What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

Latest Episodes:

RELOAD: Getting Back to Lean with Steve Blank Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week, I'm reflecting on a great conversation with Steve Blank, a career entrepreneur and academic.

Steve is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur in eight startups over two decades with four IPOs, and currently, he is an academic teaching at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, and NYU. Steve is also the author of The Four Steps to the Epiphany, which is credited with launching the Lean Startup Movement and the best-selling book The Startup Owner's Manual. Steve has been named to Thinkers50 top management thinkers, and recognized by the Harvard Business Review as one of 12 Masters of Innovation. He is also a senior fellow for Entrepreneurship at Columbia University.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… startups or those who want to be more innovative.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Steve begins our conversation by reminding us what a startup truly is: a temporary organization designed to search for and find a repeatable and scalable business model or repeatable and scalable sales model.

Many times, startups are pressured to act like big companies, and established companies are encouraged to think like a startup. But the two are very different and deserve to be treated as such. Those caught between those two is what Steve calls "the frozen middle."

IF YOU WANT TO BE MORE AGILE IN YOUR COMPANY… step back and start by determining if you are an entrepreneur or an innovator. An innovator is the idea person who needs help with the physical work or with the business process. Whereas an entrepreneur is someone who knows how to make things happen. Steve opines that it is rare to have both skills.

IF YOU'RE AN ENTREPRENEUR… get comfortable with chaos and uncertainty. You have to be tenacious and resilient. Steve declares that if you're an entrepreneur who is succeeding, you're beating all the odds.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… Steve's insight around the frozen middle got me thinking about different mental models, business models, and metrics, and how complacency can leave you stranded in a no man's land of little differentiated value.

Running time: 41:25

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Getting to the Bottom of Burnout with Dr. Neha Sangwan Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I have the honor of welcoming Dr. Neha Sangwan to the show.

Dr. Neha is the CEO and founder of Intuitive Intelligence, is an internal medicine physician, international speaker, and corporate communications expert. Her private practice in corporate consulting addresses the root causes of stress, miscommunication, and interpersonal conflict, often healing chronic conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and burnout. She is the author of Talk RX and Powered By Me.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who has dealt with burnout our overwhelm and leaders who want to learn how to proactively fight against burnout in their teams.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… burnout is a common feeling, sometimes so common that you might not even realize it's happening to you. Many of us are conditioned early on to prioritize external demands and ignore the internal signals that are telling us it's too much. This is exactly what Dr. Neha faced in her role as a physician, but it took the people around her to help her realize that she desperately needed a break. In this episode, Dr. Neha discusses how to recognize the symptoms of burnout and how to treat the root cause.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… it's not just about hitting pause on your daily obligations. Dr. Neha goes deep and looks at the mental, emotional, and social sides of burnout and how to sustainably heal those.

Running Time: 32:05

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Burnout Exercises

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RELOAD: Double-Clicking on Diversity and Inclusion with Dr. Tony Byers Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week, I'm featuring a conversation I had with Dr. Tony Byers a while back. He is best known for leading Global Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at Starbucks where he was responsible for developing and leading the strategic direction for D&I to drive engagement, innovation and business growth. He's an accomplished inclusion and change management specialist with 20 years of demonstrated experience leading change in large, multinational organizations.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… people looking for more information on the power of diversity and inclusion to drive growth in business.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Tony begins our conversation by defining diversity simply as who you are (looks, background, etc). Inclusion, however, is a behavior driving people to be involved, respected, valued, and connected. In short, diversity is a noun and inclusion is a verb. These definitions not only encompass everything I (and my past guests have said all along) but is succinct, simple, and spot-on.

Tony's research found that leaders do not see the full spectrum of diversity, which results in a lack of innovation. There's a small chance — the innovation window — when organizations can positively affect their product growth. This window lives at the top of the S-Curve when a product has peaked. How companies uncover

WHAT I LOVE MOST… the distinction between "D" and "d." Finding diversity goes beyond gender, race, ethnicity, age and other factors we cannot control. However, what we can control is our thinking styles and the ways in which we behave when working with people who are different in some way. I will continue to think about D&I as an all-encompassing term and will continue to talk about how D&I can help companies be better at growth, product development, and innovation.

Running time: 33:10

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RELOAD: What You Don't Know About Innovation with Linda Hill Mar 07, 2024

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Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I want to revisit an insightful conversation about invitation with Dr. Linda Hill.

Dr. Linda Hill is the Wallace Brett Dohm Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the chair of the Leadership Initiative. She is regarded as one of the top experts on leadership and is the co-author of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation and Being the Boss. Dr. Hill is also the co-founder of Paradox Strategies and the co-creator of the Innovation Quotient. She was named by Thinkers50 as one of the top 10 management thinkers in the world in 2013 and received the Thinkers50 Innovation Award in 2015. Her TED Talk, How to Manage Our Collective Creativity, has gotten more than 2 million views.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders and aspiring innovators.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… there is a misconception about leadership and leading innovation. Leadership is communicating a vision and inspiring others to fulfill that vision. Leading innovation is about creating an environment for people to be willing to go down that innovation path with you. The innovation path is paved with a greater purpose to do the hard, emotional, and intellectual work of innovating.

According to Dr. Hill, here are the 3 things we know about innovation:

1. Innovations are not the result of individuals having 'aha' moments but are a result of a diverse collaboration of people.

2. You cannot plan an innovation; it's a messy process of discovery riddled with error.

3. Innovations are a combination of ideas.

If you want to lead and inspire innovation, you must have a culture where people are willing to get their hands dirty but also feel like they are part of the process.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… this episode is a crash course in how to be a leader and lead change when you are trying to drive innovation. Yes, leading change is different from leading innovation - it's about creating an environment to let people co-create with you. Simply, let yourself breathe and give yourself and your team time to try things. Finally, I love Dr. Hill's idea that innovation is a voluntary act…a bottom-up journey and not the other way around.

Running time: 38:42

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A Blueprint for Career Growth with Grace Puma and Christiana Smith Shi Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm really excited about this conversation today with two brilliant women.

The first is Christiana Smith, the former president of Nike's consumer direct division, leading the company's global retail and e-commerce business. Before that, she was a senior partner at McKinsey. Christiana has been named one of the Most Influential Corporate Directors by Women, Inc. She currently leads Lovejoy Advisors, which is focused on digitally transforming consumer and retail businesses.

She's joined by Grace Puma, who is the former executive vice president and COO of PepsiCo, who, before that, held senior positions with United Airlines, Kraft Foods, Motorola, and Gillette. A board member of both Organon & Co and Target, she has been ranked on the "Most Powerful Latina" list by Fortune magazine and recognized as the "Executive of the Year" by Latina Style magazine.

Christiana and Grace are here to talk about their new book, Career Forward, which shows how to prioritize a career path, build professional value, and enjoy a full life both in and out of the workplace.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who wants to expedite their leadership development and glean some lessons from those who have built successful careers.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Christiana and Grace are highly successful women in vastly different ways. However, the advice they have for rising leaders and the things that got them to where they are aren't so different. In their new book, they create a blueprint for those looking to intentionally grow their career path. In this episode, they share some practical advice.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… many leaders live by the mantra "fake it till you make it," and while there's some truth behind it, it's only a positive mindset if, while you're faking it, you're committed to learning how to do it right.

Running Time: 29:42

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Career Forward Website

Book: Career Forward

Making Waves and Driving Transformation with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I have the honor of welcoming Lisa Lutoff-Perlo to the show.

Lisa is the Vice Chairman of External Affairs at Royal Caribbean Group. She's a high-impact leader in the travel and hospitality industry whose vision and strategy not only propelled Celebrity Cruises to achieve transformational financial results but also dramatically increase the number of women in leadership roles throughout the celebrity brand.

Her passion for building extraordinary ships, creating unique experiences, and opening up the world through travel has brought recognition and countless awards to her and Celebrity Cruises.

Lisa joins us to discuss her hot-off-the-presses new book, Making Waves: A Woman's Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart, and Courage.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who wants to hear a first-hand account of how to drive transformation as a leader and foster diversity and inclusion.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… in this episode, Lisa shares her leadership journey at Celebrity Cruises and lessons learned along the way. Lisa joined the company as a door-to-door salesperson and over the course of 30 years, worked her way up to becoming President and CEO of the company.

Lisa reflects on her journey and shares some key lessons:

Most career paths aren't linear
Leadership isn't about personal achievements but about making an impact on people's lives
Institutional knowledge is important, but being open to blending it with new ideas will drive sustainable growth

WHAT I LOVE MOST… Lisa's "mic-drop moment" when on March 8th, 2020 (International Women's Day), a 100% female crew set sail for the first time in history.

It's a testament to how Lisa has championed those around her and used her position at Celebrity Cruises to push the organization and the industry forward.

Running Time: 30:38

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Lisa's Book:

Making Waves: A Woman's Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart, and Courage

RELOAD: Who's on Your Team with Adam Grant Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

Adam Grant is a leading voice on organizational psychology and I know many of you resonate with his ideas, which is why I'm so eager to replay a conversation I had with Adam a while back.

Adam is an expert on finding motivation and meaning and living more generous and creative lives. He's been recognized as one of the world's 10 Most Influential Management Thinkers and Fortune's 40 under 40. He's the author of three New York Times bestsellers: Give and Take, Originals, and Option B. Adam now hosts WorkLife, a TED original podcast after his TED talk got over 12 million views.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… team members and team builders.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Adam's research shows that interpersonal interactions that a difference in our success. At various points in our day, humans operate in three realms:

A giver, or people who ask what can I do for you?
A taker, someone who asks what can you do for me?
Matchers, who follow the law of reciprocity.

Yes, there are grey areas, but people usually fit in one of these categories.

One would think that placing a group of givers on a team would guarantee a culture of givers, but that's not the case. Yet, when you have a team of takers, more harm is done than good. Adam believes it's more important to screen out takers, leaving a good mix of givers and matchers.

Forming teams is more than finding similarities or matching "culture fit." Forming teams is an important skill that finds differences and diversity of thought and identifies the holes in current teams.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… Adam's work around being better teammates and better individuals in our home and work life is inspiring. He forces us to think if we are a giver, a taker, or a matcher. How are we adjusting each day to bring our best selves to our day? This is an important question to ponder and to try to implement in your life.

Running time: 26:42

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Aligning Every Level for Growth with Scott Edinger Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week, I'm joined by Scott Edinger.

Scott is a consultant for leading business growth and is trusted by clients in the Fortune 50 and across the globe. He has worked with CEOs and senior leaders to develop pragmatic strategies and execute approaches to drive top and bottom-line results. He's written three books. His latest, The Growth Leader, is out now and is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. He creates positive change for clients and is recognized as an expert in the intersection of leadership, strategy, and sales.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who wants to learn how to close the gap between the C-Suite and the sales team to create profitable growth.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… sales teams are often divorced from talks about strategy, yet the sales process is where strategy is executed. It's where everything comes to life. In fact, interactions with salespeople drive 25-53% of decisions! In this episode, Scott discusses why it's so critical to not treat sales as an afterthought and how to effectively include it in planning.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… it's the responsibility of a leader to inspire every level of the organization, yes sales, but also product developers, marketers, finance, legal, and customer service teams, to understand the value they bring to the customer.

Running Time: 28:59

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RELOAD: Leaders are Storytellers of Meaning and Purpose with Michael Chavez Feb 01, 2024

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Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I'm bringing back an insightful conversation with Michael Chavez that every leader can benefit from.

Michael is the Global Managing Director of Duke Corporate Education, part of Duke University. He joined Duke in 2006 and held various leadership roles before becoming the CEO in 2016. Before Duke, Michael spent over five years as the founding member of a successful startup and was the Director and Senior Learning Consultant at Coca-Cola Company. Today, Michael's research focuses on how leaders can most effectively shape, institutionalize, and lead from a shared organizational purpose.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders, especially those in the middle of an organization, who want to reconnect with their own sense of purpose to inspire those around them to do the same.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… leadership and purpose play an even larger role than ever within a company looking to drive change. Because of this, a new kind of leader has emerged, the "center manager," or someone at the center of the organization, who is managing up and managing down at the same time. These center managers face tremendous tension from all over the organization that they have to navigate.

Leaders are the storytellers of purpose and meaning. Purpose is what drives people to feel like they're part of something larger and more important than themselves. Michael believes, and I agree, that purpose is the stabilizing factor over initiatives or strategies that are disrupting the workforce faster than people can process the information.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… purpose galvanizes and motivates people to bring their best selves every day. Leaders are the makers of meaning because they are the ones who inspire people to be more engaged, which leads to a much better workplace.

Running Time: 37:25

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How to Work with (Almost) Anyone with Michael Bungay Stanier Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

Today I have the privilege of welcoming Michael Bungay Stanier, otherwise known as MBS, to the show. Despite being virtual friends for a long time, we only recently had the chance to meet in person at the Thinkers50 event, where Michael won a coaching award.

If you've never met, I'm so delighted to introduce you to Michael. He's best known for his book The Coaching Habit, which is the bestselling book on coaching this century and is considered a classic by none other than Seth Godin. His most recent book is How to Work with (Almost) Anyone.

He founded Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that has trained hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like in organizations, from Microsoft to Gucci. His TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than a million people.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who wants to approach professional relationships more actively and intentionally.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… sometimes work relationships have great chemistry - you get along with your manager or team and are excited about working together. Although it's an ideal situation, that's rarely the case. In this episode, Michael shares his strategies for building the best possible relationships with the people you work with.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… taking a step back to learn about how we and the people around us work so that together we can amplify the best of who we are and avoid the worst of who we are.

Running Time: 30:28

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Michael's Book:

How to Work with (Almost) Anyone