Leading In Business Podcast

Unlike most children who pick up an instrument for “fun”, renowned Jazz Musician Ted Nash first picked up a clarinet at age 12 and decided in that moment that music would be his passion and profession. Fast forward decades later and Ted Nash is a Grammy winner and one of the most well known saxophonist and composers in the Jazz world.

Leadership is at the heart of everything we do -- from how we drive our teams towards success professionally to how we manage our personal responsibilities. Harvard Professor and author of Leading with Dignity, Donna Hicks joins IVY to discuss the fundamentals of becoming a great leader, drawing on her extensive experience working on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, US/Cuba dialogues and dignity restoration projects in Syria and Libya, to name a few.

Senior Program Director of Executive Education at Northwestern University Robert Hughes challenges IVY Members to finish this sentence: As a leader, I am... By understanding who you are and what guides you is just as important as the skill set you need to be a great leader -- from how you deal to failure to who your roles models, it's important to know what has shaped you to be a leader.

Drew Dudley joins our IVY Leadership Masterclass to share his inspirational views on leadership by showcasing the problems with how society has made it taboo to identify ourselves as leaders. He lists the key strategies members can use to lock down their leadership values, celebrate their successes, and learn that being a leader is up to them, not others.

Drawing on her own experience and a life-altering decision to move halfway across the globe, motivational speaker, Kirsty Spraggon, has the ability to help the audience connect with themselves and others in a deeper, and more meaningful way. Her videos have been watched by more than 1.7 million people in 120 countries and she’s been featured in everything from Fox Business, Women’s Health, Forbes, and The Today Show to name a few. She is taking her passionate work directly to the people by organizing a first of its kind event series, Truth Telling for Truth Seekers. Spraggon challenges the traditional approach to leadership by insisting the first step is understanding your own authentic self. To be a great leader is to be a great person and to be a great person you have to first do the deep inner work.

It is the belief of Former Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen that as leadership challenges get more sophisticated, a different set of strategic and interpersonal skills is required of leaders — one that takes inner work-to thrive in a constantly shifting workplace. Based on his work with hundreds of leaders and organizations, Hillen explains how to overcome these challenges, not with more tools, data, or analytics, but by radically changing their mindset, behaviors, and skills to reinvent themselves as a “sophisticated leader.” Presented by Convene.

At our IVY Leadership Masterclass, famed speaker, Sheryl Alonso, discusses learning how to not only become great leaders, but authentic ones as well. Drawing from extensive experience as an Academic Director and Vice President for many years at Mercy Hospital in Miami, Sheryl guides members on their path to professional development as authentic leaders who not only build successful teams, but make a difference while doing so.

The digital world has become integrated in all of our careers and its rapid progression means we not only have to quickly adapt, but also find ways to be on the cutting edge. Founder and CEO of Cheddar Jon Steinberg joins this IVY Ideas Night to discuss how to develop a culture of innovation in your team. Presented by Strayer University's Digital Entrepreneurship MBA with Cheddar.

Clearing your mind, whether it be through mindfulness or a good night’s sleep, is beneficial to every facet of our lives. At this IVY Ideas Night, sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus and Lunya sleepwear founder Ashley Merrill will discuss the secrets of sleep, mindfulness and tips you can use to improve your daily life

From subway cars to taxis. Bikes to scooters and segways. Now, Boosted Boards are in. The future of local transportation is rapidly evolving. Jeff Russakow, the CEO of Boosted, joins this IVY Ideas Night to discuss the future of transportation, the evolution of rideshare programs, regulation within congested cities, ownership versus shared, and Boosted’s role within the future of cities.

As founder of Africa Rising Foundation and the Mandela Project, Ndaba Mandela is carrying on his grandfather Nelson Mandela’s legacy. Ndaba joins this IVY Ideas Night to discuss the lessons he learned growing up with his grandfather and his new book, Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons From My Grandfather, Nelson Mandela.

We're constantly hearing about blockchain and cryptocurrency, but do you know the full potential of each? Managing Director of Swick Capital, Adam Swick, joins this IVY Ideas Night to delve deeper into what blockchain and cryptocurrency are and the future applications of each in the business landscape.

Paul English, co-founder of Kayak, Lola and GetHuman, wants to make an impact, and is putting his knowledge, experience and money where is mouth is. Paul discusses how he turned his business success into charitable endeavors, including MLK Boston, and his mission to create a new memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston.

Moran Cerf, world-renowned neuroscientist joined this IVY Ideas night to discuss the brain science behind business and the decisions surrounding it. By applying methods from neuroscience to understand our psychology, behavior change, emotion, and decision making, Cerf teaches members how we can best use our brain in business.

Spencer Lyon, Community & Strategic Partnerships Director at RealDAX, is on a misson. He wants to improve industries by joining them with the blockchain and cryptocurrency world. He joins this IVY Ideas Night to bring blockchain and cryptocurrency to life as he will shed a light on what they are and what they are not, their evolution, where they are heading, and how to apply them in the business landscape, focusing on the real estate industry.

Al Roker, America’s favorite weatherman, broadcaster, and media executive, took the stage at this IVY Ideas Night to discuss his latest work, Ruthless Tide. The book focuses on the deadliest flood in United States history and the heroes and leadership lessons that emerged from it. Roker also took us on the journey of his career, offering lessons into how to merge and balance passions with careers. This IVY Ideas Night is presented by smartwater®.

High-profile thought leader Priya Parker joins this IVY Ideas Night to shift our focus from the details, such as our table setting and powerpoint slides, to the people at our events if we want to foster meaningful connections. Whether it is a team meeting, conference, birthday party, wedding, or anything in between, Parker shares her innovative approach and guiding principles into lessons that are essential for effecting change, creating lasting connections, and fostering remarkable collaboration. This IVY Ideas Night is presented by smartwater®.

Society tells us we must constantly balance sleep, work, friends, family, fitness, and more. Randi Zuckerberg a founder, executive, mother, media personality, and best selling author, joins our IVY Ideas Night to dispute this idea. In conversation with Juju Chang, Emmy-award winning co-anchor of ABC News' "Nightline,” Zuckerberg uses her latest work, Pick Three: You Can Have It All (Just Not Every Day), to guide members in choosing three areas of life to focus on at once. Instead of a “well-balanced” life, she guides members to strive for a “well-lopsided” life. This IVY Ideas Night is presented by smartwater®.

Apolo Ohno, legendary 8x Olympic medalist, joins this IVY Ideas Night with cryptocurrency pioneer & Tether Co-Founder, Reeve Collins to dive into the world-changing field of blockchain and cryptocurrency. Together, their combined expertise will lead members in understanding the current state of this technology and what we can expect to see in the not-so-far-off future, especially when it comes to how it will impact our world.

Ken Jennings, the longest-running Jeopardy Champion and bestselling author, joins an IVY Ideas Night as he traces the evolution of humor and what it means to be funny now. In this talk Jennings argues that throughout human history, characteristics like strength and education were hallmarks of success, whereas now, using humor gets you a lot further than productivity and innovation. Now that our society expects everything from safety videos to news headlines and presidential campaigns to be funny, Jennings offers members with insights into what we can expect from here.