Podcast — 12 Geniuses

A Look at the Year Ahead with 12 Geniuses CEO Don MacPherson

In this special edition podcast, Devon McGrath interviews 12 Geniuses CEO Don MacPherson. Don shares what he learned in 2018 and where the focus of the podcast and company will be in the new year.

While reviewing 2018, Don and Devon talk about learning Arabic, the art and science of podcasting, fatherhood, entrepreneurship, futurist camp, technologies that are changing the way we live and work, the threat of technology addiction, and why change is so difficult. Then, they shift their focus to what is on the horizon for 12 Geniuses in 2019. They discuss changing demographics and an aging population, cryptocurrency, the ethics of gene editing, global governmental cooperation, the economic opportunity of cannabis, prison reform, and immigration reform.

Other topics include Artificial Intelligence, virtual reality, 3D printing, wearable technologies, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles.

“There are currently about a billion people over the age of 60 in the world now. By mid-century it will be two billion. What does that mean for the workforce? What does that mean to society and how we design our communities and companies?”

Don MacPherson, CEO of 12 Geniuses, discussing aging and how that trend will shape our future.

From Active Addiction to CEO - Jim Geckler’s Story of Recovery

Since overcoming his own addiction, Jim Geckler has spent his life helping others battle drug and alcohol abuse. There are tens of millions of people in the United States alone who struggle with addiction. They, along with their families and friends, can listen to this interview and walk away with a sense of hope.

Part One - Jim’s Personal Journey Through Recovery

At the age of 13, Jim Geckler drank beer and used marijuana for the first time. From that moment and for 20 more years, he was crippled by drug and alcohol addiction until he hit rock bottom. For Jim, rock bottom was an arrest that proved to be the catalyst to help him overcome his addiction. From there, Jim got a job in a coffee shop and has risen through the recovery community to become CEO of Harmony Foundation in Estes Park, CO. This incredible story will give hope to people struggling with addiction, in recovery, or supporting someone who needs help.

Part Two - Advice for People Struggling with Addiction…The Addicts, Their Friends, and Families

In this part of the interview, Jim discusses:

The root causes behind the opioid epidemic in the United States
What people struggling with addiction can do to find help
How families and friends can provide support to people with a history of alcohol and drug abuse
The difference between pain and discomfort and why understanding this is important
Technology advances that are assisting in successful recoveries

Organizations, people, and resources mentioned: Dr. Christopher Reveley, Jeff and Debra Jay, Love First, The Way Out, Soberlink, Dr. Mel Pohl, The Intervention Show, The Minnesota Model, Harmony Foundation

“What we don’t always look at is the effect it has on the family, the effect it has on society, on the workplace, on safety in general.”

Jim Geckler, CEO of Harmony Foundation, discussing the ripple effects of addiction.

Changedon macphersonDecember 3, 2018addiction, recovery, drug abuse, hope, opioids, Kindness, LGBTQ+, Empathy, Reinvention, rehabilitation, Leadership

Developing Financial and Emotional Competence with Doug Lennick

Doug Lennick is a legendary leader in the financial services industry who has mentored hundreds of people over his career and coached thousands of people to be more effective leaders and make better financial decisions. In this interview, Doug shares his insights on:

Personal Financial Decision Making: Good debt vs. bad debt, the concentration of private debt, Millennial debt, benchmarks for responsible borrowing, financial education, delaying gratification, financial “slavery,” debt stress and how it impacts performance at work, financial intelligence, preparing for financial uncertainty, behavioral change, Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, impulse control

Effective Leadership: senior leadership trust, compassion, integrity, self-awareness, personal and organizational values, transparency, Baby Boomer retirement, advice for first-time managers, leaders vs. managers, the importance of self-management, alignment of thoughts, actions, emotions to values and goals, moral intelligence vs. moral competence, employee engagement and high performance, advice for first-time CEOs, leadership in a world of artificial intelligence and other major technology transformation, the diminishing importance of cognitive ability in leadership, neuroscience, the adult brain, changing adult behaviors, The Four Rs (Recognize, Reflect, Reframe, Respond), happiness

Organizations, people, and resources mentioned: Arun Abey, How Much Is Enough? Making Financial Decisions That Create Wealth and Well-Being, Ray Dalio, Ken Chenault, American Express, Walter Mischel, 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, Stephen Covey, Stephen M. R. Covey, The SPEED of Trust, Moral Intelligence, Think2Perform, Spock, The Simple Genius (You)

“Our culture is this…I want anybody to be able to talk to anybody, about any thing, at any time.”

Doug Lennick, CEO of Think2Perform, commenting on one of the ways he built trust, transparency, and empowerment while leading a 17,000 person organization at American Express

Fighting the Fear of Failure: An Entrepreneur’s Journey with Ryan Estis

Writer, speaker, and business owner Ryan Estis candidly discusses his entrepreneurial journey and shares his insights on:

Becoming an entrepreneur: The importance of experimentation before becoming a business owner, the discipline necessary to succeed owning a business, finding life and work on your terms, the downside of having a Plan B when starting a business, overcoming a lack of self-confidence

The State of Business Today: failure tolerance, overcoming resistance to change in organizations, learning and development as a strategic imperative, the importance of investing in people, digitization strategies and evolving business models, the competencies necessary for new leaders to succeed, the future of sales

Organizations mentioned: AT&T, Accor Hotels, Cadillac, National Automobile Dealers Association, Seth Mattison

“Lunch was two cans of StarKist tuna for a year. That was my lunch…start time was 4AM at the kitchen table and I wasn’t in my sweats. I was in a suit and tie.”

Ryan Estis commenting on his mindset when he launched his business in 2009

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

12 Geniuses Podcast

Search for a Topic