Ep. 296: Strategy vs. The To-Do List: Why Most Strategic Plans Are Just Operational Noise

Organizations build strategies around what they sell instead of what customers are hiring them to accomplish. This episode discusses the concept of Jobs to Be Done thinking (without jargon), Why “services” is not a strategy, how to define the highest-value job your customer hires you to do, and the danger of competing on scope instead of outcomes. In this episode: Dr. Emi Barresi, Lee Crowson Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, Tim Sharples   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events  

Most leadership teams think they have a strategy. What they actually have is a list of projects. Discussed: ·    The difference between strategy and operations (and why confusing them kills momentum) ·      How to identify whether a goal is truly strategic or just activity ·      Why last year’s “strategic goals” were likely execution improvements ·      The 3 diagnostic questions that reveal if something is strategy In this episode: LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Lee Crowson, Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, Dan Baxter   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator’s dilemma: When new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business School Press.   Christensen, C. M., Dillon, K., Hall, T., & Duncan, D. S. (2016). Know your customers’ “jobs to be done.” Harvard Business Review, 94(9), 54–62. https://hbr.org/2016/09/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be-done   Christensen, C. M., Hall, T., Dillon, K., & Duncan, D. S. (2016). Competing against luck: The story of innovation and customer choice. Harper Business.   Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make competition irrelevant. Harvard Business School Press.   Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, 74(6), 61–78. https://hbr.org/1996/11/what-is-strategy I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job   Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

Layoffs, rapid change, public scrutiny, and crisis situations often reveal an organization’s true ethical posture. This episode explores how ethical standards are tested, and sometimes abandoned, during periods of organizational pressure. Using I-O psychology frameworks, we examine ethical decision-making under uncertainty, competing stakeholder demands, and the long-term cultural consequences of short-term ethical compromises.  In this episode:  Dr. Emi Barresi, Lee Crowson, Natasha Desjardines, Nicolas Krueger, LindaAnn Rogers, Rich Cruz, Dr. Cam Dunson, Asif Haider.   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References Jin, Y., Pang, A., & Smith, J. (2018). Crisis communication and ethics: the role of public relations. The Journal of Business Strategy, 39(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-09-2016-0095   Ludviga, I., & Kalvina, A. (2024). Organizational Agility During Crisis: Do Employees’ Perceptions of Public Sector Organizations’ Strategic Agility Foster Employees’ Work Engagement and Well-being? Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 36(2), 209–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-023-09442-9   Nhedzi, A., & Gombarume, C. (2021). A Moral Compass of the Organisation During Crisis: Exploring the ethics roles of Strategic Communication practice. African Journal of Business Ethics, 15(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.15249/15-1-275   Piotrowski, C., & Guyette, R. W. (2010). Toyota Recall Crisis: Public Attitudes on Leadership and Ethics. Organization Development Journal, 28(2), 89.   Pope, K. S. (2019). A Human Rights and Ethics Crisis Facing the World’s Largest Organization of Psychologists: Accepting Responsibility, Understanding Causes, Implementing Solutions. European Psychologist, 24(2), 180–194. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000341   Schoofs, L., Fannes, G., & Claeys, A.-S. (2022). Empathy as a main ingredient of impactful crisis communication: The perspectives of crisis communication practitioners. Public Relations Review, 48(1), Article 102150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102150   Schowalter, A. F., & Volmer, J. (2024). Servant and Crisis Manager? The Association of Servant Leadership with Followers’ Adaptivity and Proactivity. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 31(4), 433–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518241287647   Zarzavadjian Le Bian, A., Tresallet, C., & Martinod, E. (2020). A crisis of ethics in the ethics of crisis. Journal of Visceral Surgery, 157(4), 365–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jviscsurg.2020.07.002...

In this episode:  Dr. Emi Barresi, Lee Crowson, Natasha Desjardines, Nicolas Krueger, Rich CruzI/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/jobVisit us https://www.seboc.com/Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLIJoin an open-mic event:ReferencesAshforth, B. E., & Gibbs, B. W. (1990). The Double-Edge of Organizational Legitimation. Organization Science, 1(2), 177–194. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1.2.177Bandura, A. (1999). Moral Disengagement in the Perpetration of Inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3(3), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0303_3Boakye, D., Sarpong, D., Meissner, D., & Ofosu, G. (2024). How TalkTalk did the walk-walk: strategic reputational repair in a cyber-attack. Information Technology & People (West Linn, Or.), 37(4), 1642–1673. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-08-2022-0589Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.10.004De Roeck, K., & Farooq, O. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Leadership: Investigating Their Interactive Effect on Employees’ Socially Responsible Behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(4), 923–939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3656-6Dickson, M. W., Smith, D. B., Grojean, M. W., & Ehrhart, M. (2001). An organizational climate regarding ethics: the outcome of leader values and the practices that reflect them. The Leadership Quarterly, 12(2), 197–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(01)00069-8“Open Letter from More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-Based Companies | Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.” Mnchamber.com, 25 Jan. 2026, www.mnchamber.com/blog/open-letter-more-60-ceos-minnesota-based-companies.Liu, M.-L., Lin, C.-P., Chen, M.-L., Chen, P.-C., & Chen, K.-J. (2020). Strengthening knowledge sharing and job dedication: The roles of corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(1), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-06-2019-0278Ullah, I., Hameed, R. M., Kayani, N. Z., & Fazal, Y. (2022). CEO ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility: Examining the mediating role of organizational ethical culture and intellectual capital. Journal of Management & Organization, 28(1), 99–119. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2019.48Victor, B., & Cullen, J. B. (1988). The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1), 101--125. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392857Weber, J., & Opoku-Dakwa, A. (2022). Ethical Work Climate 2.0: A Normative Reformulation of Victor and Cullen’s 1988 Framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 178(3), 629–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04778-4Williams, J. (2024). Greenwashing: Appearance, illusion and the future of ‘green’ capitalism. Geography Compass, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12736

Ethics in organizations live in leadership behaviors rather than documented in policies alone. We examined how leaders actively shape ethical climate and psychological safety through everyday decisions, silence, and signals.   In this episode:  Dr. Emi Barresi, Dr. Karen Mishra, Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, CT Sanders, Chris O'Brien, Rich Cruz   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References:   Al Halbusi, H., Williams, K. A., Ramayah, T., Aldieri, L., & Vinci, C. P. (2021). Linking ethical leadership and ethical climate to employees’ ethical behavior: the moderating role of person–organization fit. Personnel Review, 50(1), 159–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-09-2019-0522   Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002   Huang, L., & Paterson, T. A. (2017). Group Ethical Voice: Influence of Ethical Leadership and Impact on Ethical Performance. Journal of Management, 43(4), 1157–1184. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314546195   Jurkiewicz, C. L., & Giacalone, R. A. (Eds.). (2017). Radical thoughts on ethical leadership. Information Age Publishing, Inc. Koay, K. Y., & Lim, P. K. (2022). Ethical leadership and knowledge hiding: testing the mediating and moderating mechanisms. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(3), 574–591. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2021-0091   Kim, B.-J., Kim, M.-J., & Lee, J. (2024). Code green: ethical leadership’s role in reconciling AI-induced job insecurity with pro-environmental behavior in the digital workplace. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), Article 1627. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04139-2   Kuenzi, M., Mayer, D. M., & Greenbaum, R. L. (2020). Creating an ethical organizational environment: The relationship between ethical leadership, ethical organizational climate, and unethical behavior. Personnel Psychology, 73(1), 43–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12356   Marquardt, D. J., Manegold, J., & Brown, L. W. (2022). Integrating relational systems theory with ethical leadership: how ethical leadership relates to employee turnover intentions. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 43(1), 155–179. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-04-2021-0190   Mishra, A., Mishra, K., & Spreitzer, G. (2009, April 1). Downsizing the Company Without Downsizing Morale. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/downsizing-the-company-without-downsizingmorale/   Mishra, K. E. M., Gretchen M. Spreitzer and Aneil K. (1998). Preserving Employee Morale during Downsizing. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/preserving-employee-morale-during-downsizin g/   Paterson, T. A., & Huang, L. (2019). Am I Expected to Be Ethical? A Role-Definition Perspective of Ethical Leadership and Unethical Behavior. Journal of Management, 45(7), 2837–2860. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318771166   Walumbwa, F. O., Mayer, D. M., Wang, P., Wang, H., Workman, K., & Christensen, A. L. (2011). Linking ethical leadership to employee performance: The roles of leader–member exchange, self-efficacy, and organizational identification. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 115(2), 204–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.11.002

In this episode:  Dr. Emi Barresi, Tom Bradshaw, Dr. Paul Spector, Rich Cruz, Natasha Desjardines, Nicolas Krueger, Lee Crowson I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events References: Ball, K. (2022). Surveillance in the Workplace: Past, Present, and Future. Surveillance & Society, 20(4), 455–461. https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v20i4.15805 Bar-Gil, O., Ron, T., & Czerniak, O. (2024). AI for the people? Embedding AI ethics in HR and people analytics projects. Technology in Society, 77, Article 102527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102527 Clarke, S., Tuckwell, W., & Luck, M. (2025). Professionals and the Ethics of Workplace Surveillance. Journal of Social Philosophy. https://doi.org/10.1111/josp.70000 Clavel, C., d’Armagnac, S., Hebrard, S., Hesters, T., & Potdevin, D. (2025). Humanized AI in Hiring: an empirical study of a virtual AI job interviewer’s social skills on applicants’ reactions and experience. International Journal of  Human Resource Management, 36(2), 206–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2024.2440784 Cross, M. (2024). Stopping the Spying: US Labor Unions’ Responses to Electronic Surveillance at Work. Labor Studies Journal, 49(4), 281–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160449X241259141 McStay, A. (2020). Emotional AI, soft biometrics and the surveillance of emotional life: An unusual consensus on privacy. Big Data & Society, 7(1), 205395172. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951720904386 Sánchez Abril, P., Levin, A., & Del Riego, A. (2012). Blurred Boundaries: Social Media Privacy and the Twenty-First-Century Employee. American Business Law Journal, 49(1), 63–124. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1714.2011.01127.x Sebastian, R. A., Ehinger, K., & Miller, T. (2025). Do we need watchful eyes on our workers? Ethics of using computer vision for workplace surveillance. Ai and Ethics (Online), 5(4), 3557–3577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-025-00726-4 Tursunbayeva, A., Pagliari, C., Di Lauro, S., & Antonelli, G. (2022). The ethics of people analytics: risks, opportunities and recommendations. Personnel Review, 51(3), 900–921. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-12-2019-0680 West, J. P., & Bowman, J. S. (2016). Electronic Surveillance at Work: An Ethical Analysis. Administration & Society, 48(5), 628–651. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399714556502 Yam, J., & Skorburg, J. A. (2021). From human resources to human rights: Impact assessments for hiring algorithms. Ethics and Information Technology, 23(4), 611–623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-021-09599-7

In this episode:  Dr. Jeremy Lucabaugh, Tom Bradshaw, Emi Barresi, Dr. Kim Derryberry, Natasha Desjardines, Nicolas Krueger, LindaAnn Rogers, Rich Cruz   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References Cannon-Bowers, J. A., Bowers, C. A., Carlson, C. E., Doherty, S. L., Evans, J., & Hall, J. (2023). Workplace coaching: a meta-analysis and recommendations for advancing the science of coaching. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1204166.   Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. L., & Salas, E. (2017). Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis. Journal of applied psychology, 102(12), 1686.   Su, W., Lyu, B., & London, M. (2022). Relationships between developmental feedback, intrinsic motivation, and creative personality and performance. Psihologija, 55(1), 25-44.   Womack, V. Y., Wood, C. V., House, S. C., Quinn, S. C., Thomas, S. B., McGee, R., & Byars-Winston, A. (2020). Culturally aware mentorship: Lasting impacts of a novel intervention on academic administrators and faculty. PloS One, 15(8), e0236983. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236983   Malhotra, K., Davitadze, M., & Melson, E. (2024). Mentorship Without Borders: The Transformative Impact on Inclusivity, International Collaborations, and Cross-Cultural Competence. Academic Medicine, 99(6), e20–e21. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000005531

In this Episode:  Dr. Jeremy Lucabaugh, Tom Bradshaw, Dr. Kim Derryberry, Natasha Desjardines, Lee Crowson, Nicolas Krueger, LindaAnn Rogers, Rich Cruz   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events    References: Aycan, Z., Özbilgin, M., Moraligil, B., & Epitropaki, O. (2024). Reluctance to lead: Conceptualization and contextualization. European Management Journal, 42(4), 437-444. Moraligil, B., Aycan, Z., Özbilgin, M., & Erbil, C. (2025). Don't judge a leader by their reluctance. Human Resource Management Journal, 35(2), 495-513.   Wiernik, B. M., & Kostal, J. W. (2019). Protean and boundaryless career orientations: A critical review and meta-analysis. Journal of counseling psychology, 66(3), 280.   Yılmaz, B., Dinler Kısaçtutan, E., & Gürün Karatepe, S. (2024). Digital natives of the labor market: Generation Z as future leaders and their perspectives on leadership. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1378982.

In this episode:  Dr. Jeremy Lucabaugh, Tom Bradshaw, Natasha Desjardines, Lee Crowson, Nicolas Krueger, LindaAnn Rogers   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References   Aycan, Z., Özbilgin, M., Moraligil, B., & Epitropaki, O. (2024). Reluctance to lead: Conceptualization and contextualization. European Management Journal, 42(4), 437-444.   Deloitte Global. (2025). 2025 Gen Z and millennial survey: Growth and the pursuit of money, meaning, and well-being. https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/genz-millennial-survey.html   Hansen, J. I. C., & Leuty, M. E. (2012). Work values across generations. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(1), 34-52.   Twenge, J. M., Campbell, S. M., Hoffman, B. J., & Lance, C. E. (2010). Generational differences in work values: Leisure and extrinsic values increasing, social and intrinsic values decreasing. Journal of management, 36(5), 1117-1142.   Yılmaz, B., Dinler Kısaçtutan, E., & Gürün Karatepe, S. (2024). Digital natives of the labor market: Generation Z as future leaders and their perspectives on leadership. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1378982.

We examined the psychology of imposter syndrome (the imposter phenomenon) and explored strategies to help overcome it to create more confident employees. In this Episode: Dr. Heather Morton, Tom Bradshaw, Lee Crowson, LindaAnn Rogers, Nic Krueger, Emi Barresi, Dr. Martha Grajdek, Rich Cruz, Cam Dunson, Dr. Amanda Shelton, Alexander Abney-King, Dr. Matt Lampe   Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References: Arciniega, L. M., Servitje, A., & Woehr, D. J. (2021). Impacting the bottom line: Exploring the effect of a self‐efficacy oriented training intervention on unit‐level sales growth. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 32(4), 559–576.  https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.1002/hrdq.21433   Carey, M. & Forsyth, A. (2009). Teaching tip sheet: Self-efficacy. American Psychological Association (APA).  https://www.apa.org/pi/aids/resources/education/self-efficacy  Chrousos, G. P., & Mentis, A. F. A. (2020). Imposter syndrome threatens diversity. Science, 367(6479), 749-750.   Gallagher, M.W. (2012). Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Second Edition). Self-efficacy. Via ScienceDirect:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/self-efficacy-theory   Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2019). The development of goal setting theory: A half-century retrospective. Motivation Science, 5(2), 93–105.  https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.1037/mot0000127   Sheykhangafshe, F. B., Nouri, E., Niri, V. S., Choubtashani, M., & Farahani, H. (2024). The efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on mental health, self-esteem and emotion regulation of medical students with imposter syndrome. Educational Research in Medical Sciences, 13(1).   Recommended scales: Eysenck Self-esteem Scale (ESES) Imposter Syndrome Scale