320: Norman Wolfe: Transforming Your Business Into a Living Organization
Release Date: 04/06/2020
Leaders Of Transformation
What kind of impact can the right executive assistant have on your business? In this empowering episode we celebrate Administrative Professionals Month by inviting Joshua Washington, founder of , to dive deep into the world of executive assistants and the transformative power they wield within organizations. With his extensive experience and innovative approaches, Joshua uncovers the often-underestimated potential of administrative professionals and the difference they can make in the performance and culture of a business. Listen as Joshua shares personal stories, including the influence...
info_outline 488: Building a Brighter Future: Goodwill's Innovative Strategies with Lisa RusyniakLeaders Of Transformation
How can transforming lives through education and employment initiatives lead to ending poverty? In this inspiring episode, we're joined by Lisa Rusyniak, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries for the Chesapeake, Inc., who shares their transformative work in ending poverty and helping individuals gain independence through employment. Lisa details the Goodwill Excel Center's impact in Baltimore, an adult education initiative that provides not just a GED, but a real high school diploma, opening doors to post-secondary education and middle-skilled jobs. Dive into Lisa's dedication to...
info_outline 487: Advance Your Career: Unlock the Power of Niche Networking with Reno PerryLeaders Of Transformation
How do you advance your career in today's competitive job market? In this explorative episode, we're joined by Reno Perry, a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of , a game-changing career advancement platform. With his seasoned background at and and his pioneering efforts in creating a list of over 20,000 laid-off employees to connect them with new job opportunities, Reno offers practical insights into the evolution of job networking and recruitment. As the job market tightens and traditional methods falter, Reno discusses scaling recruitment for companies while empowering candidates to...
info_outline 486: The Future of Finance: Mastering AI and the Client Experience with Jason PereiraLeaders Of Transformation
Could embracing AI and specialized knowledge be the game changer for today's financial advisors? In this power-packed episode, we're joined by , a seasoned financial planner and technology advocate who passionately encourages advisors to harness the power of cutting-edge technology and specialized knowledge to stay on top. As we dive into Jason's expertise, we uncover the transformative impact of understanding not merely the financial landscape but also the behavioral sciences that significantly affect client success. Join us as we explore with Jason the importance of embracing technology, the...
info_outline 485: Revolutionary Communities: Fostering Meaningful Connection with Maruxa MurphyLeaders Of Transformation
How can you cultivate a thriving community without sacrificing authenticity for profitability? In this heartfelt episode, we are joined by Maruxa Murphy, an award-winning community experience designer, strategist, and entrepreneur. Known for her work with industry giants such as Facebook, Kajabi, and Netflix, Maruxa is a true visionary when it comes to creating and nurturing online and in-person communities. As we explore Maruxa's "transformed community paradigm," she unpacks the intricate layers of building a community that resonates on a deep and meaningful level. She delves into the power...
info_outline 484: Navigating the AI Revolution in Ad Tech with Stacy WillisLeaders Of Transformation
Could the key to thriving in an AI-driven industry lie in human resilience and rituals? In this insightful episode, we invite Stacy Willis, the versatile COO of Playwire, to dive into the dynamic relationship between technology and leadership in the ad monetization world. Stacy manages to juggle her roles as a military wife, mom, and high-powered businesswoman, attributing her success to a mix of authenticity, adaptability, and daily rituals that keep her grounded and focused. Together with our host Nicole Jansen, we explore the critical importance of strategic human input in an AI-dominated...
info_outline 483: Faith, Law and Leadership: Redefining Success with Brooke BoltzLeaders Of Transformation
How do you transform a high-stress law firm into a culture of balance and shared values? In this refreshing episode, we engage with Brooke Boltz, an accomplished attorney who specializes in injury and insurance law. Brooke candidly shares her journey from working at a firm with a high-demand culture to founding her own firm where she prioritizes work-life balance, employee well-being, and the integration of faith into her business practices. Join us as our host Nicole Jansen and Brooke Boltz discuss how to create a business environment that values not just productivity, but also the...
info_outline 482: The Leadership Paradox: Transforming Chaos Into Purpose with Gary HarpstLeaders Of Transformation
What does it take to navigate chaos and align your team's purpose with transformative growth? In this inspiring episode, we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Gary Harpst, a seasoned entrepreneur and author who has made his mark by founding three successful businesses. With his latest venture, he takes a deep dive into the relationship between chaos, leadership, and purpose, sharing invaluable insights gleaned from his extensive experience and his faith. Gary's discussion with host Nicole Jansen sheds light on the tangible ways leaders can foster engagement and the...
info_outline 481: Purposeful PR: Raising Awareness for Socially Responsible Companies with Jackie RussellLeaders Of Transformation
Are you looking to amplify the impact of your social enterprise? In this inspiring episode, our host Nicole Jansen engages with Jackie Russell, a PR maven and founder of Teak Media + Communication, whose career journey has been dedicated to amplifying the voices of nonprofits and socially responsible companies. Jackie delves into the stories behind her path-changing conversations, like those with mentor Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's, and how these interactions shaped her mission. Listen in as Jackie shares her expertise on the significant impact of public relations in the B Corp movement...
info_outline 480: Dress For Success: Unleashing Your Personal Style with Ellie SteinbrinkLeaders Of Transformation
How does the way we dress shape the leader within us? In this insightful episode, we engage with Ellie Steinbrink, a stylist and personal brand coach who has mastered the art of authentic self-expression through clothing. With host Nicole Jansen, we dive into a profound conversation about the psychological impact of our attire and how being true to one's style can lead to transformational leadership. Ellie brings a refreshing perspective on how clothing affects our feelings and energy, while Nicole opens up about her journey of navigating corporate dress codes and finding her own unique...
info_outlineNorman Wolfe, founder and CEO of Quantum Leaders, is a leading voice in bringing about a transformation in the core paradigm of business.
He is a 15-year veteran of Hewlett Packard, has led companies large and small, been a public company director, and has over 30 years consulting and mentoring leaders in a wide range of industries.
He is the author of The Living Organization, an application of the core principles of how the world works, to how organizations and individuals can create extraordinary impact.
What We Discuss With Norman Wolfe In This Episode
- How the current way we look at business organizations is broken
- Why the key to success is building a new model for business that makes the old one obsolete
- What we can learn from the way nature adapts and responds to changing environments
- The core principles of a Living Organization
- The objectification of organizations and its impact on employee engagement
- The paradox of habits
- The importance of shifting context within organizations to create desired change
Episode Transcript Highlights
- There’s a lot of talk in business today about trying to make organizations resilient, adaptable, creative, and innovative. People are trying to adjust the old system and they’re failing at a rate of 70%.
- The problem is that we’re following a way of operating an organization that literally cannot achieve the goals we want.
- We typical think of an organization from a mechanistic view – we plan, organize, lead and control. That means the leader physically designs the machine or tool and everyone is supposed to follow along.
- “Our people are our most important assets.” – This is a mechanistic view of people, as parts, assets or things that make the machine work properly. The thing about machines is that they are not very adaptable, so they need to be redesigned. We call that change management.
- Looking at nature – living systems likes trees, birds, animals - they are highly adaptive, they respond to their environment. They shift and change as need be.
- Human beings are also highly adaptive, if we’re not part of a big machine.
- What if we looked at the human body as a living organization? It is the most efficient, effective, creative, and innovative organization. It has 300 billion employees called cells. We know now that cells are sentient beings – in other words, they are thinking entities.
- Think of an organization as a person, as a being, with a soul and purpose.
- The first thing is to realize that it’s not about creating a Living Organization, it’s shifting the lens. See it as person and give it a name. Is it more masculine or more feminine? Is it more introverted or more extroverted?
- The leader’s role in a Living Organization changes from command and control to setting the context and the purpose of the organization, developing the people, building communities, and being in service.
- Instead of using people to produce outcomes, you use outcomes as a path to develop people.
- The second part is realizing that everything is energy. Therefore what we want to do is help the organization utilize and maximize the energy directed to producing the value we want to produce for customers.
- There are 3 fields of energy that we create through – activity, relationship and context.
- If people are in sync, harmonious and complementary, you get more energy flowing than in a situation where there’s tension.
- There is a being-ness that we have individually – there’s a field of energy and it is contagious energy.
- Who we are being as an organization affects the quality of relationships, effectiveness of activity, and so forth.
- Most people don’t get the sense of energy in context and how that energy has a creative force.
- We create behavioral strategies to make us successful in life – we’re creating our context and they become habits. The habits we create become automatic.
- At some point however those habits may no longer serve us. In other words, the old context doesn’t support our new desired behavior. However because context is almost like a sense of identity, letting go is like a death process.
- Therefore, creating a new context involves a mourning or grieving process, honoring and respecting that which was, a new story about what how you are choosing to be now, and rituals around it to concretize our belief systems.
- “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” - R. Buckminster Fuller
- “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. Forfeit your sense of awe, let your conceit diminish your reverence and the universe becomes a marketplace.”- Abraham Joshua Heschel
Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com
________
📣SUBSCRIBE to the Leaders of Transformation Podcast
👇 CONNECT with Nicole Jansen on Social Media
▶︎ YOUTUBE