Breakthroughs: Smart Strategies for Career/Business Growth

Michael Swiatek is on a mission to uplift the lives of the worlds largest minority, people with disabilities, especially those who are legally blind, or have low vision, by enhancing their travel experiences. He’s not only a senior executive with real world success in the airline industry, but is also legally blind himself. His unique life experiences have shaped his outlook and career journey. With a distinguished aviation career, Michael Swiatek has excelled in senior executive roles at prominent global airlines. Currently serving as the Chief Strategy Officer at Abra group, the parent company of Avianca and GOL airlines, he shapes the strategic direction of these airlines, driving profitability and competitiveness in the Americas market. Prior to his current role at Abra group, Swiatek held the position of Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Avianca, transforming the airlines positioning through alliance formation, network expansion, and corporate planning. He also championed inclusivity as Co-Chair of culture transformation, accessibility, adversity, equity and inclusion, solidifying Avianca‘s reputation as a socially responsible airline. Previously, Michael has held senior roles at several global airlines, including Chief Planning Officer at Indigo airlines, the largest airline in India, Qatar airways as Chief Planning Officer and Air New Zealand, where he served as Director of Strategic Planning. Throughout his career, Michael Swiatek’s strategic acumen and leadership have left an indelible mark on the aviation industry, propelling organizations to new heights. This podcast episode is appropriate for anyone looking for inspiration to overcome obstacles toward success.

Phil Simon is one of the world's leading independent experts on workplace collaboration and technology. He is a frequent keynote speaker and the award-winning author of 14 books, most recently The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace. Phil helps organizations communicate, collaborate, and use technology better. Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, Wired, NBC, CNBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and The New York Times have featured his contributions. He also hosts the podcast Conversations About Collaboration. This episode spotlights one of them easiest to understand books on tech: Phil Simon breaks down the main forces impacting businesses that today’s leaders will be remiss if they ignore. You could buy Phil’s book. Most anywhere books are sold. Here’s a link to Amazon. The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace (The Future of Work) https://a.co/d/apP4olk

Description of podcast interview with Todd Sears, CEO of Out Leadership Todd Sears is the founder and principal of Out Leadership, the global LGBT+ business network CEOs trust. His focus is on how businesses can make it easier for LGBT+ people to participate fully in the economy, and how discrimination is a drag on business performance. Globally, more than 50% of LGBT+ people are still in the closet at work, which harms innovation, competitiveness, and productivity. Out Leadership is based on a simple premise: LGBT+ inclusion is a business driver. They help the world’s most influential international companies cultivate Out Leaders (including LGBT+ people and allies) to realize the bottom-line benefits of LGBT+ inclusion, globally. “Together, we’re creating a more equal world”. This podcast is for anyone seeking to learn more about how businesses benefit from adopting policies around inclusivity specifically as these policies relate to the LGBTQ+ community.

In this episode I interview Emmy award winning speaker, Clint Pulver-(AKA the undercover millennial) – shares insights he gleaned from thousands of undercover interviews with employees across the country, revealing the best method for identifying talent, building a sense of ownership, and developing a successful workplace culture that employees will love. You’ll also learn the number one driver of employee turnover… It has everything to do with you!, What you can do to stop an exodus, and how to build a team that really works. Soon, you’ll be recognizing possibilities or others see problems, and capture in the power of small moments to create a meaningful legacy. Your company can be a place where people don’t just survive, but thrive. Clint Pulver understands the modern workforce and he knows what makes people tick and what they want from work. This episode will help you learn strategies to better engage, inspire, and retain your top talent. If you want to build a loyal, passionate workforce you’ll love this episode and Clint’s book “I love it here!” Clint shares how a single moment in time can change a person’s life. Whether you’re just starting your career or you’re a seasoned leader and manager, you’ll truly connect and relate to his stories, research, lessons and experiences that he generously shares in this interview. If you enjoyed this episode please help me keep these shows free of advertisements by following, subscribing and rate and review the show. To learn more about Clint’s research and leadership strategize, see the link below to buy Clint’s book. https://www.amazon.com/Love-Here-Leaders-Create-Organizations/dp/1989603378/ref=nodl_

In this episode I interview a remarkable entrepreneur, Jay Steinfeld, who launched a business from his garage and turned it into the largest online business in his industry. Jay’s story is for anyone who’s interested in learning what it takes to build a successful business and find meaning, joy and purpose from your work regardless of your product or service. JAY STEINFELD founded and was the CEO of Global Custom Commerce, which operates the world’s number one online window covering retailer Blinds.com. Boot-strapped in 1996 for just $3,000 from his Bellaire, Texas, garage, Global Custom Commerce was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Jay remained as its CEO and later joined The Home Depot Online Leadership Team. After stepping away from these roles in early 2020, he has increased his involvement on numerous private company boards and serves as a director of the public company Masonite (NYSE: DOOR). He also teaches entrepreneurship at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and supports numerous charities. Jay is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Technology Center. Active as an industry speaker on topics including corporate culture, core values, how to scale a start-up, and disruption, he has more than 100 published articles. His book, “Lead from the Core: The Four Principles for Profit and Prosperity” will be published November 30, 2021. It is available now for pre-order on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Core-Principles-Profit-Prosperity/dp/195329572X/ref=nodl_

In this episode I interview Genevieve Bell, PhD. It’s ideal for anyone who’s interested in how to make AI responsible, sustainable and safe. Also, it’s thought provoking for those interested in learning about the intersection between cultural practice and technology. To learn more about Genevieve’s work you can watch her TED and read the articles below. https://3ainstitute.org/genevieve-bell * TED talk (I know you are across this one) * Griffith Review article written by Genevieve * https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/boyerlectures/2017-boyer-lectures/8869370 (transcripts are available and explain why she decided to come back to Australia) * Her interview with ABC’s Richard Fidler (a popular radio program on Australia’s national broadcasting network): https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-genevieve-bell/9173822 * Why we need a cybernetic future * The ANU’s Genevieve Bell decided not to sit on the sidelines * Another useful link re 3Ai: https://3ainstitute.org/portfolio/how-do-you-teach-new-branch-engineering-existence-prototype-test-iterate * Also her Wikipedia page is accurate, so a good source of info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Bell * Plus this NYTimes article from a while ago gives you an idea of the work she did at Intel: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/technology/intels-sharp-eyed-social-scientist.html

I’m excited to have Mallory Weggemann as my guest on “Breakthroughs”... She joined Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, to deliver an incredibly inspiring Townhall about representation & inclusion via a closed circuit stream to Delta's 75,000 employees. Bastian is one of Mallory’s biggest corporate sponsors as well as a huge supporter of inclusion and representation of disabilities in the workplace. Mallory is a world-class athlete, business owner and speaker. She is a Paralympic Gold-Medalist, 15-Time World Champion Swimmer, ESPN ESPY Award winner, TV Sports Commentator, and founder of social impact agency, TFA Group. Mallory knows firsthand that the words and images we use, and how we use them, impacts how society perceives everything. A bit of context to the void that currently exists: 20% of the US population is disabled 0 Fortune 500 CEOs are disabled 1 disabled female senator out of 535 representatives and senators 1 disabled president (who hid his disability) out of 46 Fewer than 2% of characters on TV are disabled. 95% of the actors playing those characters are not disabled. US unemployment rate is 7% - 76% of the disabled are unemployed 10.5 % of Americans live below the poverty level while 32% of disabled Americans live below the poverty level In 2020, Mallory was a TV commentator at the Golden Globes and didn’t see one person who had a disability the entire day -- one of the largest gatherings of the biggest names in Hollywood. In fact, she had to be lifted three steps when she reached the end of the carpet because no one had thought to create an accessible path for a wheelchair. In 2008, when Mallory was paralyzed at the age of 18, she yearned to see representation. When she looked at the world around her, she felt isolated by her differences. It was then that Mallory learned it is hard to become what you don’t see. For the past 13 years she has made a conscious decision to do her part to fill that void, so our next generation never has to ask, “what about me?” We discuss her newly released book, “Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance”. This episode is for anyone who’s interested in getting inspiration on the topic of how to garner hope and resilience to overcome any difficult circumstance. https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-Power-Resilience-Overcome- Circumstance/dp/1400223466

My guest is Katherine Brooks, EdD, the co-author of “What Color Is Your Parachute? 2022: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work & Career Success” With timeless advice, up-to-the-minute insights, and more than ten million copies sold over fifty years, the world’s most popular and best-selling career guide is fully revised and expanded for 2021 and 2022. In today’s challenging job market, and as recent grads face a shifting economic landscape and seek work that pays and inspires, as workers are laid off mid-career, and as people search for an inspiring work-life change, the time-tested advice of “What Color Is Your Parachute? is needed more than ever. This new edition offers modern advice on the job-hunt strategies that are working today, such as building an online resume, making the most of social media tools, and acing virtual interviews. Building on the wisdom of original author Richard N. Bolles, this edition updates the famed Flower Exercise (which walks job seekers through the seven ways of thinking about themselves) and demystifies the entire job-search process, from writing resumes to interviewing, networking and salary negotiations. https://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2022/dp/1984860348/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=what+color+is+your+parachute+2022&qid=1620167316&sprefix=What+color+is+your+parachute+2022&sr=8-3 https://books.google.com/books/about/What_Color_Is_Your_Parachute_for_College.html?id=TjsiEAAAQBAJ

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Rich Diviney is a retired Navy SEAL commander and author of “The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance “. In a career spanning more than twenty years, he completed more than thirteen overseas deployments—eleven of which were to Iraq and Afghanistan. As the officer in charge of training for a specialized command, Diviney spearheaded the creation of a directorate that fused physical, mental, and emotional disciplines. He led his small team to create the first-ever “Mind Gym” that helped special operators train their brains to perform faster, longer, and better in all environments—especially high-stress ones. Since his retirement in early 2017, Diviney has worked as a speaker, facilitator, and consultant with the Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute and Simon Sinek Inc. He’s taught leadership and optimal performance to more than five thousand business, athletic, and military leaders from organizations such as American Airlines, Meijer Inc., the San Francisco 49ers, Pegasystems, Zoom, and Deloitte. Rich believes that SEALs are regular people who have found out how to leverage strengths and improve weaknesses (often by getting help from teammates) to get the most out of themselves. The same methodology that Diviney used in the military can be applied by anyone in their personal and professional lives, and understanding these attributes can allow (listeners), readers and their teams to perform optimally, at any time, in any situation. Diviney defines the core attributes in fresh and practical ways and shares stories from the military, business, sports, relationships, and even parenting to show how understanding your own attributes and those of the people around you can create optimal performance in all areas of your life. https://www.amazon.com/Attributes-Hidden-Drivers-Optimal-Performance/dp/0593133943 This episode is for anyone striving to have radical breakthroughs in their career or in life.