Forward-Looking Leadership

Corey Spitzer (flyhighventures.com [https://flyhighventures.com/]), a fractional CTO and startup advisor with over 20 years of experience in software engineering, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/home]). Corey and Dan explore the dynamic environment of startups, emphasizing the variety and high-impact nature of the work. Corey discusses the advantages of being based in Omaha, Nebraska, highlighting the supportive and tight-knit tech community. He shares insights on the challenges faced by non-technical founders and the importance of fostering empathy between business and technical teams. Corey also explains the concept of fractional executive roles, offering advice on building a consulting practice and the benefits of working with multiple businesses. The conversation touches on the significance of team culture, the value of improv classes for personal growth, and the importance of self-confidence in leadership. Recommended reading: "How to Help Underperformers" by Luca Rossi. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com].

Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, CEO and Co-Founder of AOA Dx (aoadx.com [https://aoadx.com/]), a biotech startup focused on innovative early cancer diagnostics for women, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [http://contempusleadership.com/]) to discuss her journey to becoming a biotech leader, strategies in raising over $20 million in funding, the power of networking, and the critical need for more research in women's health. Oriana and Dan also cover hiring and firing and creating a culture of team empowerment and results. This episode provides valuable insights for visionary leaders and entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector and beyond. Recommended reading: "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com].

Kerry Ann King (eluminatelabs.com [https://eluminatelabs.com/]), Founder and CEO of Eluminate Labs, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/]). Kerry Ann explains the background behind her company's debut offering, Fin, an app designed to help users understand their productivity style and break the cycle of productivity-related anxiety. She also shares her insights from her time with Google on corporate culture change. Kerry Ann emphasizes decolonizing tech and the need for a shift in corporate culture and government policy to protect workers and promote wellbeing. Kerry Ann and Dan also discuss building a global remote team based on mutual respect and collaboration, leadership lessons from the arts, the value of incorporating diverse perspectives and methodologies in technology development, and more. Recommended reading: The "Poldark" series by Winston Graham, "Decolonizing Philosophy of Technology: Learning from Bottom-Up and Top-Down Approaches to Decolonial Technical Design" by Cristiano Codeiro Cruz, "Kaandossiwin" by Kathleen E. Absolon (Minogiizhigokwe). Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com].

Spencer Campbell (linkedin.com/in/spencer-campbell-impact [https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-campbell-impact/], spencercampbelltalent.com [https://spencercampbelltalent.com/]), Founder and Principal Talent Agent of the Spencer Campbell Talent Agency, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/]) to discuss the modern job search. Spencer's innovative business model involves acting as a talent agent for job seekers, providing advice, support, and representation to help them succeed in interviews and negotiations. Dan and Spencer discuss a program they're piloting called Heightened Impact [https://heightenedimpact.com], which combines high-quality coaching with expert talent representation to enhance value for job seekers. Spencer emphasizes the importance of networking and understanding one's value in the job search process, rather than focusing solely on polishing resumes. He criticizes conventional advice about job searching and highlights common mistakes job seekers make. Spencer and Dan also improvements to the hiring process, trends in the social sector career space and the potential impact of AI on the job market. Recommended Reading: "Hidden Potential" by Adam Grant, "Never Search Alone" by Phil Terry, "What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard Nelson Bolles, "How to Do Nothing" by Jenny Odell, and "The Good Enough Job" by Simone Stolzoff. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com].

John Whitfield (linkedin.com/in/john-whitfield-73b47515 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-whitfield-73b47515/]), Head of Sustainable Business Europe at Acre, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/]) to discuss his views on impactful leadership, both in the sustainability space and for all leaders. John and Dan discuss the lessons John has learned about leadership as an American living and working in the oldest still-functioning capitalist society in the world, the Netherlands. John reveals the three key competencies that drive success as a Chief Sustainability Officer, including effective organizational change management skills. John describes the central task of leader development as know thyself and explains that the principles of coaching and Conscious Leadership most resonate with him. John and Dan then discuss the underexplored concept of followership and conclude with John's top recommendations from the 42 books he has read in the past year. Recommended Reading: "The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership" by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp, "Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps" by Jennifer Garvey Berger, "How to Be an Adult in Relationships" by David Richo, and "The Myth of Normal" by Gabor Mate. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com].