Transcript for “Countering Culture Wars and Political Conflict" with Amanda Ripley
Political violence and threats of political attacks, from the national to community level, have soared in recent years. Political conflict and culture wars dominate headlines, causing Americans a sense of dread and despair, leading 42% to actively avoid the news. How can we turn the heat down while we choose our next leaders? In this interview, investigative reporter and conflict mediator Amanda Ripley explains her research to understand better the political conflicts that turn into violent threats and attacks. Her insights teach us to focus on “good” conflict to lessen our perception gaps of each other and provide conflict hacks that can help us break free from the cycle of outrage and blame.
Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author and the co-founder of Good Conflict, a company that creates workshops and original content to help people get more thoughtful about how they fight. Amanda’s recent book is High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out. In her books and magazine writing, Amanda combines storytelling with data to help illuminate challenging problems—and solutions. She follows people who have been through some kind of a transformation—including the survivors of hurricanes and plane crashes, American teenagers who have experienced high school in other countries, and politicians and gang members who were bewitched by toxic conflicts and managed to break free.
Thank you to Starts with Us for their collaboration on this series. Starts with Us is an organization committed to overcoming extreme political and cultural division. Check them out at startswith.us.
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Transcript for “The Threats to American Democracy" with Vance Cryer
Join our host Don MacPherson and Vance Cryer as they discuss the threats America faces in the intersection between polarization and national defense and how we can overcome them. Vance describes America’s external threats, what they stand to gain by a weakened America, and how they are using America’s division as a tool to undermine democracy.
Vance's 27-year career with the United States Marine Corps took him through flight school in Pensacola, Florida; to Top Level School at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master's degree in national strategic studies; to four AV-8B squadron tours, including as the commanding officer of Marine Attack Squadron 211. He completed six combat tours in Iraq and served two tours of duty at the Pentagon-Headquarters Marine Corps in the Department of Aviation. In 2013, he was promoted to colonel and commanded the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton. In 2016, he was handpicked by Secretary Ray Mabus as the Marine Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.
In August 2018, Vance retired from active duty in the Marine Corps and is now serving as a Director for Special Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (MFC). He serves as the liaison between MFC and Lockheed Martin Aerospace, working on the leading edge of missile and sensor technologies and future capabilities.
This season of the podcast is in collaboration with Starts with Us. Starts with Us is an organization committed to overcoming extreme political and cultural division. Check them out at startswith.us.
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Transcript for “Dealing with Toxic Leadership” with Dr. Mitchell Kusy
Join our host Don MacPherson and Dr. Mitchell Kusy as they discuss toxic leadership and how to navigate the Great Resignation in Season Six of 12 Geniuses.
Dr. Kusy has authored and co-authored several books including Why I don’t Work Here Anymore and Toxic Workplace! He has served as a consultant and keynote speaker for hundreds of organizations that are working to create a positive work culture.
In this episode, Dr. Kusy and Don talk about what toxic leadership is, how your organization can avoid hiring a toxic leader, the importance of creating a healthy culture, and what leaders can do to combat the Great Resignation. Join us as we discuss the topic of toxic leadership and how to navigate it.
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Transcript for "Leadership, the Brain, and Managing Lasting Change - An Interview with Dr. Robert Eichinger"
What makes a leader great? Is it a big personality with a compelling vision? Or is it the combination of intelligence and integrity? Our guest for this episode of 12 Geniuses is Dr. Robert Eichinger. For half a century he has studied and researched the competencies of leaders – the good ones and the bad ones.
He has authored more than 100 articles and books on leadership, while coaching thousands of leaders from first-time managers to Fortune 500 CEOs.
In the first part of our conversation we talk about leadership myths, how leadership has evolved over the last fifty years, why the brain resists change, and the competencies leaders need to master in order to become great. The second part of the interview focuses on leadership in a world of artificial intelligence. We will also discuss the importance of change readiness, learning agility, and whether or not new technologies will enable leaders to be more effective.
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Transcript for “The Purposeful Leader” with Richard Leider
Join our host Don MacPherson and Richard Leider as they discuss purposeful leadership in Season Six of 12 Geniuses.
Richard is a best-selling author, coach, and keynote speaker who is best known for his work in helping people around the world find their purpose at work and in life. He has written 11 books, including three bestsellers. His PBS Special – The Power of Purpose – was viewed by millions of people across the U.S.
In this episode, Richard and Don discuss the health and performance benefits of finding your purpose, how leaders can help their people identify their purpose, and how rallying people around a common purpose is a key to a high-performing organization.
Richard also shares how he has been personally influenced by Viktor Frankl and Abraham Maslow. He talks about how the pandemic has exposed a desire for deeper purpose in the lives of many people struggling to find the right place at work.
Richard’s work has been recognized with many awards including a Bush Fellowship from the Bush Foundation, and the Outstanding Scholar for Creative Longevity and Wisdom award from the Fielding Institute. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s acclaimed Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing and is a Public Fellow at the Notre Dame Institute of Advanced Study where he also partners with their Inspired Leadership Initiative and the Office of the Provost.
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Transcript for “The Power of Regret” with Daniel Pink
Join our host Don MacPherson and best-selling author Daniel Pink as they discuss leadership and more in Season Six of 12 Geniuses.
You might know Daniel Pink for his books such as Drive and To Sell As Human. His latest book is called The Power Of Regret and debuted at #3 on the New York Times best-seller list.
In this episode, Daniel and Don discuss how people can overcome their own regrets and how it can be used to improve performance. They also talk about how leaders can use regret as a teaching tool and motivator, along with the merits of asking about regret in a job interview.
Join us as we discuss the topic of regret.
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The Future of Women at Work with Minda Harts
In this episode, Don MacPherson is joined by workplace expert, author, podcaster and speaker Minda Harts. Together they discuss how women -- especially women of color -- were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and what organizations can do to bring back women who have left the workforce. They also discuss paid maternity leave, the wage gap and what is needed to create an equitable work environment.
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