S10-Ep34: They're Always Watching You: A White House Advisor's Lessons for Every Leader

Guests: Jennifer Marriner, Sr. VP,  & Sherri Haymond, Co-President, of Mastercard divisions What happens when innovation means life or death for your company?   In this first of a two-part series of innovation at Mastercard, guests Jennifer Marriner and Sherri Haymond describe the ongoing innovations in their divisions: Global Acceptance Solutions and Global Partnerships, respectively. As customers and retailers alike continue to change how they move money, Mastercard must not only keep up with them, but innovate so deeply that they actually have new tech ready BEFORE payment preferences evolve.   That means leading an organization-wide innovation culture, with plenty of leadership lessons for the rest of us. Here's what Jennifer, Sherri, and Maureen cover: Why it’s so important for leaders to think differently and experiment with the new; How collaboration, inside and outside the organization, boosts your odds of success; and Why constantly asking your stakeholders “What do you need from us?” keeps you ahead of the competition. Other episodes on innovation in companies: Innovation Insights: Amazon Executives Share How They Deliver the Future with Udit Madan, Jamil Ghani, & Sarah Rhoads Eat Mor Chikin: Chick-fil-A’s CMO on Their Recipe for Success with Steve Robinson Avocados: When Produce Produces Innovation with Alvaro Luque   For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 . The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4) Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5) NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Making the World a Better Place: Jenna Reik Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay. CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guests:   Jennifer Marriner is the Executive Vice President of Global Acceptance Solutions at Mastercard. She leads the product evolution and strategy for Mastercard’s acceptance solutions, ensuring the company’s payments products drive usage and shape future commerce experiences. Prior to Mastercard, Jennifer spent over 16 years at PayPal, leading the Global Markets and Partnerships team. She also managed strategic merchant growth for The Royal Bank of Scotland’s acquiring division and worked at The Wall Street Journal. Based in London, Jennifer is the executive sponsor of Mastercard’s Women Leadership Network (WLN) and ADAPT.     Sherri Haymond is Co-President of Global Partnerships and a member of the company's Management Committee. Sherri co-leads a unique team that works with partners large and small to create disruptive products and solutions. As our world becomes borderless and even more digitally connected, Sherri's team keeps a pulse on the industry and collaborates with partners to ensure Mastercard delivers innovative and differentiated products and services at scale to meet the needs of today's evolving businesses and consumers. Sherri holds a B.A. in Literature from Duke University and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School. She serves on the board of MoCADA, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, in Brooklyn, NY.

Guest: Éliane Ubalijoro, Rwandan Presidential Advisor, Consultant, & Professor Clues about the leadership you’ll need in the near future are coming from unexpected places: Africa and genetics.   Our guest, Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, shares success stories in leadership development she’s seen in African communities. Nuance, cultural competencies, and persistence stand out as qualities not usually seen in lists of leadership qualities, but they enhanced success – and with growing multiculturalism in our workforces and globally interconnected markets, they are emerging as keys to enhancing leadership everywhere.   Here's what Éliane and Maureen cover: How both societal and technological shifts require new leadership models – and make old-school leaders fall further behind; The ways your genetics (and epigenetics) affect your underlying emotions and influence your decisions; and The emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution, and how Africa may be better positioned to leverage it than traditional industrialized nations.   Recorded in Brussels in association with the International Leadership Association: Other episodes you'll enjoy: A Genocide Survivor’s Path to Leadership: How One Man Turned Trauma into Passion for Peace with Hyppolite Ntigurirwa & Mike Hardy Sheba & ShEquity: Empowering Women-Owned Businesses with Pauline Koelbl ShEquity: A Refugee’s Path to Empowering Women & Their Businesses with Pauline Koelbl Diamonds in the Rough: Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship with DeBeers VP Pat Dambe   For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 . The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4) Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5) NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro is an adjunct professor of practice for public and private sector partnerships at McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development, where her research interests focus on innovation in global health and sustainable development.   She is the project manager and an investigator on a Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health phase 2 project led by Professor Timothy Geary, the director of McGill’s Institute of Parasitology. She is a member of FemStep, a research network highlighting rural girls’ and women’s perspectives for engendering poverty reduction strategies in Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, DR Congo, and Ethiopia using arts-based methodologies. In this context, she has been developing Ashes to Light, a multimedia project to document intergenerational dialogue on resilience as a platform for wisdom sharing and youth leadership training in peacebuilding. Dr. Ubalijoro is an expert consultant for the non-profit group The Innovation Partnership (TIP) as well as the founder and executive director of C.L.E.A.R. International Development Inc., a consulting group harnessing global networks for sustainable systems development. Previously, she was an assistant professor in McGill’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. She is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council for Rwandan President Paul Kagame.   Prior to going back to academia, she was a scientific research and development director in a Montreal-based biotechnology company for five years in charge of molecular diagnostic and bioinformatics discovery programs. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Ecosystems Restoration Associates, a Canadian-based pioneer in global forest restoration and conservation-based carbon offset programs. She is a contributor to the book The Transforming Leader: New Approaches to Leadership for the 21st Century by Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Guest: Betsy Myers, Former White House Advisor, Author, & Leadership Consultant The concept of the ideal leader changed dramatically over the last few decades, and Warren Bennis was one of the first researchers to analyze modern leadership. Our guest Betsy Myers shares the traits he found, then merges that with her own extensive experience in leadership – which reaches right up to the President of the United States – to look at the continuing gender divide in corporate and political leadership.   The gender gap remains, and who perpetuates it may surprise you! Here's what Betsy and Maureen cover: The key leadership traits that make a great leader, according to Bennis’ findings; Why leading is just like being a parent: what you do is more important than what you say; and The role of Tall Poppy Syndrome in keeping women out of the C-suite. Produced in association with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/     Other episodes you'll enjoy: Top Leadership Lessons for Women from a Senior White House Advisor with Betsy Myers Epic! The Women’s Power Playbook with Carolyn Buck Luce The Bonobo Sisterhood: Ape Society’s Lessons for Leadership with Diane Rosenfeld   For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Betsy’s book, Take the Lead, is available in paperback at https://amzn.to/3lbMWv6. The Kindle version is at https://amzn.to/3YEb1Za. Her website is betsymyers.com.       Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work by Ancestry CEO Deb Liu, on how to overcome the obstacles women still face in the workplace – especially in tech. It’s in hardback at https://amzn.to/47OUO9E, and audio at https://amzn.to/3Y6EmOQ. Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)   NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Generally Awesme in Every Regard: Jenna Reik CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   Betsy Myers is on a mission to improve leadership by developing leaders and teams who infuse passion and purpose into their organizations by leading from both the head and the heart. Betsy's insightful keynotes and workshops have inspired executives and managers worldwide to level up their leadership. Her practical guidance helps attract and retain top talent, build an inspirational culture, and achieve impactful results in the rapidly changing workplace.     Betsy is a renowned expert on emerging leadership trends and women’s leadership and is the author of Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You. She is currently a senior advisor at the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute at the University of Cincinnati. She also serves on the Council on Advancing Women in Business for the US Export-Import Bank and the Board of the International Leadership Association. She has extensive experience in the corporate world, government settings, and in higher education.     Previously, she was the founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and the executive director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School. A senior adviser to two U.S. presidents, Betsy served as President Clinton's White House Advisor on Women's Issues and was the Chief Operating Officer and Chair of Women for Obama during President Obama's historic 2008 national campaign. Her extensive leadership background also includes roles at the U.S. Small Business Administration, including heading the Office of Women's Business Ownership.

Guest: Greg Moran, Former Ford Senior Executive We’ve distilled seven absolutely vital mindsets every leader must have to succeed. They’re extra critical in today’s business environment, which continues to evolve and change years after the infamous COVID quarantine. The only constant: there’s no going back to the old way of leading.   In this episode, Greg Moran joins Maureen to discuss these seven mindsets, and give examples on their effectiveness from his extensive real world experience – from small startups such as Aware to giant corporations like Ford.   Other episodes with Greg Moran: How Missing Ethics Makes a Mess of Organizations Forming Your Firm’s Ethics The Rationale of Irrationality For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. The Kindle version is available at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 .You’ll find further details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4) Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5) Jilly Truit murder mysteries by Beverley McLachlin: Full Disclosure – https://amzn.to/46TxW6Q (paperback) https://amzn.to/46VDL3Q (audiobook) Denial – https://amzn.to/46YCbhs (paperback) https://amzn.to/3GJc0AA (audiobook) NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Overachieving with 8 Mindsets: Jenna Reik   CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   Greg Moran is a C-level digital, strategy and change leadership executive with extensive global operations experience. He led corporate strategy for Ford and designed the plan that Alan Mullaly used to turn around the company. Greg held C-level IT positions in app dev, infrastructure, and core banking applications at Ford, Nationwide Insurance, and Bank One/JPMC, respectively. He began his career in consulting with Arthur Andersen Accenture, working across industries with 100 companies over the course of a decade. He is passionate about leadership and culture, and teaches part time on the topic at Ohio University.

Guests: Gill Hickman, Jepson School of Leadership Studies Professor Emerita; Jorrit Volkers, dean of Deloitte University EMEA; and Cynthia Cherrey, CEO of the International Leadership Association “CEO clashes with their own corporate culture.” That’s the subtext of business headlines at least once a week. What’s going on? Simply put: they’re sticking with their old leadership styles, even though the world – and their own organization – has changed around them. The solution is simple: change…and change quicky. That’s the underlying message for our guests, as Gill, Jorrit, and Cynthia talk with host Maureen Metcalf about their own research, and how it’s important to blend today’s latest leadership theories with practical, proven leadership techniques. Generational and societal changes are happening too rapidly; leaders can’t simply “wait it out” if they want success. Listen in for the details! Produced in partnership with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org . Other episodes you'll enjoy: How Leaders Thrive through Rapid Change with film director Chris Nolan and producer Mike Schindler Change, Risk, Diversity: The Pillars of Modern Leadership with Hilton Senior Vice President Shruti Gandhi Buckley Leadership 2050: Two Experts Uncover How to Become Tomorrow’s Leader, Today with futurist Susan Cannon and consultant Mike Morrow-Fox For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    She’s also written several award-winning books on leadership development. You can peruse and purchase them here.  Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller, the Man Who Created Nancy by Bill Griffith The Five Lost Superpowers: Why We Lost Them & How to Get Them Back by John Reid, et al The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Adaptable Support: Jenna Reik & Mike Morrow-Fox CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders Twitter: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   Gill Robinson Hickman is Professor of Leadership Studies Emerita at Jepson School of Leadership studies and winner of the 2016 ILA lifetime achievement award. Compelling common purpose would be three words at the core of Gill’s institution building work in leadership studies, her life and her research. As one of the inaugural faculty members of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, one of the first institutions in the world with a multidisciplinary faculty devoted to the study of leadership, Gill joined forces with her colleagues to build a leadership studies program from the ground up. She published Leading Change in Multiple Contexts which has become a standard in a field that has experienced incredible growth since those first Jepson faculty gathered with their compelling common purpose more than 20 years ago. She grew up as a black woman in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights era where she experienced the power of people coming together in common cause.   Jorrit Volkers is Dean of Deloitte University Europe Middle East Africa (DU EMEA), one of the world’s largest consulting firms, Deloitte. DU EMEA designs and delivers a world-class curriculum to develop Deloitte practitioners as trusted business advisors and leaders. Its vision, which Volkers himself exemplifies is to “have a ‘game-changing’ impact on clients and people, and add value to every member firm by embedding a unified culture across borders, functions and levels.” With only four years of operations, under Volkers’ leadership, DU EMEA has already offered professional and leadership programs to nearly 18,000 participants. The mission is to develop the Deloitte culture, develop skills to serve clients better and develop people. At the heart of the curriculum is the global leader framework and the seven core competencies Deloitte leaders need: living the purpose, influence, performance drive, strategic direction, talent development, competitive edge and inspirational leadership.

Guests: Amazon Vice-Presidents Udit Madan (Worldwide Operations), Jamil Ghani (Worldwide Prime), & Sarah Rhoads (Workplace Health & Safety) Answer honestly: can you innovate? Most organizations can – but their leaders won’t. Fear of change is often cited, but the reality is they don’t know how.   Amazon’s success is predicated on constant innovation, so leaders there have deeply embedded it into their business culture. In this episode, we hear from three high-level Amazon executives, each one encouraging innovative mindsets in different ways. They reveal their teams’ latest innovations, and their own leadership philosophies that keep their teams on the cutting edge. Here's what Udit, Jamil, Sarah and host Maureen Metcalf cover: The secret sauce behind all Amazon initiatives: constant customer-back thinking; How Prime uses AI to make shopping easier for those customers; and The Six Pillars that fuel the goal of making Amazon the safest place to work on the planet. Do a deeper dive on Amazon leadership with these interviews: To Err Is to Innovate with Beryl Tomay, Amazon VP of Last Mile Delivery & Technology Four Key Lessons on Trust & Safety from Amazon’s Head of Family Trust with Catherine Teitelbaum Putting People First with AI with Dave Levy, VP of Amazon Web Services WWPS How Moonshots & Robots Put Packages on Your Porch with Steve Armato, VP of Middle Mile & Tech at Amazon For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 . The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work by Ancestry CEO Deb Liu, on how to overcome the obstacles women still face in the workplace – especially in tech. It’s in hardback at https://amzn.to/47OUO9E, and audio at https://amzn.to/3Y6EmOQ. Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)   NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Eternally Irreplaceable by AI: Jenna Reik Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay. CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  Instagram: @innovativeleader  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guests:   Udit Madan, VP of Worldwide Operations, oversees fulfillment, transportation, and last-mile delivery operations. Udit joined Amazon in 2008 as a Software Development Engineer, building technology to automate and scale the company’s fulfillment network. Over the years, he has led numerous R&D initiatives, introducing robotics and automated control systems. In 2015, he transitioned to the Last Mile Technology team, where he developed key programs for Amazon’s delivery services. Udit also played a crucial role in Amazon’s COVID-19 operations response. He earned degrees in Computer Science and Economics from the University of Texas and was born and raised in India before moving to the U.S. in 2004.   Jamil Ghani, VP of Worldwide Prime, leads Amazon Prime globally, overseeing product, technology, marketing, decision science, operations, and finance teams that drive the membership’s growth and success. Under his leadership, Prime membership has tripled, and per-member spending has doubled, with new benefits added across categories such as healthcare, grocery, and food delivery. Before joining Amazon in 2017, Jamil was Senior Vice President of Enterprise Strategy, Digital & Innovation at Target, where he played a key role in revitalizing Target.com and launching new customer experiences. Jamil also held leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, General Mills, and The Boston Consulting Group. He holds a BA in Economics and Computer Science from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar.   Sarah Rhoads, VP of Workplace Health & Safety, oversees Amazon’s global health and safety programs, managing a team of over 9,000 professionals dedicated to the well-being of more than 1 million employees. Sarah joined Amazon in 2011 as an Operations Manager and has since held various leadership roles, including Director of Amazon Air. In her role at Amazon Air, she built the company’s air-haul network from scratch, growing it into a global operation with nearly 100 aircraft. A former U.S. Navy fighter pilot, Sarah flew F/A-18 jets and completed over 250 carrier landings. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

Guests: Cynthia Cherrey, CEO of the International Leadership Association, & Ajay Bramdeo, African Union Ambassador to the EU This classic episode, revisited, focuses on global challenges. Migration – legal and illegal – is just one major issue haunting the globe. As the world faces this, climate change, and other international challenges, what can you do? Plenty, as we learn in this episode! ILA CEO Cynthia Cherrey opens the conversation by discussing the frameworks and forum for the new leadership needed to develop solutions which the Association’s annual global conference provides. Then Ambassador Ajay Bramdeo steps in to point out how old-school leadership fails in light of illegal migration and other global challenges – and how redefining leadership is necessary to solve them. Here's what Cynthia, Ajay, and Maureen cover: The needs Cynthia saw in the leadership community…and how establishing ILA’s global conference can help fill them; The origins of the migration crisis, focusing on Africa’s emigres as an example of how poor leadership exacerbates the issue; and Solutions – including the leadership traits you can practice in your own organization which, in the long term, can influence resolving global issues. Produced in conjunction with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org.   Other episodes you'll enjoy: - Empathy, Dialogue, & a Good Mood: An Ambassador Reveals What Leaders Need in Crisis with Ambassador Thomas Greminger & Peter Cunningham - Work, War, and In-Between: An International Peace Negotiator’s Top Tips for Resolving Conflict with John, Lord Alderdice - Cooperation, Leadership, & Empathy: George Papandreou’s Path for Meeting Challenges with the former Prime Minister of Greece   For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   You can learn more about Cynthia Cherrey’s organization – as well as their next global conference – on the International Leadership Association website: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org. https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/.   To learn more about the African Union, check out https://au.int. https://au.int/.   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work by Ancestry CEO Deb Liu, on how to overcome the obstacles women still face in the workplace – especially in tech. It’s in hardback at https://amzn.to/47OUO9E, and audio at https://amzn.to/3Y6EmOQ. Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)   NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links. -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Redefining the Reach of Podcasts: Jenna Reik CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  Instagram: @innovativeleader  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guests: Cynthia Cherrey, is president and CEO of the International Leadership Association (ILA), a global network of leadership scholars, educators, and practitioners. Previously, Cynthia served as Vice President and Lecturer in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She publishes in the areas of leadership, organizational development, and higher education including coauthoring Systemic Leadership: Enriching the Meaning of our Work, coediting ILA’s Building Leadership Bridges book series, and co-editing Women and Leadership around the World. She is a Fellow at the World Business Academy and a recipient of a J.W. Fulbright Scholarship. Cynthia’s interests and research explore new ways to live, work, and lead in a knowledge-driven, interdependent, global society. She consults and speaks to for profit and nonprofit organizations around the world on leadership and organizational change. Ajay Bramdeo is the African Union Ambassador to the European Union. In this position, Bramdeo is working to overcome the historical legacy of relations between Africa and Europe to establish more mutually beneficial exchanges between the two continents, particularly, in recent years, in terms of migration. He is also engaged in ensuring that Africa’s voice carries weight within larger global systems for governance, such as the United Nations and global conversations around peace and security.

Guest: Deb Liu, Ancestry President & CEO You are who came before…personally and as a leader. Your ancestors have been shaping you for generations.   That’s one key lesson from Deb Liu, who heads Ancestry, the world’s leading genealogical service. Even though we like to think we’re completely self-made, we’ve been heavily supported by our teams and communities. But, more invisibly, we’ve also been shaped by decisions our ancestors made generations ago: when they immigrated, who they married, the jobs they worked, and more.   Deb discusses that and more with host Maureen Metcalf in this episode that looks back to help you look ahead. Here's what Deb and Maureen cover: The many ways your ancestors continue to shape you (and your leadership); The growing role of AI in finding and preserving historical documents; and Why, as a leader, Deb looks for out-of-the-box thinkers to join her Ancestry team.   Other episodes you'll enjoy: Why Rare Leadership Is Well-Done at Omaha Steaks with CEO Nate Rempe Leading with Care & Purpose with Raj Sisodia & Sudhanshu Palsule The Future Is Yours to Create with futurist Rebecca Ryan   For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Deb’s book is Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work on how to overcome the obstacles women still face in the workplace – especially in tech. It’s in hardback at https://amzn.to/47OUO9E, and audio at https://amzn.to/3Y6EmOQ.     Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 . The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4) Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5) NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Shaping a Very Positive Future: Jenna Reik Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay. CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   Deb Liu joined Ancestry's helm in March 2021 as President & CEO and a member of the company's Board of Directors. Named one of Business Insider's most powerful female engineers, Deb has worked in the tech industry for over 18 years with previous leadership roles at PayPal, eBay, and Facebook where Liu created and led Facebook's Marketplace. She also led the development of Facebook's first mobile ad product for apps and its mobile ad network, in addition to building the company's games business and its payments platform, including Facebook Pay. Now Liu is guiding Ancestry into a new chapter of growth and innovation – all to empower journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. Under her leadership, Ancestry is undertaking a bold vision focused on building a more inclusive experience. Where Ancestry has traditionally been Designed for Some, Deb is leading the company to Ancestry for All, where EVERYONE can see themselves and their families reflected in the product, regardless of family dynamics, race, ethnicity, and heritage. And the proof is in her business strategy – from the release of their inaugural Impact Report, to the acquisition of Geneanet, a leading French genealogy company, and strengthening Ancestry's executive bench, by hiring former execs from Amazon and Facebook and appointing a new female Chief Product Officer. Actively involved with promoting diversity and women in tech, Deb is also the founder of Women In Product, a nonprofit to connect and support women in the product management field.

Guest: George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece Do you want to lead like an Olympian…or a gladiator? The Olympics were founded by the ancient Greeks as a model for collaboration and cooperation, developing a city-state’s Olympians to their highest potential. That dovetails with the mission of today’s best leaders – and Greece’s former prime minister, George Papandreou, shares why that Olympic vision is all the more important now. As he shares with host Maureen Metcalf, it’s the key to solving so many of today’s global issues: from refugees to climate change. The first step: figuring out our common values, then building on them to work together across borders. Produced in partnership with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org. Other episodes you'll enjoy: Former Prime Minister Papandreou’s Path to a Just World with George Papandreou and Jorrit Vokers How Climate Change Batters Business Bottom Lines: A Prime Minister Explains with Kim Campbell Here’s Why This Prime Minister Gives Failing Grades to Today’s Leaders with Kim Campbell   For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    She’s also written several award-winning books on leadership development. You can peruse and purchase them here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller, the Man Who Created Nancy by Bill Griffith The Five Lost Superpowers: Why We Lost Them & How to Get Them Back by John Reid, et al The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Adaptable Support: Jenna Reik CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders Twitter: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   As Prime Minister of Greece from 2009 to 2011, George A. Papandreou understands leading in turbulent times. A public servant for many years, he served, among other posts, as Minister for National Education and Religious Affairs and as Minister of Foreign Affairs before following in his father and grandfather's footsteps to become Greece's Prime Minister. His election to office after the devastation of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 came with a mandate to increase transparency and reduce corruption in Greece's government while humanizing globalization and its economic effects on Greek citizens. Challenged by time and global financial markets, he made the difficult decision to implement austerity programs and cuts that appeased the Eurozone and the pressures of the global economy. For his work in 2010 of "making the best of Greece's worst year," Foreign Policy magazine named him a Top 100 Global Thinker.

Guest: Catherine Teitelbaum, Head of Family Trust at Amazon Your current skills can take you to surprising places. That’s the backstory for Amazon’s Head of Family Trust, Catherine Teitelbaum. It could be your story, too! Catherine started as a classroom teacher; she’s now a tech leader. And, as she tells host Maureen Metcalf, it was a natural progression…but one she never foresaw. In this episode, she shares her journey, how those skills were perfect as online companies realized they needed trust and safety programs to maintain safe spaces online for kids and families, and the lessons learned as she ascended the leadership ladder. Here's what Catherine and Maureen cover: Why authenticity might just be the most important quality any leader can have; The key lessons for trust and safety, both for online users and for your own team; and How trust is a vital bridge between company and customer, and between leader and team. Other episodes you'll enjoy: Shifting from Trusting Institutions to Trusting People with Daniele Henkel, Knight of the Order of Merit To Err Is to Innovate with Beryl Tomay, Last Mile Delivery Services lead at Amazon Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection with Erica Dhawan, author For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!   RESOURCES:   Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.    Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at  https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.   Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.    Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include: Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4) Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5) NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.   -----------------------   OUR PODCAST TEAM:   Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko Ensuring Our Team Is Safe & Trustworthy: Jenna Reik Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay. CONNECT WITH US:  YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership  Threads: @innovativeleaders X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2  Instagram: @innovativeleader  TikTok: @innovativeleadership Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com    Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!  -----------------------   About Our Guest:   Catherine Teitelbaum, Head of Family Trust at Amazon, is a former educator and industry veteran with 25 years of experience in the fields of online safety, product policy, educational technology, and developing trustworthy digital products. For more than a decade, Catherine held senior positions within Yahoo!, leading the award-winning Yahooligans and Yahoo! Education products as well as global policy initiatives. Catherine was the Chief Trust & Safety Officer at ASKFm, leading the safety turnaround of the teen Q&A app, and has consulted for a variety of popular social media apps. Most recently Catherine led Trust & Safety for Twitch, Amazon’s popular live-streaming service.