Explore every episode of the podcast Let Go & Lead with Maril MacDonald
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margery Kraus | What It Takes To Be Truly “Glocal” | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:40:37 | |
Margery Kraus, founder and executive chairman of APCO, reflects on 40 years of leadership. She shares how APCO grew from a small team into a global advisory firm rooted in trust, values and innovation.
Key Takeaways: (03:04) An outside perspective can lead to more creative solutions. (09:09) Culture is easier to scale when values are shared. (11:30) Letting go of control is part of growing a company. (21:33) Personal life lessons can influence leadership philosophies. (23:02) Public praise and private feedback build trust and respect. (26:31) Being underestimated can become a strategic advantage. (33:45) Knowing when to step back is key to long-term success. (36:19) Major change creates space for bold new ideas.
Resources Mentioned: Margery Kraus APCO | LinkedIn APCO | Website “Roots and Wings” by Margery Kraus
ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD
— Gagen MacDonald is a woman-owned, human-focused transformation consulting firm and trusted partner to the C-suite. We specialize in internal communications, employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com.
#LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalChange #CorporateCulture #EmployeeEngagement | |||
| Greg Larkin | Tackling Innovation Roadblocks | 29 Oct 2024 | 00:33:55 | |
To survive over the long term, businesses must constantly innovate and transform. All too often, however, forces inside companies stifle this change.
Greg Larkin has built a career as an internal disruptor. In his view, anyone who seeks to innovate from within, to transform a legacy company, naturally comes into contact with obstructionists — with people who, for different reasons, act as barriers to change. Larkin has identified five key obstructionist archetypes, and he has a playbook of strategies for overcoming each one of them. He talks with Maril about his career journey; about his leadership community for disruptive executives, Pinstripes & Punks, and what it means to be a business punk; and ultimately, about why pushing against the norm, attempting to drive change and being a “punk” is an act of love, not an act of war, for a business.
ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 14 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 140 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD
At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For more than 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world.
Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
—
Gagen MacDonald is a woman-owned, human-focused transformation consulting firm and trusted partner to the C-suite. We specialize in internal communications, employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Zach Mercurio | How to become a more purposeful leader | 19 Sep 2023 | 00:56:14 | |
For researcher, professor and author Zach Mercurio, “mattering” is not a new buzz word: it’s a primal human survival instinct embedded in our brains from 6 million years of programming, and something businesses need to take very seriously. Zach is an expert in what makes work meaningful, and to him, the facts are clear: Meaningfulness is not developed through a program or initiative — it’s developed and maintained through human interactions. He and Maril discuss why it’s so important for people to know that they’re significant to others; why often, we blame humans for problems that are actually the fault of bad processes and systems; why your organizational purpose needs to be rooted in truth; why so much of Zach’s work involves taking the intuitive, common-sense ideas of natural leaders and trying to make them common practice.
Learn about:
6:39 Why people problems are often system problems 9:26 Creating environments where people matter 15:16 The difference between having purpose and being purposeful 25:07 How to create a meaningful purpose 28:06 Why mattering is as important as belonging 35:40 How leaders impact employee mattering 41:10 How invisible leaders transform organizations 45:20 Becoming a better leader by changing how you see people
— Zach Mercurio, Ph.D. works with individuals and organizations around the world to forge purposeful leaders who cultivate more meaning, motivation, well-being, and performance. He is a positive leadership and organizations researcher and Honorary Fellow of Psychology in the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University. He is also the author of “The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose.” His research has been awarded by the Association for Talent Development and The Academy of Management and he contributes regularly to international media outlets.
ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD
At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world.
Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M
—
Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Ann Powell | Building a radically inclusive culture | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:45:32 | |
Ann Powell, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb, talks with Maril about her leadership journey. The culture of “radical inclusivity” Powell has shepherded at BMS has allowed the company to continuously and successfully transform the past several years, and Powell has learned a lot through the work. She and Maril discuss the evolution of HR from an administrative function to a strategic business function; why Powell sees storytelling as an absolutely critical skill for HR leaders; and what BMS is doing to promote workforce wellbeing — a topic that Powell believes will become a powerful competitive advantage and differentiator for the businesses that choose to prioritize it.
Learn about:
4:33 The evolution of culture and HR 11:43 Merging data and storytelling for impact 20:33 Building a radically inclusive culture 27:25 Creating an ecosystem for inclusivity
—
Ann partners across the company to foster an energized workforce and radically inclusive culture, where individuals are encouraged to exceed their potential and make innovative contributions for BMS patients and the global communities in which they live and work. Ann’s expertise includes executive compensation, shaping culture, talent development, change management, team effectiveness, inclusion, diversity, learning design and delivery, talent attraction, labor relations, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and start-ups. With a career spanning both international and domestic assignments, Ann has worked within the oil/gas, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, including Chevron, Dow and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Bristol Myers Squibb in 2013, Ann was the chief human resources officer for Shire Pharmaceuticals. Ann earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from the University of Minnesota. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD
At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world.
Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M
—
Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Scott A. Snook, Ph.D. | How to develop authentic leaders | 22 Aug 2023 | 00:47:20 | |
Leadership expert, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer and bestselling author of Friendly Fire Scott A. Snook discusses what he’s learned over his time in the military and academia about what it takes to lead. Snook, a decorated veteran and victim of friendly fire himself, studies these incidents of tragedy as a way to make sense of — and ultimately prevent — organizational dysfunction. Among other things, they discuss why every leadership program should cover “followership” and the art of managing up; how leaders fundamentally cannot control outcomes, and can only shift the odds; the importance of finding the right balance between high challenge and high support; and why ultimately, what leaders need most is self-awareness and self-acceptance — or, in other words, to be both socially intelligent and secure.
Learn about:
11:42 How Scott describes leadership 14:13 The deep connection between leadership and “followership” 19:00 The organizational lessons from a “friendly fire” incident 23:45 Why your core values are so critical for leaders 28:58 The worst attribute in a leader 29:52 The intersection of high performance, high support and high challenge 38:22 Scott’s summary lessons for leaders
— Scott's passion is to help others live more "meaning-full" lives. More specifically, he is interested in unpacking and understanding transformational leader (human) development experiences --how to make the most out of life's curriculum, as well as how to create high-leverage/high-impact interventions to accelerate the growth of leaders. Professor Snook's book Friendly Fire was selected by the Academy of Management to receive the 2002 Terry Award as the most influential book on managerial thinking published during the past two years. He has also co-authored a book that explores the role of "common sense" in leadership titled, Practical Intelligence in Everyday Life (2000) and co-edited The Handbook for Teaching Leadership: Knowing, Doing, and Being (2011). Most recently, he co-authored The Discover Your True North Fieldbook (2015), which is the primary text for “Authentic Leader Development,” the popular MBA elective he has taught for over 10 years. Professor Snook has shared his leadership insights in formal executive education programs at Harvard and with numerous corporate audiences around the world.
ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD
At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world.
Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M
—
Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Whitney Johnson | How personal disruption unlocks innovation and success | 08 Aug 2023 | 00:39:38 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril talks with bestselling author, world-class coach and CEO and Co-Founder of Disruption Advisors Whitney Johnson. After a successful career on Wall Street, Whitney had an epiphany: she wanted to apply the immense knowledge she’d gained from modeling and analyzing stock performance to see if the same rules could be applied to people. Over a wide-ranging conversation around disruption, Whitney speaks to the power of personal disruption; explains her S-curve model, which she uses to better understand how individuals change and grow; and walks through the seven accelerants of productive disruption. At Gagen MacDonald, we believe that transformation starts within, and Whitney’s work deeply reinforces the idea: to change an organization, you need to start by changing yourself.
Learn about:
7:07 Defining the S-curve of learning 10:30 The seven accelerants of personal disruption 14:37 How to disrupt yourself 21:07 How to deal with change detractors 26:22 Tackling current workforce disruptions 33:32 How the energy of disruption accelerates change
—
Whitney is the WSJ, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company (Harvard Business Press, 2022). She shares her passion for personal disruption, helping individuals transform their lives, careers, teams and companies through her keynote addresses; her popular podcast Disrupt Yourself; lectures at Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning; the award-winning books How to Build an A Team, Disrupt Yourself and Dare, Dream, Do; and frequent article contributions to the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Whitney is ranked a top talent coach by Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the top 10 leading business thinkers in the world and named Inc.’s 200 Female Founders of 2023. She is co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen, and a former award-winning stock analyst on Wall Street. She now applies her understanding of momentum and growth in stocks to people. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world.
Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M
—
Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Mark Crowley | The powerful advantage of leading from the heart | 25 Jul 2023 | 00:50:42 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril talks with bestselling author and lauded employee engagement expert Mark Crowley. Over 25 years, Crowley drove unprecedented success as a leader in the financial services industry by focusing on a simple but powerful idea: when human beings thrive, organizations thrive as well. He and Maril discuss the unprecedented opportunity leaders have right now to reinvent how we lead and manage people by focusing more on how we make people feel. When leaders trust in human connection and give people more emotional support, they allow themselves to set higher expectations, as well — driving well-being, engagement, retention and broader organizational success. With confidence gained from personal experience, Mark is passionate that any organization can see these business gains by leading in this manner.
Learn about:
3:30 The four keys to leading from the heart 23:33 Learning from cows about leading with love 27:55 The science of leading from the heart 31:04 Leading from the heart in a hybrid working world 36:36 The power of gratitude 43:08 Five qualities of good leaders — Mark C. Crowley is an award-winning pioneer in human-centered leadership. He is the bestselling author of Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century and the host of the podcast Lead From The Heart. Over 25 years as a leader in the financial services industry, Mark drove record-breaking sales and profitability performance by focusing on emotional connection and people-first leadership. His experiences — as well as a growing body of scientific research — convinced him that the most successful way of motivating human beings in the workplace is to positively affect their hearts. Today, he speaks to global audiences and consults with companies around the idea that humans are not as rational as we think we are, and that changing how managers make employees feel is the best way to inspire organizational excellence.
ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M
—
Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Amy Edmondson | How leaders nurture psychological safety | 11 Jul 2023 | 00:44:55 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril talks with lauded author, scholar and Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, whose pioneering research into psychological safety has massively impacted the world of work. Amy breaks down what psychological safety is, what it isn’t and three key things leaders need to do to foster it.
Over a ranging conversation, she and Maril discuss the immense importance of leaders in the middle; why leaders need to maintain a beginner’s mind; and why psychological safety — or, as Amy defines it, “permission for candor” — must be balanced with a commitment to excellence for an organization to succeed.
Learn about: 3:30 How to build a learning organization 7:03 Creating an environment of psychological safety 12:56 The changing dynamics of modern teams 20:23 Key misconceptions about psychological safety 22:51 Fostering psychological safety in uncertain times 32:32 The science of “Failing Well” 37:55 What leaders need to let go of
— Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to successful enterprises contributing to societal betterment. Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011 and most recently ranked #1 in 2021. She also received the Breakthrough Idea Award in 2019 and the Talent Award in 2017 from the organization. She focuses her research on teaming, psychological safety and organizational learning, and her articles have been published in various academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. Her book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (Wiley), published in 2019, has been translated into 15 languages. Edmondson's upcoming book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Atria), offers a framework for wise thinking, discussion and practice of failure, utilizing human fallibility as a tool for personal and organizational growth. The release date is set for September 5, 2023. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world.
Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Sylvia Burwell | Leading in Complex Situations | 17 Jan 2023 | 00:37:39 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril talks with Sylvia Burwell, the 15th president of American University. She shares the leadership principles that have guided her through an impressive and wide-ranging leadership career — from serving as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration to Chief Operating Officer at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to her current role as the first woman to lead American University. Sylvia and Maril discuss the importance, for a leader, of creating a leadership team that doesn’t look like you, with true diversity of perspective; of being a calm, optimistic presence during crisis; and of taking it on yourself to “see around the corner” as a leader — to ensure your energy goes more toward anticipating the future than preserving the past. Learn about: 10:55 Three critical leadership principles 12:01 The key elements of great teams 14:52 How inclusion creates excellence 22:10 The role of community to build alignment 27:44 The role of emotions in decision-making 33:50 What leaders need to let go of — Sylvia M. Burwell is American University's 15th president and the first woman to serve as president. A visionary leader with experience in the public and private sectors, President Burwell brings to American University a commitment to education and research, the ability to manage large and complex organizations, and experience helping to advance solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Burwell joined AU on June 1, 2017. Burwell has held two cabinet positions in the United States government. She served as the 22nd secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services from 2014 to 2017. During her tenure, she managed a trillion-dollar department that includes the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the Medicaid and Medicare programs; oversaw the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and led the department’s responses to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Before that, she served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, working with Congress to negotiate a two-year budget deal following the 2013 government shutdown. In both roles she was known as a leader who worked successfully across the aisle and focused on delivering results for the American people. Her additional government experience is extensive and includes roles as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, deputy chief of staff to the president, chief of staff to the secretary of the Treasury, and special assistant to the director of the National Economic Council. Burwell has held leadership positions at two of the largest foundations in the world. She served 11 years at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including roles as the chief operating officer and president of the Global Development Program. She then served as president of the Walmart Foundation and ran its global Women’s Economic Empowerment efforts. Her private sector experience includes service on the Board of Directors of MetLife. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard University and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. A second-generation Greek American, Burwell is a native of Hinton, West Virginia. She and her husband Stephen Burwell are the parents of two young children. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Wendy Short Bartie | How leadership can benefit all of humanity | 13 Dec 2022 | 00:45:49 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril talks with Wendy Short Bartie, Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff to the CEO at Bristol Myers Squibb. The gift for leadership that has made Wendy such a fast riser in the pharmaceutical industry, since leaving her original legal career, shines throughout this vibrant conversation. They discuss Wendy’s journey as a leader, and how her focus has shifted, over time, from practicing leadership to preparing others to be great leaders; why empathy has a lot to do with understanding gaps between intention and impact; and the crucial role of the leader as “air traffic controller” — the person who actively creates space for a diversity of perspectives and opinions — during meetings. Learn about: 4:58 Building a leadership legacy in an organization 8:32 Leading using the skill of influence 9:16 The power of listening 11:09 The power to S.P.E.A.K. like a leader 16:09 Mentoring and growing great leaders 19:34: The power of an “I Love Me” letter 23:36 The critical leadership art of meeting management 26:04 Being attentive on mental health 36:32 Teambuilding in a hybrid/remote environment — Wendy Short Bartie is the Senior Vice President and Head of US Oncology. In this capacity, Wendy is responsible for leading the strategy and operations for solid tumor program in the US market. A compassionate and strategic leader, her career journey has taken many turns, but her path has always been clear – the commitment to help people - first as a lawyer/public defender, and then as a pharmaceutical industry professional, continuing to act as a voice for those with unmet needs and unequal access. Prior to joining BMS, Wendy was Vice President and Head of Commercial Operations for US Oncology at Merck. In this capacity, Wendy was responsible for leading the Sales, Key Accounts, Market Access, Pricing and Policy organizations within the US Business Unit. Previously, Wendy served as Associate Vice-President of Global Marketing for Genitourinary Cancers (GU), including renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer and bladder cancer and as the Global Disease Lead for Women’s Cancer. Prior to joining Merck, Wendy held a range of commercial roles with increasing responsibility in sales, business analytics and marketing in cardiovascular neuroscience, osteoporosis, lung cancer, supportive care and chronic myeloid leukemia at various companies including Novartis, Heron Therapeutics, Johnson and Johnson, Pharmacia and Abbott Labs. Prior to her career in pharma, Wendy was a Public Defender in Washington, DC and Bronx, New York. Wendy received her Bachelor of Arts from Clark Atlanta University and her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago, School of Law. Wendy is an HBA Rising Star and was recognized by HBA as a Luminary in 2020. Wendy’s favorite hobbies include painting and reading. When Wendy isn’t working, painting and reading, she is serving as Vice President for the Greater Essex County Chapter of Jack and Jill Incorporated and doing philanthropic work to limit the digital divide for children without access to personal computers or internet. Wendy, her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her daughter, Madison, and the family dog, Joy reside in West Orange, New Jersey. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Marshall Goldsmith | Developing and growing into a great leader/ Episode 2 | 29 Nov 2022 | 00:34:37 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril and renowned author and leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith continue their discussion about Marshall’s book, The Earned Life. In this episode, their focus turns to leadership. They discuss the five key factors about leading today, how leaders can productively disagree; why when you’re leading knowledge workers, you can’t lead by telling; and the value of asking — today — what will matter most to your 95-year-old self. Across Marshall’s insights and anecdotes, the conversation returns repeatedly to the importance of maintaining perspective, trusting the process, telling the truth, and protecting your peace. Learn about: 4:23 Advice for leaders struggling to meet goals 6:44 The subtle art of making a positive difference 11:39 The Five Key Factors to Leading Today 20:06 How to truly get engagement 22:20 Are leaders made or born? 23:53 Leadership requirements for today’s environment 26:15 What leaders most need to let go of — Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is a member of the Thinkers 50 Hall of Fame. He is the only two-time Thinkers 50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World. He has been ranked as the World’s #1 Executive Coach and Top Ten Business Thinker for eight years. Marshall was chosen as the inaugural winner of the Lifetime Award for Leadership by the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Dr. Goldsmith, a New York Times #1 bestselling author, has written or edited 51 books which have sold over 3 million copies, been translated into 32 languages and become bestsellers in 12 countries. Amazon recently recognized the ‘100 Best Leadership & Success Books Ever Written’ — and included Marshall’s Triggers and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. He is the only living author with two books on the list. His other bestsellers include: MOJO, Succession: Are You Ready?, The Leader of the Future and How Women Rise (with lead author Sally Helgesen). His new NYT bestseller, The Earned Life, is an Amazon Editor’s Choice for Book of the Year So Far in 2022. Marshall’s acknowledgements include: Global Gurus — Corps D ’Elite Award for Lifetime Contribution in both Leadership and Coaching, Harvard Business Review — World’s #1 Leadership Thinker, Institute for Management Studies — Lifetime Achievement Award for Teaching, American Management Association — 50 great thinkers who have influenced the field of management and BusinessWeek — 50 great leaders in America. His life is featured in the documentary movie, The Earned Life, and the New Yorker profile, “The Better Boss.” Dr. Goldsmith served as a Professor of Management Practice at the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business. His doctoral degree is from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, where he was the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. His MBA is from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, where he was the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year. He is one of a select few executive coaches who has worked with over 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He served on the Advisory Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation for 10 years. He has been a volunteer teacher for U.S. Army Generals, Navy Admirals, Girl Scout executives and leaders of the International and American Red Cross — where he was a National Volunteer of the Year. Dr. Goldsmith has over 1.4 million followers on LinkedIn and over 3 million views on YouTube. Hundreds of his articles, interviews, columns and videos are available (at no charge) online at www.MarshallGoldsmith.com. People from around the world have viewed, read, listened to, downloaded or shared his resources tens of millions of times. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Marshall Goldsmith | Leadership lessons from “The Earned Life” / Episode 1 | 17 Nov 2022 | 00:35:44 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, renowned author and leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith talks with Maril about the hard work of becoming a better leader — work that is, in his words, “incredibly easy to understand and difficult to do.” Across this wide-ranging conversation, Marshall and Maril touch on cognitive dissonance theory, and the “superstition trap” that leaders often fall into. Marshall introduces the idea of happiness as a product of alignment between aspirations, ambitions and day-to-day actions; and the deep mindset shift to go from being a high individual achiever to an effective leader of an organization. Learn about: 7:39 The Building Blocks of Discipline from “The Earned Life” 13:18 Finding true happiness 19:16 Motivating behavioral change in your people 21:49 Why following up is vital to making change happen 25:50 The path to achieving genuine success 29:36 Why results are a poor measure of success — Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is a member of the Thinkers 50 Hall of Fame. He is the only two-time recipient of the Thinkers 50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World. He has been ranked as the World’s #1 Executive Coach and Top Ten Business Thinker for eight years. Marshall was chosen as the inaugural winner of the Lifetime Award for Leadership by the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Dr. Goldsmith, a New York Times #1 bestselling author, has written or edited 51 books which have sold over 3 million copies, been translated into 32 languages and become bestsellers in 12 countries. Amazon recently recognized the ‘100 Best Leadership & Success Books Ever Written’ — and included Marshall’s Triggers and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. He is the only living author with two books on the list. His other bestsellers include: MOJO, Succession: Are You Ready?, The Leader of the Future and How Women Rise (with lead author Sally Helgesen). His new NYT bestseller, The Earned Life, is an Amazon Editor’s Choice for Book of the Year So Far in 2022. Marshall’s acknowledgements include: Global Gurus — Corps D ’Elite Award for Lifetime Contribution in both Leadership and Coaching, Harvard Business Review — World’s #1 Leadership Thinker, Institute for Management Studies — Lifetime Achievement Award for Teaching, American Management Association — 50 great thinkers who have influenced the field of management and BusinessWeek — 50 great leaders in America. His life is featured in the documentary movie, The Earned Life, and the New Yorker profile, “The Better Boss.” Dr. Goldsmith served as a Professor of Management Practice at the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business. His doctoral degree is from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, where he was the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. His MBA is from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, where he was the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year. He is one of a select few executive coaches who has worked with over 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He served on the Advisory Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation for 10 years. He has been a volunteer teacher for U.S. Army Generals, Navy Admirals, Girl Scout executives and leaders of the International and American Red Cross — where he was a National Volunteer of the Year. Dr. Goldsmith has over 1.4 million followers on LinkedIn and over 3 million views on YouTube. Hundreds of his articles, interviews, columns and videos are available (at no charge) online at www.MarshallGoldsmith.com. People from around the world have viewed, read, listened to, downloaded or shared his resources tens of millions of times. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation, and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. To date, Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm, and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| General Jay Silveria | Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit | 01 Oct 2024 | 00:39:57 | |
From the U.S. Air Force to higher education, General Jay Silveria’s leadership career has been as wide-ranging as they come. After leading pilots into combat and going viral for the anti-racist speech he made while Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy, Silveria now serves as the Executive Director of Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government & Public Service. The thread beneath all his experiences is that he’s a true servant leader — one who invests time in getting to know his people as a mission imperative. He and Maril discuss why innovation starts with leaders, and a “bottom-up” approach to fostering innovation rarely gets the job done; why it’s so critical to de-brief and review not just after things go wrong, but after they succeed as well; and why a leader’s responsibility is to looking ahead, imagining contingencies and planning for what could go wrong. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 14 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 140 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For more than 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A — Gagen MacDonald is a woman-owned, human-focused transformation consulting firm and trusted partner to the C-suite. We specialize in internal communications, employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Jeremy Dean | How emotional culture drives transformational change | 01 Nov 2022 | 00:39:29 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Jeremy Dean, Founder and Master Gamemaker at riders&elephants, talks with Maril about the elephant in the room of corporate culture: emotion. Emotion is core to belief, which is core to motivating people. Yet often, when undertaking a culture change or business transformation, leaders will start by thinking about the values and behaviors they desire; not how they want people to feel. Why is this? Because emotions are hard to talk about. Jeremy’s organization has found success making it easier through an unusual method: “gamifying” the conversation through a card game for organizations. Learn about: 3:58 What is emotional culture? 6:01 How emotions govern beliefs and behaviors 7:34 The importance of discussing unpleasant emotions 11:45 How to “gamify” the emotion discussion 21:56 Understanding emotional sub-cultures in an organization — Jeremy is the Founder and Master Gamemaker at riders&elephants. R&E design games to help people express themselves through simple, powerful words. Jeremy is on a mission to humanize the workplace. R&E games are used by people in some of the biggest and most inspiring organizations on the planet. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Celine Schillinger | Dare to Un-lead in a Turbulent World | 18 Oct 2022 | 00:56:18 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, accomplished change leader and founder and CEO of We Need Social Celine Schillinger talks with Maril about the relational leadership skills required in today’s business world — and how much those differ from what we’ve been taught to value in leaders. Schillinger, the author of Dare to Un-lead, sees eye-to-eye with Maril’s people-first lens on change leadership. The two discuss the vulnerability and self-effacement required to create movements inside companies, the immense power of co-creating solutions with employees and how often, the best way to improve business outcomes is simply to prioritize building a community of people who care for each other. Learn about: 10:54 Why the typical change approach has no heart 14:18 How companies can co-create change 18:47 How “Un-leading” differs from traditional leadership 25:25 Why leaders need to evolve to “Un-lead” 36:28 Creating movements in a hybrid world 55:55 Takeaways from the episode — A pioneering voice in Engagement Leadership, Celine has been recognized multiple times for her large-scale innovative engagement initiatives in the corporate world. Prior to her 17 years’ experience in the pharma industry across Business Operations, Marketing and Industrial Quality, Celine worked with communications, defense and trading companies. Hanoi, Vietnam, Beijing, China and Boston, USA were once called home. From Boston, Celine led a transformation movement at pharma giant Sanofi, impacting a change population of 10,000 people across Industrial Operations and Quality functions worldwide. Celine now works from France as an Engagement Leadership consultant, helping clients with new leadership strategies that mobilize internal or external stakeholders, enable corporate transformation and boost business value. Celine’s journey led her to founding We Need Social. A TEDx speaker, Celine was made a Knight of the National Order of Merit by the French government for her workplace change efforts. Lessons from her journey in change are captured in Celine’s first book, published in June 2022: Dare to Un-Lead: The Art of Relational Leadership in a Fragmented World. Celine and her husband Leo are parents to Gustave (17) and Violette (12). In her free time, Celine loves to row on the beautiful Saône River, nearby her home. Her articles and ideas can be found in various well-respected media and podcasts. Celine’s keynotes and speeches span multiple change, organizational transformation and leadership topics. She is featured extensively in major media articles. Multiple outstanding book reviews to include this one: “This book SHOULD BE taught in business schools, b/c what she says is a complete flip of the typical #leadership theories we usually get in today’s world of work” ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Jeppe Hansgaard | Accelerating Change Using the Power of Informal Networks | 04 Oct 2022 | 00:42:29 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Innovisor Founder and CEO Jeppe Hansgaard talks with Maril about how influence really works within organizations. Diving into the field of Organizational Network Analysis (ONA), they discuss the enormous impact that a few employees have on the success of their entire organizations — Innovisor has shown that just 3 percent of your employees can impact up to 90 percent of change — and how rarely leaders can guess who those people really are within their own ranks. Jeppe and Maril explore the different ways that networks change as you progress up organizations; how Gagen’s Six Levers of Culture can go hand-in-hand with ONA; and the promise of network analysis as a boon for human connection, belonging and organizational agility. Learn about: 5:23 How 3% of your employees impact 90% of change 9:54 How COVID-19 has changed organizational networks 11:23 Understanding gender in informal networks 14:39 How Gagen’s Six Levers of Culture connect to organizational network analysis 20:05 Assisting the “Lost Generation” inside your organization 25:27 The impact of Organizational Network Analysis on Mergers & Acquisitions 33:06 The most influential person in the organization — Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard is the Founder and CEO of Innovisor, a boutique advisory within organizational network analysis and change analytics that has a bold vision to eliminate change failure. Jeppe has working experience from across five continents, including from many U.S. companies such as Chevron, Caterpillar and Eli Lilly. He is a frequent speaker to executive groups, leadership programs and business schools around the world. His and Innovisor’ s groundbreaking work has been featured in more than 15 leadership books, including Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Jeppe holds an Executive MBA from Henley Business School, U.K., and a Certificate in Strategic Decision and Risk Management from the Stanford Center for Professional Development. Jeppe is the proud dad of three kids, and spends most of his spare time helping out in the local track & field community. — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Niven Postma | Mastering Office Politics: The Critical Leadership Skill | 21 Sep 2022 | 00:50:10 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, business leader, writer and speaker Niven Postma speaks with Maril about the importance of recognizing and navigating office politics. She and Maril talk about Niven’s journey toward focusing on office politics — one which, ironically enough, began with her getting fired — and proceed into a wide-ranging conversation about the balancing acts of leadership. They discuss the “tough empathy” that leaders must find, what it takes to get politically smart in the workplace and how Niven’s ideas sync with Gagen’s Three Things that Change Everything framework. Learn about: Niven and Maril explore… 13:51 The difference between Control and Controls (social 1) 17:55 Balancing control and letting go 18:29 Tough empathy: compassion + accountability 20:47 How to build mutual commitment 29:04 Why political intelligence is as critical as EQ & IQ (social 2) 33:59 How leaders contribute to office politics 38:59 Office politics in a remote/hybrid world Niven Postma has held executive positions since she was 29, in a career that has spanned multiple sectors and roles. Before starting up her own consultancy and embarking on her PhD, her positions included being CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association, Head of the SARB Academy at the South African Reserve Bank and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa). She is a Harvard Business Review and Inc. Africa contributor, a strategy and culture facilitator for clients in industries as diverse as financial services, retail, media and manufacturing and an expert lecturer and facilitator on women’s leadership development programs around the world. She is also the Chairman of the Board of Cotlands, an NGO that does cutting-edge work in the Early Childhood Development space in South Africa and beyond. — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Seth Godin | Embracing Tension, Impostor Syndrome and Bad Ideas | 08 Sep 2021 | 00:39:14 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, entrepreneur, best-selling author and speaker Seth Godin talks with Maril about reinvention, and we can better lead our teams through change. They discuss the challenge — and benefit — of letting go of sunk costs, the difference between managing and leading change, how impostor syndrome can be a good thing for leaders and why tension is necessary to drive change. Listen to the full episode below. Learn about: 4:42 The illusion that companies need to let go of 8:17 The mindset that fuels the imagination 9:57 Advice for leaders leading large transformations 12:01 Why impostor syndrome can be productive for leaders 19:22 How Seth navigates the overcrowded media landscape 26:25 Why tension is necessary to lead change Seth Godin is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, teacher, speaker, podcaster and world-renowned expert on creativity and creative entrepreneurship. He has launched one of the most popular blogs in the world, seths.blog, and written 20 best-selling books. His 2018 book, This is Marketing, was an instant bestseller in many countries. His most recent book, The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, is a handbook for creative professionals and creatives looking to make and share creative work. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Dani Brown | The Human Side of Digital Transformation | 25 Aug 2021 | 00:38:16 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Dani Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Whirlpool Corporation, speaks with Maril about the ins and outs of digital transformation. They discuss the vital role that the human side of business plays in all change management, the power of leading with “Why” and the new developments in technology and systems thinking that are helping the most innovative corporations adapt and stay ahead. Listen to the full episode below. Learn about: 7:08 How to build trust and credibility when leading a transformation 10:21 The importance of listening as a leadership skill 20:10 Untapped opportunities within digital transformations 22:03 How Whirlpool enables cross-functional collaboration 24:37 New technology opportunities leaders should have on their radars Dani leads the Global Information Systems division of Whirlpool, spearheading the household brand’s technology portfolio. Previously, she was vice president and CIO at Brunswick Corporation. Prior to that, she served in various leadership roles at DuPont. Dani is a member of the board for the PRA Group, a global leader in acquiring and collecting nonperforming loans. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Information Systems from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Drexel University. As a Six Sigma Black Belt, Dani is internationally recognized as a professional advanced in process improvement tools and techniques. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Juan Carlos Cruz | The Transformative Power of Truth | 04 Aug 2021 | 00:35:04 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Juan Carlos Cruz, accomplished corporate communications executive and prominent advocate against sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, speaks with Maril about the transformative power of truth. They cover how shedding light on the truth of his childhood abuse has helped him grow and thrive; the origins of his advocacy and close friendship with Pope Francis; how purpose and passion beyond work have made him better at his job; and advice for corporate leaders looking to cultivate trust in their cultures and brands. Listen to the full episode below. Learn about: 8:50 The power of speaking your truth 16:01 How passion and purpose outside of work can fuel career success 17:15 The authenticity of Pope Francis’s leadership 22:46 The vital importance of sincerity in modern corporate communication 27:01 Advice for leaders to increase trust in their businesses 29:35 What Juan Carlos believes leaders most need to let go of Juan Carlos Cruz is the author of the 2014 book, El Fin de la Inocencia, in which he shares his story of childhood abuse by a priest in his native Chile. He’s the co-founder of Fundación Para la Confianza, a global survivor support organization that helps survivors and their families. In addition, Cruz serves as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, a role to which Pope Francis appointed him. Cruz received of the 2015 Ellis Island Medal of Honor for humanitarian work around the world. Apart from his advocacy work, Juan Carlos is a communications executive. Currently, he is the Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs at Livent, a global lithium technology company. He previously served as Head of Global Communications and Brand – Agriculture for DuPont, and Head of Communications for Manpower Group. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Shaunta Vaughn | Leading with your unique gifts to fill a gap | 14 Jul 2021 | 00:37:15 | |
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Shaunta Vaughn, founder of the women’s leadership forum STRIDE, speaks with Maril about learning to lead using your unique talents. They dive into how the process of honing leadership skills differs for women and men, how Shaunta has launched and continued to nurture STRIDE and the importance of having a “personal board of directors” invested in your success to guide you. Listen to the full episode below. Learn about: 12:25 Principles of the “Old Boys” network that women can borrow 14:41 Taking a group from a lunch-and-learn to a formal network 17:15 Why every woman’s leadership journey is sacred 20:57 Choosing the right people for your personal board of directors 23:50 Transactional networking versus building a network 29:34 Letting go of leading from the basis of someone else’s story — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald, more than a decade ago. It explores how leaders inspire change and transformation in an environment in which they possess diminishing control. The Let Go & Lead conversation series has existed in several iterations, from video interviews to its current form as a podcast, now in season 4. Over the years, Maril has conducted more than 70 interviews with business leaders, academics and creative thinkers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Dan Pink, Hyatt CHRO Malaika Myers and American Medical Association CEO James Madara. At its core, Let Go & Lead remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Scott Halford | Pt. 2: Storytelling Techniques for Leaders to Inspire | 23 Jun 2021 | 00:36:49 | |
In the second part of his conversation on Let Go & Lead, world-renowned speaker and author Scott Halfordspeaks with Maril about good storytelling put to practice. They dive into strategies for crafting better stories, common pitfalls to avoid when telling them, the importance of mining your life for personal stories and a lot more — all grounded in neuroscience and the goal of better inspiring those we lead. Find the episode below. 2:07 Ways to make strategy presentations more engaging 9:57 The hallmark of a good leader in today’s world 13:21 The mechanics of good stories and what to focus on when crafting them 24:31 Why leaders should share personal stories 25:19 “Mining” your life for stories that resonate with employees 28:37 Common pitfalls to avoid when telling stories Listen to the first part of Scott’s conversation with Maril here. — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald, more than a decade ago. It explores how leaders inspire change and transformation in an environment in which they possess diminishing control. The Let Go & Lead conversation series has existed in several iterations, from video interviews to its current form as a podcast, now in season 4. Over the years, Maril has conducted more than 70 interviews with business leaders, academics and creative thinkers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Dan Pink, Hyatt CHRO Malaika Myers and American Medical Association CEO James Madara. At its core, Let Go & Lead remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Scott Halford | Pt. 1: The Neuroscience of Storytelling and Leadership | 09 Jun 2021 | 00:36:37 | |
The human brain is wired to focus far more on dangers than on positive information. This is a reality business leaders navigate every day, as they work to be intentional, clear and engaging in their communications. It’s also where Scott Halford can help. Scott sees effective storytelling as a key part of leadership, and he believes that with deeper knowledge of neuroscience, we can get a lot better at both. Scott is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, educator and advisor. He works worldwide to educate audiences about emotional intelligence, the neuroscience of achievement, effective performance and the success we create when we understand the intricacies of human interaction. He’s the author of the bestselling books Be a Shortcut and Activate Your Brain. Scott has been telling stories throughout his career — first as an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer and then as a professional speaker. He’s recognized as a Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers Association, and in 2014, the group inducted him into the NSA Speaker Hall of Fame. Scott holds an executive master’s degree from the NeuroLeadership Institute and is the president of SG Halford, Inc. Learn about: 4:19 - How storytelling triggers positive brain chemicals to induce certain feelings 6:10 - The neurochemicals to focus on when delivering a story or speech 8:55 - Applying a storytelling lens to business contexts 11:56 - How inspiration moves us better than motivation alone 20:29 - Leading and communicating with teams through downturns and uncertainty 22:50 - Dealing with lack of control through a neuroscience lens 30:53 - The personal goal Scott believes should be every leader’s holy grail — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald, more than a decade ago. It explores how leaders inspire change and transformation in an environment in which they possess diminishing control. The Let Go & Lead conversation series has existed in several iterations, from video interviews to its current form as a podcast, now in season 4. Over the years, Maril has conducted more than 70 interviews with business leaders, academics and creative thinkers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Dan Pink, Hyatt CHRO Malaika Myers and American Medical Association CEO James Madara. At its core, Let Go & Lead remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Umayma Abubakar | Harmonizing Cultures: The Art of Post-Merger Integration | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:38:17 | |
In a world where so many M&A activities fail to deliver their promised results, Umayma Abubakar has firsthand knowledge of how to buck the trend, and truly create something new and better through all the change.
Starting in 2017, Abubakar helped lead one of the largest mergers in history, when Mubadala Development Company combined with International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) to form what is today known as Mubadala Investment Company. Maril talks with Abubakar, now Mubadala’s deputy chief communications officer, about the principles and practices that drove them through the merger, and what executives around the world can learn from their success. Over a wide-ranging conversation, they cover the importance of leading with respect and inclusivity; of tapping into the experts you already have in the room; of choosing your language carefully; of providing employees with a clear vision and path forward; and of deeply appreciating the many details and dimensions of the cultures you’re combining to truly get the best of both worlds. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD
Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change.
Over the course of the past 14 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.
Maril has interviewed over 140 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.
ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For more than 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A
—
Gagen MacDonald is a woman-owned, human-focused transformation consulting firm and trusted partner to the C-suite. We specialize in internal communications, employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com | |||
| Dr. Candace Steele Flippin | Making the Most of a Multigenerational Workforce | 26 May 2021 | 00:35:09 | |
A workplace with four to five different generations of employees can be a challenge. Dr. Candace Steele Flippin knows it is also an opportunity. Candace is an expert on the multigenerational workforce, as well as a Senior Vice President and the Chief Communications Officer at Acuity Brands, a leading industrial technology company based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an accomplished communications executive widely recognized for her transformational leadership in the industrial, financial services, medical device, biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Since 2016, Candace has been a Research Fellow at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, an appointed role. She uses her unique background as a communications executive, researcher and author to provide practical career insights on the future of the multigenerational workplace. She has been featured on Forbes, CNBC, CBS, and Today.com and named as one of the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine. Candace earned her Doctor of Management at Case Western Reserve University, her MBA from Johns Hopkins University, and her BA from the University of Michigan. She also holds an Accreditation in Public Relations. Learn about: 7:54 — How younger generations are changing the workplace 10:04 — What Millennials value more than work-life balance 14:45 — Generational differences in interpersonal communication 16:21 — Attitudes toward remote work and the different priorities around returning to offices 21:31 — The keys to retaining top talent from younger generations 22:40 — Shifting expectations around rewards, recognition and demonstrated mastery — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald, more than a decade ago. It explores how leaders inspire change and transformation in an environment in which they possess diminishing control. The Let Go & Lead conversation series has existed in several iterations, from video interviews to its current form as a podcast, now in season 4. Over the years, Maril has conducted more than 70 interviews with business leaders, academics and creative thinkers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Dan Pink, Hyatt CHRO Malaika Myers and American Medical Association CEO James Madara. At its core, Let Go & Lead remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. | Reshaping Our Organizations for Post-Pandemic Success | 12 May 2021 | 00:37:49 | |
For Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, now is the time to go beyond new policies and procedures at companies. It’s the time where, as a leader, you must re-assess and re-articulate your organization’s unique culture, vision and employee value proposition to attract and keep the best talent. As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Johnny is a sought-after voice on an array of matters regarding work, workers and the workplace. He is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, “Ask HR.” Johnny is a member of the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and chairs the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Among his many accolades is being named Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update in 2021. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Johnny speaks with Maril about the dynamics that are reshaping the employer-employee relationship, and the new levels of transparency required to build trust between the two. He and Maril explore the trends he sees shaping the workplace, the different facets of diversity, equity and inclusion that businesses need to consider, the rise of employee activism and even his experiences in law and with the Trump White House. Learn about: 6:30 — Driving return-to-workplace decisions through your employee value proposition (EVP) 17:26 — The core trends reshaping our workplaces 21:36 — Approaching DE&I policies for your organization through the lens of justice and fairness 32:10 — Developing a winning mindset, no matter your background, that can help you and your organization thrive — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald, more than a decade ago. It explores how leaders inspire change and transformation in an environment in which they possess diminishing control. The Let Go & Lead conversation series has existed in several iterations, from video interviews to its current form as a podcast, now in season 4. Over the years, Maril has conducted more than 70 interviews with business leaders, academics and creative thinkers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Dan Pink, Hyatt CHRO Malaika Myers and American Medical Association CEO James Madara. At its core, Let Go & Lead remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Bill Novelli | Blending Courage, Curiosity and Business Smarts to Chart New Paths | 28 Apr 2021 | 00:29:57 | |
Bill Novelli, the founder of Business for Impact at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, is always asking, “What’s next?” A master of reinvention, Bill’s career has taken him in a number of directions — from helping to create the concept of social marketing to co-founding his own public relations firm, Porter Novelli, to serving as CEO of the AARP. Bill’s latest book, Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World, challenges all of us to change the world for the better and is a blueprint for tackling today's critical issues. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Bill talks with Maril about doing well while doing good. He and Maril explore the courage and curiosity required to lean into reinvention, how to balance making a meaningful change versus taking an unwarranted risk, the key characteristics of successful transformations and even the state of our political climate. Learn about: 6:41 — Inspiring reinvention within your work and life 8:48 — Finding the balance between embracing change and avoiding unwarranted risk 12:14 — The characteristics of successful transformations and how to build coalitions 18:09 — Making “enlightened self-interest” work for you and your communities — Let Go & Lead is a leadership community founded by Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald, more than a decade ago. It explores how leaders inspire change and transformation in an environment in which they possess diminishing control. The Let Go & Lead conversation series has existed in several iterations, from video interviews to its current form as a podcast, now in season 4. Over the years, Maril has conducted more than 70 interviews with business leaders, academics and creative thinkers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Dan Pink, Hyatt CHRO Malaika Myers and American Medical Association CEO James Madara. At its core, Let Go & Lead remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead — Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| 24: Releasing Control | Danielle Merfeld | 02 Jun 2020 | 00:33:15 | |
Danielle Merfeld, Chief Technology Officer for GE Renewable Energy, is a true convener who models shared power and confidently elevates others within her organization. Known for leading teams of experts who possess very different technical expertise than she does, Danielle understands where she adds value to get things done. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Danielle shares techniques for breaking down organizational silos, leading through change, releasing control and igniting debate when leading remotely. | |||
| 23: Trust & Transparency | Blake Jones | 26 May 2020 | 00:37:27 | |
When Blake Jones co-founded Namasté Solar, he set out to transform both the energy industry and business itself. Determined to build a company that practices conscientious business, Blake and his co-founders wanted to positively impact each stakeholder group, from employees and customers to community, investors, the environment and partners. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Blake shares the key leadership and cultural tenets that have sustained Namasté Solar over the years, as well as what’s changed and evolved as the company has grown and scaled. | |||
| 22: Igniting Energy | MaryCay Durrant & Michele Skerl | 19 May 2020 | 00:33:35 | |
Michele Skerl, a renowned horsemanship teacher, horse trainer and breeder, and MaryCay Durrant, a skilled facilitator and sought after executive business transformation coach, share a passion for bringing out the best in leaders through horses. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, MaryCay and Michele reveal how horses can help leaders live into their authenticity, ignite energy and build trust. | |||
| 21: Building Resilience | Rorke Denver | 12 May 2020 | 00:34:02 | |
Commander Rorke Denver has led Navy SEAL special-forces missions around the world and run every phase of Navy SEAL training. Today, as Founder of Ever Onward, Rorke uses SEAL principles to call leaders to take action and be bold so they can perform at their highest levels. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Rorke shares stories that underscore the importance of clear decision making, calm and composed leadership, training for extreme scenarios and building mental fortitude to strengthen personal resilience. | |||
| 20: Rebel Leadership | Francesca Gino | 05 May 2020 | 00:33:44 | |
Francesca Gino, award winning-expert on the psychology of organizations, professor at Harvard Business School and author of “Rebel Talent: Why it Pays to Break the Rules in Work and Life,” shares that not only do rebels have a bad reputation, but they are arguably the best suited to lead business forward in a world of continual disruption. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Francesca shares stories from rebel leaders, tips on how to hire effectively for rebel characteristics and how to spark constructive rebelliousness within an organization. | |||
| 19: Leading with Joy | Rich Sheridan | 28 Apr 2020 | 00:41:39 | |
Richard Sheridan, CEO, Co-founder & Chief Storyteller, Menlo Innovations, launched the software firm in 2001 with the intention of creating a joyful work environment that people loved. He knew things could be better and that work could be filled with camaraderie, energy, creativity and productivity. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Rich and Maril discuss how to create and sustain human energy in the workplace, share how leading with joy increases fulfillment and builds trust and offer how anyone can begin making cultural changes within his or her organization. | |||
| 18: The Purpose of Care | Malaika Myers | 23 Apr 2020 | 00:32:15 | |
Malaika Myers, Hyatt’s Chief Human Resources Officer, is a beacon for the company’s purpose: to care for people so they can be their best. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaika shares how Hyatt’s purpose is lived each day, offers practical tips on creating a culture of belonging and challenges us all to turn fear into love. | |||
| Bonnie St. John | Paralympian Medalist on Harnessing the Power of Positivity | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:45:12 | |
Resilience is something Bonnie St. John knows in her core. The Harvard grad and Rhodes Scholar became a Paralympic medalist by getting up after she’d fallen down in a very literal way, and since then, she has helped leaders and businesses understand the power in that truth. Over a wide-ranging conversation, she and Maril discuss how there is no one right way to be a leader; why purpose is so important to resilience; and why positivity is such a potent reinforcement mechanism — for locking in learning, for persevering within challenges and ultimately, for accomplishing our goals. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 14 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 140 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For more than 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A — Gagen MacDonald is a woman-owned, human-focused transformation consulting firm and trusted partner to the C-suite. We specialize in internal communications, employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| 17: Adaptive Leadership | James Madara, M.D. | 14 Apr 2020 | 00:26:56 | |
Dr. James Madara, CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association, joins Maril for the kick-off of Let Go & Lead’s third season. In their conversation, recorded just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they discuss how the AMA captures and champions physician voices from across the nation. Dr. Madara shares insights on connected power, effectively leading multiple stakeholder groups and adapting to new environments with curiosity and humility. | |||
| Season 3 Trailer | 10 Apr 2020 | 00:01:13 | |
We’re excited to share that the third season of Let Go & Lead will premiere on April 14. We have some fantastic guests for you, including award winning organizational psychologist Francesca Gino, Hyatt’s Chief Human Resources Officer Malaika Myers and U.S. Navy SEAL Commander Rorke Denver. Thanks for listening and for being a part of the Let Go & Lead community! | |||
| 16. The Power of Purpose | Tom Wilson | 19 Nov 2019 | 00:35:03 | |
Tom Wilson, Chair, President and CEO of Allstate, is passionate about the purpose of individuals and the purpose of business. He recently shared the stage with Maril at an Executives’ Club of Chicago event. Their conversation, released here as the Season 2 finale of Let Go & Lead, dives into leading through change, balancing visionary leadership with detail oriented execution, making effective decisions and of course, leading with purpose at Allstate. | |||
| 15. The Heart of Transformation | Jenn Hulett | 12 Nov 2019 | 00:34:18 | |
Jenn Hulett, Vice President of People for Ericsson North America, shares her region’s transformation story. Following a downturn, and harnessing the team’s energy and readiness to change, Jenn led the development of the team’s transformation strategy, putting the business on a path to long-term success. In this episode, Jenn shares how this journey began, progressed and also coincided with her own personal transformation journey. | |||
| 14. Building Coalitions | Devry Boughner Vorwerk | 05 Nov 2019 | 00:25:49 | |
Devry Boughner Vorwerk, CEO of DevryBV Sustainable Strategies and former head of Global Corporate Affairs and Communication at Cargill, is known for her courageous leadership and expertise building coalitions at the intersection of government, NGOs and the private sector. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Devry shares what makes a successful coalition, the distinction between a coalition and a movement and how she sees the future of leadership. | |||
| 13. Leading with Intention | Peggy Alford | 29 Oct 2019 | 00:32:47 | |
Peggy Alford, SVP of Core Markets at PayPal, has had a big year. She returned to PayPal after a stint with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and was named to Facebook’s Board of Directors. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Peggy, who is known for curating strong, diverse, high performing teams, shares her tips on leading, coaching and mentoring others in today’s world of accelerated digital transformation and growth. | |||
| 12. Finding Fulfillment | Dave Hollis | 22 Oct 2019 | 00:31:57 | |
Dave Hollis, CEO of The Hollis Company, gets to work alongside his wife, New York Times best-selling author Rachel Hollis, every day. As a senior executive at the Walt Disney Company, Dave had a career that looked great on paper, yet deep down he yearned for something deeper. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Dave shares his journey from Disney to The Hollis Company, how he’s moving from a fixed mindset to growth mindset and how success must be defined by oneself, not others. | |||
| 11. The Competitive Advantage of Culture | Ginger Hardage | 15 Oct 2019 | 00:29:28 | |
Ginger Hardage, CEO of Unstoppable Cultures and former SVP of Culture at Southwest Airlines, knows a thing or two about building and sustaining the healthy, authentic and world-famous organizational culture at Southwest. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Ginger showcases how deliberately investing in culture can differentiate an organization, build authentic brand zealots and deliver positive business results. | |||
| 10. Transformational Leadership | Jeff Jones | 08 Oct 2019 | 00:36:30 | |
Jeff Jones, CEO of H&R Block, is leading the company through a massive cultural transformation. He’s redefining leadership expectations in surprising and inspiring ways, setting a tone and activating a culture. Drawing on his experiences at Target, Uber and Coca-Cola, Jeff is taking his team on a journey unlike any before. | |||
| 9. The Science of Perfect Timing | Dan Pink | 01 Oct 2019 | 00:30:34 | |
Daniel Pink, New York Times bestselling author, joins Maril as she kicks off Let Go & Lead’s second season. They discuss the research behind Dan’s latest book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, which examines the psychology, biology and economics of timing. Dan shares his top timing tips for leaders, what business leaders can learn from choral singers and more. | |||
| Julia Hobsbawm | Building Genuine Connection and Trust in a Hybrid World | 29 Jul 2024 | 00:44:06 | |
Work has been in a chaotic flux since COVID-19 began, but as Julia Hobsbawm reminds us, it wasn’t going that well before the pandemic, either. The author, Bloomberg columnist and futurist of work has been researching connectivity, social health and humans’ relationship with technology since before the age of hybrid work. She talks with Maril about the ways work is changing — from new office models to technology developments to the norms of new generations — and what the best leaders can do to build productive, fulfilled, connected cultures through it all. --- ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change. Over the course of the past 14 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers. Maril has interviewed over 140 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale. ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For more than 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetGoAndLead
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj — Gagen MacDonald is a woman-owned, human-focused transformation consulting firm and trusted partner to the C-suite. We specialize in internal communications, employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. | |||
| Season 2 Trailer | 24 Sep 2019 | 00:00:39 | |
We’re thrilled to share that the second season of Let Go & Lead will premiere on October 1. Each Tuesday, look for new interviews with featured guests, including New York Times Best Selling Author Daniel Pink, H&R Block CEO Jeff Jones and PayPal SVP and Facebook Director Peggy Alford. Thanks for listening and for being a part of the Let Go & Lead community! | |||
| 8. The Potential of People Analytics | Michael J. Walsh | 18 Jun 2019 | 00:30:27 | |
People analytics expert Michael Walsh helps organizations improve employee retention, rethink succession planning and elevate talent through data. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Michael and Maril discuss what a strong people analytics team looks like, why it’s critical not to broad-brush demographic assumptions and how people analytics can strengthen diversity and inclusion efforts. | |||
| 7. Elevating All | Kristy Wallace | 04 Jun 2019 | 00:34:52 | |
Kristy Wallace, CEO of the Ellevate Network, is passionate about partnering with businesses to create true cultures of inclusion. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Kristy shares how leaders can take a big step toward creating a culture where all types of people can succeed by making a few simple behavior changes. | |||
| 6. Systems Start with Self | Darcy Winslow | 21 May 2019 | 00:31:09 | |
Darcy Winslow, President & Founder of the Academy for Systems Change, found her calling after leading five large-scale change efforts at Nike. In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Darcy and Maril talk all things systems thinking and leadership, including the importance of embracing a creative orientation, navigating the complex vs. complicated and that leaders are not defined by jobs or companies, but shaped by their purpose and work. | |||