Episode 145: Empowering Leaders For Sustainable Change
Release Date: 12/12/2023
Facilitation Lab Podcast
"One of the things that really motivates me is seeing the light in people's eyes when they come into the innovation center and we have them play with Legos or do something fun. Bringing enjoyment into work is something that really motivates me personally."- Ralitsa Dimitrova In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Ralitsa Dimitrova, who leads the Ignition capability at KPMG Switzerland. Ralitsashares her journey as a generalist and connector in facilitation, emphasizing the value of adaptability, empathy, and continuous learning. She discusses her...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"The power of facilitation is to bring all the voices to the table, and as you may have heard this saying, "nothing for us without us," and I love that, it resonates so much."-Alexis Scranton In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Alexis Scranton from Aligned Impact Solutions. Alexis shares her journey from teaching kindergarten and third grade to training teachers on national reform projects, which led her to specialize in facilitating corporate social responsibility and social impact initiatives. The discussion highlights the importance of...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"It's most costly in the wasted human energy and time that goes into things that people in the end don't care about. That is what's the most frustrating to me, seeing people pour their energy with the hope that it's going to pay off, and then in the end, when people shrug, it's just so demoralizing."- Jake Knapp In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Jake Knapp, co-founder and general partner at Character Capital, and a former Google employee instrumental in developing Gmail and Google Meet. The episode delves into Jake's extensive experience in...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"You can talk the talk all you want, but the group is going to know if you're not walking the walk. As the facilitator, you have to be the one that's ready to lead in what you're asking them to do."- Caterina Rodriguez In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Caterina Rodriguez (Cat), a facilitator consultant and strategic leader at ADL. Cat shares her journey from anti-bias education to organizational effectiveness, emphasizing the importance of authentic connections in facilitation. She discusses the challenges of adopting a new facilitation style...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"I saw her facilitate and I thought, "Wow, she's really drawing things out of the group instead of telling them what to do." That was so powerful, and I thought to myself, "I want to do that. I want to be able to do that type of work someday."- Dr. Karyn Edwards, PCC In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Dr. Karyn Edwards, an organizational psychologist and executive coach. Dr. Edwards shares her journey into facilitation and leadership, starting at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. She highlights the influence of her mentor, Julianne Weiss, and discusses...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"There is so much humanity in vulnerability. If you're going to ask others to be vulnerable, you have to be willing to do so yourself and let your walls down to have rich, honest conversations."- Alyssa Coughlin In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Alyssa Coughlin, Chief of Staff Director for the Data and AI Platform Organization at Autodesk. Alyssa shares her journey into facilitation and leadership, emphasizing the importance of patience, active listening, and storytelling in effective facilitation. She discusses leading through influence...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"I was blown away, absolutely enthralled and fascinated. My granddad turned to me and said, "You've got an inquiring mind, don't ever lose that." It has essentially formed who I am."- Dan Walker In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Dan Walker from Collective Imagination Consulting. They discuss Dan's journey from the legal field to the outdoor industry, driven by his deep curiosity and evolving understanding of justice. Dan shares how his formative experiences shaped his perspectives and how he now helps organizations create pathways toward a more...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"Seeing the magic of bringing people together, setting clear agendas, and leaving with action items was eye-opening for me."- Lipika Grover In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Lipika Grover, a consultant, executive coach, and facilitator. They explore Lipi's career journey, starting from her early experiences at Accenture, where she observed effective facilitation during high-profile client sessions. Lipi emphasizes the importance of preparation, follow-up, and creating safe spaces for dialogue. She discusses managing group dynamics,...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"If you don’t have those underpinnings of being anchored to something, it’s really difficult to do anything else. That’s just baseline sort of human functioning."- Kellie Artis In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Kelly Artis, founder of Mission Identity, who empowers women through the Enneagram. The discussion highlights the transformative power of facilitation, particularly through Kelly's experiences in the George W. Bush Institute's Veteran Leadership Program. Kelly shares her journey into facilitation, emphasizing the importance of...
info_outlineFacilitation Lab Podcast
"Take that risk, take that step forward. Don’t think about it, just do it. Sometimes you just have to take that step, and by doing that, my life changed completely.”- Tony Toto In this episode of the Facilitation Lab Podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Tony Toto, a facilitator at the Outdoor Wisconsin Leadership School. Tony shares his journey from real estate to facilitation, emphasizing the transformative power of adventure-based team-building activities. He discusses the importance of physical and emotional safety, non-verbal communication, and the role of conversation in...
info_outline"We need facilitators to create that room. There are very few and the scientists who are quite enthusiastic as well as the decision leaders, what they know right now is PowerPoint one PowerPoint after another. And which is quite boring but they don't know what to do, how different, what other ways can we do it, can we pass on this information? Any sector that you talk about within Africa, they will need that, they will need facilitators because of the growth trajectory that we are looking at and the change that we need to bring about."- Eddie Jjemba
In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Eddie Jumper from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center. Eddie discusses his work in making African cities resilient to climate change and his journey into environmental education. He shares his experiences in facilitation, including the importance of adapting to diverse cultures and contexts. Eddie also talks about the financial barriers to facilitation training in Africa and how the Red Cross is addressing this issue. The conversation also covers the use of games in facilitation, the process of designing meeting agendas, and the future of facilitation in the context of climate change.