Trust — Podcast — 12 Geniuses

The Miraculous Mechanical Intelligence of 2053 with Mike Bechtel

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.

In this episode, Mike Bechtel paints a picture of life in 2053 with a focus on information technology. Mike describes how digital information will stream directly over our eyeballs, why artificial intelligence will be a fundamentally transformative technology – like the wheel or electricity - that we can’t imagine living without, and the reasons that blockchain will be essential for establishing trustworthy information. Mike wraps up the interview by talking about how some of our current behaviors – like our approaches to education and aging – will be looked at in 50 years with a sense of disbelief.

Mike Bechtel is a managing director and the chief futurist with Deloitte Consulting LLP. Mike helps clients develop strategies to thrive in the face of discontinuity and disruption. His team researches the novel and exponential technologies most likely to impact the future of business, and builds relationships with the startups, incumbents, and academic institutions creating them.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Mike led Ringleader Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm he co-founded in 2013. Before Ringleader, he served as CTO of Start Early, a national not-for-profit focused on early childhood education for at-risk youth. Mike began his career in technology R&D at a global professional services firm where his dozen US patents helped result in him being named that firm’s global innovation director. He currently serves as professor of corporate innovation at the University of Notre Dame.

Progress, Not Perfection with Basketball Legend Coach Ray Scott

This interview is so much more than a discussion about leadership. It’s a reflection on the incredible progress that has been made in the United States and the work that still needs to be done. Born in South Philadelphia, former professional basketball player and coach Ray Scott discusses a formative trip he took as a 12-year-old boy to the segregated South in 1950. He talks about the bravery amid intimidation and death threats of the first African American players in the National Basketball Association. He shares what he learned from pioneering leaders he was fortunate to meet and get to know like Muhammad Ali, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Aretha Franklin, and his mentor and coach Earl Lloyd.

Additionally, Coach Scott talks about his role as a leader during his playing and coaching career in professional basketball. Ray discusses the importance of forming habits, being a pioneer, establishing the right mindset in very difficult circumstances. mentorship, determining individual readiness to lead other people, building a self-reliant team, and coaching former players.

In 1961, Ray Scott was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the #4 overall pick in the National Basketball Association Draft. His professional playing career spanned 11 years with the Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, and Virginia Squires. He became an assistant coach and eventually the head coach of the Detroit Pistons during the early 1970s. In 1974, Ray became the first African American Coach of the Year. He went on to become the head men’s basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University and then had a long, successful career in business. Ray is the author of The NBA in Black and White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing NBA Player and Coach.

Leadership and Love with MGySgt Scott Stalker

Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker joins the show again to discuss the topic of leadership. In his first appearance back in 2020, he shared his thoughts on “The Future of War.” This time, he shares what he has learned about leadership during his nearly three decades as a member of the United States Marine Corps.

In this episode, MGySgt Stalker and host Don MacPherson talk about developing culture, the importance of values, giving and receiving feedback, dealing with failure, motivating and inspiring a team, sacrifice for the good of the team, onboarding new leadership, building trust, and leading in battle. They end the conversation with a discussion about mental health and why “Love” can be the most important leadership trait.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Stalker is Command Senior Enlisted Leader of US Space Command in Colorado Springs. For nearly 30 years, he has served in the United States Marine Corps.

Futurist Friday with CAPT Ken Wallace

In this episode, CAPT Ken Wallace joins the show. Based in Hawaii, CAPT Wallace is a third-generation career Naval Officer. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he started his career as a naval flight officer. In 2001, he transferred into the Navy Meteorology and Oceanography community. He is currently on the Pacific Fleet staff as the Force Oceanographer after completing his Major Command tour as Commanding Officer of the Naval Oceanographic Office.

In this interview, CAPT Wallace discusses why he leans on history to make sense of the future. He discusses how he vets the sources he finds valuable and the importance of a close network of peers to his development as a Naval Officer. Additionally, CAPT Wallace discusses the advantages and disadvantages of remote work, tips for quickly building trust while moving into a new leadership position, the importance of innovation and development to support autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and what fills him with a sense of optimism.

Servant Leadership with Ken Blanchard & Randy Conley

In this episode, Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley explain what servant leadership is, the benefits of servant leadership, how effective leaders help employees set and achieve goals, and the foundational importance of creating trust within an organization. They also discuss the importance of recognition, how vulnerable leaders are able to more quickly and effectively build trust, and how exceptional organizations have clear missions, visions, and values that are known by all employees.

Revisiting the Way We Trust with Álvaro Marquez

In Season Three of 12 Geniuses, trust expert Álvaro Marquez joined the show. At the time, he and Don discussed the future of trust and how a disruptive global event could alter society’s concept of trust. Little did they know at the time how much trust would be compromised over the next 18 months as the Covid-19 pandemic spread throughout the world. This week, Álvaro and Don MacPherson reconvene to discuss the different approaches countries took to handle the pandemic, how those responses affected the public’s conceptualization of trust and what those societies may look like going forward. They also discuss autonomous cars and cryptocurrency with regard to trust.

Revisiting Cybersecurity Trends with Max Heinemeyer

It’s been two years since cybersecurity expert Max Heinemeyer first joined the show to discuss trends in cybersecurity. In this update, Don and Max discuss the people and organizations behind the hacks that have recently devastated companies, our infrastructure and governments. They also discuss current cyberthreats and vulnerabilities, and how joint efforts between government and the private sector can help protect citizens all over the world against cybercrime.

The Future of Policing with Jim Burch

In this episode, Don MacPherson is joined by the President of the National Police Foundation, Jim Burch. They discuss the research the National Police Foundation has collected on policing technology, training, and community building as well as the importance of procedural justice. They also discuss the impact of the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement and the subsequent protests and unrest across the United States.

The Future of Social Media with Ross Dawson

In this episode, Don MacPherson is joined by Futurist Ross Dawson to discuss the future of social media. They explore the growth of social media over the last two decades, potential forms of regulation, and the role of social media in the coming decades. Ross provides some potential solutions for the negative effects of social media use including nonprofit networks, user ownership of data, and AI technologies for regulating harmful content.

The Future of Humanity with David Houle

In this episode, Don MacPherson is joined by Futurist David Houle as they discuss the future of humanity. David argues that humans are at a fork in the road with one path leading to utopia and the other leading to oblivion. David and Don examine the forces shifting the future of humanity including climate change, AI, quantum computing, and biomechanics.

Season Three Wrap Up

Our theme for Season Three was “The Future” and we had a remarkable group of Geniuses to help us make sense of it. The main lesson we took away is that with time and imagination, the list of impossibilities is a lot smaller than we might think. Both 2020 and this most recent season of 12 Geniuses proved that the unimaginable is definitely not impossible.

For Season Four, we will continue exploring the future and the seemingly impossible. In our first four episodes, we'll look at the future of healthcare education, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Episode One of Season Four will be available on January 12th.

The Future of Privacy with Dr. Carissa Véliz

In this interview, Don MacPherson is joined by Dr. Carissa Véliz, an expert in digital ethics with an emphasis on privacy and AI ethics. They discuss the state of privacy today, the countless ways in which organizations track, store, and analyze our data, and the importance of maintaining our privacy both online and in the real world. Carissa offers advice on how to protect yourself online, and insights on how you can stand up and demand better data protection from organizations and the government.

Dr. Carissa Véliz, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, is an expert in digital ethics. Dr. Véliz specializes in privacy and AI ethics along with political philosophy and public policy. Dr. Véliz is the author of Privacy is Power and the editor of the Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics.

The Future of Trust with Álvaro Marquez

The way we trust our peers, governments, and corporations will evolve dramatically over the next decade. The COVID-19 pandemic, deep fakes, fake news, and social media manipulation are all challenging our ability to trust. In this interview, 12 Geniuses host Don MacPherson speaks with Method’s Álvaro Marquez about the Trust 2030 Project and the three potential societies into which our world could evolve over the next decade.

A true global citizen who speaks five languages, Álvaro Marquez is Chief Design Officer at Method, where he led a team of researchers for the Trust 2030 Project in partnership with Hitachi.

Leadership Moment - Shared Sacrifices

In 2008 and 2009, a software company was hammered by the Great Recession. Layoffs were imminent in order to stay in business. Instead, the owners chose to share the sacrifices across the organization, keep its team together, and weather the storm. The company recovered and thrived while protecting the families of its employees.

Leadership Moment - Extraordinary Acts of Heroism from Ordinary People

The last few weeks have rocked the world in ways that most of us have never experienced. We are self-quarantined, restaurants and shops are closed, school children have been sent home, events we have held sacred are canceled. Whatever normal was seems like a distant memory. Our souls are being tried.

Times of uncertainty have a way of unifying us. They also create extraordinary acts of heroism from ordinary people. Bill MacDonald and Richard Seale are two of those heroes. When Hurricane Sandy rocked their community in 2012, they decided to step up. This is their story.

"The Future Of..." Season Three Launches February 11th!

12 Geniuses is back and celebrating the new decade with a new season. Season Three is dedicated to the theme of “The Future of…” We are dedicating all 12 episodes to interviews with geniuses who are creating the future or who can help us understand the dramatic changes the future will bring. If you want to better understand how you, your team, and your organization can be better prepared for the future, this season of the podcast is for you. The first episode of Season Three is an interview with futurist Cecily Sommers. That episode is available on February 11th. We hope you’ll subscribe and tune in!

How a Futurist Sees the World - An Interview with Rebecca Ryan

How can you plan for your organization's future? For over two decades Rebecca Ryan has been consulting with individuals, teams, and organizations to create future plans that accommodate for our ever changing society. In this interview Rebecca shares her insights on:

Part I – Social Change in America

Who is winning economically and who is losing, the cost of being middle class, the Great Recession, the three previous “Winters” in America (The American Revolution, The Civil War and Reconstruction, and the Great Depression), social changes in America, the aging of baby boomers, the expansion of human rights, prison reform, economic development, benefit corporations (B-Corps), influential demographic changes, community planning, affordable housing, transit changes, and planning for the unexpected.

Part II – How to Predict the Future

Foresight / futuring, STEEP methodology (Society, Technology, Environment, Economy Politics), Four Forces (Resources, Technology, Demographics, Politics), crowdsourcing, advice for staying relevant in the future, future trends, how to be future ready, city planning, youth as agents of change for our future, diversifying your information sources, and the importance of delivering on America’s promise.

Organizations, people, and resources mentioned: “Re-Generation: A Manifesto for America’s Next Leaders,” “The Next Big Things” by Rebecca Ryan, Patagonia, Tom’s Shoes, Danone, WARBY PARKER, Futurist Camp, STEEP Methodology, Four Forces (Cecily Sommers), “Think Like a A Futurist: Know What Changes, What Doesn’t, and What’s Next,” www.rebeccaryan.com

“Change happens from the margins…it works its way into the mainstream. So if you want to be future ready, you need to pay attention to things that people are just now starting to talk about.”

Rebecca Ryan on the importance of empathy building and diversifying your information sources for futuring.

Leadership, the Brain, and Managing Lasting Change - An Interview with Dr. Robert Eichinger

Leadership guru Dr. Robert Eichinger shares his wisdom on the topics of:

Neural leadership, change management, the brain at work, neural plasticity, mindfulness, women in leadership, emotional competence, confirmation bias, innovation, leadership and Artificial Intelligence, anger management, narcissism, and derailment research

“You cannot manage change cognitively. It has to be managed from an EQ standpoint. People get promoted based on smarts and fail based on people skills.”

Dr. Robert Eichinger

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