively: https://www.inclusively.com/

Connect with Charlotte:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-dales-57868713/

The California Experiment: Can Government Use Community Service to Fix Work and Heal Society? | Josh Fryday

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 02:00:00 -0800

When Josh Fryday’s wife was evacuated from Japan after the 2011 Japan disaster, he stayed behind. As a Navy officer, he joined Operation Tomodachi, one of the largest humanitarian relief efforts in history. Working alongside people who thought differently, he learned that service brings people together around a common mission to accomplish amazing things.

Now, as California’s first-ever Secretary of Service, Josh is helping build the largest state-run service corps in the U.S. Through programs like College Corps and the Climate Corps, thousands of Californians are getting paid opportunities to serve their communities while gaining the critical skills and social networks they need to thrive in the workforce.

In this episode, Dart and Josh discuss:
- Service as the ultimate training ground for work
- How College Corps is reshaping the leap from school to career
- How social capital shapes careers
- The soft skills crisis
- The human edge AI will never replace
- Fighting isolation block by block
- What businesses can learn from teams with a mission
- Why other states are copying California’s service model
- And other topics...

Josh Fryday is California’s Secretary of Service, leading the nation’s most ambitious state service initiative under Governor Gavin Newsom. He created the College Corps and Climate Action Corps, paying thousands of young people to serve their communities while gaining critical career skills. A Navy veteran and former Mayor of Novato, Josh also led efforts to expand the California Earned Income Tax Credit, helping low-income families across the state. His work bridges service, workforce development, and civic engagement.

Resources Mentioned:

California Volunteers: https://californiavolunteers.ca.gov/
College Corps: https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/californiansforall-college-corps/
Neighbor-to-Neighbor Initiative: https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/neighbor-to-neighbor/
Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam: https://www.amazon.com/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046
Hardball: How Politics Is Played, by Chris Matthews: https://www.amazon.com/Hardball-Politics-Played-Chris-Matthews/dp/0684845598
Eyes on the Prize documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092999/

Connect with Josh:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-fryday-b9625219/
Twitter: https://x.com/JoshFryday

Your Company's Superpower: How Dyslexic Thinkers Are Shaping the Future | Kate Griggs

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 02:00:00 -0800

At eight years old, Kate Griggs sat in a parent-teacher meeting and heard the words, “She’s not very bright.” The school had already written her off. But she wasn’t struggling because she lacked intelligence. She was struggling because the system wasn’t designed for the way she thinks. Today, she’s proving that dyslexia isn’t a disadvantage, but a superpower that the world is only beginning to understand.

As the founder of Made By Dyslexia, Kate is leading a global movement to challenge outdated perceptions and redefine dyslexia as a valuable way of thinking. Through education, advocacy, and corporate training, she’s proving that dyslexic thinking fuels creativity, problem-solving, and big-picture vision—skills that businesses need to thrive.

In this episode, Dart and Kate discuss:
- The myth that dyslexia is a disability
- Why dyslexic thinking is critical for the future of work
- The link between dyslexia and entrepreneurship
- How schools fail dyslexic students
- Dyslexic strengths in problem-solving
- The dyslexic skills AI can’t replace
- The viral Dyslexic Sperm Bank campaign
- Rethinking intelligence beyond spelling
- How hiring filters out dyslexic talent
- 4 workplace fixes for neurodiversity
- Changing education to unlock dyslexic potential
- And other topics…

Kate Griggs is the founder and CEO of Made By Dyslexia, a global charity dedicated to redefining how dyslexia is perceived and valued. She is an author, advocate, and thought leader in neurodiversity, working to ensure that every school and workplace recognizes and empowers dyslexic thinking. Her initiatives include free global training for educators and employers, high-impact awareness campaigns, and partnerships with major organizations like Microsoft and LinkedIn. She is also the author of This Is Dyslexia and hosts the Lessons in Dyslexic Thinking podcast.

Resources Mentioned:
This Is Dyslexia, by Kate Griggs: https://www.amazon.com/This-Dyslexia-Kate-Griggs/dp/1529149266
Lessons in Dyslexic Thinking Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lessons-in-dyslexic-thinking/id1695867325
Made By Dyslexia: https://madebydyslexia.org
Free Microsoft Training, Empower Dyslexic Thinking in Schools: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/modules/empower-dyslexic-thinking-schools
Free LinkedIn Course, Empowering Dyslexic Thinking at Work: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/empowering-dyslexic-thinking-at-work

Connect with Kate:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-griggs-81797b16
Twitter: https://x.com/kate_griggs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kategriggs_dyslexicthinking/

Retirement at Risk: Is Work Is Failing the Next Generation of Retirees? | Matthew Rutledge

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 02:00:00 -0800

With a career in a stable industry and a solid plan for retirement, Matthew Rutledge’s father expected to retire on his own terms. But when he was suddenly laid off at 59, the financial impact was crushing. Watching his father struggle to bounce back at that stage of life made Matt realize how fragile retirement security really is, even for those who plan ahead. Now, he researches why millions of people are working longer but still struggling to retire and what we can do to fix it.

Matthew Rutledge is a leading researcher on labor markets and retirement security at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. His work examines how automation, job loss, and shifts in economic policy affect financial stability for older workers.

In this episode, Dart and Matt discuss:
- The job loss that shook Matt’s father
- How pensions disappeared and left workers exposed
- Are 401(k)s a risky bet or a safety net?
- The brutal financial shock of widowhood
- The long-term care crisis no one sees coming
- Why Social Security won’t be enough
- Job benefits that keep workers stuck
- What Europe does right about retirement
- How career loyalty no longer pays off
- How to safeguard your retirement savings
- And other topics…

Matthew S. Rutledge is an economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, where he focuses on retirement security and the shifting realities of work in the modern economy. His research has shed light on the long-term effects of economic downturns on Social Security and older workers, revealing hidden vulnerabilities in the retirement system. He has also explored how automation is pushing older workers into non-traditional jobs and reshaping career trajectories. Matt’s work frequently appears in academic journals, policy reports, and media discussions on the future of retirement.

Resources Mentioned:
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, by Jessica Bruder: https://www.amazon.com/Nomadland-Surviving-America-Twenty-First-Century/dp/039324931X
Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9770150/

Connect with Matt:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-rutledge-84a4964/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/matt_rutledge/

Starbucks President: It’s Not about the Coffee, Leadership Lessons from Scaling Starbucks from 28 to 1,500 Locations | Howard Behar

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Howard Behar barely graduated high school and spent just two years in community college. Yet, he became a key leader at Starbucks soon after joining the company. From the start, he saw that Starbucks was not just about coffee but about people. With no formal business degree or global experience, he relied on persistence and a deep belief in servant leadership to guide him. He rose to president of Starbucks International and helped transform the brand from a small regional chain into a global powerhouse while ensuring its people-first culture remained at its core.

Howard Behar is a longtime advocate of values-driven leadership. His book, It’s Not About the Coffee, explores the principles that helped build Starbucks into a people-first company. He is also a sought-after speaker and mentor, helping leaders develop cultures of trust, integrity, and purpose.

In this episode, Dart and Howard discuss:
- How Starbucks scaled while staying true to its values
- Servant leadership in action
- Why leaders must listen to employees at every level
- Persistence over credentials in leadership
- Hardest lessons from leading an international brand
- Why Howard rejects the word "customers"
- The business case for dignity and respect
- What companies get wrong about inclusion
- And other topics…

Howard Behar is a leadership expert, former Starbucks president, and a champion of servant leadership. Serving as president of Starbucks North America and Starbucks International, he played a key role in expanding Starbucks beyond the U.S., leading its first global expansion into Japan and later into Europe and Asia. His leadership was rooted in a deep belief that business is about serving people first. He wrote It’s Not About the Coffee to share his insights on leadership, culture, and values-driven business. After retiring, he has dedicated his time to mentoring, public speaking, and serving on nonprofit and corporate boards.

Resources Mentioned:
It’s Not About the Coffee, by Howard Behar: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-About-Coffee-Starbucks/dp/1591842727

The Magic Cup, by Howard Behar: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Cup-Business-Parable-Putting/dp/1455538973

Servant Leadership, by Robert Greenleaf: https://www.amazon.com/Servant-Leadership-Legitimate-Greatness-Anniversary/dp/0809105543

Good to Great, by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/0743269519

Built to Last by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402

The Experience Economy by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore

Leading Through by Kim Clark, Jonathan Clark, and Erin Clark

Connect with Howard:
Phone: 206-972-7776
Email: hb@howardbehar.com

Quiet Heroes: The Untold Stories of U.S. Public Servants at Work | Cameron Kober

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 02:00:00 -0800

For many people, the mention of government work conjures images of endless red tape and bureaucracy. In reality, though, federal employees are doing life-changing work every day. They fight hurricanes, advance cutting-edge research, protect children, and manage millions of acres of public lands. But with leadership turnover, political transitions, and cultural challenges, the system often struggles to attract and retain the talent it needs. Cameron Kober is working to change that.

Cameron Kober is the Director of Employee Engagement and Performance at the Partnership for Public Service where he oversees the Partnership's employee engagement portfolio. This work includes holding leadership accountable to improve organizational culture through the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings, the most comprehensive rating of employee engagement in the federal government. Additionally, his team provides direct services to federal agencies to identify and improve engagement through quantitative and qualitative data analysis, action planning and consulting support. Previously, Cameron developed a passion for public service as a middle school
teacher in Central Florida.

In this episode, Dart and Cameron discuss:
- What motivates federal employees to serve
- How mission-driven work boosts engagement
- The challenge of leadership turnover in government
- Adapting to rapid political transitions
- Improving workplaces through Best Places to Work rankings
- Building trust and transparency in government
- Leadership lessons from public service
- And other topics…

Resources mentioned:
The Partnership for Public Service: https://ourpublicservice.org/
Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings: https://bestplacestowork.org/
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis: https://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Risk-Michael-Lewis/dp/1324002646

Connect with Cameron:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-kober-b6672a55/

Beyond the Job Description: Designing Work for Joy and Impact | Sam Schlimper

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Sam Schlimper is the Managing Director at Randstad, the largest HR service provider in the world. Largely anchored in talent acquisition, she has over two decades of experience working with global organizations to link human potential, AI, and measurable outcomes. Over the years, Sam has witnessed countless leaders struggle with a trade-off mindset, treating business success as a zero-sum game. Determined to change this, she advocates for an alternative system where all stakeholders thrive—proving that mutual success drives sustainable business growth.

Sam Schlimper is a global talent strategy leader currently serving as Managing Director at Randstad Enterprise. Prior to Randstad, she was the former head of Talent Acquisition at Barclays Plc.

In this episode, Dart and Sam discuss:
- What leaders should focus on vs. what they do
- The major forces shaping Talent Acquisition
- 3 main types of engagement with AI
- Using pixelation to rethink job roles
- Discovering the internal motivators of employees
- Designing work for neurodiversity
- And other topics…

Sam Schlimper is a global talent strategy leader currently serving as Managing Director at Randstad Enterprise. With over two decades of experience, Sam has led various talent acquisition teams including being the former head of Talent Acquisition at Barclays Plc. Passionate about aligning people, processes, and technology, Sam partners with global organizations to unlock human potential and deliver measurable outcomes. Her leadership combines talent strategy with AI-driven insights to simplify processes, enhance engagement, and create sustainable organizational performance—all with a focus on fostering joy at work.

Connect with Sam:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-schlimper-387861/
Randstad: https://www.randstadenterprise.com/insights/authors/sam-schlimper/

Culture Change at Scale: How Design Gym Transforms Organizations by Talking to Employees | Andy Hagerman

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 02:00:00 -0800

As co-founder of The Design Gym consultancy, Andy Hagerman has spent over a decade tackling the challenge of aligning employee needs with business strategy—an issue that can make or break organizational success. Working with clients like Marriott, Cisco, HP, and Kellogg’s, he has honed his craft by addressing complex organizational needs. In this episode, Andy unpacks a large case study with a major retailer, revealing how understanding the employee experience can create new opportunities for both business growth and workforce engagement.

Andy Hagerman is the co-founder and managing partner of The Design Gym, a consultancy dedicated to work experience design and organizational transformation. The Design Gym has trained over 20k individuals and partnered with over 300 organizations, including Marriott, Kellogg’s, Cisco, and HP.

In this episode, Dart and Andy discuss:
- Designing work experiences with The Design Gym
- Andy’s latest case study
- Exploring alternatives to product managers
- Tools and principles for employee design research
- Connecting employee life and work dynamics
- Actionable insights from research and journey mapping
- How retail experts drive business success
- And other topics…

Andy Hagerman is the co-founder and managing partner of The Design Gym, a consultancy dedicated to work experience design and organizational transformation. With a focus on co-creation, employee research, and delivering actionable insights, Andy helps organizations align employee experiences with the organization's strategic objectives. Over the past decade, his consultancy has trained over 20,000 individuals and partnered with over 300 organizations, including global leaders such as Marriott, Kellogg’s, Cisco, and HP.

Before founding The Design Gym, Andy served as a business and innovation strategist at Jump Associates, where he honed his expertise in developing forward-thinking strategies for complex challenges. Andy is also a former guest lecturer for NYU, Columbia University and Parsons, and has led breakout workshops at both TED and TEDMED conferences.

Connect with Andy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewhagerman/
www.thedesigngym.com

Work For Grown-Ups: Escaping Parent-Child Leadership Dynamics at Work | Sammy Burt

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Companies have long treated employees like children, micromanaging their tasks and monitoring every move, hoping to boost productivity. The problem is that this approach undermines trust and stifles innovation, parenting employees instead of supporting them. Sammy Burt, author of What Is a Grown-Up Anyway, is working to shift this mindset. She helps organizations embrace a “grown-up” approach that fosters autonomy, confidence, and more empowered, innovative workplaces— treating employees as the adults they are.

Sammy Burt is a professional facilitator, systems coach, and leadership consultant at Farleigh Performance. Her upcoming book, What Is a Grown-Up Anyway, explores the complexities of adulthood and personal growth through insightful storytelling and practical guidance.

In this episode, Dart and Sammy discuss:
- How companies “parent” employees
- Treating employees as adults at work
- Distinctions between adults and grown-ups
- Joy, grieving, and empathy in the workplace
- The link between child-like behavior and innovation
- Transactional analysis in the workplace
- Adult development theory
- And other topics…

Sammy Burt is a professional facilitator, systems coach, and leadership consultant at Farleigh Performance. With a background in psychology and extensive experience in both corporate and creative industries, she specializes in empowering clients to build resilience, develop leadership skills, and navigate change with confidence. Sammy is also the author of the upcoming book What Is a Grown-Up Anyway, where she explores the complexities of adulthood and personal growth through insightful storytelling and practical guidance.

Resources mentioned:
What Is a Grown-Up Anyway, by Sammy Burt: https://www.yourbackpack.co.uk/whatisagrownupanyway
Design for Belonging, by Susie Wise: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Belonging-Inclusion-Collaboration-Communities/dp/1984858033
Useful Not True, by Derek Sivers: https://www.amazon.com/Useful-Not-True-Derek-Sivers-ebook/dp/B0D86K4XF5

Connect with Sammy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammyburt
www.farleighperformance.com

Number 2 Glassdoor CEO: Leading People in 2025 and Beyond | Robert Glazer

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Award-winning entrepreneur and author Robert Glazer has identified a core issue in today’s companies: the traditional “growth-at-all-costs” mindset is unsustainable. After a decade of relentless expansion, many companies are struggling to grow without burning out their employees along the way. Robert believes there is a better way—one that brings teams along on the growth journey to benefit employees and the company alike.

Robert Glazer is an award-winning executive, speaker, author, and the Founder and Chairman of Acceleration Partners. Under his leadership, his company earned accolades like Glassdoor's Employees’ Choice Award and was named a Best Place to Work by Inc. and Fortune. Robert was also named Glassdoor’s #2 Top CEO for small and medium companies in the U.S.

In this episode, Dart and Robert discuss:
- How Robert became #2 CEO on Glassdoor
- Growing people vs. growing a company
- The 4 attributes of transformational work
- How core values shape leadership styles
- The true origin of company culture
- Building agency and resilience within teams
- Overcoming learned helplessness at work
- And other topics…

Robert Glazer is the Founder and Chairman of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency that has consistently been recognized for its exceptional company culture and business performance. Under his leadership, the company earned accolades like Glassdoor's Employees’ Choice Award and was named a Best Place to Work by Inc. and Fortune. Robert was also named Glassdoor’s #2 Top CEO for small and medium companies in the U.S.

A passionate advocate for personal and professional growth, Robert is the bestselling author of five books, including Elevate and Friday Forward. He is also a sought-after speaker and host of The Elevate Podcast, sharing insights on leadership, business, and building capacity. Through his writing and work, Robert inspires individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.

Resources mentioned:
Rethinking Two Weeks Notice, by Robert Glazer: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Two-Weeks-Notice-Employees-ebook/dp/B0DGRZRXYY
Elevate, by Robert Glazer: https://www.amazon.com/Elevate-Beyond-Limits-Success-Yourself/dp/1492691488

Connect with Robert:
www.RobertGlazer.com

Applying Product Management Tools for a Better Employee Experience | John Cutler

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Product managers are often used to setting goals and going after them with a single-minded focus, achieving success by pushing for results. If they approach the job like a mechanic—fixing, controlling, and managing tasks—they risk stifling innovation and limiting their team’s potential. Without realizing it, managers can create an environment that suppresses growth. John Cutler, a seasoned product manager and researcher, believes that by adopting a service-oriented mindset, managers can instead empower their teams, foster growth, and ultimately drive better results for both the product and the people.

John Cutler is the Head of Product at Dotwork, a strategic alignment platform that integrates metrics, insights, and workflows to drive better decision-making for businesses.

In this episode, Dart and John discuss:
- Balancing variety, complexity, and focus in design
- Horizontal vs. vertical products
- A service design mindset for managers
- The traits of a great product manager
- 3 major challenges that product managers face in software
- Empathy and agency in management
- And other topics…

John Cutler is a seasoned product manager and user experience researcher. He excels at tackling complex problems and uncovering the "why" through qualitative and quantitative insights. Currently, John serves as the Head of Product at Dotwork, a strategic alignment platform that integrates metrics, insights, and workflows to drive better decision-making for businesses. Before joining Dotwork, he held pivotal roles, including Senior Director of Product Enablement at Toast and Head of Product Education at Amplitude, where he honed his expertise in product strategy and education.

Resources mentioned:
“How Capable Leaders Navigate Uncertainty and Ambiguity,” by John Cutler: https://cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-274-how-capable-leaders-navigate

Connect with John:
Substack: https://cutlefish.substack.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpcutler/

Why Employees Quit: The Four Drivers of Job Moves in 2024 | Ethan Bernstein & Michael Horn

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

An estimated 1 billion people switch jobs every year, and the war for talent continues. Leaders and HR teams keep using the same hiring strategies as the average employee tenure decreases year after year. Companies aren’t addressing the root issue: employees crave meaningful work, supportive colleagues, and growth opportunities. Unless companies transform their approach to employee satisfaction, they’ll keep losing their best people—something Ethan Bernstein and Michael Horn believe we can prevent.

Ethan and Michael are co-authors of Job Moves, a book that uses the Jobs to Be Done theory to approach job selection as hiring a role to fulfill personal and professional goals, encouraging a more holistic perspective on career choices.

In this episode, Dart, Ethan, and Michael discuss:
- Major pushes and pulls driving job changes
- Jobs to Be Done theory applied to work and career transitions
- 4 Quests of job changes: why employees leave their jobs
- Progress vs. progression at work
- Experiences vs. features in job selection
- 9 activities that companies can do to ensure strong employee fit
- How to prototype and test potential career changes
- And other topics…

Ethan Bernstein and Michael Horn are co-authors of Job Moves, a book that uses the Jobs to Be Done theory to approach job selection as hiring a role to fulfill personal and professional goals, encouraging a more holistic perspective on career choices.

Ethan Bernstein is the Edward W. Conard Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He specializes in the Organizational Behavior unit and focuses his research on the dynamics of workplace transparency, how organizational design impacts performance, and managing human capital. His work has been published in various academic journals and covered by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, and Bloomberg, among others.

Michael Horn is an influential author, speaker, and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the co-founder and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, and NBC.

Resources mentioned:
“Why Employees Quit,” by Ethan Bernstein, Michael Horn, & Bob Moesta: https://hbr.org/2024/11/why-employees-quit
Job Moves, by Ethan Bernstein, Michael Horn, and Bob Moesta: https://www.amazon.com/Job-Moves-Making-Progress-Career/dp/0063283581
Choosing College, by Michael Horn: https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-College-Learning-Decisions-Throughout/dp/1119570115

Connect with Ethan & Michael:
www.jobmoves.com
Ethan’s Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jt4uBuUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Ethan’s email - e@hbs.edu
www.michaelbhorn.com
Michael’s Substack: https://michaelbhorn.substack.com/

Are Skills the New Currency of Work? Questioning the Skills-Based Management Paradigm | Gareth Flynn

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Moments before presenting at a large conference in Sydney, Gareth Flynn was confident in sharing his expertise on skills strategy. Suddenly, his friend Dart Lindsley tapped him on the shoulder and made a bold claim: skills strategies don’t work. Faced with the unsettling possibility that his expertise might be flawed, Gareth began a research journey to uncover the truth. By engaging with both critics and advocates, he gained a fresh perspective on when and how skills should (or shouldn’t) be prioritized in the workplace.

Gareth Flynn is a writer, speaker, and talent and workforce expert with 25+ years of experience focused on strategy, skills, and leadership. He is the founder and CEO of TQSolutions, Australia’s leading talent and workforce strategy and solutions business.

In this episode, Dart and Gareth discuss:
- How companies approach skills — and when they fall short
- Company motivation for investing in skills strategies
- Insights from the critics of skills strategy
- The difference between skills and capabilities
- The taxonomy of skills
- How AI is grouping people into social classes
- Career drivers vs. life drivers
- And other topics…

Gareth Flynn is a writer, speaker, and talent and workforce expert with 25+ years of experience focused on strategy, skills, and leadership. As the founder and CEO of TQSolutions, Australia’s leading talent and workforce strategy and solutions business, Gareth and his team have advised companies like GE, Philips, Australia Post, and Westpac, among others. Prior to founding TQSolutions, Gareth co-founded The Career Conversation, an early careers experience and engagement business whose client list includes companies like Bank of America and Deloitte.

Resources mentioned:
“Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?” by Marc Effron: https://talentstrategygroup.com/is-the-juice-worth-the-squeeze/
Connect with Gareth:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethflynn

The Heart of Leadership: Emerging from the Dark Ages of “Power-Over” Management | The Clark Family

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

When Kim Clark was completing research for his doctoral dissertation, he compared two nearly identical cement plants located five miles apart. As an economist, he couldn’t pinpoint why one plant was 70% more productive than the other. Determined to solve the mystery, he visited both plants and quickly found the answer: the more productive plant had a flat hierarchy and a collegial culture.

Kim, Jonathan, and Erin Clark are co-authors of the book Leading Through, which explores the transition from traditional leadership models to a more human-centered approach that integrates the soul, heart, and mind to create thriving organizations.

In this episode, Dart, Kim, Jon, and Erin discuss:
- Morality in business
- The “power-over” paradigm that humans default to
- Decoupling leadership from hierarchies
- A new paradigm of leadership called “leading through”
- How to activate the soul, heart, and mind in leadership
- Using modularity to lead through work
- And other topics…

Kim, Jonathan, and Erin Clark are co-authors of the book Leading Through, which explores the transition from traditional leadership models to a more human-centered approach that integrates the soul, heart, and mind to create thriving organizations.

Kim Clark is the NAC Distinguished Professor of Management at the BYU Marriott School of Business and former President of BYU-Idaho. He is also the former Dean of Faculty of the Harvard Business School. Within his roles, Kim focuses on the role of leaders in creating outstanding performance, modularity in design, and the interaction of technological change and competition in industry evolution.

Jonathan Clark is an associate professor of management at UT San Antonio. Prior to UT, he served as executive director of the Master of Health Administration program at Penn State. His research has been published in the Academy of Management Journal, Health Affairs, and Leadership Quarterly, among others.

Erin Clark is a managing director with Deloitte Consulting's Human Capital practice, where she specializes in helping clients improve performance, drive change, and create sustainable advantages through people. With over two decades of experience advising clients across industries, she believes strongly in the work of leadership to activate and unleash human potential.

Resources mentioned:
Leaning Through, by Kim, Jonathan, and Erin Clark: https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Through-Activating-Heart-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CT49ZG1K
Humanocracy, by Gary Hamel: https://www.amazon.com/Humanocracy-Creating-Organizations-Amazing-People-ebook/dp/B07B9HFSHX

Connect with the Clark family:
www.leadingthrough.co
Kim Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-b-clark-19664920a/
Jonathan Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-clark-3734616/
Erin Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erineliseclark/

The Employee Experience Manifesto: Unlocking the Talent inside Your Organization | Samantha Gadd

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0800

When Samantha Gadd began her career in HR, she quickly noticed traditional HR processes and practices often overlooked the people they were meant to serve. Struggling to find the “human” in human resources, Samantha took a leap of faith and founded Humankind, an organization dedicated to putting humanity at the center of work.

Today, Humankind is New Zealand’s leading HR and employee experience (EX) consultancy, partnering with over 1,200 organizations to create more human-centered workplaces that prioritize employee well-being and drive business success.

Samantha Gadd is a seasoned business leader and expert in employee experience (EX) with over a decade of industry expertise. She is the founder and CEO of Excellent and Founder and Director of Humankind.

In this episode, Dart and Samantha discuss:
- Samantha’s journey from HR to EX
- Who buys into EX in organizations
- The origin and principles of the EX Manifesto
- Links between workplace culture and employer brand
- The EX Design School curriculum
- Values of EX that reframe success metrics
- The PREP model: purpose, relationship, enabling, and performance
- Who is best suited for the EX curriculum
- And other topics…

Samantha Gadd is a seasoned business leader and expert in employee experience (EX) with over a decade of industry expertise. She is the founder and CEO of Excellent, an organization dedicated to transforming how organizations approach EX. She is also the Founder and Director of Humankind, New Zealand’s leading HR and EX consultancy which has collaborated with over 1,000 organizations to design impactful employee experiences.

As an EX expert, Samantha has spent over a decade helping high-profile clients transform workplace environments to enhance employee engagement and well-being. In 2022, she also led a group of 34 contributors to co-author The EX Manifesto, which defines key principles of EX design. Signed by leaders in over 30 countries, this document represents a global commitment to reimagining employee engagement and well-being.

Resources mentioned:
www.EXmanifesto.com
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine II: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Updated-Joseph-Pine/dp/1422161978
Customers Included, by Phil Terry: https://www.amazon.com/Customers-Included-Transform-Products-Companies/dp/0979368111
University of Toronto, service design certificate: https://learn.utoronto.ca/programs-courses/certificates/service-design

Connect with Samantha:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthagadd
www.excellent.io

Social Networks: The #1 Predictor of Economic Advancement | David Obstfeld

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0800

David Obstfeld, a tenured professor with over 15 years of research experience, saw a troubling trend at universities: first-generation college students were struggling to secure job opportunities upon graduation, leaving them at a disadvantage compared to their peers. His research revealed a clear link between economic background and access to social networks, with wealthier students gaining social capital that propelled their career success above those around them. It wasn’t what they knew - it was who.

This insight led David to establish the Social Capital Academy, an initiative designed to help underrepresented students build the social and cultural capital they need to succeed. Through mentoring, networking, and skill-building workshops, Obstfeld is transforming the trajectory of students’ careers and helping bridge the gap in economic opportunity.

David Obstfeld is an influential researcher, author, professor at CSU Fullerton, and the founder of the Social Capital Academy.

In this episode, Dart and David discuss:
- The evolution of network analysis
- Social networks and the role of social capital
- Why getting new things done drives company success
- A knowledge-based view of the firm
- The role of brokers and triads in social networks
- Pros and cons of open vs. closed networks
- Whether social skills are innate or developed
- Perspective articulation
- Social Capital Academy and scalable models to build social capital for underserved groups.
- And other topics…

David Obstfeld is a Professor of Management at California State University, Fullerton, and an influential researcher focused on social networks, innovation, and social capital. As the founder of the Social Capital Academy, Obstfeld works to empower students from underrepresented backgrounds by teaching them to leverage social and cultural capital to advance in their careers. His book, Getting New Things Done: Networks, Brokerage, and the Assembly of Innovative Action, examines how networks and brokerage drive creativity and organizational innovation.

David received his A.B. from the University of Chicago and his PhD from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He has served on the faculty of NYU’s Stern School of Business and UC Irvine’s Merage School of Business. His widely cited research has received major grants, including from the National Science Foundation, to further investigate organizational and social dynamics.

Resources mentioned:
Getting New Things Done, by David Obstfeld: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-New-Things-Done-Innovative/dp/0804760500

Connect with David:
www.SocialCapitalAcademy.org
www.DavidObstfeldPhd.com
Email: dobstfeld@fullerton.edu

Disruptive HR: Solving Your People Problem through Work Design | Lucy Adams

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Lucy Adams, a seasoned HR leader, has held senior roles in major organizations, including her recent position as HR Director at the BBC. Despite her success, she grew increasingly frustrated by HR’s one-size-fits-all approach, which treated all employees under the same rigid policies. Determined to find a fresh perspective, Lucy founded Disruptive HR, an innovative HR agency that inspires leaders and HR professionals to approach their roles with renewed vision and energy.

Lucy Adams is a keynote speaker, author, and founder and CEO of Disruptive HR. She guides HR teams and leaders from some of the world’s top brands, speaking at events for Pepsico, HSBC, Google, and Emirates, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Lucy discuss:
- Challenging forces acting on the heads of talent/CPOs
- Lucy’s experience appearing before a congressional hearing
- Emerging disruptions in HR
- The EACH model (Employees as Adults, Consumers, and Human Beings)
- 3 major benefits of the consumerization of the workplace
- Differences between equity and equality at work
- Humanizing performance management
- And other topics…

Lucy Adams is the founder and CEO of Disruptive HR, an agency on a mission to inspire leaders and HR professionals to approach their roles with renewed vision and energy. After working in high-level HR roles across sectors, including the Director of HR at BBC, Lucy wanted to help companies seek new ways to tackle old problems. She now guides HR teams and leaders from some of the world’s top brands, speaking at events for Pepsico, HSBC, Google, Emirates, and many others.

Lucy’s latest best-selling book, HR Disrupted, discusses innovative approaches to transform traditional HR practices, challenge outdated norms, and adopt people-centered strategies to engage and empower employees in a rapidly changing workplace.

Resources mentioned:
HR Disrupted, by Lucy Adams: https://www.amazon.com/HR-Disrupted-time-something-different/dp/1910056502
The Problem with Change, by Ashley Goodall: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Change-Essential-Nature-Performance/dp/0316560278

Connect with Lucy:
www.DisruptiveHR.com

Ken Coleman: What I've Learned Helping Thousands of People Find Work They Love

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Ken Coleman has interviewed thousands of people on work, uncovering a common struggle: people start their careers wanting to make a difference but often lose that drive due to restrictive job expectations and rigid company rules. This disconnect leaves employees disengaged, impacting both personal fulfillment and company success. Ken believes companies thrive by flipping the question — focusing not on how to get the most out of employees, but on how employees can get the most out of their roles. Known as “America’s Career Coach,” Ken continues to help employees and organizations rediscover purpose and achieve aligned success.

Ken Coleman is a broadcaster, interviewer, and 3x best-selling author known for his expertise in career and personal development. As the co-host of The Ramsey Show and the executive coach host of The Ken Coleman Show, he has empowered thousands of people to advance their professional lives and grow their influence in the workplace.

In this episode, Dart and Ken discuss:
- 3 essential employee needs for company success
- Key qualities of an impactful mentor
- What we know about how humans are wired for work
- Uniqueness as the foundation for greatness
- 3 introspective questions to uncover work motivations
- Career trends from Ken’s decade-long research sample
- Practical steps to create the career opportunities you want
- And other topics…

Ken Coleman is a broadcaster, interviewer, and best-selling author known for his expertise in career and personal development. As the co-host of The Ramsey Show and the executive coach host of The Ken Coleman Show, Ken empowers others to advance their professional lives and grow their influence in the workplace. His insights draw from personal experiences and thousands of interviews, serving as the foundation for his three best-selling books, From Paycheck to Purpose, The Proximity Principle, and Find the Work You’re Wired to Do.

Dubbed “America’s Career Coach,” Ken has appeared on shows like Fox & Friends, Yahoo! Finance, and the Rachael Ray Show. He’s a contributing writer for TheLadders.com and a popular speaker on personal development, career strategy, and leadership.

Resources mentioned:
Get Clear Career Assessment: Find the Work You’re Wired to Do, by Ken Coleman: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Clear-Career-Assessment-Youre/dp/B0CSCY1CH5
The Proximity Principle, by Ken Coleman: https://www.amazon.com/Proximity-Principle-Proven-Strategy-Career/dp/0978562038
From Paycheck to Purpose, by Ken Coleman: https://www.amazon.com/Paycheck-Purpose-Clear-Path-Doing/dp/1942121539
StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Gallup: https://www.amazon.com/StrengthsFinder-2-0-Tom-Rath/dp/159562015X
Essentialism, by Greg MckEown: https://www.amazon.com/Essentialism-Disciplined-Pursuit-Greg-McKeown/dp/0804137404

Connect with Ken:
www.kencoleman.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kencoleman-/
Instagram: @kencoleman

Escaping the Echo Chamber: Local Voices Share What Work is Really Like Around The World | Gregory Warner, Revisited

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

As an international correspondent for NPR, Gregory Warner has lived and worked in some of the highest conflict areas in recent memory. He has climbed mountains with smugglers in Pakistan for This American Life, descended into illegal mineshafts in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Marketplace's "Working" series, and lugged his accordion across Afghanistan on the trail of the "Afghan Elvis" for Radiolab. On one occasion, while covering the terror attacks in Nairobi, he found himself in the middle of a coup. To save his own life, he had to hide in a large vase until the fighting subsided.

Greg was named a Poynter Fellow in Journalism at Yale and received a Peabody Award for his journalism work. His podcast, Rough Translation, was named one of the New York Times’s Top 10 podcasts of 2021. Last season, he ran a series of surprising stories about workplaces and work cultures around the world. Today, he joins us on Work For Humans to discuss those stories.

In this episode, Dart and Gregory discuss:
- The power of storytelling through a local’s perspective
- Cultural norms, societal pressures, and value clashes around the world
- Chinese workers protesting work through slacking
- How crisis, government, and our parents shape workplace culture
- South Korea’s work trend of adopting English first names
- How countries brand themselves, and how this trickles down to work
- The exportation of Silicon Valley's work culture
- Jobs like truck driving that can push one into solitude
- The danger of hearing from a narrow set of international voices
- And other topics...

Gregory Warner has been an international correspondent for NPR for over a decade. As the host and creator of the NPR podcast Rough Translation, he has lived around the world and in conflict zones like Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Rwanda. Gregory was named a Poynter Fellow in Journalism at Yale and has received various awards for his journalism work, including a Peabody Award. Rough Translation unpacks cultural norms, issues, and shifts close to home from a continent away. The podcast has received multiple awards from the Overseas Press Club and was named one of the New York Times’s Top 10 podcasts of 2021.

Resources Mentioned:
Rough Translation podcast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510324/rough-translation
Slackers@Work: A Song for the Exhausted podcast episode: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1102281666/slackers-work-a-song-for-the-exhausted
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930

Connect with Gregory:
Around the World in 85 Days substack: https://aroundtheworldin85days.substack.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radiogrego/

The ROI on Accessibility: How Investing in Accessibility Benefits Everybody | Mike Hess

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

After 20 years of managing multimillion-dollar projects for Fortune 500 companies, Mike Hess faced a troubling reality: he was often labeled as the "token blind guy." Despite developing invaluable skills through his blindness, he was disturbed by the high unemployment rates among fellow disabled professionals. Determined to break down corporate stigma, he founded the Blind Institute of Technology. Now, Mike is showing organizations how to access the unmatched potential of disabled professionals, bridging the gap between talent and opportunity.

Mike Hess is the Founder and Executive Director at the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT), a non-profit dedicated to improving employment opportunities for professionals with disabilities through accessible technology and inclusive hiring practices.

In this episode, Dart and Mike discuss:
- The Blind Institute of Technology
- Inclusive design and accessibility
- Employment challenges for disabled professionals
- Common misconceptions about disabilities in the workplace
- The return on investment of hiring disabled employees
- Bridging the digital divide and achieving digital equity
- Generative AI for enhancing accessibility
- Tackling social discomfort around disabilities
- And other topics…

Mike Hess is the Founder and Executive Director at the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT), a non-profit dedicated to improving employment opportunities for professionals with disabilities through accessible technology and inclusive hiring practices. As a blind tech veteran with over two decades of experience managing 7-figure projects for Fortune 500 companies, Mike helps organizations build inclusive workplaces that capitalize on the strengths of disabled professionals. His initiatives at BIT include workforce development programs and partnerships that enhance diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Mike has been recognized in various media outlets and has received notable awards, including the 2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Award and the 2019 GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award. His work with BIT has led to presentations at major tech conferences, and he co-hosts the podcast Choose Inclusion. Additionally, he developed EdgGuide, a system designed to enhance independent navigation in public spaces for blind and visually impaired individuals.

Resources mentioned:
Hidden Potential, by Adam Grant https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Potential-Science-Achieving-Greater/dp/0593653149

Connect with Mike:
www.blindIT.org

Built for People: Using Product Management Principles to Design Work People Love | Jessica Zwaan, Revisited

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

The philosophy behind HR and our way of working predates most of the tools we use. While companies focus on sales and productivity, most neglect to measure one of the largest sources of value within the organization – the employee experience. Jessica Zwaan has made it her mission to teach executives and their companies how to transform the employee experience using product management principles, maximizing value for all stakeholders involved.

Jessica Zwaan is the author of Built for People, the current Chief Operating Officer of Whereby, and a former COO advisor for clients like Soundcloud, Talentful, and Bolt, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Jessica discuss:
- The 3 things every company sells
- Distinctions between people operations and human operations
- Viewing work as a product and determining its value
- Tracking the cost versus value of employees
- The 3 aspects employees want out of their work
- Value vs. volume when it comes to employees
- 2 maxims of product management applicable to HR
- And other topics…

Jessica Zwaan is an author, speaker, and early-stage start-up executive. She is the current Chief Operating Officer of Whereby and a former COO advisor for clients like Soundcloud, Talentful, and Bolt, among others. Her latest book, Built for People, helps teach organizations and leadership how to transform the employee experience using product management principles.

With a background in operations, people, and talent, Jessica’s work has spanned across three continents. Jessica holds a First-Class Honours law degree from the University of Law in London. She is an international panelist and speaker and also hosts the podcast “There's This Thing at Work.”

Resources mentioned:
Built for People, by Jessica Zwaan: https://www.amazon.com/Built-People-Experience-Management-Principles/dp/1398608025
The Book of the Courtier, by Baldesar Castiglione: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Courtier-Baldesar-Castiglione/dp/1519086954
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn: https://www.amazon.com/Structure-Scientific-Revolutions-50th-Anniversary/dp/0226458121
The Good Enough Job, by Simone Stolzoff: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Job-Reclaiming-Life/dp/059353896X

Connect with Jessica:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamayzwaan/
www.jessicamayzwaan.com

Candidate-Market Fit: How to Find a Job You Love in an Unforgiving Job Market | Phyl Terry

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

In a rapidly evolving job market shaped by post-pandemic shifts, AI advancements, and the rise of remote work, competition for good jobs is fiercer than ever. Standing out and strategically positioning yourself is no longer optional – it’s essential.

For over 25 years, Phyl Terry has been helping people build exceptional companies and careers. As the founder and CEO of Collaborative Gain, a consultancy that fosters knowledge-sharing among senior executives, Phyl leverages his experience coaching leaders at top firms to guide individuals in navigating today’s complex job market. His approach centers on applying product management principles to build intentional, sustainable career paths.

Topics Include:
- Applying product management to job searching
- The importance of candidate market fit
- How to conduct a listening tour for feedback
- Building a support network with job search councils
- Emotional challenges of the job search process
- Strategies for negotiating job offers
- Understanding psychological safety in job hunting
- Avoiding "rebound jobs" and finding the right role
- Phyl's experiences coaching senior executives at Google and Amazon
- The impact of gratitude and vulnerability on the job search
- And other topics...

Phyl Terry is the founder and CEO of Collaborative Gain, a consultancy that helps senior executives share knowledge and solve challenges in a collaborative, cross-company environment. With over two decades of experience in coaching leaders at top companies like Google and Amazon, Phyl is a pioneer in customer experience and product management. His latest book, Never Search Alone, applies his expertise in product management to career development, encouraging job seekers to approach their careers strategically, as if they were marketing a product.

Resources Mentioned:
Never Search Alone by Phyl Terry: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Search-Alone-Seekers-Playbook/dp/B0B9Q9YDQ5
Customers Included by Phyl Terry: https://www.amazon.com/Customers-Included-Transform-Products-Companies/dp/0979368111

Connect with Phyl:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phylterry/
Website: phyl.org

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

The Progression of Value: How to Deliver Custom Work Experiences at Scale | Joe Pine, Revisited

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0700

Joe Pine was the first to identify many of the trends that have animated business for the last two decades, including the trend away from simple mass production to mass customization, and the emergence of the experience economy. Today, Joe joins us to discuss how those trends are influencing the future of work, and how companies might mass-customize experiences for employees.

Joe Pine is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and startups. His best-selling book, The Experience Economy, has been published in 15 languages and used as a company guide for over 20 years.

In this episode, Dart and Joe discuss:
- The progression of economic value
- The Experience Economy
- The current transformation economy
- How to customize a customer’s experience and promote transformation
- Brand authenticity
- Focusing on value vs. price
- The management style we need to create value
- How to revitalize a business
- The importance of company exploration and innovation
- And more…

Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. Joe is a co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP and a lecturer at Columbia University. His best-selling book, The Experience Economy, has been published in 15 languages and used as a company guide for over 20 years.

Joe serves as a Senior Fellow with the Design Futures Council and the European Centre for the Experience Economy. He previously served as a Visiting Scholar with the MIT Design Lab, a professor at Duke University, and a manager with IBM. Joe has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. His other published works include Infinite Possibility, Authenticity, and Mass Customization.

Resources Mentioned:
The Experience Economy, by Joe Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975
Mass Customization, by Joe Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Mass-Customization-Frontier-Business-Competition/dp/0875843727
Authenticity, by Joe Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Authenticity-What-Consumers-Really-Want/dp/1591391458
Travel that Can Change Your Life, by Jeffrey Kotler: www.amazon.com/Travel-That-Change-Your-Life/dp/0787909416

How to Build Great Teams: What AI Is Teaching Us about Team Design and Skills Training | Vivienne Ming

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

AI is at the forefront of work, tech, and global development – and it’s here to stay. While there are ongoing dilemmas and fears surrounding the future of AI, renowned neuroscientist Vivienne Ming sees it differently. For over a decade, she has harnessed AI to enhance human potential, designing systems to treat her son’s diabetes, predict manic episodes in those with bipolar disorder, and reunite orphaned refugees with extended family members, among many other initiatives. Vivienne has emerged not only as a leading scientist in the field but also as a passionate advocate for using AI as a powerful tool to unlock human ability.

Vivienne Ming is a renowned theoretical neuroscientist and AI expert. She is the co-founder and CEO of the think tank Socos Labs, as well as chief scientist at Dionysus Digital Health and The Human Trust. Her research has been showcased on TEDx, The Financial Times, The Atlantic, the New York Times, BBC Radio 4, and NPR.

In this episode, Dart and Vivienne discuss:
- Vivienne’s diverse background in AI and research
- AI’s qualitative advantages over humans today
- How AI can predict and influence individual success
- Metalearning and perspective taking
- Building stronger teams and social networks with AI
- The moral limits of markets
- How minority opinions can reshape collective market intelligence
- And other topics…

Vivienne Ming is a renowned theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert. As the co-founder and CEO of the think tank Socos Labs, she consults on AI, neuroscience, and education reform, exploring the future of human potential. She also serves as chief scientist at Dionysus Digital Health and The Human Trust. Her AI inventions have launched multiple companies and nonprofits, all centered on unlocking human potential. Vivienne’s research has been showcased on TEDx, The Financial Times, The Atlantic, the New York Times, BBC Radio 4, and NPR.

Vivienne received her B.S. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California at San Diego and her M.S. and PhD in Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. She then held a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford and UC Berkeley, where she later joined as a research scientist and visiting scholar. Vivienne sits on boards of numerous companies and nonprofits including StartOut, The Palm Center, Cornerstone Capital, Platypus Institute, Shiftgig, Zoic Capital, and HUMM.

Resources mentioned:
How to Robot-Proof Your Kids, by Vivienne Ming: https://academy.socos.org/
Geek Heresy, by Kentaro Toyama: https://www.amazon.com/Geek-Heresy-Rescuing-Social-Technology/dp/161039528X

Connect with Vivienne:
www.socos.org
www.dionysushealth.com
www.optoceutics.com
www.thehumantrust.org
“The Tax on Being Different” video: https://glginsights.com/videos/decisions-in-hiring/

Emerging Workplace Trends: Are We Entering an Era of Organizational Disruption? | Aaron McEwan

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s that market disruptions can spell disaster for unprepared companies. Aaron McEwan, a behavioral scientist and futurist, is at the forefront of this challenge. As part of Gartner’s Rapid Response Market Sensing Team, he specializes in identifying workplace shifts before they happen. In this episode, Aaron shares how he leverages insights from his career and lessons learned during the pandemic to identify and tackle workplace shifts – before they happen.

Aaron McEwan is a prominent behavioral scientist, psychologist, and futurist based in Australia. He currently is the Vice President of Research & Advisory for Gartner's HR Practice, providing strategic insights on talent management and the future of work to leading global companies.

In this episode, Dart and Aaron discuss:
- Gartner’s Rapid Response Market Sensing Team
- Market sensing and identifying trends
- The largest market challenges since the pandemic
- Social movements that are starting to bubble
- Social media-driven employee activism
- Early detection of workforce disruptions
- Rapid responses to opportunities and threats
- Signals of reemergent labor activism
- And other topics…

Aaron McEwan is a prominent behavioral scientist, psychologist, and futurist based in Australia. He currently serves as the Vice President of Research & Advisory for Gartner's HR Practice, providing strategic insights on talent management and the future of work to leading global companies. Recognized as a Top 100 Global HR Influencer, Aaron emphasizes evidence-based practices that help organizations optimize performance and adapt to changing work environments.

Aaron is also a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute and an Associate of Macquarie University's Centre for Workforce Futures. He has lectured at several universities, including the University of NSW and the University of Queensland. His interdisciplinary approach often draws from his background in music, where he performed and wrote original pieces, applying lessons from that experience to leadership and teamwork in organizational settings.

Resources mentioned:
The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X

Connect with Aaron:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronmcewan
Smarter with Gartner: https://www.gartner.com.au/en/smarterwithgartner

Dangerously Incompetent: How AI and Robots Are Deskilling the Workforce | Matt Beane

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

As AI and automation reshape the workforce, the traditional way we pass down critical skills is under threat. Junior workers are losing the opportunity to learn directly from experienced mentors, putting essential human abilities at risk. Matt Beane, a leading researcher in machine intelligence, has spent a decade investigating this problem. In his latest book, The Skill Code, Beane uncovers the hidden dynamics of expert-novice relationships and explains why preserving these bonds is crucial for thriving in a tech-driven world.

Matt Beane is an assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara, known for his groundbreaking research on the impact of robotics in the workplace. He holds a PhD from MIT and has delivered a TED talk with over 1.8 million views. His latest book, The Skill Code, highlights the importance and process of preserving human skills in the age of AI and automation.

In this episode, Dart and Matt discuss:
- The impact of tech on workplace learning
- Technology management programs
- Whether tech shapes behavior or vice versa
- Using tech for scale development
- The difference between knowledge and skill
- Challenges in developing skills in tech-driven environments
- Using positive deviance to grow at work
- Human capital development’s connection to productivity
- And other topics…

Matt Beane is an author and assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the Technology Management Program. He is known for his pioneering work on how robotics are transforming the workplace, particularly in the evolving relationship between humans and machines. His latest book, The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines, explores how technology is reshaping the workforce and highlights the importance of preserving essential human skills as automation and AI become more prevalent.

Matt holds both a PhD and a Master’s in Management Research from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and is also a Digital Fellow at both Stanford and MIT. His work delves into how organizations and individuals adapt to intelligent technologies, focusing on sectors like healthcare and manufacturing. His research on robotic surgery was published in 2019 in Administrative Science Quarterly and Harvard Business Review, and his related TED talk has over 1.8 million views. Matt is also a regular contributor to popular outlets such as Wired, MIT’s Technology Review, TechCrunch, Forbes, and Robohub.

Resources mentioned:
The Skill Code, by Matt Beane: https://www.amazon.com/Skill-Code-Ability-Intelligent-Machines/dp/0063337797
“Don’t Let AI Dumb You Down,” by Matt Beane: https://www.wildworldofwork.org/p/dont-let-ai-dumb-you-down
How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand: https://www.amazon.com/How-Buildings-Learn-Happens-Theyre/dp/0140139966

Connect with Matt:
www.MattBeane.com
www.TheSkillCodeBook.com
X: @mattbeane
www.SkillBench.com

StumpCraft: The Simple Joy of Turning Chaos into Order | Jasen Robillard

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0700

On Work for Humans, we explore what people truly seek from their work. A recurring theme we have found is the desire for puzzles to solve. In today’s episode, we chat with a puzzle expert and creator to uncover the elements that make a compelling puzzle and how we can apply these principles to create work that people genuinely love.

Jasen Robillard’s career has evolved from engineer to product specialist, geological mapper, and now, jigsaw puzzle creator. He is the founder of Stumpcraft, a Canadian jigsaw company that has gained recognition for its high-quality, artisanal puzzles, with Jasen's creative vision at the core of the company's success.

In this episode, Dart and Jasen discuss:
- The definition and attributes of a great puzzle
- How Jasen started StumpCraft
- The components of a compelling puzzle
- Puzzles, problems, and messes at work
- Work as an empathy playground
- Puzzle creation constraints
- Puzzles as part of the transformation economy
- And other topics…

Jasen Robillard is the founder of Stumpcraft, a premium wooden jigsaw puzzle company based in Canada. With a passion for intricate design and craftsmanship, Stumpcraft locally crafts each puzzle from sustainably sourced wood, incorporating unique, laser-cut pieces of Canadian fine art to challenge and delight puzzle enthusiasts. Jasen’s career journey led him from engineer to product specialist to geological mapping and, now, to jigsaw puzzles. Stumpcraft has gained recognition for its high-quality, artisanal puzzles, with Jasen's creative vision at the core of the company's success.

Resources mentioned:
Tools for Thinking, by Michael Pidd: https://www.amazon.com/Tools-Thinking-Modelling-Management-Science/dp/0470721421
“C.O.R.E. Attributes,” by Justin Gary: https://justingarydesign.substack.com/p/justin-gary-core-attributes

Connect with Jasen:
www.StumpCraft.com
Substack: https://substack.com/@jasenrobillard

First Responders for the Workforce: The Dark Challenges of Frontline HR Professionals | Julie Turney

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0700

From managing crises to ensuring compliance and safety, HR professionals are often the first responders in the workplace. Julie Turney, an HR specialist with over 15 years in the field, found herself so focused on supporting others that she became depleted and burned out.

Drawing from her journey and research, Julie now dedicates her work to creating positive workplace cultures and fostering employee engagement, especially in the face of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma.

Julie Turney is an HR specialist, TEDx Speaker, author, and Founder and CEO of HRatHeart Consulting Inc.

In this episode, Dart and Julie discuss:
- The major challenges of HR professionals
- HR as first responders in the workplace
- Self-care and support for HR professionals
- Things all HR employees need to know
- Self-forgiveness in the field
- The balance between HR, leadership, employees, and regulations
- Julie’s recommendation for improving HR contracts
- And other topics…

Julie Turney is an HR specialist, TEDx Speaker, author, and Founder and CEO of HRatHeart Consulting Inc. With over 15 years of HR experience, she is passionate about building positive workplace cultures and fostering employee engagement, especially in the face of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. Julie focuses on talent management, employee development, and organizational change. Known for her ability to blend empathetic leadership with strategic HR practices, she helps companies navigate transitions while improving overall employee satisfaction.

Resources mentioned:
Confessions of an HR Pro, by Julie Turney: https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Julie-Turney/dp/0578905825
HR Sound Off podcast
Interview - Julie Turney X The Pivot Series

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjulieturney
www.HRatHeart.com

How to Design Products People Love: Principles and Insights for Work Designers | Marty Cagan

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Marty Cagan was ten years into his engineering career when he began questioning the purpose of his work. Frustrated with the products he was building, he wondered why they were necessary—but soon, he realized that asking "why" was the job of the product manager, not the engineer. So, he became one. Not just any product manager, but a leading expert in the field. Now, through Silicon Valley Product Group, Marty helps companies transform the work behind their products to build meaningful results.

Marty Cagan is a well-known product management expert, author, and partner at Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG). With decades of experience, he has held leadership roles at companies like eBay, Netscape Communications, and HP.

In this episode, Dart and Marty discuss:
- Key elements of top product teams
- Best practices in product management
- Capabilities and responsibilities of a product manager
- The core principles of product culture
- How processes can kill companies
- 3 non-negotiables for product managers
- And other topics…

Marty Cagan is a well-known product management expert, author, and partner at Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG). He is best known for his book Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love, which is widely regarded as a key resource in product management. With decades of experience, including leadership roles at companies like eBay, Netscape Communications, and HP, Marty has a deep understanding of what it takes to build successful products. He is recognized for his emphasis on creating empowered product teams, focusing on solving customer problems, and building a strong product culture.

Marty is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz and the Stanford University Executive Institute. His latest book, Transformed: Moving to the Product Operating Model, explores how successful product organizations operate and provides insights on transforming companies into ones that consistently deliver great products.

Resources mentioned:
Transformed, by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/Transformed-Becoming-Product-Driven-Company-Silicon/dp/1119697336
Empowered, by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/Empowered-Ordinary-People-Extraordinary-Products/dp/B08MV6VRGY
Inspired, by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Marty-Cagan-audiobook/dp/B07BDQVC45
The Song of Significance, by Seth Godin: https://www.amazon.com/Song-Significance-New-Manifesto-Teams/dp/B0BWPSHCXS
Loved, by Martina Lauchengco: https://www.amazon.com/Loved-Rethink-Marketing-Tech-Products/dp/B09WFRB5TX

Connect with Marty:
www.svpg.com

The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive | Stephan Meier

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Work for Humans has long advocated for employees to be seen as customers, but we've faced resistance from traditional programs that churn out MBAs focused on profits and the bottom line. This perspective overlooks a critical point: companies risk losing money and innovation if they don’t put employees at the center of their decisions.

In a surprising turn, author and professor Stephan Meier has partnered with Columbia Business School to release The Employee Advantage. Through detailed case studies, this book demonstrates how embracing an employee-centric approach leads to superior business outcomes.

Stephan Meier is a leading global expert at the intersection of behavioral economics, business strategy, and the future of work. He is currently the James P. Gorman Professor of Business Strategy and Chair of the Management Division at Columbia Business School.

In this episode, Dart and Stephan discuss:
- Key drivers of customer and employee centricity
- The reasons behind rising customer expectations
- Leadership mindsets for employee well-being
- Customers vs. employees in earnings calls
- Case studies of employee-centric models
- Lessons from employee segmentation
- The need for “just-right tasks” in the workplace
- The role of the manager in an employee-customer model
- And other topics…

Stephan Meier is a leading global expert at the intersection of behavioral economics, business strategy, and the future of work. He is currently the James P. Gorman Professor of Business Strategy and Chair of the Management Division at Columbia Business School. Stephan is also the author of The Employee Advantage, which demonstrates how employee-centric companies drive superior business outcomes.

With a master’s degree in history, economics, and political science, and a doctorate from the University of Zurich, Stephan’s research has been published in journals such as the American Economic Review and Management Science, as well as outlets like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, and BBC. Prior to his tenure at Columbia, he was the first senior economist for the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision-Making at the Federal Reserve Bank.

Resources mentioned:
The Employee Advantage, by Stephan Meier: https://www.amazon.com/Employee-Advantage-Putting-Workers-Business-ebook/dp/B0CTZCM238

Connect with Stephan:
www.StephanMeier.com

Designing Work for Humans: Organizational Design with Humans in Mind | Stephanie Gioia and Melanie Kahl

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Work for Humans has always been about designing with the employee in mind, but many designers mistakenly focus on objects rather than the actions those objects should create. This leads to falling back on traditional roles and routines when there is actually more choice out there. Inspired by the power of designing for action instead of things, WFH connected with Stephanie Gioia and Melanie Kahl—two design strategists dedicated to human-centered organizational design. Together, they’re creating a pattern language library, offering a resource that encourages more choice and innovation to all designers.

In this episode, Dart, Stephanie, and Melanie discuss:
- Human-centered organizational design practice
- Pattern language in design
- Designing for verbs instead of things
- What is designable and what isn’t
- 5 key categories of pattern language
- Design lessons from education and biological systems
- Holding spaces for participatory design
- And other topics…

Stephanie Gioia is a partner and lead design strategist at Future Work Design, a firm dedicated to transforming workplaces through innovative design. With over 15 years of experience in consulting and education, she specializes in organizational design and human-centered practices. Stephanie also serves as the Lab Director of EitherOrg and as an Executive MBA instructor at the University of Oregon, where she furthers her commitment to participatory design and systemic change.

Melanie Kahl is an innovation leader and strategist with over 15 years of experience designing programs and spaces that foster human flourishing. She previously launched Meta's first Community-in-Residence program and led projects with global organizations like the Gates Foundation and USAID. Melanie holds a degree from Northwestern University and is an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts and the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.

Resources mentioned:
Seeing Like a State, by James Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153
A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander: https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199
Dark Matter Labs: https://darkmatterlabs.org/
The Edge of the Sea, by Rachel Carson: https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Sea-Rachel-Carson/dp/0395924960

Connect with Stephanie & Melanie:
www.futurework.design
www.eitherorg.org
Stephanie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegioia/
www.MelanieKahl.com
Melanie’s Instagram: @melanie_kahl
Melanie’s X: @melaniekahl

In-Between Spaces: Where Designers Go Wrong When Creating Workspaces for Humans | Blaine Merker and Alice Katter

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Architecture has traditionally centered on buildings, often overlooking the most crucial element—people. Urban designer Blaine Merker sees this as a missed opportunity. As Partner, Director, and Head of Climate Action at the Gehl research consultancy, Blaine aims to shift the industry’s focus. By guiding companies to adopt community-centered design practices, he’s working to transform urban spaces, ensuring that people—not just structures—are at the heart of every project.

In this episode, Dart, Blaine, and Alice discuss:
- The origin and mission of Gehl
- Shaping behavior through empirical evidence and design
- Prioritizing people over buildings in architecture
- In-between spaces and why companies should invest in them
- The norms created by a space
- Designing for serendipity, connection, and collaboration
- Integrating ecology into corporate landscapes
- And other topics…

Blaine Merker is Partner, Director, and Head of Climate Action at Gehl, an urban design and research consultancy dedicated to enhancing urban environments for everyday people. At Gehl, Blaine leads the company’s private sector work, focusing on helping companies be good urban citizens. During his career, he has managed public and institutional portfolios, taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and led a landscape architectural practice. Prior to Gehl, Blaine was partner and founder of Rebar Art and Design Studio, where he combined art, design, and activism to transform urban spaces.

Alice Katter is a Work Culture & Community Designer and Consultant and founder of Out of Office Network, a pioneering research and design lab and hub.

Resources mentioned:
Rebar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebar_Art_and_Design_Studio
Insurgent Public Space: https://www.routledge.com/Insurgent-Public-Space-Guerrilla-Urbanism-and-the-Remaking-of-Contemporary-Cities/Hou/p/book/9780415779661
Rebar’s Absurd Tactics in Generous Urbanism: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780203093009-10/taking-place-rebar-absurd-tactics-generous-urbanism-jeffrey-hou
Life Between Buildings, by Jan Gehl: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Between-Buildings-Using-Public/dp/1597268275
Immersion, by Paul Zak: https://www.amazon.com/Immersion-Science-Extraordinary-Source-Happiness/dp/1544531958
How to Study Public Life, by Jan Gehl: https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-Public-Life-Gehl/dp/1610914236
Paved Paradise, by Henry Graber: https://www.amazon.com/Paved-Paradise-Parking-Explains-World/dp/B0BBXGL7QT/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1

Connect with Blaine:
www.GehlPeople.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blainemerker/

How the Future Works: What We’ve Learned from 4 Years of Remote Work Experiments | Brian Elliott

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Remote, hybrid, and from-home work options are here to stay, but there’s more to work flexibility than just location. Leadership advisor and author Brian Elliott has found that most employees want more control over their work, from when they work to how their success is measured; It’s time to redefine and fully embrace flexible work. In his recent book, How the Future Works, Brian provides a blueprint for using flexible work to truly unlock individual potential.

Brian Elliott has over two decades of experience successfully leading teams at companies like Google and Slack. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice, one of Forbes’ “Future of Work 50,” and the Executive Leader of Future Forum, a think tank that focuses on the future of work.

In this episode, Dart and Brian discuss:
- Changing leaders’ experiences around distributed work
- Defining the purpose behind a company’s work style
- Strategies to level the playing field for employees
- Measuring outcomes based on teamwork
- How to create a culture of connection from any location
- Prioritizing schedule flexibility over geographic flexibility
- Demographic shifts in remote work
- And other topics…

Brian Elliott is an esteemed author, speaker, and leadership advisor, currently serving as the Executive Leader of Future Forum, a think tank that focuses on the future of work. With almost three decades of experience in leadership, he has successfully led teams and built companies both as a startup CEO and as an executive at Google and Slack.

Brian holds degrees from Northwestern University and Harvard Business School. He is the bestselling author of How the Future Works, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and has been recognized as one of Forbes’ “Future of Work 50.” His insights have been featured in publications such as Fortune, Harvard Business Review, and Time.

Resources mentioned:
How the Future Works, by Brian Elliott: https://www.amazon.com/How-Future-Works-Leading-Flexible-ebook/dp/B09YN2J6XZ

Connect with Brian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belliott/
www.FutureForum.com

A Bad Deal: What Higher Education Is Costing Our Society | Phillip Brown

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Hundreds of thousands of college graduates were promised that more learning meant more earning – but they’re now facing a harsh new reality. AI, outsourcing, and a shifting economy have created an oversupply of educated workers, leading to widespread feelings of betrayal and crushing student debt. Human capital is not delivering on its promise.

Phillip Brown, a distinguished sociologist, author, and professor, is on a mission to redefine human capital in an age of new technology and limited quality jobs. In his latest book, Death to Human Capital, he calls for a new paradigm to rethink how we view labor supply, demand, and returns.

Phillip is a Distinguished Research Professor at Cardiff University. He has authored 17 books and more than 100 publications, critically examining the relationship between education, social mobility, and economic inequality on a global scale.

In this episode, Dart and Phil discuss:
- The rise and false promise of human capital theory
- The oversupply of graduates and economic betrayal
- Outsourcing knowledge work and the impact of AI
- Labor scarcity vs. job scarcity
- The definition of a quality job
- The new paradigm
- Rethinking labor supply, demand, and returns
- Phil’s specific policy recommendations
- And other topics…

Phillip Brown is a British sociologist, author, and Distinguished Research Professor at Cardiff University. With over three decades of experience, his work critically examines the relationship between education, social mobility, and economic inequality on a global scale. His latest book, The Death of Human Capital, argues against the false promise of human capital theory and redefines it in the context of AI, outsourcing, and job quality.

Phillip holds a Ph.D. from Swansea University and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He has authored 17 books and over 100 articles and reports, and has delivered keynote presentations in over 17 countries, including at the World Bank, International Labour Organization, and European Union.

Resources mentioned:
The Death of Human Capital, by Phillip Brown: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Human-Capital-Promise-Disruption/dp/0190644303
The Global Auction, by Phillip Brown: https://www.amazon.com/Global-Auction-Promises-Education-Incomes/dp/0199731683/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&sr=1-1

Connect with Phil:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-brown-23b60316/?originalSubdomain=uk
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=O9LeQNwAAAAJ&hl=en

Nourishment for the Soul: The Sacred Power of Ritual in Work and Life | Tiu de Haan, Revisited

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:00:00 -0700

We tend to use the word ritual to talk about everyday routines. For instance, we have our ritualistic cup of coffee in the morning. But rituals are much more than just repetitive actions. True rituals carry deep meaning, emotion, and a promise of transformation.

As a professional ritual designer, Tiu De Haan has designed rituals in countless forms. She took on the heavy task of designing a ritual to unite families of organ donors with organ recipients. She designed a ritual to help a man reach peace with the death of his twin brother who died at birth. And she's created rituals to help teams bond, think outside the box, and do their best work.

Tiu De Haan is a workshop facilitator, inspirational speaker, consultant, curator, and ritual designer. She has created and facilitated experiential workshops for almost two decades, working with clients like Google, Nike, the Ministry of Justice, Bank of America, and BBC.

In this episode, Dart and Tiu discuss:
- How to design a meaningful ritual
- The difference between a habit, routine, and ritual
- How rituals can inspire creativity and new ideas
- The components of effective rituals
- Smaller rituals you can incorporate at work
- Team-building rituals
- The role of the “keeper of the rituals” at work
- And other topics…

Tiu De Haan is a workshop facilitator, curator, inspirational speaker, and ritual designer. She has created and facilitated experiential workshops for over 17 years, including her year-long mentorship program called The Path. As a ritual designer and consultant, she has worked with clients like Google, Nike, the Ministry of Justice, L’Oréal, Bank of America, the Centre for Quantum Photonics at Bristol University, and BBC, among others.

Connect with Tiu:
www.Tiudehaan.com

Ashley Goodall: Life in the Blender, Surviving the Chaos of Modern Workplaces

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

In the modern workplace, constant change is the norm. One week, teams are navigating a new project management system; the next, they need to adapt to a new organizational chart. Even office layouts seem to change overnight to match the company’s latest pivot. While change may be the new normal, leadership expert Ashley Goodall questions its true benefits. In his latest book, The Problem with Change, he highlights the pitfalls of constant change and advocates for the pursuit of stability instead.

Ashley Goodall is a leadership expert, consultant, and author who has spent his career exploring large organizations from the inside out. He is the former Senior Vice President at Cisco and former Director and Chief Learning Officer at Deloitte.

In this episode, Dart and Ashley discuss:
- Cognitive and emotional effects of constant workplace change
- Consultants’ role in creating change
- The unique world of an executive
- Improving something versus changing everything
- Differences between fear and anxiety at work
- The psychological impacts of layoffs
- The fundamental task of leadership
- HR’s role as the bridge between leaders and the frontline
- Measuring performance without ratings
- And other topics…

Ashley Goodall is a leadership expert, consultant, and author who has spent his career exploring large organizations from the inside out. Ashley most recently served as former Senior Vice President at Cisco, where he led organizations focused on leadership, teams, and research. Prior to Cisco, he also served as Director and Chief Learning Officer at Deloitte.

Ashley’s books include Nine Lies About Work and The Problem with Change, the former of which was selected as one of Amazon’s best business and leadership books during its release year. Ashley has also written for Harvard Business Review, including the most popular article of 2019, “The Feedback Fallacy.” He holds his BA in Music from the University of Oxford and his MBA from the Columbia Business School.

Resources mentioned:
The Problem with Change, by Ashley Goodall: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Change-Essential-Nature-Performance/dp/0316560278
The Safety Signal Hypothesis by Martin Seligman and Yitzchak Binik: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003150404-7/safety-signal-hypothesis-martin-seligman-yitzchak-binik
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227

Connect with Ashley:
www.AshleyGoodall.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleygoodall/

Seth Godin, Revisited: We Are in a Race to the Bottom. Wake Up, and Shake Off Your Indoctrination!

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Industrial capitalism has treated workers like marionettes breaking down work into discreet, disconnected, repeatable actions. It loves uniformity and people who do what they're told. Seth Godin’s new book, The Song of Significance, challenges us to break free of these limiting mental models, many of which are still baked into how we work.

Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert whose past clients include AOL, Microsoft, Penguin, and Random House. His 20 bestselling books, Ted Talks, personal blog, and altMBA program have empowered millions of professionals to drive meaningful change at work.

In this episode, Dart and Seth discuss:
- The Song of Significance
- Choosing and creating jobs of value instead of production
- Eliminating drudgery from work
- How the industrial revolution shaped work, education, and society
- The power of small connections and communities in marketing
- False proxies in the hiring process
- The hiring method that lowers turnover and increases productivity
- Criticizing work instead of the worker
- And other topics…

Seth Godin is a highly influential author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert whose achievements have transformed how we think about business and personal development. His company, Yoyodyne, created the first ethical commercial email and was later sold to Yahoo!, where Seth became the VP of Direct Marketing. He later founded several other successful companies, working with clients such as AOL, Microsoft, Penguin, and Random House.

Seth has written 20 bestselling books translated into more than 35 languages, including Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, and, most recently, The Song of Significance. His TED Talks and personal blog have amassed millions of views, and his online workshop, altMBA, has empowered thousands of professionals to drive meaningful change in their industries. He is also the founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, a global almanac on climate created by hundreds of volunteers from over 40 countries.

Resources Mentioned:
The Song of Significance, by Seth Godin: https://www.amazon.com/Song-Significance-New-Manifesto-Teams/dp/0593715543
The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson: https://www.amazon.com/Ministry-Future-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316300136
The Carbon Almanac, by Seth Godin and The Carbon Almanac Network: https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Almanac-Its-Not-Late/dp/B09XBYL7J3

Connect with Seth:
Blog: https://seths.blog/
AI Bot: https://seths.blog/bot/
Seth’s latest book: https://seths.blog/song/

B Lab Co-founder: We Are in a Culture War About the Purpose of Business | Bart Houlahan

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

The last two financial crises resulted in recessions, financial market instability, and high unemployment rates, but one group of companies proved resilient. Benefit Corporations – businesses that balance profit with social and environmental impact – experienced crisis attrition rates of less than 5%. Bart Houlahan, a co-founder of B Lab, joins Work for Humans to share why companies that invest in people outperform in their field.

Bart Houlahan is Partner at Irrational Capital, the first firm to quantitatively measure the impact of corporate culture on a company’s stock price. He is also co-founder of B Lab, a nonprofit organization that seeks to solve social and environmental problems while driving profitability. Currently, there are over 6,000 certified B Corporations across 150 industries in 80+ countries.

In this episode, Dart and Bart discuss:
- The foundation and purpose behind Irrational Capital
- Why companies that treat people well outperform
- Corporate culture as a new investment factor
- Bart’s take on the rise and fall of AND 1
- The 3 main components of a Benefit Corporation
- How B Corps establish strong governance
- The long-term benefits of stakeholder capitalism
- And other topics…

Bart Houlahan is Partner at Irrational Capital and one of the co-founders of B Lab, a nonprofit organization that seeks to solve social and environmental problems while driving profitability. Currently, there are over 6,000 certified B Corporations across 150 industries in over 80 countries. Prior to B Lab, Bart was president at AND 1, where he helped to finance, operate, and scale the business to $250 MM in brand revenues while focusing on company values and corporate culture.

Bart is a graduate of Stanford University. During his career, he was also an investment banker with Stonebridge Associated, BNY Associates, and Prudential-Bache Securities. Bart is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Fuqua Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), the Wharton Impact Investing Initiative, and the G8 Impact Measurement Working Group.

Connect with Bart:
B Lab: www.bcorporation.net
Irrational Capital: www.irrational.capital

WorkShift: Creating a Movement for More Just and Equitable Labor Systems | Rebecca Sanderson

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Most of us have preconceived notions about work, workers and employment that are so fundamental to how we think that we don’t notice them. The thing is, such preconceptions shape how large parts of society understand and solve problems. So when a problem is poorly framed, some potentially great solutions can’t be heard. In a previous episode we heard from Nathanial Kendall Taylor, CEO of the Frameworks Institute describing how his company helps non profits reframe problems in order to transform public thinking and enact social change.

The Frameworks Institute has just released initial findings on a multi year initiative designed to change the narrative on work and labor. Today we are talking to Director of Research Bec Sanderson who led the effort to learn more about existing frames of work, and ways in which we might disrupt them to bring forward new frames and open doors to new solutions.

Bec Sanderson serves as Director of Research at FrameWorks Institute. Her research has been featured in Frontiers in Psychology, The Guardian, Vice, and The Psychologist magazine.

In this episode, Dart and Bec discuss:
- How to reframe a concept to create new outcomes
- Tracking American thoughts on the economy and work
- Labor system design issues
- The nature of recessive and dominant mindsets
- Finding the root cause of a perspective
- Alternative work systems and feasible ways to get there
- Competitive framing versus solidarity framing
- Whether or not we have to work to survive
- And other topics…

Rebecca Sanderson is a seasoned researcher and writer, currently serving as Director of Research at FrameWorks Institute. With over a decade of experience in framing research, Bec has led mixed-methods research on climate justice, anti-racism, equality, values, and – more recently – labor systems. Her work has been featured in Frontiers in Psychology, The Guardian, Vice, and The Psychologist magazine. Bec holds her MA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.

Resources mentioned:
Work Won’t Love You Back, by Sarah Jaffe: https://www.amazon.com/Work-Wont-Love-You-Back/dp/1568589395

Connect with Bec:
https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/person/bec-sanderson/
https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/work-shift-landing-page/

Unschooling: Redefining Learning for Humans One Conversation at a Time | Christine Renaud

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Christine Renaud always felt destined to be a teacher, but after training in education, she came to a disturbing realization – traditional schools were not created to develop students effectively. Determined to better support students’ learning, growth, and happiness, Christine founded Braindate, a pioneering technology company that has created transformative conversations and experiences for over a million participants in 100 countries.

Christine is a distinguished keynote speaker, Startup Canada’s “Entrepreneur of the Year,” and the CEO and founder of Braindate. Using a background in education and a Master’s education from Harvard, she aims to create innovative technologies, spaces, and books that facilitate meaningful learning.

In this episode, Dart and Christine discuss:
- Unschooling, home-schooling, and alternative education
- The philosophy and origins of Braindate
- The relationship between Anarchism and education
- Benefits of peer-to-peer learning
- Using deep networking in different social contexts
- Creating a business that reflects your ideals
- Hurdles to collaborative learning
- And other topics…

Christine Renaud is the CEO and founder of Braindate, a pioneering technology company that has created transformative conversations and experiences for over a million participants in 100 countries. Using her background in education and Master’s education at Harvard, she has dedicated her career to creating innovative technologies, spaces, and books that facilitate meaningful learning.

A passionate advocate for women in leadership and technology, Christine has been recognized as one of the "Most Innovative People in the Events Industry" by Bizbash, "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Startup Canada, and among the "Canadian Inspiring Fifty." She is also a sought-after keynote speaker, presenting at international events such as IBTM World (Barcelona, Spain), the World Innovation Summit in Education (Doha, Qatar), Morgan Stanley Women’s Leadership Summit (Chicago, USA), and Tech Open Air (Berlin, Germany).

Connect with Christine:
www.Braindate.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinerenaud

Beyond Marx: A Modern Vision for Economic Democracy, Labor Contracts, and Employee-Owned Cooperatives | David Ellerman

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Despite their revolutionary zeal, followers of Marx have failed to create real economic democracies, frequently ending up with one-party systems that mirror the capitalist structures they sought to overthrow. A compelling alternative exists: a modern vision for economic democracy and employee-owned cooperatives. By examining the historical missteps and unveiling innovative approaches, we discover how true democratic firms can thrive today.

David Ellerman is a distinguished economist, philosopher, and author with a career focused on the crossroads of economics, philosophy, and organizational theory. He has held prominent roles, such as an economic advisor at the World Bank, where he played a key role in shaping development policy and institutional reforms. Before his time at the World Bank, David was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Riverside, and lectured at Boston University.

In this episode, Dart and David discuss:
- The historical context of labor contracts and alienation
- Differences between alienable and inalienable rights
- The link between performance management systems and American slavery
- The flawed basis of Marxist and traditional economic theories
- Real-world examples of democratic firms and worker cooperatives
- The evolution and impact of ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans)
- The psychological cost of layoffs in an organization
- The role of economic theories in shaping organizational practices
- And other topics…

David Ellerman is a renowned economist, philosopher, and author who has dedicated his career to exploring the intersections of economics, philosophy, and organizational theory. David has held influential positions, including serving as an economic advisor at the World Bank, where he contributed to development policy and institutional reforms. Prior to his tenure at the World Bank, he also served as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Riverside, and as a lecturer at Boston University.

David's books include Helping People Help Themselves and The Democratic Worker-Owned Firm, both of which have been highly regarded in the fields of economics and organizational theory. He has also written extensively for academic journals and popular outlets, contributing to the discourse on economic development, property theory, and worker ownership. David holds his BA in Mathematics from MIT and his PhD in Economics from Boston University.

Resources mentioned:
Helping People Help Themselves by David Ellerman: https://www.amazon.com/Helping-People-Help-Themselves-Alternative-ebook/dp/B071FH7C9Y/
The Democratic Worker-Owned Firm by David Ellerman: https://www.amazon.com/Democratic-Worker-Owned-Firm-Routledge-Revivals/dp/1138892653/
Mondragon Corporation: https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/
Anna's Archive: https://annas-archive.gs/?

Connect with David:
Website: https://www.ellerman.org/

Confronting Techno-Optimism: Why Technology Struggles to Create Meaningful Social Change | Kentaro Toyama

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Kentaro Toyama spent a decade designing technologies to fight global poverty and improve education and health. As co-founder of Microsoft Research India lab, he made a troubling discovery – innovative technologies can’t create change on their own. Realizing that social progress depends more on people than on the technology they use, Kentaro became a self-proclaimed “geek heretic” who now teaches others the importance of putting people over tech.

Kentaro Toyama is W.K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan, a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center at MIT, and author of Geek Heresy. Kentaro is also the co-founder of Microsoft Research India, where he helped grow the lab into 60 full-time research staff.

In this episode, Dart and Kentaro discuss:
- Why technology needs a human touch to succeed
- Kentaro’s leadership at Microsoft Research India
- The 10 fallacies of technology
- Why the most important areas of focus are unmeasurable
- The pitfalls of focusing on the end-goal
- How to create societal change
- Innovation versus tried-and-true approaches
- The law of amplification
- 3 elements of intrinsic growth
- And other topics…

Kentaro Toyama is W.K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, and author of Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology. Before moving to Michigan, Kentaro co-founded Microsoft Research India, where he helped grow the lab into 60 full-time research staff.

Kentaro received his PhD in Computer Science from Yale and his bachelors in mathematics from Harvard University. He went on to establish the Technology for Emerging Markets research group, which investigates how the world’s poorest communities interact with technology and ways to support socioeconomic development. Kentaro is also a former researcher for UC Berkeley and former co-editor-in-chief of the Information Technologies and International Development journal.

Resources mentioned:
Geek Heresy, by Kentaro Toyama: https://www.amazon.com/Geek-Heresy-Rescuing-Social-Technology/dp/161039528X

Connect with Kentaro:
www.kentarotoyama.org

Exploring the Paradoxes of Life and Work With CD Baby Founder Derek Sivers

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Work for Humans wants to understand what people want from work – but every perspective is different. One person’s dream job is another person’s nightmare, making it challenging to define fulfilling work. Derek Sivers captures this struggle in his book, How to Live, which presents 27 drastically different yet equally valid life views. Through his work, Derek guides others in shaping their own meaningful and unique lives.

Derek Sivers is an author, entrepreneur, and speaker known for founding CD Baby, the largest seller of independent music of its time. After selling CD Baby for $22 million in 2008 and donating all the money to charity, Derek began writing and sharing his insights on business, creativity, and living a fulfilling life.

In this episode, Dart and Derek discuss:
- How our beliefs direct our actions
- The 27 ways to live from Derek’s book
- Crafting a company’s personality
- Using beliefs as a listening tool at work
- Derek’s biggest surprise in writing How to Live
- Nature vs. nurture
- Data models as philosophical experiences
- And other topics…

Derek Sivers is an author, entrepreneur, and speaker known for founding CD Baby, once the largest seller of independent music. Derek sold CD Baby for $22M in 2008 and donated all the money to charity, transitioning to writing and sharing insights on business, creativity, and personal development. His books, such as How to Live, offer practical advice and philosophical reflections on living a meaningful life. His latest book, Useful Not True, will be released in 2024.

Resources mentioned:
How to Live, by Derek Sivers: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Conflicting-Answers-Question/dp/B09JBMN6Q7
Useful Not True, by Derek Sivers: https://sive.rs/u
“50 Conversations in Bangalore and Chennai,” by Derek Sivers: https://sive.rs/meet-chbg

Connect with Derek:
https://sive.rs/

Paul Zak: What Measuring 50,000 Brains Taught Me About Building Highly Engaged Workplaces

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Paul Zak has been on a quest for two decades to understand the neuroscience of human connection, human happiness, and effective teamwork. From the Pentagon to Fortune 500 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, Paul’s research has now led him to found Immersion Neuroscience, the first company to track and measure real-time immersion in experiences. His latest book, Immersion, uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact marketing, entertainment, training, customer experiences, and employee experiences.

Paul J. Zak is an acclaimed professor, speaker, and neuroscientist who is ranked in the top 0.3% of most-cited scientists worldwide. During his career, he started the interdisciplinary fields of neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. Paul has written three general audience books, is a 5-time TED speaker with over two million views, and has spoken to audiences across 30 countries, including recent talks at NATO Supreme Headquarters, Google, Facebook, and Harvard University.

In this episode, Dart and Paul discuss:
- What it means to be immersed in your work experience
- Work as a social-emotional hub
- How oxytocin creates trust, empathy, and care at work
- 2 things you need to create an extraordinary experience
- The research behind effective advertising
- Neuromanagement
- The connection between autonomy, mastery, and job satisfaction
- Scientific reasons why dogs are better than cats
- And other topics…

Paul J. Zak is an acclaimed professor, speaker, and neuroscientist who is ranked in the top 0.3% of most-cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. His two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 500 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. During his career, he has also started several interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. He has written three general audience books, is a 5-time TED speaker with over two million views, and has spoken to audiences across 30 countries.

Paul is the founder of Immersion Neuroscience, the first company to track and measure immersion in experiences in real time. His latest book, Immersion, identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact marketing, entertainment, training, customer experiences, and employee experiences.

Paul holds his doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and completed post-doctoral training in neuroimaging at Harvard University. He has taught at Caltech, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, and USC Law and is a current professor at Claremont Graduate University.

Resources mentioned:
Immersion, by Paul J. Zak: https://www.amazon.com/Immersion-Science-Extraordinary-Source-Happiness/dp/1544531958

Connect with Paul:
https://www.getimmersion.com/
https://pauljzak.com/

Matt Higgins, Revisited: Burn the Boats, How Plan B Holds You and Your Company Back From Achieving Your Potential

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Matt Higgins was a struggling teen, working at McDonald’s for $3.75/hr to put food on the table for his ailing mother. When he saw the pay increase offered to college students, he decided to do something unorthodox; he dropped out of high school, got his GED, and enrolled in college. Adults tried to talk him out of it, but Matt knew this was the right choice for him.

This was Matt's first "burn the boats" moment, but it wasn't his last. In fact, Matt believes this burn-the-boats mindset has defined his career, and has led him to places like Shark Tank, Harvard Business School, and beyond. Today, he joins us on Work For Humans to discuss the Burn the Boats philosophy.

Matt is the co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, a private equity firm that incubates and invests in enterprises like the International Champions Cup, RESY, and the Drone Racing League. He is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a current executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and the author of Burn the Boats.

In this episode, Dart and Matt discuss:
- How backup plans subvert our potential
- Emotional intelligence and intuition in decision-making
- Using anxiety to drive us
- Assessing opportunity costs
- Extracting value from negative situations
- Acting early and taking risks for greater results
- Elon Musk and Twitter
- And other topics…

Matt Higgins is an operator, investor, business builder, and co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures. Matt Began his career as the youngest press secretary in New York City, later becoming an executive for the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. As CEO of RSE Ventures, Matt and co-founder Stephen Ross have helped establish enterprises like the International Champions Cup, RESY, and the Drone Racing League.

Matt received his bachelor’s degree from Queens College and his JD from Fordham University. He was a guest shark on ABC’s Shark Tank and is an executive fellow at Harvard Business School. In 2019, Matt received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for making it his mission to share his wealth of knowledge with those less fortunate. Matt recently published his first book, Burn the Boats, to continue to inspire others to toss Plan B overboard and go all in on Plan A.

Resources Mentioned:
Burn the Boats, by Matt Higgins: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X

Connect with Matt:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-higgins-rse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhiggins/?hl=en
www.BurntheBoatsBook.co

Design Lessons From IDEOU: Using Human-Centered Systems Thinking to Solve Complex Problems | Deirdre Cerminaro

Tue, 28 May 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Work for Humans host Dart Lindsley experienced a distressing moment in the hospital when his father was left in a wheelchair facing a wall while awaiting radiology. This small but significant oversight in the hospital's system pointed to an issue in many major systems – a lack of human-centered care. Recognizing these widespread oversights, design and strategy expert Deirdre Cerminaro seeks to address such problems through human-centered systems thinking. By redesigning systems to prioritize human experiences, Deirdre now teaches others how to problem solve by combining systems and human-centric design.

Deirdre Cerminaro is a creative strategist, IDEO U instructor, and speaker who excels in organizational design, strategy, and human-centered systems thinking. With over 15 years of experience, including her time as an architectural designer and former Executive Director at IDEO, Deirdre is dedicated to using systems design to build a more equitable future. Her notable projects range from launching a venture to close the digital skills gap in Latin America to building a global DE&I framework for a Fortune 10 Company.

In this episode, Dart and Deirdre discuss:
- How Deirdre designs her own experience of work
- Human-Centered Systems Thinking
- Real-world problems combining systems and human-centric design
- Deirdre’s experience creating and scaling a K-12 school system internationally
- The relationship between mental models and systems
- Best practices in systems mapping
- How to use the “Zoom In and Zoom Out” design tool
- Managing trade-offs between stakeholders
- And other topics…

Deirdre holds a B.A. in Cognitive Science and an MBA from Yale University. Beyond her professional achievements, Deirdre spends as much time as possible outdoors. She has cycled across the U.S. twice and also hiked the 211-mile John Muir Trail.

Resources mentioned:
“Got a wicked problem? First, tell me how you make toast” TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_got_a_wicked_problem_first_tell_me_how_you_make_toast?language=en

Connect with Deirdre:
Website: www.hellodeirdre.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdrecerminaro/

IDEO U Human-Centered Systems Thinking course: https://www.ideou.com/collections/courses/products/human-centered-systems-thinking Use Promocode SYSTEMSDESIGN for 20% before August 1st

The Transformation Economy: Transforming Customer Lives Is the Final Tier of Economic Value | Joe Pine

Tue, 21 May 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Joe Pine has a knack for seeing workplace trends ahead of others. As a co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP, he has helped organizations innovatively increase economic value for over three decades.

Joe is a pioneer behind the experience economy, and he is now trailblazing the concept of a transformation economy in his latest book. Join us as we discuss the fifth and final economic offering and how it can impact employees and customers alike.

Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups.

In this episode, Dart and Joe discuss:
- Joe’s latest writing project on the transformation economy
- Examples of transformative experiences
- The economic value of customer transformation
- How to recognize different types of transformation
- Work as a transformation offering
- The correlation between transformation and wealth
- How to create transformative experiences for individual aspirations
- Joe’s outlook on the experience-design profession
- And other topics…

Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. Joe is a co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP and a lecturer at Northeastern University. His best-selling book, The Experience Economy, has been published in 15 languages and used as a company guide for over 20 years. He is now pioneering the idea of a Transformation Economy through the development of his latest book.

Joe is a Senior Fellow with the Design Futures Council and the European Centre for the Experience Economy. He previously served as a Visiting Scholar with the MIT Design Lab, a professor at Duke University, a lecturer at Columbia University, and a manager with IBM. Joe has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. His other published works include Infinite Possibility, Authenticity, and Mass Customization.

Resources mentioned:
The Experience Economy¸ by Joseph Pine II: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975
Mass Customization, by Joseph Pine II: https://www.amazon.com/Mass-Customization-Frontier-Business-Competition/dp/0875843727
Work, Pray, Code, by Carolyn Chen: https://www.amazon.com/Work-Pray-Code-Becomes-Religion/dp/0691219087
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
The World Experience Organization Summit: www.WorldXO.org

Connect with Joe:
https://transformationsbook.substack.com/
www.StrategicHorizons.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepine/

Shaping Work Futures: Using the Present to Create a More Promising Future of Work | Reanna Browne

Tue, 14 May 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Many people offer predictions about the future of work, but only a handful are trained futurists who know how to influence that future effectively. Reanna Browne stands out by making the future of work her specialty. With a thorough academic background and a decade of experience in strategic foresight, Reanna guides public, private, and start-up companies in navigating change, cultivating resilience, and using the present to shape a more promising future of work.

Reanna Browne is an academically trained futurist, former elite athlete, and the founder of Work Futures, a global consultancy firm specializing in strategic foresight. She is a leader in her field and has earned recognition as one of the “World’s Top Female Futurists” among fellow practitioners.

In this episode, Dart and Reanna discuss:
- The field of futures and foresight and the job of a trained futurist
- The largest misunderstandings we have about the future
- How to use the present to change what lies ahead
- What led Reanna to study the future of work
- The largest changes we see emerging around work
- Steps we can take today to change the future of work
- And other topics…

Reanna Browne is an academically trained futurist, former elite athlete, and the founder of Work Futures, a global consultancy firm specializing in strategic foresight. With over a decade of experience in strategic workforce planning, Reanna guides public, private, and start-up organizations in navigating change, cultivating resilience, and using the present to shape a more promising future of work. She has been recognized as one of the “World’s Top Female Futurists” by fellow practitioners.

Presently, Reanna serves on the Future of Work Advisory Panel for the Australian HR Institute, drawing on her extensive academic background. She holds an MA in Strategic Foresight from Swinburne University and a post-graduate qualification from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. She is also a distinguished graduate of the Finland Futures Academy and the Shillington School of Graphic Design.

Resources mentioned:
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned, by Kenneth O. Stanley: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237
“The Bitter Lesson,” by Rich Sutton: http://www.incompleteideas.net/IncIdeas/BitterLesson.html
Enlightenment Now, by Stephen Pinker: https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570

Connect with Reanna:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannabrowne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurist_reanna/
Work Futures: https://workfutures.com.au/

HR and Tech: Revolutionizing Employee Experience Through HR-Tech Synergy | Marlene de Koning

Tue, 07 May 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Artificial intelligence technologies are transforming our world, with innovations like LLMs and VR becoming part of everyday life and the workplace. Marlene de Koning, HR tech and experience expert, sees an opportunity to enhance employee well-being by improving how we use these technologies at work, bridging the gap between technology and business strategy.

Marlene de Koning is the author of HR Tech Strategy and the Director at PwC Nederland, where she leads the HR Tech & Digital team. With over a decade of experience in the HR and employee experience industry, she has worked extensively with global clients such as LinkedIn and Microsoft to enhance the world of work.

In this episode, Dart and Marlene discuss:
- Technology-driven employee experiences
- The misuse of HR technology
- How LLMs, AI, and AR are impacting the work experience
- Surprising areas where companies are using augmented reality
- One vital skill new technologies will demand
- Differences between human capital and human capability management
- 5 stages of hybrid work
- Personalizing work experience through technology
- And other topics…

Marlene de Koning is an author, start-up mentor, and the Director at PwC Nederland, where she leads the HR Tech & Digital team. With over a decade of experience in the HR and employee experience industry, she has worked with global clients such as LinkedIn and Microsoft to enhance the world of work. Her latest book, HR Tech Strategy, dissects the formula for aligning technology-driven employee experiences with profitable business results.

Within Microsoft, Marlene worked on the Microsoft Startups team, served as the Director of Solutions Design for Workplace Intelligence and Director of GTM Strategy, and consulted as the Director of Work & Employee Experience. During her time with LinkedIn, she served on Team Lead Solutions, as a Senior Solutions Consultant and Global Project Lead, and New Product and Solutions Consultant for Northern Europe.

Resources mentioned:
HR Tech Strategy, by Marlene de Koning: https://www.amazon.com/HR-Tech-Strategy-Revolutionizing-Experience/dp/1637425678

Connect with Marlene:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlenedekoning
PwC Nederland: https://www.pwc.nl/nl.html

Biology, Buddhism and AI: Placing Mindfulness Principles at the Heart of Innovation | Bill Duane

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Bill Duane has been navigating complex situations since he was a child, but facing his father’s death as an adult created an experience that he didn’t have an answer for. Trying to come to terms with his situation, Bill realized that what he needed wasn’t more safety – it was more meaning. Through his exploration of diverse disciplines like Buddhism and AI, Bill is now able to help other companies and individuals create more meaningful work through reflection, innovation, and growth.

Bill Duane is the principal at Bill Duane and Associates, a consulting firm focused on innovation that serves notable clients such as Google, Amazon, and The White House.

In this episode, Dart and Bill discuss:
- Blending disciplines like Buddhism and AI to foster innovation
- Bill’s intellectual and spiritual history
- The relationship between technology and humanity
- How to change a company’s standard model of thinking
- Spaces where limitless growth is ineffective
- Optimizing work for the medium and long-term
- Utilizing love and care to problem-solve at work
- And other topics…

Bill Duane is the principal at Bill Duane and Associates, a consulting firm focused on innovation. With 12 years of experience at Google and a decade in consulting, Bill specializes in navigating change and complexity across industries like tech, healthcare, finance, and media. His clients include Google, Amazon, and The White House, among others.

With studies in neuroscience, Bill integrates AI, team effectiveness, and mindfulness to drive innovative work approaches and collaboration. He shares his expertise through his AI workshops at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design and as the Director of Strategy and Implementation at the Center for the Study of Apparent Selves, where he works on applied AI ethics. Bill also holds a Research Fellowship at Kathmandu University as part of this effort.

Resources mentioned:
“The Real Problem with the OpenAI Drama,” by Bill Duane: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/real-problem-open-ai-drama-bill-duane-hbwzc/
“The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” by Marc Andreessen: https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/
“Can Buddhism help humanity (and AI) navigate the AI revolution?” by the Center for the Study of Apparent Selves: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zRPql4lkkMKg4J9ThZmbG40rT2ojDaC4/view
Care as a Driver of Intelligence in Humans and AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtta_5rGsHU&t=7s
159 Doctor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlgWasFmmDo
Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC4FOzAuHF4
Bioelectricity: the Software of the Body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncuLWpwfRyc
How evolution creates problem-solving machines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR3UWx-G9Ks&t=255s
“Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere,” by Michael Levin: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2022.768201/full

Connect with Bill:
www.BillDuane.com

SafetyWing: Creating a Global Social Safety Net to Equalize Opportunity and Freedom | Adrian Salazar

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Losing your job in the U.S. means more than losing your income. It often means losing access to crucial medications and healthcare. Adrian Salazar, the Head of Culture and Integrity at SafetyWing, advocates for a shift away from fear-driven work decisions. Through his role, he is actively involved in creating a social safety net and the first-ever internet-based country for workers around the globe.

Adrian Salazar is the Head of Culture and Integrity at SafetyWing, a company pioneering the first global safety net and internet-based country.

In this episode, Dart and Adrian discuss:
- What it means to be Head of Culture and Integrity
- Creating the first country on the internet
- Building a social safety net
- Overcoming obstacles when creating company culture
- Why every company needs a value structure
- SafetyWing’s values and how they’re lived out within the company
- Why we should doubt the things we learn
- The value in taking risks and making mistakes
- And other topics…

Adrian Salazar is the Head of Culture and Integrity at SafetyWing, a company pioneering the concept of the first internet-based country to offer equal opportunities worldwide. SafetyWing is working to create a global safety net, offering insurance, healthcare, retirement options, and income protection to nomads, remote workers, and individuals around the world.

Adrian graduated from Tancsics Mihaly Secondary School of Economics in Salgotarjan, Hungary, and also holds a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). With a background in user experience, design, and administration, he previously served as Head of Brand at Mealco and Head of Design at both Selva and Kensium Solutions.

Resources mentioned:
The Core Value Equation, by Darius Mirshahzadeh: https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

Connect with Adrian:
www.SafetyWing.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theadriansalazar/

Longpath: An Antidote to the Short-Termism Plaguing Our Companies and Culture | Ari Wallach

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

For hundreds of years, Western culture has emphasized individualism, mirrored by many companies’ focus on quarterly profits. After seeing the limitations of this short-term thinking, futurist Ari Wallach decided to forge a new path through Longpath Labs. By focusing on generational empathy, Longpath’s work connects with past generations while simultaneously creating a legacy for future ones, fostering innovation and sustainable success.

Ari Wallach is a futurist, social systems strategist, author, and founder of Longpath Labs, a leading think tank addressing long-term thinking and systemic issues to create a more sustainable and equitable future.

In this episode, Dart and Ali discuss:
- Using history and predictions to create innovation and community
- The megatrends that Longpath tracks and why
- The pros and cons of long-path thinking versus short-path
- Transgenerational empathy
- How to create a meta-cultural perspective within a company
- What the long-path crowd thinking about the next 1000 years
- And other topics…

Ari Wallach is a futurist, social systems strategist, author, and founder of Longpath Labs, a leading think tank addressing long-term thinking and systemic issues to create a more sustainable and equitable future. Ari’s captivating TED Talk on Longpath has captivated audiences with over 2.5 million times and translations into 19 languages. Additionally, he is also the host of “A Brief History of the Future” on PBS and holds a board position at the Bologna Business School in Italy.

Ari earned his BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley. Before leading Longpath, Ari established and led Synthesis Corp., a strategic innovation consultancy serving clients like CNN, Volkswagen Global, and the US State Department. He is also a former adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, where he lectured on innovation, AI, and the future of governance.

Resources mentioned:
Longpath, by Ari Wallach: https://www.amazon.com/Longpath-Becoming-Ancestors-Antidote-Short-Termism/dp/0063068737
American Nations, by Colin Woodard: https://www.amazon.com/American-Nations-History-Regional-Cultures/dp/0143122029
Who Do We Choose to Be? by Margaret Wheatley: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Do-Choose-Leadership-Restoring/dp/1523083638

Connect with Ali:
www.longpath.org
“A Brief History of the Future” on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/show/a-brief-history-of-the-future/

The Modern CPO: How I Revolutionized Employee Experience Across 60 Countries and 6000 Employees | Elena Aylott

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

When Elena Aylott was asked to lead Global Communications and Employee Experience at Oriflame Cosmetics, she was disillusioned with the traditional, administrative focus of HR. Recognizing the opportunity to drive real change, Elena accepted the role and worked to shift Oriflame towards a new approach. By initiating change and focusing on human-centered work, Elena revolutionized the global employee experience across 60+ countries, impacting thousands of employees and emerging as a champion for people-centric workplaces.

Elena Aylott is a seasoned executive in People and Communications, the current Founder & CEO of Aylott Group, and the former VP of Global Communications and Employee Experience at Oriflame Cosmetics.

In this episode, Dart and Elena discuss:
- The challenges, successes, and future of people-centered CPOs
- Elena’s experience as a human-centered CPO for Oriflame
- Addressing policies that create negative employee experiences
- Creating individualized workplace experiences on a large scale
- The importance of acts of kindness at work
- Using language to change work culture
- How Elena built an HR team with no HR staff
- The relationship between personal branding, leadership, and community building
- And other topics…

Elena Aylott is a seasoned executive renowned for her transformative leadership in People and Communications. As the Founder & CEO of Aylott Group, she specializes in Strategic Community Management and Personal Branding for Experts and Leaders. As the former VP of Global Communications and Employee Experience at Oriflame Cosmetics, Elena revolutionized the global employee experience across 60+ countries, 4500 employees, and 2.1 million independent brand partners. Her initiatives shifted HR and Global Communications, fostering belonging and optimizing business efficiency.

Elena is also a Business and Leadership Advisor to Wisory, as well as a Certified Leadership Coach for the EuroAcademy Leadership Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. She is a member of the TEDxStockholm Speakers’ team and is proficient in three languages.

Resources mentioned:
The Employee Experience Advantage, by Jacob Morgan: https://www.amazon.com/Employee-Experience-Advantage-Employees-Workspaces/dp/111932162X
The Power of Moments, by Chip and Dan Heath: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Updated-Joseph-Pine/dp/1422161978
Mass Customization, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Mass-Customization-Frontier-Business-Competition/dp/0875843727

Connect with Elena:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaaylott/
Aylott Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aylottgroup/

Unpacking Collective Trauma: What Is It, and How Does It Show up in Our Organizations? | Thomas Huebl

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Thomas Huebl has firsthand experience with the deep-rooted nature of collective trauma. From engaging with Israeli descendants of Holocaust survivors to coaching executives at international firms, he understands just how deeply ingrained collective trauma is in society. For over 20 years, Thomas has been dedicated to leading dialogues on collective trauma across generations, professions, and cultures. His efforts have touched the lives of thousands, fostering reflection, learning, and healing worldwide.

Thomas Huebl, Ph.D., is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator specializing in collective trauma healing and cultural change within systems. With over two decades of experience, he has impacted over 100,000 individuals worldwide through his teachings.

In this episode, Dart and Thomas discuss:
- Trauma and its relevance to companies
- Key takeaways from the book Attuned
- How trauma is transmitted through generations
- Post-traumatic learning
- Examples of collective trauma
- How trauma manifests within a company
- Healing trauma and contributing to a collective good
- What it feels like to work in a healthy company
- And other topics…

Thomas Huebl, Ph.D., is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator specializing in collective trauma healing and cultural change within systems. With over 20 years of experience, he has impacted over 100,000 individuals worldwide through his teachings. His authored works, including Attuned, The Power of We, and Healing Collective Trauma, have gained widespread recognition, including being featured in Oprah Daily’s “10 Books to Help with Old, Painful Traumas.”

As an executive coach and trainer, Thomas leads innovative frameworks such as the Collective Trauma Integration Process. His commitment to trauma-informed leadership is reflected in his founding of The Pocket Project NGO and the Academy of Inner Science. Thomas has also served as an advisor and guest faculty for universities and organizations, and he is currently a visiting scholar at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University.

Resources mentioned:
Attuned, by Thomas Huebl: https://www.amazon.com/Attuned-Practicing-Interdependence-Trauma_and-World/dp/1649631561
Healing Collective Trauma, by Thomas Huebl: https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Collective-Trauma-Integrating-Intergenerational/dp/B08N5CQWRC
The Power of We, by Thomas Huebl: https://www.amazon.com/The-Power-of-We-Thomas-H%C3%83%C2%BCbl-audiobook/dp/B00PULRE26
Modern Mystic, by Thomas Huebl: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mystic-consciously-conversation-Breidenbach/dp/B09TJRRVGP

Connect with Thomas:
www.thomashuebl.com
www.pocketproject.org

The State of Work: Are People Happier at Work Than We’ve Been Led to Believe? | Juliana Horowitz

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 02:00:00 -0700

In a world where headlines often drown out research and analysis, the Pew Research Center stands out through its comprehensive studies and analyses. From demographics to societal issues, Associate Director of Research Juliana Horowitz helps us explore the facts behind American workplace trends.

Dr. Juliana Horowitz is the Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center. She has over fifteen years of experience in designing and managing both domestic and international survey projects, covering a wide range of social issues from workplace culture to political landscapes.

In this episode, Dart and Juliana discuss:
- The mission of the Pew Research Center
- Work trends during the COVID pandemic
- Selecting research focus areas
- How Americans view their jobs
- Why Americans quit during the Great Resignation
- How the pandemic reshaped work in America
- And other topics…

Dr. Juliana Menasce Horowitz serves as the Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center, a distinguished and nonpartisan research organization known for its rigorous methodology and comprehensive studies. With over fifteen years of experience designing and managing survey projects, Juliana is involved in all stages of the research process, from spearheading major survey initiatives to analyzing poll data. Her research portfolio covers a wide range of social issues including racial attitudes, gender equality, the culture of work, the changing American family, and economic well-being.

Juliana holds a doctorate in political science from the University of Maryland at College Park. Before joining the Pew Research Center, she also contributed to the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland.

Resources mentioned:
“How Americans View Their Jobs,” by Juliana Horowitz: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/30/how-americans-view-their-jobs/
“Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected,” by Juliana Horowitz: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/
“COVID-19 Pandemic Continues To Reshape Work in America,” by Juliana Horowitz: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/02/16/covid-19-pandemic-continues-to-reshape-work-in-america/

Connect with Juliana:
Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/juliana-menasce-horowitz/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianahorowitz/

Psychological Design: How Environments Predict Our Psychology, Behavior, and Ability to Thrive | Jan Golembiewski

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Every building comes with a set of expectations. Students are quiet in a library, but loud on a playground. Adults are focused in their deckchairs yet chatty on bar stools. Witnessing the limitations of conventional building design, Jan Golembiewski began to leverage design psychology to improve the lives of different groups, from inmates to the elderly. As one of the world’s leading researchers in architectural design psychology, Dr. Golembiewski works to create spaces that prioritize health and overall flourishing.

Dr. Jan Golembiewski is the director and nominated architect of Psychological Design, as well as the co-founder and CEO of Earthbuilt Technology. Dr. Golembiewski is committed to understanding how the built environment impacts human health and well-being, conducting extensive research on the intersection of design and psychology and salutogenic design.

In this episode, Dart and Jan discuss:
- A unique design approach called salutogenesis
- Designing a workplace where employees can thrive
- Salutogenic architecture
- Balancing affordances and choices in design
- The narrative context embedded in architecture
- How money-driven architecture affects livability
- The key traits of salutogenic architects
- And other topics…

Dr. Jan Golembiewski is one of the world’s leading researchers in architectural design psychology. He is the director and nominated architect of Psychological Design, as well as the co-founder and CEO of Earthbuilt Technology. Dr. Golembiewski is committed to understanding how the built environment impacts human health and well-being, conducting extensive research on the intersection of design and psychology. Through his work on salutogenic design psychology, he creates spaces that encourage not only productivity but individual flourishing.

Dr. Golembiewski received his Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Sydney. He currently serves as an editorial board member for the Prudence Journal of Medicine and Medical Science and The Rangsit Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. His work has earned him a fellowship in the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health, and he is the only designer hired by the Schizophrenia Research Institute.

Resources mentioned:
“The Art of Transformation: Experience Design for Transformative Experiences | Claus Raasted and Paul Bulencea.” Work for Humans. August 2023.
The Battle for the Life and Beauty of the Earth, by Christopher Alexander: https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Life-Beauty-Earth-World-Systems/dp/0199898073

Connect with Jan:
www.psychological.design
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vwuUGOkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Magic, by Jan Golembiewski: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Jan-Golembiewski-ebook/dp/B07J5RNFWV

Kickstarter Co-Founder: Financial Maximization Is Destroying Our Humanity | Yancey Strickler

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:00:00 -0700

In a world where company worth is often measured by profits alone, Yancey Strickler sought to create a company where values mattered more than just money. Throughout his career as an author and co-founder of Kickstarter and Metalabel, Yancey continuously advocates for a new view of success, emphasizing the impact companies can make beyond the financial bottom line.

Yancey Strickler is the co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter and the co-founder and director of Metalabel. He is also the author of This Could Be Our Future and the mind behind the philosophy of Bentoism, a framework that considers community, the present self, and the future self in decision-making.

In this episode, Dart and Yancey discuss:
- Financial maximization culture
- Defining a company’s value beyond profits
- Kickstarter’s bylaws
- The philosophy behind Bentoism
- The impact of financial maximization on company evolution
- The Metalabel startup
- Heterarchy in organizations
- Yancey’s biggest lessons learned
- And other topics…

Yancey Strickler is a writer, entrepreneur, and the co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter. He is also the co-founder and director of Metalabel, a new space for releasing, selling, and exhibiting creative work. Yancey is the author of This Could Be Our Future and the visionary behind the philosophy of Bentoism, a framework that considers community, the present self, and the future self in decision-making.

Earlier in his career, Yancey established the record label eMusic Selects and co-founded The Creative Independent, an online resource center for artists across disciplines. He has also made significant contributions as a music critic, writing for publications such as Pitchfork, Spin, and The Village Voice.

Resources mentioned:
This Could Be Our Future, by Yancey Strickler: https://www.amazon.com/This-Could-Our-Future-Manifesto/dp/052556084X
Our Band Could Be Your Life, by Michael Azerrad: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Band-Could-Your-Life/dp/0316787531
“The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet,” by Yancey Strickler: https://ystrickler.com/2019/05/26/2019-the-dark-forest-theory-of-the-internet-1/
Humanocracy, by Gary Hamel: https://www.amazon.com/Humanocracy-Creating-Organizations-Amazing-People/dp/1633696022

Connect with Yancey:
www.ystrickler.com
www.metalabel.com

Think Different: How Design Led Companies Outperform Competitors, Create Movements, and Change the World | Ekaterina Solomeina

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 02:00:00 -0800

There is a clear divide at work between traditional finance-led companies and innovative, design-focused firms. Creative leaders face unique challenges, from guiding creative teams to addressing ethical dilemmas. As a design expert and creative at heart, Ekaterina Solomeina aims to revolutionize leadership education in this space through the Future London Academy. Here, leaders learn a fresh approach to navigate the complexities of creativity, ethics, and inclusivity in today’s dynamic workplace.

Ekaterina is a creative director, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Future London Academy, an executive school for entrepreneurs, innovators, designers, and managers. For the past 14 years, Ekaterina has worked with top design companies and clients such as Versace, Microsoft, Walmart, IBM, and Coca-Cola, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Ekaterina discuss:
- What creative leaders need to know to lead today’s workplace
- Challenges faced by creative leaders: from understanding finance to facing ethics
- How to manage creative employees effectively
- The Future London Academy’s faculty and disciplines
- Measures and metrics for creativity and impact
- Embracing neurodiversity as a leader
- And other topics…

Ekaterina Solomeina is a creative director, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Future London Academy. For the past 14 years, Ekaterina has worked with top design and innovation companies around the world, including Mind Gym, NB Studio, and Michael Wolff. Her clients include Versace, Microsoft, Walmart, IBM, and Coca-Cola, among others.

Combining her design expertise with her passion for education, Ekaterina helped start Future London Academy, an executive school for creatives that bridges behavioral psychology and design to create better user experiences. Ekaterina’s design mastery has made her a regular speaker for institutions across the globe including TedX, London School of Economics, and Brunel University.

Resources mentioned:
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers/dp/1647821789

Connect with Ekaterina:
www.futurelondonacademy.com
Instagram: @futurelondonacademy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/solomeina

Talentism: A Management System to Unlock Human Potential | Jeff Hunter

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Today we're joined by Jeff Hunter. Jeff is an award-winning entrepreneur and the Founder of Talentism – a philosophy and organization designed to help business leaders unleash the human potential within their organizations. By shifting their focus to the untapped potential of their employees, companies can unlock innovation and growth, harnessing human talent for lasting success.

Prior to Talentism, Jeff was Head of Recruiting at Bridgewater Associates. Through his leadership roles at Bridgewater, Electronic Arts, and Dolby, Jeff found his purpose in creating and scaling systems to unleash human potential.

In this episode, Dart and Jeff discuss:
- Talentism’s visionary management approach
- How the current system is limiting potential
- Cognitive bias: workplace errors and their roots
- CEO accountability in system shortcomings
- The benefits of prioritizing talent over capital
- The ideal business system
- How Jeff’s experience at Bridgewater shaped his career
- Hiring for values
- And other topics…

Jeff Hunter is an award-winning tech and services entrepreneur, writer, and CEO coach. He is the founder and CEO of Talentism, a company that works with high-growth startups to unleash potential and achieve scale. Prior to Talentism, Jeff was Head of Recruiting at Bridgewater Associates. Through his leadership roles at Bridgewater, EA, and Dolby, Jeff found his purpose in creating and scaling systems to unleash human potential.

Jeff holds a BA in History and Philosophy from Occidental College. He began his career as an early employee at Conner Peripherals, the fastest-growing manufacturing startup in history. He then co-founded DataMain Technologies, where he discovered his passion for enhancing company performance by focusing on company culture and people.

Connect with Jeff:
www.talentism.com

Designing for Emergence: How Complex Systems Emerge From Simple Rules | Sharon Wohl

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Work and urban design are continuously evolving, but there’s something to be learned from one of the oldest multi-sided businesses in history – the Grand Bazaar. This intricate market has somehow managed to sustain itself for over 500 years without a single leader at the helm. Dr. Sharon Wohl has spent countless hours analyzing the design of the Grand Bazaar, revealing how such bottom-up hierarchies can produce quality products and processes consistently for hundreds of years.

Dr. Sharon Wohl is a distinguished scholar specializing in complex adaptive systems within urban design. She is the current Associate Dean for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University.

In this episode, Dart and Sharon discuss:
- The emergence and sustainability of the Grand Bazaar
- Complex adaptive systems (CASTs) in decentralized settings
- Whether or not we need an overarching governance at work
- How simple rules can lead to complex results
- An analysis of bottom-up strategies for system design and urbanism
- The less visible flows within a business
- The way designers can enable thriving systems
- And other topics…

Dr. Sharon Wohl is a distinguished scholar specializing in complex adaptive systems within urban design. With a Ph.D. in Spatial Planning and Strategy from Delft Technical University, Sharon has taught at University of Manitoba and held a tenured position at Iowa State University. She is the current Associate Dean for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University. Prior to completing her doctorate, she practiced with the award-winning Canadian Architectural firm, 5468796 Architecture.

Wohl’s research examines how principles of complex adaptive systems can be operationalized within the built environment. Her expertise in complexity has been recognized through a research fellowship with the Institute for Advanced Studies in Amsterdam, invitations for speaking/guest lecture events, and her academic appointment as an FRK Faculty Fellow at ISU. Her research has been published in a variety of journals, including Planning Theory, Progress in Human Geography, and Space and Culture.

Resources mentioned:
“The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul,” by Sharon Wohl: https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/f478ee3b-4098-4630-996b-024d6eefca01/content
How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand: https://www.amazon.com/How-Buildings-Learn-Happens-Theyre/dp/0140139966

Connect with Sharon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-wohl-4168177
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mGa84LoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Fix the Environment, Not the People: Collecting Actionable Data to Mitigate Work Friction | Christophe Martel

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 02:00:00 -0800

According to Gartner Research, work friction costs employees 1.9 extra hours of work per day on routine tasks. For a company with 10,000 employees, that translates to a staggering loss of $78.4M annually. From excessive meetings to inefficient workplace processes, Christophe Martel is actively investigating the underlying causes of employee dissatisfaction. Armed with data-driven strategies, he's determined to implement lasting solutions.

Christophe Martel is a seasoned business leader with over three decades of experience. He is the co-founder and CEO of FOUNT Global, Inc., a company that assists organizations worldwide to identify and mitigate work friction, fostering improved outcomes for employees and companies alike.

In this episode, Dart and Christophe discuss:
- How Christophe’s career led him to co-found FOUNT
- The types of work friction and their company impact
- The difference between work friction and organizational friction
- Who is responsible for the sites of friction
- The data-driven model behind FOUNT
- Using first-person experiences to solve large-scale business problems
- And other topics…

Christophe Martel is the co-founder and CEO of FOUNT Global, Inc., a SaaS company that helps global organizations reduce work friction and improve employee experiences. With over three decades of experience as a business leader, Christophe has spent his career exploring the employee experience across four continents. Through FOUNT, he helps companies identify the root causes of employee dissatisfaction and prioritize solutions within company environments.

Prior to founding FOUNT, Christophe was president and co-founder of TI People, a company dedicated to human-centered design backed by data-driven methodologies. He is also the former chief HR Officer of CEB, a global research and advisory company acquired by Gartner in 2017. Currently, Christophe serves as a Board Member for Executive Networks, where he continues to share his expertise in organizational leadership and development.

Resources mentioned:
www.getfount.com

Connect with Christophe:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cxpmartel/

Beyond Workism: Rekindling Joy in a Work-Dominated World | Alice Katter

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 02:00:00 -0800

When Alice Katter moved from Europe to the U.S., she was startled by the prevalent 9-to-5 culture dominating her colleagues' lives. Witnessing many Americans trapped in this work-centric routine until retirement, Alice sought an alternative. Exploring the different approaches to work, she set out on a mission to help others discover connection, inspiration, and regenerative practices in the workplace.

Alice Katter is a Work Culture & Community Designer and Consultant and the founder of Out of Office Network, a pioneering research and design lab and hub. With over a decade of expertise in operations, programs, and strategy, Alice has collaborated with renowned organizations such as Dropbox Design, Red Bull, NOBL, and Creative Mornings.

In this episode, Dart and Alice discuss:
- The alternatives to a U.S. work-dominated culture
- Alice’s exploration of 6 rhythms of work
- How to create a regenerative work and lifestyle
- Insights from mushrooms on problem-solving
- Tools for human connectedness in remote corporations
- Fostering play in the workplace
- Defining joy in and outside of work
- And other topics…

Alice Katter is a Work Culture & Community Designer and Consultant on a mission to craft a future where creativity, joy, and well-being are at the heart of workplaces and everyday life. With over a decade of expertise in operations, programs, and strategy, Alice has collaborated with renowned organizations such as Dropbox Design, Red Bull, NOBL, and Creative Mornings.

As the founder of Out of Office Network, a pioneering research and design lab and hub, Alice is at the forefront of reimagining the way we work in a modern world. Leveraging her background in psychology, Alice enhanced her skill set through the Executive Program in Social Innovation Design, Design Thinking, and Life-Design at the University of Pennsylvania. Her impact spans across organizations from New York to London.

Resources mentioned:
Reimagining the Nature of Work booklet, by Alice Katter: https://www.getoutofoffice.network/shop/p/reimagining-the-nature-of-work
“Making Work More Than Just Agendas,” by Alice Katter: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/making-work-more-than-just-schedules-strategies-amplify-alice-katter%3FtrackingId=
Flourishing In and Out of Office interview with Alice Katter: https://zeusjones.com/athena/articles/flourishing-in-and-out-of-office
Corporate Tarot Connection Cards: https://dropbox.design/resource/corporate-tarot-connection-cards
Spirit of Joy Planner: https://dropbox.design/resource/spirit-of-joy-planner

Connect with Alice:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicekatter
Out of Office newsletter: https://www.getoutofoffice.network/

Talent Marketplaces: Sourcing the Talent You Need From the Team You Already Have | Heather Yurko

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

It's been several years since the onset of our current pandemic labor market, yet large organizations still face challenges in recruiting and retaining top-tier talent. In response to this challenge, some organizations are leveraging new tools to source the skills they need from the talent they already have.

Heather Yurko is a seasoned talent strategist who has implemented talent marketplaces in two Fortune 50 companies, providing them with platforms to source internal talent to solve business problems as they arise.

In this episode, Heather and Dart discuss the benefits of implementing an internal talent or opportunity marketplace, how these marketplaces improve employee satisfaction and retention, workplace sustainability in a post-pandemic world, and much more.

Topics Include:
- Skills-Based Management
- Using talent marketplaces to facilitate employee career growth
- Hiring for adaptability rather than credentials
- The biggest hurdles to implementing a talent marketplace
- The reliability of skill assessments in employee hiring
- How skills-based hiring can support DEIA initiatives
- Specialization versus generalization in the modern workforce
- And other topics...

Heather Yurko holds an M.A. in organizational development from Columbia University-Teachers College, and has been building people, processes, and organizations for more than 20 years. She has implemented talent marketplaces for two Fortune 50 companies including Cisco Systems. Heather was the Director of Global Channels Engagement at Facebook before transitioning into her current role as VP of Digital Talent for Mastercard.

Resources Mentioned:
The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen: https://www.amazon.com/The-Cold-Start-Problem/dp/B08MKNHSWC/

Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry | Joan Ryan

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

When Joan Ryan stepped into the locker room to conduct her first post-game interview as a sports journalist, she was all but kicked out by the players. Feeling both unwelcome and undeterred, she made a firm decision to stick around and make a name for herself as one of the first female sports columnists in the country.

Using over four decades of experience on the field and in the conference room, Joan is now exploring the concept of team chemistry. Her latest book, Intangibles, shares what team chemistry really is, how to identify it, and how to use it to elevate the performance of any entity, from sports to businesses and beyond.

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and media consultant with the San Francisco Giants. Her work has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time Magazine.

In this episode, Dart and Joan discuss:
- Whether or not team chemistry exists
- How team chemistry elevates performance
- The neurophysiology of human connection
- The essential archetypes within team chemistry
- Connecting over emotions vs. connecting over a shared task
- How chemistry and skills affect the likelihood of team success
- Using an intangible concept to create tangible results
- And other topics…

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and media consultant with the San Francisco Giants. She pioneered sports journalism as one of the first female sports columnists in the country; her work has earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Aware, and the Edgar A. Poe Award from the White House Correspondents Association, among others.

As an author, Joan has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time Magazine. Her expansive career inspired her latest book, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry, which draws from hundreds of interviews to understand the phenomenon known as team chemistry.

Resources mentioned:
Intangibles, by Joan Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/Intangibles-Unlocking-Science-Soul-Chemistry/dp/B086KJFGBW
Organizing Genius, by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman: https://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Genius-Secrets-Creative-Collaboration/dp/0201339897

Connect with Joan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-ryan-intangibles/

The Unraveling of a Wall Street Icon: Ray Dalio and Bridgewater Associates | Rob Copeland

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Ray Dalio has long been hailed a hedge-fund titan, but investigative reporter Rob Copeland discovered there was more to the story than meets the eye. In his latest book, The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend, Copeland unfolds Ray Dalio’s principles as a grand display of pride that fosters a toxic work culture full of things like paranoia and backstabbing. Copeland’s exploration dives into the complexities of Dalio’s leadership and the consequences it brings to the workplace.

Rob is an award-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times. Prior to The Times, he wrote for The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade, covering front-page stories in New York, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas.

In this episode, Dart and Rob discuss:
- Management principles at Bridgewater Associates
- The adverse effects of Dalio’s feedback system
- Challenges associated with radical transparency in the workplace
- The mental models influencing Dalio’s management practices
- Dalio’s definition of a strong manager
- Whether performative cruelty improves hedge fund success
- And other topics…

Rob Copeland is an award-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and author of the bestselling book, The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend. In this compelling work, Copeland dissects the famous principles of hedge-fund giant Ray Dalio and their adverse effects in the workplace.

Prior to The New York Times, Rob was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade after graduating from Duke University. His investigative work spanned across Texas and San Francisco, the latter where he covered Silicon Valley with a particular focus on Google. His time at the Journal marked notable achievements, including recognition as an award-winning hedge-fund beat reporter.

Resourced mentioned:
The Fund, by Rob Copeland: https://www.amazon.com/Fund-Bridgewater-Associates-Unraveling-Street/dp/1250276934

Connect with Rob:
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/by/rob-copeland
https://www.bridgewaterbook.com/

Humantelligence: How to Use AI to Scale Culture, Deepen Connections, and Improve Collaboration | Juan Luis Betancourt

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Juan Luis Betancourt, a seasoned business executive and human capital management expert, understood the vital role of meaningful connections from early in his career. Recognizing that a lack of authentic connections negatively impacts productivity and retention at organizations globally, Juan founded Humantelligence – a company that leverages analytics and AI to humanize and optimize work across sectors and countries.

Juan is a thought leader, speaker, and business executive in human capital management with 25+ years of experience. At Humantelligence, he has helped clients like Visa, Coca-Cola, and Honda to enhance productivity, boost motivation, and reduce turnover in the workplace.

In this episode, Dart and Juan discuss:
- Humanizing work through technology
- The significance of workplace connections
- Adapting leadership to diverse learning styles
- Humantelligence’s innovative services and their development
- Juan’s global experience in 8 countries
- What work culture is and its evolution alongside company growth
- Dispelling work culture myths
- And other topics…

Juan Betancourt is the CEO of Humantelligence, a company dedicated to leveraging analytics and AI to align organizational culture and strategy. At Humantelligence, Juan has helped clients like Visa, Coca-Cola, and Honda to enhance productivity, boost motivation, and reduce turnover in the workplace.

Prior to Humantelligence, Juan developed his experience in human capital advising as a partner at Korn/Ferry International and Heidrick & Struggles. With a global career spanning 25+ years and encompassing eight different countries, Juan has garnered senior-level experience at prominent organizations such as Siebel Systems (now Oracle), Puma, Reebok, Decathlon, and Proctor & Gamble. During his tenure at Puma, Juan notably played a key role in the company's successful rebranding, contributing to one of the most significant consumer brand turnarounds in the past two decades.

Juan received his M.B.A. from The Wharton School, his M.A. in International Management from the University of Pennsylvania, and his B.A. from Harvard University. He serves as a board member of the Miami Theatre Center and maintains affiliations with the Wharton and Harvard Alumni Associations in South Florida.

Resources mentioned:
www.humantelligence.com
Don Sull: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/donald-sull

Connect with Juan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanluisbetancourt/
www.humantelligence.com

Digital Nomadism for Families: Reinventing the Rules for Work, Education, and Community | Rehka Magon

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

Rehka Magon excelled as a child because of the mindfulness tools, community service, and travel experiences she received from a young age. When she began to form her own family, she realized that conventional schooling and family settings were more likely to hinder a child's growth rather than contribute to it. Rejecting the status quo, she co-founded Boundless Life – an organization that provides turnkey packages for families to move abroad, grow, and learn together.

Rehka Magon is an ed-tech entrepreneur and avid world traveler. She is the founder of themindfulscholar.com and co-founder and Head of Education of Boundless Life.

In this episode, Dart and Rehka discuss:
- The digital nomad infrastructure that is competing with corporate jobs
- Boundless Life’s turnkey packages for families to move abroad
- The profile of a digitally nomadic family
- How to choose a location for effective relocation
- What it takes to be location-independent from companies
- Transformations experienced by families living abroad
- Whether or not you can feel at home across locations
- And other topics…

Rehka Magon is an ed-tech entrepreneur and avid world traveler. Rehka transitioned from corporate life as a former Senior Auditor at KPMG to become the award-winning founder of www.themindfulscholar.com. After thousands of hours of research into different educational pedagogy, Rehka bridged various frameworks into her own educational structure and action plan, co-founding Boundless Life, an organization that provides turnkey packages for families to move abroad and grow together.

Rehka holds her Bachelor of Accounting and Minor in Human Resources from McGill University, where she co-founded Toonies for Tsunami and raised over $26,000 in two weeks for Thailand relief efforts. She is also the current board member of strategic planning for Family Makeshop, an organization that defends a child’s right to a meaningful education.

Resources mentioned:
Boundless Life site: https://www.boundless.life/
Boundless Life Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boundlesslife/
Boundless Life Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myboundlesslife/

Connect with Rehka:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rekha-magon-28654395/

The Connection Playbook: How to Build Trusting Relationships, and What to Do if Trust Is Lost | Andy Chaleff

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 02:00:00 -0800

As a young child, Andy Chaleff had to become incredibly sensitive to the emotions of others in an attempt to evade the wrath of his disturbed and abusive father. He found solace in the presence of his mother, but when he was 18, she fell victim to a fatal accident at the hands of a drunk driver. He fled the United States, embarking on a decades-long journey that led him through the business world and eventually into a monk-like existence where he ultimately found his life's purpose – helping people who have experienced trauma to transform through the power of self-love.

Andy Chaleff is an award-winning author, advisor, and the Director of Amsterdam’s Welvaren training center. As a mentor to business leaders around the globe, Andy’s life work helps people connect with themselves and others through vulnerability and self-awareness.

In this episode, Dart and Andy discuss:
- How to build authentic connections at work
- Differentiating between respect and trust
- Breaking cycles of distrust in the workplace
- When expectations can be blindsiding
- Techniques for turning a negative interaction into a constructive one
- Finding agency within a system
- The importance of intention
- And other topics…

Andy Chaleff is an award-winning author, private mentor, and advisor to business leaders around the globe. He also serves as Director of Amsterdam’s Welvaren training center. Some of his past clients include eMindful, InnerExplorer, SOLE, the Cleveland Municipality School District, and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Andy’s life’s work aims to help people connect with themselves and others through vulnerability and self-awareness. This objective is also reflected in his latest books, The Connections Playbook, The Wounded Healer, and The Last Letter.

Resources mentioned:
The Connections Playbook, by Andy Chaleff: https://www.amazon.com/Connection-Playbook-Meaningful-Harmonious-Relationships/dp/B0CGGDS6KT
The Wounded Healer, by Andy Chaleff: https://www.amazon.com/Wounded-Healer-Journey-Radical-Self-Love/dp/B08NWJ3KPX
The Last Letter, by Andy Chaleff: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Letter-Embracing-Create-Meaningful/dp/1633937054
Radical Candor, by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Revised-Kick-Ass-Humanity/dp/1250235375

Connect with Andy:
www.andychaleff.com

The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It | Jennifer Moss

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Tackling workplace burnout requires more than surface-level perks like snack boxes or ping-pong tables. As Gen Z becomes a predominant workforce, the companies that invest in employee well-being will be the ones to attract, retain, and evolve with this upcoming generation. Author and international speaker Jennifer Moss recognizes that understanding the employee perspective is multifaceted. She is on a mission to dispel the myths surrounding burnout, happiness, and productivity at work to foster thriving workplaces for both companies and employees.

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning writer and international speaker on future-focused leadership development. Her past clients include Google, Deloitte, and KraftHeinz, among others. Her work has been featured on BBC, Business Insider, CNBC, Fortune, Forbes, CNN, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal.

In this episode, Dart and Jennifer discuss:
- The continuum from happiness to burnout
- Burnout as institutional stress
- The greatest misconceptions about burnout
- Why productivity without happiness is detrimental
- Future workforce shifts and their potential economic effects
- The disconnect between engagement and well-being at work
- Decoding the 6 root causes of burnout
- How the idea of happiness has changed throughout history
- Developing a muscle of gratitude to face crises
- And other topics…

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning writer and international speaker specializing in future-focused leadership development. Her past clients include Google, Deloitte, J.P. Morgan, Citi, Shopify, KraftHeinz, and Oracle, among many other Fortune 500 companies.

Jennifer’s latest book, The Burnout Epidemic, tackles employee burnout and was named one of the 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 by Thinkers50. Her work has been featured on BBC, Business Insider, CNBC, Vox, Fortune, and Forbes. Jennifer is also a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, CNN, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal.

Resources mentioned:
The Burnout Epidemic, by Jennifer Moss: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Epidemic-Rise-Chronic-Stress/dp/B09G8GHXSV
Unlocking Happiness at Work, by Jennifer Moss: https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Happiness-Work-Data-driven-Performance/dp/0749478071

Connect with Jennifer:
www.jennifer-moss.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenleighmoss/

Design for Social Change: Essential Design Strategies for Lasting Impact | Lesley-Ann Noel

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Within social justice, those most impacted by design often find themselves left out of the design process. After witnessing power struggles between the oppressed and their surroundings, design practitioner Lesley-Ann Noel identified the need for co-designing within a system to create the most productive and equitable outcome.

Lesley-Ann Noel is a university professor at North Carolina State University, author of Design Social Change, and a design practitioner specializing in equity, social justice, and marginalized groups in design research. She has a background in industrial design, an MBA from the University of the West Indies, and a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University.

In this episode, Dart and Lesley-Ann discuss:
- The importance of co-designing with those affected by a system
- 3 levels of awareness inherent to an effective design process
- Finding power in different aspects of one’s identity
- Why designers must recognize their positionality
- Using anger and intense emotions as design tools
- What materials create social change
- The duality of the oppressed and the oppressor
- The essential “recipes” to change the world
- And other topics…

Lesley-Ann Noel is a university professor at North Carolina State University, an author, and a design practitioner with a focus on equity, social justice, and the experiences of marginalized groups in design research. Her work focuses on the realms of social innovation, education, and public health, as showcased in her latest book, Design Social Change.

Before joining North Carolina State University, Lesley-Ann was the Associate Director of Design Thinking for Social Impact at Tulane University. She was also a lecturer at Stanford University and the University of the West Indies. Lesley-Ann holds a BA in Industrial Design from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, an MBA from the University of the West Indies, and a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University. She is co-chair of the Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society and a co-editor of “The Black Experience in Design.”

Resources mentioned:
Design Social Change, by Lesley-Ann Noel: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Social-Change-Challenge-Stanford/dp/1984858149

Connect with Lesley-Ann:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyannnoel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesleyannnoel/
https://dschool.stanford.edu/book-collections/design-social-change

Running Remote: Companies That Don’t Adopt Remote Work Will Be Left Behind!! | Liam Martin

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 02:00:00 -0800

The number of remote workers more than tripled between 2019 and 2021. While remote work is not at its pandemic peak, it is here to stay. Liam Martin has been an expert on remote work for over two decades – long before it became a household term. He argues that all organizations – new and old – need to adopt remote and hybrid models to remain competitive in the marketplace. His mission is to make remote work accessible for everyone, one employee and company at a time.

Liam Martin is the co-founder of Time Doctor and Staff.com, co-organizer of Running Remote – the world’s largest conference on remote work, and the author of Running Remote and various publications on distributed work. His expertise has helped thousands of companies around the world adopt a remote working model.

In this episode, Dart and Liam discuss:
- The evolution of remote work and where it’s headed
- The Running Remote annual conference
- Starting a remote company vs. transitioning to remote work
- A manager’s role in a remote/hybrid model
- The importance of Employers of Records (EORs) for remote work
- How to build a culture of asynchronous work
- Effective process documentation
- The 4 epochs of remote work
- And other topics…

Liam Martin is a remote work expert with over twenty years of experience in the field. He has worked with thousands of companies, helping organizations worldwide to adopt a remote working model. Liam co-founded Time Doctor and Staff.com, one of the most popular productivity software platforms today. He is also the co-organizer of the world’s largest conference on distributed work – the annual Running Remote Conference.

Liam’s latest book, Running Remote, guides for organizations that want to unlock remote work to achieve more autonomy for business owners and employees. Liam’s work has also been published in Forbes, Wired, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. His mission is to empower workers to work wherever they want, whenever they want; Liam lives this out in his own life by traveling six months of the year with his family while working remotely.

Resources mentioned:
Running Remote, by Liam Martin and Rob Rawson: https://www.amazon.com/Running-Remote-Successful-Remote-Work-Pioneers/dp/1400232147
Deep Work, by Cal Newport: https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Cal-Newport-audiobook/dp/B0189PVAWY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=deep+work&s=books&sr=1-1

Connect with Liam:
www.RunningRemote.com
Running Remote YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RunningRemote

The Norms of Ancient Slavery: A Roman’s Guide to Managing a Slave Workforce | Jerry Toner

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

In the shadows of ancient Rome, a constant battle brewed between power and humanity. While slave management may sound like a thing of the past, more than 27 million people still toil under oppressive conditions today, and millions more are tied to jobs due to debts or other obligations. Although there is no comparison between slavery and a contemporary office, there is plenty to learn from history to help us forge a more just and equitable future. This episode examines the stark contrast between ancient slavery and the modern workplace, navigating the complexities of leadership, empathy, and progress.

Dr. Jerry Toner is the Director of Studies in Classics at the Churchill College at Cambridge and author of The Roman Guide to Slave Management. His literary works around Roman cultural history have been translated into 15 languages and garnered a global readership.

In this episode, Dart and Jerry discuss:
- How slaves were framed in ancient Rome
- Capitalist slavery in the U.S. versus domestic slavery in Rome
- The language around slavery
- The economic factors leading to large slave populations
- Good management practices
- Matching a person to the right type of work
- The perceived character of slaves
- The line between respect and admiration when it comes to cruel management
- And other topics…

Dr. Jerry Toner is the Director of Studies in Classics, a Fellow, and an Affiliated Lecturer at the Churchill College at Cambridge. His scholarly investigations and writing look at Roman cultural history with a focus on history “from below.” Jerry’s books have been translated into 15 languages; one of his best-sellers, The Roman Guide to Slave Management, has been called “an ingenious device" by The New Yorker.

After completing his Ph.D. in Classics at Cambridge, Jerry spent 10 years as a fund manager in London, where he managed $15 billion in global bond, currency, and asset allocation funds before returning to the ancient world.

Resources mentioned:
The Roman Guide to Slave Management, by Jerry Toner: https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Guide-Slave-Management-Treatise-ebook/dp/B07MWBGSL9
Seeing Like a State, by James Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153
“The Messy Link Between Slave Owners and Modern Management,” by Caitlin C. Rosenthal: https://hbr.org/2013/09/plantations-practiced-modern-management
Psychology and Industrial Efficiency, by Hugo Münsterberg: https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Industrial-Efficiency-Hugo-M%C3%BCnsterberg/dp/160450899X

Work For Humans: Employees Are Customers, Work is A Product | Dart Lindsley on Space Construction Podcast

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

In this replay episode from the podcast Space Construction, organizational architect and workspace strategist Alon Schwartz interviews Dart Lindsley to discuss the management philosophy behind Work for Humans. Join them as they discuss why employees are customers, the origin of Work for Humans, AI’s role in work design, and other topics.

Alon Schwartz is an organizational and strategic consultant in high-tech, commercial businesses, the public sector, and associations, among other sectors. As a professional workplace strategist with over a decade of experience, he uses advanced tools to analyze, diagnose, and innovate workspaces to improve productivity and collaboration.

In this episode, Dart and Alon discuss:
- The role of a business architect
- The data that showed Dart employees as customers
- Exchanging value versus money
- The origin of Work for Humans
- A 1-sided manager versus a 2-sided manager
- How to discover the work your employees want
- Scaling the right kind of work
- AI’s role in work design
- And other topics…

Alon Schwartz is an organizational and strategic consultant in high-tech, commercial businesses, the public sector, and associations, among other sectors. As a professional workplace strategist with over a decade of experience, he uses advanced tools to analyze, diagnose, and innovate workspaces to improve productivity and collaboration. Alon holds a Master’s degree in sociology from the University of Haifa and currently resides in Israel.

Resources mentioned:
Original interview episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/638CS3epejTGa35fooFznR?si=FZ8mAiYGRF27g63rXF5HdQ&nd=1
The Experience Economy, by Joe Pine II: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Updated-Joseph-Pine/dp/1422161978

Connect with Alon:
Alon’s show Space Construction: https://open.spotify.com/show/6WyNVJRQ19vx1Cn9SMtQML
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alon-schwartz-vphr/

Conflict Without Casualties: How to Lead With Compassion, Build Connection, and Get Results | Nate Regier

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Whether it's disagreements with your partner or clashes within your team, one thing is clear – conflict is a part of life. Dr. Nate Regier understands that conflict is unavoidable, but he believes it can be turned into something positive. With his framework Compassionate Accountability, Dr. Regier has helped many groups use conflict as a catalyst for growth and positive change.

Dr. Nate Regier is an author and keynote speaker. He's the founder and CEO of Next Element, a global leadership consulting and training firm. He has helped clients like Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA), Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Roche for over a decade, increasing profitability through reduced turnover while significantly enhancing teamwork and work relationships.

In this episode, Dart and Nate discuss:
- How to de-dramatize an organization
- The definition of conflict and how to address it productively
- The three roles in every drama and how to pinpoint them at work
- The myths that these roles believe
- Universal principles we can use when designing work
- How to hold yourself accountable
- Having a compassion mindset
- The 3 narratives of struggle that can get management into trouble
- And other topics…

Dr. Nate Regier is an author, keynote speaker, and the founder and CEO of Next Element, a global leadership consulting and training firm that works to bring Compassionate Accountability to the workplace. As a former practicing psychologist and expert in social-emotional intelligence, Nate has helped clients like Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA), Ascension Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CarFax, and Roche save thousands in turnover and dramatically increase and improve teamwork and work relationships.

Nate received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Kansas. He is recognized as a Top 100 keynote speaker, a Process Communication Model® Certifying Master Trainer, and the author of four books on interpersonal communications. He has served as an adjunct professor for Conflict Resolution at Pepperdine University for over a decade and is also a founding member of the Changing Work Collective.

Resources mentioned:
Compassionate Accountability, by Nate Regier: https://www.amazon.com/Compassionate-Accountability-Leaders-Connection-Results/dp/1523004533
Conflict Without Casualties, by Nate Regier: https://www.amazon.com/Conflict-without-Casualties-Compassionate-Accountability/dp/1523082607

Connect with Nate:
www.Next-element.com

Built for People: Using Product Management Principles to Design Work People Love | Jessica Zwaan

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Experience Design: The Best Methodology for Creating More Meaningful Work | Abraham Burickson

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Many products are made by people but often don't consider human needs. The chair you're sitting on might not fit you well or suit your work habits and office setup. The same issue applies to how we approach work.

Can a manager act as an experience designer to improve productivity, satisfaction, and well-being in the workplace? Is it practical and possible? Abraham Burickson, a design expert with over 20 years of experience, thinks so. He wants to change the way we think about design to create new possibilities in the workplace and beyond.

Abraham Burickson is an author, speaker, and design expert with more than two decades of experience in exploring experience design. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Works, where he plans immersive artistic experiences involving up to 100 artists in various locations across the U.S.

In this episode, Dart and Abraham discuss:
- How to create a transformative experience for a single individual
- Whether or not managers can be experience designers
- Why experience is not designable
- How to implement experience design at work
- Baking experiences within static products
- Companies as a platform for the co-creation of experience
- The origin story and myths of organizations
- And other topics…

Abraham Burickson has spent over two decades exploring experience design. As the co-founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Works, he directs up to 100 artists at a time while designing experiences for one-person audiences across the U.S. With a background in architecture from Cornell University, he has also studied the transformative power of designed experience with the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, the Shuar of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and with countless artists, designers, and students over the years.

Abraham is the winner of the 2018 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize, and his work has been profiled in the New York Times, Vulture, the Stanford Storytelling Project, the SF Bay Guardian, and other publications. He has lectured at the Brooklyn Museum, Cornell University, Fordham University, The GoGame, and Southern Exposure Gallery. He is also a current Lead Experience Design faculty member at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Resources mentioned:
Experience Design, by Abraham Burickson: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Design-Participatory-Abraham-Burickson/dp/0300269471
Odyssey Works, by Abraham Burickson: https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Works-Transformative-Experiences-Audience/dp/1616895152
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227

Connect with Abraham:
www.OWprograms.com
www.AbrahamBurickson.com

Harness Your Team’s Superpowers: Uncovering People’s Core Skillsets and Core Motivators | Ashley Stahl

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

After dedicating her early professional life to a career in national defense, Ashley made a bold choice to try something different—career coaching. This transition was not without its challenges. In a distressing turn of events, she found herself burdened with a staggering $500,000 debt, reaching a point of profound personal difficulty, both financially and emotionally.

It was during this period of adversity that Ashley uncovered the transformative strategies that led her to overcome her hardships and achieve her greatest success to date. Today, she leverages her expertise to guide others in proactively navigating their career paths, helping them avoid similar roadblocks and chart a course toward fulfillment and success, both in their professional lives and beyond.

Ashley Stahl is a professional career coach, best-selling author, and global spokesperson who has helped clients in 75+ countries find career fulfillment. Her TEDx talk on intuition and fulfillment is ranked among the top 100 TED talks on the Internet, amassing over 8 million views and counting.

In this episode, Dart and Ashley discuss:
- How a background in national defense led Ashley to become a renowned career coach
- The importance of experimentation to design fulfilling work
- Needfinding for employees
- The 5 core things people need to understand to find fulfillment
- How to choose and define values
- Aligning a core skill set to a job experience
- Our relationship with money and its impact on our work
- Core interests vs. core motivators
- And other topics…

Ashley Stahl is a counterterrorism professional turned career coach, an international bestselling author, a Fortune 500 spokesperson, and an expert on intuition, personal branding, and fulfillment. Her TEDx talk on intuition and fulfillment is ranked amongst the top 100 TED talks on the Internet, amassing over 8 million views and counting. Between her latest book, You Turn, online courses, subscribers, and “The You Turn Podcast” show, Ashley has been able to help clients in over 75 countries find career fulfillment.

Ashley maintains a monthly career column in Forbes, and her work has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CBS, SELF, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, among others. She's also the founder and current spokesperson of CAKE Publishing, a ghostwriting and publicity house for entrepreneurs and organizations.

Resourced mentioned:
You Turn, by Ashley Stahl: https://www.amazon.com/You-Turn-Unstuck-Discover-Direction/dp/1950665690
The Science of Happily Ever After, by Ty Tashiro: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Happily-Ever-After-Matters/dp/1335284796

Connect with Ashley:
https://www.ashleystahl.com/

Thinking Classrooms: How to Design Environments That Get People Thinking | Peter Liljedahl

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

With decades of experience in education, Dr. Peter Liljedahl realized that classrooms and workspaces have long been failing to engage those within them. He began a push to shift the paradigm of learning by challenging every classroom norm he could find - and it worked. Dr. Liljedahl was able to increase student thinking and engagement, and his revolutionary ideas are now able to be applied to work around the world.

Dr. Peter Liljedahl is an author, researcher, and Professor of Faculty Education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He has authored or co-authored 38 journal articles, over 50 conference papers, and 12 books including Building Thinking Classrooms. Working within education for decades, Peter consults regularly with schools, school districts, and ministries of education on issues of teaching and learning, assessment, and numeracy.

In this episode, Dart and Peter discuss:
- Peter’s redesign of the classroom and how it can be applied to work
- How to create an environment that cultivates thinking
- Transforming norms to achieve better results
- The importance of collaboration in work and learning
- The best ways to evaluate employee performance
- Deconstructing ideas into actionable points
- What creates “Aha!” moments
- The structure of a good task
- And other topics…

Dr. Peter Liljedahl is an author, researcher, and Professor of Faculty Education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He has authored or co-authored over 38 book chapters, 38 journal articles, over 50 conference papers, and 12 books including Building Thinking Classrooms. Working within education for decades, Peter consults regularly with schools, school districts, and ministries of education on issues of teaching and learning, assessment, and numeracy.

Peter is the current president of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) and the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME). He also serves on various editorial boards and is a senior editor of IJSME. Dr. Liljedahl recently received the Cmolik Prize for the enhancement of public education in BC as well as the Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award for innovation and excellence in mathematics education.

Resourced mentioned:
Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12, by Peter Liljedahl: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Thinking-Classrooms-Mathematics-Grades/dp/1544374836
Weapons of the Weak, by James Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Weak-Everyday-Peasant-Resistance/dp/0300036418
A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander: https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199

Connect with Peter:
https://buildingthinkingclassrooms.com/
Facebook Groups: Thinking Classrooms

The Impending AI Revolution: Recent Layoffs In Tech May Be The Tip of the Iceberg | Kevin Wheeler

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

As employers constantly try to guess the next talent acquisition trend, Kevin Wheeler has studied talent management long enough to know that many answers lie in the past. In this episode, Kevin and Dart discuss current employment trends in their historical context to hypothesize the future of global talent acquisition.

Kevin Wheeler is a globally known speaker, author, futurist, and consultant in talent management, human capital acquisition and learning & development. He is the Founder of The Future of Talent Institute, facilitator of Future of Talent Retreats across three continents, and the author of multiple books and hundreds of articles on work and talent acquisition.

In this episode, Dart and Kevin discuss:
- The largest trends in talent acquisition and employment today
- How work is being decentralized
- The essential skills tech workers will need in the next decade
- The benefits of a liberal arts degree
- Changes in global demographics and their effects on work
- The relationship between the U.S.A, China, and Asia
- Employees as investors vs. customers
- The three groups employers hire for
- And other topics…

Kevin Wheeler is a globally known speaker, author, futurist, and consultant in talent management, human capital acquisition and learning & development. He has founded several organizations including the Future of Talent Institute, Global Learning Resources, Inc., and the Australasian Talent Conference, Ltd. Kevin hosts Future of Talent Retreats across three continents, has authored various books and hundreds of articles on talent acquisition, and writes frequently on LinkedIn and as a columnist for ERE.net.

Prior to his work at The Future of Talent Institute, Kevin held a 20+ year corporate career in several tech and financial firms in San Francisco. He also served on the faculty of San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco.

Resourced mentioned:
UX Strategy, by Jaime Levy: https://www.amazon.com/UX-Strategy-Innovative-Digital-Products/dp/1449372864

Connect with Kevin :
https://futureoftalent.org
Kevin’s FOT weekly newsletter: https://fotnews.futureoftalent.org/

Conditioned: How Your Brain Makes Decisions and What It Means for Work Design | Loretta Breuning

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Dr. Loretta Breuning's upbringing was marked by conflict, which shaped her into an adult who avoided confrontation. Much like many of us, she often felt stuck in her automatic reactions, not understanding their origins. However, her exploration of mammalian behavior unveiled the link between our brains, past experiences, and fundamental chemicals.

Through this understanding, Dr. Breuning discovered that we can rewire our brains using targeted psychological techniques. This rewiring process enables us to foster greater self-acceptance and achieve more positive outcomes, both in our professional and personal lives.

Loretta Graziano Breuning, Ph.D., is Founder of the Inner Mammal Institute, Professor Emerita of Management at California State University, and author of Habits of a Happy Brain. Her work has been translated into 14 languages and has helped thousands of people build new neural pathways to produce more positive outcomes.

In this episode, Dart and Loretta discuss:
- 4 core brain chemicals and how they affect our experience of work
- The origin and purpose of serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphin
- Our “survival needs” in the workplace
- How to identify and understand our emotional responses to improve the experience of work
- Psychological techniques for hacking our brain patterns
- How to use this knowledge to create more happiness – internally and at work
- And other topics…

Loretta Graziano Breuning, Ph.D., is Founder of the Inner Mammal Institute and Professor Emerita of Management at California State University, East Bay. She's the author of many books on happiness, including Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain your brain to boost your serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin levels. Her work has been translated into 14 languages and has helped thousands of people build new neural pathways to produce more positive outcomes.

Before teaching, Loretta worked in Africa for the United Nations. She holds a BS from Cornell University and a PhD from Tufts University. In her free time, she travels to historic places and studies foreign languages.

Resources mentioned:
Habits of a Happy Brain, by Loretta Breuning: https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Happy-Brain-Serotonin-Endorphin/dp/1440590508

Connect with Loretta:
www.innermammalinstitute.org

How To Change Minds: The Impact of Framing on Thoughts and Behaviors | Nathaniel Kendall-Taylor

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Scientists, philanthropies, governments, and NGOs alike often find themselves in possession of an important truth that could improve the world, but the public just can't seem to hear it. As CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, Nathanial Kendall-Taylor knows that how we frame information significantly influences how people perceive and respond to it. Using rigorous social science methods, the Frameworks Institute provides evidence-based techniques that help non-profits communicate in a way that transforms public thinking and enacts social change.

Nat is an expert in psychological anthropology and communications science. In addition to his role as CEO, he is also a senior fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, a visiting professor at the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine, and a fellow at the British-American Project.

In this episode, Dart and Nat discuss:
- What frames are and how they impact thinking and cultural mindsets
- How the FrameWorks Institute helps organizations disseminate information and ideas
- The keys to conveying important information effectively
- The steps needed to shift a cultural mindset
- The importance of a mobilization strategy when introducing a new idea
- And other topics…

Nathaniel Kendall-Taylor is the CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, a communications think tank in Washington, DC that applies framing research methods to social issues and non-profit organizations. He is also a senior fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, a visiting professor at the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine, and a fellow at the British-American Project.

As an expert in psychological anthropology and communications science, Nat’s work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Science Communication, Human Organization, and Applied Communications Research. He is a global lecturer and has presented at conferences for the National Academy of Sciences, the Parenting Research Centre in Australia, the Science and Society Symposium in Canada, and Amnesty International in the United Kingdom.

Connect with Nat:
www.FrameworksInstitute.org

Human Factors and Ergonomics: How to Design Work for Humans | Sara Pazell

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 02:00:00 -0700

In every manmade job, place, and activity, design plays a pivotal role in shaping our experiences. Sadly, many designs miss the mark by neglecting the profound psychosocial impact they wield. This is where Dr. Sara Pazell steps in. As a dynamic design strategist, she empowers companies across industries to embrace human-centered work by integrating designs that ensure not only functionality but transformative success.

Dr. Pazell is the managing director and principal consultant at Viva Health at Work and podcaster of WhyWork. At Viva, Sara leads companies to find solutions for human factors and ergonomics design across industries like mining, transportation, healthcare, retail, finance, food and beverage, sport and fitness, and government organizations.

In this episode, Dart and Sara discuss:
- The job of a work design strategist
- Ergonomics and human factors in design
- Why companies should consider psychosocial factors in design
- The 7 principles of a human-centered organization
- How to generate excitement and engagement when designing work
- Improving design using failure modes analysis (in reverse)
- How to contextualize design for success
- The best and worst ways to generate new ideas
- And other topics…

Dr. Sara Pazell is a principal work design strategist, WhyWork podcaster, and managing director and principal consultant at Viva Health at Work. At Viva Health at Work, Sara leads companies in finding solutions for human factors and ergonomics design and work practices across industries like mining, transportation, healthcare, retail, finance, food and beverage, sport and fitness, and government organizations.

In the past, Dr. Pazell has served as a healthcare professional, an executive business manager for health and surgical care facilities, and a trainer for business, leadership, and health and fitness training companies. She has helped publish various case studies and articles around work design and received her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland, where she is an Industry Fellow.

Resources mentioned:
International Ergonomics Association: https://iea.cc/
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society: https://www.hfes.org/
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia: https://www.ergonomics.org.au/
Charted Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors: https://ergonomics.org.uk/
Jobs to Be Done, by Jim Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Jobs-Be-Done-Playbook-Organization/dp/1933820683
How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand: https://www.amazon.com/How-Buildings-Learn-Happens-Theyre/dp/0140139966

Connect with Sara:
Viva Health at Work: https://vivahealthgroup.com.au/
WhyWork Podcast: https://whywork.com.au

Tragic Design: The Impact of Bad Product Design and How to Fix It | Jonathan Shariat

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Thoughtfully designed products can promote efficacy, success, and joy – but that’s only one side of the coin. Bad design is everywhere, and poorly designed products cause more than mere discomfort; they can anger, sadden, exclude, and even kill the people who use them. From a bad interface that ended a young cancer patient’s life to product designs that exclude minority groups, Jonathan Shariat has seen his fair share of dangerous designs during his decade-long career as a senior designer – a trend he’s determined to rectify.

Jonathan is an international speaker, former podcast host, design leader at Google, and author of Tragic Design: The Impact of Bad Product Design. He is passionate about using design as a tool to improve our world, with over a decade of experience working as a senior designer for companies like Intuit, Project Ronin, and Hightail.

In this episode, Dart and Jonathan discuss:
- The high stakes of bad design
- Incorporating accessibility and the human experience into design
- Transforming pessimism into innovation
- What types of design anger, sadden, and kill customers
- Accidental dark patterns at work and how to fix them
- How company values slowly impact design, products, and business success
- The importance of qualitative research
- And other topics…

Jonathan Shariat is an international speaker, podcast host, and senior interaction design leader at Google. Jonathan is passionate about doing right by others and using design as a tool to improve the world we live in, with over a decade of experience working in design with startups to large companies. Before Google, Jonathan worked as a senior designer for Project Ronin, Intuit, and Hightail, as well as a product director for Therapydia.

Jonathan’s insights and passion for ethical and helpful design are shared in his latest book, Tragic Design: The Impact of Bad Product Design and How to Fix It. He is also the author of a #1 most recommended article on Medium titled “How Bad UX Killed Jenny.”

Resources mentioned:
Tragic Design, by Jonathan Shariat and Cynthia Savard Saucier: https://www.amazon.com/Tragic-Design-Impact-Bad-Product/dp/149192361X

Connect with Jonathan:
www.Jonathanshariat.com

The Future of Recruiting: How Technology and AI Are Changing How Companies Hire Employees | Matt Alder

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 02:00:00 -0700

From pre-COVID to the Great Resignation and beyond, many employers face difficulties adjusting their talent acquisition strategies to meet current trends. Attracting adaptable candidates and leveraging technology for hiring could mean the difference between hiring the right candidate and the wrong one. Talent acquisition specialist Matt Alder brings over two decades of research and experience in the field to discuss his take on how to navigate the ever-changing recruitment landscape.

Matt is a distinguished author, speaker, strategic consultant, and podcaster in the fields of talent acquisition and innovation. Working with Fortune and FTSE 100 employers, Matt helps organizations optimize their digital strategies to stay at the forefront of industry advancements. He is the producer and host of The Recruiting Future Podcast, the world’s leading podcast on talent acquisition with over two million downloads and counting.

In this episode, Dart and Matt discuss:
- The recent tests and trends in talent acquisition
- Whether or not organizations need office space
- AI’s impact on screening and interviewing job candidates
- Scientific assessments within talent acquisition
- How to maintain a recruitment team in times of less hiring
- How to curate talent during recruitment
- The philosophical differences between companies and their effect on talent acquisition
- Changing the recruitment process to enact positive societal change
- And other topics…

Matt Alder is a distinguished author, speaker, strategic consultant, and podcaster in the fields of talent acquisition and innovation. He is the producer and host of the Recruiting Future podcast, the world’s leading podcast on talent acquisition. With more than two million downloads and over 500 episodes, the podcast features practitioners and thought leaders who are actively shaping the future of work.

With over two decades of research into the shifts in talent acquisition, Matt has built a reputation as a global thought leader. Working with Fortune and FTSE 100 employers, Matt helps organizations optimize their digital strategies to stay at the forefront of industry advancements. He has presented as a keynote speaker in 17 countries and counting. Matt has also authored two books on the subject of talent acquisition, Exceptional Talent and Digital Talent, as well as previously authored a column for The Herald Newspaper.

Resources mentioned:
The Recruiting Future podcast: https://recruitingfuture.com/

The Making of Exceptional Leaders: How to Screen and Hire the Best Leaders for Your Organization | Laura Finfer

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

As a leadership expert with over 25 years of experience, business consultant Dr. Laura Fifner knows what it takes to find and groom exceptional leaders. In today's episode, Laura shares how she finds the right leaders for the right companies, and what red flags to look out for when hiring.

Dr. Laura Fifner is the co-founder of Leadership Excellence Consulting. Utilizing decades of experience and a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Laura helps clients find and coach senior-level talent using scientific assessments to evaluate leadership potential.

In this episode, Dart and Laura discuss:
- The purpose of leadership
- What personality tests Laura uses, and how they inform her thinking
- The universal attributes of great leaders
- How to detect a narcissistic leader
- The relationship between ambition and leadership
- Neuroplasticity and the cultivation of leadership skills
- Behavioral interviewing
- And other topics…

Dr. Laura Fifner is an internal and external leadership expert with over 25 years of experience in business consulting. As the co-founder of Leadership Excellence Consulting, she helps clients find and groom the right senior-level talent using scientific assessments to value leadership potential.

Laura received her Ph.D. from Purdue University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and is a licensed psychologist in New York State. She is passionate about supporting the development of all team leaders – especially female entrepreneurs – and advocates for workplace inclusivity for individuals on the spectrum.

Resources Mentioned:
Burn the Boats, by Matt Higgins: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X
Radical Candor, by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Revised-Kick-Ass-Humanity/dp/B07XVQB7XV
Power, by Jeffrey Pfeffer: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Some-People-Have-Others/dp/0061789089

Connect with Laura:
Leadership Excellence Consulting: www.leadershipexcellenceconsulting.com
laura@leadershipexcellence.com

The Good Enough Job: Untangling Self-Worth and Identity From Work | Simone Stolzoff

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

American culture has made finding a dream job one of life's ultimate goals. Personal identity and professional roles have merged into one, and this entanglement can cost us our happiness, well-being, and ultimately true career success. Why has work taken such an all-encompassing role in American lives, and why is it such a challenge for us to detach from it?

Simone Stolzoff is on a mission to reclaim our lives from a work-obsessed world. As a former journalist and the author of The Good Enough Job, Simone has interviewed Michelin star chefs, Wall Street bankers, overwhelmed teachers, and other workers across the American economy to expose what we lose when we expect work to be more than a job.

In this episode, Dart and Simone discuss:
- Challenging myths around work and identity
- How work-first culture has betrayed many employees
- The transactional relationship between employers and employees
- Designing a sustainably productive culture at work
- Why companies should encourage employees to diversify their identities
- The connection between survival, employment, and government assistance in the U.S.
- And other topics…

Simone Stolzoff is a designer, workplace expert and consultant, and author of The Good Enough Job. His consulting clients include Google, Meta, Microsoft, IDEO, Guild, and the State of California. As a former journalist and design lead at the global innovation firm, IDEO, his work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. Simone received his bachelor's degree in creative writing from The University of Pennsylvania and his master’s degree in journalism and multimedia storytelling from Stanford University.

Resources mentioned:
The Good Enough Job, by Simone Stolzoff: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Job-Reclaiming-Life/dp/059353896X
Human Capital, by Thomas Davenport: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Capital-P-Davenport/dp/0470436816

Connect with Simone:
www.thegoodenoughjob.com

Kim Scott: Radical Candor and Radical Respect, How to Say What You Mean Without Being a Jerk

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Having coached CEOs at companies like Dropbox, Qualtrics, and Twitter, Kim Scott knows a thing or two about modern leaders. Her expertise sheds light on how modern leaders often mistakenly resort to authoritarianism – inadvertently transforming themselves into workplace jerks. In this episode, Kim shares how to lead effectively, avoid the pitfalls of being too aggressive or too nice, and create healthier, more productive workplaces.

Kim Scott is a New York Times bestselling author, CEO coach for Fortune 500 companies, and the co-founder of Radical Candor – a Silicon Valley company that helps organizations create healthy cultures, build cohesive teams, and achieve collaborative results.

In this episode, Dart and Kim discuss:
- How to simultaneously care for and challenge your team
- The difference between radical leadership and aggressive leadership
- How to level power dynamics for effective interpersonal communication
- Creating a fairer and more reasonable workplace
- Optimizing work for collaboration instead of coercion
- The dangers of viewing employees as commodities
- Identifying and responding to bullying, bias, and prejudice at work
- And other topics…

Kim Scott is a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker, team leader, and CEO coach for Fortune 500 companies. She has guided CEOs at renowned companies such as Dropbox, Qualtrics, and Twitter. She was previously on the faculty of Apple University and led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google.

Kim co-founded Radical Candor, a Silicon Valley company that helps organizations create healthy cultures, build cohesive teams, and achieve collaborative results. Her expertise is reflected in two of her latest books, Just Work and Radical Candor.

Kim holds an AB in Slavic Literature and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Earlier in her career, she co-founded and led business development at various startups, managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo, and even started a diamond-cutting factory in Moscow.

Resources mentioned:
Radical Candor, by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509
Just Work, by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Work-Prejudice-Bullying-Inclusivity/dp/1250275709
Burn It Down, by Maureen Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Down-Complicity-Change-Hollywood/dp/B0BGMM3NZJ
Beyond Measure, by Margaret Heffernan: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Measure-Impact-Small-Changes/dp/1476784906
The Core Value Equation, by Darius Mirshahzadeh: https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708
Finding Me, by Viola Davis: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Me-Memoir-Viola-Davis/dp/0063037327
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy: https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Karenina-Leo-Tolstoy/dp/0143035002

Connect with Kim:
www.RadicalCandor.com
www.JustWorkTogether.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimm4/

Nourishment for the Soul: The Sacred Power of Ritual in Work and Life | Tiu de Haan

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

The Art of Transformation: Experience Design for Transformative Experiences | Claus Raasted and Paul Bulencea

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Claus Raasted and Paul Bulencea are dedicated to the art of transformation. Their immersive 5-day event, known as the College of Extraordinary Experiences, unites a diverse array of individuals from esteemed voice talent show judges to 16th-generation Samurais. Together, they strive to empower ordinary people, fostering personal growth and a profound level of self-awareness. Through their expertise, Claus and Paul have become accomplished design professionals, inspiring organizational transformations within companies that push employees and individuals to new heights.

Claus Raasted is a Danish entrepreneur, keynote speaker, lecturer, podcaster, and transformational designer. He has spoken at over 1,000+ live events and worked for companies like Ikea, Disney, Google, Marriott, Panasonic, and the Discovery Channel, among others.

Paul Bulencea is an award-winning author, educator, entrepreneur, speaker, and experience designer who has worked with Fortune 500 companies and governments across the globe. His work aims to drive growth by shifting business models from services to co-creative transformational experiences.

In this episode, Dart, Claus, and Paul discuss:
- The College of Extraordinary Experiences
- Building a creative experience around an objective
- What transformation means in different contexts
- Why we should embrace difficulties instead of avoiding them
- The qualities of a transformative professor or lecturer
- How a CEO can introduce a transformative experience to a company
- Designing the right space to cultivate change
- Transformative experiences for employees
- And other topics…

Claus Raasted is a Danish entrepreneur, keynote speaker, lecturer, podcaster, and transformational designer. He is a live-action role-play (LARP) pioneer and current CEO of Dziobak Larp Studios, a LARP design collective. Claus has spoken at over 1,000+ live events and worked for companies like Ikea, Disney, Google, Marriott, Panasonic, and the Discovery Channel, among others.

Paul Bulencea is an award-winning author, educator, entrepreneur, speaker, and experience designer who has worked with Fortune 500 companies and governments across the globe. His work aims to drive growth by shifting business models from services to co-creative transformational experiences. He holds a masters in Innovation in Tourism from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences where he was awarded the Best University Graduate by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

Together, Claus and Paul helped found the College of Extraordinary Experiences, a 5-day experience journey providing hands-on learning and growth for professionals from around the world.

Resources Mentioned:
Extraordinary.college

Connect with Claus and Paul:
https://www.clausraasted.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbulencea

Rethinking Career Design: How Traditional Education Set Up a Generation to Fail, and How to Course Correct Today | Farouk Dey

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Higher education is supposed to help students develop skills, explore new possibilities, and design a brighter future. Instead, most students are forced to choose majors without fully understanding themselves or their options. Then, they’re shipped out on a career conveyor belt, ending up in careers they despise – all at a six-figure price tag.

Dr. Farouk Dey is on a mission to challenge our restricted and traditional education system. He is leading the charge through his work at the Johns Hopkins’ Imagine Center for Integrative Learning and Life Design, empowering students to design their lives and redefine the purpose of education itself.

Dr. Dey has over two decades of experience in higher education and talent development, having served in executive leadership and board roles at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), among others. He has been named one of LinkedIn’s Top Ten Voices in Education and is the Vice Provost of the John Hopkins’ Imagine Center.

In this episode, Dart and Farouk discuss:
- The Imagine Center for Integrative Learning and Life Design
- How economic shifts drive national career changes
- The growing need to develop minds, not just careers
- Changing the outdated career service models of American universities
- Balancing competition and curiosity when choosing a career
- The importance of experiential learning for life design
- How universities can give students a higher return on their investment
- Farouk’s advice for companies who want to build a life design center
- How to construct your passion, rather than "find it"
- And other topics…

Dr. Farouk Dey is the Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design at Johns Hopkins University. With over two decades of experience in higher education and talent development, Dr. Dey leads a newly created division of 15 departments and centers that bridge curricular and experiential learning with professional ambitions for students and alumni across the university’s nine schools.

Before Johns Hopkins, Dr. Dey served in executive leadership and board roles at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), and others. He has also served as a keynote and TEDx speaker, consultant, and professor across the world. Dr. Dey holds a PhD and EdS in Educational Leadership, MBA and MEd in Counseling Psychology, and a BBA in Finance.

Resources mentioned:
Work For Humans, Ep. 53 – Designing Your Life: How to Use Design Principles to Get What You Want in Work and Life | Bill Burnett: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1949517/13012061

Connect with Farouk:
Imagine.jhu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faroukdey/
Twitter and YouTube: @faroukdey

Digital Nomadism: Thriving in the Age of Global Remote Work | Rowena Hennigan

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Rowena Hennigan was working from home in Ireland when her daughter began to develop chronic asthma. As things worsened, she was forced to make a drastic decision; she packed up her family and moved to one of the driest parts of Europe they could find – Zaragoza, Spain. This decision not only changed their lives, perspectives, and health for the better, but it also set the foundation for Rowena’s career as a Remote Work Expert and Consultant.

Rowena is a keynote speaker, university lecturer, Global Thought Leader in Remote Work and Digital Nomadism, and the founder of RoRemote, a remote skills training and consultancy company. Having lived and worked in 14 countries, her career spans over two decades of professional industry experience.

In this episode, Dart and Rowena discuss:
- Rowena’s experience living and working in 14 countries
- The personal and professional benefits of nomadic work
- Effective and ineffective approaches of countries toward remote work
- How digital work changes from one location to another
- Safety issues and solutions within international work
- The massive skills gap in remote work
- How and why companies should support nomadic employees
- The mindset and preparation needed for successful nomadism
- Traveling meaningfully through "slowmadism"
- And other topics…

Rowena Hennigan is a keynote speaker, university lecturer, Global Thought Leader in Remote Work and Digital Nomadism, and the founder of RoRemote, a remote skills training and consultancy company. Having lived and worked in 14 countries, her career spans over two decades of professional industry experience.

Rowena has been selected as one of LinkedIn News Top 10 Global Voices in Remote Work 2022, a Top 25 Remote Innovator of 2021 and 2022 by Remote.com, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Digital Nomad Association – Croatia. She is currently a Strategic Advisor for companies like WorkTripp, Camesited, ROORAL, and SafetyWing, among others.

Resources Mentioned:
Rowena's LinkedIn Learning Courses: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/rowena-hennigan
“How to Become a Digital Nomad,” by Rowena Hennigan: https://hbr.org/2023/02/how-to-become-a-digital-nomad
Digital Nomad Association: https://dnacroatia.com/
Boundless Life: https://bit.ly/blrowena
Dave Cook: https://www.iamdavecook.com/

Connect with Rowena:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowena-hennigan/

Designing Your Life: How to Use Design Principles to Get What You Want in Work and Life | Bill Burnett

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

From the kitchen table to self-driving cars, everything in our lives was designed by someone who wanted to solve a problem. If we can design everything from technology to living spaces, award-winning Silicon Valley designer Bill Burnett believes we can also design and build careers to create fulfillment and joy at work. By using curiosity, reframing, collaboration, and other tools, Bill teaches others how to build the right mindset to enjoy the present while designing an even greater future.

Bill Burnett is an award-winning designer, New York Times best-selling author, adjunct professor, and the Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University. Throughout his career, Bill has designed everything from the first slate computer to Hasbro Star Wars action figures, assisting and advising Fortune 100 companies and start-ups alike.

In this episode, Dart and Bill discuss:
- The design mindset you need to build the life you want
- The problem with hyper-focusing on one goal
- How to reframe problems to discover new solutions
- Avoiding the sunk-cost fallacy
- Enjoying what you have while building a brighter future
- Management advice for interviewing and hiring adaptable employees
- An antidote for the work-life balance problem
- And other topics…

Bill Burnett is an award-winning Silicon Valley designer and New York Times best-selling author. He currently serves as the Adjunct Professor and Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University, and over 350 universities now use his curriculum on how to design your life. Throughout his career, he has designed everything from the first slate computer to Hasbro Star Wars action figures in the toy industry, assisting and advising Fortune 100 companies and start-ups alike.

Bill is the co-author of the best-selling book Designing Your Life and recently published Designing Your New Work Life, both of which have garnered significant acclaim. His impact on design, education, and professional development continues to shape industries and inspire aspiring designers worldwide.

Resources Mentioned:
Designing Your New Work Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Work-Life-Happiness/dp/0593467450
Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Life-Well-Lived-Joyful/dp/1101875321

Connect with Bill:
www.DesigningYour.Life

Beyond Self-Care: Tackling the 6 Chronic Stressors That Cause Workplace Burnout | Christina Maslach

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Dr. Christina Maslach is on a mission to redefine how we tackle burnout at work. For over 35 years, Dr. Maslach has researched the far reaching costs of burnout on society. Her commitment to this work led the World Health Organization to recognize burnout as an occupational phenomenon in 2019, raising the stakes for organizations worldwide. Today, Dr. Maslach is paving the way for meaningful workplace interventions that help people avoid burnout and be their best at work.

Dr. Christina Maslach is the pioneer of research on the definition, predictors, and measurement of job burnout. She is a researcher, author, former administrator, and distinguished professor emerita of psychology at UC Berkeley. Dr. Maslach is also the creator of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the leading measure of burnout in the workplace validated by over three decades of research.

In this episode, Dart and Christina discuss:
- Dr. Maslach’s latest book, The Burnout Challenge
- The impact of employee burnout on business success
- Chronic job stressors and what to do about them
- The effect of burnout on employee engagement and retention
- Compassion fatigue at work
- Components of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
- The six causes of burnout
- And other topics…

Dr. Christina Maslach is a researcher, author, former administrator, and distinguished professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the creator of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the leading measure of burnout in the workplace validated by over 35 years of research. She is also the author of numerous award-winning articles and books, including The Cost of Caring, The Truth About Burnout, and The Burnout Challenge.

Christian received her B.A. from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. She was named by Business Insider as one of the top 100 people transforming business in 2021. With over three decades of experience, she is the pioneer of research on the definition, predictors, and measurement of job burnout. Dr. Maslach’s expertise led the World Health Organization to recognize burnout as an occupational phenomenon in 2019.

Resources Mentioned:
The Burnout Challenge, by Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Challenge-Managing-Peoples-Relationships/dp/B0BLXX1T1W
The Cost of Caring, by Christina Maslach: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Cost-Caring-Christina-Maslach/dp/1883536359

Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, Not a Bug | Eric Anicich

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Eric Anicich was a USC professor with 18 consecutive journal article rejections on his desk. Not knowing where to turn to professionally, he decided to do something completely different. He signed up as a Postmates driver in the gig economy. As he completed hundreds of rides, Eric went from rejection to research, crafting an investigative project on work, identity, and the highs and lows of the gig economy.

Dr. Anicich is an associate professor of management and organization at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His research on the forms and functions of social hierarchy within groups and work has been published in several prestigious outlets, such as the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, and leading academic journals like the Academy of Management Review and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In this episode, Dart and Eric discuss:
- Eric’s research on the gig economy
- The negative effects of the gig economy on employees and their life narratives
- What a holding environment is and why every job needs one
- Shaping personal identity through work
- Algorithmic management vs. human management
- When a hierarchy helps at work and when it hurts
- Exploring the possibility of multiple company cultures within one organization
- The challenges, opportunities, and hidden power of middle management
- And other topics…

Dr. Eric Anicich is an associate professor of management and organization at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His research on the forms and functions of social hierarchy within groups has appeared in Forbes, CNN, the New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and others. He has also been published in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Psychological Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Eric received his Ph.D. from Columbia Business School, MSc from the University of Oxford, and BA from Northwestern University. He was recognized as Poets & Quant’s “Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors” in 2021.

Resources Mentioned:
“Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, not a Bug,” by Eric Anicich: https://hbr.org/2022/06/dehumanization-is-a-feature-of-gig-work-not-a-bug
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
Working, by Studs Terkel: https://www.amazon.com/Working-People-Talk-About-What/dp/1565843428
“The myth of the flat start-up,” by Saerom (Ronnie) Lee: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smj.3333

Connect with Eric:
USC Marshall School of Business: https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/eric-anicich
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-anicich-4340a918/
Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/search?term=eric%20m.%20anicich

Matt Higgins: Burn the Boats, How Plan B Holds You and Your Company Back From Achieving Your Potential

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Rooted in Violence: Wrestling With the Dark History of HR as We Work Towards a Brighter Future | Melissa Swift

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Over the last century, the world of work has changed extensively. We’ve experienced growth in the service sector, increased participation of women and minorities, and the rise of automation and technology – yet, oddly enough, many HR practices haven’t evolved much or at all. Melissa Swift, the Transformation Leader for North America at the Mercer consulting firm, believes that it’s time to update HR to finally meet the demands of today’s workplace.

Melissa Swift is a recognized authority on humanistic workplace transformation and the author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. As the Transformation Leader for North America Mercer, she helps C-suite executives and organizations reinvent the employee experience, drive performance, and create a sustainable competitive advantage.

In this episode, Dart and Melissa discuss:
- Uncovering the dark history and roots of HR practices
- The evolution of traditional and agile HR models
- Work Here Now, by Melissa Swift
- The danger of excessive customer centricity
- Mapping customer journeys alongside employee journeys
- Research findings on what makes work pleasant or unpleasant
- The competing demands and complexities of the CPO role
- The impact of unrealistic expectations in the age of technology
- Pitfalls of a cost-centered approach to work
- And other topics…

Melissa Swift is a recognized authority on humanistic workplace transformation and the author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. She is the Transformation Leader for North America Mercer, an HR and wealth management consultancy that helps C-suite executives and organizations reinvent the employee experience, drive performance, and create a sustainable competitive advantage.

Across her diverse career, Melissa has founded a research institute on leadership of the future for Russell Reynolds Associates, launched two ESG practices at Deloitte, and conducted landmark carbon credit trades for Deutsche Bank. Her research has been published in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal, and her insights have been quoted in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Economist, and more. She has also been featured as one of Twitter’s “20 Digital Transformation Leaders to Follow” and named a “Top Influencer on the Future of Work” by Onalytica.

Resources Mentioned:
Work Here Now, by Melissa Swift: https://www.amazon.com/Work-Here-Now-Powerhouse-Workplace/dp/B0BVX6J4V1
The No Asshole Rule, by Robert Sutton: https://www.amazon.com/The-No-Asshole-Rule-audiobook/dp/B000NOKBYS
Mapping Experiences, by James Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Experiences-Complete-Alignment-Blueprints/dp/1492076635
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
Humanocracy, by Gary Hamel: https://www.amazon.com/Humanocracy-Creating-Organizations-Amazing-People/dp/B08F2RZ6VH

Connect with Melissa:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swiftmelissa/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/meswift

Building a Customer Movement: A Pragmatic Guide to Customer Experience Management | Alain Thys

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Alain Thys is an experience architect who has positively impacted half a billion customers and over 350,000 employees worldwide. Working with top brands such as Adidas, ING, Mercedes, and Deloitte, Alain and his team have created and implemented innovative work experiences that drive business profits – without sacrificing employee and customer experiences.

Alain is the former Managing Partner of Futurelab and founder of Alain Thys & Co. His company implements experiences that improve profitability by engaging teams around a common purpose, enriching customer lives through meaning, and differentiating brands from the competition.

In this episode, Dart and Alain discuss:
- Turning company vision into experiences for employees and customers
- Designing work that motivates good employee behavior
- Building custom solutions for customers
- Finding and attracting the right employees for your business
- The biggest mistakes in customer programs
- Anticipating and meeting future customer needs
- The challenges of CRMs, and potential AI solutions
- Key factors that drive stakeholders and shape their experiences
- And other topics…

Alain Thys is an experience architect who has impacted over half a billion customers and over 350,000 employees worldwide. With his team, he has created and implemented new work experiences to help drive business profit for clients like Adidas, Audi, Mercedes, Reebok, and Toyota. His book, So You Want To Be Customer-Centric? is an executive action guide that helps businesses focus on customers without sacrificing profitability.

In Belgium, Alain served as the Managing Partner of Futurelab and Advisory Board Member of BrightFish, after which he founded Shalima Ventures and Alain Thys & Co. Alain’s company implements experiences that boost revenue by engaging teams around a common purpose, enriching customer lives through meaning, and differentiating brands from the competition.

Resources Mentioned:
So You Want To Be Customer-Centric? , by Alain Thys: https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Customer-Centric-Profitable-Relations/dp/1463785143

Connect with Alain:
www.alainthys.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainthys

Seth Godin: We Are in a Race to the Bottom. Wake Up, and Shake Off Your Indoctrination!

Tue, 30 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

The Secrets to Happiness at Work: Purpose and Fulfillment at Work and Beyond | Tracy Brower

Tue, 23 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Is joy too much to ask of work? Viral trends like the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting have made it seem like work and life are at odds. Having studied the sociology of work for over two decades, Dr. Tracy Brower believes employees can find agency and happiness in the workplace – especially when employers create the right conditions.

Dr. Tracy Brower is an author, award-winning speaker, and Ph.D. sociologist with over 25 years of experience studying work and fulfillment. She is the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work. Her work has been translated into 16 languages and is featured in Forbes, Fast Company, TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.com, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Tracy discuss:
- The importance of agency in the workplace
- Common myths about work and organizations
- Valuing all types of work, and recognizing unique contributions
- Creating intentional relationships at work
- How employees can find purpose in their work
- Creating the right growth opportunities for employees
- The challenges of middle management
- Employees as a Market of One
- Assertive agency vs. aggressive agency in competitive markets
- And other topics…

Dr. Tracy Brower is an author, award-winning speaker, and Ph.D. sociologist dedicated to studying work-life fulfillment and happiness. She is the Vice President of Workplace Insights and has over 25 years of experience helping global clients reach their business goals. She is also the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work.

Tracy holds a Ph.D. in sociology, a Master of Management in Organizational Culture, and a Master of Corporate Real Estate with a workplace specialization. Her work has been translated into 16 languages and featured in Forbes, Fast Company, TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.com, among others.

Resources Mentioned:
The Secrets to Happiness at Work, by Tracy Brower: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Happiness-Work-Purpose-Fulfillment/dp/1728230896
“Middle Managers Have It Bad,” by Tracy Brower: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2023/03/26/middle-managers-have-it-bad-5-things-they-need-most/?sh=1d577c89617d
Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Women-Work-Will-Lead/dp/0385349947

Connect with Tracy:
www.TracyBrower.com
Steelcase.com: https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/topics/wellbeing/happiness-work-lessons-home/
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/?sh=7ea5a9c35185

Jobs to Be Done Theory: How To Build Customer Needs Into Every Part Of Your Business | Jim Kalbach

Tue, 16 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Jim Kalbach wrote the book on the jobs to be done research methodology (JTBD). Jim argues persuasively, that JTBD is way more than a tool for understanding what customers really want from a product. When used right, it can be the organizing principle that gets every part of a company pointing in the same direction, all towards satisfying customer needs.

In this episode, Dart and Jim discuss:
- Applying the Jobs to Be Done theory and methodology to business
- Understanding and identifying the unmet needs of a marketplace
- Promoting innovation by focusing on problems, not solutions
- Jobs to Be Done in HR to find the right work for employees
- Social, emotional, and differential factors that affect product market fit
- Developing product lines to meet different circumstances
- The Jobs to Be Done tools that help teams align their focus
- And more…

Jim Kalbach is an author, speaker, and instructor in innovation, design, and the future of work. After consulting for large companies such as eBay, Audi, Sony, and Citrix, Jim became Co-Founder and Principal at the JTBD (Jobs to Be Done) Toolkit, an online resource with learning, training, and content on human-centered business. He is also the current Chief Evangelist at Mural, the leading online whiteboard.

Jim lived in Germany for 15 years, where he founded the European Information Architecture conferences and the leading UX design event, IA Konferenz. In 2013, he moved back to the United States and wrote Mapping Experiences and The Jobs to Be Done Playbook, among other publications. He is also the former editor of Boxes and Arrows and a former advisory board member of the Information Architecture Institute.

Resources Mentioned:
The Jobs To Be Done Playbook, by Jim Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Jobs-Be-Done-Playbook-Organization/dp/1933820683
Mapping Experiences, by Jim Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Experiences-Complete-Creating-Blueprints/dp/1491923539
Jobs to Be Done toolkit: https://www.jtbdtoolkit.com/
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975

Connect with Jim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach/
www.JTBDtoolkit.com

Why We Buy: The Science of Consumer Behavior Explained | Paco Underhill

Tue, 09 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

From the layout of the supermarket to the colors and packaging of products, companies are constantly shaping and adapting to a mix of human nature and changing consumer trends. In this episode, we apply this perspective to the workplace and explore what we can do to design work that people want.

Paco Underhill is a researcher, speaker, and expert on consumer trends, working with clients like Microsoft, McDonald's, Adidas, and Estee Lauder. He is the founder and former CEO of Envirosell, Inc. His New York Times bestseller, Why We Buy, has been translated into 27 languages and deemed a guide to consumer behavior for over two decades.

In this episode, Dart and Paco discuss:
- Paco’s books, How We Eat and Why We Buy
- Observational research behind retail and consumer behavior
- The 6 things you must consider when discussing work or retail
- How to attract the right customers and employees
- The shopping models of the future
- Creating smoother workdays and happier employees
- How to collect the right data to improve a workplace
- And other topics…

Paco Underhill is the founder and former CEO of Envirosell, Inc., a market research and consulting company that helped invent the science of shopping. As a researcher, speaker, and expert on consumer trends, Paco has tailored retail environments to customers, working with clients like Microsoft, McDonald's, Adidas, and Estee Lauder.

Paco has lived in a multitude of cities and worked in 50 countries as a speaker, presenter, and consultant. He is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. His New York Times bestseller, Why We Buy, has been translated into 27 languages and deemed a guide to consumer behavior for over two decades.

Resources Mentioned:
How We Eat, by Paco Underhill: https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Eat-Brave-World/dp/1982127090
Why We Buy, by Paco Underhill: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Science-Shopping-ebook/dp/B001QA4SY2
“A Veteran Researcher Looks at the Subject of Shoes,” by Paco Underhill: https://www.therobinreport.com/a-veteran-researcher-looks-at-the-subject-of-shoes/
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975

Connect with Paco:
www.pacounderhill.com

The Platform Business Model: Creating Ecosystems for Value Exchange | Alex Komoroske

Tue, 02 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Platform businesses like Uber, Etsy, and Airbnb bring together customers who have complementary needs to a place where they can exchange value with one another. But a thriving platform can't be forced into existence. It must be cultivated like a garden. From ensuring fairness and trust, balancing innovation with regulation, and curating rights to intellectual property, these businesses must orchestrate a living system.

Today we are joined by Alex Komoroski. Alex is an expert in platform businesses with over a decade of hands-on experience as a leader and product manager, designing some of the most influential platforms, and thinking deeply about the principles underlying their success. He is an avid writer on project management, web standards, the power dynamics and creation of platforms, and other topics.

In this episode, Dart and Alex discuss:
- The structure and function of platforms in business
- The power dynamics of providers
- Embracing uncertainty at work instead of fearing it
- Employees as free agents
- Building a flourishing ecosystem around a platform
- Loosening boundaries at work
- The rules for creating effective communities
- The importance of play at work for creativity and innovation
- And other topics…

Alex Komoroske is an expert with over a decade of experience in project management and platforms, exploring the world of platform businesses and the keys to their success. As a former director and project manager for Google, Alex led the Google Chrome web platform product management team. He is the current Head of Corporate Strategy for Stripe.

Alex graduated from Harvard University, where his thesis focused on the emergent paradynamics of Wikipedia’s user community. He is an avid writer of various term papers, articles, blogs, and other publications on project management, web standards, and the power dynamics and creation of platforms.

Resources Mentioned:
The Doorbell in the Jungle, by Alex Komoroske: https://medium.com/@komorama/the-doorbell-in-the-jungle-cca22fbd78d0
The Flux Collective: https://read.fluxcollective.org/
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: https://www.pnas.org/
Talent Wants to Be Free, by Orly Lobel: https://www.amazon.com/Talent-Wants-Be-Free-Should/dp/0300166273
Next Now: https://www.next-now.org/

Connect with Alex:
www.komoroske.com

Escaping the Echo Chamber: Local Voices Share What Work is Really Like Around The World | Gregory Warner

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Beyond HR: Human Development in the Era of Shareholder Capitalism | Bob Aubrey

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Dr. Bob Aubrey is a pioneer of human development in Asia, striving to increase opportunities at work and improve the employee experience across borders. With experience spanning 25 countries and six continents, Bob founded and chairs the Advisory Board of the ASEAN Human Development Organisation (ADHO). His work promotes human development in the workplace across the 10 ASEAN countries as well as the world.

Bob is an award-winning human development consultant, author, and educator who has worked with major multinationals across the globe. He is the Managing Director of Bob Aubrey Associates, the author of 14 books on human development, and a global expert in human resources and corporate leadership.

In this episode, Dart and Bob discuss:
- Global human development (HD) and how it creates a better work environment
- How HR and HD work together
- HD curriculum and career paths
- The importance of ethics in companies and investments
- Environmental Social Governance and how it improves profitability
- HD within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- HR practices in Western vs. non-Western nations
- How to create an organization that prioritizes employee well-being
- If and how HD can coexist with capitalism
- And more…

Dr. Bob Aubrey is an award-winning human development consultant, author, social entrepreneur, speaker, educator, and leadership consultant. His work as an author and consultant spans 25 countries and six continents. He is a pioneer in the field of human development in Asia as the Founder and Chair of the Advisory Board of the ASEAN Human Development Organisation (ADHO). He is also the Managing Director of Bob Aubrey Associates.

Bob has authored 14 books on human development and leadership, including the first book ever written on human development careers. He is currently writing a book on ethics within ASEAN and developing the curriculum for the first human development master’s program in the region.

Resources Mentioned:
Human Development Careers, by Bob Aubrey: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Development-Careers-Leading-Future-ebook/dp/B08QJ1BS98
Measure of Man, by Bob Aubrey: https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Man-Leading-Human-Development-ebook/dp/B014IF1W36
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S. Kuhn: https://www.amazon.com/Structure-Scientific-Revolutions-50th-Anniversary-ebook/dp/B007USH7J2
Human Resource Champions, by David Ulrich: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Resource-Champions-David-Ulrich/dp/0875847196

Connect with Bob:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobaubrey/
ASEAN Human Development Organisation: https://www.aseanhdo.com/about

Willful Blindness: Confronting The Challenge of Business Ethics | Margaret Heffernan

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Businesses have long fragmented work and home life, searching for employees that fit the mold instead of molding work around their employees. As a global expert on business leadership, management, and innovation, Margaret Heffernan helps others to integrate work with life, prioritize good people instead of obedient employees, and measure business value in more than just numbers.

Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, award-winning author, keynote speaker to over 14 million people, and former CEO of five businesses across two continents. As an author, she has written two of the most important business books of the decade - Uncharted and Willful Blindness – as named by the Financial Times.

In this episode, Dart and Margaret discuss:
- Integrating work with life to benefit businesses and employees
- The problem of measuring progress and value in numbers
- Focusing on good people instead of obedient employees
- The morality (or lack thereof) of leadership
- What data doesn’t capture and how this affects a business
- Margaret’s strategies as the former CEO of five companies
- Recognizing the value of different positions, employees, and types of work
- And more…

Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, author of six award-winning books, and former CEO of five businesses in the U.S. and the U.K. As an expert on business leadership, management, and innovation, her TED talks have impacted over 14 million people. Her book Willful Blindness was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times. Margaret's most recent bestseller, Uncharted, is also nominated for the Financial Times Best Business Book award.

Before serving as the CEO of iCast Corporation, ZineZone Corporation, and Information Corporation, Margaret worked for BBC for over a decade. She received her M.A. from Cambridge University and an Honorary Degree from the University of Bath, where she currently serves as a Professor of Practice for the MBA program.

Resources Mentioned:
Uncharted, by Margaret Heffernan: https://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-How-Navigate-Future/dp/B084J6R3WG
A Bigger Prize, by Margaret Heffernan: https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Prize-Margaret-Heffernan/dp/1471100766
Willful Blindness, by Margaret Heffernan: https://www.amazon.com/Willful-Blindness-audiobook/dp/B004Q3S03Q
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Malcolm-Gladwell-audiobook/dp/B00097DWY0

Connect with Margaret:
www.mheffernan.com

Love Your Customers: How Customer Loyalty Trumps Profit Accounting as a Measurement of Longterm Business Health | Fred Reichheld Revisted

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Today we are featuring Fred Reichheld. Named by The Economist as the "high priest" of loyalty, Fred is the creator of the Net Promoter Score (NPS).

More than two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies have reportedly used the Net Promoter Score to measure customer experience including household names like Apple, Netflix, and Disney. According to Fred, however, the vast majority of companies are using it wrong.

Today, Fred shares what businesses can do differently to create a truly successful, fulfilling, and energized organization that prioritizes its customers and energizes its employees.

In this episode, Dart and Fred talk about viewing a company’s progress through the experience of its customers. They discuss why Fred believes organizations are built to love customers and enrich their lives, while leaders are meant to respect and recognize their employees. Fred also speaks about the importance of maximizing value in a business by creating value for its customers.

Topics Include:
- Mistakes companies make when measuring progress
- The ideas behind Fred’s new book, Winning on Purpose
- How to use emotional relationships to propel your business
- Why Fred hopes "earned growth" will replace NPS
- What creates energized employees
- How to track net revenue retention
- The best way to increase a company’s value
- And other topics…

Fred Reichheld is the creator of the Net Promoter Score and pioneer of the loyalty business model. His work guides two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies that use the Net Promoter Score to outline their customer success.

Fred is a New York Times best-selling author. As a Harvard alum, he also shares his knowledge through eight Harvard Business Review articles. He is a current Fellow at Bain & Company and has previously been named one of the top 25 consultants in the world by Consulting Magazine. His work has been covered by publications like The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune, Business Week, The Economist, and more.

Fred’s groundbreaking concepts of “customer loyalty” and “Earned Growth Rate” have allowed him to restructure outdated business models. His teachings promote customer retention, repetition, and referrals spanning different industries. He continues to research, write, and speak about these topics across the country.

Resources Mentioned:
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers/dp/1647821789/
Fred Reichheld's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredreichheld
Net Promoter System: netpromotersystem.com
NPSx System, by Bain: https://www.npsx.com/
The Cold Start Problem, by Andrew Chen: https://www.amazon.com/The-Cold-Start-Problem/dp/B08MKNHSWC/

Marshall Goldsmith: What I’ve Learned From 40 Years of Coaching the World’s Most Successful Business Executives

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Marshall Goldsmith has coached over 150 millionaires, successful entrepreneurs, and C-suite executives including the CEO of Pfizer, the former President of the World Bank, and the CEO of Ford Motor Company.

With over four decades of experience overcoming limiting beliefs and behaviors, Marshall’s life work helps successful individuals find greater purpose and triumph.

Marshall is widely considered the #1 Executive Coach in the World, has won the Thinkers 50 Award for #1 Leadership Thinker twice, and has written two of the Top 100 Leadership and Success Books ever written as per Amazon.com.

In this episode, Dart and Marshall discuss:
- What Got You Here Won’t Get You There and The Earned Life
- How success can cloud perception
- The structure of regret and how to avoid it
- Why happiness and achievement are independent of each other
- The mindset you need for a successful, earned life
- The benefit of fewer choices
- Aligning work with your purpose
- The best coaching advice Marshall could give
- And more…

Marshall Goldsmith is an executive educator and coach with over four decades of experience helping top CEOs and executives achieve greater success. Having worked with the CEO of Pfizer, the CEO of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and the former President of the World Bank, he has been ranked the #1 Executive Coach in the World for the past eight years. Marshall is the only person to win the Thinkers 50 Award for #1 Leadership Thinker in the world twice.

Marshall has authored or edited 36 books, including three New York Times bestsellers. Two of his books, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There and Triggers, have been recognized by Amazon.com as two of the top 100 Leadership & Success Books ever written. Marshall holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and currently teaches at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Resources Mentioned:
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith: https://www.amazon.com/What-Got-Here-Wont-There/dp/B000MGBNGW
The Earned Life, by Marshall Goldsmith: https://www.amazon.com/Earned-Life-Regret-Choose-Fulfillment-ebook/dp/B09BTSMTTR

Creating Organizational Change with Trauma-Informed Management | Shalini Verma Revisited

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Inspiring individual or organizational change is one of the hardest things for any leader or manager to accomplish.

According to Shalini Verma, a high-energy leader at Google who practices trauma-informed management, it's not about the process or the tools. That’s the easy stuff. In her opinion, the ability to drive individual and organizational change starts with a single thread: self-awareness.

In this episode, Dart and Shalini discuss the fundamentals of trauma research and how it lends itself to management. They discuss practical ways to implement trauma-informed management, how to deal with automatic responses that stem from trauma, why empathy is the key to inclusive product design, trauma as a path of evolutionary development, and much more.

Topics Include:
- Defining trauma
- How trauma shows up in the workplace
- Trauma-informed management
- Practical applications of trauma-informed management
- How to become more self-aware
- How to heal from trauma
- The connection between awareness of the body and anxiety
- How to make better decisions
- Inclusive product design
- And other topics...

Shalini Verma is the Global Lead of Technical Program Management at Google, helping to improve all of Google's products through global developer tools and frameworks. Named to Crain Magazine's Tech 50 - Top Technology talent, her career has transitioned from roles in process, to product, to leadership development. She is an MIT and Harvard Business School graduate.

Whether leading non-profit or for-profit organizations, her passion is to inspire leaders to transform themselves and the world. She has spent the last ten years discovering and developing tools through cross-pollination, collaboration, and experimentation across industries, age groups, and methodologies.

Resources Mentioned:
Listening to your heart might be the key to conquering anxiety: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/sarah-garfinkel-interocept
The Enneagram Prison Project: https://enneagramprisonproject.org/

Bureaucracy Is Killing Our Organizations | Gary Hamel Revisited

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Bureaucracy used to make sense. A lot of sense. Information was recorded on paper, it was difficult and expensive to move, and the best way for an organization to make decisions was for managers to consolidate information and send it up a chain of command.

Times have changed, but for the most part, organizations haven’t. The average Fortune 500 company still has eight layers of management passing information from the workforce to the C-Suite.

And it’s absolutely killing our organizations…

Gary Hamel has been described as “the world’s leading expert on business strategy” by Fortune Magazine and is the Harvard Business Review’s most reprinted author of all time.

He believes that nearly every organization is suffering from systemic disabilities stemming from bureaucratic management styles. According to Gary, the solution is nothing short of a revolution in business management principles.

In this episode, Dart and Gary discuss revolutionary management frameworks that business leaders can use to escape the tyranny of bureaucracy and create a thriving workforce.

They discuss why Gary believes that revolutionary management principles will undoubtedly determine the industry leaders of the future, how companies can evolve their management styles in a way that dramatically expands the capabilities of employees, the future of work for employees and employers, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The history of bureaucracy as a management model
- The shocking statistics of disengaged employees
- Top-down versus bottom-up management styles
- Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them
- Innovations in leadership and management strategies
- Roles and responsibilities of future managers
- New management principles for the 21st century
- How to empower employees
- Strategies for reducing risk while pushing innovation
- And other topics…

Gary Hamel has been described by Fortune Magazine as “the world’s leading expert on business strategy,” and the Financial Times calls him a “management innovator without peer.” Hamel has been ranked by The Wall Street Journal as the world’s most influential business thinker and is a fellow of the Strategic Management Society and of the World Economic Forum.

Gary Hamel has been on the faculty of the London Business School for more than 30 years and is the director of the Management Lab. Hamel has written 20 articles for the Harvard Business Review and is the most reprinted author in the Review’s history. His most recent bestsellers are Humanocracy and The Future of Management.

Resources Mentioned:
- Gallup Employee Engagement Trends (2022): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/391922/employee-engagement-slump-continues.aspx
- Humanocracy by Gary Hamel: https://www.amazon.com/Humanocracy-Creating-Organizations-Amazing-People-ebook/dp/B07B9HFSHX/
- The Future of Management by Gary Hamel: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1422102505/garyhamel-20
- Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Domination-Arts-Resistance-Hidden-Transcripts/dp/0300056699

Mass Customization: The Progression of Economic Value and the Mass-Customization of Work Experiences | Joe Pine

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Humanity-Centric Work Design: Balancing Humanity and Business Performance | Bree Groff

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Bree Groff is fighting for a future in which humanity and business performance are valued equally. As social problems like inequality, resource management, and climate action come to a head, leaders are being called to take the courageous action of designing work that serves stakeholders and humanity alike. In this episode, Dart and Bree discuss the challenges leaders are facing, the shifting norms of work, and how we can better design work for humans.

Bree Groff is a partner at SYPartners, a transformation company that helps great leaders build great companies. Her work focuses on transformation, innovation, organizational design, and culture, and she has worked with companies like Calvin Klein, Target, Microsoft, and Google.

In this episode, Dart and Bree discuss:
- The internal work required of today’s leaders
- Defining a humanity-centric organization
- The root causes of bad work
- Shopify’s elimination of most company meetings
- Authenticity at work
- Bree’s takeaways from consulting with startups
- Liminal leadership
- How expectations for company leaders are becoming more and more complex
- And other topics…

Bree Groff is a partner at SYPartners, where she focuses on transformation, innovation, organizational design, and culture while advising leaders at companies including Calvin Klein, Target, Google, Microsoft, and Diligent. Before working at SYPartners, Bree was the CEO of the global consultancy NOBL Collective.

During her career, Bree has advised Fortune 500 companies as a service designer, explored decision-making as a psychology researcher, and spoken as a global keynote speaker both in-person and virtually. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Organizational Learning and Change from Northwestern University, where she is also a visiting lecturer.

Resources Mentioned:
The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman: https://www.amazon.com/Design-of-Everyday-Things-audiobook/dp/B07L5Y9HND
A World Without Email, by Cal Newport: https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Email-Reimagining-Communication/dp/B08BTGX926

Connect with Bree:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-groff-94281136/
www.SYPartners.com
www.BreeGroff.com

Searching for Meaning: Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace and Life | Michael Steger

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

How do we measure meaning? Everyone talks about meaningful work, but what does that mean, and how do we know if we have it? Michael Steger has spent a lifetime pondering these questions. Today, he joins us on Work For Humans.

Michael is a professor, researcher, writer, and keynote speaker specializing in meaning, purpose, psychological strengths, and positive psychology. He is the founder and director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose, developer of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and three books, including Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace.

In this episode, Dart and Michael discuss:
- Positive psychology
- Defining and measuring meaning
- Correlations between meaningful work, company profits, and employee happiness
- Michael’s book, Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace
- Correlations between meaning work and salaries
- How companies can create meaningful work environments
- The dangers of companies superficially adopting meaning-based initiatives
- And other topics…

Michael Steger is a recognized authority, researcher, and professor on meaning in life, purpose, psychological strengths, and positive psychology. He is a professor at Colorado State University, an Extraordinary Professor for North-West University in South Africa, an associate editor for the Journal of Personality, a developer of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the founder and director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose.

Michael’s research centers on developing a sense of purpose and meaning in our work and lives. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and written three books, including Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace. Michael is also a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator for organizations and events worldwide.

Resources Mentioned:
Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace, by Michael Steger: https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Meaning-Workplace-Bryan-Dik/dp/1433813149 The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-0167.53.1.80
IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology: https://www.ippaworldcongress.org/

Connect with Michael:
http://www.michaelfsteger.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsteger/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=T7nZ93UAAAAJ&hl=en

The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works | John Truby

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0800

From an early age, John Truby knew that stories are not just something that happens on a page. Story is all around us. It structures how we interpret events, and even how we decide how to live. For John, story forms explain the way the world works.

John is a screenwriter and the founder and director of Truby’s Writers Studio in Los Angeles, where he teaches novelists, screenwriters, and TV writers the deep secrets of what makes a great story.

His students have generated more than fifteen billion dollars at the box office, and studios like Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, HBO, and AMC routinely consult John on how to improve the stories they tell.

In this episode, Dart and Jon discuss:
- The 14 story genres that categorize everyday life
- Which genre produces fulfilling work
- Reflecting on your work by creating a memoir
- Business analysis as a detective story
- The horror narrative of layoffs
- Sales as an action genre
- What the romance genre has to do with work
- And other topics...

Jon Truby is a screenwriter, director, screenwriting teacher, author, and Hollywood consultant for studios such as Disney, Sony Pictures, Fox, HBO, and AMC. He is the founder and director of Truby’s Writers Studio and has worked on over 1,000 film scripts over the last 30 years.

Jon created his 22-step outline for storytelling in his first book, The Anatomy of Story, teaching his techniques through global masterclasses to over 50,000 students worldwide since the start of his career. His latest book, The Anatomy of Genres, was released in 2022.

Resources Mentioned:
The Anatomy of Genres, by Jon Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
The Anatomy of Criticism, by Northrop Frye https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Criticism-Essays-Princeton-Classics/dp/0691202567
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers/dp/B09PC69XV3
The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels, by Patrick O’Brian: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Aubrey-Maturin-Novels-volumes/dp/039306011X
Cinema Paradiso (film), 1988
Master and Commander (film), 2003
Shane (film), 1953
Glengarry Glen Ross (play), by David Mamet
World Experience Organization: https://worldxo.org/

Connect with Jon:
www.truby.com
www.anatomyofgenres.com

Alive at Work: The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do | Daniel M. Cable

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Dan Cable found himself in a situation that millions of people experience every day. He was doing his job, meeting company standards, and getting compensated for it, but he felt something was missing. He wasn’t growing, he wasn’t learning, and his work did not make him feel whole and alive.

As a researcher and professor of organizational behavior, Dan knew he needed to make a change. By exploring the neuroscience behind thriving at work, Dan has since used his experience to help companies like Coca-Cola and Twitter design better work experiences for their employees.

Dan Cable is a researcher, author, and Professor of Organizational Behavior at the London Business School. He uses his expertise to assist clients like Coca-Cola, Twitter, McDonald’s, and Prudential. Dan has published three books and more than 50 articles in top scientific journals. He has been featured in publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Dan discuss:
- Dan’s book, Alive at Work
- The biology behind enthusiastic employees
- How Dan helped reduce a company’s turnover by 30%
- Why experimentation and play at work are essential
- Creating conditions for experimentation at work without risking company goals
- What stifles employee energy
- Playing to the strengths of your team
- The type of leadership that creates thriving employees
- How managers can create personalized work
- And more…

Dan Cable is a researcher, author, and Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. He uses his expertise to assist clients like Coca-Cola, Twitter, McDonald’s, and Prudential, among others. He has won the London Business School’s Excellence in Teaching Award and was selected for the 2018 Thinkers50 Radar List.

Dan holds a BA from Penn State University and an MS Ph.D. from Cornell. He has published three books – Change to Strange, Alive at Work, and Exceptional – as well as more than 50 articles in top scientific journals. His work has been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC.

Resources Mentioned:
Alive at Work, by Daniel Cable: https://www.amazon.com/Alive-Work-Neuroscience-Helping-People/dp/1633697665
Design for Belonging, by Susie Wise: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Belonging-Inclusion-Collaboration-Communities-ebook/dp/B0998BMN9H

Connect with Dan:
www.dan-cable.com
Twitter: @dancable1

The 5 Languages of Appreciation: How Employee Appreciation Increases Retention and Workplace Satisfaction | Paul White

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

If you’ve heard of the five love languages, you know that different people express and receive love differently. For years, we’ve implemented this knowledge within our personal relationships, but Paul White has found a way to apply them to work through his book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.

Paul is a psychologist, researcher, keynote speaker, leadership trainer, and best-selling author who “makes work relationships work.” For over 25 years, he has collaborated with companies like the Mayo Clinic, HP, NASA, Microsoft, and the Salvation Army to create positive workplace environments, boost engagement, and increase productivity. His book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, teaches how appreciation can improve working conditions while increasing company productivity and profitability.

In this episode, Dart and Paul discuss:
- Paul’s book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
- How to show appreciation in the workplace
- Employee recognition vs. employee appreciation
- The observable benefits of appreciating your team
- HR’s most misunderstood love language
- The failure of recognition programs
- Workplace design for ADHD employees
- Four major misconceptions leaders have about appreciation at work
- And other topics...

Paul White is a psychologist, researcher, keynote speaker, leadership trainer, and best-selling author who “makes work relationships work.” For over 25 years, he has worked with companies like Microsoft, NASA, the Mayo Clinic, HP, and the Salvation Army to create positive workplace environments, boost engagement, and increase productivity.

Paul has given lectures about his work in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. As an author, he has sold over 600,000 books, including The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, which he wrote alongside Gary Chapman. Paul has also been featured in the New York Times, Fortune, BBC news, CNN, and Forbes, among others.

Resources Mentioned:
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, by Gary Chapman and Paul White: https://www.amazon.com/Languages-Appreciation-Workplace-Organizations-Encouraging-ebook/dp/B07F7NYY9P
The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Secret-Lasts/dp/B079B7PJMV
https://www.appreciationatwork.com/

Immersive Experience Design: How to Use Story to Design Work Experiences | Stacy Barton

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

From street theater performances to multimillion-dollar immersive experiences, Stacy Barton knows how to engage an audience. Through her work as a master storyteller, Stacy has learned how to use storytelling principles to design specific experiences for target audiences. Today, we discuss how to apply these principles to work design.

Stacy has been creating multimillion-dollar immersive experiences for over 37 years as a designer, award-winning writer, and story lead. She uses her creativity to work with high-network individuals and companies like Disney, Ringling Bros, DreamVision, and SeaWorld, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Stacy discuss:
- Creating an immersive experience to engage customers
- How to show your customers/employees you care about them
- Discovering the story behind a brand
- Finding employees that complement your company
- The importance of appreciation at work
- Applying storytelling to real-world business problems
- Being creative within the constraints of work
- And more…

Stacy Barton has been creating immersive experiences as a designer, writer, and story lead for over 37 years. Utilizing immense creativity and problem-solving skills, she helps build multimillion-dollar pop-up experiences, escape rooms, shows, and theme park areas for high-network individuals and companies, including Disney, Ringling Bros, DreamVision, and SeaWorld.

As a writer, Stacy brings stories to life through her scripts, narrative development, and novels. She is the award-winning author of three books, five children’s picture books, and over 30 magazine publications. She presented as a panelist for the National Association of Writers and Writing Program and is a speaker for events such as the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference and the Disney Institute.

Resources Mentioned:
Why We Work, by Barry Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-Barry-Schwartz/dp/144237814X

Connect with Stacy:
https://www.stacybarton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-barton-58b7997/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stacy-Barton/author/B001JS4R6A

Designing Your Legacy: How to Get Unstuck and Live Your Legacy Forward at Work | Jeff Saperstein

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Jeff Saperstein watched his father spend his life in a job that used only a tiny portion of his true capabilities. By day, Jeff's father worked as a postman, but in his spare time, he read deeply and broadly in the classics, and he was a national chess champion and master. That would've been fine if Jeff's father had been okay with it, but he really wasn't.

Jeff resolved to live a different life. He moved from New York to California where he felt the ethos was much more sky's the limit and future-oriented. He reached for and attained senior marketing roles in top companies, wrote nine books, and now helps others live their full potential through his work as a university instructor and career coach.

In this episode, Dart and Jeff discuss:
- Creating a legacy through your work
- Managers as mentors
- Finding purpose at work
- Three aspects of connecting meaningfully with others
- Creating an inner circle of people who share your values
- Company culture
- What to do when you feel stuck in your job
- And other topics…

Jeff Saperstein is an author, university lecturer, and certified career coach. After climbing the corporate ladder in advertising, nonprofit marketing, and fundraising, Jeff decided to follow his calling and founded his own company. Now, Jeff helps accomplished professionals experience value-based growth through meaningful career transitions.

Jeff has written nine books and five case studies on business, including one bestseller. He is a lecturer at San Francisco State University, where his legacy includes promoting the growth of his students from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

Resources Mentioned:
The Inner Ring, C.S. Lewis speech: https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
The Purpose Economy, by Aaron Hurst: https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Economy-Personal-Community-Changing-ebook/dp/B00JEMUB1S
"8 Ways Women Can Use Their 'Relationship Capital' To Build Powerful Careers," by Jeff Saperstein: https://www.yourtango.com/self/relationship-capital-career

Connect with Jeff:
https://jeffsaperstein.com/

The Core Value Equation: How to Design an Unbeatable Company Culture | Darius Mirshahzadeh

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 02:00:00 -0800

In just three years, Darius Mirshahzadeh went from being a one-man show to having the 40th fastest-growing private company in the U.S. He was a 28-year-old CEO who brought his dream to life... until it hit him.

He hated his company, and it was his fault.

Darius realized that his organization didn’t reflect his core values, making limitless scale impossible. His journey to create a company grounded in core values resulted in Glassdoor ranking him the number nine CEO in America for small and medium-sized businesses. Now, having exited his company, Darius helps other companies scale to 8 and 9-figures using the principles he discovered.

Darius Mirshahzadeh is an author, entrepreneur, and expert in scaling businesses. Within three years of founding Twin Capital Mortgage, he grew it from one employee to 150 employees with a 2500%+ revenue growth. His new book, The Core Value Equation, discusses how to use core values to create limitless scale and build an unbeatable organization.

In this episode, Dart and Darius discuss:
- Darius’ new book, The Core Value Equation
- Designing company values
- Whether or not employees must share company values
- Core values as the language of accountability within an organization
- Measuring employee efficacy and engagement
- When polarization in business is a good thing
- Finding your calling
- And other topics…

Darius Mirshahzadeh is an author, entrepreneur, and expert in scaling businesses to eight and nine figures. Within three years of founding his first company, Twin Capital Mortgage, he grew it to have 2500%+ revenue growth and reach #40 on the Inc. 5000 rankings. By focusing on core values and honesty within a company, Darius was ranked #9 by Glassdoor’s Ranked CEOs in America for small to medium businesses. His new book, The Core Value Equation, discusses how to use core values to create a limitless scale and build an optimal organization.

Darius participated in the Birthing of Giants at MIT and the Gathering of Titans at MIT, was a TEDx curator, and graduated from the world-renowned Stagen Integral Leadership Program. His six core values are happiness, love, passion, curiosity, creativity, and balance.

Resources Mentioned:
The Core Value Equation, by Darius Mirshahzadeh: https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708
Bain & Company’s eNPS: https://www.netpromotersystem.com/about/employee-nps/
Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/356063/gallup-q12-employee-engagement-survey.aspx

Connect with Darius:
https://therealdarius.com/
The Greatness Machine podcast

The Unorthodox Manager: How to Eliminate Turnover and Run Successful Teams | Dan Clein

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Dan Clein has fought corruption in communist Romania and dismantled mines in the Israel Defense Forces, but his latest mission is a covert one – to assist weak and defeated teams, creating his own army of capable and courageous managers. His newest book, The Unorthodox Manager, uses his unconventional experience to break the mold of what managers should be and teach us what management is really about – thinking outside of the box, defending your team, and showing grit.

Dan Clein is an author, the owner of CoMeT-IC Consulting, and the current Chief Strategy Officer of LeadIC Design Canada Inc. As a Canadian, Israeli, and Romanian citizen who speaks four languages, Dan has trained people across backgrounds and within the tech industry for the last 35 years.

In this episode, Dart and Dan discuss:
- Dan’s latest book, The Unorthodox Manager
- The difference between a manager and a leader
- A manager’s duty to defend their team
- How to negotiate
- The importance of acting preemptively in business
- Creating a fulfilled and effective team
- Knowing who is management material
- Dan’s experience in communist Romania and the Israeli army
- And more…

Dan Clein is an author, the owner of CoMeT-IC Consulting, and the current Chief Strategy Officer of LeadIC Design Canada Inc. He has spent 35 years in the tech industry, training others in everything from hardware implementation to management courses. As a Canadian, Israeli, and Romanian citizen who speaks four languages, Dan has worked with people across backgrounds, countries, and professions. His latest book, The Unorthodox Manager, arms readers with out-of-the-box strategies for successfully managing modern teams.

Resources Mentioned:
The Unorthodox Manager, by Dan Clein: https://www.amazon.com/Unorthodox-Manager-Eliminating-Turnover-Successful/dp/1525591975

Connect with Dan:
Dan Clein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-clein-43b2581/?originalSubdomain=ca

Jobs for Humanity: The Untold Story of Refugees, Returning Citizens, and Other Underrepresented Talent in the Job Market | Roy Baladi and Eugène van den Hemel

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 02:00:00 -0800

In 2020, Roy Baladi was moments away from the Port of Beirut when it exploded, nearly costing him his life. Meanwhile, 2,500 miles away in the Netherlands, Eugène Van den Hemel met with struggling refugees to help connect them to a brighter future. An unexpected twist of events would eventually bring these two men together to help hundreds of underrepresented people find work, aspiration, and hope.

Roy Baladi is the founder of Jobs for Humanity, a global movement that has created 10,000+ jobs for historically underrepresented talent, including the blind, the neurodivergent, single moms, ethnic minorities, refugees, returning citizens, and those over 58 years old.

Eugène Van den Hemel is a professional recruiter who left his corporate job to help underrepresented communities through his consulting company, Heavenly Thoughts. Since 2015, he has helped over 800 individuals reignite their aspirations and find fulfilling work.

In this episode, Dart, Roy, & Eugène discuss:
- The near-death experience that changed Roy’s perspective
- The mission of Jobs for Humanity
- A pool of talented employees that companies overlook
- Stigmas and biases built into many hiring processes
- How to break biases
- Neurodivergent employees, and how they help your company win
- How one man’s network helped 800+ people find work
- And other topics…

Roy Baladi is the founder of Jobs for Humanity, a global movement to create jobs for historically underrepresented talent. He has helped over 10,000 people from these communities find work, including the blind and low vision, the neurodivergent, single moms, ethnic minorities, refugees, returning citizens, and those over 58 years old.

Eugène van den Hemel is a professional recruiter who left his corporate job to help underrepresented communities connect with employers. He formed his own consulting company, Heavenly Thoughts, to assist refugees and other groups through relationship-based recruiting. Since 2015, Eugène has helped over 800 individuals reignite their aspirations and find fulfilling work.

Resources Mentioned:
www.Jobsforhumanity.com

Connect with Roy & Eugène:
Roy Baladi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roybaladi/
Eugène Van den Hemel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evandenhemel/?originalSubdomain=nl

Thriving on Overload: How to Stay Focused in a World of Exponential Information | Ross Dawson

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Ross Dawson’s mission in life is to advance human evolution – but he's facing a dilemma. How can humans evolve in the Information Age when so much misleading and distracting information surrounds us? By figuring out where to find value amid information overload, Ross became a globally-recognized futurist, creating better business strategies for companies like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Citibank.

Ross is a global keynote speaker, futurist, author, strategy advisor, and entrepreneur. As an advisor, he has worked in over 30 countries for big names like Microsoft, Visa, and Walmart, among others. He is a best-selling author who predicted the social networking revolution in his book, Living Networks. His latest release, Thriving on Overload, is available now.

In this episode, Dart and Ross discuss:
- How to find value within our information overload
- The 5 capabilities you need for success in the information era
- The 6 ways humans pay attention
- Ross' time living in a Japanese Zen dojo
- The importance of aligning individual mental models within a team
- Information hazards we can avoid
- The future of humans and technology in work
- And other topics…

Ross Dawson is a globally-recognized futurist, keynote speaker, author, strategy advisor, and entrepreneur. Named by Digital Media as one of the most influential people in the world in the future of work, Ross has appeared on CNN, ABC TV, and the Today Show, as well as been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC, among others.

As an advisor, he has worked in over 30 countries for companies like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Visa, Citibank, and Walmart. Ross is also the best-selling author who predicted the social networking revolution through his previous book, Living Networks. His latest release, Thriving on Overload, is available now.

Resources Mentioned:
Thriving on Overload, by Ross Dawson: https://www.amazon.com/Thriving-Overload-Success-Exponential-Information-ebook/dp/B0BFP6WCHP
Living Networks, by Ross Dawson: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Networks-20th-Anniversary-Hyperconnected-ebook/dp/B09V1PCFWB
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers-ebook/dp/B08TCJHZWZ

Connect with Ross:
www.RossDawson.com
www.ThrivingOnOverload.com
Thriving on Overload podcast: https://thrivingonoverload.com/episodes/

Storytelling for Leaders: How Stories Make Work Meaningful | Alice Fairfax

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Alice Fairfax was overjoyed when she landed the acting job at Disney World. There was just one problem. She needed to keep the attention of crowds and had no idea how to do it. Determined to learn the trade, she built up over 10,000 hours of performance experience. Along the way, Alice discovered the secret to engaging an audience, and it works across all domains – storytelling. Alice now helps brands tell their stories in a way that connects with employees and customers alike.

Alice has been a Walt Disney World performer for over 20 years. She is a ghostwriter, scriptwriter, keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of two books on creativity and performance, The Creative Life and Tell Your Story.

In this episode, Dart and Alice discuss:
- How stories make work meaningful
- The relationship between core values and stories
- Employee onboarding
- How to connect employee wants with company needs
- What makes a good story
- How to speak so people listen
- How to win the trust of an audience
- And other topics...

Alice Fairfax has performed improvisation, storytelling, and comedy at Walt Disney World for over 20 years. Using her vast experience, Alice helps executives, speakers, writers, and companies communicate their vision through her series of storytelling trainings and workshops. She is also a ghostwriter, scriptwriter, keynote speaker, and author of two books on creativity and performance, The Creative Life and Tell Your Story. Alice holds a certificate in Creativity & Innovation from the Walt Disney Company and Harvard Business School Publishing and a BA from Rollins College.

Resources Mentioned:
A Theory of Human Motivation, by A.H. Maslow: https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm
Why We Work, by Barry Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books-ebook/dp/B00NZWJE3O
Design for Belonging, by Susie Wise: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Belonging-Inclusion-Collaboration-Communities-ebook/dp/B0998BMN9H

Connect with Alice:
www.Alicefairfax.com
Instagram: @alicefairfax
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-fairfax-3aaa711/
Tell Your Story, by Alice Fairfax, 2023 release: https://www.alicefairfax.com/resource

Motivational Work Design: How to Design Workplaces Employees Never Want to Leave | Thomas Bertels

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Thomas Bertels spent the last two decades as a Business Architect helping struggling businesses solve structural problems: employee disengagement, inefficient teams, and low productivity. Whether working with a small company or a big player like PepsiCo, Thomas realized these issues stemmed from the same source – poor work design.

This insight led Thomas to develop what he now calls motivational work design – a systems approach to designing work that is employee-centric, improves productivity, and improves customer experiences.

Thomas Bertels is the founder of the consulting firm Purpose Works. He has worked across industries from big pharma, insurance, and top Fortune 50 companies like Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo, and others.

In this episode, Dart and Thomas discuss:
- How work came to be so poorly designed
- How to design work that balances employee needs and company needs
- The role of HR in work design
- The role of Senior Executives in work design
- Tops-down versus Bottom-Up approaches to work design
- The role of managers in well-designed workplaces
- The balance between employee oversight and autonomy
- And other topics...

Thomas Bertels has been redesigning business strategies, processes, and operating models across industries for over 25 years. During his career, Thomas has revamped HR processes for a top ten pharma company, reduced operating costs by over $30 million for a leading insurance organization, and improved efficiency within big names like Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi Chemical, and PepsiCo.

Thomas began his consulting work in Germany, where he was a founding partner of OXYGY Consulting/Valeocon Management Consulting. He later led the firm’s work in the U.S., where he received his MBA from New York University. Thomas is the founder and current president of the Purpose Works consulting firm, where he continues to work on operating model transformation across all sectors.

Resources Mentioned:
Purpose Works Consulting: www.purpose.works
Job motivation diagnostic tool, Mojo Diagnostic: mymojo.works

How Thinking of Employees as Customers Increased Sales by 427% and Created a Culture of Belonging | Mark LeBusque

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

After becoming painfully aware that he cared more about the numbers than the well-being of his employees, Mark LeBusque began to question his management philosophy. An insight to start thinking of his employees like customers helped Mark breakout of the "employees as inputs to production" model that previously informed his thinking. With this shift in management style, Mark was able to lead his team to unprecedented levels of growth and a newfound sense of belonging.

Mark is internationally known as the Human Manager. He is a Harvard-trained speaker, facilitator, mentor, coach, and author focused on making businesses more human-centric. After a 25-year career in sales, operations, and general management, Mark has established a human-manager model of business that focuses on people to improve employee and business outcomes.

In this episode Dart and Mark discuss:
- How the suicide of Mark’s father changed his view on relationships
- Why technical proficiency is a poor measurement of management ability
- The shortcomings of viewing employees as inputs to production
- How thinking of employees as customers increased team sales by 427%
- The importance of belonging, and how to foster it in the workplace
- How traditional org charts misguide our thinking on management
- What leaders can do to create a culture of trust and appreciation
- And other topics…

Mark LeBusque is a Harvard-trained speaker, facilitator, mentor, coach, and author. His two books, Being Human and The Little Book of Human, discuss how to elevate leaders and energize employees through human-based interactions and management. During his 25-year career in sales, operations, and general management, Mark challenged the traditional management system and sought to replace it with his human-manager model of conducting business. He is now known across the world as the Human Manager. As an accredited practitioner in adaptive leadership, Mark works with team leaders globally to increase and improve employee engagement, team performance, and business results.

As for his human side, Mark lives in Melbourne with his wife of 31 years. Together they have three children and three sausage dogs.

Resources mentioned:
Being Human, by Mark LeBusque: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Human-Robots-Business-Success/dp/0995429618
Seeing Like a State, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153

Connect with Mark:
Mark LeBusque LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklebusque?originalSubdomain=au
Mark LeBusque website: https://marklebusque.com/

The Bubble Chart: A Practical Tool For Balancing The Needs of Your Company and the Needs of Employees | Shalini Verma and Dart Lindsley

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Too often business leaders are forced to choose between the needs of their company and the needs of their employees. It’s a lose/lose scenario leaving managers burned out and workers seeking other opportunities.

At Work for Humans, we believe work can be designed differently.

When managers are given the tools they need to design work their teams love, work becomes irresistible, employees passionately buy into their roles every day, and your company takes measurable strides towards your vision.

The Bubble Chart is one of those tools.

The Bubble Chart is a practical tool managers can use to curate work their teams love, while also ensuring the work being done is highly aligned with the mission of the company.

In this episode, Dart and Shalini go deep on the Bubble Chart. They discuss how leaders can use the bubble chart to analyze what projects their teams are working on and how much value each project is adding to the company.

They also discuss how using the Bubble Chart can help individuals lead up and down the chain of command, align priorities between teams and departments, promote team member growth, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The problem with viewing employees as an input to production
- The management philosophy behind the Bubble Chart
- How Shalini used the Bubble Chart to improve outcomes for her teams at Google
- Finding and fixing pain points in your organization
- How the Bubble Chart improves the self-awareness of employees and managers
- Determining how to allocate the limited resources of any team
- How the Bubble Chart can help managers win the trust of their team
- And other topics…

Shalini Verma is the Director of Technical Program Management at Google, helping to improve all of Google’s products through global developer tools and frameworks. Named to Crain Magazine’s Tech 50 – Top Technology talent, her career has transitioned from roles in process, to product, to leadership development. She is an MIT and Harvard Business School graduate.

Resources Mentioned:
Creating Organizational Change with Trauma-Informed Management, Work For Humans: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2AaBKLITtuvWix7XNK5vFu?si=1d3532ca06924fd1
Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollen: https://www.amazon.com/The-Omnivores-Dilemma-audiobook/dp/B000FDJ3FU/
The Extended Mind, by Annie Murphy Paul: https://www.amazon.com/Extended-Mind-Power-Thinking-Outside/dp/B0B1QXQT18/
Stealing Fire, by Steven Kotler & Jamie Wheal: https://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Fire-audiobook/dp/B01N2HREQU/

Seeing Like a State: How Tops-Down Management Styles Create Disaster in Complex Systems | William Hurst

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

William Hurst is all too familiar with the disasters that have resulted from tops-down governance. William has documented firsthand the chaos that ensues when decision-makers remain isolated from the realities of life on the ground in his decades of fieldwork in China and Indonesia. In this episode, Dart and William explore how companies experience similar problems when they try and optimize complex systems for narrow outcomes.

William is the Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development at Cambridge where his research focuses on Chinese and Indonesian politics. He is the author of Ruling Before the Law: the Politics of Legal Regimes in China and Indonesia and The Chinese Worker After Socialism.

In this episode, Dart and William discuss:
- Seeing Like a State, and other works from James C. Scott
- How behavioral economics has reshaped our thinking of “the rational actor”
- The failure of governments to optimize complex systems for specific outcomes
- High modern authoritarianism, and how it shows up in our companies
- The inseparable relationship between states, coercion, and violence
- The limitations of tops-down management styles to govern at scale
- How good intentions led to the starvation of 35 million people in China
- The unstable future of China’s economy
- The qualities that make work meaningful
- And other topics…

William Hurst is the Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development at Cambridge where he works on labor politics, contentious politics, political economy, and the politics of law and legal institutions, principally in China and Indonesia. Prior to Cambridge, William spent 8 years at Northwestern University where he served as the Professor of Political Science. Before Northwestern, William was a postdoctoral fellow at Oxford and an assistant professor at the Universities of Texas and Toronto.

William is the author of several books including Ruling Before the Law: the Politics of Legal Regimes in China and Indonesia, and The Chinese Worker After Socialism. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the comparative politics of law and legal institutions in China and Indonesia since 1949.

Resources Mentioned:
Seeing Like a State, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153
Weapons of the Weak, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Weak-Everyday-Peasant-Resistance/dp/0300036418
Moral Economy of the Peasant, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Economy-Peasant-Rebellion-Subsistence/dp/0300021909
Against the Grain, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Against-Grain-History-Earliest-States-ebook/dp/B0747RTP2W
Hidden Transcripts and the Arts of Resistance, by Richard A. Horsley: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Transcripts-Arts-Resistance-Applying/dp/9004130535
Professor William Hurst at the University of Cambridge: https://www.devstudies.cam.ac.uk/ourpeople/williamhurst
Scholarly publications by William Hurst: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4YPbje4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

The Number One Skill Organizations Will Need to Survive in the New Economy | Steve Cadigan

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Steve Cadigan’s boss at Electronic Arts was not happy when he resigned after one year to pursue what he saw as the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to lead HR for a budding startup called LinkedIn. Unbeknownst to him, Steve was at the forefront of a new era of work – the era of high turnover and low tenure where employees are constantly hunting for new opportunities. According to Steve, how skillfully companies respond to this new norm will determine their survival in the new economy.

Steve has spent more than 30 years in HR. He was named LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer and helped scale the company from 400 to 4,000 employees in less than four years. He later founded Cadigan Talent Ventures LLC, where he helps companies like Google and Twitter integrate learning into their work design to increase employee engagement and company growth.

In this episode, Dart and Steve Discuss:
- The current speed of innovation, and its threat to traditional companies
- Hiring for adaptability instead of experience
- The modern roots of workplace dissatisfaction
- How Tesla, Amazon, and Microsoft leverage short tenure to their advantage
- Ways to adapt in a culture of high turnover
- The future value of specialization and generalization
- Creating systems to grow talent internally
- The value of traditional education in the new economy
- Seven models for developing talent
- And other topics…

Steve Cadigan has been a cutting-edge expert in global human resources and talent strategy for 30 years, working with clients like Google, Twitter, BBC, Cisco, and GoPro. He is a keynote speaker, advisor, author, and the founder of Cadigan Talent Ventures LLC, where he works with fast-growing organizations to increase their sustainability, improve company culture, and adapt to the ever-changing future of work and talent acquisition.

Before launching his firm, Steve became LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer, scaling the company from 400 to 4,000 employees in less than four years. His work has since led him to build talent solutions across six industries in 3 countries, from Silicon Valley to across the globe. Steve is a highly-coveted expert for news stations and publications as a regular contributor to Forbes and guest on CNBC and Bloomberg West. He has also spoken at conferences at the Harvard Business Review Summit, Stanford University, Google, The Ivey School of Business in Shanghai, and the University of Sydney, among others.

Resources Mentioned:
Workquake, by Steve Cadigan: https://www.amazon.com/Workquake-Embracing-Aftershocks-COVID-19-Working/dp/1645434265
Development, social norms, and assignment to task, by Marcel Fafchamp: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1019457108
Get Talent, by Dr. Paul Green: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Talent-Interview-Actions-Results/dp/097714142X
The Inside Gig, by Edie Goldberg: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Gig-Boundaries-Unleashes-Organizational/dp/1928055605

Connect with Steve:
Steve Cadigan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadigan/
Steve Cadigan website: https://stevecadigan.com/
Steve Cadigan TikTok: @stevecadigan

Future-Proof Your Skillset: How to Navigate the Changing Landscape of Work | Jim Carrick-Birtwell

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Imagine that you have two applicants for the same job. One is an Ivy-league graduate who is book-smart and has average soft skills. The second went to a college you’ve never heard of but can read a room, present with confidence, and solve interpersonal team issues. Your choice likely depends on the role, but Jim Carrick-Birtwell believes the second applicant has something every business should want.

Jim is the CEO of Future Talent Learning, a brand that produces virtual learning programs for employers around the world. His work focuses on exploring the skills, mindsets, and behaviors businesses need to navigate the changing world of work. He aims to incorporate both humanness and the humanities to improve business outcomes.

In this episode, Dart and Jim discuss the need for diversity and transferable soft skills in business, especially for students and young adults entering the workforce. They dive into how teams can improve skills like communication and empathy, as well as how managers can measure marginal gains in each area. Jim also talks about the effects of B Corp organizations, the importance of disagreements in the workplace, and how to optimize a business for multiple outcomes.

Topics Include:
- The key to effective speeches and presentations
- Why education isn’t preparing young adults for employment
- How managers can teach soft skills
- The metric to measure human skill development
- Why businesses need spaces for thinking and emotional processing
- The facets of a B Corp
- Improving your work by being with non-like minded people
- Creating responsible leadership, businesses, and workplaces
- And much more…

Jim Carrick-Birtwell has been an advocate of the humanities since he studied English Literature at Oxford University. Over the years, he began to see a divide between what students learn in school and what employment requires of them to succeed.

To support education-to-employment initiatives, Jim became the CEO of Plotr CIC from 2012 to 2016, a platform for students and young adults backed by the Cabinet Office. He also forms part of the Barclays LifeSkills Advisory Council and The Foundation for Education Development Advisory Council.

In 2004, Jim co-founded and became the CEO of Changeboard, now known as Future Talent Learning. This purpose-driven organization offers transformational learning experiences by increasing emotional intelligence, teaching soft skills, and creating more inclusive workplaces for over 50 employers around the world.

Resources Mentioned:
Future Talent Learning: www.futuretalentlearning.com
Jim Carrick-Birtwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcarrickbirtwell/?originalSubdomain=uk
Seeing Like a State, by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153
Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs: https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/larry-fink-ceo-letter
Values: Building a Better World for All, by Mark Carney: https://www.amazon.com/Values-Building-Better-World-All/dp/0771051557
Rebel Ideas, by Mathew Syed: https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Ideas-Power-Diverse-Thinking/dp/B088MH93MS

Love Your Customers: How Customer Loyalty Trumps Profit Accounting as a Measurement of Longterm Business Health | Fred Reichheld

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Physical Spaces and the Experience of Work: Reimagining the Future of Workspaces | Jeremy Neuner

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0800

When we think about the experience of work, one thing to consider is the space work happens in. And for many of us, the space we work in has changed since the pandemic, opening an opportunity for companies to rethink their approach to workspaces.

Meet Jeremy Neuner. Jeremy is the former CEO and co-founder of NextSpace, one of the first coworking spaces in the world. During Jeremy's time at NextSpace, he discovered that the experience of a space has as much to do with cultural norms and how the space is used as it does with the actual building design.

In this episode, Dart and Jeremy discuss how to use language, rituals, and iconography to foster community at work. They also discuss the challenges of replicating quirkiness at scale while retaining authenticity, creating spaces that bolster a knowledge economy, the current state of our workplaces post-COVID, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The NextSpace coworking model
- Selling people on a community
- Examples of language, ritual, and iconography in the workplace
- Designing workspaces
- Creating a culture of autonomy, choice, and flexibility
- Bonding versus bridging social capital
- Prioritizing connection and collaboration over convenience
- Google's experimentation with workspaces
- And other topics…

Jeremy Neuner is the former CEO and co-founder of NextSpace, a collaborative coworking community where he and his team led the charge in the future of work. Jeremy is now the Startup Curriculum Lead and Head of Launchpad San Francisco at Google. Prior to this, he was a Navy pilot, a management consultant, and a local government official. Additionally, Jeremy spent time as a fellow at the Aspen Institute's Business and Society program where he studied the future of work with leaders of Fortune 500 companies.

Books Mentioned:
The Secret Lives of Buildings, by Edward Hollis: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Lives-Buildings-Parthenon-Thirteen/dp/0312655363

Bias Is Hurting Your Bottom Line, Here's How We Fix It | Anu Gupta

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we are joined by Anu Gupta, a sought-after expert in breaking bias, behavior change, and well-being.

For the last 50 years or so, companies have spent billions of dollars and billions of hours trying to address the challenges of bias, inequity, diversity, and inclusion. Noticing this, Anu’s curiosity led him down a path to figure out why these companies weren’t making any headway.

What he realized is that the work of addressing bias is one of behavior change — behavior change of individuals, teams, and of organizations.

In this episode, Dart and Anu tackle the question of bias. They discuss what's being lost in our society, economy, and businesses because of bias, the difference between conscious and unconscious bias, the root causes of systemic racism in the U.S., interventions to measurably reduce bias in the workplace, the relationship between bias and belonging, and so much more.

Topics Include:
- Why should you care about bias as a leader
- Bias in the legal system
- Defining transitional justice
- Four foundations of mindfulness
- Examples of how biases are unique to different societies
- The Racial Empathy Gap
- Prosocial behavior
- PRISM — The Five Tools to Break Bias
- Corporate structure models for L3C’s and B Corps
- And other topics…

Anu Gupta is a lawyer, educator, scientist, and the Founder of BE MORE with Anu. He founded BE MORE in 2014 after seeing the social and financial harms of bias to individuals, organizations, and communities firsthand. He foresaw the numerous possibilities available when people have access to mindfulness practices and scientific wisdom. He synthesized his skills as an attorney, research scientist, and a meditation teacher to build programs centered on advancing equity and belonging unlike any that existed before.

A peer-reviewed author and the principal investigator behind BE MORE’s research, Anu is a sought-after expert in breaking bias, behavior change, and well-being. He has extensively written and spoken about this work, including on the TED stage, SXSW, the Oprah Conversation, Fast Company, and Newsweek. Prior to founding BE MORE, he worked as an attorney, a research scientist, and a middle school teacher in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Anu is a trained mindfulness and yoga teacher (500-hours) and his meditations can be found on the Insight Timer, Open, and the Ten Percent Happier meditation apps. He also serves as a Systems Designer for Penn State Dickinson Law’s Antiracist Development Institute (ADI).

REGISTER FOR THE BREAKING BIAS SUMMIT:
Nov 3 & 4, 2022: https://breakingbiassummit.vfairs.com/

Resources Mentioned:
BE MORE with Anu: https://bemorewithanu.com/
@bemorewithanu on all social channels
Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT): https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari: https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095

Service Science and the Impending AI Revolution | Jim Spohrer

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Picture two cafes that serve precisely the same coffee. The first cafe has friendly baristas, comfortable seating, free WIFI, and great music. In the second cafe, the employees are bored, the music is bad, and the WIFI is slow.

Most of us would choose the first one. This is because our experience of a product goes far beyond the product itself - it's closely linked to the services that deliver it and how companies and customers co-create the value of that service.

These are a few of the fundamental insights of service science, an approach to service innovation co-created by today’s guest – Jim Spohrer.

In this episode, Dart and Jim discuss how service science can help us deliver a better experience of work. They provide examples of how service science has changed the work landscape as we know it, how service science leads to innovation, how AI will influence our experience of work in the near future, and much more.

Topics Include:
- Understanding service science
- The future of employee/employer engagements in our changing economy
- International Society of Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP)
- The biggest service innovations in history
- Ethical concerns of artificial intelligence
- Digital twins, and how they’ll affect employees
- Servant leadership
- And other topics…

Jim Spohrer is the co-creator of service science and open-source, trusted AI. He is a retired IBM executive and is a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit International Society of Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP).

At IBM, he served as Director for Open Source AI/Data, Global University Programs, IBM Almaden Service Research, and CTO IBM Venture Capital Relations Group. At Apple, he achieved Distinguished Engineer Scientist Technologist (DEST) for authoring and learning platforms. After MIT (BS/Physics), he developed speech recognition systems at Verbex (Exxon), then Yale (PhD/Computer Science AI).

With over ninety publications and nine patents, awards include AMA ServSIG Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Service Discipline, Evert Gummesson Service Research, Vargo-Lusch Service-Dominant Logic, Daniel Berg Service Systems, and PICMET Fellow for advancing service science. In 2021, Jim was appointed a UIDP Senior Fellow (University-Industry Demonstration Partnership).

Resources Mentioned:
Succeeding through service innovation: A service perspective for education, research, business and government https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/uploads/Resources/080428cambridge_ssme_whitepaper.pdf

Books Mentioned:
-Service in the AI Era, by Jim Spohrer: https://www.amazon.com/Service-AI-Era-Architecture-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B0B2H87LFS
-Non-Zero: The Logic of Human Destiny, by Robert Wright: https://www.amazon.com/Nonzero-Logic-Destiny-Robert-Wright/dp/0679758941
-If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes, by Nick Donofrio: https://www.amazon.com/If-Nothing-Changes-Donofrio-Story-ebook/dp/B0B178D91G
-The One Minute Manager by, Kenneth Blanchard: https://www.amazon.com/Minute-Manager-Kenneth-Blanchard-Ph-D/dp/074350917X
-Breakthrough: A Growth Revolution, by Martin Fleming: https://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Growth-Revolution-Martin-Fleming/dp/1637423098

Neurodiversity, DEI, and the Challenge of Recruiting Diverse Talent | Tim Goldstein

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Today we are featuring Tim Goldstein. Tim is a Neurodiverse Communications Specialist, educator, and public speaker. He has a background in tech and has worked with name brands like Chase Bank, Macy’s, Citizens Bank, and many others.

Tim's career took an interesting twist when he was diagnosed with autism at age 54. He has since gone on to become an advocate for neurodistinct employees – people who deviate from what would be considered neurotypical in the workforce.

Tim has spoken to groups like Microsoft Denver, Cornell University, the Stanford Autism at Work Group, the Society of Industrial and Occupational Psychologists, and many other organizations.

In this episode, Dart and Tim discuss neurodiversity and some of the advantages of ADHD and Autism. They discuss how work can be designed better to meet the needs of neurodistinct people, and the benefits companies stand to gain from doing so. They also discuss communication differences between cultures, how to recruit and retain diverse talent, the design of work experiences, and other topics.

Topics Include:
- Recruiting and retaining diverse talent
- Entrepreneurship and autism
- Faking "normalcy" at work
- Improving communication skills
- Tips for creating an inclusive work culture
- Defining belonging at work
- Communication tips for management
- And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
NeuroCloudTM Survey: https://www.timgoldstein.com/blog/neurocloudsurvey
Geeks Guide To Interviews, by Tim Goldstein: https://www.amazon.com/Geeks-Guide-Interviews-Technical-Interview/dp/1542595215
Tim Goldstein’s personal website: https://www.timgoldstein.com/

Tim Goldstein is a Neurodiverse Communication Specialist who helps organizations overcome the business/technology communication gap. Using his Cloud Neurodiversity™ concept, Tim explains how this communication challenge comes from the way our brains are shaped and wired.

Tim Goldstein is a Certified High-Performance Coach & Certified Master Presenter. He has spoken to groups like Microsoft Denver Dev Day, Cornell University class, Stanford Autism at Work group, Society of Industrial and Occupational Psychologists, multiple international companies, and peer-level presentations to senior executives.

In the tech world, Tim has architected, developed, refactored, and maintained MS SQL OLTP & BI Reporting systems for clients including Chase Bank, Macy's, Citizens Bank, Cigna, Vail Resorts, Physicians Health Partners, HealthGrades, Pearson, Harris Broadcast, Jeffco Schools, Experian, and many others.

The Design of Everyday Things: Design for a Better World | Donald Norman

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Donald Norman is perhaps the most influential design educator of all time. Don is often cited as the father of user interface design and user experience design. He is best known for his book The Design of Everyday Things and is set to release a new book early next year – Design for a Better World.

In his latest book, Don argues that design principles can provide solutions to many of the complex global problems we are currently facing.

In this episode, Dart and Don discuss how business leaders can shift to a more sustainable, and humanity-centered approach to business while maintaining a thriving economy. They discuss the impact design has on human behavior, the incredibly important role designers play in society, why everyday things are often designed poorly, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The difference between human-centered design and humanity-centered design
- Circular Economies
- Designing products and services with ecosystems in mind
- How product design can massively influence human behavior
- Training designers in sustainably
- How better regulation can help reduce negative externalities
- Don's experience working for Apple
- Work design
- And other topics…

Donald Norman is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Science and Psychology and founding director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego. Business Week has named Don as one of the world’s most influential designers of all time. He was an Apple Vice President, has been an advisor and board member for numerous companies, and has three honorary degrees. His numerous books have been translated into over 20 languages.

Resources Mentioned:
Design for a Better World by Donald Norman: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Better-World-Sustainable-Humanity-Centered/dp/0262047950
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654/
Emotional Design by Donald Norman: https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things-ebook/dp/B005GKIYD4/
The Psychology of Everyday Things by Donald Norman:
https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Everyday-Things-Don-Norman/dp/0465067093

Designing Work for the 21st Century | Dart Lindsley on The Cutting Edge

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

In this bonus episode, we are sharing Dart Lindsley's guest appearance on The Cutting Edge, a public radio show hosted by Santa Cruz's former mayor Tim Fitzmaurice.

Tim and Dart discuss the genesis of Work for Humans, Dart's background and how it lead him to the management philosophy behind work for humans, the reimagining of work that is currently taking place worldwide, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The kind of work Dart does for Google
- The complexity of work and how it integrates into our lives
- What we've gotten wrong about work
- The woes of modern HR
- Thinking of employees like customers
- Responses to the anti-work movement
- Freedom of choice when choosing a job
- Using design principles to design work
- Dart's forthcoming book
- And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
Design Your Life by Dave Evans: https://designingyour.life/the-book/
Clayton Christensen: https://claytonchristensen.com/

How Candidates Are Choosing Jobs, Shift Shock, and the New Rules of Work | Shalya Thurlow

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Work culture is changing, and it's changing fast. The old norms of toughing it out and sticking with a new job are fast being replaced by notions of employee autonomy and choice. A recent survey from the Muse found that 80% of active job seekers believe quitting a new job in less than 6 months is acceptable if it doesn’t live up to expectations. In the modern workplace, it is workers who are pushing the envelope, and they are doing it with their feet.

Joining us today is Shayla Thurlow, VP of People and Talent Acquisition at The Muse – a platform with 7 million monthly users that helps people find work that matters to them by matching job seekers with coaches, career advice, and employers. Unlike other sites that focus largely on skills, the Muse is focused on things like values, purpose, and culture.

In this episode, Dart and Shayla discuss the experience of “Shift Shock”, what job seekers are saying is the most important feature they are looking for in their next job, what flexibility in the workplace really means, how HR professionals can approach this new landscape, and much more…

Topics Include:
- Defining shift shock, and how to avoid it with new hires
- Modernizing HR technology
- Questioning the emphasis we've placed on grit
- What employees really mean by work-life balance
- How candidates are choosing jobs today
- Importance of offering learning and growth opportunities
- Advice for HR professionals
- And other topics...

Shayla Thurlow is the VP of People and Talent Acquisition at The Muse, a company that is serving as the go-to destination for the next-gen workforce to research companies and careers. With nearly two decades of experience in human resources, Shayla is passionate about creating workplace cultures where employees can thrive. Before joining The Muse, Shayla worked in various industries and has held roles in many areas, including talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, performance management, and leadership training and development.

Resources Mentioned:
The Muse’s Shift Shock survey: https://www.themuse.com/advice/shift-shock-muse-survey-2022
The New Rules of Work by Kathryn Minshew and Alex Cavoulacos: https://www.themuse.com/thenewrulesofwork

Employees as Customers in a Multi-Sided Market | Geoffrey Parker

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Two-sided markets are revolutionizing the way we do business, and in time, it may revolutionize the way we think about employees as well.

Dartmouth Professor Geoffrey Parker has spent years researching and writing about platform business strategies that leverage two-sided markets like eBay, Airbnb, and Uber.

Geoffery is the co-developer of the theory of two-sided markets, the co-author of Platform Revolution, and has made significant contributions to the field of network economics and strategy.

In this episode, Dart and Geoffrey talk about employees as outside producers at one end of a multi-sided market, how to optimize choice and non-monetary micro-economies in the workplace, the pros and cons of salary-based work, how to attract employees beyond money and benefits, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The history of multi-sided markets
- How to attract the kind of work you want within a company
- Calculating lifetime value and churn
- Improving employee retention
- What people really want from work
- Building the kind of work people want
- Pros and cons of online work vs on-premises
- The unintended consequences of viewing employees as inputs to production
- And other topics…

Geoffrey Parker is a professor of engineering at the Thayer School of Dartmouth College, where he also serves as director of the Master of Engineering Management Program. Before joining Dartmouth, Geoffrey was a professor of management science at the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and served as Director of the Tulane Energy Institute.

Geoffrey is also a visiting scholar and fellow at the MIT Initiative for the Digital Economy where he co-chairs the annual MIT Platform Summit and the annual BU Platform Research Symposium, and he is a fellow at the Luohan Academy and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. As well as co-authoring the book Platform Revolution, Geoff is the co-developer of the theory of two-sided markets and has made significant contributions to the field of network economics and strategy.

Resources Mentioned:
Geoffrey’s Website: https://ggparker.net/
Barry Schwartz on Work For Humans: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1949517/11170487

7 Rules For Gaining Power and Influence Within Your Organization | Jeffrey Pfeffer

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

What comes to mind when you hear the word power? Whether or not you’re ambivalent about the idea of power, there’s no denying its role in the workplace.

From bureaucracy and hierarchy to performance reviews and incentive plans, power dynamics are on full display in the workplace. So how can we show up powerfully at work and wield influence within our organizations?

Dr. Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He's the author of many books including The Human Equation, Dying For Paycheck, and most recently The 7 Rules of Power: Surprising–but True–Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career.

In this episode, Dart and Jeffrey discuss the thesis of Jeffrey’s recent book The 7 Rules of Power. They discuss the relationship between power and formal titles, how leaders rise to the top, how to gain power and influence, how companies can generate higher profits by putting people first, and much more.

Topics Include:
- Why people are ambivalent about power
- Defining power, influence, and control
- The purpose of power
- Dying for a paycheck
- The knowing-doing gap
- Gaining influence with powerful people
- The modern plight of HR departments
- And other topics…

Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, where he has taught since 1979. Before Stanford, Jeffrey taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois. Jeffrey has been a visiting professor at Harvard Business School, London Business School, Singapore Management University, and IESE in Barcelona. He has given talks in 39 countries and received an honorary doctorate from Tilburg University in The Netherlands.

He currently writes a twice-monthly column for Fortune.com, and in the past has written for Business 2.0, the CEIBS Business Review (China), Capital Magazine (Turkey), and for numerous other blogs in the U.S. He is also the author of several books including the Human Equation, The Knowing-Doing Gap, Dying for a Paycheck, Hard Facts, Managing with Power, and the 7 Rules of Power. Jeffrey currently serves on the board of Berlin Packaging and a nonprofit, Quantum Leap Healthcare

Resources Mentioned:
7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer: https://www.amazon.com/Rules-Power-Surprising-but-True-Advice-Advance-ebook/dp/B09FPGBG22
The Human Equation by Jeffrey Pfeffer: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Equation-Building-Profits-Putting/dp/0875848419
The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton: https://www.amazon.com/The-No-Asshole-Rule-audiobook/dp/B000NOKBYS
Influence by Robert B. Cialdini: https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X

Creating Organizational Change with Trauma-Informed Management | Shalini Verma

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Inspiring individual or organizational change is one of the hardest things for any leader or manager to accomplish.

According to Shalini Verma, a high-energy leader at Google who practices trauma-informed management, it's not about the process or the tools. That’s the easy stuff. In her opinion, the ability to drive individual and organizational change starts with a single thread: self-awareness.

In this episode, Dart and Shalini discuss the fundamentals of trauma research and how it lends itself to management. They discuss practical ways to implement trauma-informed management, how to deal with automatic responses that stem from trauma, why empathy is the key to inclusive product design, trauma as a path of evolutionary development, and much more.

Topics Include:
- Defining trauma
- How trauma shows up in the workplace
- Trauma-informed management
- Practical applications of trauma-informed management
- How to become more self-aware
- How to heal from trauma
- The connection between awareness of the body and anxiety
- How to make better decisions
- Inclusive product design
- And other topics...

Shalini Verma is the Global Lead of Technical Program Management at Google, helping to improve all of Googles products through global developer tools and frameworks. Named to Crain Magazine's Tech 50 - Top Technology talent, her career has transitioned from roles in process, to product, to leadership development. She is an MIT and Harvard Business School graduate.

Whether leading non-profit or for-profit organizations, her passion is to inspire leaders to transform themselves and the world. She has spent the last ten years discovering and developing tools through cross-pollination, collaboration, and experimentation across industries, age groups, and methodologies.

Resources Mentioned:
Listening to your heart might be the key to conquering anxiety: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/sarah-garfinkel-interocept
The Enneagram Prison Project: https://enneagramprisonproject.org/

Design For Belonging: How to Build Inclusive Workplaces | Susie Wise

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

When people don’t feel like they belong at work, their performance and well-being suffer. But, when individuals can be their authentic selves, the benefits for both the employee and the workplace are substantial. So what can organizations do to help promote belonging and inclusion in the workplace?

Dr. Susie Wise studies, writes, and teaches how levers of design like roles, events, and spaces can be used to foster feelings of belonging and reduce othering in organizations and beyond.

In this episode, Dart and Susie talk about Susie’s book, Design for Belonging, moments of belonging like code-switching, invitation, diverging, and exiting, and how leaders can design belonging into the workplace.

Topics Include:
- Stories of belonging
- Contexts of belonging
- Othering and alienation
- Design as a path to belonging
- Design neglect
- Levers of belonging
- The importance of descent
- Impacts and effects of systems
- Who designs experiences
- And other topics…

Dr. Susie Wise is a designer with experience in education, tech, and the social sector. She coaches leaders in innovation practices, liberatory design, and storytelling for inclusion. She founded and led the d.school's K12 Lab, catalyzing national projects like School Retool and the Shadow a Student Challenge.

She is also a co-creator of Liberatory Design. Susie teaches at the d.school at Stanford University and coaches with the Mira Fellowship. She lives with her family and their dog Hijiki in Oakland, CA, USA. Susie is the author of Designing for Belonging, where Susie explains how to use simple levers of design to set the stage for belonging to emerge.

Resources Mentioned:
Designing for Belonging: https://www.designforbelonging.com/

Branding and the Design of Work Experience | Alder Yarrow

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 02:00:00 -0700

In order to survive and thrive in today’s competitive marketplace, businesses must be proactive in designing experiences that customers love.

Alder Yarrow has spent 25 years creating customer experiences for some of the world’s top brands including Twitter, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Tesla Motors, and more.

In this episode, Dart and Alder discuss experience design and experience modeling. They discuss how employers might think of employees as customers to better meet their needs, the challenges of transforming a brand, experience design versus user experience, and other topics.

Topics Include:
- How to understand what customers want
- Experience design
- Experience modeling
- Experience design for the American Cancer Society
- In-context studies and why they’re important
- The Manager Work Practice Study
- Grounded Theory
- Jobs-To-Be-Done Theory
- The Say-Do Gap
- Trauma-Aware Management
- And other topics…

Alder Yarrow has spent 25 years creating customer experiences for some of the world’s top brands. He has led mission-critical brand and experience design engagements for brands including Google, Twitter, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Gymboree, Cisco, HP, Motorola, Fidelity, Anki, Blurb, Starwood, Subaru, and Tesla Motors. Most recently, Alder served as the Chief Experience Officer at Cibo, a brand and customer experience agency (acquired by Projekt202) dedicated to creating winning brands and products by applying design thinking to business.

Beyond his work as an advisor and marketing executive, Alder writes and publishes the blog, vinography.com. In 2013, vinography.com was nominated for a James Beard award. San Francisco Magazine has called Alder “The Wine World’s Brightest Cyberstar” and he is widely accepted as a pioneer of wine blogging.

Resources Mentioned:
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Technologies-Management-Innovation/dp/1633691780
Alder’s blog, Vinography: https://www.vinography.com/

The Tragic State of Work in America | Barry Schwartz

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0700

For decades workers have been incentivized to work for a paycheck, but how does the pay-for-performance model impact motivation, productivity, innovation, and work satisfaction?

Professor Barry Schwartz studies how work operates in our culture and argues that monetary incentives are weak drivers of employee productivity. Barry explores the traits that can make work feel meaningful, and studies how companies can flip the script to build workplaces where employees are motivated, innovative, and happy.

In this episode, Dart and Barry talk about why the pay-for-performance model doesn’t work, what people really want from their work, the role of autonomy in the workplace, and Barry's tips for hiring the best talent.

Topics Include:
- Barry's book, Why We Work
- What HR got wrong about work
- What people really want from work
- Job to be done theory
- The paradox of choice
- Autonomy in the modern workplace
- The challenges of hiring
- Designing work for the future
- Academic theories vs real-world applications
- And other topics…

Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action in the psychology department at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where he has taught for thirty years.

Barry is the author of Why We Work, Practical Wisdom, and The Paradox of Choice. He’s also the author of several leading textbooks on the psychology of learning and memory, including The Battle for Human Nature: Science, Morality, and Modern Life.

His articles have been published in The New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Parade Magazine, USA TODAY, Slate, Scientific American, Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, and others. Barry has appeared on dozens of radio shows, including Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, Anderson Cooper 360, and CBS Sunday Morning.

Resources Mentioned:
- Barry Schwartz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Schwartz_(psychologist)
- Why We Work by Barry Schwartz: https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9781476784861
- Practical Wisdom by Barry Schwartz: https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9781594487835
- The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/149151423X
- Barry’s TedTalks: https://www.ted.com/speakers/barry_schwartz
- Jeffrey Pfeffer: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/
- The Human Equation by Jeffrey Pfeffer: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/books/the-human-equation/

The Great Resignation and the Future of Work | Aaron McEwan

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 02:00:00 -0700

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped society as we know it. In this post-pandemic world, the balance of power has shifted from employer to employee. Workers are demanding respect and expecting a greater quality of life, in many cases refusing a return to the traditional office.

So what happens when companies can no longer rely on culture and on-premise experience to attract and retain employees? And how can companies adapt and thrive in this new environment?

Behavioral scientist, psychologist, and futurist, Aaron McEwan believes that businesses must place people at the center.

Harnessing data and insights that focus on personalizing employees’ experiences, allowing for flexibility and autonomy, and rethinking the purpose of traditional office spaces IS the future of work.

In this episode, Dart and Aaron talk about the Great Resignation, how the pandemic reshaped society, the “Netflix Experience” and personalization, how employers underestimated the workforce and how remote workers proved them wrong, the future of workplaces, and much more.

Topics Include:
- What business leaders are most worried about
- The commoditization of work
- The feasibility of personalized work experiences
- What all managers need to know about employees
- The challenge of understanding employee desires
- The role of managers in the future
- How we consistently underestimate the workforce
- The anti-work movement
- And other topics…

Aaron McEwan is a behavioral scientist, psychologist, and futurist. He was recently named a Top 100 Global HR Influencer and one of 5 HR Leaders to Follow in 2022. As VP, Research & Advisory for Gartner’s HR Practice, Aaron provides strategic advice to the world’s leading companies on the future of work and talent and helps leaders manage their most critical relationships across the c-suite and board.

Alongside his current role, Aaron is a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute, serves on the national committee for the Australian Psychological Society’s Interest Group in Coaching Psychology, and is an Associate of Macquarie University’s Centre for Workforce Futures.

Aaron has lectured at Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong, University of NSW, University of Queensland, Griffith University, and the Australian College of Applied Psychology and was a member of Innovation Nation, a cross-industry initiative sponsored by the Office of the Prime Minister to elevate Australia’s reputation for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Resources Mentioned:
- James C. Scott: https://politicalscience.yale.edu/people/james-scott
- Weapons of the Weak by James C. Scott: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0300036418

Bureaucracy Is Killing Our Organizations | Gary Hamel

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 01:00:00 -0700

Work For Humans With Dart Lindsley

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:00:00 -0800

Too often business leaders are forced to choose between the needs of their company and the needs of their employees. It’s a lose/lose scenario leaving managers burned out and workers seeking other opportunities.

But it doesn’t have to be this way...

At Work for Humans, we believe work can be designed differently. When you design work like products people love, your company wins. Working conditions improve, work becomes irresistible, employees passionately buy into their roles every day, and your company takes measurable strides towards your vision.

Join Dart Lindsley and others in the conversation by subscribing to the Work for Humans podcast today.

Here you'll learn how your teams can implement a new, revolutionary framework that aligns the interests of your people with the interests of your company.

You can be the one to kindle this new fire in your organization. You can be the one to lead your teams to a new frontier of health and resilience.

Subscribe to Work For Humans today.