Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work (formerly Qonversations)

Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer is a human capital strategist, coach, speaker, and author. In her LinkedIn profile, she writes “I work at the intersection of strategy and soul.” In this episode of "Qonversations," host Brian Gorman and Cynthia discuss the critical importance of leaders embracing humanity, aligning individual purpose with organizational roles, the importance of authenticity and psycholo...

The world of work is changing at an ever-accelerating rate. In this episode, Ted Whetstone, executive coach, thought leader, and “fellow philosopher on the road of life,” joins host Brian Gorman to explore new ideas on how to successfully lead through the changes we are experiencing. Along the way, they explore organizational design, the work week, innovation, thinking differently about what we se...

It isn’t a possibility. It isn’t a probability. It isn’t some far-off science fiction fantasy thing. We are in it now. The challenge, from the C-suite to the front line, is “How do I ensure not just that I (and my organization) survive, but that we thrive?” In this episode, Nicole Doyle, entrepreneur, start-up advisor, and Founder of Aspir joins host Brian Gorman to begin to answer these questions...

If you are a leader, your success is dependent on your ability to effectively communicate with those who report to you. And your ability to successfully communicate with those who report to you is highly dependent on bringing a coach approach to your leadership. In this episode, communication coach Chris Marr joins host Brian Gorman to explore the changing role of leaders and the importance of coa...

Every day, Liz Weber, Advisor to Executives and Boards, encounters the challenges that leaders are facing as they seek to guide their organizations into the Digital age. In this episode, Liz joins host Brian Gorman to explore those behaviors that continue to serve leaders well as they move out of the Industrial Age model of leadership as well as the significant shifts in mindset and behavior that...

In his book Nobody Is Smarter Than Everybody: Why Self-Managing Teams Make Better Decisions and Deliver Extraordinary Results, Rod Collins builds on the premise that “the digital revolution is far more than a technology revolution. It is also a sociological revolution that has generated an unprecedented capacity for mass collaboration and created new possibilities in how humans work together.” Und...

Your organization has a culture. You can be intentional about continuously shaping it or allow it to evolve and see what happens. You can also reshape it. In this episode of Qonversations, Tom Krause, Ph. D., and author of If Your Culture Could Talk, joins host Brian Gorman to delve into the hard truths about culture. They explore the cost of misalignment between what is said and the behavior of l...

Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners and author of Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work and the Independent Mind of a Free Bird, and host Brian Gorman continue their conversation with a focus on the mind of a free bird. This includes an examination of the differences in the mindsets of traditional employees vs. free birds, the differences in how they spend their time on the job, and the differe...

118: Free Birds Revolution – 1 of 2: Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners and author of Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work and the Independent Mind of a Free Bird, doesn’t mind challenging conventional thinking. And when he does, he has the data, and the examples, to support what he is saying. In this episode of Qonversations, Miles and host Brian Gorman explore Part 1 of Miles’ book, focusin...

At nine pages, this may be the smallest business book you ever read. That said, it is also one worth re-reading from time to time. In changing the label from “introverts” to “quiet people,” Luke Tobin opens our eyes to the many powers that these individuals bring to the workplace, and to life more generally. Luke, author of The Power of Quiet People (In a World That Favours Loudness), focuses on s...

Sometimes, we can be our own best teachers. We’ve all had leaders we trust, and those we don’t. If we’re lucky, we’ve had leaders we would follow anywhere, and those we would avoid at all costs the next time around. We’ve all had leaders that nurture us and do everything possible to help us grow and succeed, and leaders who want to ensure their own place on the organization chart by holding us dow...

The prevailing organizational design model remains the top-down org chart. While some have made adjustments (removing layers, adding “matrixed” relationships), It continues to remain an industrial-age approach to structuring and leading organizations. In today’s episode, Jeffrey Beeson, author of Network Leadership, brings a refreshingly new approach to organizational design and leadership. He and...

Morag Barrett ( SkyeTeam.com ) joins host Brian Gorman to explore the importance of establishing person-to-person relationships across the workplace. Morag shares the results of years of research globally, including “the four yesses.” “Can I count on you?” “Can I depend on you?” “Do I care about you?” and “Do I trust you?” Reflect on someone you have worked with that you would answer yes to each o...

Retired Navy SEAL Commander, corporate CEO, and author Marty Strong returns to discuss his recently published book, Be Different: How Navy Seals and Entrepreneurs Bend, Break, or Ignore the Rules to Get Results! Marty and host Brian Gorman explore what it means to be different and why it is so important in today’s turbulent and ever-changing world. Marty Strong is a combat veteran of the U.S. Navy...

Despite continuing calls to “return to work,” there is growing evidence that the relationship of people to their work, the nature of that work, and the workplace itself are continuing to change. Guest Serena Diamond and host Brian Gorman bring their decades of experience in organizational change management and leadership to the fore as they look at the impact that these shifting forces are having...

In his 2015 TEDx talk “Stop Managing, Start Leading,” now viewed over 2.5 million times, Hamza Khan was prescient in how he described the future of leadership. A great deal of how he led then and continues to lead today became common practice during the pandemic. Today, we hear calls to reverse some of those trends. In this episode, Hamza joins host Brian Gorman to revisit that TEDx talk, trace th...

“I think growing up…stuttering was a massive advantage.” Michael Thompson didn’t think so at the time, but looking back, he realizes it now. In this episode, Michael and host Brian Gorman explore a few of the many lessons that Michael has to offer in his book Shy By Design. Michael tells the story of why he chose to enter sales, and how he responded when, as the new leader of a sales team one of m...

While we too rarely acknowledge it, neurodiversity is already in the workplace. Whether one accepts the data that 20% of the workforce is neurodiverse, or the much higher 52% self-reporting in Gen Z, it is important to become intentional about addressing neurodiversity in the workplace. Stina Borth joins host Brian Gorman to address how to interview neurodivergent individuals, how to set them up f...

DeVon Hankins journey went from a farm in rural Missouri to college to Washington, DC, Toyota, state and city government, and even passed through the enlisted and officer ranks of the US military. In this episode, Devon joins host Brian Gorman to share her stories and the leadership lessons she has learned, lessons that are important to every leader today. DeVon is CEO of Ascension Strategies ( in...

Luis Hernandez, host of The Wayfinder Show, was a real estate agent when the financial crisis of 2008 hit. It cost Luis his job and his home but helped him find running. In this episode, Luis and host Brian Gorman explore Luis’ journey into running, the lessons he has learned, and how they have helped in turning his life around. This is a personal story and one worth reflecting on. What is your ve...

There are numerous ways an organization can be blocked from achieving its potential. In this episode, Jurriaan Kamer, author of Unblock: Clear the Way for Results and Develop a Thriving Organization, joins host Brian Gorman to discuss three of these: unblocking strategy, unblocking ownership, and unblocking meetings. 

The ability to lead across cultures is important to every leader today, whether or not you are leading across borders. In this episode, Quantuvos coach Carmela O’Flaherty joins host Brian Gorman to explore the challenges of cross-cultural leadership and to offer approaches to mitigating those challenges. 

The future isn’t what it used to be. In this episode, Marty Strong, retired SEAL commander, corporate executive, and author of Be Visionary: Strategic Leadership in the Age of Optimization, makes the case for visionary leadership at all levels, and in all parts, of organizational life. He and host Brian Gorman discuss the focus on optimization found in most organizations, and how that leaves them...

What is your experience with networking events? For many of us, the experience is rarely what we had hoped it would be, nor are the results. In this episode, Rob Giardinelli, founder of Intentional Networking provides insights to both networkers and leaders as to how to get the most out of these events. 

You may well see yourself in the life being lived by Stephanie Woodward. Stephanie, author of The Big Scale Back: Success and Balance by Your Own Design, joins host Brian Gorman to describe a work life with few boundaries and many sacrifices. Steph lives a different life now; during this episode she describes why and how she learned to bring both success and balance into her life.