The Leading Edge

Gretchen Goffe is the Founder and CEO of DTLiveLAB, which helps companies drive revenue and improve the customer experience using a human-centered approach to innovation. DTLiveLAB works with clients spanning all industries and sizes, from small agencies to Fortune 100 giants such as Nationwide, Ohio State University, Smithfield, and more.  As the CEO, Goffe bridges the gap between executives and employees, helping them innovate and develop a customer experience roadmap. She personally manages client relationships and is continuously developing new frameworks and teaching methods. DTLiveLAB offers a "learn-by-doing" approach that includes engagement rewards, live interviews, real-world examples, and coached sprints that always keep the customer top-of-mind. In this episode: When it comes to innovation, there are two ways most companies look at it: like a machine and like a garden. With an innovation machine, companies are responsible for the design, construction, and management. With a garden, companies sow the seeds and let the magic happen. But, according to design thinking strategist Gretchen Goffe, there's one major component that both approaches need: a human-centered approach.  Goffe has helped notable organizations like Nationwide, The Ohio State University, and Smithfield cultivate innovation opportunities through a customer-centric lens. By adopting the customer's perspective throughout the entire buying journey, an innovator can look for opportunities not just in the product or service itself, but at many other places where there are pain points, unmet needs, or simply ways to do things better.  How can you inspire your team to generate these innovative ideas? One of the most powerful tools to understand the customer journey is empathy — walking in the customer's shoes. But according to Goffe, 90% of employees never get to talk to a customer. In order to foster more empathy in the workplace, Goffe ensures that each member of her team engages with a customer down their internal supply chain. The results? An innovative team with a customer mindset. Goffe talks about this and more as she joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart is joined by Gretchen Goffe, Founder and CEO of DTLiveLAB, to talk about cultivating innovation through a human-centric lens. Goffe explains the steps a company should take to fill growth gaps, where to find opportunities for innovation, and how to empower employees to understand the customer perspective.

Justin Spizman is an award-winning and best-selling author, ghostwriter, editor, and proposal writer. Since beginning his writing career in law school, Spizman has worked on numerous nonfiction books and successful book proposals. He now works with people from all different backgrounds, upbringings, and expertise (including celebrities, athletes, and entertainers) to author and consult on their books. Working closely with some of the most successful people in their respective industries, Spizman has gained strong insight and understanding into the most efficient and effective ways to create a marketable story. He collaborates with clients to not only write books, but also strengthen brands, build legacies, and create enormous opportunities. In this episode: Pat Summitt, the former Head Coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, once said, "Most people get excited about the games, but I get excited about practice because that's my classroom." This wisdom doesn't only apply to athletic coaches. Whether on the court or in an office, leaders have to be students of the game. This is just one takeaway from award-winning author Justin Spizman's study of the chemistry and capability of coaching, which he describes in his book, Coach: The Greatest Teachers in Sports and Their Lessons for Us All. In his book, Spizman interviews 168 renowned leaders in sports, including famous coaches like Pat Summitt, Bill Belichick, and Aimee Boorman, and also dozens of unknowns who lead high school teams or stand at the side of individuals and teams in minor sports, to discover their strategies for developing top-performing players and teams. Although every coach has a unique approach, Spizman breaks down their action plans into four main coaching styles: the strategists, the team builders, the technicians, and the closers. When you understand your coaching style, you can better play to your strengths, hire for your weaknesses, build an impressive team, and help individual players reach their full potential. However, these four categories aren't the only keys to success. No matter if you're in business or sports, all coaches need fortitude, dedication, and an insatiable desire to learn and improve. Spizman talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart talks with best-selling author and consultant, Justin Spizman, about lessons on leadership from some of the best coaches in the sports industry. Spizman shares how this wisdom applies to the business world, guides listeners through the four coaching styles, and explains why it's crucial for leaders to be a student of their craft.

Marc Effron is the President of The Talent Strategy Group, a company that helps the world's leading organizations increase the quality and depth of their talent. As President, Effron leads the firm's global consulting, education, and publishing businesses. He also co-founded The Talent Management Institute, created TalentQ magazine, and co-authored the Harvard Business Publishing best-seller One Page Talent Management.  Before founding The Talent Strategy Group, Effron was the VP of Talent Management at Avon Products and led the Global Leadership Consulting practice for Aon Hewitt. He received his BA from the University of Washington and his MBA from Yale School of Management. In this episode: The tight labor market has forced leaders to scramble to rethink and redevelop the ways they compete for top talent and ensure that they're growing a strong team. In many companies, there's a kind of panic — a feeling of being caught unprepared, a sense that they lack a talent strategy, and that talent tools that once served them well aren't working. According to Marc Effron, a leading thinker and practitioner in the talent field, these challenges are nothing new. Over the past decade, exit rates have been on a steady, uninterrupted climb. The difference nowadays is that these talent issues are more noticeable — and solving them more expensive. If you want better talent faster, Effron says, a "production mindset" is what's going to get you there. You need to build a talent machine. Companies can raise the level of talent management if they look at talent acquisition and retention as if they were a production line. To develop a strong team, you must get clear on what you're trying to build, who you want in the company, the raw materials you need (that is, what people you need to fill pivotal roles), and the ways in which you assemble it (that is, your hiring processes, training and development, and retention tools). Effron talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart is joined by Marc Effron, President of The Talent Strategy Group, to talk about building a talent machine to solve hiring and retention challenges. Effron breaks down the critical components of a successful talent strategy, why you should invest in your top employees, and how to de-risk your talent production process.

Grant Packard is the Associate Professor of Marketing at York University's Schulich School of Business. He studies the consumption and production of language, and his expertise lies in data-intensive marketing strategies in retail, media, cultural products, financial services, and consumer packaged goods. Professor Packard's original research appears in outlets such as the Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Psychological Science, MIT Sloan Management Review, and others. He also currently serves as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Consumer Psychology and as an Editorial Board Member at the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Marketing. Professor Packard received his PhD from the University of Michigan, his MBA from McGill University, and his BS from the University of Colorado Boulder. He was selected as an MSI Young Scholar by the Marketing Science Institute and received the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. In this episode: A few simple changes in words you and your people use when talking to customers can profoundly affect customers' feelings about your company, their loyalty and satisfaction, and their likelihood to buy. Advanced linguistic studies show that many of the scripts given to customer service people — and many of the ideas companies have about what makes for effective communication — are in fact wrong. How so? Professor Grant Packard talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. Professor Packard has spent a decade researching the microeconomics of language, reviewing and analyzing transcripts of calls and online interactions, to uncover how we speak and how others receive and process what we say. What he has learned overturns a lot of conventional wisdom about how to engage with customers. Often, he finds, frontline employees are carefully schooled to speak as company representatives and mask their individual identities. That, it turns out, is a mistake.  In their customer service scripts, employees are often taught to use "we" instead of the first person, signaling that they're no more than a cog in the wheel of the company. But this tactic won't get you very far with the customer. According to Professor Packard's findings, customers prefer warm, personal, engaging conversations with employees — while at the same time, they want to know that the person they're talking to has the skills and authority to solve their problems. That combination of empathy and expertise is what customers want. When you focus on the individual and give employees a playbook — not a script — you're creating a better experience for all parties involved (and boosting ROI for your business)! In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart talks with Schulich School of Business Professor, Grant Packard, about the power of language and how it can make or break your business. From warm and confident speech to the ins and outs of customer service scripts, Professor Packard breaks down his research findings, discusses the ways in which communication goes wrong in business, and shares strategies to improve connections between employees and consumers.

Paul Leinwand is the Global Managing Director of Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting group, where he advises clients on the topics of strategy, growth, and capability building. Leinwand is also an Adjunct Professor of Management and Strategy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He has co-authored three books as well as several articles in the Harvard Business Review and strategy+business. Mahadeva Matt Mani is a Partner at PwC's Strategy&. As a global leader of their transformation platform, he works with companies and leaders across industries to achieve improvements in business performance and organization cost and effectiveness. Mani has over 25 years of industry and consulting experience, and he's co-authored one book and many articles published in the Harvard Business Review and strategy+business. In this episode: Digital transformation isn't just about the latest and greatest technology — it's also about leadership. But how is digital changing the work and role of a leader? What do leaders need to succeed in the digital age? Paul Leinwand and Mahadeva Matt Mani talk about this and more as they join Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. With the rise of digital, many leaders are worried about keeping up with the newest tool or strategy. But, Leinwand and Mani say there's a more important question that leaders need to address: how are you going to lead your organization through these changes? These two strategy experts have thoroughly researched the effects of digital transformation on leaders in a multi-year, in-depth study of leadership, digitization, and transformation at a dozen companies, ranging from Honeywell to Adobe, Microsoft to Komatsu. In their book, Beyond Digital: How Great Leaders Transform Their Organizations and Shape the Future, they detail how these and other enterprises have navigated this shift and the key steps leaders should follow to find success digitally. Instead of focusing on processes and tools, Leinwand and Mani say that companies must begin by reimagining their place in the world, starting from there to rethink strategy, talent, and the products and services they sell. As the digital world evolves, so do the expectations of a leader. How do you uniquely contribute to customers and stakeholders? What value can you bring to your ecosystem of networks to create a win-win for everyone? The foundations of success in the digital age are laid in a values-based circle of trust between you, your team, and your customers. Focusing on this will help you and your organization stay relevant — regardless of the digital disruption around you. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart sits down with Paul Leinwand and Mahadeva Matt Mani, Global Managing Director and Partner of Strategy&, respectively. Together, they discuss how leadership is changing in this new digital age. Leinwand and Mani lay out the steps leaders should take to navigate current changes, the skillsets leaders need to succeed digitally, and how to gain privileged insights from a value-based customer relationship.

Julian Birkinshaw is a Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. He has been on the faculty for 23 years, where he is also the Academic Director of the Insitute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital. Birkinshaw is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Social Sciences, and the Academy of International Business. Birkinshaw is a recognized expert in innovation, entrepreneurship, and renewal in large corporations. He has written 15 books, including Fast/Forward and Becoming a Better Boss. He's also published over 90 articles in journals such as the Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Strategic Management Journal. In this episode: As the demand for digital intensifies, companies are feeling pressure to quickly digitize every facet of their strategy. This begs the question: is the "transform or die" mentality the key to success? When it comes to digital transformation, how do you separate strategic need from hype and salesmanship? Professor Julian Birkinshaw, an expert in innovation, strategy, and entrepreneurship, is looking beyond the headlines and using data to drive insight and answer the question: "How digital do you really need to be?"  Although digital disruption is a phenomenon that everyone is talking about, Birkinshaw says that much of the change is concentrated in the technology, media, telecom, and retail industries. Analyzing data from Fortune 500 companies between the mid-90s, when the Internet first started to become a business phenomenon, and present day, Birkinshaw found that only 17 out of 500 companies are less than 25 years old. The other 483 have been in existence since 1995 — or much earlier. What exactly does that mean for your company in the era of digital?  Although the transformative mindset is top-of-mind with a focus on digital revolutionaries such as Amazon, Google, and Apple, there aren't as many fully digital companies as you'd think. Your company doesn't have to completely transform itself in the digital world, but you should learn to adapt to the demand.  Birkinshaw suggests that incumbents take a look at their industry and decide which strategy is best to adapt — whether that's waiting out the disruption, fighting back, consolidating, or reinventing yourself. Above all, Birkinshaw advises the following: "We must not lose sight of our identity and our core [values], and we should not allow ourselves to be taken away from what it is that's always made us successful." Birkinshaw talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart is joined by Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School, to talk about the truths of digitization. Birkinshaw breaks down the hype around digital disruption, shares stories of success and failure within digital transformation initiatives, and discusses the strategies established brands can use to become more agile in this fast-changing world.

Jade Huang is the Co-founder and CEO of StyleSage, an AI-powered data analytics platform designed for the fashion, beauty, and home industries. An ex-fashion designer-turned-technologist, Huang has over 10 years of award-winning experience in digital strategy, design, and technology.  Huang is a frequent industry speaker, having presented in more than six countries over the span of her career. She studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design and holds a bachelor's degree in international trade from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Huang also has an MPA in international economics from Columbia University and an MBA from INSEAD, where she was awarded the L'Oreal Scholarship for Creativity and Entrepreneurship Spirit. In this episode: In the era of digital transformation, information is power. And with increasing online accessibility, consumers now have more information at their fingertips than ever before — often more than retailers themselves. So how do brands keep up with this ultra-savvy, digitally native generation of customers? Award-winning technologist and former fashion designer Jade Huang talks about this and more as she joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. Huang has worked with world-class retailers including ASOS, Zalando, and Neiman Marcus, empowering them with real-time data so they can make more informed, market-driven, and profitable decisions. Her company, StyleSage, has been recognized by CNBC, Vogue, and more for its AI-powered, fast-track solutions for retailer success. Using image recognition and machine learning tools, StyleSage's platform helps brands analyze the complex details behind a product, understand consumer purchase drivers, and stay up to date on the shifting trends of the fashion industry–even learning when and in what locations competitors put specific items on sale, for example.  With an extensive background in technology, Huang understands that digital is here to stay. When e-commerce first emerged, it was a very small part of retail, taking up between 1% and 5% of sales. Now, that number has jumped between 15% and 20% for hybrid businesses (and often much higher for digitally native brands). E-commerce initiatives and up-to-date market research are a must if you want to compete with the big-name brands. With StyleSage, companies that don't have the scale and reach of larger retailers can still analyze local and global consumer trends to revolutionize their digital strategies–and big companies can track the behavior of rivals that might otherwise have flown beneath their radar.  In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart sits down with Jade Huang, Co-founder and CEO of StyleSage, to talk about transforming the retail industry through AI-powered data analytics. Huang shares how her company is helping retailers make data-driven decisions, the lessons she learned on self-care and building out processes, and why technology enablement is vital to the success of current retail brands.

Michael Araten is the President and CEO of Sterling Drive Ventures, a family holding company that manufactures plastic injection molding products for B2B and B2C markets, medical devices, food and pharma packaging, toys, and more. Araten also holds executive positions at The Rodon Group (Sterling Drive Ventures' manufacturing division), SillDry Industries, LLC, and StartEngine — the largest equity crowdfunding platform in the US. Araten has played a key role in his community as a board member for various organizations, including the Almo Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and KABOOM! He's also on the Board of Trustees for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. In this episode: Just as talent became a budding topic during the pandemic, supply chain issues similarly weighed heavy on people's minds — and businesses. In this episode of The Leading Edge, you'll hear how one company has managed its suppliers and distributors through all the twists and turns of the last two years — and what you can learn from its success. When the pandemic first hit, a report by the National Center for the Middle Market indicated that the #1 area where executives felt least effective — and least able to control — was the supply chain. Michael Araten, who runs a third-generation family manufacturing company, felt the same. With pressure to uphold a business that's been around since the late '50s, Araten knew he had to become flexible in order to survive. Within two weeks, Araten had a plan for change: he carved out space to meet the needs of the public, created molds for COVID-19 testing swabs, and changed 30% of his product. Now, as "normal" continues to be an elusive word, he has managed to avoid the supply-chain hassles from which so many other companies have suffered, and brought significant manufacturing capabilities back onshore from overseas. How did he do it?  By staying positive, kind, and curious, Araten was able to build optionality into his business and make a lasting impact on the manufacturing industry. On top of this, Araten says his major shift wouldn't have been possible without key long-term relationships and a strong focus on the future. Araten talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart is joined by Michael Araten, President and CEO of Sterling Drive Ventures, to discuss how Araten's family-owned business transformed itself during the pandemic. Together, they talk about the steps Araten took to keep his company afloat, the trends and challenges of reshoring manufacturing, and why catastrophes are a reason to double-down on your business values, not cut them back.

Rob Cross is the Founder and Chief Research Scientist at Connected Commons, a consortium of over 100 leading organizations accelerating network research and practice. Cross is also the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College and Co-author of the November-December cover story of the Harvard Business Review, titled "How to Succeed Quickly in a New Role." As a networking expert, Cross has worked with over 300 organizations, reaching thousands of leaders from the front line to the C-suite. He has identified ways to cultivate vibrant, effective networks at all levels of an organization and any career stage. Through writing, speaking, consulting, and course creation, Cross' network strategies are transforming the way people lead, work, and live in a hyper-connected world. In this episode: Succeeding in a new role today does not look the same as it did 10 or 20 years ago. Conventional wisdom says that transitioning to a new position is about making a big difference fast. But studies of the most successful transitions show that the key to long-term accomplishment is to focus on developing your network, especially the internal network of peers, superiors, and subordinates — the team that gets work done in today's cross-functional, interconnected, collaborative workplaces. So what steps can you take to flourish in the current professional climate? Networking expert Rob Cross talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises.  Whether you've been promoted, transferred to a new department or division, or been brought in from outside, the network is the key. Cross has practical strategies to help you reach success. For more than 20 years, Cross has studied the underlying networks of effective organizations and the collaborative practices of high performers. He's found that the value of your network is critical if you want to thrive in a new role. As the digital world develops, Cross says that "...the way we work is more interdependent in these networks." The rise of remote work has made networking even more important, as leaders and other key employees spend more time on calls, in Zoom meetings, and using digital communication tools such as Slack. It's less important to be an individual star, and more important to be part of a constellation. So what does this mean for you? When you're starting a new position, don't try to sell or prove yourself. Instead, build relationships and trust within the organization for long-term success. The value of your network extends beyond your career transitions. Even with the right skills and experience, neglecting to nurture your existing network can lead to underperformance, a high churn rate, and slowed productivity down the road. In a recent article he co-authored for the Harvard Business Review, Cross references a Gartner statistic indicating that "49% of people promoted within their own companies are underperforming up to 18 months after those moves." To combat this underperformance, you have to shift and adapt your network strategies. When moving up the ranks at your current company, it's still important to create mutual wins among your network, be proactive in shaping your role, and engage with your team at all levels. After all, it's the people in your network that will help you grow, scale, and prosper.  In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart sits down with Rob Cross, Founder and Chief Research Scientist at Connected Commons, to discuss current strategies for success in a new role. Cross talks about the steps you should take within the first 90 days of a new position, tips for navigating the pressure of a new role, and the principles that will maximize your network's value.

Jeff Green is the Co-founder and Principal of PROXUS, a talent and HR professional services firm that helps organizations align their people with their business strategy so they can reach their full potential. In his current role, Green is responsible for driving long-term growth and profitability through strategic planning, business development, sales, and marketing. He also provides guidance to business leaders and HR executives, as well as coaching for PROXUS' team of HR practitioners. Green has over 24 years of experience in HR management. Before founding PROXUS, he was the Owner and President of Granatt HR and the Founder and President of Competitive Edge Group LLC. Green has received the Business Leadership Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Philadelphia Chapter and a Minority Business Leader Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal. In this episode: The pandemic brought about an abundance of challenges, including the Great Resignation. This intense movement, which is still sweeping across the US, is impacting the growth of midsize companies in various industries. So what can organizations do to combat this issue, attract top talent, and retain strong employees? With an extensive history as an HR executive, Jeff Green reminds organizations that "your ability to scale up and grow is tied directly to your ability to find and retain the people that you need to support that growth." Mid-market companies, in particular, are seeing tremendous opportunities in the marketplace — but they don't have the staff to expand and take their businesses to the next level. That's why Green founded his firm, PROXUS: to help companies align their people strategy with their business strategy and hire employees that will help their organizations thrive. Green recently co-authored an article for the Harvard Business Review on the best ways to attract and retain talent right now. His strategies? First, recognize that the war for talent is fought on two fronts — keeping talent and finding it. The better you do at the former, the easier the latter becomes. To help with retention, invest in opportunities for employee education and development, maintain a great culture and work environment, and strengthen talent management. If you want to attract the right individuals to your company, an employee-centered approach, stronger employer branding, and, above all, a more intentional, strategic approach will make a big difference.  Green talks about this and more as he joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises. In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart is joined by Jeff Green, the Co-founder and Principal of PROXUS, to talk about his top strategies for resolving current recruitment and retention issues. Green shares the mistakes many companies make in their hiring approach — and how to avoid them. He also details the importance of implementing a solid HR infrastructure, empowering leaders with the necessary management skills, and cultivating a great workplace culture.