Listen Now

Episode 25My guest this episode is Dr. Dorothy Siminovitch, from Toronto, Canada.  Dr. Siminovitch is a global executive coach, speaker, author, Director of Coach Training, presence, awareness & somatic coaching.  She is the co-founder of the Gestalt Center for Coaching and author of the book, Gestalt Coaching Primer.  She has her Ph.D. from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.  We discuss the concept of vertical development and how we use ourselves to recognize when something is disrupting us or catching our attention that requires adaptability, creativity, and innovation.  She talks about Gestalt and using the “now” in adaptive ways, remaining grounded in the present moment.  We discuss the global need to be resilient and agile and how to use Gestalt principles for personal and organizational development and growth.

My guest this episode is Dr. Russell Fox, political scientist and professor.  Russell considers himself an idea person and his research is centered around local politics and the politics of place.  We discuss the increased polarization of politics and how polarization is now sociological and the impact of technological change.  The increased technological means of information sorting and its impact and implications is still unfolding.  My guest this episode is Dr. Russell Fox, political scientist and professor.  Russell considers himself an idea person and his research is centered around local politics and the politics of place.  We discuss the increased polarization of politics and how polarization is now sociological and the impact of technological change.  The increased technological means of information sorting and its impact and implications is still unfolding.  

My guest this episode is Noble Kumawu from Accra, Ghana.  Noble is the President of the Organisation Development Institute and Chief Executive Officer of the Organisation Development (OD) Consultancy firm, Organisation Capacity Improvement Consultants (OCIC).  Noble established the first African educational graduate program in Organization Development.  He is the author of two books, “Global OD: A Model for Africa and the World” (2007) and “The Father of Organisation Development in Africa: The Journey, The Struggles and The Career” (2020).  He shares his international OD consulting insights from his 40-year career (of which 30 were spent in England).  He shares his insights and challenges of transitioning his OD graduate program and his consulting practice both to a virtual environment.  We discuss the wide range of Noble’s experiences training OD practitioners across the continent of Africa.

My guest for this episode is Michelle Clarke, who is a Global Leadership Coach & Facilitator, Coach Trainer, and Improv Coach - YES!  She describes her fascinating journey from South Africa to Santiago, Chili. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of using the cloud to deliver leadership coaching and group facilitation.  She describes how she provides cross-cultural facilitation virtually around the globe. Michelle also shares how she conducts Improv workshops to develop leaders, increase group creativity, and improve listening and communication skills.   

My guest for this episode is Angela Nan, who is a consultant and professor in Myanmar.  She is a recent graduate of Assumption University with her Ph.D. in Organization Development.  She talks about her recently launched consulting practice and her work with empowering and training female leaders in her country.  She is part of a growing presence of new OD practitioners introducing OD and expanding its use across their region.

My guests for this episode are two of the authors of the soon to be released book, Syngineering; Building Agility into Any Organization, Bill Zybac and Richard Thayer.  Bill poses a powerful question, “How do we deal with the volatility and complexity all around us, and all kinds of unintended consequences playing out all over the globe?”  Our conversation explores the field of organization design and some of the book’s ideas and strategies to help design organizations to adapt and manage change.  A core approach is to bring all voices together to work across silos, applying Gestalt theories and an organic approach.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Brian Primack, who is the Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas.  He has a unique skillset with a background in both human development and psychology along with an M.D. in Family Medicine.  He shares his perspective on the impact of the changes in technology (especially social media) on health outcomes.  We discuss how during the pandemic, technology and social media are providing a lifeline for those who are isolated, and at the same time how the use of social media is linked to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. 

Using organization development and poetry for changing and saving lives. My guest this week is Manish Srivastava, who shares his journey from the director of learning and development for Unilever into working globally with such issues as child malnutrition with UNICEF in Ethiopia and Human Capital efforts and engaging the youth around sustainable change in Cambodia.  He has been a consultant with the Presencing Institute at MIT University for a number of years.  He shares his stories around Awareness Based Systems Change and how unintended consequences impact broader system components.  He describes his work around using poetry, theater, and mindfulness to help leaders and organizations to become more self-aware – not just systems thinking but also systems feelings.  During this pandemic with physical isolation, he is helping people to reframe their reality around possibilities, empathy, and recognizing the helplessness of the current situation which provides the potential to find our deeper connections, from sitting with our brokenness, and experiencing these realities together.  

My guest this week is Rod Barnett who does consulting in organization development and people development with his consulting firm, Salient Management Consulting.  He currently resides in Australia, just outside of Sidney.He shares his thoughts around the role of leadership in adaptation and resiliency.  We discuss the shifting notion of the purpose for organizations and the connection to the larger community.  He talks about the concept of dissonance and how organizations and individuals are experiencing a real sense of dissonance and disruption and this is creating the opportunity for meaningful change.

My guest is Angela Springer, who is a regional director of HR for a media company.  She shares the increased need for HR to help the organization focus on employee health and safety.  HR is helping organizations to make decisions around the needs and perspective of employees.  We also discuss the nature of virtual workspaces.  She shares her perspective around maintaining relationships with remote employees and the impact on organizational culture.

My guest this episode is Michael Broom, the CEO at the Center for Human Systems.  Michael shares his deep systems thinking skills and insights as we discuss the challenges around doing OD work in non-face-to-face settings.  He shares some thoughts around some current projects with Google and NASA on helping these organizations to build OD capacity and approach challenges from a systems perspective.

Economic and Workforce Development during COVID 19My guest this episode is Renee Duxler, the Director of Economic & Workforce Development at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.  Renee shares her passion for community engagement during our conversation centering on her new role with the Chamber and the challenges and opportunities with small Midwest cities.  Renee’s background in social work and community activism is proving useful in creating awareness on the broader community challenges and needs facing many small towns.

My guest this episode is Gözde Berber Özbalaban, Associate Partner at Management Centre Turkiye and owner of the consulting firm, “Lead Fit”.  She lives in Istanbul, Turkey.  We talk about the need for resilience, and that to have resilient organizations, you must first have resilient leaders.  Gozde shares her insights around the role of self-care and personal habits around fitness for effective leadership.   We talk about the challenges and opportunities around leading remotely and how to create trust in this day of Zoom.

My guest this episode is Peggy Holman, best selling author of The Change Handbook and Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity.  She shares her insights around how we can connect across differences by moving from debate to dialogue.  We talk about the tremendous change and turmoil all around us and the incredible opportunity this affords us to create something new.  Included in our conversation are Peggy's insights around the art of hosting and the power of such methods as Open Space Technology for bringing together divergent views and reimagining our shared future.

Some industries experience change incrementally while some experience change abruptly.  Higher Education is experiencing both simultaneously.  My guest, Dr. Michael Miller, is a professor of higher education and former Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas.  We discuss the changes that are transforming the nature of our institutions.  Within this environment are challenges and opportunities contained in both defining and redefining the role that higher education plays in our society at large.

My guest, Michael Clifford, combines a unique skill with his expertise in zoo science and organization development & change.  He currently serves as the Curator of Innovation and Partnerships for GLMV Architecture, a creative design firm and is also the Executive Director at Capacity Ministries.  We discuss how he leverages his passions and skills to guide zoos, conservation-type organizations and other unique organizations, to effectively manage change.   

As the Chief People Officer for Thrive Restaurant Group, my guest, Ryan Bond, talks about putting the Human back into Human Resources and how we can create healthy organizations that truly meet people’s needs.  Ryan talks about how we need to shift from the organizational model of “Create wealth to fulfill wants” and pivot to a model based upon “health and needs”.  

This week we are exploring the intersection of Organization Development and society and helping create a more equitable and compassionate world.  My guest is Matt Minahan from the Washington D.C. area.  Matt is an organization strategy and design consultant, committed to removing the gap between human potential and the human condition.

What does the pursuit and achievement of excellence and happiness during unprecedented challenges look like?  Well, my guest this week is Christina Unrein, who is a clarity & happiness coach for achievement-driven Leaders.  She shares with us a wealth of ideas, perspectives, and insights around the possibilities all around us.

My guest for this episode is Karen Long.  Karen is an independent writer and web designer.  We chat about some of technical trends during COVID-19.  We explore some the cultural change occurring in this arena as well as some marketing challenges and opportunities.