I have conversations across markets and geographies throughout the week. On the first of every month, I choose a selection of my conversations for this podcast and this blog.

This month we have a variety of thought leaders who have chosen to formalize their learnings through the publishing world. We are excited to have several of them on the podcast at the very same time their books hit the press.

One of them, Mike Howard, former CSO of Microsoft, spoke with us last year and let us know he was in the process of writing a leadership book. Well, he found a ‘book shepherd’ to help him through the process and we are the benefactors: The Art of Ronin Leadership

Siobhan McHale, an Executive General Manager for People, Culture, and Change for a global company, has written an Insider’s Guide to Cultural Change. Hold onto your seats, Siobahn (pronounced Shiv-awn), is a true practitioner with an impeccable track record. Listen to this podcast and you will understand why.

Another, Paul Moxness, former CSO, just published his book, Spin the Bottle Service, and we are excited to provide you a link to it in this blog. Imagine a security executive talking about the customer experience!!!!!

And Wanda Townsend, a former law enforcement officer who became an industrial organizational psychologist who is passionate in helping people with their purpose, their passion, and their wholeness is now published this month in a leadership compendium called The New Next.

Shawn Galloway, the President of the global consultancy, ProAct Safety, has written 5 books on a variety of subjects including Safety Culture Excellence (WILEY, 2013), Hazardous Materials Management Desk Reference, 3rd Edition (AHMP, 2013), Forecasting Tomorrow: The Future of Safety Excellence (SCE Press, 2015) and his latest books, Inside Strategy: Value Creating from within Your Organization (SCE Press, 2016) and Lean Behavior-Based Safety - BBS for Today's Realities (SCE Press, 2017). He also has been a featured speaker at The Great Conversation.

All the leaders on our playlist see the world differently. And yet, you see a common thread of heart, head, and knowledge that adds to our body of knowledge on how to learn and lead in this world.

I am also excited to see leaders beginning to see the value of security and safety as the genesis of employee trust and engagement. We know engaged cultures practicing psychological safety are innovative and adaptive. This is the mindset we need going forward in this rapidly changing world.

We look forward to your feedback and your suggestions of leaders who want to share their experiences and their ideas. Ideas shape markets. Ideas change the world.

Here are some short descriptions of our playlist that can be found on Apple, Google, Spotify, and PodBean as well as on this website.

The Art of Ronin Leadership

In the 1954 film Seven Samurai a village of farmers hire seven rōnin to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. The ‘Ronin’ were unemployed or ‘masterless’ samurai. But despite their status many took up arms for others using their mastery of the sword.

In today’s business environment, more than ever, we need leaders who serve the village not just the master. We turned to a master-less leader who spent 16 years with Microsoft as the Chief Security Officer after 22 years in the Central Intelligence Agency to find out how we too, might become valiant ronin in the service of others.

Upon the release of this podcast, his book, The Art of Ronin Leadership: Strategy, Execution, Sustained Success, will be available on Amazon.  Amazon.com: The Art of Ronin Leadership : Strategy. Execution. Sustained Success. eBook: Howard, Mike, Howard, Mike : Kindle Store

Mike also is the President of Howard Consulting Services and is a sought-after keynote for corporate and security events.

The Stories and Patterns of Your Culture are Key to Your Success

I can think of two things that get in the way of personal and corporate success: jargon and a lack of understanding of how your business functions. That is, the true story, not the organization chart.

We found a cultural transformation thought leader and global executive, Siobhan McHale who has written an Insider’s Guide to Cultural Change. The operative word is ‘insider’. Siobhan, pronounced Shiv-awn, has been featured as a case study by professors and business book authors. But this is not theory. This is a real-world practitioner of transformative and high performing cultures.

Siobhan takes us through an explanation of the patterns and the stories behind them that hold the secret of transformative change. Afterall, she will tell you, “culture is really about how things function”.

Siobahn is the Executive General Manager of People, Culture, and Change, a global provider of paint, adhesive, garden-care, and other products to the residential home improvement, commercial, and infrastructure markets. The company boasts a solid portfolio of brands, including Dulux (paints), British Paints, Yates, Selleys, and B&D Doors.

She has had a similar role in other companies as well, including with ANZ, a 180-year-old company operating in 33 markets globally with representation in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Pacific, Europe, America, and the Middle East. 

ANZ is among the top 50 banks in the world.

Turning an Idea into a Valuable Company

I think we can all agree that the ‘dreamer’ is often only recognized when the idea becomes a reality. For those who do this; the stay up at night, roll up your sleeves, dirt in the fingernails, part of this; we call them entrepreneurs. Better yet; when the dream, idea, and company become something valuable to others.

Fred Cary, the CEO of IdeaPros, believes that journey requires a mindset and a skillset. He evaluates the first and arms the dreamer for the second.

“My goal is to help build successful businesses that can make a positive difference in their sector. I don't care if you have an idea on the back of a napkin or if you've built a 1,000-employee company. If you need help, inspiration or direction and you are doing something unique and compelling I want to be your partner.”

We sit down with Fred to explore this journey from dreamer to doer to being “legendary”.  

Fred Cary is a senior executive, strategic consultant, attorney, and investment banker. He has focused on building global companies from startup stage through exit by IPO or M&A. As an operational executive (CEO/Chairman) he has built high-growth businesses in finance, enterprise software, mobile technologies, Web services, and digital video, HDTV, broadband and Personalized television, as well as consumer related product companies. He oversees the development and growth of over 250 startups. He has led many mergers and acquisitions both as an executive and as counsel. Mr. Cary received his JD degree from Thomas Jefferson in California, completed post graduate studies at Harvard Law School, and obtained his international MBA with Honors from the University of Liverpool.

IdeaPros is a Super Venture Partner™, guiding entrepreneurs with great ideas through the complexities and pitfalls of the startup world. Set on elevating the success rate of new innovative products and apps, their team leverages their collective experience to create demand among consumers and maximize upside potential for their partners.

Crisis: An Opportunity for Growth

Most technology vendors were faced with a conundrum during the pandemic. They had solutions that would help their clients through the crisis. But reaching them, aligning their value proposition with their sense of urgency, and pivoting the internal culture of their team, would be the measure of their performance.

We were able to sit down with the president of a company in the security market who has been known as a visionary leader with an ability to identify and assess market potential and then align this with the go-to-market engine. This was particularly important during this season of change. We learn how his strategic pivot did just that and has created a platform for continued growth as we move out of the pandemic.

Chris Meiter has been President of Salient Systems since 2009.  Prior to joining Salient, Meiter was Director of Business Development for Honeywell Video where he was responsible for Honeywell’s Key Vertical Markets, international sales management in Europe, Asia and South Africa, and developed Honeywell’s Digital Video sales program.

Salient offers comprehensive video surveillance management systems designed for the full range of surveillance technology needs from analog to IP to Cloud. Based on open architecture, CompleteView, Salient’s Video Management Software, scales from entry level to enterprise and provides everything needed to manage a multi-server, multi-site video surveillance installation from desktop, laptop, and mobile smartphones.

The Customer Experience

How did a Security Executive become nominated and awarded his company’s highest individual honor for leadership? How did he become the #1 Global Influencer in Security among his peers? Perhaps because he learned a lesson from a very simple spin of the bottle that anchored his DNA of always putting the customer, internal or external, first. And to do that you have to understand what creates a unique customer experience, even in Security.

We sit down with Paul Moxness, former VP of Corporate Safety and Security of the Radisson Hotel Group and the current Managing Partner of NorthPoint International, an exciting collaboration of former Chief Security Officers from some of the world’s largest, most well-known, global hotel companies complimented by cyber-crime and resilience experts.

We not only get acquainted with his journey, but we also learn something about his new book, co-authored with his wife Kristen. In the book, the authors share examples from over thirty years of international travel and experience in the hospitality industry. From this, Kirsten and Paul explore key elements of creating personal experiences with people, including:

• Making genuine gratitude a natural and contagious habit

• Respecting upgrades and freebies and handling necessary downgrades.

• Encouraging supportive teams and empowering each employee to provide exceptional experiences.

• Taking a compassionate and proactive approach to safety and crisis management and resolving problems

Digital cannot replace human interaction, and hospitality is all about making memorable moments of personal experience. Spin the Bottle Service is here to show you that making the most of the touchpoints beyond digital can be as easy as a twist of the wrist. You can find the book on their publisher’s page at: http://bit.ly/SpinService

The Bridge to the Business

Razors and blades. Many businesspeople are familiar with the concept. The razor is the key to creating a customer for life through the blades.

However, Jeff Friedman found a way to sell a blade that could lead to a razor.

In this conversation, we find out what drives this CEO. And how he took his company from obscurity to being deployed in 7 of the 10 tallest building in Manhattan and 3 of the largest companies.

After working for several years developing solutions for facility operations and security teams, Jeffrey’s organization, Building Intelligence, introduced a new suite of products that incorporate several requirements for running some of the best buildings in the world.

With a wide variety of industry knowledge, Mr. Friedman is able to apply his unique set of skills to the convergence of security and facility management particularly in how it applies to risk, operations and asset management.

SV3 is his blade and his razor. It is s a cloud-based enterprise platform to manage an organization’s network of visitors, vehicles and vendors requiring temporary entry to your facility.

Knowing the ‘Why’ of Your Performance

What is the most important question in creating a safe and secure organization? And why should you care?

Regulations and risk management concerns can change frequently. A good question might be: How do you fulfill the expectations of your business, your industry, and the law?

Environmental Health & Safety programs address regulatory compliance requirements and non-regulatory risk management concerns. Support elements from your program management or an outside vendor include training, routine inspections, equipment performance evaluations and program compliance audits.

Although Safety is important. It is one of our people’s basic needs along with security. It is the platform by which trust can be engendered and engagement nourished.

So, maybe a better question is: How do your corporate values, culture, and performance management influence your safety profile and how does your safety profile influence your organizational performance?

We turned to Shawn Galloway, the President of the global consultancy, ProAct Safety, and coauthor of several bestselling books on culture and safety. In addition, Shawn has authored over 600 podcasts, 200 articles and 100 videos on the subject of safety excellence in culture and performance and is the host of the highly acclaimed weekly podcast series, Safety Culture Excellence®.

As an internationally recognized safety excellence expert, he has helped hundreds of organizations within every major industry, achieve and sustain excellence in performance and culture. Shawn has personally worked with National Institutes of Health, AMCOL, ARAMARK, MD Anderson, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amway, Wrigley, Herman Miller, Eastman Chemical, Georgia-Pacific, Monsanto, Kiewit, Pepsi, Honda, Ingersoll Rand, International Paper, Rockwell Automation, Timken, Starbucks, Architect of the Capital, United States Armed Forces and over a hundred similar international organizations.

Shawn is also one of the top keynote speakers in the industry and recently received an award and honor by the ASSP Council on Practices & Standards for his significant contributions. He has been a keynote at The Great Conversation forum as well as on this podcast.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_M._Galloway
www.ShawnGalloway.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/safetyculture

Finding Your Voice: The Leadership Journey

Wanda Townsend has a passion for emotional intelligence, industrial-organizational psychology, and neuroscience. She leverages her knowledge and skills as a foundation to help employees at every level reach their fullest potential.

We met her in a WiLD Leaders Friday Conversation, an open forum for leaders from all markets to learn, share, and ideate on best practices in leadership. Wanda is a Leader in Residence and an Executive Fellow with WiLD.

 We later found out she was going to be published as a co-author in a leadership compendium called The New Next.

What we discovered were some lessons that could be immediately applied through Wanda’s deeply empathetic voice and intellect.

The Greatest Investment

Imagine spending your career in a variety of public service roles such as law enforcement officer, member of a SWAT team, and involved with undercover narcotics investigations. 

Then you go to law school.

You become a partner in a law firm serving the law enforcement community.

And then you determine that the mental and emotional experiences had taught you some very important lessons about composure under pressure and mental health. So, you launch the Law Enforcement Legal and Wellness Program (LELWP), a membership-based program designed exclusively for law enforcement and first responders with a unique combination of legal support services, wellness, or self-care tools, and much more.  Through the membership, members can access attorneys for one-on-one consultations for advice on any type of legal issue, job-related or not.  In addition, members have access to virtual calendar of events, including yoga, meditation or mental resilience training, community support, webinars, and a members-only collection of resources; all of which are specifically cultivated to provide comfort, ease, and support for a more balanced and joyful life.

Her name is Bridget Truxillo, a partner in Herrscher and Truxillo and the founder of The Law Enforcement Legal and Wellness Program® We were able to talk to this dynamic and empathetic woman in leadership and discover how she created the means for her community to make the greatest investment…in themselves.

Buildings, Humans, and the Sustainable Organization

We build businesses and buildings in a natural world brimming with lessons in the strength and power of the sum of the parts, otherwise known as an ecosystem. We sought out a practitioner in the built environment who was deeply aware of the form, function, and intent of a building or campus, as well as a student of out times.

Maxinne Leighton, PhD, Assoc. AIA, is Director of Marketing/Communications & Business Development  for JB&B. JB&B has worked with many of the foremost architectural firms, corporate owners, institutions, and real estate developers throughout the world. In over 100 years of practice, JB&B has completed design projects in more than 50 countries and on 6 continents, serving as consulting engineers on some of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century as well as some of the most emblematic of the 21st.

But Maxinne has also provided her insights to the New York Chapter of Women in Security, Director of Communications for the newly formed NYC Chapter of AMFP (Assoc. of Medical Facility Planners), Honorary Council Member of the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, ACEC Awards Committee, the AIA-NY’s Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee, NYC Builds Bio+, and has facilitated numerous panels on climate vulnerable communities.

In 2018, she was recognized with WBC’s “Outstanding Women in the Building Industry” award as well as one of the 2018 New York Power Women.

To Protect is to Enable

When you find a security leader who runs her department with the same innovation and care as the business, you pay attention. We found her in a company strategically positioned to help companies digitally transform work and communication through a frictionless use of cloud, video, audio, chat, and collaborative communication. We learn that “To Protect is to Enable”.

Shelley Benoliel is the Head of Physical Security & Business Resilience at Zoom Communications. She has been an executive security leader in major technology companies and as a Special Agent and Regional Director inside the Bureau of Diplomatic Security

Zoom Video Communications helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Our easy, reliable cloud platform for video, phone, content sharing, and chat runs across mobile devices, desktops, telephones, and room systems. To deliver happiness to our employees and recognize their value,  Zoom employs above-market and progressive compensation programs. At Zoom, we believe this is achieved through analyzing total direct compensation holistically.  We offer all employees equity, allowing them to become owners who are vested in and benefit from the long-term success of the company.  Zoom was founded in 2011 by experienced leaders and engineers from Cisco and WebEx. Every founding engineer has over 10 years of real-time collaboration software experience. Our mission is to develop a people-centric cloud service that transforms the real-time collaboration experience and improves the quality and effectiveness of communications forever.

Changing the Narrative: An Outcomes Based Approach to Risk Management

Although Jason Veiock leads a converged security team responsible for protecting GoDaddy's workforce and workplaces from a full spectrum of threats, he also is a student of business. We had a great conversation last year on workplace standards and his unique approach to people, process, and technology. Outcomes matter and standards should enable that. He leads us on a journey focusing on the North Star of business value.

Jason is a data-driven and risk-informed security executive with a focus on strategy development, enhanced resilience, and business enablement. He has been successful in building and leading teams defending against full-spectrum threats spanning the cyber, physical, and global security realms. He has a proven track record in managing programs, vendors, and budget with on-time execution & delivery. He is also experienced and proficient in both the corporate and government sectors as a seasoned law enforcement, intelligence, and security professional.

As a speaker and a participant in The Great Conversation, on the ground and in the cloud, we have come to know him as an innovator and acute mind for recognizing gaps in the performance of technology and programs.

Getting to “There”: Inside the Mind of a Security Consultant

Jeff Slotnick, President of Setracon, an Enterprise Security Risk Management Services provider, has boots on the ground pedigree and instincts as well as a standards-based process for delivering value to his clients. 

We had a conversation last year that touches on a variety of things that he is seeing evolve in his profession including models for the extended enterprise, useful tools for understanding your return-to-work readiness, and how near we might be to plug and play integration.

Creating a Community of Leaders

John Hartman, the founder, and former leader of CEOtoCEO, wanted to know what was front of mind for CEOs. He was curious as well as motivated. To drive his talent management business, it was important to know the mind of his clients. In 2005, he jumped in with both feet and started a monthly breakfast meeting that provided CEOs a place at the table with their peers along with a keynote of other leaders in the community. It was an immediate success. We sat down with him last year to learn about his journey and what he learned about CEOs along the way.

At the Roundtable with Sage: The Next Wave

The founder of the Path to Value™ methodology  for creating strategic value in businesses within the strategic consultancy called The Sage Group®, Ron Worman has been passionate about how ideas shape markets and change the world for 40 years. This led to The Great Conversation, capturing the voices and the ideas of the marketplace and the world through his podcast and his executive forums.

His podcast rarely features only his voice. This does. The Next Wave is his cathartic release of threat, pain, and hope in the future. ‘Normal’, especially a ‘New Normal’ is not in Ron’s vocabulary as you soon shall see.