Organizational Change Episodes

In today's episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan speaks with Whitney Johnson. Whitney is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a tech-enabled talent development company. She also co-founded Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen, is the host of the Disrupt Yourself podcast, and is the author of the book Smart Growth: How To Grow Your People To Grow Your Company. Whitney Johnson talked about the S-curve of personal, leadership, and organizational growth. Whitney also discussed c...

Retired US Navy Admiral Kyle Cozak shares his inspiring journey of resilience and leadership in this episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast. From his upbringing in Las Vegas to his life-altering accident, Admiral Cozak's story is a testament to the power of trust, positive thinking, and determination. He emphasizes the importance of clear communication, trust, and relatability in leadership and how these qualities can empower individuals to make the right decisions. Admiral Cozak's relentl...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Rich Diviney, author of The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance. Rich Diviney is a retired Navy SEAL commander with 20+ years of experience as a Navy SEAL Officer, having completed more than thirteen overseas deployments, including serving as the officer in charge of training for a specialized command. During his service, Rich Diviney was intimately involved in the highly specialized SEAL selection process and ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lee Benson, Founder of Execute to Win (ETW) and author of Your Most Important Number: Increase Collaboration, Achieve Your Strategy, and Execute to Win. In the conversation, Lee Benson shares his origin story, from his early days as a musician to his rise as a successful CEO, and the inspiration that led him to start ETW. Lee then breaks down the concept of value creation, showing its three forms and how focusing on it can sign...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor Ajay Agrawal, the Geoffrey Taber Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Ajay Agrawal is also the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a not-for-profit program for early-stage, science-based companies, and coauthor of two outstanding books on Artificial Intelligence: Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with John Kotter, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, co-founder of a management consulting firm Kotter International and a pioneer in organizational change. John Kotter is the author of 22 books on change, including his most recent book, Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile times. John Kotter talks about the struggles leaders and teams face when it comes to change and how to...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli discusses how to design a better future of work with Bob Fox, founder of Fox Architects and Publisher of Work Design Magazine. As FOX Architects’ Principal, Bob Fox chairs the firm’s advisory board, focusing on building the firm to design more complex, integrated projects while also helping increase client value. Bob Fox is a leader in the architecture and interior design industry and is well respected for his open-minded and innovative ap...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Catherine Meloy. Catherine Meloy serves as President and CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington and the Goodwill Excel Center Adult Charter High School. In the conversation, Catherine Meloy shared why she decided to leave a successful 20+ year management career in the radio industry to join Goodwill in 2003. Next, Catherine Meloy talked about the strength of the Goodwill brand and how she led the rebranding of Goodwill in the Gr...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Dr. Monica Goldson, Chief Executive Officer of Prince George's County Public Schools. In the conversation, Dr. Monica Goldson shared the source of her love for education and why she decided not to pursue accounting and become an educator. Monica Goldson also shared the many challenges in leading the school system during the pandemic and the role the school system had to play in supporting families throughout the pandemic. Final...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Diane Hoskins. Diane Hoskins serves as co-CEO and chair of the board of directors for Gensler. As an MIT-trained architect and an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, Diane's career has touched architecture, design, real estate, and business. She has broad responsibility for running the company, which spans over 6,000+ employees across the globe. Diane Hoskins shared how her upbringing impacted her professional and leadership...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lisa Gable, Former US Ambassador, UN delegate, CEO, and author of Turnaround: How to Change Course When Things Are Going South. In the conversation, Lisa Gable shares how leaders can get their teams and organizations back on track based on her experience as an executive responsible for turnarounds of various organizations. Lisa Gable also shared how turnaround principles can help teams stay aligned with organizational strategy ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talked with Dr. Timothy Clark, the founder and CEO of LeaderFactor and author of Four Stages of Psychological Safety. Dr. Clark has broken down the different stages to ensure psychological safety in teams. Dr. Timothy Clark shares how teams can build on the understanding of each stages in order to boost psychological safety in the workplace. Some highlights: -Dr. Timothy Clark on why leaders cannot be neutral -The skills that leaders ne...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Kapil Kane, Director of Innovation at Intel China and co-founder of GrowthX- an award-winning corporate innovation accelerator. Kapil Kane shares lessons from his experience at the intersection of technology and innovation working for Apple and Intel. Kapil Kane also shared lessons learned and how teams and organizations of all sizes can encourage innovation and intrapreneurship. Some highlights: -Kapil Kane's start in design...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares his perspectives and research about the need for kindness and how it can impact teams and organizations. Mahan also highlighted effective ways of showing kindness while initiating a ripple effect in our organizations and the community. Some highlights: -Pre and post-pandemic effects on kindness -How showing kindness can be contagious -Two specific ways of being kinder to those around us -Starting a kindness ripple Mentioned: ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Deidre Paknad, co-founder and CEO of WorkBoard and founder of Results Foundry. Deidre Paknad shared her journey leading to her success as the founder of three start-ups. Deidre also talked about her founding of Workboard and how the organization supports its clients to execute their strategy faster by effective implementation of OKRs. Deidre Paknad also shared her thoughts on the future of work and what organizations can do to ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Harold Pettigrew, CEO at Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif), Presidential Appointee at the CDFI Fund, and an Aspen Finance Fellow. First, Harold Pettigrew talked about his upbringing in Washington D.C. and the experiences that helped him find his voice. Harold also shared his experience serving in city government in New York and D.C. and how he plans to make a difference through his leadership of the Washington A...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Erika Andersen. Erika is the founding partner of Proteus International, which is a coaching consulting and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. She and her colleagues at Proteus focus on helping leaders prepare and stay prepared to face whatever the future might bring. Driven by this mission, Erika shares in the conversation how leaders can approach challenges and uncertainty by applying the change-capable mindset. ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Stephanie Linnartz, President of Marriott International, Inc., the world's largest hospitality company. Stephanie Linnartz shares the role her upbringing played in her seeking a career at Marriott and how she rose through the ranks in the organization. Stephanie also shares the devastating impact of the pandemic alongside losing the organization's beloved CEO, Arne Sorenson, and how the leadership team was able to stay focused ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares why professionals are spending more time in meetings than ever before and what leaders of organizations and teams can do to combat overscheduling of meetings and meeting overwhelm. Mahan goes through a three-step process that can get you started to a more manageable number of meetings and more productive collaboration. Some highlights: - What has contributed to the significant increase in the number of meetings scheduled with the ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Edward D. Hess. Ed Hess is a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at the Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia. Ed Hess is the author of 13 books, including Learn or Die, Humility is The New Smart, and his latest Hyper learning: How to adapt to the Speed of Change. In the conversation, Professor Ed Hess shares why we need to accelerate our pace of learning in the digital age, some of the barriers ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with LaTonya Wilkins. LaTonya Wilkins is the founder of The Change Coaches. She works with C-suite/executive leaders and their teams where human connection and cultural change happen: below the surface. LaTonya Wilkins is also the author of Leading Below The Surface: How To Build Real and Psychologically Safe Relationships With People Who Are Different From You. In this conversation, LaTonya shares how leaders can become more inclus...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Sarah Stein Greenberg, executive director of Stanford D.school. Sarah leads a community of designers, faculty, and other innovative thinkers who help people uncover their creative potential and apply them to the world. She is also the author of Creative Acts for Curious People. In the conversation, Sarah Stein Greenberg shares ideas from the book and exercises that can bring out the creativity in any individual or team. Sarah a...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares his insights about the future of work, the upcoming transition of many organizations back to the office, and strategies to make hybrid work a success. Mahan also shares how leaders can think about changes experienced by their team members over the past two years as they build for a better future of work. Finally, Mahan shares four critical factors leaders need to consider in the hybrid future of work. Some highlights: - Why there ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Greg Satell, writer, speaker, innovation advisor, an expert on transformational change, and author of Cascades, shares lessons on how leaders can lead transformation in their organizations and the community. Greg Satell shares lessons learned from past transformations and how leaders can help lead change in organizations, especially through ongoing disruption. Some highlights: -Why Greg Satell moved to Poland and what it was like living in a post-commu...