Leading What Matters Most

Hosted by Phil Geldart

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Nov 2024

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About the show

Do you want to unleash the power of your people and your organization? Do you want to learn from the best in the business how to lead with excellence, impact, and purpose? If so, Leading What Matters Most with Phil Geldart is the podcast for you. In each episode, Phil and his guests share their wisdom and experience on how to create a culture that fosters excellence, develop leaders that inspire and influence, and design learning experiences that transform behavior and performance. Whether you need inspiration, guidance, or practical solutions, this podcast will help you lead what matters most in your business. Leading What Matters Most with Phil Geldart is a production of Forbes Books, the publishing authority for the best leaders in business.

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18 recent

November 5, 202444 min

Building a Culture That Thrives: Insights from Bimbo Canada’s Leadership

In this episode of Leading What Matters Most, Phil sits down with Leslee Wills, Vice President of People and Corporate Affairs at Bimbo Canada, to discuss the crucial role of leadership in fostering a supportive and resilient workplace culture. Leslee shares insights from her extensive experience, highlighting how companies can prioritize employee well-being while navigating change and growth. She explores the strategies Bimbo Canada has implemented to strengthen employee engagement, build trust, and create a sense of purpose across all levels of the organization. Phil and Leslee also delve into the importance of empathy in leadership and how leaders can cultivate environments where people feel valued and motivated. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in building a people-centered culture within their organization. Tune in for actionable takeaways that can help leaders make a meaningful impact in their teams and beyond.

September 10, 202445 min

Shaping Your Future: Embracing Innovation with Frederik G. Pferdt

In this episode of Leading What Matters Most, Phil welcomes Frederik Pferdt, former Chief Innovation Evangelist at Google and author of "What's Next Is Now: How To Live Future Ready." Frederik shares his insights on cultivating a future-ready mindset, emphasizing the power of intentional choices in shaping one's destiny. He introduces five key dimensions for living "future ready": optimism, openness, curiosity, experimentation, and empathy, and discusses how leaders can model and encourage innovative thinking in their teams. Frederik also explores the concept of creating a culture of innovation through organizational rituals and the importance of unlocking one's unique "Dimension X" superpower. Throughout the conversation, he offers practical advice for developing a more adaptable, creative approach to work and life. This episode provides valuable strategies for thriving in an uncertain future, whether you're an executive driving innovation or an individual seeking personal growth.

August 13, 202448 min

The Power of Strategic Storytelling: Leadership Lessons with Kindra Hall

In this episode of Leading What Matters Most, Phil welcomes bestselling author and storytelling expert Kindra Hall. Kindra reveals how leaders can harness the power of storytelling to build trust, convey messages more effectively, and shape organizational culture. She introduces concepts like the "storyteller's triad" and explains why stories are biologically wired to capture audience attention. Kindra offers practical advice for crafting impactful stories, discusses how storytelling needs may differ across leadership levels, and explores how stories can bridge generational divides in the workplace. This insightful conversation provides leaders with actionable strategies to become more compelling communicators through the art of strategic storytelling.

July 9, 202450 min

Leaping Ahead: Bold Leadership in the Age of Disruption with Steve Dennis

In this episode of Leading What Matters Most, Phil speaks with Steve Dennis, author of "Leaders Leap" and a renowned thought leader on business strategy and innovation. They discuss the critical importance of aiming higher and moving faster in today's rapidly changing business environment, exploring why incremental improvements are often insufficient in the face of disruption. Steve shares insights on overcoming ego, ignorance, and fear to drive meaningful change, and provides practical advice on cascading transformational changes throughout an organization. Drawing from his extensive experience in retail and consulting, Steve offers a pragmatic perspective on building a culture of experimentation and agility, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability and seeking outside expertise. Phil and Steve delve into the mindset shifts and concrete actions required for leaders to transform their organizations and thrive amidst disruption.

June 11, 202445 min

Leadership Lessons from a Pioneering Femtech Entrepreneur Tania Boler

In this episode of Leading What Matters Most, Phil speaks with Tania Boler, the founder of Elvie, a pioneering femtech company creating innovative products for women's health. Tania shares the inspirational story of how her personal experiences, including the loss of her mother at a young age and struggles with her own health issues during pregnancy, motivated her to disrupt the tech industry and develop transformative solutions that address long-neglected issues in women's health. Tania provides insight into the challenges of being a first-time founder, such as having to educate investors on the massive need and market potential for femtech products. She also discusses the intentional steps she took to build a passionate, mission-driven company culture focused on empowering women through technology. Additionally, Tania opens up about the importance of work-life balance, the evolution of leadership needs as a company scales, encouraging innovation at all levels, and Elvie's philanthropic efforts to increase access to its groundbreaking health products globally. Overall, it's a candid conversation that showcases Tania's pioneering vision for transforming women's lives through pioneering femtech solutions.

May 21, 202441 min

Unleashing the Potential of Girls Through Tech Education with Tara Chklovski

In this inspiring episode, Phil speaks with Tara Chklovski, CEO and founder of the global tech education nonprofit Technovation. Since 2006, Technovation has welcomed over 130,000 children, parents, and mentors from more than 100 countries to participate in their programs, fostering the next generation of innovators. Tara shares the powerful story behind Technovation's origin and her mission to bring the most powerful technologies, tools, and teaching methods to underserved communities so children can solve problems in their communities. She walks through Technovation's core program, where teams of girls identify community problems, develop tech-based solutions, build prototypes, create business plans, and pitch their startups. You'll hear incredible examples of the innovative apps the girls create to tackle issues like gender inequality, pollution, and quality of life for the elderly. Tara also discusses the research-backed strategies Technovation uses to build girls' self-efficacy and leadership skills. Listen to learn about Tara's philosophy on cultivating a culture of innovation, her approach to engaging partners and mentors across diverse cultures, and how you can get involved as a judge, mentor, or donor. This is an enlightening conversation about empowering the next generation of female tech leaders and innovators.

April 30, 202426 min

Cultivating Inclusive Leadership from 30,000 Feet with Efry Ayala-Johnson (Part Two)

After discussing leadership strategies and talent development, Phil steers the conversation towards the role of organizational culture and the future of technology-driven learning. Efry elaborates on why he believes culture and leadership have an intertwined, inseparable relationship – leaders set the tone for cultures to evolve, while cultures shape how leaders show up. Drawing from his diverse background, Efry shares thoughts on blending high-tech and high-touch learning, the value of shared experiences and relationship building, as well as opportunities to leverage tech for personalized, adaptable development. The discussion is insightful for anyone managing remote teams or digital leadership programs seeking the optimal balance of human connection and scalable solutions.

April 23, 202423 min

Cultivating Inclusive Leadership from 30,000 Feet with Efry Ayala-Johnson (Part One)

This week on Leading What Matters Most, Phil is joined by Efry Ayala-Johnson, Senior Manager of Learning Strategy at United Airlines. With over 20 years of talent development experience, Efry brings a wealth of knowledge in nurturing leaders and designing impactful programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As the head of learning strategy, Efry has dedicated his career to helping people thrive in authenticity by embracing values of self-expression and self-identification. On the show, Phil and Efry will discuss Efry's perspectives on mindful leadership, top strategies for talent development, keys for promoting inclusion, and insights into elevating learning programs. Efry will share stories from his diverse career journey as well as details on the work he is leading today at United Airlines during this exciting time of growth. Listeners are in for an enlightening and inspiring conversation about leading with purpose, unlocking human potential, and creating cultures where both people and organizations can soar to new heights.

April 9, 202425 min

Developing Leaders with Heart: A Conversation with Bob Tweedie (Part Two)

After discussing Bob's career and insights on talent development, Phil shifts the conversation to the future of leadership. Bob provides his vision for the evolving landscape of leadership, highlighting the capabilities like adaptability, empathy, and continuous learning that will be critical. Phil and Bob also dive into the importance of building trust as a leader. Bob shares thoughts on how leaders can cultivate trust through transparency, accountability, and modeling integrity. He emphasizes the need for leaders to humanize their communication, connect authentically with teams, and follow through on commitments. This forward-focused discussion provides listeners with Bob Tweedie's cutting-edge perspective on where leadership is headed and how leaders can build trust and credibility for the future. Tune into this episode of Leading What Matters Most as Bob and Phil have a thought-provoking dialogue on the leader of tomorrow.

April 2, 202429 min

Developing Leaders with Heart: A Conversation with Bob Tweedie (Part One)

In this week’s episode of Leading What Matters Most, Phil is joined by Bob Tweedie, a veteran talent development leader with nearly 20 years of experience and Head of Leadership Development at Morningstar. Bob has also built high-impact leadership programs at Deloitte and across 12 Blackstone portfolio companies. With a passion for developing leaders at all levels, Bob brings innovation, creativity, and a human-centric approach to his work. He has lived and worked across three continents, leading to his fluency in both English and French. Tune in to hear Bob and Phil’s insights on talent development, designing impactful programs, and leading with heart. You’ll come away inspired and equipped to develop leaders around you.