Leading Forward

Episode #23 (Part II): All about Change and Simple Thinking with Richard Gerver, Acclaimed Speaker, Author, and Instructor In Part II of Leading Forward's Season One Finale, Christie spoke with Richard Gerver. Richard Gerver has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. He is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and world-renowned thinker. Richard began his career in education, most notably as headmaster of the failing Grange Primary School. In just two years, he famously transformed the school into one of the most acclaimed learning environments in the world. He was celebrated by UNESCO and the UK Government for its incredible turnaround. Richard has since transitioned to the global stage where he uses his trademark humor and natural style to deliver passionate, provocative and authentic speeches. He draws upon the first-hand experiences and unique insights garnered from frontline education to explore the links between great leadership, human potential, change, and innovation. His ability to connect experiences across many seemingly different environments helps people to expand their thinking and perception of potential. It is this authenticity and uniqueness which has helped Richard win him global acclaim and invitations to speak on the most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA and BBC radio. The three core principles underpinning Richard's philosophy are communication, empowerment, and impact. He argues that great leadership is first and foremost about serving the needs of the people who work for you. His mantra: systems and structures change nothing; people do. Highlights "All about Change and Simple Thinking" * Brand authenticity and integrity are the most important aspects to consumers. * Today there is a higher expectation of companies to support social issues. * “The great idea could come from anywhere, at any moment, and from any person-wherever, they are in the organization.” * If employees feel their job has value and meaning and can see the impact of their work-that becomes a very persuasive motivator for people. * Middle managers tend to face roadblocks by the people below them and above them. * “Senior management should change the culture and expect the middle managers to find the superstars below them, and that is how their performance is measured.” * If people’s pay is determined by outperforming people, then there is no incentive for collaboration and teamwork. * “Systems and structures change nothing, people do.” This is because oftentimes the systems and structures get in the way. * Organizational change requires a culture shift, and that takes time. * Starting small with organizational change can achieve results much quicker than attempting to change the entire organization by a singular launch date. * Taking people along with you means you “are not doing something to someone but they are along for the process.” * As teachers, parents, managers, and leaders we must remember challenges bring learning, and sheltering too much becomes a hindrance to a person’s potential. ----------------- LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us. ----------------- Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/ [https://www.christieberger.com/]

Episode #23 (Part I): All about Change and Simple Thinking with Richard Gerver, Acclaimed Speaker, Author, and Instructor In Part I of Leading Forward's Season One Finale, Christie spoke with Richard Gerver. Richard Gerver has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. He is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and world-renowned thinker. Richard began his career in education, most notably as headmaster of the failing Grange Primary School. In just two years, he famously transformed the school into one of the most acclaimed learning environments in the world. He was celebrated by UNESCO and the UK Government for its incredible turnaround. Richard has since transitioned to the global stage where he uses his trademark humor and natural style to deliver passionate, provocative and authentic speeches. He draws upon the first-hand experiences and unique insights garnered from frontline education to explore the links between great leadership, human potential, change and innovation. His ability to connect experiences across many seemingly different environments helps people to expand their thinking and perception of potential. It is this authenticity and uniqueness which has helped Richard win him global acclaim and invitations to speak on the most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA and BBC radio. The three core principles underpinning Richard's philosophy are communication, empowerment, and impact. He argues that great leadership is first and foremost about serving the needs of the people who work for you. His mantra: systems and structures change nothing; people do. Highlights: "All about Change and Simple Thinking" * As a parent, it can be difficult to sit back and support your child when they make decisions you may not agree with. * “Some of our most highly qualified, highly gifted, highly talented professionals are the ones that find change most challenging.” * People that have never failed, made mistakes or experienced real adversity tend to walk away. * Adversity and mistakes present an opportunity for the individual to persevere. * “The more time you invest in people at the human level, they will give it back to you in Spades.” * Building your people up develops the most loyal, connected and capable people in your organization. * There is no shortcut to having the best team, it starts with the leader investing in their team members. * Psychological safety is at the core of the most successful corporations. * “Lack of control” is a key component in a person feeling uneasy about change. ----------------- LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us. ----------------- Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/ [https://www.christieberger.com/]

Episode #22: Leading to Align and Motivate your Teams with Ann Hatcher, EVP & Chief Human Officer at Wellpath In today's episode, Christie spoke with Ann Hatcher. In April of 2019, Ann Hatcher joined Wellpath as their Chief Human Resource Officer. Prior to joining Wellpath, Ann served more than two decades with HCA where she held a number of positions and was a proven healthcare and human resources leader. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated the ability to build a culture of highly effective and engaged healthcare professionals committed to delivering quality health outcomes for patients. Since joining Wellpath, she has repositioned the Human Resources team to support the execution of business results through leading candidate attraction, employee retention, and leadership development initiatives.  2020 brought a new challenge to the human resource departments across the country with the Covid-19 pandemic and the myriad of employee challenges that followed. Under Ann’s leadership not only did Wellpath announce in early April, enhanced bonuses, but also increased paid time off, and other benefits to help the thousands of frontline team members in sites providing clinical care during the coronavirus crisis. Highlights: "Leading to Align and Motivate your Teams" * 2020 was the “year of HR leadership” because organizations relied heavily upon their HR team to keep moving forward. * Getting organized and assembling key leaders is important to make sure everyone is on the same page. * Expert council is necessary to review data and then develop a plan to accomplish the organization’s goals. * Blurred lines can lead to burnout among staff and it is up to leaders to monitor their people. * Communication cues act as a strong indicator of burnout. Things like looking down at your phone or cutting someone off during a call. * Supporting a direct report or your team begins with the leader being present. * Listen to what’s on the surface, listen to what is not being said, and then a leader can better understand how to support. * Meaningful work, opportunity to influence, and learning something new are key motivators for many people in the job search. * It is not the work that messes people up when they make a transition, it’s the culture. * Do new hires read the culture, understand the culture and help move the culture to where it needs to be? * Learning the unwritten “rules of the road” depends on relationship building and starting slow enough but getting early wins. * The corporate office is a symbol to represent what is important in the culture. ----------------- LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us. ----------------- Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/ [https://www.christieberger.com/]

Episode #21: Redefining Success and Priorities of a Global Business Unit During Immense Change with Emily Poladian, President at Firestone Industrial Products In today's episode, Christie spoke with Emily Poladian. Emily is the President of Firestone Industrial Products. As President, Poladian oversees all aspects of the FSIP business, including management of the more than 1,500 employees around the world who play an integral part in the company’s growth and commitment to designing industry-leading technology to eliminate vibration in global transportation. Emily joined Bridgestone in June 1995.  She began her career with Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC (FSIP) as a Product Engineer and was named Sales Engineer for Industrial Sales four years later. In June of 2009, Poladian was named Manager, North and Central American Distributor Sales responsible for Aftermarket, OES, and Industrial sales. Highlights: "Redefining Success and Priorities of a Global Business Unit During Immense Change" * Transitioning into a new role requires a lot of navigating- developing the right structure and team. * COVID gave an opportunity for teams to communicate more frequently and move things along more quickly. * Leaders must be transparent with their team- it allows team members to understand the “why” around certain decisions. * Part of leadership’s job is to have aspirations for the organization, but those aspirations have to become inspiration for members of the organization. * Cultural sensitivity around communication is important for global teams. * Surveys and feedback are great metrics to determine that all members are understanding what leadership is communicating. * One-on-one conversations or small group conversations lead to better qualitative “pulse checking” to receive feedback/understand engagement from the team. * The effectiveness of the team and its culture are indicators of a team leader’s success. * Setting the broad vision and then empowering the leaders in your team to lead at their level in the organization. * It is okay for women to be intentional with their goal setting (for both career and personal life), you do not need to be apologetic for any of your goals. * Owning where you want to go, laying out the groundwork to get there, advocating for it (and yourself), and then planning accordingly will help you accomplish your plan. * Focusing too much on the “growth areas” of the business is not sustainable, developing a balance between the “growth” and “bread and butter” leads to balanced success. ----------------- LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us. ----------------- Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/ [https://www.christieberger.com/]

Episode #20: Compassionate Care, Systemic Change and Mental Health at Work with Jaclyn Pritchett, SVP of Human Resources at Brookdale In today's episode, Christie spoke with Jaclyn Pritchett. Jaclyn Pritchett is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Brookdale Senior Living.  Prior to Brookdale, she was at Bridgestone Americas, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and worked within the auto industry, government & non-profit sector, and consulting. Jaclyn previously served on the Board of Directors for MT|SHRM, and currently serves as the Executive Sponsor for the Leadership Development Program. She also currently serves on the Board for New Frontiers, and is President of the Board for Crowned for Ashes. Highlights: "Compassionate Care, Systemic Change and Mental Health at Work" * COVID-19 has provided businesses with a real-life case scenario that cannot be taught in training classes. * A few business lessons like variables changing every day and making decisions across the nation, are products of 2020. * During a crisis, an organization will be successful if the right procedures were set up prior in the weeks or months before. * Recognizing your leaders, both publicly and privately, is critical for human resources. * Discussions around mental health are necessary because “What’s going on at home is affecting people at work and people need to bring their whole self to work.” * Recharging, “What happens during the loss of control in a crisis?”, Zoom fatigue, guilt, & burnout are conversation starters to let your people know they are not alone. * What support mechanisms are set up in your organization to support your people’s mental health? What roles are dedicated to this? * Step one of systemic change is integrating the new policy into the system. Step two is working to integrate it with your managers and other employees. * Compassionate leadership is a tool for leading during a crisis. * Growing vertically in an organization is standard. Growing horizontally is not as common and having a “playground” of options is ideal. * Creating and letting people see what is possible in the organization, supports employees to develop as individuals and leaders. * Taking risks and saying ‘yes’ to things that you may not check every checkbox, may seem scary at first but can pay off. ----------------- LEADING FORWARD breaks down professional assumptions through meaningful conversations that remind us all that leading, effectively, can and often does look different for each of us. ----------------- Subscribe to the Thread at https://www.christieberger.com/ [https://www.christieberger.com/]