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Igniting Momentum for Game-Changing Results

Transformational CEOs

Navigating Employee Stakeholder Activism Inside and Outside the Workplace

 How can CEOs lead civil discourse on sensitive social and political issues?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 205 TranscriptAs employee stakeholder activism is continuing to rise, and CEOs are under pressure to engage in the conversation, listen to episode 205. Scott and I speak with Amy Showalter, a grassroots and Political Action Committee influence expert. She is also the author of the book, The Underdog Edge: How Everyday People Change the Minds of the Powerful. . . and Live to Tell About It.

Amy is currently a columnist for Bloomberg Government and Lobbyblog.com. Over 500 media outlets have featured her insight. This includes The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Politico, CNN Money.com, Foxnews.com, and CNBC.com. (read more about Amy Showalter below).

You’ll gain insights on:
  • The dynamics driving the growing trends of employee stakeholders’ interest in social issues, and why leaders leaders need to actively navigate these concerns
  • The right way and wrong way for CEOs and other top leaders to encourage social/political conversations among employee stakeholders
  • Immediately useful ideas for encouraging civil discourse among employee stakeholders with competing social and political opinions

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Becoming an “Intentional Leader”

 Our guest shares insights from his CEO journey and highlights from his new leadership book

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 202 TranscriptDownload and listen to episode 203. Scott and I speak with returning guest Tim Hebert, CEO of Trilix, a business and technology consulting firm. We discuss insights from his transformational leadership journey and what it means to become an “intentional leader.”

Tim is a visionary entrepreneur, innovator and adventurer. He is also a seasoned speaker and author of a new book The Intentional Leader: How inner authority can unleash strong leadership. (read more about Tim Hebert below).

You’ll gain insights on:
  • Why Tim believes intentional leadership especially matters in what he calls “today’s leadership crisis”
  • The keys to transitioning from what Tim call “Ghost Mode” to being an intentional leader
  • Immediately useful ideas for fostering personal insight and cultivating habits of intentional leadership

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The Future of C-Level and Board Networking

Transform networking from an activity to an essential strategy for developing business – and your best life 

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 198 Transcript

Download and listen to episode 198. Scott and I speak with world-class networker Jack Killion, who shares his stories and insights about the impact of continuously fostering business and personal relationships. He is a global entrepreneur and author of the book NetWork: All The Time, Everywhere With Everybody. 

Jack earned degrees from Yale and MIT, and has provided strategic consulting to Fortune 500 organizations and a wide range of other businesses while with McKinsey and Company and during 40 entrepreneurial years of starting and selling a variety of companies. His latest enterprise is Street Smart Entrepreneurs, which provides an abundance of resources for founders and corporate leaders in all stages of growth. (read more about Jack Killion below).

You’ll gain insights on:
  • The biggest changes in C-Level and Board networking over the years
  • Debunking myths around networking at the top leadership level
  • Three immediately useful ideas about building strategic C-level and Board Networking for the future

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Why Top Leadership Needs to Embrace “Holistic Insight”

A thought-leading CEO shares stories of how holistic insight can be transformative for a company

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 152 Transcript Listen to Episode 189. Scott and I speak with Lawrence “Larry” Siff, CEO of Neptune Advisors and the C Level Community. We discuss the key to developing broader and deeper perspectives for boards and management to optimize a company’s growth and create long-term value.

Larry has advised hundreds of CEOs and boards on maximizing corporate value. He holds a wide range of leadership positions in multiple organizations and boards. This includes being a National Association of Corporate Directors board leadership fellow, an independent board member of Mason Companies Incorporated, and being an industry advisor for Silverwood Partners, a boutique investment bank. (read more about Larry Siff below)

You’ll gain insights on:

  • The key benefits for boards and for management teams who gain and act upon holistic insight
  • Stories of the game-changing power of holistic leadership in action
  • Three immediately useful ideas for boards and management to develop holistic insight 

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The New Keys for Leadership Success in a Disruptive World

Why are more boards looking for greater adaptability in CEOs, C-Suite, and Sr. Executives?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 152 TranscriptFind out by listening to Episode 152.  In this pivotal fan-favorite podcast, Scott and I speak with Peter R. Gleason, President & CEO of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Although we recorded this conversation in 2019, before the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises, it is just as relevant (or even more so) now as then.

Peter is a recognized expert on board leadership and corporate governance issues. He serves as a member of NACD’s national faculty, is regularly quoted in the national media, and is a frequent presenter on the subjects of corporate governance, executive and director compensation, risk, strategic planning, and board/shareowner relations.

He has served as a commissioner on every NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report issued over the past 16 years, including the most recent releases on Adaptive Governance: Board Oversight of Disruptive Risks, and Culture as a Corporate Asset. (read more about Peter Gleason below)

You’ll gain insights on:

  • Why Boards, CEOs, C-Suites & Sr. Executives need to think differently about disruptive risks
  • The critical new leadership traits and behaviors that CEOs need to develop
  • Three immediately useful ideas for developing your own leadership success in a disruptive world

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Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success as a Leader

Leadership lessons from the 23rd Secretary of the U.S. Air Force 

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 162 Transcript In this Fan Favorite podcast, Scott and I speak with Deborah Lee (“Debbie”) James, who served as the 23rd Secretary of the United States Air Force, with responsibility for 660,000 military and civilian personnel and a budget of nearly $140 billion.

Debbie has a three-decade track record of leading, transforming, and driving lasting results in both the Legislative and Executive branches of Government. She is the author of the highly acclaimed 2019 book Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success. (see more about Deborah James below)

You’ll gain insights from:

  • The three critical elements of Debbie’s Aim High philosophy
  • A story about the most valuable leadership lesson Debbie learned for navigating extremely high stakes situations
  • Three immediately useful ideas for mentoring others

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What Will Separate Top CEOs From The Rest in a Post-Pandemic World?

 What are the 3 greatest leadership challenges CEOs face in the years ahead?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 179 TranscriptFind out by listening to Episode 179. Scott and I speak with Adam Bryant, Managing Director of Merryck & Co. He joined them in 2017 after a 30-year career in journalism, including 18 years at The New York Times. In addition to his many roles there as a reporter and editor, he created the weekly “Corner Office” column in 2009, interviewing 525 CEOs and other leaders over a decade.

Adam is the author of two books based on themes that emerged from the interviews, Quick and Nimble; Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation, and The Corner Office; Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed. His next book, which he is writing with former Amgen CEO Kevin Sharer, is “THE CEO TEST: Mastering the Challenges that Make or Break All Leaders” (due to be published in early 2021 by Harvard Business Review Press)  Read more about Adam Bryant below.

You’ll find out about:

    • How top CEOs are navigating emerging challenges in the post-pandemic world
    • The most critical attribute that will separate the top CEOs from the rest in meeting these challenges
    • Three immediately useful tips for successfully leading through these tests when there are no clear answers

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Find Silver Linings to Lead Your Company Through the Crisis — and Beyond

How has a game-changing CEO discovered new opportunities in the midst of a pandemic?
Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 173 Transcript

Find out by listening to Episode 173. Scott and I speak with returning guest Shari Spiro, CEO and Founder of AdMagic Games and Breaking Games, about how she and her company have found ways to change for the better during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Ad Magic Games is one of the largest independent printers of tabletop games in the US, including the wildly popular Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens, and other customized playing cards and board games.

Breaking Games is an award-winning game publisher and manufacturer. Since its 2015 launch, Breaking Games has substantially grown and has games on the shelves of Target and Walmart, games that are recognized by Mensa International, and is also responsible for the launch of dozens of other critically acclaimed tabletop games. (read more about Shari below)

You’ll find out:

  • The biggest impacts of the COVID-19 crisis upon Shari’s companies, and how they innovated in response, including launching their new non-profit “Puzzles for the Pandemic”
  • How Shari leads her teams to discover “Silver Linings” despite major challenges
  • Three immediately useful ideas for leading to find your own “silver linings” under the toughest circumstances

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The Most Valuable Leadership Lesson I Ever Learned – Jeffrey J. Kaney Sr.

How did Officer Training help this CEO become a game-changing leader?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 166 TranscriptFind out by listening on-the-go to Episode 166.  We speak with Jeffrey J. Kaney, Sr, Founder & CEO of the Kaney Group, LLC., a collection of inter-related companies in the aerospace industry.

His background includes being a combat military veteran; he served as a USAF pilot for 10 years, including combat in Desert Storm, attaining the rank of Captain.  He also served as a pilot for a major international airline. (read more about Jeff Kaney and the Kaney Group LLC below)

You’ll gain insights on:

  • The fundamental lesson about leaders and followers that Jeff learned in Officer Training that has informed his leadership style throughout his entrepreneurial career
  • How leadership by alignment has strengthened his organization’s ability to quickly respond to the changing business environment
  • Three immediately useful ideas for adapting this leadership lesson for your organization

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The New Keys to Leadership Success as Stakeholder Needs Change

How can CEOs stay responsive to multiple stakeholder needs in a changing world?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 165 TranscriptFind out by listening on-the-go to Episode 165.  With the September 2019 Change the World issue of Fortune on our minds, Scott and I discuss the need for a new type of leadership  to bring both purpose and profits to life.

Based on this, we’re revisiting our earlier conversation about “the new keys to leadership success in a disruptive world” with Peter R. Gleason, President & CEO of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).  He is a recognized expert on board leadership and corporate governance issues. (read more about Peter Gleason below)

You’ll gain insights on:

  • Why Boards, CEOs, C-Suites & Sr. Executives need to think differently about disruptive risks
  • The critical new leadership traits and behaviors that CEOs need to develop
  • Three immediately useful ideas for developing your own leadership success in a disruptive world

Read More