Real World Leadership

Gerard Senehi, founder of the Open Future Institute, has an unusual background for a leader. He was a renowned mentalist, with a national media profile. His pivot, more than a decade ago, was to become an educator -- helping young people take charge of their lives with effective decision making.

"Just do it" is more than a Nike slogan. It's great advice for senior leaders, according to psychiatrist Dillon Hayes. He says that less thinking and more doing is vital for successful leadership. Rather than overthinking and waiting for an "aha moment," Dr. Hayes says that breakthroughs will come by taking action while remaining open and mindful.

Leadership is not determined by where you sit on the org chart. Instead, it has to be earned by skill in human relations. Dr. Lloyd Sederer, author and healthcare change agent, knows that "organizations can be run very well by informal authority." Dr. Sederer's insights come from more than 30 years at the forefront of healthcare policy and reform. They are valuable to all senior leaders who need t...

Ignoring AI is like giving up your personal computer or cell phone, said Christian Desrosiers in a conversation with Ken Banta at a recent Vanguard Forum for General Counsels. His advice to General Counsels: start working with it, but with guardrails to prevent misuse or breaches.

From hero to zero - how quickly public opinion can change -- especially on the companies that saved millions of lives with Covid vaccines. Kate Cronin, Chief Brand Officer for Moderna and Paul Hastings, Board Chair of BIO, share insights on reputation management that are universally relevant to organizations in the public eye.

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today. So says Diego Ontaneda Benavides, co-founder and CEO of the Latin American Leadership Academy. Benavides believes that diversity and access will help alleviate economic and societal issues, which -- left unchecked -- can snowball into political unrest. He shares his philosophy, experience, and hope for the future, with t...

As the tidal wave of Gen Z hits the workforce, what do leaders need to know? Nancy Lurker, CEO of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, has a reliable source -- her own daughter. The answers may surprise you.

Andy Bromberg is CEO and Founding Advisor at Eco, a revolutionary financial institution that transforms what he calls our "dumb money" system into "smart money." In this discussion with public TV journalist Ken Stone, Andy describes how Eco was conceived, built and serves customers in a new era of technology.

Dealing with high pressure situations is a big part of a CEO's job description. Your future may depend on how you perform in crisis. Trusted CEO advisor Justin Menkes shares three powerful principles to mobilize your inner strength and lead others to success.

Philip Friedman is a highly successful photographer, who must take charge of a team, develop trust, and create art, all in a very short time. (As little as 15 minutes in the case of Oprah). In conversation with former journalist Ken Stone, Philip offers practical advice for other leaders on developing rapport and communicating effectively.

Ray Jordan has run corporate affairs for J&J, Amgen, and Moderna, among his portfolio of C-Suite roles. From that experience, Ray comes away convinced that a lot of important leadership tasks can be boxed, delivered, and assembled in the comfort of your office. For example: how to create an annual report. Many leaders start from scratch and learn -anxiously - on the job. But Ray believes that 80%...

AI gets real in 2023, and can yield huge cost savings in advertising and marketing. That's just the beginning, says entrepreneur and data scientist Christian Desrosiers.

Tracy Stone-Manning directs the "other" BLM, the Bureau of Land Management, which controls more than 10% of US territory. Balancing wilderness preservation with mining and drilling leases, requires a deft hand and political acumen. In conversation with Ken Banta, Tracy shares what it takes to succeed with a widely dispersed team of 10,000, and often conflicting interests for 245 million acres of p...

How do you go about solving problems without obvious solutions? Leaders face this challenge every day. Emily Jiang and Ken Banta discussed this in a Vanguard New Leaders session. Find out how confidence in methodology -- and in your own way of working -- can surmount ambiguity.

Wait, why would organizational psychologist and author of Leading Inclusion proclaim that DEI is BS? Because it must be a subset of leader effectiveness, not a standalone program, according to Gena Cox, PhD. Gena was featured in a recent Vanguard Network Dialogue and delivers a powerful message for senior leaders: you have to be effective with 100% of your talent pool.

Companies routinely survey employees, but do they really listen to them? If not, they are putting their most important asset at risk. This discussion with author Gorick Ng and Vanguard founder Ken Banta is an important reminder that the true intellectual property in any organization resides in the frontline team members.

What can Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau teach use about leadership today? Plenty, according to professor and author Bob Gross, the leading authority on the US Transcendentalist Movement. In this fascinating discussion with journalist Ken Stone, you'll discover parallels between the 19th century and today. Hint: the forces that created the millenials are not so different from what the...

When you think about the role of the General Counsel -- the chief legal officer in a corporation - what comes to mind as the most important leadership skill? Would building a diverse, dynamic team rise to the top? In this recent Vanguard Session, top GCs offer thought provoking opinions on how to be successful as chief lawyer in a corporation.

Talent development is a critical issue for business success. Increasingly, the LGBTQ+ community is a force to be reckoned with. This Vanguard Network Dialogue explores the importance of inclusion and the consequences of not welcoming this powerful segment of the workforce.

According to Calvin Schmidt, mistakes can lead to powerful innovation. He speaks from experience in many leadership roles around the world. Schmidt and Ken Banta discuss how a culture of authenticity, and staying true to purpose, can unleash innovation.

Learning how to change the world. That's the focus of the Vanguard Network's newest program, which connects, inspires and helps guide the leaders of tomorrow. Meet some of Vanguard's New Leaders, and hear how they plan to change the world.

Do we really listen to others? Or are we busy formulating our responses? Joe Kwon, the Connection Counselor, understands the power of true stillness in leadership. He recommends it as a leadership and performance tool.

Leading a global company presents cultural and geopolitical challenges. Understanding them can be the difference between long term success and failure. Richard Schatzberg, Chief Commercial Officer at NeST Technologies, has led his company's global presence for nearly 25 years. He explains some of the opportunities -- and challenges -- in this conversation with TV journalist Ken Stone.

Communication and influence go far beyond the spoken word. How we enter a room, our posture, eye contact, and more, are powerful tools. Michael Apuzzo of the Paul Taylor Dance Company shares what he learned as a performer -- and what business leaders can harness to command a situation.

From AIDS to SARS to Covid, Dr. Julie Gerberding has helped manage decades of public health crises, as a physician, director of the CDC and now Merck's Chief Patient Officer. One common thread -- and one she is determined to overcome -- is inequities in access to information, medicines and treatments. In this Vanguard Network dialogue, Dr. Gerberding shares her vision for improving access and effi...