Innovative Leadership Institute

Every barrier holds a door to move through it. The question is: will it be a one-way or a two-way door? That's one well-proven question driving innovation at Amazon. This framework for assessing risk arose during our interviews with Amazon Music's Ryan Redington and Amazon #Sustainability's Kara H. Hurst. It's some hopeful reading for the holidays in this week's newsletter! https://lnkd.in/eUmDJEd5

Do you like discovering new music -- like the works of Chappell Roan? Then check out our latest podcast. It's a very different look at leadership, starting with the music industry as we chat with Ryan Redington, Amazon Music's GM. Chappell is just one artist who came through their Breakthrough program. Ryan talks about his one- and two-way door framework for decision-making. Then it's on to Kara H. Hurst, who has led Amazon's sustainability team so successfully, over 500 other businesses have signed on to their Climate Pledge. It's some optimistic leadership news for the holiday season. Listen on Podbean at https://lnkd.in/eH_xcecP, on YouTube at https://lnkd.in/eWM4C9E7, or look for "Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future" on your favorite podcast platform.

What can you expect in 2025? Our founder, Maureen Metcalf, MBA, wrote about the leadership trends looming in the new year; you can read her look-ahead and prepare now through Forbes at https://lnkd.in/eY7AkXuP. Hint: Even in the smallest business, you won’t be able to escape our changing geopolitics! Read the article to learn more.

Will you spend the new year reacting…or preparing? Change comes at us fast, and AI is driving it even faster. But you can be ready for it. In partnership with James Madison University, we’re launching a new course next month: “Leadership Innovation in the Age of AI.” It’s an online course you can take wherever you live. In nine sessions spread from January 13th to May 19th, we’ll equip you with the practical skills you need to lead in the age of AI. Critically, it focuses on the fact that people remain the most important part of your team – the tech is there to augment them. You can sign up now, or simply get the details, at https://bit.ly/JMU-leads.

World peace. Peace on Earth. These are common refrains this time of year, yet seem so out of reach they've become metaphors for silly or irrational goals. Why? Mostly because people feel there's nothing we can do about creating peace as individuals. But Mike Hardy and his colleagues at the Centre for Peace and Security spent decades researching it -- and there are solid steps we each can take. We distilled some of them in this week's newsletter. Check them out at https://lnkd.in/evpghThx ...then set yourself some new, quite rational goals for the new year!

There's a trope that conflict is good for profits - it's the subplot of the first "Iron Man" movie, for example. But a leader's role is to heal divides. Whether it's in your small business or an entire nation, peace tends to be best for prosperity. But how do we nurture it? This week's podcast guest, Mike Hardy, is a former diplomat and founding director of Coventry University's Centre for Peace and Security. In this revamped episode of our podcast, he explains the steps every leader – including you – can take to start healing the divisions at home, at work, and in modern societies. Listen in on Podbean at https://lnkd.in/egUawPct, on YouTube at https://lnkd.in/eiMh2URN, or look for “Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future” on your favorite podcast platform. International Leadership Association

Afraid AI is about to take your job? Boston Consulting Group (BCG) turned that fear on its head. They're using #ArtificialIntelligence to ENHANCE their humans...and those people's jobs. BCG's Global People Chair, Alicia Pittman, shares the details in our full interview on Podbean at https://lnkd.in/eZ_bvKF7, on YouTube at https://lnkd.in/eRzft_M9, or search for “Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future” on your favorite podcast platform.

Join us for this course starting next month!

Have you tried reverse mentoring? Even as old-school CEOs mandate outdated policies, there’s a wave of new ways of working. And Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is implementing the best of them, creating leaders who are truly ready for tomorrow with teams that are fully engaged. Alicia Pittman, BCG’s Global People Chair, shares how the company unlocks each employee’s potential…and how that unlocks BCG’s potential in turn. Hear the details in our latest podcast – it’s on Podbean now at https://lnkd.in/eZ_bvKF7, on YouTube at https://lnkd.in/eRzft_M9, or search for “Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future” on your favorite podcast platform.

The best negotiators don't bully or pressure. They redefine success instead. You'll find more surprising guidance and tips to bring your negotiations to a whole new level-- whether it's your child bargaining for a bigger allowance or your competitor betting on a merger -- in this week's newsletter and podcast with guest Greg Moran. https://lnkd.in/g37Y-XvU