Learnchair Radio Leadership Podcast

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews longtime contributor Joe Santana on his new venture to use Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as leadership development tools.  Recent research has shown that while major companies have poured large amounts of funds into leadership development the outcome has been poor in terms of actual leaders developed.  Joe’s solution is to use employee groups that already exist in companies to spot, assess and develop leaders for the company.  An efficient and cheaper way to produce good leaders.  ERGs first came about by employees banding together to promote common interests.  These could be efforts to increase diversity and inclusion or promote new methods of production.  The groups showed they could be productive in achieving specific goals, and now Joe and his colleagues believe they can allow companies to develop leaders from within.  Joe explains how this works and what a company can do set up a leadership development program based on ERGs.  This is something a company shou

Military leadership is a topic we have not explored in depth on LearnChair Radio.  To rectify this, LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews former Army Colonel Christopher Talcott.  Chris was a field artillery officer who joined the Army in peacetime but found himself in combat as times quickly changed.  Chris was deeply engaged in education as a teacher of military issues at West Point, UCLA and Baylor University.  Chris’s comments on the current state of ROTC education are perceptive.  When asked his views on military leadership, Chris responds that the first that comes to mind for him is being purposeful as a leader.  What he terms Be, Know and Do.  Chris adds to this two leadership definitions - the definition of leadership itself and of success. Chris recently began work with an organization called Boot Campaign.  The organization began in 2009 by five Texas women who were concerned with the state of veteran affairs.  Their goals are to ignite patriotism in America and promote life improvement progr

Are you interested in Art and Antiques?  LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews John Hays, Deputy Chairman at Christie’s and a leading expert on American furniture and painting.  John describes how starting as an unpaid assistant at Christie’s seven years later he ran the company’s furniture and decorative arts division.  In the discussion with Bob, John explains how collectors can take risks in collecting unknown artists or concentrate on traditional areas such as American furniture.  He state that such furniture is currently undervalued and pieces of Queen Anne or Chippendale may rise in price in the future.  John notes that in choosing what pieces to collect, it’s all about the details.  Thousands of dollars may separate one piece from another of the same era depending on how elaborate the details involved.  John shares his thoughts on how an auctioneer, of which he is prominent at Christie’s, is like the conductor of an orchestra.  The auctioneer assembles the collection at hand into an event that o

Jim Kouzes is the best selling author of the leadership classic, The Leadership Challenge.  Jim explains how an early inspiration by President Kennedy led him to a career in education and an expertise in leadership development. Now in its 6th edition, the book remains a well researched primer on how leaders lead and why people follow them.  Jim explains that his book remains an essential book on leadership because it is evidence based, Is backed by a wealth of data, is simple and easy to understand and laced with great stories.  Research is an essential element of Jim’s approach to leadership, which led he and his partner, Barry Posner, to develop the Five Practices of Essential Leadership.  Jim lays out these practices as modeling the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable other to act and encourage the heart - recognize others contributions.  The data Jim and Barry collected was done by a tool known as the Leadership Practices Inventory.  Used for over 30 years, the tool is an empirical

Learnchair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews Christian Swain in this interesting and entertaining foray into the history of Rock and Roll.  Chris explains how his interest in both Rock and Roll and history led him to founding the RocknRoll Archaeology Project, a series of programs and podcasts that delves deeply into the history of Rock music.  a labor of love, Chris and his fellow archaeologists explore the roots of Rock following World War II and and discuss the branches that evolved over the years up to the present.  To the question of whether Rock is dead, Chris affirms this and gives the causes from the rise of Windows 95 and Napster to  the gradual demise of the guitar in favor of computer generated music.  Now new genres dominate and Chris and Bob discuss the reasons why.  Chris relates several stories about his own experiences as a rock musician and what it is like to play such historic venues as the Whisky A Go Go.  To the question of what characteristics define a good leader, Chris first mentions vi

Over the course of two years, LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone has heard some great leadership stories from his guests.  Some of them were funny tales about clients if they do leadership development for companies or some were about people who inspired them to be better leaders. This podcast is the first in a series that will compile some of these stories for both your enjoyment and perhaps to inspire you too as well.  Bob leads off with an explanation from TED talks expert Jeremy Donovan about how to structure a good story.  This is followed up by Phil Romano explaining how he made the Fuddruckers restaurant chain a success.  The third story is from leadership development expert Mike Mears who tells about a great leader he worked for, former Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldridge.  If you enjoy the stories please let me know by leaving a comment at www.learnchairradio.com.

Renowned leadership expert and best selling author Chris Cebollero is interviewed by LearnChair Radio’s host Bob Dragone.  Chris’s leadership expertise is based on many years in the emergency medical services field.  Chris describes how he developed his leadership principles through trial and error in assuming leadership positions in the demanding and dangerous EMS field.  He now applies these principles to help organizations and businesses develop good leadership to improve performance and achieve success.  Chris notes that one of the leading failures of companies is not investing in their people.  It takes time and effort to make employees productive team members, and real leaders do this.  Chris is the author of Ultimate Leadership, a book that debuted as Number 1 on the Amazon best seller list.  In it he lists the steps an individual must take to become an effective leader.    He is following this up with a new book to be published in July entitled, Ultimate Success, A Strategy For Achieving Leadership Ex

LearnChair Radio Host Bob Dragone interviews the CEO of the Business Thinking Institute, Ram V. Iyer.  Ram was invited to the podcast because of his innovative approach as to why businesses fail.  As he notes, over 70 percent of businesses fail but not usually for the reasons owners believe.  Ram subjected this issue to one of his annual “hard thinking projects.” and after much time and effort came up with his conclusions.  Most owners think they fail because they lack something - funding, marketing or some other external reason.  Ram discovered that the main reasons for failure are internal.  In a recent article in businessthinking.com Ram lists 9 internal reasons for failure.  For instance, people think that because it is easy to start a business it is easy to obtain success.  Ram also notes that people have what he terms internal thermostats - the level at which they will be satisfied with the money they obtain.  Exceeding this level causes them to lose what they have made.  In such cases, Ram states that

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews best selling author Jason Jennings on his work analyzing great businesses and great leaders. Jason discovered a number of years ago that his main goal is to find the world’s great leaders and great companies. As a result, he is a world renowned author of eight books on business and leadership based on his research of 220,000 companies.  Jason publishes a book at two year intervals.  He interviews 800-1000 executives each year as research for his books.  What is not fully explored in one book often becomes the main topic of his next one. Currently, his research centers on explorations of culture and inclusiveness.  He explains why these are important and what he has discovered so far.  For example, he notes that the more a company looks like its customers the better its financial performance.  Jason states that his biggest discovery is that great leaders do not recognize themselves as such.  Great leaders, rather, are good, solid stewards.  Do we currently have a cr

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews chef and Texas barbecue master Jeffrey Hobbs on an exploration of leadership in the culinary field.  Jeffrey is owner and operator of the Slow Bone restaurant in Dallas which is famous far and wide for its succulent smoked meats and excellent service.  Jeffrey’s approach to the restaurant business goes beyond just serving good food, but centers on hospitality in all its aspects.  Jeffrey describes his beginnings in the food industry and how he got involved in the hotly contested Texas barbecue arena.  For those of you interested in what makes good brisket, sausage and ribs, Jeffrey’s approach to smoking these delicacies will add to your barbecue knowledge.  The conversation goes beyond this, however, and really centers on Jeffrey’s leadership principles and how a good owner serves both his patrons and his staff.  The interview reveals a man who is just as much concerned with doing his business right as he does for serving good food.  Please listen to the interview

Are you interested in art and antiques?  Do you want to know what are the best collections you should visit and who has the best private collections?  What media is being avidly collected these days and who are the artists drawing the most attention?  These questions are answered in this episode as LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews Miller Gaffney.  Miller is an internationally renowned art and antiques appraiser who many of you may know from her two TV shows, Market Warriors on PBS and Art Breakers on Ovation.  Miller explains how she got interested in art and how she developed as both a recognized expert and TV personality.  In this lively discussion Miller talks about what’s happening in art and antique collecting and some of the pitfalls of the profession.  How do you spot a forgery?  What happens to stollen art masterpieces?  This is a very concise and informative master class in art collecting from one of the world’s foremost experts.

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews one of the world’s top leadership development experts, Sylvia Lafair, in this podcast. Sylvia explains how a childhood tragedy led her to become a psychologist and how her work with family structures evolved into her leadership development methods.  Sylvia realized that bosses are like parents, co-workers like siblings, and wages like allowances.  Her program is called Total Leadership Connections.  Her insight was to recognize that people develop patterns that may cause them problems in a work environment.  Her program is a deep dive into patterns as leaders.  Her methodology includes what she terms OUT - observing patterns, understanding where they come from and transforming them into new patterns for leadership success.  She also uses what she calls a SANKOSA map, a term that means clearing the past to free the future.  HR.COM has judged Sylvia’s program to be one of the best for seven years running.  Sylvia is the author of Don’t Bring It To Work, a book availa

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews one of the top ten leadership thought leaders, Arthur Carmazzi.  Arthur explains how he got to this ranking by starting with his list of personal failures and how he learned from them.  Rather than perpetuate the behaviors he found in companies he worked for that led to failure, Arthur began to study them.  This became the basis for his leadership methodology he terms Directive Communication Psychology.  As he began to practice his methods, others soon caught on and now Arthur finds himself serving an international clientele from his base in Bali, Indonesia.  Arthur concentrates on cultures that perpetuate failure and how an individual can recognize these behaviors, change them and develop a personal leadership style.  The individual is in control of his or her environment, and with Arthur’s assistance one can learn to be a leader as circumstances demand.  Arthur also talks about his new book, Architects of Extraordinary Team Culture.  a fun and interactive explora

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews Danielle DiMartino Booth, the founder of Money Strong LLC and the former advisor to Richard W. Fisher of the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas.  Danielle is the author of, FED UP, An Insider’s Take on Why the Federal Reserve is Bad for America.    Danielle explains what prompted her to write the book and why she is critical of the Fed’s broken policies.  The interview focuses on Danielle’s views of leadership at the Fed beginning with the Fed’s mishandling of the subprime mortgage crisis a decade ago.  She looks at the role politics plays in the Fed’s policies and the critical role played by the current Fed chairman.  The Fed has been criticized for a lack of diversity, which Danielle explains both in terms of race and gender as well as a lack of diverse backgrounds among Fed leaders.  Danielle looks at the technical challenges the Fed now faces to modernize the organization’s cybersecurity procedures and information management systems.  Her list of important characte

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews one of the nation’s top thinkers on leadership, Mike Mears.  Mike’s leadership expertise is based on practical experience in the military, business and government fields.  A West Point graduate, Mike worked with Jack Welch at GE and was the founder of the CIA Leadership Academy.  Bob and Mike explore why with all the experts involved in leadership development there remains a dearth of truly affective leaders.  They surmise that while principles are taught they are often soon forgotten for institutional and personal reasons.  Mike states his view on the best characteristics of a good leader based on his experience.  Mike is known for his advocacy of “stamping out bad bosses,”  but he prefers to accent positive features of good leadership development.  In this regard, Mike gives his observations on what are the best leadership lessons any one should learn.  Finally, when asked about who comes to mind when he is asked about great leaders, Mike relates his relationship

R. Gaines Baty is the bestselling author of Champion of the Barrio, a book about the legendary Texas football coach, Buryl Baty.  Gaines decided to write a book about his father to honor the coach’s legacy.  In doing so, he learned much about the father who died tragically when Gaines  was only four.  He also learned the leadership lessons his father imparted to his teams of hispanic kids, who he championed and guided.  Gaines interviewed over a hundred people who knew Buryl and who testified to the lasting impact he had on their lives.  Gaines, who runs a recruiting firm is not a professional writer.  Despite this, he wrote a book that remains among the top ten percent on Amazon’s list and is considered by several critics as among the best books on leadership written in recent years.  In the interview Gaines relates how he came to write the book, the struggle to get it published and the leadership lessons he learned in this endeavor.  If you are looking for a readable, inspiring book on leadership, please ob

LearnChair Radio host, Bob Dragone interviews Caroline Avinger, the president of Protocol LLC.  Caroline is an expert in teaching good etiquette and protocol.  She explains why these are necessary skills for a leader to develop, since image and style have such an important impact on how a leader is perceived.  Many people can benefit from perfecting their manners, since being a leader depends so heavily on developing a positive image.  She also explains how developing good protocol skills affects a company’s bottom line and can increase profitability.  Caroline explains her methodology and how her courses are structured to develop the necessary skills.  With a few stories she relates that although many people balk at first when asked to address their manners, she finds them always appreciative they have had the chance to benefit from her skills.  Caroline explains her approach for helping business people adapt to foreign cultures should assignments take them overseas.  She stresses an open mind and a willingn

Does your brain work for you or against you in making sound leadership decisions?  LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone examines this issue with Joe Santana.  This is our second interview with Joe, who is a leading expert, teacher and consultant on bias and diversity in the workplace.  Joe’s current emphasis is on unconscious bias and how the brain works.  His focus is on how we make judgments and how the rules we live by affect our management decisions.  Joe asks how do people make good decisions when 95% of the time decisions are driven by processes we are unaware of?  Being unaware of brain functions can cost a company millions of dollars in lost opportunity costs.  Joe gives examples involving a penchant to hire fast and fire slow, continuing to stick to methods that fail time and again and failing to recognize changes in the business environment.  Joe poses seven tips on how to better use our brains to make good management decisions.  Among these are raising our awareness of how we make decisions, separatin

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone takes a look at leadership in the arts in this interview with up and coming metals artist Calina Shevlin.  Callie is an expert in the art of guilloche, a technique used to engrave the elaborate and delicate patterns found on top end Swiss watches Faberge eggs, and increasingly in fine jewelry.  She is one of only 27 artists in the world who have mastered the machines and methods used to produce the guilloche patterns.  Recently, Callie published a book, Guilloche, A History and Practical Manual by Schiffer Publishers. This is the most comprehensive text on the art of guilloche ever published and will certainly be the defining publication on the topic for years to come.  In the interview Callie explains how she first became interested in guilloche and her search to find a mentor to teach her the techniques.  After a time working for Swiss watch companies she has now established her own business to further the art of guilloche in own creative manner.  Callie’s talent, persevera

LearnChair Radio host Bob Dragone interviews renewable energy expert Doug Faulkner on his views regarding the current state and future of sustainable energy programs and clean water initiatives.  Doug has 30 years experience as a senior federal government sustainability expert who is now active in the private sector.  Doug defines sustainability as improving humankind’s quality of life through efficient use of the earth’s resources.  Doug notes that we are in the early stage of an historic shift in the state of our environment.  He notes that sustainability requires changes at the individual level, in the market place, in trade and takes advantage of developments in science and technology.  Doug comments on the Paris Accord and gives his views on the future of sustainable energy programs under the Trump administration.  When asked for his view on the requirements for a good leader, Doug lists deep knowledge of one’s field, adaptability, good communication, a good listener, emotional intelligence and strength