Dave Ulrich is a titan in the world of HR, a champion for HR to get out of the ‘comp and bens’ ghetto to have a strategic impact. I first met him when we were both speaking at a conference in India. A big crowd, all ready to be lectured for the day by Dave. And the session was electric. Dave found the perfect balance between sharing wisdom, being provocative and being playful with the group. He is a prolific writer, with articles and books on many aspects of HR and leadership, his most recent book is The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By. Dave is a partner and co-founder of The RBL Group and is also a professor of business at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Dave and his wife Wendy have written a lovely piece in Do More Great Work.
In this interview we discuss:
- the art of finding simplicity in complexity – and how that fits with system thinking
- the value of staying in a place of ambiguity rather than rushing to decisions
- the link between energy and engagement
- and why, at the end of the day, you shouldn’t take things too seriously
You can find Dave at on his website.
If you enjoyed this interview, you’ll also enjoy my conversations with:
- Dan Roam, author of ‘The Back of a Napkin’
- Julia Claydon, Head of HR of Nandos UK
- Kevin Cashman, author of ‘Leadership from the Inside Out’
Posted on February 11, 2010
There are very few books I find myself endlessly recommending to others. One of them is Michael Watkin’s The First 90 Days. It does a fabulous job at addressing that real and pressing challenge: How do you flourish in your first days in a new job or role, knowing that those first 90 days will make and break your longer-term success?
Michael’s been both an academic and a practitioner, so he brings both heart and hands into this conversation. We talk about:
- The aHa! moment when it became clear that the challenge of transitions would be Michael’s own ‘Great Work’
- The power of focus, and what number is “too many” for your A-list of priorities
- A simple but powerful tactic to stay ‘on task’ once you’ve defined your priorities
- The danger of the comfort zone – and the role of delegation in making a difference
- What “improv” has to do with success.
You can learn more about Michael’s work on his website.
Posted on February 4, 2010
Krishna De’s tagline is “Bring your brand to life” and she takes this message to individuals and organizations around the world and both on and off line. She comes with dirt under her fingernails from working in organizations. Krishna was the youngest person on the Guinness Board and the first woman, and she has worked in three continents and 30 countries. She really brings a wealth of international expertise, gusto and experience to this conversation about branding and also about great work.
In this interview we talk about:
- Why stability is as important as risk as the foundation for Great Work
- What dealing with the threats from the mafia taught her about Great Work
- How to become CEO of your own career – and what support structures you might up in place to allow that to happen
- How to rail against the threat of a mediocre life
You can follow Krishna on Twitter at @KrishnaDe and on her blog.
Posted on February 4, 2010
If you’ve ever flown with Air Canada – and I’ve spent a little too long sitting in their seats – you’ll have bumped into the work of Cara Operations. They’re a long-standing Canadian company, and as well as running some of Canada’s best known quick service restaurants they provide the catering for Air Canada flights. Anna’s the SVP of People Development there, no small task as her remit covers people working for Cara and as part of a franchise structure, as well as covering six different brands with different cultures.
Anna’s background includes time in the pharmaceutical and the consumer goods sectors, and she comes to this interview with a great deal of experience in the day to day ebb and flow of change and people engagement.
In this interview you’ll find:
- How she managed a process to rebrand an organization – and have people actually engage in the change process
- The importance of ‘micro behaviours’ – and why they’re critical to Great Work
- The power of acting like it’s the future (sounds confusing but makes sense in the interview)
- Five things Anna believes can get in the way of doing more Great Work – and how to tackle some of those challenges
The interviews are all between 25 and 30 minutes long.
You can either download them here as mp3s, or go to iTunes, type in “Great Work Interviews” and you’ll see them all there.
If you enjoyed this interview, you’ll also enjoy:
Posted on November 27, 2009
