Frances Frei

Are you interested in pivoting to #StrategyConsulting post-MBA? Deborah Shea, the associate director of the CDO at the Yale School of Management hosted a wonderful panel last year. Along with her co-panelists - Dorothy Chen, A.J. Roy, and Joseph Calafiore, she discusses several topics that will be of interest to students applying this year, who are interested in consulting. The. panelists discuss the consulting landscape, and provide insights into the industry, about Yale SOM, and a whole variety of other topics that would be useful to you regardless of whether or not you end up matriculating at Yale. Topics include: 1. Role of the CDO at Yale 2. Consulting industry overview 3. Consulting Club at Yale - an overview 4. The panelists' introductions, and their rationale for applying to MBA programs, and for selecting consulting as a career path. Point number (4) will be useful to anyone who will be writing a statement of purpose (#goalsessay) this coming season, as it will provide you with an overview of how different people think about the same exercise. The link to the video will be provided in comments shortly. (It is available on Yale SOM admissions' official youtube channel) #Entrepreneurship #Consulting #Finance #InvestmentBanking #ProductManagement #operations #AugustAcademyAnswers ----- Follow me for #MBA admissions advice. I also post about #MachineLearning, #ArtificialIntelligence, and general #HumanInterest content sometimes. ---- Want to talk about specific #MBA or #GMAT concerns? DM me.

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I have written a article on Medium, where I delve into how managers can adopt a forward-thinking approach towards the future.Inspired by the Kardashev scale, I provide insights on how companies can align their goals to not only achieve growth but also contribute to humanity's progress toward a more advanced civilization. For a deeper exploration of this concept, I invite you to read the full article here:

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Thank you, Journal of Management Studies, for sharing our latest research how organizations can introduce #hybridity (the integration of profit and sustainability values) to address #grandchallenges! University of Geneva Center for Innovation & Partnerships

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The online version of the September-October 2024 issue of the Harvard Business Review is now available. It includes an article by me titled "Moving Beyond ESG." Once again I had the pleasure of working with my good friend Senior Editor Eben Harrell. As I always say, "Everything I send to him comes back better. Much better!" I was also pleased to have the opportunity to work again with articles editor Eileen Roche Ahuja. She did a superb job as well. The "ESG Culture Wars" will persist for some time. However, this is a debate that is becoming a largely fruitless one. People are defining ESG in many different ways, some doing so simply to pursue a political agenda. This includes extremes on both the left and the right. The latter are more vocal since they include many elected officials in red states passing senseless anti-ESG legislation, as well as certain members in the House of Representatives. But when you look beneath the heated rhetoric and political theater, there is an important issue being addressed: What is the role of the corporation in society? Some on the left think companies aren't doing enough to make the world a better place. Some on the right think they are trying to so but with a progressive political agenda that ignores shareholder value creation. Both, wittingly or unwittingly, ignore the fiduciary duty of company board directors. In my piece, I suggest that it will be much more productive to have a bipartisan conversation about what is a "responsible business." For me, this is one that creates value for shareholders over the long term, but takes account of the inevitable negative externalities produced by every company regardless of the industry they are in. That is why laws and regulations are so important. I argue that there are three strategies for ensuring that a company is a responsible business. 1. Be clear about your purpose. 2. Be candid in your sustainability reporting. 3. Be constructive in your shareholder and stakeholder engagements. I will be doing more work here in an effort to develop a bipartisan consensus on the principles of a responsible business so stay tuned for that! https://lnkd.in/e3Mz239V

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Supporting women in #STEM requires more than encouragement; it demands action. Being a true ally means prioritizing change, starting mentorship early, and creating inclusive workplaces that foster belonging. From engaging young girls to providing long-term support in careers, we can bridge the gap and ensure women thrive in STEM fields. #WomensEmpowerment #WomenInSTEM https://lnkd.in/gxK3Pvxh

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Is Diversity Truly an Advantage, or Just a Corporate Buzzword? Leading global teams can feel like navigating a minefield. Different cultures, communication styles, and expectations often create more friction than flow. Frustration is real. Meetings drag on. Misunderstandings multiply. Progress stalls. But what if curiosity could be your bridge?   4 Questions That Break Through Complexity: - "What's one way your background can help us solve this challenge?" - "What am I not seeing from my current perspective?" - "What unexpected insights can we discover together?" - "What's working well elsewhere that could inspire us?"   These aren't just questions. They're your pathway to breakthrough collaboration. Diversity isn't a problem to manage. It's potential waiting to be unlocked.   Want to transform how you lead? Write ‘connect’ in the comments, and let's start the conversation. #GlobalLeadership #Diversity #SystemicTeamCoaching

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#LIFTers Spotlight: Celebrating the Changemakers Elevating Others, Teams, and Organizations I’m thrilled to launch a new weekly series where I’ll highlight leaders who are elevating their teams, others or their organizations and making a lasting impact. These "Lifters" embody what it means to lead with purpose, a learning mindset, human connection, authenticity, and empathy, lifting those around them and transforming the spaces they lead. Here are this week’s #LIFTers: 🌟 Niyoka McCoy, Chief Learning Officer at Stride, Inc., is championing academic equity by creating professional development opportunities for teachers and school leaders. Recently, her organization introduced the Legend Library app, an innovative tool that enhances students' reading comprehension by allowing them to craft personalized stories and images from their own prompts, making learning more engaging and fun. 🌟 Christopher Lind, VP and Chief Learning Officer at ChenMed, is bridging business, technology, and human experience through leadership coaching. Despite an unexpected career transition, he’s launching a digital leadership coaching program that equips leaders with the tools and skills needed to thrive in today’s fast-paced world, all while being a father of 8 kids. 🌟 Jessica Neal, Venture Partner at TCV and former Chief Talent Officer and colleague at Netflix, alongside Patty McCord, continue inspiring others through their TruthWorks podcast, where they explore critical workplace issues and redefine the rules of work. Jessica and Patty are inspiring leaders and organizations to lead with truth and lift people to new heights. These leaders are lifting others, their teams and organizations to new heights. Check them out and support what they do! Let’s pay it forward – Who have you seen lifting the room around you? Tag and celebrate them in the comments below. #LiftTheRoom #LeadershipInAction #TeamCulture #LeadershipSpotlight #Lifters

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Connecting Everything: From Individual Sentience to Organizational Innovation and Sustainability My conversation with brilliant Dr. Alise Cortez on her Podcast - Working on Purpose. Thank you Dr. Cortez for hosting me. It was my honor. “Leaders create systems and processes for sustainability.” — Faisal Hoque “Want to unleash creativity and innovation in your team? Or maybe even across the entire company? One thing you can do is listen and learn from someone who's not only built a few companies but also knows the secrets to finding people who will throw themselves into their work while situating the organization around their lives to bring out their best. One such someone I know who fits this bill is Faisal Hoque, who came back on my Working on Purpose podcast a second time to talk about another of his books, “Everything Connects: Cultivating Mindfulness, Creativity, and Innovation for Long-Term Value”. Faisal is such a wealth of knowledge, and the way he conveys powerful concepts through easy-to-understand language is just dazzling.” — Dr. Alise Cortez FULL EPISODE LINK IS IN THE COMMENT SECTION. 👇 — #innovation #creativity #mindfulness #leadership

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The latest episode of BCG's podcast, "Imagine This," explores the transformative potential of joy as a business strategy. Joy in the workplace isn't just about having fun; it's about creating a positive, inclusive culture where employees feel valued, engaged, and empowered to bring their best selves to work every day. By fostering environments that prioritize joy, organizations can unleash creativity, collaboration, and resilience, ultimately leading to greater customer satisfaction and business growth. #Business #BusinessStrategy #Joy

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Leadership and team effectiveness continues to drive organizations forward. Despite a delayed train from DC to NY and a very short night, I was thrilled to present to INSEAD executive students. I had the pleasure of leading a session on the topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Our discussion highlighted how DEI is impacting businesses today and addressed the criticisms it faces. The cohort's level of engagement and the insightful questions they raised clearly demonstrate why they are successful business leaders. This experience reinforced a key lesson in leadership and team effectiveness: adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges. Even when the circumstances are less than ideal, the ability to engage, inspire, and lead discussions on vital topics is crucial. At work (LiveMore) I am lucky to be able to connect with different leaders and aligning teams on shared goals. By fostering a culture of inclusion and addressing DEI challenges head-on, we create thriving, effective teams. Embracing diverse perspectives drives innovation and growth, which is essential for our continued success. A big thank you to the organizers for putting this session together. #Leadership #TeamEffectiveness #DEI #LiveMore #INSEAD #BusinessLeadership #Resilience #Adaptability

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It was my honor to contribute to two very important publications this year: 1) “Driving Sustainable Innovation: How to do well be doing good”, published by Thinkers50 and the Project Management Institute’s Brightline Initiative. My chapter - “Drive Sustainable Innovation and Transformation by Connecting the Dots” explores how innovation portfolios can calibrate what’s working and what’s not, based on how the market responds to the innovation as well as how smoothly the organization itself is able to devise, introduce, and maintain a particular innovation with agility. 2) “Connectedness: How the Best Leaders Create Authentic Human Connection in a Disconnected World”, published by Thinkers50 and Wiley. In my chapter, “Devotion and Detachment: The Yin-Yang Equilibrium for Transformative Growth”, I explore that the devotion fosters authentic engagement and service to others, while detachment provides the clarity and resilience to sustain those efforts amidst increasing complexities. These books are compilation of insights from renowned global thought leaders, researchers, executives, and subject matter experts, each bringing their unique perspective to the topics. They are both practical guides and human-centric approaches to today’s most important issues: leadership, innovation, and transformation with humanity, business, and technology. Thanks to all my fellow contributors, the editors, Thinkers50, Wiley, PMI, Thinkers50 community, and everyone else involved in these meaningful projects. These are insightful guides for anyone seeking growth in our ever changing world. 📌 For more info, check out the links on the comment section. #leadership #innovation #transformation #connectedness

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🚀 New Upcoming Podcast Episode launching on SEPTEMBER 10th: STAY TUNED. Discovering Your Strengths: Tips for Unlocking Your Individual Superpowers 🚀   Are you ready to uncover your unique strengths and transform them into your superpowers? Join John Kattenhorn and I for our latest episode of Capital & Code, where we dive deep into the world of character strengths!   In this episode, we will be exploring: - What character strengths are and their impact on personal and professional well-being. - Practical advice on using the VIA Strengths framework to identify your top strengths. - How to balance your strengths to avoid overuse or underuse, optimizing your performance. - Real-life examples of strengths in action in the workplace.   Whether you're looking to enhance your career, improve your personal relationships, or simply gain a deeper understanding of yourself, this episode is packed with valuable insights.   Don't miss it! Tune in next week on September 10th to learn how to recognize and cultivate your strengths to their fullest potential.   🎧 Listen, learn, and leverage your strengths for a more fulfilling and productive life.   #coach #nolimits #businesscoach #executivecoch #strengths #Podcast #PersonalDevelopment #CareerGrowth #Leadership #VIAStrengths #CapitalAndCode   Available on Spotify (https://lnkd.in/dkQD6i-5) .

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🚀 On how to define what success could look like for you: A Quick reflection from Yale School of Environment orientation weeks 🌟 📈 This week at Yale School of the Environment, I'm spending a lot of time helping people articulate Potential and 'Toastable Moments' before they happen. ☀️ I have the privilege of teaching a ‘summer orientation module’ (part of “MODs”) at Yale School of the Environment, and it has been an inspiring journey so far. We are covering core concepts of Connected Leadership | Self to System as a new community. I am excited and renewed every year by the huge Potential within every student I meet (and indeed the leaders I meet outside Yale too!).  📋 Their enthusiasm, creativity, and drive remind me of the transformative power of education (peer to peer as well as faculty); and the power of a questioned and confirmed Purpose accompanied by a plan to achieve our goals.  🥂 In these moments of learning and discovery, I find myself thinking about the concept of "toastable moments"—those instances when you can raise a glass to a true moment of progress. Whether it’s a breakthrough idea, a profound insight, or a collaborative achievement, or starting your new journey as a student at YSE, these moments are worth celebrating. As we navigate through these weeks at Yale, I encourage all of us to ask ourselves - what will your toastable moments be in a year's time? Can you write them for each of your Priorities in the past tense like they happened. Now what would it take to move towards them? See the worksheet below that we use in session and is available on the free Coursera course [https://lnkd.in/eTcM-_Uy] #Yale #YaleSchoolofEnvironment #Education #Potential #ToastableMoments #Teaching #MODs #Inspiration

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Another book review in Forbes! 🌟 The incredible Henna Inam, recently wrote about the Financial Times Guide to Mentoring 📘, the book I co-authored with Andy Lopata!🌟 Key Takeaways: 🌐 1️⃣ Lead in Complexity: Navigate disruptions by tapping into a diverse network of mentors. 🌍 2️⃣ Boost Your Career: Mentees often experience faster career progression and higher job satisfaction. 📈 3️⃣ Trusted Partnerships: Build connections that foster belonging and growth in the workplace. 🤝 4️⃣ Overcome Barriers: Learn practical tips to find and approach mentors effectively. 🛠️ 5️⃣ Step-by-Step Plan: Follow the guide in the book to establish impactful mentoring relationships. 📝 6️⃣ Markers of Success: Trust, respect, and open communication are key to a great mentoring relationship. 🔑 Despite these benefits, only 37% of professionals have mentors. Our book offers tools and strategies to change that. 📚 Read the full article and unlock the secrets to effective mentorship: https://lnkd.in/ew8zPnbn Download the first chapter of the book: https://lnkd.in/gTRYnMcS

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Sharing an inspiring McKinsey Talks Talent episode from early this year that revolves around a topic which grew of importance to me along my professional career: empathy. In his interview with the McKinsey team, Jamil Zaki, a research psychologist at Stanford University, explains how empathy is a skill employees can be trained on to increase its strength, for instance by learning simple habits, such as making time to regularly connect with colleagues and team members. I must admit I didn’t always make the best use of this skill. Early in my career, I didn’t envision it actually belonging to the workplace and as a young woman plus foreigner I relied on a pure performance-driven attitude to prove I was worth the role. The Good Samaritan Study referenced by Jamil Zaki explains how urgency and pressure may indeed tone down people’s empathy. Later on, when leading teams, I started relying on it as a strength, but I had to learn how to set boundaries during challenging times. Again, Jamil Zaki points out the importance of “being there for other people in a sustainable way”. The growing relevance of empathy within organisations is not only supporting diversity & inclusion, but also leading to the valorisation of a mindful leadership, where it’s not about “the things we say but the questions we ask and the way that we pay attention”. In leadership roles, mentoring team members becomes a key focus, along with shaping a culture of empathy.  This vision reminds me of the Humanocracy principles outlined by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini in their book, with particular reference to the power of community they found in Nucor and Southwest Airlines. Highly recommended listening to the full episode for insights on the benefits of normalising empathic behavior in the workplace: https://lnkd.in/eSUJ4cVq #leadership #empathy #kindness #culture #humanocracy

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I am very proud and excited to launch Episode 11 of my Architects in Action series. This series interviews thought pioneers, leaders, and everyday people doing great work on the frontline and who are working on living their best authentic life. This month I chatted with Shauna Shapiro PhD, best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness & self-compassion Watch here: https://bit.ly/480wkbV #personaldevelopment #personalgrowth #coaching

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A lot of people struggle to find their lane at work. I know I did. This one question has given me more clarity than any other. “Are you a starter, developer, or finisher?” My friend Kevin Ervin Kelley, AIA asks this question when giving guest talks to my students at EAE Business School. Immediately, lightbulbs go off.  ▶️ Starters are great filling out a blank page with ideas.  ▶️ Developers shine when helping starters develop their ideas.  ▶️ Finishers thrive when packaging up ideas. Though simple, it’s a great question to identify where you can make the biggest impact. I’m an okay starter, but my strength is being an idea developer. I have a knack for catching up to what starters are thinking and helping them to distill, crystallize, and amplify their thoughts before passing them off to a finisher. This is a big reason I write stories and books with people, not for them. I need them to get their initial ideas down before I come in to play. Which are you? A starter? A developer? A finisher? The beauty of this question is it allows you to find your lane while also giving you clarity on your ideal collaboration partners to create a team that is collectively built on individual strengths. Like Kevin once told me — “Innovation is an act of extreme collaboration." The better we are at owning our lane the stronger the finished product will be. *** If you liked this post, follow Kevin Ervin Kelley, AIA. He's one of the good one. #quoteyourconnections

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Tangible action. Lasting Impact.   Celebrate the impact-makers in Canada who drive sustainable and transformational progress for equity-deserving groups. A one-day event that will be full of insights from top equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDI[B]) practitioners who are working tirelessly to make change. With panel discussions exploring top-of-mind topics that drive enduring progress in today’s organizations. Conversation and celebration together… what better way to mark the impact-makers who are shaping Canadian organizations, contributing to the ongoing conversation, and following in their inspiring footsteps? #WomeninLeadership #LeadershipCoaching ACCELLE

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Is the 5th revolution upon us? APUS President Nuno Fernandes believes so. Listen to his perspectives about digital disruption and its role in higher education on this episode of The Everyday Scholar with Dr. Bjorn Mercer: https://ow.ly/VXUv30sEVWJ #APUSinsight #APUSglobal #podcast

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