131 Building Community and a Thriving Entrepreneurial Ecosystem with Tien Wong | Greater Washington DC DMV Changemaker

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Brad Zimmerman, a seasoned business consultant and coauthor of The Great Engagement: How CEOs Create Exceptional Cultures. With over thirty years of experience guiding businesses to success, Brad brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insights to the table.

Throughout the conversation, Brad and Mahan delve into the critical importance of employee engagement and how leaders can effectively align individual purpose with organizational goals. They explore the shifting attitudes towards work in our society and the implications for leaders seeking to foster cultures of engagement and fulfillment.

Brad Zimmerman shares powerful examples and anecdotes from his work with clients, illustrating the transformative impact of a purpose-driven culture on employee motivation, retention, and overall organizational performance. He emphasizes the need for leaders to be intentional, conscious, and self-aware in their approach to engaging and empowering their teams.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into the three essential tools of leadership - leading, managing, and coaching - and how mastering these skills can create a supportive and accountable environment where people thrive. 

Actionable Takeaways:

- Discover the three critical elements leaders must focus on to create a culture of engagement and purpose

- Learn how to overcome the invisible barriers that prevent employees from offering honest feedback and challenging ideas

- Hear powerful examples of organizations that have successfully navigated turbulent times by fostering a deep sense of purpose and pride among their teams

- Gain practical strategies for implementing "supportive accountability" and driving results through regular, forward-looking conversations

- Understand the importance of creating a coaching culture and how to model openness to feedback as a leader

- Explore the shifting attitudes towards work-life balance and how leaders can adapt to engage their teams in this new landscape

- Learn the key differences between leading, managing, and coaching and why all three are essential for effective leadership

- Discover how to use mission moments to consistently connect your team's work to a greater purpose

Connect with Brad Zimmerman

Phoenix Performance Partners Webpage  with Additional Resources Including Free Download of Engaged Life Inventory 

The Great Engagement: How CEOs Create Exceptional Cultures 

Brad Zimmerman on LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor Ajay Agrawal, the Geoffrey Taber Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Ajay Agrawal is also the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a not-for-profit program for early-stage, science-based companies, and coauthor of two outstanding books on Artificial Intelligence: Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence and Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence. In the conversation, Professor Agrawal shared the origin of his passion for studying the intersection of technology and economics and the increasing importance of artificial intelligence for organizations as a decision-making tool that brings down the cost of prediction. Ajay Agrawal then explained why this shift would significantly impact individuals, organizations, and industries as machines enable better predictions while humans focus on the judgment required for decision-making. Finally, Ajay Agrawal shared examples of the transformative impact of the reduction in the cost of prediction and how leaders can help guide their organizations through the significant changes ahead.

Some highlights:

- Three people that helped shape Ajay Agrawal's career path

- Why looking at AI from an economic perspective clarifies its potential to transform organizations and industries

- Ajay Agrawal on the role of predictions in artificial intelligence 

- The importance of human judgment in decision making

- How AI decision-making will redefine roles in the workplace

- The disruptive economics of artificial intelligence 

- How generative AI such as ChatGPT works and what causes mistakes and misstatements

- Ajay Agrawal on the importance of upskilling professionals 

- How organizations can redesign their structures and processes to take into account the new predictive world

- The impact of AI on systems-level change

- How organizations can leverage AI for business success

- Why we're on the brink of a set of transformations that none of us have seen in our lifetimes

- How AI can help create a better future

Connect with Professor Ajay Agrawal:

Ajay Agrawal website 

Ajay Agrawal at Rotman School of Management 

Ajay Agrawal on LinkedIn 

Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence on Amazon 

Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence on Amazon 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

This episode of Partnering Leadership features Mahan Tavakoli in an interview on the Uncommodified podcast with host Tim Windsor. They explore AI's impact on leadership in an increasingly fast-changing world.  

Mahan and Tim have an insightful dialogue around evolving leadership approaches for exponential times driven by technological advances like AI. They discuss the pitfalls of certainty and why leaders can no longer rely on having all the answers today to be successful.  

Instead, they examine why perpetual curiosity, learning, and questioning are becoming competitive advantages to drive innovation. From analyzing biases ingrained by education systems to rediscovering childlike wonder, Tim and Mahan offer wisdom for leaders to "unlearn" outdated notions that will hamper future success.  

They also explore why confidence must be balanced with humility. Modeling an appetite for life's uncertainties can inspire the same in teams.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Hear why the world's accelerating pace demands leaders evolve approaches rooted in the past
• Learn how to foster radical curiosity that invites insight over projecting certainty
• Discover leadership behaviors to model that ignite innovative thinking in teams
• Understand the risks leaders face by sticking to hubris versus humility
• Get tactics to encourage curiosity and unlearning within your culture
• Learn why leaders adept at questioning will thrive through greater uncertainty 
• Hear how childlike wonder and imagination can fuel breakthrough leadership
• Get insights on how to apply insights from Brene Brown and Adam Grant for personal growth

Partnering Leadership Conversations Referenced

Leading Through The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence with Professor Ajay Agrawal

Connect with Tim Windsor

Tim Windsor Website 

The Uncommodified Podcast 

Tim Windsor on LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

As the pace of digital change accelerates, how should leaders guide their organizations to stay ahead of disruption? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, author John Rossman makes the case that betting big on transformation is essential, though risky.

Drawing on his experience spearheading Amazon's bold expansions, Rossman argues that the coming era of "hyper-digital" will necessitate even bolder moves than we've seen.

In the conversation, John Rossman lays out a playbook for leading change with the same fearless spirit of innovation embodied by pioneers like Bezos, Musk, and Jobs. His new book, Big Bet Leadership: Your Transformation Playbook for Winning in the Hyper-Digital Era, offers tools and frameworks to drive clarity, speed, and calculated risk-taking in your team. Listen as Rossman shares insider tips on writing focused memos, rapidly testing central assumptions, and clearly communicating to carry stakeholders through uncertainty.

You'll learn tangible systems to define the problems worth attacking and to design minimal viable tests that reveal which bold solutions show the most significant promise. Rossman also prescribes remedies for the cultural obstacles that often sideline transformative thinking. Get actionable methods to investigate multiple futures, facilitate critical debate, and budget in stages rather than over-committing.

In an exponential era where leaders must think big while mitigating existential risk, Rossman delivers the wisdom needed today to build resilient, adaptive organizations ready to lead the future. 

In the episode, you will learn:
- How to frame your boldest ideas as "Big Bets" to spark smarter experiments 
- Ways to accelerate and test transformational initiatives before overcommitting
- How Jeff Bezos's "Day 1" outlook drives fearless innovation
- How writing memos instead of slide decks uncovers flaws and misalignments
- Why Simon Sinek says leaders repeating messages drives progress 
- How to balance dream-big thinking with de-risking core assumptions
- How to run small tests that reveal which big bets deserve doubling down 


Connect with John Rossman
Big Bet Leadership: Your Transformation Playbook for Winning in the Hyper-Digital Era
John Rossman Website
John Rossman LinkedIn
John Rossman Partnering Leadership episode on The Amazon Way 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews philosopher, CEO, and bestselling author Brian Johnson on activating your organization's heroic potential. Having spent over half his career as a founder and business leader, Brian shares powerful insights on perseverance and excellence drawn from ancient wisdom and modern science.  

In the conversation, Brian offers key lessons from his newest book, "Arete: Activate Your Heroic Potential," for overcoming adversity and leading teams through hardship. You'll discover Brian's fascinating concept of "anti-fragile confidence" and the rituals enabling leaders to cultivate it.  

Hear how Brian trains his mind and body with world-class dedication - and why peak physical condition enables peak psychological performance when tackling stress. Finally, Brian defines the one "ultimate game" leaders must keep sight of in business and life.  

In this conversation, you will learn:

• Why leaders should see adversity as a creative "wrestling partner" sent to build skills, like an ancient Greek hero
• The moment-by-moment visualizing tactic for closing gaps between your potential and reality 
• How an elite military leader defined the key to emotional resilience (and how to develop more of this quality)
• Why protocols and checklists matter as much personally for CEOs as they do for pilots and surgeons
• The four timeframes for properly assessing progress while avoiding imposter syndrome  
• How one trusted advisor coaches building "anti-fragile confidence" to thrive when problems intensify
• The critical question to ask when overwhelmed: "What's your protocol?" (and how to architect one)
• Why leaders should ask "What now?" rather than "Why me?" when adversity strikes  

Connect with Brian Johnson

Heroic

Brian Johnson
Arete: Activate Your Heroic Potential

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are more vital than ever for organizations today. But how can leaders move beyond good intentions to drive real impact? In this engaging episode, inclusion strategist Risha Grant, author of Be Better than Your BS: How Radical Acceptance Empowers Authenticity and Creates a Workplace Culture of Inclusion, offers paradigm-shifting insights for leaders seeking to foster authentic belonging in their teams.

Drawing on over two decades of experience guiding executives, Risha dives into the key traps that derail well-meaning leaders. You'll hear surprising takeaways like why your company's implementation matters more than your intent. Risha also shares how a "BS check" can reveal blindspots and how transparency drives trust when handled right.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Learn why "validate and act" is vital after employees report issues. Hear the common leadership pitfall that invalidates people's experiences.
• Find out how a simple "BS check" can help leaders connect with frontline realities they miss from the top floor.
• Discover why listening without assuming you already know the answers is key for inclusion efforts to work.
• Get examples of how to challenge your own potentially outdated mental models and see situations through others' eyes.
• Hear Risha's perspective on balancing inclusion with constructive debate so neither is compromised.
• Learn small ways we can all extend "radical acceptance" through everyday interactions on the elevator, in the office, and beyond titles.

Recommended Resources

Be Better than Your BS: How Radical Acceptance Empowers Authenticity and Creates a Workplace Culture of Inclusion

Partnering Leadership Conversation with Howard Ross on Belonging, Bias and Building Inclusive Cultures 

Connect with Risha Grant

Risha Grant Website 

Risha Grant LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

What if AI could free up bandwidth, spark creativity, and boost productivity for executives and teams? Jordan Wilson, Founder of Everyday AI and host of the Everyday AI podcast, joins Mahan Tavakoli, sharing pragmatic tips so leaders can harness cutting-edge generative AI. Jordan advises an agile, sprint-based approach to rapidly experiment rather than get stuck in opaque long-term AI projects that often trigger resistance. He recommends executives audit workflows to systematically evaluate where AI could automate tedious tasks - starting with their most time-consuming administrative work before expanding. Rather than reacting as generative AI enters offices, Jordan makes the case that executives can proactively embrace this change, unlocking new creative opportunities.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Learn a workflow auditing process to identify the fastest executive generative AI productivity gains

• Gain insights around behavioral change triggers that spark resistance to adopting these technologies  

• Understand how to structure ethical governance models that proactively upskill staff for positive AI integration

• Discover real-world examples of sprint-based experimentation approaches to find replicable quick wins

Connect with Jordan Wilson

Everyday AI 

Jordan Wilson on LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with H.H. Leonards.  H.H. Leonards is the founder and chair of the O Street Museum Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., and the Mansion on O Street, where Mrs. Rosa Parks called her home-away-from-home for the last decade of her life. H.H. Leonards is also the author of the book Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership.  Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. In the conversation, H.H. Leonards shares why they connected on a deep level when she met Rosa Parks.  H.H. Leonards also shares both historical accounts recounted to her by Rosa Parks as well as her experience during the ten years Rosa Parks lived at the Mansion on O Street.  Finally, H.H. Leonards shares what Rosa Parks felt it would take to end racism and her hope for future generations.  The episode ends with the beautiful song “Enough” which was made to honor Rosa Parks.  The song lyrics are by Oscar-winning songwriter Paul Williams, and the music was written by Mark Bryan (lead guitarist for Hootie & the Blowfish) and Ranky Tanky, both Grammy winners. 

Some Highlights

-Why Rosa Parks came to Washington DC to live at the Mansion on O Street

-H.H. Leonards and Rosa Parks bonding over their shared values of family, love, and helping others

-Rosa Parks' role in the civil rights movement and the many challenges she faced after the Montgomery Bus Boycott

-The many myths surrounding Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on the bus and what really happened that fateful day and why

-H.H. Leonards on getting to know Rosa Parks even better, by accompanying her to meetings and through her touch

-Rosa Parks’ role in the founding of the National Organization for Women

-How Rosa Parks' meeting with Pope John Paul II came about and its significance

-Rosa Parks’ view on what it would take to help end racism

-The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom

-The three-city funeral for Rosa Parks

-A message that Rosa Parks would want to be passed on to future generations

Resources:

YouTube Video of Enough 

Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership on Amazon 

Connect with H.H. Leonards

The Mansion on O Street 

H.H. Leonards on LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews strategic thinking expert Rich Horwath, author of six books on strategy, including his latest Strategic: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence. 

Rich shares his decades of expertise, shining a light on common pitfalls that executives and leadership teams face as they approach strategic planning. He then outlines his practical 3A framework – Acumen, Allocation, Action – that leaders at any level can use to begin thinking and behaving more strategically daily. 

The conversation explores important concepts around strategic agility, competitive advantage, customer insight, and leading change during times of greater uncertainty. With so many models and approaches promising the "secret formula" to developing winning strategic plans, Rich cuts through the noise with relevant and impactful principles and perspectives. 

Actionable Takeaways:

• Learn why strategic plans often lack traction and how to avoid pitfalls
• Discover a simple yet powerful model for strategic thinking
• Identify key blindspots even seasoned leaders have around strategy
• Understand how competitive advantage stems from being different, not better
• See why you must create space for strategic reflection
• Gain insight on customer needs versus feedback
• Find out why continual iterations matter more than annual planning
• Hear how to leverage AI and data for strategic advantage
• Foster strategic thinking at all levels of an organization
• Use a tactical approach to uncover opportunities

Partnering Leadership Episodes Referenced

Innovative Thinking & Strategy by Tapping Into the Science of Subtraction with University of Virginia Professor Leidy Klotz

Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World with Ron Adner

Leading Through The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence with Professor Ajay Agrawal

How to Lead and Innovate by Learning from The Amazon Way with John Rossman

Connect with Rich Horwath

Strategy Skills Website 

Rich Horwath on LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Michael Thatcher shares insights from his extensive leadership experience spanning the nonprofit and technology sectors. As the CEO of Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the U.S., he provides an inside look at leading this influential organization through a period of rapid growth and digital transformation. 

Touching on topics from building trust with boards to measuring nonprofit impact, Michael Thatcher offers thoughtful perspectives on leadership. He discusses the journey of evolving Charity Navigator's rating system to provide more holistic assessments focused on transparency, accountability, and tangible outcomes. 

With over 200,000 charities now rated, he looks ahead to further enhancing evaluation methods and considering international expansion. Thatcher also explores trends in philanthropy and optimistically envisions greater collaboration between sectors to drive social impact.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Learn how to gain board member trust as a new CEO
• Hear how to motivate staff and maintain culture while transitioning to fully remote work
• Discover effective strategies for measuring and improving nonprofit impact 
• Learn the approach behind Charity Navigator's upgraded evaluation methods assessing transparency, responsibility, and outcomes
• Gain insights on trends in philanthropy like impact investing and effective altruism
• Understand opportunities and ethical considerations for applying AI in the social sector

Referenced Partnering Leadership Conversations

AI Ethics, Leadership & Governance with Renee Cummings, Professor of Practice in Data Science at UVA 

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, The Metaverse & AI's Impact on The Future of Work with Louis Rosenberg, AR/VR Pioneer & CEO Unanimous AI 

Connect with Michael Thatcher

Charity Navigator Website 

Michael Thatcher on LinkedIn 

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website