Lessons from Leaders
Lynne Gilliland
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Top 10 Lessons from Leaders Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Lessons from Leaders episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Lessons from Leaders for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Lessons from Leaders episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Leading Change with Active Resistance
Lessons from Leaders
11/03/23 • 29 min
In this captivating episode, we explore the compelling dynamics of leadership and the empowering concept of active resistance. My distinguished guest, Dr. Dorothy Nyambi, the President and CEO of the Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA), draws from her rich background as a medical doctor and her inspirational leadership journey.
Dr. Nyambi’s take on authentic leadership is a beacon of wisdom, emphasizing the significance of staying true to oneself, aligning actions with beliefs, and eschewing conformity to external expectations. Trust and active listening emerge as pivotal elements in her philosophy, bridging the worlds of community and organizational leadership. Her great words of wisdom:
“When you listen, do you hear, and does that translate? Do you go out and do something different? When you go into a meeting, you have an idea of how things should go, and you talk about your idea. Your focus is only to convince the other of your idea. That is not listening respectfully. Instead, listening respectfully is taking half your idea and half my idea and shifting issues together.”
Dr. Nyambi challenges conventional international development paradigms through a striking metaphor that distinguishes between organizations, likening them to "Toyotas" or "Teslas." This metaphor symbolizes the transformation needed within international NGOs, transitioning from the traditional North American-centric "Toyota" model to the innovative "Tesla" approach. This evolution encompasses profound changes in financial structures, power dynamics, and knowledge-sharing, embodying a sincere commitment to genuine localization.
Throughout this episode, I had the opportunity to hear her insights into the paramount importance of honoring local perspectives, standards, and agency in the realm of development work. Dr. Nyambi champions active resistance as a powerful force for catalyzing positive change, urging us all to challenge the prevailing status quo.
"Resistance," she contends, "is not merely a negative term; it represents an active engagement with issues. Demonstrated resilience is, for instance, a form of resistance and, importantly, a force for good."
Thank you, Dr. Nyambi, for this enlightening conversation.
I invite you to join us as we navigate the intricate facets of leadership, authenticity, and the promising trajectory of non-profit, locally-led development endeavors.
Unveiling A Leadership Journey of Impact and Values
Lessons from Leaders
11/03/23 • 31 min
Meet Art delaCruz, a CEO who's not just about numbers and metrics but believes in connecting with people, fostering trust, and making failure more terrifying than missing a goal. My chat with the Team Rubicon leader was a revelation.
His disruptive leadership style? He modestly acknowledged, ”'I'm flattered you've noticed.”
If you love a good tale, this episode is for you. Imagine a journey to leadership woven with stories of family values, a 22-year career as a Naval officer, and a profound commitment to developing individuals, not just managing roles. Art revealed how he discovered in the military the craft of leading young men and women, understanding they are not just cogs in the system but individuals whose growth and development matter. Art’s leadership core focuses on connecting with people, developing them, retaining them, and fostering trust.
Team Rubicon's mission is about tangible, impactful assistance to those affected by disasters and humanitarian crises. Art envisions Team Rubicon as more than a workplace; it's where you grow and make a positive impact.
What is Art’s leadership philosophy? He explained, “Practice what you preach.”
"Each year, I tell my teams: cut 25% of meetings, trim 25% of attendees, shorten meetings to 45 minutes. This seemingly small change compounds into a 25% reduction in wasted time, a valuable asset you can't purchase, even with unlimited funds. We create space for our people to excel while instilling the power of saying 'no' to wasted time throughout the organization."
As a fighter pilot turned CEO, Art values control where it matters most. His story isn't just about leadership; it's about culture and connection.
His advice to his younger self? “Savor the journey and ponder those unanswered questions for 30 minutes a day.”
Thank you, Art, for this captivating chat. You’re not just a CEO but a disruptor who's redefining the nonprofit CEO game with heart and a mission.
Don't miss this insightful episode!
Lessons from Leaders: Featured Guest Polly Dunford, President and CEO of IntraHealth International
Lessons from Leaders
04/25/22 • 16 min
I am here with Polly Dunford, the President and CEO of IntraHealth International. Polly has been someone we have been trying to get on our podcast for a long time - since she took this role at IntraHealth in March of 2020.
“It was a crazy time to take over an organization. I started on March 16th, the exact day that the world went virtual...”
In this episode, Polly shares what it felt like to meet staff virtually. She shares about her role, not as the CEO, but as the self identified CPO – Chief People Officer - focusing on supporting her team members during a challenging time period.
How does she think about doing everything remotely?
“The virtual workspace has been an opportunity to even the playing field...”
Listen to hear about what an even playing field looks like in her organization and how the virtual workspace led to unexpected relationship building.
What I appreciate so much about Polly and her entry into leadership at IntraHealth it is her flexibility - letting go of her own plan and shifting her focus from big thinking and thought leadership to helping staff find childcare, support for eldercare, and the deeply personal needs outside of the office space.
In addition to leading through the beginning of COVID-19 and the pandemic, Polly talks about leading through the tragic murder of George Floyd and how it rocked her organization to focus even more on equity, inclusivity, and actively participating in social justice efforts.
I can’t begin to write and acknowledge all of the lessons Polly shares with us in under 20 minutes. There is vital information in this episode for leaders and organizations everywhere. Stories to relate to, lessons to learn from, and struggles that have been very real for so many.
Thank you Polly for sitting down with me and for being an admirable leader through and through!
Lessons from Leaders: Featured Guest Gary White, CEO & Co-founder, Water.org & WaterEquity
Lessons from Leaders
04/03/23 • 26 min
I had the opportunity to sit down with Gary White, an inspiring problem-solver and innovator. With three degrees in civil and environmental engineering, Gary tells of his passion for social justice began in his 20s when he became aware of the alarming statistic that 1.5 billion people worldwide lacked access to water and even more lacked access to sanitation. As an engineer with a solution-seeking mindset, he was determined to find answers.
In our conversation about his unique start, Gary shares how his seed of information was found during his early exposure to TED, a key source of inspiration. He felt like a "kid in a candy store," exposed to so many diverse ideas and perspectives that were outside the engineering domain. He continues, "To be able to sit for a few days and hear ideas and concepts from people who are doing nothing like you were doing, and yet all of those ideas could kind of be borrowed or kind of bent in your direction. I think that's where the concept of bending microfinance towards water and sanitation was. Here was this thing that was happening around the world with others, and it was completely divorced from what we were doing with water. Why does that have to be? Let's bring those things together."
Gary shares his experiences and insights on how he drew on this wealth of outside-the-box knowledge, bent it to become relevant to his work, and co-founded Water.org, a groundbreaking organization that helps finance water and sanitation solutions for individuals living in poverty.
Gary's work is a testament to the power of creativity and passion in solving complex social challenges. Quoting Thomas Edison, Gary shares, 'I feel like I've never done a day's work in my life because it's all been fun.'
I am grateful to Gary for sharing his insights and inspiring us to think outside the box when faced with challenges. I invite leaders to listen to this episode and emerge with new determination and fresh ideas.
To connect with: Water.org - https://water.org/
To connect with Gary White on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/waterpartners
Breaking Boundaries: The CREED Chronicles in Development Equity
Lessons from Leaders
03/15/24 • 23 min
This podcast is a game-changer.
Celebrating CREED's 2nd anniversary, I'm joined by Paul Weisenfeld, Executive Vice President at RTI and a key figure in the Coalition for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Development’s (CREED) Board Executive Committee.
Get ready for some real talk!
Paul shares CREED's remarkable journey, from its infancy to shaking up the development sector. Senior leaders like Paul are spearheading change, advocating for racial equity in their organizations. His insights into CREED's triumphs and trials paint a vivid picture of transformation in the development sector.
From his own journey since the '80s to championing authentic leadership and tackling biases head-on, Paul's words hit home when he shared a vivid example of when he became possibly the first black mission director for an agency in a predominantly white environment and realized he was “code-switching” his behavior to fit in. He realized the weight of representation and the importance of authenticity.
"In 2006, I became a Mission Director in Peru for USAID, possibly the first black Mission Director in South America. I navigated the dual worlds of predominantly white professional settings and my predominantly black upbringing. This led to a style of code-switching until recent years when I embraced authentic leadership."
Paul's reflections shed light on CREED's evolution and the collaborative efforts of senior leaders in reshaping racial equity in development.
"In the development sector, authentic leadership means confronting biases head-on and collaborating to drive racial equity."
Fearlessly navigating uncomfortable conversations, Paul urges us to confront systemic issues with courage. His passion for inclusivity is infectious, inspiring us to drive change authentically. By recognizing our role in addressing these issues, he empowers leaders to take action.
As we wrapped up, Paul's stories left me not just informed but energized. Thank you, Paul, for sharing your journey.
Join me in exploring CREED's initiatives and embarking on our journey toward a more equitable future.
Transformational Insights: Evolution from Local to Global
Lessons from Leaders
08/29/23 • 27 min
I'm really excited to share some actionable advice from my recent podcast chat with Sara Nathan, the President & CEO of Amigos de las Américas. We go into the incredible transformation Amigos went through – shifting from being all about US-centric to becoming a locally-led global powerhouse driven by local vibes.
Sara's story kicks off with her days as an Amigos volunteer as a teenager in Latin America, which ignited her passion for community development and leadership. This set the stage for her current global volunteer program leadership role at Amigos.
We had a real heart-to-heart about how Amigos realized they needed to shake things up in a changing world. This lightbulb moment led to Amigos moving from just sending US volunteers to nurturing local leaders, building stronger relationships with local partners, and expanding its reach through local resources and teams. Sara shared that If Amigos had not changed to localization, they would not be relevant today and empowering young people worldwide.
“Right now, 70 young people run programming. Half are from all across Latin America, which is kind of amazing. It's an evolution.”
And as Sara explained, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Embracing change had its own set of challenges. Dealing with remote teams, reimagining programs during the pandemic, and rethinking strategies – it was all part of the wild ride. Sara made it clear that the transformation to being ready to adapt and open to constant evaluation in locally-led development was key. She credits her teams for the success.
“I give credit to our board and the teams that had the courage to envision different ways of doing programming and different ways of reimagining how we could reach our mission and purpose.”
My talk with Sara was like a crash course in continual adaptation, an ongoing need for reassessment and communication within the organization and with external partners in leadership where local partnerships lead to powerful localization.
Thank you, Sara, for sharing your transition to leadership roles and the key events that shaped your passionate leadership perspective.
Get your VIP ticket to explore this fresh approach firsthand and be part of the action. You’re invited to use the link below to join Tom Dente and me on September 15th at 1 pm ET for a locally-led development executive forum. Don't miss out!
Lessons from Leaders: Featured Guest Belmar Franceschi, Director of LaFAM
Lessons from Leaders
04/19/21 • 33 min
This week I have celebrate a first. My first all Spanish episode with the incredible Belmar, Director of an NGO named LaFAM in Venezuela.
Belmar Franceschi is an admirable leader working in difficult circumstances because of the pandemic and the political crisis. People from Venezuela have migrated to different countries. Doctors in hospitals have left and other professionals also. Venezuela has a poor health system.
The main areas they are working is with girls and women in their reproductive age, family planning, and offer birth control pills in their clinics and advocacy. During lockdown, people suffered stress and even family violence, the organization had to advise in how to report this the to authorities.
Quick decisions were made in small groups to support their clients and personnel. They worked in closed doors. As a contingency plan they reserved funds to cancel payroll and projects were suspended as they did not have sufficient funds to make other payments. Patients cancelled small fees for their services and medicines. These funds are used for buying medicines and other office supplies for the clinics.
They are supporting elderly persons as they are alone seeking for medical treatments.
They prioritized decisions even though sometimes they might fail. Meeting in groups so that personnel could talk about their problems or stress with the support of the psychologists working in the organization. For staff well-being they celebrate birthdays, buy small gifts and their food.
A challenge they have is finding well qualified personnel especially in the financial area and also other professionals.
SPANISH SHOW NOTES
Belmar Franceschi
Belmar es el Director de una ONG llamada LaFAM en Venezuela.
Belmar Franceschi es un líder admirable que trabaja en circunstancias difíciles debido a la pandemia y la crisis política. Personas de Venezuela han emigrado a diferentes países. Han salido médicos en hospitales y otros profesionales también. Venezuela tiene un sistema de salud deficiente.
Las áreas principales en las que están trabajando son las niñas y mujeres en edad reproductiva, la planificación familiar y ofrecen píldoras anticonceptivas en sus clínicas y actividades de promoción. Durante el encierro, las personas sufrieron estrés e incluso violencia familiar, la organización tuvo que asesorar sobre cómo denunciar esto a las autoridades.
Crearon sus propias políticas para trabajar en el espacio de trabajo virtual. La violencia contra las mujeres durante la crisis y la denuncia a las autoridades fueron gestionadas a través de llamadas telefónicas por sus psicólogos que trabajaban desde casa. Las píldoras anticonceptivas y otros métodos se distribuyeron a los pacientes de forma gratuita en sus diferentes clínicas. Abrieron servicios para pacientes oncólogos y otros servicios médicos.
Se tomaron decisiones rápidas en pequeños grupos para apoyar a sus clientes y personal. Trabajaron a puertas cerradas. Como plan de contingencia se reservaron fondos para cancelar la nómina y se suspendieron los proyectos por no contar con fondos suficientes para realizar otros pagos. Los pacientes cancelaron pequeñas tarifas por sus servicios y medicamentos. Estos fondos se utilizan para comprar medicamentos y otros suministros de oficina para las clínicas.
Están apoyando a las personas mayores que están solas en busca de tratamientos médicos.
Priorizaron las decisiones aunque a veces pudieran fallar. Reunirse en grupos para que el personal hable de sus problemas o estrés con el apoyo de los psicólogos que trabajan en la organización. Para el bienestar del personal, celebran cumpleaños, compran pequeños obsequios y su comida.
Un desafío que tienen es encontrar personal bien calificado especialmente en el área financiera y también otros profesionales.
Lessons from Leaders: Featured Guest Oussama Mezoui, CEO - Penny Appeal USA
Lessons from Leaders
05/17/21 • 20 min
I recently read an article about how the pandemic “leveled the playing field” for innovation. Small businesses took the opportunity to switch their beer and wine production to hand sanitizer, which grew their margins exponentially, restaurants were able to create space for customer “grocery shopping” experiences, and some have even called the pandemic an accelerant for the pace of social and technological change serving as ‘a great equalizer.’
Shortly after reading this article, I had a sit down with this week’s guest, Oussama Mezoui, the CEO of Penny Appeal USA, who started off our conversation with, “This is a great leveler. We as leaders can’t pretend we have ever been through a pandemic before. There is no tool kit we can google on how to lead through a pandemic.”
It is true, there has been no guidebook, no business blueprint on surviving and thriving in a global pandemic, however, in my experience there has been a new wave of leadership community. Vulnerability has replaced scarcity and conversations like the one I had with Oussama more valuable than gold.
I am grateful for this chat and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. You can expect to learn:
How the pandemic allows you to reflect and test values
The importance of questioning your assumptions
How to grow in your leadership skills
Thank you, Oussama for your time! Part one is now live.
Building Cultures of Belonging: Insights on Leadership and Identity
Lessons from Leaders
10/02/24 • 28 min
I am thrilled to share my latest conversation.
Why? Because Venus Devnani, Executive Vice President of American Jewish World Service, is not just fabulous; she brings an interesting perspective to the NGO table. This conversation is not just worth listening to; her thoughts on honoring different perspectives and making room for multiple truths directly apply to our work in the development sector.
One of the highlights of our conversation is Venus’ viewpoint on how understanding different experiences can develop stronger, more compassionate leaders in building space for true empathy. Adding to her insights, Venus states it perfectly,
"Slowing down and learning vulnerably are key to understanding others' experiences."
A key question I ask guests is, "What key events have shaped your leadership style?" Two of her prime examples fall into buckets relevant to the development sector: identity and belonging.
Venus is a first-generation American. Her parents immigrated from India and Indonesia to the US, leaving behind a life, a country, and a family. Her experiences as a first-generation high school graduate and first-generation college graduate reflect her feeling out of place. Yet these experiences are noted as stepping stones in her identity awareness and leadership style.
"There’s a lot of pressure to be an ambassador for your race or identity. I had to unlearn the expectations imposed on me and relearn who I really was." Venus’ reflection on the weight of identity inspires her to create spaces of belonging in leading others.
"I find it so gratifying now to work with others who also experienced a lack of belonging. As leaders in mission-driven spaces, it's our responsibility to create cultures where every individual feels seen, valued, and included. True belonging isn’t just about fitting in; it’s about embracing the richness of our diverse experiences and using that to build stronger, more inclusive communities."
Thank you, Venus, for sharing your thought-provoking journey of navigating identity, belonging, and justice. Your inspiring words on embracing cultural roots and fostering inclusivity will help NGO leaders deepen their leadership understanding in our diverse world.
Tune in now to hear Venus’ invaluable perspectives.
Catalyzing Impact: NGO Leadership Strategies, Board Engagement, and Mission Allignment
Lessons from Leaders
04/19/24 • 27 min
Have you fallen head over heels with your mission statement?
Get ready to dive into a whirlwind of inspiration from my guest, Michael Thatcher, CEO of Charity Navigator, when he shares that, for him, falling in love with the mission and setting audacious goals are the turbo boosters of motivation and success that foster innovation to drive impactful change within NGOs.
🔸"Falling in love with the mission fuels our passion while setting impossible goals ignites our imagination and determination - both are the driving forces behind unstoppable motivation."
Michael's career is a treasure trove of unique insights, drawing from his experiences at Microsoft and Charity Navigator. His journey underscores the importance of accountability, resilience, and people-centric leadership, making his perspective a valuable asset for any NGO leader.
🔸"At Microsoft, I learned that people are not just a bullet point on a slide - they're our first priority. Supporting our teams through challenges, building psychological safety, and fostering a mission-driven culture are pivotal moments that drive success."
Are you seeking practical strategies for successful change management?
Look no further. Michael's insights, grounded in real-world experiences at Microsoft and Charity Navigator, offer a roadmap you can immediately apply to your current strategic plan. These strategies emphasize collaboration, experimentation, and strategic vision to address complex challenges.
Michael and I also explore the dynamic relationship for CEO-board engagement, trust-building, and effectively leveraging board support. Michael's personal growth and leadership evolution perspective offer a compelling roadmap for NGO leaders driving lasting impact.
🔸"Board engagement is about finding the balance between adding value without overstepping boundaries, fostering meaningful connections, and ensuring mutual enjoyment and contribution."
Take advantage of this timely episode, which is brimming with inspiration and actionable strategies crucial in today's challenging NGO landscape.
Thank you, Michael, for equipping us with the tools to catalyze positive change within the NGO community!
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FAQ
How many episodes does Lessons from Leaders have?
Lessons from Leaders currently has 95 episodes available.
What topics does Lessons from Leaders cover?
The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Podcasts, Business and Careers.
What is the most popular episode on Lessons from Leaders?
The episode title 'Lessons from Leaders: Featured Guest Morgan Lance, CEO at OneSky' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Lessons from Leaders?
The average episode length on Lessons from Leaders is 31 minutes.
How often are episodes of Lessons from Leaders released?
Episodes of Lessons from Leaders are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Lessons from Leaders?
The first episode of Lessons from Leaders was released on Sep 9, 2019.
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