The Big Idea
The Big IDEA, hosted by Gavriella Schuster, examines how technology and society are driving transformation in high tech. Focused on leadership, change, growth, and inclusion, The Big IDEA explores a new approach to business.
Leaders often think that when there is conflict within their team, they want to resolve it as soon as possible so that it does not fester. What I have learned in working with Crismarie Campbell and Susan Clarke of Thrive, Inc. is that approach does not lead my business to the best possible outcomes. It may feel better in the moment, but ultimately we are selling ourselves short by rushing to conflict resolution. That doesn’t mean that we want to not address that there is conflict – far from it. It can create a very toxic environment if we do not callout the conflict that exists, but it does mean we need to reframe our goal. What we want to do when we have conflict in the team, is to lean into it. We want to use that conflict to make decisions in a different way. The beauty of having a team, is that we have diversity. We have people who come to the table with different ideas and different experiences. We want to recognize, celebrate and embrace those differences and use that to build outcomes that have impact. Sounds good, but how do you do it? Watch my next episode of The Big Idea on April 17th to learn from the experts.
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Coming March 6th, I am excited to share Part One of a two-part conversation I had with CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke of Thrive! Inc., which specializes in helping leaders and teams approach strategic business issues that may oftentimes put them at odds with each other. They have unique strategies to help leaders embrace conflict and cultivate trust that results in driving innovation to profitable results. They have worked with executives and teams at Fortune 100 companies like Google, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft, as well as organizations such as the San Francisco Giants, among others. I am very familiar with their work as they worked with me and my team while I was at Microsoft and enabled us to accomplish incredible results together.
In the previous episode, I shared the first part of a two-part conversation I had with Jenna Lange, CEO and Founder of Lange International. We talked about some of the moments she’s given special tips and techniques to improve a client’s delivery and impact – including times when I was the client and she helped me prepare for important communication events at Microsoft.
In the second half of our conversation, we touch on a variety of ways to improve engagement, from the necessity of setting one’s ego aside to allow more focus on the core communication objectives, to lessons that we can take from watching improv comedy actors work their craft, all of which I hope you’ll find as useful as I did.
In this episode, I’ll share Part One of a two-part conversation I had with Jenna Lange, CEO and Founder of Lange International, a boutique consulting firm that helps individuals with their high stakes business communication challenges. Regarded as one of the leaders in the field, Jenna works with senior leaders at companies such as Microsoft, Meta, Google, and The North Face, among others, as well as start-ups and niche companies, helping executives craft their stories and hone investor pitches.
I begin our conversation by asking Jenna to explain why effective communication is critical to building relationships with customers and audiences – I think you’ll find her response to that and other questions both actionable and enlightening,
In the last episode, I shared the first part of my conversation with psychologist, Dr. Laura Ciel, CEO and Co-Founder of 9Q Solutions. We talked about the importance of developing our emotional intelligence and keeping it in shape – like an athlete maintains their condition. In this second part, we’ll expand on the topic to talk about “energy intelligence” and see how it can help improve your decision-making process.
Tune in to Episode 5 of The Big Idea where I have interviewed Dr. Laura Ciel about how important emotional intelligence is for successful business relationships. Laura is the CEO and Co-Founder of 9Q Solutions, a company that provides scalable training and leadership solutions to organizations who want measurable positive change in their people and in their bottom line. In this first part of our two-part conversation, Laura shares what emotional intelligence means and how we can develop it to enhance both our personal and professional lives. She provides practical strategies to increase your self-awareness, manage your emotions effectively, and become a more empathetic and impactful leader. Whether you’re looking to improve your workplace dynamics or simply seeking personal growth, this conversation promises to be both enlightening and actionable.
So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get ready for an inspiring and educational episode that will leave you with valuable tools to better navigate the emotional landscape of your life. Enjoy the show!
Tune in to the next episode of The Big Idea where I will speak to Alyssa Miller, Chief Security Officer at Epiq Global. Alyssa is a life-long hacker and executive leader with over 20 years experience in security and leadership roles. She’s a strong proponent for improving equity and diversity within the cyber security community, and an advocate for making the path into security careers easier and more accessible.
Alyssa and I had a great conversation that covered a range of different topics, and in this episode, we’ll focus on two that really stood out to me. The first is related to how roles within the cybersecurity field are evolving and hiring practices in the field of Security. Tune in to learn more!
In Episode three of The Big Idea, we continue the conversation with special guest Jay McBain with a focus on external strategies to drive long term profitability while using the customer’s ecosystem and a specialized service approach.
In Episode two of The Big Idea, we explore how to build internal strategies such as realigning business models. With each episode, we examine the technological, societal, and economic factors that affect the tech industry and beyond and provide ideas and suggestions to help you become a change agent that fosters growth and innovation.
This episode is the first of a two-part series with special guest Jay McBain focused on how to build resiliency into your business. Jay McBain is a Chief Analyst for Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Canalys, one of the world’s leading research firms with 29 years of experience and is one of the most visible and respected thought leaders in the global channel ecosystem. You will enjoy the insights and he and I bring on the strategies to realign your business for resiliency. In the Episode three, he and I will discuss how to pivot to external strategies like Partnerships and Ecosystems.
This episode of The Big IDEA will focus on change management. A topic that I have not only studied, but experienced from my 30 years in the high tech industry. As leaders we aren’t just responding to environmental, financial, or technological changes. We are often the people creating change and asking others to follow.
We’ll kick things off with a discussion on driving change and how organizations can build resilience. I’ll then share four strategies to cultivate transformation in your organization.