Business Chemistry Confessions

Have you ever struggled to communicate with someone who spoke a different language? Did you perhaps end up raising your voice, hoping to make yourself understood? Chances are it didn’t help get your point across. It’s the same with working styles. When faced with someone who’s different, turning up the volume on what’s most comfortable for you won’t get you very far. Wors

Inspiration comes in many forms. That’s especially true in the C-suite, where leaders need to be flexible, agile, engaged, and objective in order to be truly effective at their jobs. Or, to put it in the words of Steve Schloss, Chief People Officer of the United States Golf Association (USGA), leaders need to master the four disciplines of conscious leadership, connected leadersh

Effective leaders are big, bold, outspoken individuals, who inspire confidence and loyalty through the sheer force of their dynamic personalities. Or, are they? In this week’s Confessions podcast, “Flexing for Success,” we talk to Steve Schloss, Chief People Officer of the United States Golf Association (USGA), about the leadership skills that introverts bring to the table, a

In our previous episode of the Confessions Podcast, we discussed the importance of smart risk taking with Mark Buthman, CFO Emeritus at Kimberly-Clark Corporation. In that discussion, Mark revealed an interesting fact about himself – he doesn’t possess the normally dominant Business Chemistry traits of a CFO. Whereas most CFOs identify as Drivers and Guardians – driven and an

Mark Buthman, CFO Emeritus at Kimberly-Clark Corporation might be considered a square peg in a round hole. As a leader, who believed in the importance of smart risk taking, he had to convince a risk-averse group of finance professionals to take a chance on success. In this episode, we hear why Buthman believes taking the right kind of risks is important to achieving both personal a

Research suggests we make better decisions in diverse groups than in homogeneous ones, but we feel less confident in those decisions. Why? In Tug of War we hear about a newly appointed CEO and her experience of having her responsibilities seemingly pulled from her grasp—by a large and cumbersome board. Instead of the CEO and board benefitting from their different perspectives, we

The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Or, does it? Some work cultures tend to reward people who talk the most. But, have you ever worked with an introvert? They are quiet, analytical, and organized. Extremely smart—but often overlooked and misunderstood. This episode, Secret Weapons, explores one introvert’s experience in a new position where her company culture was at odds with her

This episode, “My Boss the Robot” explores one executive’s experience with her new boss and how they weren’t able to truly understand each other. We’ll hear how this this led to disconnects in day-to-day operations at her new job and brought her just days away from leaving the company for good.

Should leaders be willing to change for the good of the team? This episode uncovers a team dynamic that wasn’t working for Ritwik. When he tries to force his own work style on a team that has a very different working style, there are unintended consequences to the team’s performance. Learn how you can flex your style to create a dynamic, successful team.

This episode explores the circumstances where Betsy needs to guide a team that is enthusiastic about project success. However, their desire for team harmony creates one monstrous roadblock. Can too many similar working styles actually hinder success?