Hosted by a Millennial, Gen-Xer, & a Baby Boomer, On Connection takes on topics relating to organizational life, leadership, & how our quality of connection influences our ability to perform & feel personally fulfilled at work. Human connection is still a largely underutilized asset in organizations, & yet we know it is a critical leverage point for achieving results. Improving our connections means honoring & valuing difference, so along with our generational differences we will be seeking out various perspectives on topics related to life at work so we can be smarter & stronger together.
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May 21, 202656 min
Leading Without Authority (Rerun)
Most leaders reach a point in their career where theirresponsibility outpaces their authority, where they're accountable for outcomes they can't simply direct people to produce. Whether you're coordinating across functions, driving a strategic initiative, or leading people who don't report to you, management skills that served you earlier in your career may not be sufficient to drive the impact you’re responsible for. This episode is a repost of a conversation published in 2024 that touches on a challenge increasingly relevant to leaders today. Robin and Emma Rose are joined by Conversant consultant Roger Henderson to explore what effective leadership without direct authority looks like in practice, and why making purpose the boss, rather than the org chart, turns out to be the most effective strategy available to leaders at any level.Learn more about Conversant's Leadership Development offerings here, including our Purposeful Leader program.Find us at www.conversant.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.
April 16, 202654 min
The Strategic Case for Feminine Leadership, with Darcy Winslow
Most organizations were built to reward a very particularstyle of leadership — one that moves fast, projects certainty, and mistakes decisiveness for clarity. And yet what high performing teams actually need looks a lot more like curiosity, psychological safety, and the ability to hold complexity. These are qualities women (and feminine-leaning leaders more broadly) often bring naturally. They're also the ones that organizational systems have historically left undervalued but are now critical to develop in order to keep up with the challenges of the world today.In this episode, guest Darcy Winslow joins Emma Rose and Robin to talk about what it looks like to lead from these qualities and why they’re a strategic asset: leading through influence without relying on authority, using emotion as data rather than a liability, engaging with ambiguity, and finding the value of your strengths (and those of others) inside systems that haven’t historically been designed to celebrate them. Guest Bio: Darcy Winslow spent 23 years at Nike leading large-scale systems change from the inside, holding senior roles including founding the company's Sustainable Business Strategies, Global Director for Research Design and Development, GM/VP of Nike's Global Women's Footwear, Apparel and Equipment division, and Senior Advisor to the Nike Foundation.She went on to co-found the Academy for Systems Change — focused on advancing awareness-based approaches to economic, social, and ecological wellbeing — and founded the Magnolia Moonshot 2030, a collaborative convening women leaders working at the intersection of climate, deep equity, and conscious leadership. She has also served as a Senior Lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management and is a board member for The Carbon Underground, The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, and Regenerative Earth.Learn more about Conversant at https://www.conversant.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn
March 19, 202651 min
The Practice of Purposeful Leadership, with Michele Pilibosian
In this episode of On Connection, we’re joined by Michele Pilibosian, a leader intentionally investing in her development and practicing what it means to let purpose lead. As leadership becomes less about control and more about influence, purpose can become a powerful anchor. In our conversation, Michele reflects on the challenge of balancing her values of empathy and kindness with honesty, addressing tough conversations at “point easy”, and what it means to lead in spaces where you don’t have formal authority. We talk to Michele about her experience working to integrate learning into her day-to-day leadership, and why the most effective leaders remain open, reflective, and perpetually unfinished.About Our GuestMichele is a seasoned lawyer with deep private practice and in-house experience leading legal, operations, regulatory and compliance teams; and more importantly, a demonstrated history of leading highly engaged teams. After graduating from the University of Texas and the University of Houston Law Center, Michele worked in private practice as a litigation partner at a national law firm before becoming general counsel to several energy-industry businesses. For the last six years, Michele has run the business operations of Texas law firm Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP, with three offices, 45 lawyers, and more than 120 other professionals. When not working, Michele is herding literal and figurative cats, including actual cats, dogs, and teenaged daughters. Resources: Find our Leadership Insights for 2026 Report here. Learn more about Conversant's Purposeful Leader program here.
February 19, 20261 hr 3 min
Leading the Multigenerational Workplace
We are all working in multigenerational environments, and for many the differences in preference and perspective generate more friction and misunderstanding than productivity. Most conversations about generations at work turn to using labels, assumptions, and overconfidence about what a given generation "is like." In this episode, we look at generational patterns as context, not conclusions, and investigate where they can help us connect and collaborate across generations and where they fall short. Collaboration gets easier when we stop leading with assumptions and start getting curious about the people we need to work with. We might have more in common that we realize. Show Notes: Generational Profiles document - referenced throughout the episodeThe 10 Laws of High-Performance Collaboration video seriesRead Conversant's Leadership Insights for 2026 ReportAbout Conversant
January 22, 202653 min
Challenges of Leadership in 2026
In 2025, through hundreds of conversations with leaders of all levels across industries and geographies, we saw consistent patterns in the pressures and complexities organizations arefacing. At the close of the year, our consulting staff gathered to share these observations and identify the trends and conditions we believe will shape leadership and organizational performance in 2026. We compiled those themes in our Leadership Insights for 2026 Report, along with the essential leadership priorities we recommend drive focus as organizations look to navigate four primary conditions: Persistant UncertaintyThe Cost of MisalignmentThe Pressure for SpeedRising StressIn this episode, Robin, Mickey, and Emma Rose walk through these four conditions and the strategic implications they have for leaders in 2026. They offer actionable insights and recommendations to help leaders focus on what matters most in a rapidly evolving landscape. You can read our full Leadership Insights for 2026 Report here. Sources Cited: Russell Reynolds Associates – Global LeadershipMonitorPwC – 2025 Global CEO SurveyKorn Ferry – Leadership AlignmentHarvard Business Review – Why Transformation Efforts FailDDI – Global Leadership Forecast 2025Gallup – State of the Global Workplace IBM – CEO Research on Speed, Adaptability & Execution
December 18, 202559 min
The Art of Adjustment (Rerun)
This month, we’re bringing back one of our most listened-to and most referenced episodes of On Connection: The Art of Adjustment. Years after its original release, this conversation continues to resonate because the challenge it names hasn’t gone away. Adjustment, as we explore it here, is a discipline. It's a practice of pausing the action (especially in fast-moving, high-pressure environments) to review what’s happened, get present to what there is to learn, and renew commitments that can drive continuous improvement. When leaders and teams build a regular rhythm of adjustment, they strengthen not only performance, but trust, learning, resilience, and connection. If you’re leading people, priorities, or change, this episode offers a practical way to turn experience into progressEmma Rose is joined by Robin and Mickey to unpack:Why adjustment is common sense, but not common practiceWhen it's most powerful to pause and reflect (hint: not only when things go wrong)A simple 7-step Adjust Protocol you can use with your teamThe Cycle of Value 7-step Adjust ProtocolBooks: The Communication Catalyst and The Vitality Imperative
November 20, 202548 min
Leadership Differentiators in the Age of AI, with Kell Delaney
In this episode of On Connection, we explore what truly sets leaders apart in the age of AI. While generative AI adoption is skyrocketing, technology alone doesn’t guarantee better outcomes. Leadership remains the critical differentiator, and the skills leaders need to be effective today go far beyond technical fluency. Joined by Kell Delaney, Global Partner at Conversant, we dive into the human-centric skills that will define success in an era of rapid disruption: adaptability, empathy, creativity, and resilience. Discover why mastering these capabilities matters more than ever and how leaders can elevate their impact as AI reshapes the future of work.Show Notes: Why Every Leader Must Master Human Skills to Get the Most Out of AI, Harvard Business ImpactThe State of Generative AI Adoption in 2025Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential, McKinsey Report
October 16, 20251 hr 14 min
Can AI ever replace our emotional intelligence? with Peter Mulford
AI is now a standing item at most strategic tables—shapinghow leaders think about markets, talent, and the future of work. But while investment and experimentation are rising fast, most organizations are still in the early chapters of integration. Beneath the strategy, there’s a quieter conversation about fear, trust, and what remains uniquely human. In this episode, we sit down with Peter Mulford, Chief AI Officer at BTS, to debate whether AI can ever truly replace emotional intelligence. Together, we explore how we currently think about AI, the edges of what it can do, and what remains uniquely human (for now). Guest Bio: Peter Mulford is the Chief AI Officer and the Global head of the Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Practice (AI&I) for BTS Inc. In this role he helps clients get real impact by working with teams and organizations to transform their business using innovation, future back thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and digital technology. He has over 30 years of experience working with clients around the world in different industries, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Warner Media, Microsoft, AT&T, Saudi Telecom, Lenovo, Samsung, Telkom South Africa, Merck, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Macys, and others. A sought-out keynote speaker, he has facilitated keynotes at technology and innovation conferences, company offsites, and sales conferences, as well as a private 2-day event with the late Pope Francis and 20 media executives and artists at the Vatican City. Peter joined BTS in 1998 and has worked in its offices in San Francisco, Johannesburg, Tokyo, London and New York. From 2005-2010, he was the Managing Director of BTS’s East Coast region, leading the largest global office for BTS through a period of market turbulence and growth during which it more than tripled in size. Prior to BTS he worked for a start-up firm in Tokyo, Japan. He has extensive experience in Retail, Consumer Goods, Electronics and Telecom, among many other industries. Peter holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School, and a Master’s in international Affairs with a focus on Asia Pacific Studies from Columbia University. He speaks Japanese.
September 24, 20251 hr 2 min
When Vision and Values Actually Work
Too often, vision and values work ends up as lofty statements that don’t translate into daily practice. But when it’s done well, it can transform how teams collaborate, make decisions, and connect to a shared purpose. In this episode of On Connection, we’re joined by Trisha Moslin from The Nature Conservancy’s Gift Planning team, who helped lead an effort to co-create a vision and values that went beyond words on a page. Together, we explore what made their approach successful, how leadership shaped the process, and why the results have endured—strengthening both team culture and their ability to advance TNC’s mission for the long term.Guest Bio: Trisha MoslinTrisha Moslin is the Director of Strategy and Planning in the Gift Planning department at The Nature Conservancy. She ensures strategic alignment and continued focus on priorities, works to improve communication and cross-team integration, advises and supports the department lead and management team, and manages cross-functional projects. She led the collaborative creation of TNC Gift Planning’s Vision and Values and works to ensure they’re integrated into the department’s work. Before joining TNC in 2019, she spent 15 years in international development, including as a Peace Corps volunteer. She holds an MPH in Reproductive Health and Population Studies from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and a BBA magna cum laude in Marketing with an International Business minor from Texas A&M University. She’s traveled to 26 countries and 30 U.S. states, plays a lot of tennis, and is always in the middle of several books.
September 10, 202556 min
Be Present: Safety, Culture, and the Human Side of Wind Energy
In this episode, we’re joined by leaders from Vestas, a globally recognized wind energy solutions provider, to explore the profound impact empowering leaders to simply be present and connected with their teams can have on culture, performance, and safety in high-risk industries.After a rise in safety incidents, they launched the “Be Present” program—an initiative to strengthen relationships between site managers and technicians. The program has led to measurable improvements in safety, trust, and teamreliability, offering insights that leaders across industries can learn from as they look to improve performance and trust in their own organizations. Hear from AnneMarie Graves, Vice President of the Midwest Region, and Gary Lamont, a Vestas Site Manager based in Iowa, as they share how presence—showing up for people as much as priorities—has transformed their teams and operations.Guest BiosAnneMarie Graves AnneMarie Graves is the Vice President, Midwest Region for Vestas, where she leads an operations team of 500 wind turbine technicians operating 10 GW of wind farms in the American heartland. From 2018-2021, AnneMarie lived and worked in Europe, leading 300 Vestas engineers supporting global deployment and operation of 100 GW of Vestas, GE, Gamesa, Nordex and Siemens wind turbine and wind plant technology. As an early proponent of utility scale wind energy in the early 2000s, AnneMarie brings more than 20 years of engineering and management experience in wind energy. Prior to joining Vestas, she led a team at DNV GL specialized in assessing the performance and reliability of over 10 GW of operating wind projects, including predicting wind project production, analyzing and diagnosing performance, and modeling turbine life. AnneMarie started her career in 2003 with GE Wind Energy assessing the suitability of new wind project locations in North America. AnneMarie has presented and chaired sessions at American Cleanpower’s conferences including AWEA WINDPOWER and Operations Maintenance & Safety Conference, Wind Energy Update’s O&M Summits and co-chaired conferences with Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. AnneMarie holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Science and Technology Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.Gary LamontGary Lamont brings over 11 years of experience working with wind turbines at Vestas, where he has contributed to advancing renewable energy technologies and supporting the growth of clean energy initiatives. Beyond his passion for sustainable energy, Gary is a devoted family man and a music enthusiast, finding inspiration in both his work and personal life. This blend of professional dedication and personal passions shapes his unique perspective on life and work.
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