Sense & Signal: Leading Through Sensemaking

In this episode of the Sense & Signal Leadership & Sensemaking podcast, co-host Dan Tarker delves into how non-teleological thinking can help leaders navigate the metacrisis. He spends time defining what the meta crisis is, investigating the concept of moloch as defined in the Bible and Allen Ginsburg's poem Howl, and how these concepts inform our response to global crises like the war...

Joe Gow has been fired as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse after the Board of Regents learned that he and his wife Carmen Wilson had been publishing pornographic content on OnlyFans and PornHub. In this micro episode of the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Dan recaps the Joe Gow pornography scandal, discusses other scandals Joe Gow and his wife Carmen Wils...

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is going to jail and his cryptocurrency exchange - the largest in the world - is paying 4 billion dollars in fines to the US Justice Department. I’m this episode of the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Dan explores what leadership lessons we can learn from Changpeng Zhao’s Icarus like fall. Dan reviews the charges against Changpeng Zhao and...

What is influence leadership and how can leaders use influence to move their teams forward? Is there something we can learn from leader influencers like Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Bill Gates, and Sam Bankman-Fried? In this micro episode of the Sense & Signal leadership & Sensemaking podcast, Jodah and Dan delve into the definition of influence, discuss how leaders can develop influence by buil...

Sam Altman has been re-hired at Open AI after a Succession level coup attempt by the nonprofit Open AI board. In this micro podcast of the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Dan and Jodah discuss the implications of this soap opera unfolding at Open AI. What does it mean for the future of artificial intelligence that Sam Altman was restored as CEO of Open AI? What is the future...

In this micro episode of the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Jodah and Dan explore the sudden firing of Sam Altman from Open AI, the organization that brought the world ChatGPT. While Dan cheers this move by Open AI, Jodah wants to dig deeper. They discuss two fundamental tensions that may have led to Sam Altman’s firing from Open AI. The first is the governance structure of...

Last week the Biden adm8nistration released an Executive Order addressing the safety, security, and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence. In this Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking micro podcast, Dan takes a dive into this executive order on artificial intelligence - especially where the administration fears danger. He discussed the section on dual use foundation models like ChatG...

Dan explores LinkedIn Drama on this Sense& Signal micro podcast. Is servant leadership lazy or micromanage - or neither?

Who is to blame for Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto crimes? Is he to blame? Is it the system? God? His parents? The spaghetti monster? Dan begins to unpack this question in this Sense & Signal micro cast. He discusses the essay Sam Bankman—Fried’s mother Barbara Fried wrote on blame and moral responsibility in the Boston Review, the concept of hard determinism versus libertarian free will in terms...

In this segment of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dam reflects on the new and possible last Beatles song “Now & Then” and the ethical issues around AI and dead artists. What are the ethical implications of using AI to create new art from the work of dead artists like John Lennon and George Harrison. There is a reflection on the impact the Beatles had on our culture, their history of innovatio...

In this segment of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dan reflects on the Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) verdict and what it can teach us about Imagology and ethics. Dan reviews the general fraud and conspiracy case against Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, and Alameda Research. He gives Sam Bankman-Fried a dark quadrant performance review to determine if he is narcissistic, Machiavellian, psychopathic, or sadistic....

Last week the Biden administration released an Executive Order addressing the safety, security, and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence. In this first of two segments on the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Dan takes a dive into one of the documents informing this executive order on AI - the proposed AI Bill of Rights. Dan addresses concerns from both sides of the spec...

in this Halloween edition of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dan shares some ghost stories for leaders. He starts off with a review of the Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix and what we can learn about leadership from it. Then we get a ghost story about a Banshee at an Amtrak Station, Lyndon B Johnson’s encounter with another presidential ghost, the sale of a leadership consultant who was reall...

In this episode of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dan explores some ethical questions we should be considering around generative artificial intelligence. Should we approach AI ethics as a critical theory? Should we tag synthetic art created by AI? How do we manage AI creating digital dopplegangers of dead famous people? Is it OK for a lonely person to develop a romantic relationship with an AI bo...

Latest trends in leadership development In this episode of the sentence signal podcast, Jodah and Dan dive into some of the latest conversations and research about leadership development. They discuss whether growth mindset is a valid theory, strategies to train leaders in hybrid work environments, distinctions between empathy and compassion when thinking about leadership, and the difference betwe...

In this episode of the sense and signal podcast, Dan does a solo show to talk about political leadership. In our dysfunctional, two party political system, how can you be an adult in the room as a political leader? We explore the issue of age and political service. When is a person too old to serve as a president or Congress person? We also talk about personal conduct, and the dress code of politi...

We all encounter bias at work. In this episode of the Sense & Signal podcast, Jonah and Dan take their audience on a tour of different kinds of biases that may be impacting our workplaces. They define the term biass, describe several types of bias, and differentiate its benefits and significant drawbacks. They also explore bias in the hiring process, attractiveness bias, bias around clothing -...

In this episode of the Sense & Signal podcast, Jodah and Dan welcome systems thinking experts Dr. Derek Cabrera and Dr. Laura Cabrera - founders of the Cabrera Research Lab on Systems Thinking at Cornell University - to talk about leadership, systems thinking, and complexity.  They share their story about how they met and became the dynamic duo of systems thinking research, their work teaching...

In today's fast-paced business landscape, startups and teams face a myriad of challenges that demand decisions with far-reaching consequences. From resource allocation and product direction to hiring choices and strategic pivots, each crossroad presents an opportunity to mold the future. But with these opportunities come the inevitable, sleepless nights of contemplation, the debates that stret...

0In this thought-provoking hour-long podcast episode, we delve deep into the captivating realm of modern-day AI technology and its profound implications on society and the working class. Engaging experts and futurists, we explore the awe-inspiring plusses of AI, from revolutionizing industries to enhancing healthcare. However, we don't shy away from dissecting its potential minuses, including...

What can Milan Kundera teach us about leadership and sensemaking? That’s the central question in this episode of the Sense and Signal podcast. Jodah and Dan welcome frequent guests Jesan Sorrells and Zoe Fragou to explore what Kundera – and other novelists – can teach leaders. Topics include leadership lessons from Milan Kundera’s novels, historical amnesia in political leadership and workplace le...

eaders! Unlock the mysteries of the vision statement using systems and design thinking, Jodah and Dan welcome back Sense & Signal alum Dan Edds and Dan Torres to explore how leaders can use systems and design thinking to craft effective vision statements that will give their organizations long-term direction in complex environments. Beginning with a vision statement quiz and a challenge to cre...

In the digital age, data analytics has emerged as a transformative sensemaking tool, empowering organizational leaders with valuable insights to make informed decisions. However, despite its potential for driving meaningful change, data analytics is often misinterpreted, leading to flawed conclusions and misguided actions. What is a leader supposed to do? How do leaders create a data centric envir...

Socrates said you should know thyself – and this Sense and Signal podcast panel discission examines what knowing oneself looks like for leaders. Jodah and Dan delve into what it means for leaders to know themselves with favorite guests Hana Gala and Zoe Fragou, both highly regarded international leadership consultants and trainers. They explore why knowing oneself is important for leaders, using t...

Leaders need to get out of their heads. That’s the central message of this interview with acclaimed science writer and author of the Extended Mind Annie Murphy Paul. In this though provoking episode, Annie informs Jodah and Dan about the importance of feelings to thinking, how our bodies are important to our thinking process, how the physical spaces we work in impact our cognition, and how groups...