Grow Strong Leaders Podcast

In many organizations, those who supervise individual contributors are often neglected when it comes to development opportunities. Not at WM. Phil Rhodes describes how they are providing a transformative program for all 3,600 of these leaders, which has led to 90%+ retention rate for those who complete the program. You’ll want to take notes to capture all the fantastic strategies Phil shares.

Phil is Head of Learning and Leadership Development at WM, formerly Waste Management, a Fortune 250 company and North America’s largest environmental services company. Phil joined the People Organization at WM in 2021 and led the successful reorganization of WM’s learning organization. This effort supported the design and delivery of more consistent learning and leadership development solutions for the company’s 50,000+ employees.

Phil and his team at WM were just named Bronze Winner of the Learning in Practice Award by Chief Learning Officer for their first-line leaders program.

You’ll discover:

• The “listening tour” Phil conducted before re-designing WM’s learning organization
• How the CEO and the leadership team consider “People First” before making decisions that impact employees
• What WM did to provide a virtual coach to every front-line leader
• How Cohort Learning is used to support learners and ingrain skills
• WM’s generous program for educational assistance

Do you know of a company that’s created 12 powerful mindsets that are used daily by all employees? You do now, because Moderna is that company. And in this powerful interview, the team of April Eldred (VP, Talent Acquisition) and Noah Rabinowitz (VP, Learning & Development) describe with great enthusiasm what the Moderna Mindset looks like in action.

As VP and Global Head of Learning and Development, Noah leads Moderna University, the team responsible for providing world-class learning solutions for all segments of Moderna’s employee population. Noah has almost 25-years of experience in the HR and learning industry.

As VP of Global Talent Acquisition, April has recently been focused on building Moderna’s AI-capabilities in talent acquisition. She has spent more than 20 years creating recruitment teams that are passionate about building diverse talent pipelines and ‘making the match’ in a differentiated way.

You’ll discover:

• Moderna’s mission statement and the unique culture that’s been created from it
• A sampling of the 12 Moderna Mindsets and how they’re applied in everyday work situations
• How April and Noah are using AI in talent acquisition and talent development
• Why Moderna University is set up to serve those both internal and external to Moderna
• The kind of data they’re using in their HR decision-making

What does it take to create leadership training programs that result in real behavior change? Billy Martin has the answer because he’s done this successfully with sales leaders in two global companies—Salesforce and Dassault Systems. He describes all the elements built into their process, including teaching leaders how to ask powerful questions that draw out the native genius of their team members.

Billy is Senior Director of Strategic Programs and Leadership at Medidata Solutions, a Dassault Systems Company. He’s passionate about leading teams of professionals that create programs for onboarding new sales leaders and B2B sales reps around the world. His team builds and delivers various leadership business simulations, training programs, guided coaching activities and skill assessments --- all designed to scale globally across the leadership community.

Billy is the co-author of One Thing: Focus on Sales Leadership: Insight from Top Business Executives on What It Takes to Be a Great Leader. He’s also been a basketball referee since 1978.

You’ll discover:

• The FLIPD model and what the acronym means
• How Billy uses simulations to make learning relevant for learners
• The follow-up components that help leaders ingrain skills
• What Billy and his team do to help leaders become effective coaches
• Ways that Bill has grown as a leader over the years

How do you help leaders take on the role of “coach” in addition to their other responsibilities? Arin Bryan is making that happen at Redfin with excellent results. You’ll love her enthusiasm for what she’s doing and the outstanding results they’re experiencing!

Arin is the Senior Director for Learning and Organizational Development with Redfin, and prior to that, she led Learning and Development teams in the travel tech industry for Expedia and Vrbo. With 12 years of experience leading learning and development teams, Arin is an industry expert in talent development. She is passionate about creating innovative learning and career experiences, cultivating learning cultures, and driving behavior and skill growth. She is a Certified Professional Coach specializing in career, executive, and life coaching.

You’ll discover:

• How Arin got “hooked” on coaching as a key skill for managers
• The research and analysis she did to design the most effective training programs
• Different ways employees said they wanted “coaching” without using that word
• Why Arin—and Redfin’s CEO, Glenn Kelman—says it all starts with love
• How effective coaching impacts attraction and retention of talent

Are you committed to achieving what you want in life #NoMatterWhat? Sterling Hawkins is on a mission to help more people do just that. In his interview, we talk about the five practices you can adopt to get results regardless of the circumstances you may be facing.

Sterling serves as CEO and founder of the Sterling Hawkins Group, a research, training, and development company focused on unlocking human and organizational potential. He has been seen in publications like Inc., Fast Company, The New York Times and Forbes and recently released the best-selling book Hunting Discomfort: How to Get Breakthrough Results in Life and Business No Matter What. I highly recommend you pick up a copy ASAP, then study and apply the 5 practices.

You’ll discover:

• Why Sterling recommends hunting for discomfort instead of avoiding it
• The 5 practices from his book that empower you to achieve greater success and joy
• The impact of the “Get a Tattoo” practice on your commitment to a desired result
• How “Building a Street Gang” can take your results to the next level
• What Surrender really means when applied to all areas of your life

What does it take to transform learning and development in a big pharmaceutical company? Johann Laville shares the three gaps that existed at Merck and what they’re doing to build a powerful learning culture. You’ll love hearing Johann’s passion and enthusiasm for all aspects of this undertaking...and you’ll gain important insights about what’s possible when everyone from the executive suite on down is committed to making the transformation a reality.

Johann is the Chief Learning Officer in Global Learning & Development at Merck & Co., Inc. where he ensures that learning solutions and innovations are aligned with the company’s mission to save and improve lives. He has more than 20 years of experience leading large global teams with a focus on furthering business transformation as well as defining and launching innovative user experiences.

You’ll discover:

• The 3 gaps Merck is addressing in its “transformation of learning”
• What Johann and his team are doing to build a strong culture of learning
• How Merck is resolving issues around the Journey of Leadership across all departments
• The onboarding process in place for new hires to help them start their learning journey on Day 1
• Key leadership lessons that Johann has learned in his own journey

What thoughts come to mind when you hear the word “networking”? If any of them are negative—or if you wish you could build a stronger network yourself—this episode is for you. My guest Frank Agin is a masterful networker, and he has invested decades in showing others how to do it right. You’ll hear valuable tips around making introductions, the benefits of being a Giver and not a Taker, and what to do at networking events.

Frank is president of AmSpirit Business Connections, which empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives, and professionals to become successful through networking. He hosts the Networking Rx Podcast that’s packed with insights and interviews related to better business relationships. Frank is also the author of several books, including Foundational Networking, which I highly recommend if you’re interested in learning from a true thought leader around the importance of building professional relationships.

You’ll discover:

• What many people get wrong about networking
• The elements of foundational networking
• Why KNOW, LIKE and TRUST are the keys to building strong business relationships
• The infinite power of making introductions
• Steps you can take to become effective at networking events

What do CEO peer advisory groups and high-performing teams in organizations have in common? Leo Bottary has worked closely with both, and he’s identified 5 Factors that are essential to their ultimate success. You’ll enjoy learning from his expertise combined with his passion to have a positive impact!

Leo is the founder and managing partner of Peernovation, LLC. He’s a sought-after thought leader, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator on leadership and maximizing the power of peers in the workplace. Leo is the author of three books, and we focused on his latest one, PEERNOVATION: What Peer Advisory Groups Can Teach Us about Building High-Performing Teams, in this conversation.

You’ll discover:

• Why CEO peer advisory groups are so effective
• How the principles from those groups apply to teams in today’s organizations
• What’s behind Leo’s saying, “The Power of WE begins with ME”
• How the 5 Factors work together to create the right results
• The importance of celebrating large and small wins as a team

Have you ever invested in technology, only to find yourself frustrated when trying to learn how to use it? Tom Studdert and his team at ZoomInfo have created a new customer experience that ensures their success. Tom shares lots of nuggets you can apply to the onboarding of new clients and employees.

Tom Studdert is the Vice President of Customer Onboarding & Education at ZoomInfo where he oversees the comprehensive onboarding program with a focus on early adoption of the ZoomInfo suite of products. Before joining ZoomInfo, Tom spent 20 years in Higher Education serving as an Assistant Dean of Student Development at Texas Christian University and a Director of New Student Orientation at the University of Southern California.

You’ll discover:

• The strengths Tom brought from his experiences in higher education to his role at ZoomInfo
• How Tom and his team build scaffolding into all customer education programs
• How Customer Education differs from Customer Training and Customer Service
• What Tom and his team do to provide extraordinary experiences when onboarding new customers
• The values that the CEO models and advocates for everyone in the company

What’s wrong with the term, Human Resources? In this enlightening conversation, Eugene Whitlock explains why he prefers People and Culture. He also describes the valuable work his DEI team has done to put in place an Equity Training Series and an Inclusive Leadership Academy for faculty and staff.

Eugene is Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and the Chief People & Culture Officer at the University of California Berkeley. Eugene leads a 75-person human resources department including talent acquisition, people and organization development, employee and labor relations, total rewards, diversity equity, inclusion and belonging, and human resources information systems. During his time at UC Berkeley, Eugene has emphasized the creation of a workplace where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong.

You’ll discover:

• What Eugene did when he became a leader for the first time
• Why he’s a big believer in feedback
• The reason for changing from Human Resources to People and Culture
• Why Eugene set up a DEI team and the programs now offered to faculty and staff
• Two research projects in the Psychology Department and the Haas School of Business that Eugene is involved with