Forward-Looking Leadership

Stephe McMahon (boardbridge.com [https://www.boardbridge.com/], linkedin.com/in/stephe-mcmahon-3b2750/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephe-mcmahon-3b2750/]), co-founder and Chief BridgeBuilder at BoardBridge, which empowers corporate employees to serve on nonprofit boards, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/]) to dig into why there are more than a million open seats on nonprofit boards and how to close the gap. Stephe explains why the on-ramp to board service is so unclear and how BoardBridge lowers the barrier for individuals and nonprofits alike (01:18). He shares his advice for aspiring board members (07:55) and gives a crash course on board service (14:20). Stephe and Dan discuss board service as a form of leadership development, including new Taproot Foundation and PwC research showing pro bono service outperforms traditional training on human skills (17:44). Stephe makes the case for using your "new kid card" and what good governance actually looks like (32:25) and walks through the BoardBridge process end to end (38:10). Recommended Reading: BoardSource's resources [https://boardsource.org/] and Taproot Foundation and PwC's "Human Skills at Work [https://taprootfoundation.org/tools/human-skills-at-work-pro-bono-service-driving-development-in-a-changing-world-of-work/]" report. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com/].

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].

Dr. Jaime Goff (theempathicleader.net [https://www.theempathicleader.net/], drjaimegoff.com [https://www.drjaimegoff.com/], jaime@theempathicleader.net) joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com]) to discuss her forthcoming book "Rewrite Your Leadership Story: Overcoming Anxiety and Insecurity to Fulfill Your Leadership Potential." Jaime and Dan explore the influence of her background in marriage and family therapy on her views of leadership and leadership development. Jaime believes that leadership is ultimately about relationships and that understanding human relationship dynamics is crucial for effective leadership. She emphasizes the importance of addressing deeper internal barriers and engaging in vertical development rather than just focusing on horizontal skill-building. Jaime and Dan also discuss the role of values and principles in leadership development, highlighting the importance of aligning values with actions and creating a culture that embraces and lives out those values. Recommended reading: "Immunity to Change" and "An Everyone Culture" by Robert Keegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, "The Developing Mind" by Dan Siegel, and "The Elevated Leader" by Ryan Gottfredson. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://www.forwardlookingleadership.com].