Joy at Work: How to Take More Risks with Eerika Savolainen, CEO of Slush

Big news: Alex Liu’s new book, “Joy Works: Empowering Teams in the New Era of Work” is now available. Get your copy for a wide range of perspectives on how to create more joy in your work and your organization. In this episode, Alex shares more about the book, talks to FFWD co-founder Lee Brailey about the joy of innovation, and looks back on his favorite moments from this season of the podcast. Featured in this episode: Lee Brailey @ FFWD John Dutton @ UpLink Shailie Mehta @ Acacia Eco Nick Taylor @ Unmind Emily Ketchen @ Lenovo Eerika Savolainen @ Slush Amy Gallo, author of “Getting Along” Kirk Bresniker @ Hewlett Packard Labs   Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork.  

It’s one thing to have a big “aha!” moment. But how do you turn that big idea from a solo moment of inspiration into a coordinated movement? How do you create innovation at scale? Those are questions we explore with Kirk Bresniker, Chief Architect at Hewlett Packard Labs. Get insights into how to combine ingenuity + opportunity + investment to make an impact. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork.

Can't we all just get along? The research shows that when we get along at work – when we collaborate and even build friendships with our coworkers – we are happier and healthier. Harvard Business Review editor Amy Gallo joins us to share lessons from her new book, “Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).” Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork.

How will we build the future? Today’s guest, Eerika Savolainen, leads Slush, a grassroots startup incubator founded by students in Finland to change the startup environment there. They have succeeded in building a powerful engine for innovation and change. Eerika credits two key drivers: risk and curiosity. She shares key insights into how the next generation will build solutions to the world’s hardest problems. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork.

We had a hunch: If you talk to leaders who are orchestrating major change inside their companies, joy will be easy to find.  We were right. For this special episode, we talked to 4 marketing leaders, live at the ANA Masters of B2B conference. We heard about how they focus on purpose, how they practice servant leadership, how they figure out what’s working, and how they remember that life is short and work should be joyful. Thanks to our guests: Emily Ketchen, CMO, Lenovo; Jeff Lowe,  EVP and CMO, Smart Technologies; Heather Malenshek, CMO, Land O’Lakes; and Mike Rucker, Vice President, Branded Content at NBC Universal. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork.

Dr. Nick Taylor helps us think about mental health as a spectrum. Nurturing our mental health should be a daily practice we integrate into our routines, just like brushing our teeth. We explore how we can think about mental health at work, on teams, and at organizations that are building an innovative new future. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at Kearney.Com/Joyatwork.

Welcome to the newest season of Joy@Work. First up, we’re talking about the link between innovation and joy with John Dutton, who connects socially minded entrepreneurs around the world through UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s open innovation platform. We’ll also talk to one of those entrepreneurs, Shailie Mehta, co-founder of urban forest startup Acacia Eco.  Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork.

Innovation drives joy. And joy drives innovation. It’s a virtuous cycle. Around the world, people are innovating to keep pace, get ahead of the curve, and build a better world.  If we’ve learned anything from the past few years, it’s that change is all around us and there’s no going back. So bring on the innovation! This season on Joy@Work, we’ll talk to people who are rethinking the status quo, all while using a joy mindset. We’ll find out how business leaders and futurists are focusing on JOY to power their curiosity, imagination, creativity, and discovery. They share their stories of breaking down barriers, creating new partnerships, and experimenting to unlock joyful innovation. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. We’re inspired by FFWD, Kearney’s breakthrough business builder. FFWD works with leaders across the globe to inspire new business models that enhance stakeholder value and accelerate tech-enabled growth. Learn more about this show and about our innovative work at Kearney.Com/Joyatwork.

As we close out 2021, we’re thinking about joy, purpose, and generosity. Alex Liu interviews Michael J. Nyenhuis, CEO of UNICEF USA, about UNICEF’s important work supporting children around the world -- and how we can all infuse more purpose and joy into our daily work. Learn more about UNICEF USA and contribute to their work at unicefusa.org. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. Learn more at Kearney.Com/Joyatwork.

Transformation. It might sound simple, but anyone who is doing the tough, messy, complicated work of changing their organization knows that transformation requires a lot of grit and patience. During the last few months on Joy@Work, we’ve talked about that messy journey to create more joy at work — along with more justice, equity, and peace.  In this recap episode, we’re looking back at our favorite ideas and takeaways from this season’s guests, including: Gerri Elliott, EVP and Chief Customer and Partner Officer at Cisco; Dr. Anthony Wilbon, Dean of Howard University School of Business; Brian Tippens, Chief Sustainability Officer at HPE; Laura Lane, Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer, UPS; Sheryl WuDunn , Pulitzer-winning journalist and business consultant; Ashley Whillans, assistant professor at Harvard Business School; and a panel of recent graduates who are shaping the next generation of joy at work. Joy@Work is produced by Kearney, a global management consulting firm. We help our clients reach their full potential and find the way forward during uncertain times. Learn more at Kearney.Com/Joyatwork.