Leading Up: The Work Shift

How you communicate is at the cornerstone of how you build trust, leverage influence, and find success in the workplace. This week on Leading Up, we are talking to an expert on the foundations of leadership communication. Deborah Grayson Riegel is an executive coach, consultant, and keynote speaker. She teaches leadership communication at The Wharton School, Duke’s Fuqua School, and Columbia Busin...

Integrating leadership with continuous learning is challenging for professionals as they work towards the next level of their career. It’s especially vital for those who push themselves to the brink of burnout. For those looking to pass the torch, this means making it safe for high-achieving individuals to rest. It also means making it safe for them to fail and learn valuable lessons. This week on...

Leaders often feel inundated with information. In those moments, it’s hard to make choices, and even harder to be heard from within the swell of emails, chat channels, and social posts. How does a person find their way, and identify their own voice? This week on the podcast, we welcome Dorie Clark, professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and author of best-selling titles The Long...

People often change faster than the organizations they work for, and when cultural shifts meet shareholder interests, the perception is more of a clash than a compromise. But what if those ideas could converge in a place of shared understanding and shared benefit? Layli Miller-Muro is a purpose and impact strategist named by Goldman Sachs as one of the Top 100 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs. In thi...

As leaders, we have the momentous task of maximizing human potential from ourselves and our teammates. This can be a daunting task. How do we even get started? Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts joins us this week to break this down. She is an organizational psychologist who specializes in strength-based practices. She is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at University of Virginia's Darden S...

If there’s one constant throughout our careers, it’s change. Over the past few years, the way we work has evolved dramatically from in-person to distributed work. Arguably, there's one skill you need to hone more than any other in order to keep up with rapid change: Communication, the ability for nothing to get lost in translation.  This week on the podcast, we're talking to Molly Nagler, the Chie...

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. But as leaders, how do we bolster our weak points and build off of our strengths? That’s what we dive into this week with our guest, Kristi Burnham. She is the Vice President, Employee Engagement and Development at UNICEF USA. She has worked for the humanitarian organization for more than two decades, and she got her start in leadership with the Girl Scout...

When was the last time you talked about your broader career vision in a one-on-one? This week on the podcast, we’re talking about why it’s so important for managers to have big picture career conversations with their direct reports. Siya Raj Purohit discusses her tips and tricks to coach teammates and develop a strong career vision. Purohit is the Global EdTech& Workforce Development Category Lead...

Leadership is a lifelong practice. When practiced well, your leadership skills can completely transform your mental health, business performance, community engagement, and home life.  This is what Stew Friedman calls Total Leadership. Stew founded The Wharton Leadership Program and the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project at The University of Pennsylvania. He has authored several bestselling book...

Leading Up is back with a new season. Leaders face challenges every single day: evolving workplace culture, closing skill gaps, employee burnout, and let’s not forget about the economic uncertainty nipping at our collective heels. In this season, we continue to explore how great leaders drive creativity, business outcomes, and an inventive spirit. Hear fresh perspectives and insights from real-wor...

Who are you as a leader? On International Women’s Day, our podcast guest encourages all of her new managers to reflect on this question, as it can help them lead authentically, purposefully, and effectively. Lisa Dahms is the Global Head of People Development IT at TUI Group, the world’s leading tourism company based in Hanover, Germany, with over 13 million customers and $16.5 billion in annual r...

Earlier this season, we talked with positive leadership expert Kim Cameron, and purpose-driven leadership expert Bob Quinn, both from the University of Michigan. This week on the podcast, we're talking to a guest who lives and breathes these values as a business leader.   Erin Mara is the Vice President of Talent Management at BJ's Wholesale Club, a $17 billion per year retailer, where she oversee...

During tough times, Melissa Daimler argues companies need to amplify the alignment of strategy, purpose, and culture more than ever. As the Chief Learning Officer at Udemy, Melissa Daimler has an impressive career leading transformational culture change at companies including Adobe, Twitter, and WeWork. She shares these lessons in her new book, Reculturing. Melissa writes regularly for Forbes and...

Negative news can bombard us. We hear alarming statistics about depression and anxiety and stories about toxic workplaces and leaders. Despite the negativity, developing positive leadership skills can help you live a thriving life, both at home and at work. Professor Kim Cameron is on the forefront of researching the practices of positive leadership. He's a co-founder of the Center for Positive Or...

Economic downturns can make most of us nervous, but a recession doesn't always need to mean doom and gloom. Take for instance, some notable companies like Airbnb, Square and Udemy. All were founded during the last recession between 2008 and 2010.    This week's guest gives us a crash course in innovation and explains why now is a good time as ever to continue innovating. Karl Ulrich teaches and re...

While we're living in uncertain times, we never truly know what the future might hold. That's why we need leaders at every level of business who can paint a compelling picture of the future that inspires everyone to get on board. Today's guest is the master. Dave Pottruck was the CEO of Charles Schwab from 1998 to 2018. He's written two best-selling books on leadership and change and previously ta...

How can we transform a stagnating workforce with a culture that values agility and unlocking human potential? That's the question this week's guest has grappled with for decades. Stewart Kidd has 30 years of experience in the private sector, most recently as Chief Learning Officer at Computer Science Corp. In 2021, he transitioned into local government. He's now the Director of Human Resources and...

In today's tumultuous world, sometimes it's hard to know which way is up, but finding your purpose can drive emerging leaders to move forward.    Professor Bob Quinn joins host Alan Todd on this week’s podcast to share why finding your purpose can transform companies – and lives. For 40 years, Professor Quinn’s research and teaching has led the way for how people think about positive and purpose-d...

Everyone is looking to drive innovation, retain employees, and create a healthy workplace culture. Inclusive Leadership can provide solutions for these challenges and more. Stefanie Johnson joins the podcast to offer tips on running more inclusive meetings, creating an effective DEI strategy, and how inclusivity can help bring employees back to the office. Stefanie is the WSJ best-selling author o...

Since the beginning of last year, more than 50 million people have resigned from their jobs. But today’s Leading Up guest, Samuel Ragsdale, Head of L&D at 3M, sees a shift from a Great Resignation to what he calls the Great Disengagement. Employees feel a lack of connection to their work or even the mission of their organization. We talk about solutions to this problem, including how Samuel is rei...

When it comes to leadership, if Melanie Weaver Barnett isn’t nominated, she will nominate herself. Podcast host Alan Todd, Vice President and General Manager of Udemy Business, talks with Melanie about positive leadership in a hybrid world, how to make your own luck, and how leaders should support women in business. She is the Chief Executive Education Officer at the Stephen M. Ross School of Busi...

Leaders face challenges every single day: evolving workplace culture, skills gaps, the great resignation, and let's not forget about the global recession nipping at our collective heels. At Udemy, we've seen firsthand how leaders can continue to drive creativity and exciting business outcomes, and foster an inventive spirit - despite headwinds. Hear fresh perspectives and insights from forward-thi...