Leadership Biz Cafe With Tanveer Naseer

If you're a regular reader of my leadership blog, one thing you'll probably notice is how I love to draw inspiration and insight into how we can improve the way we lead from the most unexpected places. And I can't think of a more unexpected place to find an example that can illustrate a valuable lesson on leadership than sharing the story about one comedian's big break and the powerful lesson it reveals about it takes to succeed at leadership.Now I'm not going to give away the punchline here (see what I did there?), but let me just say that this comedian has appeared on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as the internationally renowned comedy festival, Just For Laughs, held every summer here in Montreal, Canada. And for this comedian, none of these career moments were what he sees as being his big break.I share this and more in this latest episode of my podcast feature, Leadership Espresso Shot. Just a quick reminder, with the Leadership Espresso Shot feature, I’ll select a specific idea around lea

When it comes to leadership, many of us have developed habits or strategies that have served us well in not only achieving our organization's goals, but driving future growth and success. But is it possible that at times the conventional wisdom we've come to rely on about our leadership might actually impede or even derail our efforts going forward? That's the focus of my conversation with leadership development expert and author, Sara Canaday.Sara is, like myself, a leadership speaker and author, and after more than 20 years working in the corporate world, she now runs her own firm Sara Canaday and Associates. Sara has been featured in a number of media outlets, including Forbes, The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and CNBC. She has also authored her second book called “Leadership Unchained: Defy Conventional Wisdom For Breakthrough Performance.”Some of the topics Sara and I discuss over the course of our conversation include:A simple measure that will help you overcome the bias for action and provide gre

Some of you may not know this, but I've been writing this blog for over 10 years now, which of course, means that you end up covering a lot of different topics and ideas around leadership. But what it also means is that after a point, you get the urge to shake things up and try something new.It's with this in mind that I'm pleased to share this latest episode of my leadership podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe” where I inaugurate this brand new feature, Leadership Espresso Shot.With the Leadership Espresso Shot feature, I'll select a specific idea around leadership and share with you insights and tools to improve the way you lead going forward. Normally, these are the kinds of lessons and actionable advice I share with audience members that attend my keynotes or corporate training sessions, which is why I'm excited to now have a new platform to share these with my podcast audience as well.Now if you've had the chance to hear one of my keynotes or corporate training sessions, you probably remember how I love to sha

There's been a number of studies that have illustrated the challenges and obstacles women face that men don't in trying to move into leadership positions. But are there actions and behaviours women are doing that are also impeding their ability to grow into effective leaders? That's the focus of the fascinating conversation I have with my guest in this latest episode of my podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”.Sally Helgesen is a pioneer researcher, speaker, and consultant on women’s styles of leadership and the unique contributions they make to the workplace. She focuses on honing women’s leadership styles, creating inclusive company cultures, and equipping men in senior positions to fully engage women’s talents and potential. Her work has been featured in Fortune, The New York Times, Fast Company, and Business Week.Sally has served as a consultant for the United Nations, where her pioneering studies on inclusive leadership and the increasing power of individuals was the basis for the creation of a group of “Center

These days it seems like we're seeing more and more high profile leaders being caught taking actions that clearly are meant more to serve themselves and their interests, rather than those they have the responsibility to lead and how they can help their employees, or their citizens, achieve success and prosperity under their leadership. So how do we as everyday leaders ensure we're serving our employees over ourselves, especially in light of the growing war for talent in the face of increasing employee shortages? It's through that lens that I have a thoughtful and uplifting conversation with my colleague and friend, James Strock.James Strock is an award-winning leadership author, entrepreneur, and speaker. He's also a former senior public official, having served as the founding Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the US Environmental Protection Agency. He is the author of several books, including his latest “Serve to Lead 2.0 – 21st Centur

Thanks to today's digital technology, we have so many different platforms and communication channels that make it easier to collaborate and connect with people outside of our office walls. But is that same technology making our workplaces feel less human? That's the question I examine in this episode of Leadership Biz Cafe with my guest, Dan Schawbel.Dan is a New York Times bestselling author of two career books, “Promote Yourself” and “Me 2.0”. He is also partner and research director at Future Workplace and founder of both Millennial Branding and WorkplaceTrends.com. Through his companies, he’s conducted dozens of research studies, working with major brands like Microsoft, Virgin, IBM, Coca Cola and Oracle.His latest book is “Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation”, which points out while digital technologies and platforms may allow us to be more connected to our work, it's also causing us to be less connected to the people with work with, and consequently, more lonely in

While there's little question that organizations need to be more responsive change, the real question today's leaders need to address is are they at ease with taking risks, and more importantly, are the risks they're taking the right ones? This question lies at the heart of my conversation with my guest Doug Sundheim in this latest episode of my leadership podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”.Doug is the president of the The Sundheim Group, a consulting agency that focuses on strategy execution and team development and whose clients include Time Warner, SAP, International Baccalaureate Organization, and Morgan Stanley.In addition to being a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Doug is the author the book, “Taking Smart Risks, How Sharp Leaders Win When Stakes Are High”.Over the course of this episode, Doug and I discuss his approach to smart risk-taking, including:What organizations often get wrong with the “innovate or die” approach in terms of what they should be focusing on as the risk they should

Let's face it, all of us want to be inspired at work. So why do studies show that over 70% of us feel uninspired about the work we do? And more importantly, what can we do about it? Those questions serve as the focus of this engaging, insightful, and at times humorous conversation with former Proctor&Gamble executive, Scott Mautz.Scott is the CEO of Profound Performance – a keynote, workshop, coaching, and online training company that helps you “Work, Lead, & Live Fulfilled”. Scott is also a former Procter & Gamble executive who ran several of the company’s largest multi-billion dollar businesses.In addition to writing a weekly column for Inc. Magazine on employee engagement and workplace culture, Scott is the author of two books, his latest being “Find the Fire: Ignite Your Inspiration and Make Work Exciting Again”, which serves as the focus of our conversation.Over the course of the episode, Scott and I discuss a number of ideas and insights from various studies that demonstrate how we can be in

What would you do if your role as a leader lead to the accidental death of one of your employees? It's a scenario that, thankfully, most of us might never have to consider. And yet, for one leader, this was exactly a situation they faced in their career, and what might have been a career-ending moment turned into one that helped this leader to learn how we can achieve extraordinary outcomes simply by caring for those we lead.The leader in question is Cort Dial, who is also the guest in this episode of my leadership podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”. Cort is a former manager and executive who now serves as President of Cort Dial Consulting, where he has worked with executives from Chevron, Intel, U.S. Borax, Disney and Apple.Cort is also the author of the book, “Heretics to Heroes: A Memoir on Modern Leadership”, which was recognized by The Globe and Mail as the #1 Business book of 2016 and was awarded the Gold Non-Fiction Award, and serves as the focus of this episode.Over the course of conversation, Cort and I

Without question, one of the common tasks organizations everywhere have to deal with is leadership development. Whether it's due to an aging workforce or the growing numbers of Millennials now moving their way through the workplace, there's no question that developing the next group of leaders will play a key role in an organization's growth and success in the coming years.But what measures should organizations be taking to not only create effective leadership development programs, but to support these new leaders to ensure a successful transition into these new roles in the organization? That's the focus of my conversation with Dr. Naphtali Hoff in this episode of my leadership podcast, Leadership Biz Cafe.Naphtali Hoff is an human and organizational psychologist and also President of Impactful Coaching & Consulting, where he works as an organizational consultant.He is also the author of the book “Becoming The New Boss – The New Leader's Guide To Sustained Leadership Success”, which is the focus of this

It's a common fact of leadership today that if you want to improve productivity and fuel organizational growth, you need to make sure your employees are engaged at work.And yet, despite both the evidence supporting the critical role employee engagement plays to driving your organization's success and most leaders wanting to improve employee engagement levels in their workplace, organizations everywhere are still struggling with this issue. Why is that? This conundrum serves as the basis of my conversation with fellow leadership expert and NYT bestselling author, Kevin Kruse.Kevin is a serial entrepreneur having founded several multi-million dollar companies, and even winning the “Inc 500” and “Best Places To Work” award for company culture.In addition to writing for Forbes, Kevin is the author of several books, including his New York Times bestseller, “We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement”. Currently, Kevin serves as the Founder and CEO of LEADx, an online leadership learning pl

There's a common saying shared often in our social media streams that you achieve success, we need to take a leap out of our comfort zone in order to access that space 'where the magic happens'.But is this really what we need to do to achieve success and personal fulfillment? That question serves as the starting point of my discussion on the true nature of comfort zones and learning how to grow our competencies with psychology and organizational behaviour professor Andy Molinsky.Andy is a Professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology. His research and writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Psychology Today, the Financial Times, The Economist, and the New York Times. Andy was awarded as a Top Voice for LinkedIn for his work in education. Andy is the author of two books, including his latest, “Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence”, wh

When it comes to our leadership, how generous are we with the knowledge we have and the people we know in terms of helping others to succeed? And why is this so critical to our ability to succeed as leaders? That's the focus of my conversation with best-selling author and former executive Tim Sanders.Tim is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and former Yahoo Chief Solutions Officer. Tim has been featured in Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and ABC news. His approach to leadership and business is simple – share what you know and who know you to help others succeed, and do so with compassion towards others. Its those very principles that are the focus of Tim's New York Times best-selling book – and the focus of our discussion in this episode - “Love Is The Killer App: How To Win Business & Influence Friends”.Over the course of our conversation, Tim shares a number of fascinating insights and stories, including:Bizlove is having a genuine desire to see others succeed with

As leaders, how aware are we of the obstacles we create for ourselves that impede our ability to achieve our own form of greatness? That's the question that served as the basis of my conversation with my fellow leadership expert and friend, Lolly Daskal.Lolly is the president and CEO of Lead From Within, a global consultancy that specializes in leadership and entrepreneurial development.Lolly is also a prolific writer, not only creating regular content for her award-winning leadership blog, but she also writes a column for Inc.com and Psychology Today, as well as having her work appear in the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company. Although she's the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, the one that probably best describes Lolly is something The Huffington Post once wrote about her, calling her “The Most Inspiring Woman in The World”.For our conversation, Lolly and I discuss her new book called “The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness”.As I mentioned at the end of this episode, I

If there's one thing every leader out there can agree on, it's that the way we work has drastically changed over the past few decades, and in today's interconnected, global environment, that change is now happening at a much more accelerated pace than ever before.In light of these fundamental shifts to the way we work, which 20th century management principles should we stop using, and what do we replace them with in order to ensure we're bringing out the best in those we lead? This question about the changing nature of today's workplace environment and the impact it has on the way we lead is the focus of my conversation with management expert David Burkus.David is a best-selling author, an award-winning podcaster, and an associate management professor at Oral Roberts University. In addition to his first book, “The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas”, David's writings have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Bl

In today's faster paced, interconnected world, there's little doubt that change is the new reality; the new standard by which we now have to operate. But if leaders recognize change as being a new constant in our organization's field of view, why then are so many leaders struggling to effectively drive change in their organization? It's the question that serves as the basis of my talk with innovation expert and author, Braden Kelley.Braden is an experienced innovation speaker, trainer, and digital transformation specialist. In addition to being one of the co-founders of the respected website, InnovationExcellence.com, Braden has published more than 500 articles on innovation as well as being author of the book “Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire”. His latest book is “Charting Change: A Visual Toolkit for Making Change Stick” which will be the focus of our conversation in this episode.Over the course of this episode, Braden and I touch on a number of fascinating insights that he describes in his latest book, incl

When it comes to disruptive innovation, the common and natural tendency is to view it from the lens of organizational growth and evolution. But can the power of disruptive innovation also be applied at the individual level to drive personal success and growth, and if so, how exactly do we go about doing that? It's the question that serves as the guiding focus of my talk with management thinker, writer, and author, Whitney Johnson.Whitney is the co-founder of Rose Park Advisors, an investment firm she co-founded with renowned innovation thinker Clayton Christensen. She's also a former award-winning Wall Street analyst and this year she was a finalist in the Best in Talent Category for the Management Thinkers50.In addition to writing for the Harvard Business Review and LinkedInfluencer, Whitney's work has been featured in Fast Company, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, and several other media outlets.Whitney is also the author of two books, the first being “Dare, Dream, Do” and her latest being “Disrupt Yourself: Putting

A common theme found among the numerous books and articles on successful leadership is that leaders need to be more open, more transparent with those they lead in order to improve communication channels and drive forward initiatives that are key to an organization's success and growth.But what if we're not as open or as easy to read as we might think that we are? What if the actions we're taking overlook a key aspect of how our brain operates?That's the premise and focus of this new episode of my leadership show, “Leadership Biz Cafe” where I welcome Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson to share her insights from her latest book “No One Understands You And What To Do About It”.Heidi is a social psychologist whose research and writings focus on the science of motivation. She is also the Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia Business School and a member of many esteemed scientific communities and organizations. In addition to authoring several books including “Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals”

With so many books, articles, and studies on how leaders can be more effective guiding their teams in today's faster-paced, global environment, why do leaders still struggle to help their organizations to succeed? That's the basis of the conversation in this VERY special episode of Leadership Biz Cafe which wraps up the month-long celebration of the release of my first leadership book, “Leadership Vertigo”.In this special episode of my show, I'm delighted to hand over hosting duties to my friend David Burkus, author of “The Myths of Creativity” and host of the leadership podcast show, LDRLB, so he can interview me about my new book, as well as asking about my future plans, including a discussion about my next leadership book.Over the course of this discussion, David and I discuss:What is leadership vertigo and how does it impact leaders in today's organizations.Understanding one of the key challenges organizations face in terms of balancing leadership development and retaining key talent.What Martin Luther Ki

In today's increasingly competitive, global market, it's understandable why so many leaders are trying to figure out how to foster innovation in their organizations. So how is it that some organizations seem to thrive on the cutting edge while others can barely get their innovative initiatives off the ground? That's the focus of my discussion with one of the world's top experts on innovation and creativity, Matthew E. May.Matt is a popular speaker, creativity coach, and advisor who has worked with management teams from companies like ADP, Intuit, Edmunds, and Toyota, to help them discover innovative solutions to complex issues. He is also the founder of Edit Innovation, an ideas agency based in Los Angeles, California.In addition to his speaking and consulting work on creativity and innovation, Matt has written and has had his work featured in many respected publications such as Harvard Business Review, University of Toronto's The Rotman Magazine, Fast Company, Thinkers50, TIME, Inc Magazine, strategy+busines