Maureen Metcalf

In an age where most business communication comes through text messages, e-mails, and Zoom meetings, body language all but disappears.  Yet over 70% of human communication is non-verbal.  We need to understand what we are conveying with our digital body language. In this episode, Erica Dhawan joins host Maureen Metcalf to share findings from her newest book – Digital Body Language – which decodes the new signals and cues of effective collaboration and teamwork in a digital-first human workplace.

Business today is more competitive than ever; staying ahead requires you to make tough calls, face hard choices, and work through conflict. But productive conflict is so rare. Why? Because productive conflict requires a different mindset, new skills, and repeatable processes -- none of which come naturally.  Liane Davey joins Maureen to discuss building a productive conflict culture.

How can we change the way conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion are progressing towards productive, inquiring, learning experiences -- and ultimately creating a more just and equitable workplace and society?  How can we understand the effects outside-of-work events have on people of color within work?  Laura Morgan Roberts and Courtney McCluney join the show to share insights from their work, and to encourage leaders to examine and understand racial barriers…and how those barriers can be removed.

Even before Covid-19, employees were reporting record rates of burnout and stress; Gallup studies showed only 15% of people fully engaged at work. Now with workers stuck behind screens, grasping for focus and suffering from the real mental challenges of prolonged social isolation and anxiety over the health of loved ones, organizations are in need of well-being development for their employees. It is essential for today’s workplaces to provide well-being support for employees, just as much as traditional professional development. Supporting the long-term mental health of your team can mean the difference between an engaged, collaborative and productive organization…or one riddled with toxicity and turnover. With 71% of U.S. office workers either curious about or already practicing meditation, now is the time to signal your long-term support for staff’s mental wellness, and bring in the neuroscientifically proven benefits of contemplative practices, such as meditation. Peter Weng and Rich Fernandez join Maureen to discuss mindfulness and employee well-being.

Peter Weng is the founder of the EWS Collective. Peter is focused on supporting individuals and organizations to optimize the balance of well-being and performance. As a corporate executive (Google, Dell) and well-being/mindfulness non-profit leader (HMI, SIYLI) he has implemented systems of well-being and performance in companies, governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations around the world.

Gender inequality around the world has many facets: archaic laws that codify sexism, male control of joint income and household assets, exclusion from governance, trafficking and violence against women, denial of education and adequate health care, and gender segregation in the work force, to name a few. The Gender Equality and Governance Index (GEGI) taps into some of the world’s best datasets to analyze gender discrimination on a global scale, using five critical “pillars”: governance, education, work, entrepreneurship, and violence. The Index covers 158 countries and provides a compelling perspective on the status of gender inequality across the planet. It allows policymakers, the business community and civil society to pinpoint specific areas for improvement and to learn from best international practices. Amanda Ellis and Augusto Lopez-Claros join Maureen to discuss the index results for 2020 and how we as leaders can implement changes for the good of all.

As a society, we face a dramatic loss of trust in each other and in our institutions. This reduction in trust impacts everything from people's inability to come together to solve problems to an escalation in mental illness and suicide. Mary Jo Burchard shares her experiences with struggle and how it impacts your ability to build trust.

Mark Shapiro, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, joins the show to share his approach to effective leadership and discuss how this approach positioned the Toronto Blue Jays to navigate the challenges they faced -- and the solutions they implemented so that the game could go on amidst the COVID pandemic.  He reveals the leadership insights learned in these unusual times. Through this conversation, Mark’s comments and perspective illustrate the best of effective leadership.

Universities and medical schools do a wonderful job preparing their students for medical procedures, but the crucial element to great healthcare that is missed is leadership training.  Neil Grunberg joins the show to share his experiences and how the leadership framework he developed with Maureen can be used to build the leadership skills needed by medical staff to make our healthcare system stronger.

Every entrepreneur dreams of expanding their business from around the corner to around the world. While today those dreams look doubtful, hope can be found from the story of a CEO who managed to do so despite decades of economic downturns, near bankruptcy, and constant change. Robert Rosenberg joins the show today to share insights and lessons learned from his experience taking Dunkin’ Donuts from 100 shops to 6,500 outlets.  These lessons are also captured in his new book, Around the Corner to Around the World: A Dozen Lessons I Learned Running Dunkin Donuts.

Research has shown that diversity at every level of leadership leads to a more successful organization. Helle Bank Jørgensen joins Maureen to discuss the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level of leadership, including the board room.

What is the purpose of business in the 21st century? And what are the values and skills needed by business leaders in this new era of stakeholder value?  Keith Tuffley joins Maureen to discuss these emerging topics and share his experience.

Theory U blends systems thinking, innovation, and leading change from the viewpoint of an evolved human consciousness. Guest Otto Scharmer’s first book on the topic sold over 100,000 copies (versus the average traditional book which sells 3,000 copies in its lifetime). Otto joins Maureen to discuss his latest book: The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications, which meets a crucial need during this point in history in helping us bring necessary changes to our foundational systems from a place of deep consciousness and perspective-taking from all key stakeholders – including the future as a key stakeholder.