Insight To Action Inspirational Insights Podcast

 Co-author of Freedom Inc., professor Isaac Getz talks to host Dawna Jones about his research and experience with transforming companies from traditional leadership, where the boss is right, to leadership free to contribute. Most organizations deny fundamental human needs seriously limiting performance and innovation. When employees have the freedom and ability to act in the best interests of the company, performance improves. But does more freedom mean even better performance? Dr. Getz shares examples of phenomenal business results from companies whose leaders built total freedom-of-initiative organizations. These leaders understand that three universal human needs—intrinsic equality, opportunity for growth, and self-direction—must be met for all employees. To nurture and sustain the freedom culture, these leaders share their vision of the company so that employees can “own” it.In this episode you will learn about the role of the ego as an enabler or leadership liability, why the CEO does not hold the p

 Platforms are scaleable and powerful. No one knows that better than platform designer Simone Cicero who explains how platform design thinking enables self-organization giving it an edge over industrial models. The open source Platform Design Toolkit canvases allow you to:reduces the complexity of a problemgain the advantages of thinking of your business as a storyswitch the narrative to empowering ecosystem potentialcollaborate and compete in the same momentIn this conversation Simone Cicero explains how the Platform Design Toolkit:Connects platform thinking to learningConnects with the existing world of design thinkingThe outcomes the five design canvases generate: transactional and relationshipThe spectrum from vision-prototype-validation and growth hackingHow platform design help health, for example, achieve more by spending lessHow platforms accelerate scalingTwo ways to innovate the business of your company.Simone Cicero is a self-starter, strategist, product and service designer interested in co-d

Companies are under pressure to transform to a different world-view while maintaining operations. The tension makes organizational transformation a journey that requires thinking from the inside and from the outside. David Heron, Group CEO of Wilton & Bain, a global leadership advisory boutique, and WBMS Associate Chris Bevan form a team who help companies find the right people to guide them through the transformational process. In their conversation with host, Dawna Jones they talk about:The tension between running business as an operation and the process of design to mobilize major transformationThe value of readiness particularly at the CEO level plus how metrics work against risk takingThe short-cut approach to avoiding digital transformation and the problems that createsThe need for building confidence and courage throughout a long-term change process as business life surfaces multiple disruptionsHow to mitigate the loss of foresight and risk aversion due to fearThe importance of designing the f

Dr. Katrin Muff is a force behind Business School Lausanne’s adoption of Holacracy and the design of the GapFrame for activating the contribution of regenerative business to fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals and higher level strategy conversation.In this program we talk about:The implementation of self-management (Holacracy) at Business School Lausanne The limits of hierarchy in driving purposeThe big insights and freedom gained from decentralized decision makingThe ups and downs of deliberately developmental organizations (Robert Kegan’s work)How a business school can walk its talk through reinventing itself and offer students experience with the unfolding real worldHow the GapFrame framework can be used by business and business schools to change the conversations (gapframe.org)Advice to recent graduates facing the question: What next? ‘Get a job’ or ‘do what I care about’Go online to Business School Lausanne to take the 5 minute CARL quiz on your responsible leadership competencies. Are you

At the start of the internet age Traci Fenton and her team in college were thinking about democracy in the workplace. Not voting but democracy where workplaces could fully unlock and live their full potential. Out of that grew WorldBlu. Twenty years later WorldBlu offers the platinum standard and scorecard for replacing fear with freedom, attracting high level companies like Zappos, Simon Sinek’s Start with Why, Nearsoft (EP5) and Menlo Innovations (EP7).In this episode you’ll hear and try on:10 principles that need to be operational for any democracy to functionThe Freedom at Work Scorecard for companies of 5 or moreThe financial rewards of being a freedom-centric workplaceHow to apply the five step power question processWhat would you do if you weren’t afraid?Why now is the Democratic AgeThe level of fear in the C-suite and how to rise above itTraci Fenton is the Founder and CEO of WorldBlu, which has a vision to see one billion people working in freedom-centered organizations worldwide. WorldBlu was founde

When Michael Moll was a kid growing up in Kenya he was surrounded by gardens, fresh fruits and vegetables. Today with his fiancée, he runs startup MyGreenSpace.co, a gardening app. Millennials are driving the return to urban gardening to the benefit of all ages in terms of well-being and core leadership skills. It is the unusual combination of technology and gardening that is restoring face to face connection with community and getting outdoors. In this conversation we talk about:The food supply issues that impact what you’ll find on the shelves,The interconnectivity of food supply and demand world-wide,How gardening restores confidence and connection,The garden as a living system,How is MyGreenSpace like having a master gardener in your pocket,What schools with gardening programs seem to be missing,Why tech is the best connector between gardens and people.Go to www.mygreenspace.co to download the free IOS and Android app. MyGreenSpace is a digital garden planner and seed shop on a mission to make commun

As economy, education and other traditional systems buckle under the weight of changing values and complexity Millennial values and awareness of the state of the world confronts societal expectations. Emanuele Rapisarda, Evolution Coach working with Cocoon Projects and Lindsay Henwood, a commercial editorial photographer talk about their experience with finding purpose, living to be true to yourself.In this raw, honest and profound conversation you’ll hear:Principles for making decisions,How to handle the scariness of doing something unfamiliar with uncertain outcomes,6 things Millennials look for in organizations and the value to organizations of meeting them,Two different journeys on the path to discover personal purpose,What question to ask when the job you expected is not there,Uncovering what lies at the core of your passion and talent,Why it doesn’t matter if you are wrong,wisdom Share this interview with anyone who is at the crossroads in their life’s journey asking ‘What do I do next?’. Lind

As the world changes your most in depth technology is your knowledge of peak performance and flow states. Steven Kotler of the Flow Genome Project explains how neuroscience helps you manage flow and peak performance states; applying self-awareness to action, particularly what you can do to manage yourself through the ‘dark side’. We start with reflecting on how on how well business executives have incorporated knowledge of flow states to function in today’s complex business environment and how business can apply this knowledge to make better performance rich environments. Learn:How exponential growth in sports informs how you navigate exponential change in the business environment.3 qualities of a rich environment that catalyze peak performance states.The Navy Seal approach to training the brain to be present and mindful in the moment while overcoming the panic button.What the 1000 year-old sport of surfing and other weather dependent sports teach about flow states.Preconditions that lead to flow along w

 Why does narrative and story ignite the power of the human spirit? How do you move through a difficult experience in life or work? Why is letting go of control so difficult?In times when attempting to control your outer world results in fatigue, overwhelm and exhaustion, attending to your inner world restores initiative and strength. Narrative coach David Drake explains the difference between narrative and story. The conversation in this episode sheds light on:Why does nobody do what I asked them to?What is behind the drive to understand purpose?What are the four fundamental human needs?How can we contribute to each others flourishing as individuals and as an organization?What happens to initiative in an organization where external control suppresses initiative? (and creativity)How does narrative help executives communicate vision? Or strengthen brand?Narrative coach David Drake is the author of Narrative Coaching: Principles and Practices for Bringing New Stories to Life. His personal mission is ‘to he

“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit.” -Wade Davis Wade Davis is an anthropologist, ethnobotanist, writer, photographer, filmmaker and explorer. National Geographic named him as one of the explorers of the Millennium. Described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity”, Wade’s work has taken him to East Africa, Borneo, Nepal, Peru, Polynesia, Tibet, Mali, Benin, Togo, New Guinea, Australia,Davis holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany from Harvard University. In this conversation with Dawna Jones, Wade explains the mind-blowing (Dawna’s words) sophistication of indigenous skills to navigating across open seas without the instruments we rely on today.Their conversation covers:Perception: Is a mountain a hunk of rock or a deity that directs destiny?Science: Why race is a fi

The costs of management are a significant factor in the search for better organizational designs and management structures. Holacracy One started in 2007. Ten years later encode.org is following the 500+ companies that have implemented Holacracy to pick up on the legal and people side needed to balance the structural implementation of Holacracy. Tom Thomison, a co-founder of Holacracy One, and Dawna talk about:The value of a distributed authority system,What Holacracy is and is not,The value of embedding an entrepreneurial stance to doing the work,Is profit a purpose or a measure?What does purpose of business mean and how does it replace Mission, Vision and other traditional elements,The pivotal question for moving from a traditional model to a self-managing system,The need to re-envision a world without employeesThe importance of Like-purpose (not like-minded) diversity.A seasoned entrepreneur and business builder with more than 30 years of experience, Tom Thomison is a recognized leader in self-organization

Stephenie Gloden is a passionate person. After reading Doug Kirkpatrick’s book Beyond Empowerment rather than attempt to impose the ideas she worked with her team at the University of Phoenix, Apollo Education Center to ‘own’ the ideas and implications. It is not that education systems do not want to deliver skills to equip students with 21st Century skills; it’s that the systemic blocks make it extremely difficult. A high level of vision and tenacity is required. To handle high speed change takes different skills so in this program you’ll hear:How they inserted accountability into interpersonal relationships internallyWhat impact being fully responsible had on learning and growth of leadersWhat surfaces when you see people as more than their roleAbout Redflint: a partnership between big corporations, the university and an accelerator.About the ecosystem benefits for startups, big corps and entrepreneurs.Why MGM in Los Vegas signed on as a partner.Stephenie Gloden is the Vice President, Enterprise Resour

Colin Price is the executive vice president and global managing partner at Heidrick & Struggles, a pioneer in the fields of executive search, culture shaping and leadership consulting. Prior to that he served as chairman of Co Company, an organizational development consulting firm. Previously he led the worldwide organization practice at McKinsey & Co. for many years.Colin has consulted with many of the world’s largest organizations and published on important business challenges of organization health and performance for 25 years. His focus is on developing organizations that can align, execute, and renew better and quicker than competitors. His body of work around building organizational health, purpose, culture, leadership, and capabilities has defined this arena of study and practice.In this conversation with Dawna he talks about:The shift from linear thinking to working with complexity,How recent political events like Brexit and the election of Trump can be understood by recognizing increased

Dr. Lesley Philips was an environmental microbiologist who searched bio-diverse regions of the planet for natural product medicines. Then she went into business development making deals between life science companies. Today she mentors conscious leaders to help them transform themselves and their businesses. Her work reconnects decision makers to their advanced skills invaluable for navigating everything from personal crisis to chaos.In this episode of Insight to Action you’ll hear us talk about:What is intuition?What are the primary advanced intuitive capacities that executives can tap into and their application?How Lesley went from a scientist to mentor teaching energy management skills to executives. From leading a dual identity to being true to herself.A tool for grounding your energy so that you can manage your business more effectively.How to let go of limits.Why these advanced skills will help you learn who you are – why you are here to live your personal purpose by taking

Karl Mattingly is the CEO of Dysrupt Labs (Slow Voice), the umbrella company and home of Almanis, Percypt, Pyfina & Sugihara launching cutting edge tools for forecasting. Forecasting the future is difficult in unpredictable times so give strategists and decision makers the edge, Karl has launched Percypt, to offer the world’s first platform for applying collective intelligence to inform strategy and decisions. Collective intelligence can mitigate bias in groups as well.You’ll hear us talk about:Prediction market platformsThe validity of polls and surveys for forecastingApplications of crowdsourced forecasts for financial performance, creditworthiness and management quality.Collective intelligence and governanceThe advantages and disadvantages of incentives and the variety of tools for testing the pulse of customers, employees, marketsCollective intelligence platforms as a tool for reducing cycle time identifying issues and responding to changeWhat collective intelligence tools will tell you your employee

Once or twice a year companies reach into their tool kit and pull out strategy, then hope that it will hold for the whole year. The volatility of the global environment makes the idea of extrapolation, predicting the future based on the past, dangerously delusional. What do you do instead? Patricia Lustig, author of Strategic Foresight, explains how to move from using one future to using a range of possible futures.She also describes:How to develop your foresight muscles,How to scan emerging futures on a regular basis,What happens when you combine emerging trends together,What went wrong with the emergency response plan at the nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi and what other companies with emergency response plans can learn,How to work with the unthinkable,Why using foresight strategically gives you the side benefit of seeing patterns so critical for workplace health and decision making accuracy.Most people underestimate the amount and speed of change leaving all companies vulnerable to be caught unprepar

In a unique conversation, Dr. Chris Laszlo, Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit joins his father, Dr. Ervin Laszlo, who is internationally recognized as the founder of systems philosophy and general evolution theory. In this interview we talk about the conversation that took place in Lucca, Italy in the summer of 2016.The New Paradigm Leadership Retreat and Summit, held in Bagni di Lucca, Italy, on July 12 – 15, 2016, brought together over 40 scholars and practitioners from four domains: (1) the physical and biological sciences, (2) consciousness research, (3) medicine and well-being, and (4) business and management. Chris Laszlo,The goal was to learn how to create a world that works for 100 percent of humanity and all life on earth, now and for future generations. Questions asked included: What is reality? What is consciousness and why is it the highest leverage point for human survival? What lies at the core of health and wellbeing?

In Episode 8, you met Rich Sheridan, author of Joy, Inc. and CEO of Menlo Innovations which is well known for it's great workplace. Agile Enterprise coach David Grabel and the HR Director for Vistaprint also met Rich at the Agile for Executives Forum. Several site visits later and a visit from Rich, and Vistaprint was on it's way to transformation. In this episode you'll hear David explain what they've learned and how they've moved forward. Also:Why self management and self organization aren't synonymous.In the conversation David mentions Doug Kirkpatrick. I interviewed Doug from MorningStar on my other podcast. You'll find the program on the Evolutionary Provocateur on iTunes. Tomatoes and Self-ManagementThen I talk to Steve Denning, founder and facilitator (and Forbes Contributor) for the Learning Consortium, a peer to peer learning community engaging in site visits. You'll hear the 2016 report results and a reflection on the Drucker Forum recently held in Vienna, Austria. Steve talks about the th

Rich Sheridan hated work. He was one of those guys who took the long way to work, found a way to beam out during the day and was one of the top recognized performers. Seventeen years ago he realized he couldn’t keep working that way so along with a few partners he founded Menlo Innovations and created the workplace he wanted to work at. Today, as companies realize their workplace culture is a strategic advantage to business, companies come to Menlo to find out how to do what Menlo does every day of the week.Menlo Innovations designs and builds custom software. That sounds pretty ordinary until you hear their purpose.“Our mission as an organization is to end human suffering in the world as it relates to technology.”TMIn this episode you’ll hear:How to create an intentionally joyful culture.The difference between joy and happiness and why joy includes conflict and diverse views.Why having absolute clarity on who you serve as a company is critical.What he had to learn and unlearn as a leader.The difference betwe

You hear a lot about autism today. Seen through a pathological lens, autism is a brain disorder. Seen as a specialized form of intelligence, it is a huge pool of untapped talent for companies seeking talent particularly in the IT sector. SAP, Microsoft have launched programs to fill all kinds of roles including software testing, data analysis, quality assurance to IT project management, graphic design, finance administration and human resources. Most of Silicon Valley is on the autistic spectrum. Neuro-diversity adds to the workplace extraordinary ability in pattern recognition, attention to detail, sequencing and logic and, by adding training and support, the required social and communication skills.But you don’t have to be a big company to benefit from this pool of intelligence.In this episode Carol Simpson, CEO of Focus Professional Services explains why adding neuro-diversity makes your workplace better in terms of communication and productivity outcomes while being socially responsible . Focus provides s