Making Business Art

Keeping up with the accelerating pace of change and complexity in our world can feel daunting. Fortunately, there are people like global improv consultant and comedy teacher, Belina Raffy, who can show us how to re-energize how we relate with our teams and bring more joy, creativity, and connection to our organizations. Belina makes the case that practicing improv is the gym to str

Big complex problems don’t necessarily have to be overwhelming. My guest and applied anthropologist, Ellie Snowden, harnesses the power of small stories to help people in organizations turn big intractable problems into manageable ones. She argues that one-size-fits-all solutions don’t work. Instead, we can create much more impactful interventions by quickly gathering many smal

Is there an aspect of your work you find beautiful? While we might not think of beauty as a property that arises in many domains of work, my guest and sociology professor, Brandon Vaidyanathan, is finding beauty at work in unexpected places. After unexpectedly stumbling into the topic of beauty at work during research projects, Brandon is now devoting time to explore how we might e

Have you ever thought about what gets in the way of teams achieving the results they want? My guest, Andres Marquez-Lara, makes the case that it’s not due to a lack of tools or technology, but rather due to miscommunication, misaligned agendas, ego and conflict. Or, as he calls it, “messy human stuff.” Andres is a leadership development and collaboration expert who combines h

Most of us have been disenchanted with the world of work at some point in our careers. But what if the culture of our organizations actively encouraged better communication, creativity and experimentation in pursuit of creating much better solutions for the people we serve? My guest and creative leadership consultant, Arne van Oosterom, is sought after by leaders who seek to foster

What is a restaurant, or product, or a hospitality experience that you love and would highly recommend to a good friend? What was it about that brand that really hooked you, and what would you say about it to somebody else? My guest and branding strategist and storyteller, Cheryl Farr, points out that a brand is not so much about what we say about ourselves, but what other people

What do you think about emerging technologies with Artificial Intelligence? It’s a topic that some people find distressing, others are cautious or curious, and some, like my guest Rick McCawley, see enormous potential for creativity and productivity. Rick believes that AI can help us do away with boring grunt work while amplifying our creativity, productivity, and our ability to

For many of us work is a place where we *have* to go. But what if it was a place we *wanted* to go? What would have to be true for work to be a better place for all of us? My guest and employee experience design expert, Lisa Morris, is passionate about designing ways to make the world of work a much better place for people. In this conversation Lisa and I discuss her perspective

As the pace of change and complexity of our world keeps accelerating, it is increasingly necessary for us to develop the leadership skills to navigate the demands emerging from shifts in markets and society. My guest and leadership development and culture consultant, Chris Baer, observes that some leadership approaches that worked in the past are no longer adequate to meet the dem

Have you ever felt the urge to take off and travel the world? My guest Lauren Rathvon did just that – and then went on to build a travel business that takes people on meticulously curated and crafted tours that aim to connect travelers with places and people in deeply personal ways. Lauren teaches us about the value of building trust with the people we serve, how to deliver excel