As industries evolve to meet the needs of a changing workforce, the value of diverse leadership has never been more clear. This is especially true during Asian American Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, which invites us to examine the intersection of identity and leadership. In navigating cultural expectations, neurodiversity, and generational shifts, leaders today are called not just to manage teams—but to create spaces where people feel they truly belong.
Tag Archives: leadership
Leadership in Chaotic Times – by Zen Benefiel
A Call to Action for Unity and Purpose
In the age of rapid global changes and persistent uncertainties, leadership has become a critical beacon guiding humanity through uncharted waters. From ecological crises to technological disruptions and social divides, our chaotic times demand not just decision-makers but visionary leaders who prioritize the collective well-being and long-term sustainability of our world. True leadership lies in forging authentic connections while remaining steadfast in purpose, balancing the immediate challenges with a broader, future-focused vision.
Continue reading Leadership in Chaotic Times – by Zen Benefiel
Jerry Colonna Podcast: Ancestral History and Leadership
Jerry Colonna is a leading executive coach who uses the skills he learned as a venture capitalist to help entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder and CEO of Reboot, the executive coaching and leadership development company, host of the Reboot Podcast, and author of Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong and Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up .He draws on his wide variety of experiences to help clients design a more conscious life and make needed changes to their career to improve their performance and satisfaction. He was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase and earlier, he’d launched Flatiron Partners, which became one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs in the New York City area. He currently lives on a farm in Colorado.
Hear Jerry discuss:
1. What is the ‘Reunion’ process and its intended outcome?
2. How can acknowledging our ancestral history make us better leaders?
3. What is the best practice for dealing with shame or guilt surrounding our family lineage?
2. How can acknowledging our ancestral history make us better leaders?
3. What is the best practice for dealing with shame or guilt surrounding our family lineage?
Discussion questions for you:
1. Why is it now critical to question traditional definitions of leadership? While it’s always essential to investigate various forms of leadership, it’s clear that the ways leaders have been leading have failed. We see this in the dissatisfaction among employees. We see this in the double-binds business leaders face when social disruption hits home. When companies are boycotted for the slightest expressions of a celebration and welcome for those who might otherwise face discrimination, then it’s clear that new forms of leadership are required.
2. How is systemic othering impacting today’s work environment? How is it not? When we place people in separate categories from ourselves, we automatically think of them differently and treat them differently. We are less likely to value their creative processes, input, and presence. Wildflowers make a garden beautiful and are the key to an accepting culture.
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10 Strategies for Leadership in Divisive Times – by Marc Brenman
There are a great many extremely difficult challenges facing humanity in near-future years. How can leaders be assisted in navigating these challenges? Some of the leaders are causing or exacerbating the challenges, and so can’t be helped. Other of the challenges are lead by long term trends or technological developments. So for many of the challenges, there isn’t much hope. National culture change in a positive direction is extremely difficult, and is usually overcome by ideology, climate, geography, evil, natural resources, culture, and technology. Each has its own trajectory. Artificial intelligence provides a good example—can effective intervention be obtained before the technology runs away?
Continue reading 10 Strategies for Leadership in Divisive Times – by Marc Brenman
The Value of Servant Leadership – by Lorne Steedley
As an executive, I am often asked about the best approaches for developing strong, values-based leaders in organizations. One model that I frequently recommend is servant leadership.
Servant leadership prioritizes the needs of colleagues, stewardship of resources, and service over personal power and control. The concept was first developed in the 1970s by Robert Greenleaf who believed leaders should focus first on serving others to bring out the best in their people and organizations.
Continue reading The Value of Servant Leadership – by Lorne Steedley
Daphne Jones Podcast: Win When They Say You Won’t
Daphne Jones serves on the Boards of three public companies—AMN Healthcare, the Barnes Group, and Masonite International—where she offers critical business savvy, cyber security expertise, and digital insights. Previously, she enjoyed a 30+-year corporate career at some of the world’s most recognizable companies, such as GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, and Hospira (now Pfizer).
Daphne has presented strategies to CEOs, boards of directors, and corporate officers, led global teams, and generated hundreds of millions of dollars of value. At GE Healthcare, she became the highest-ranking African American woman in GE IT. She was the first woman and person of color to report to the Chairman of the Board and CEO, shattering the glass ceiling at Hospira.
Daphne shares her insights and experiences in her book, “Win When They Say You Won’t,” launching in Fall 2022 from McGraw-Hill. It equips women leaders to take ownership of their careers and overcome critics to win.
Questions Daphne Jones will answer:
- When you started your career as a secretary, did you ever imagine that you would someday become a CIO and a board member at major global companies?
- Why did you title your book Win When They Say You Won’t?
- What was the hardest part of rising up the ladder as a black woman in STEM.
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Ash Beckham Podcast: Breaking Through Barriers
Ash Beckham is an inclusion activist, inclusive leadership expert, professional trainer, workshop facilitator, motivational speaker, business leader and author of Step Up: How to Live with Courage and Become an Everyday Leader. Known for her unique voice, intrepid, relatable and intrinsically comic style, and powerful guidance, her TEDx Talk “Coming Out of Your Closet” became a fast viral sensation.
A popular speaker and leadership educator, she frequently addresses topics including embracing a different vision of leadership to create change in our workplaces, schools, places of worship, communities and more. Ash has presented keynotes and workshops for more than 200 corporate, government and collegiate events and conferences including The Boeing Company, Bank of America, Microsoft, the Out and Equal Summit. For more information, see her website.
Hear Ash discuss…
- What role does empathy play in inclusion?
- Where do we educate ourselves about inclusion and engage more in inclusive leadership?
- What does allyship actually look like and how do allies engage inclusively?
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Leadership in Our Challenging Times – by Deborah Levine
I often hear that leadership is greatly needed in these challenging times. But what does leadership mean? Is it a matter of personality? Is leadership defined by mission and goals? Are leaders inspirational figures who leave the nuts and bolts to others? The more we try to define leadership, the more the concept undefinable. “There are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept,” said Ralph Stogdill, a Professor of Management Science and Psychology known for his research and publications on the Personal Factors Associated with Leadership.
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How Leaders Can Reduce Anxiety and Prevent Panic – by Simma Lieberman
We are still in the midst of a disruptive crisis no matter how “positive thinking police” try to spin it. As the Covid-19 quarantine continues with people working from home, with little or no social interaction, some of your team members may start experiencing a deeper level of anxiety. No one knows when or how it will end or what the “new normal” will look like. That anxiety due to seemingly uncertain futures and not knowing how or when the crisis will end, can cause some people to panic, lose focus about their work and disengage from the team.
With the right strategies you have the power to help yourself, your family and people in your organization to not panic and instead find joy and stay engaged. The actions you take now to increase and sustain connection, community, and inclusion will make the difference between a long re-entry or the shortest one possible. If you want to know five actions you can take immediately, read on.
Continue reading How Leaders Can Reduce Anxiety and Prevent Panic – by Simma Lieberman
From Virus-Suppression to Workplace Return – by Deborah Levine and Cathy Light
How Leaders & Employees
Go from Fear to Optimism:
One TEAM again
The new norm of work is a challenge for businesses and the workforce. No one is exempt from the challenges we face during this period of isolation. Even those who are used to working virtually will have new demands placed on them. Teams will be forced to communicate differently and accommodate home-based needs. Team leaders must find ways to collaborate and move forward despite unprecedented uncertainty. Business owners can find themselves in a fight for survival while not only maintaining the ability to restart operations, but implementing creative ways to make that transition. How are we going to manage all this? Continue reading From Virus-Suppression to Workplace Return – by Deborah Levine and Cathy Light