Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan

Latest Episodes:

Why You Need To Learn To Speak Up At Work May 13, 2018

Show notes

I constantly hear stories about how people feel they are working for an organization where they feel like they don't have a voice or where they don't feel like they can be themselves. It doesn't have to be this way! We have to learn how to speak up at work.

It is so important for every employee to participate in group conversations, to give feedback to managers, to be honest and to give their opinions and point of view. Not only will it make employees feel heard and appreciated, but it will also help the organization to be the best that it can be.

Many people find it intimidating to speak up at work and to voice their opinions, but the truth is most of the time it will be met with a positive response. Speaking up could bring up issues, challenges or ideas that your managers and coworkers have never considered before. It could spark change or at least start a dialogue.

If for some reason you get a negative response from speaking up, then maybe that isn't the organization for you and you need to think about making a move. Either way, whether you get a positive or negative response, speaking up is in your best interest. The worst thing you can do for yourself, or your organization, is to just stay quiet and let everything just get shaped around you without having a say.

Allstate's CHRO On How The Company Has Evolved, Skills For Employees Of The Future, And Why It Is Good To Be Uncomfortable May 07, 2018

Show notes

Harriet Harty is the CHRO for Allstate Insurance Company Harriet Harty is the CHRO for Allstate Insurance Company. She is responsible for developing their talent strategy and the tools and programs to enable the enterprise to attract, develop and retain engaged and talented employees.

Since joining Allstate in 1995, Harty has held a number of key human resources positions. She was senior vice president, with responsibility for executive, broad-based and sales compensation; benefits; communications; finance; talent and leadership effectiveness; and home office client partnership. Previously, she led the human capital solutions function, which included strategy, employee value proposition, workforce relations, workforce insights, workforce technology and the AskHR call center. Harty began her career in the compensation area, working her way up to leadership of the compensation and executive compensation function.

Allstate was founded in 1931 and is the largest publicly held property and casualty insurer in the US. It serves more than 16 million households. It is a company with 35 billion dollars in revenue with 43000+ employees globally - most in US and about 8000 outside of US.

Differences at Allstate in the last 20 years from her experience?

Innovation – it is part of their everyday "business as usual" now as compared to years ago when it was something considered out of the box thinking
Less 'silo'd' – you can see the power of working across teams.
They have defined their purpose in a more articulate manner.
Added technology – the ability to quickly react is much larger due to technology.
Changes to physical space – they have revamped offices. They wanted space to be more collaborative, instead of high walled cubicles
This change brought down the hierarchy and changed the culture. It made supervisors much more available to employees

Harty has been at Allstate for more than 20 years for 2 main reasons. First, she

has always had the opportunity to grow and develop herself, through different

assignments, a project, etc… And secondly, because of the people. She considers

the people of Allstate her second family.

Some trends Harty is paying attention to at the moment are, the changing workforce (the demographics, how many baby boomers will be retiring) and disruptive technology that will have an impact on jobs. Allstate is beginning to focus on training employees skills that will help them in their job today, but also 5, 10, 15 years in the future.

What skills will leaders need in 2025?

Agile mindset – being able to act quickly and decisively to conquer something
Innovative – someone that can think out of the box, challenge the status quo and take a lot of risks
Versatility– knowing how to motivate your group and team.

To leaders, Harty says, "It's ok to be uncomfortable – there is likely a lot of uncomfortable coming." This is where you can learn and move forward.

Her advice to employees is similar to the advice for leaders– be uncomfortable. Also, take advantage of the training available, talk with your leader about your aspirations, and jump in – rather than be on the side lines.

What you will learn in this episode:

Allstate's HR department structure
Traits of future leaders
Six leadership principles for all employees at Allstate
How Allstate has evolved over the last 20 years
What it's like to work at Allstate and why Harriet has been there 22 years
Skills leaders and employees need for the future

How Do You Drive Change Inside Of An Organization? May 06, 2018

Show notes

When an organization gets to a point where they realize they need to change things up, they typically start by looking at people in leadership and management positions. They feel that the issues in the company can be solved by changing the people at the top. But the truth is, instead of starting with people we should first take a look at the system.

The system that you build is typically more powerful than the people who are within that system. Just bringing in a new manager or a whole new team does not guarantee things will change for the better, in fact things may just get worse. It's not the people that are directly impacting change, it is the system. You have to change the system in order to have change in your organization.

Once you figure out that the system needs to be changed, that is when you need to turn to people. You need bold, visionary people in leadership positions who have the will and the ability to change the core system of the organization for the better. People who are not going to just settle for what the company has done in the past, but who are always striving for something better.

If you want to drive true organizational change inside of your company, you have to start with redesigning, rethinking and rebuilding the system

Chess Master And CEO Gives His Take On The Skills Gap, The Future Of Leadership, Universal Basic Income And Much More Apr 30, 2018

Show notes

Alan Trefler founded Pegasystems and as CEO has built the company into a $750 million provider of customer engagement solutions with 4,000+ employees based in Boston with 30 global offices, growing about 20 percent annually.

Trefler's life's work has been to design a platform for living applications that businesspeople can evolve to manage the constant disruption and change in today's customer-centric economy. Trefler's book, Build for Change, describes a new generation of customers with unprecedented power to make or break brands and changes businesses must embrace to succeed.

Pegasystems (aka Pega) is the leader in cloud software for customer engagement and operational excellence. If you've driven a car, used a credit card, called a company for service, opened an account, flown on a plane, submitted a claim, or performed countless other everyday tasks, chances are you've interacted with Pega. For the past 30 years, their technology – CRM, digital process automation, robotics, AI, and more – has empowered the world's leading companies to achieve breakthrough results.

Trefler's interest in computers originates from collegiate involvement in tournament chess, where he achieved a Master rating and was co-champion of the 1975 World Open Chess Championship.

What is it like to work at Pega?

It's changed over the years as technology has evolved. They have offices in 31 countries around the world. They have created collections of collaboration rooms so they can share with distributed teams. They are guided by their own software, designed to manage various tasks. They focus on being able to do case/work management to make sure people are aligned. They focus on trying to manage work around customer service.

Trefler believes that although there was a time when you would hear 'silicon valley' and think of innovation, today when you think of it, most people would think of 'entitlement'. They've been so successful they have begun to 'read their own press clippings' - which is a very dangerous thing.

When asked to define leadership, Trefler says, leadership is defined by character and leadership by the ability to show a level of reliability. Ultimately, it involves people choosing to follow. We have moved past the era of coercion. The elements include being highly informed and knowledgeable - and being able to describe the sensibility.

What you will learn in this episode:

The connections between chess and business
Thoughts on universal income
Skills of leaders in 2025
Alan's thoughts on the skills gap
What Alan would do differently if he had to create his company from scratch today
Alan's view of Silicon Valley

Everything You Need To Know About People Analytics from Pfizer's Head Of Talent Analytics Apr 23, 2018

Show notes

Arun Chidambaram is the Global Head of Talent Analytics at Pfizer. His main area of focus is building and sustaining analytical capability within HR for large global corporations. Chidambaram has deep experiences in quantitative and visualisation methodologies, advanced analytics and research, experimentation and modelling, building collaborative and strong relationships across matrix organizations, and driving key business strategies and organisational change initiatives through workforce insights. He recently co-authored an article on TLNT titled "The Challenges in building a strong function around People Analytics function".

Chidambaram has a background in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research with 20 years of experience in management, consulting, and human resources in positions of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining Pfizer, he held several leadership positions at Harley Davidson, Merck, and ESPN.

What is the role of leadership in People Analytics (PA)?

Be patient - but efficient
Holistic leadership function, you must understand every aspect of people analytics. "I lead a bunch of very smart people who are in high demand, and then I report to very smart people," says Chidambaram.
You need to keep track with where everyone else is working to make sure you are in the right place, working with the right people
You need to work with many departments - and be able to collaborate effectively with each.

How big are PA teams? Chidambaram says 90% are located in HR. In some organizations, there are 3 people in the team who support specific departments. Then they each go partner with those teams and come back with projects. Once people know about the PA teams, the number of projects increases greatly.

What will be the future of PA? According to Chidambaram, if you are early in your journey, then you have to have some HR background. How decisions are made, experience dealing with confidential information, etc.

Currently Chidambaram reports to the CHR. "Eventually, it will go to its own department and CIO and CHRs will need to be driven by data."

How do you get started? Partner with a business analytics leader, talk about privacy and using data sets. Work on projects, let your team see the benefits and then move into larger roles when the time is right.

What you will learn in this episode:

What people should know about People Analytics
The role of AI in PA
What is the Zone of debate?
How HR and PA work together
What data PA looks at
The 5 stages people in PA use
Hypothetical situations to show how PA can be used in any organization

Work Is Life And Life Is Work Apr 22, 2018

Show notes

We spend a majority of our lives working, therefore work and life are not separated.

What kind of life do you want to have?

In the past there has always been a clear distinction between a person's work and their personal life. A person would leave work at 5pm and drive home and they would push work out of their minds so they could focus on other things.

Nowadays that clear distinction isn't there, the lines are blurring between work and life. We hear people talking about work-life balance and work-life integration. But the truth is, work is life and life is work. We spend a majority of our adult lives working, which means what you do is not just a job, or a career--it's a part of you.

We have to do a better job of blending our work and life together into one instead of splitting them up. If you don't like how an organization is treating you, if you hate the projects you are working on, if you are miserable where you are at, it's time for you to take control and to build the life you want to have. Don't just sit back and think you can wait it out because the pay is decent, your work is your life.

You have to look at it from the perspective that this is not just a business, a career, a job or work. This is you! You have to ask yourself, what kind of life do you want to have and how do you build it for yourself?

Behind The Scenes At Freshbooks: "Blind Dates" With Coworkers, Creating A Secret Competitor, Being The Longest Living Cocktail Party, And Much More Apr 16, 2018

Show notes

Mike McDerment is the founder and CEO of FreshBooks, the world's #1 cloud accounting software for self-employed professionals. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, it was built in 2003 after he accidentally saved over an invoice. McDerment spent 3.5 years growing FreshBooks from his parents' basement. Since then, now with around 300 employees, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing, and collect billions of dollars.

McDerment mentioned that an employee at Freshbooks told him that the culture of the company feels like summer camp and that is something McDerment is thrilled about. Why?

When a child comes home from summer camp, they are mentally and emotionally fit. They have been challenging themselves all week – both physically and mentally. This produces a very high level of self-esteem and excitement. This is what they want employees at Freshbooks to experience each day. They believe it will lead to a sense of personal growth and self-esteem.

The culture of Freshbooks works to be like the 'longest living cocktail party on earth.' Why?

Generally, when you go to a cocktail party you have been invited by someone you like. There you will find some people you know and others you don't. This environment creates a feeling safety and of being welcome.

One of the ways they have worked to create this culture is to set up people on professional blind dates – in groups of 3 or 4. They ask employees if they would like to participate and then they match up employees who normally would not connect with on another on a day to day basis. This is one way to help the company feel smaller no matter how much they grow in size.

One piece of advice McDerment gives to larger organizations is to focus on reinforcing the behaviors you want perpetuated. Make sure to celebrate those things.

What you will learn in this episode:

What it is like to work at Freshbooks
What the movie 'Elf' has in common with the culture at Freshbooks
Why has Freshbooks won awards for 'best place to work'
Why they created a secret competitor company
How to keep your company feeling small no matter the size

Contact:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mcderment-68895a1/

Should We Be Scared Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation Apr 13, 2018

Show notes

There is no question about it, AI and Automation have been at the center of many debates and discussions in the workplace. Many people are asking what the role of AI and Automation will be in the future of work. Will they create more jobs than they replace, or will they replace more jobs than they create.

If you look back at history, you can see that new technology, such as electricity or steam power, has always created more jobs. But today there seems to be a lot of fear surrounding this topic. I think there could be a solution to alleviate this fear.

Unlike times in the past when new technology was introduced, we have something at our fingertips that could be the solution. We have the internet which allows us to have continuous discussions around this topic. We are able to see the impact of AI and Automation around the world at the click of a button. We can read articles, see it on TV, and search for discussions on the internet. We've never had access to all of this in the past when new technologies were introduced to the workplace.

Is the very fact that these conversations are happening at a global level be the actual fix to helping make sure that we don't see this massive job displacement in the future?

Artificial Emotion Intelligence: How It Can Enhance Our Lives, Advances Over The Past Few Decades, And Some Valid Concerns Apr 09, 2018

Show notes

Mary Czerwinski is the Research Manager at the Visualization and Interaction (VIBE) Research Group at Microsoft. She worked in computer-human interaction for Bellcore, the Johnson Space Center, and Compaq, and also held an adjunct position at Rice University while at Compaq. She moved to Microsoft in 1996, as a usability tester in product development.

Czerwinski's research focuses primarily on emotion tracking, information worker task management, and health and wellness for individuals and groups. Her background is in visual attention and multitasking. She holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Her research group of 10 has very diverse talents. One area that they work on is information visualization – how to see patterns in large amounts of data. Another area is to look at tools for programmers as well as making the environment better and more productive for them.

What is an intelligent system? It is a system that uses algorithms to characterize your behavior. It is a software system that can get to know you personally to help you focus and get work done. For example, perhaps there is a piece of software that is making you frustrated. The software developers want to know this so they can work on adjusting and modifying the software based on that feedback.

Another use for the intelligent system can be to create an assistant that is more personal. They are trying to make assistants that will interact in a more human, personal way –ways in which people find more natural.

One example Czerwinski shared is when a person uses Cortana. If the person says, "Hey Cortana!" in a cheerful voice, then Cortana should answer back in a similar happy tone. Or if the person says something to Cortana in a panicked voice, then she should come back in a calming tone.

Czerwinski says, "This takes a lot of data and training but it is not clear to me that humans are not that much better [at understanding emotions]. Humans hide their emotions a lot – especially at work." So it takes long user studies to approach this level of detail.

Czerwinski's advice to listeners is to stop being scared about machine learning and algorithms. Over the next 5 – 10 years we will see some amazing changes in technology that will allow us to get more work done which may encourage some of us to become consumed with working, but she encourages everyone to remember to take time to go for walks and spend time with loved ones.

She also believes we need to manage the technology thoughtfully to make sure we avoid some of the concerning aspects that come with technological advances.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

How and why users' emotions are tracked
What is Artificial Emotion Intelligence?
Real life examples of how Artificial Emotion Intelligence is being used
Some challenges and concerns that come with AEI, AI and VR and how we can avoid them
The future of personal assistants
The current state of AI

Employee Engagement VS Employee Manipulation Apr 07, 2018

Show notes

Employee engagement is at the center of a lot of conversations inside of organizations these days. The problem is, investment in employee engagement has never been higher while the employee engagement scores have never been lower. So what is causing this disconnect?

Most organizations want their employees to be happy while working, however they are going about it the wrong way. Instead of redesigning the core workplace practices around the employees, organizations are keeping their outdated workplace practices while trying to give the employees special perks, thinking that will make them happy.

To truly impact your employee experience you must start by redesigning your core workplace practices. When organizations decide to forgo this step with the employees in mind and they choose to simply throw some perks at the employees, it can feel like employee manipulation. If you want to have engaged employees, start with redesigned core workplace practices.

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