Growth and new ideas come with questions and unknowns. Does your team rush to judgment or just start working? Atif Rafiq joins Kevin to discuss the importance of dealing with unknowns in a productive way. He introduces the concept of decision sprints, a methodology to move from idea to recommendation and decision points. He also emphasizes the significance of workflows in defining company culture and offers advice on implementing decision sprints at the team level.

Meet Atif

• Name: Atif Rafiq 
• Atif's Story: Atif Rafiq has blazed trails in Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500 for over 25 years. After rising through digital native companies like Amazon, Yahoo!, and AOL, Atif held C-suite roles at McDonald’s, Volvo, and MGM Resorts. He oversaw thousands of employees as a global P&L, transformation, and innovation leader. Rafiq was the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500, a pioneering role he held at McDonalds, and he rose to the president level in the Fortune 300.
  He currently sits on the Boards of Flutter / Fanduel ($25bn public company); Clearcover (a fintech provider, ranked on the Fast 500); and KINS Capital ($300mm SPAC). Previously, he’s served on the client council for Snapchat (SNAP), as advisor to Slack (acquired by Salesforce for $20bn), and national board member of Defy Ventures (non-profit serving the formerly incarcerated).
• https://kevineikenberry.com/organizational-leadership/meetings-are-a-window-to-your-culture/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/atif1/
• https://twitter.com/atifatif
• http://www.decisionsprint.com/

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Change happens. Navigating change is an essential skill for leaders and organizations. Curtis Bateman suggests that we look to our team as the drivers of change. Organizations change when people change. Curtis joins Kevin to explore the challenges and steps in organizational change efforts and how to lead change more effectively. Leaders can, and need to, be patient with their team and acknowledge that they may need time to join the change journey. He shares the four zones of change and the importance of each zone and why we should not skip a zone.

Meet Curtis

• Name: Curtis Bateman
• Curtis' Story: Curtis Bateman co-authors the book Change: How to Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity. He is FranklinCovey’s vice president of international direct offices. With over twenty-five years of experience in the training industry, His passion for enabling organizations “at change” resulted in co-creating transformative, industry-leading solutions, including Change Element, Leaders@Change, Managing Millennials, Millennials@Work, and the Change Practitioner.
  Formerly the president and CEO at Red Tree Leadership, Curtis managed the world-class brand Who Moved My Cheese? and created a practical approach to help individuals and leaders succeed in an ever-complex world of change in the workplace.
  Curtis joined FranklinCovey as a senior change consultant and co-practice leader. In 2016, Curtis became managing director of the U.K. and Ireland, in 2018 was asked to assume additional management responsibilities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and in 2019 took on additional responsibility for China, Japan, and Australia.
• https://www.franklincovey.com/books/change-book/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisabateman/
• https://www.instagram.com/curtisabateman/
• https://www.facebook.com/curtis.bateman.14

Listening is important for our interactions and our ongoing relationships. Heather R. Younger joins Kevin to talk about active listening, which is more than nodding your head and repeating what someone says. Active listening uses your senses to recognize what is unsaid. Active listening is about engaging with the other person, showing interest, and understanding their emotional state. Active listening is about taking the time to research, reflect, and analyze the feedback or request received. Active listening is acting, even if the action is a compromise or a no. Lastly, active listening is consistently closing the loop to show that their voice is valued and their feedback matters.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction to the importance of active listening
02:14 Heather Younger's background and motivation for focusing on listening
06:23 Definition of active listening as understanding what others want
08:38 The five steps of the active listening cycle
11:44 Step 1: Recognizing the unsaid
15:15 Step 2: Seeking to understand
18:28 Step 3: Decoding and reflecting
22:43 Step 4: Taking action
24:46 Step 5: Closing the loop
30:00 Conclusion

Meet Heather

• Name: Heather R. Younger
• Her Story: Heather R. Younger is the author of The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued, and Understood. She is an experienced international keynote speaker, best-selling author, CEO, and Founder of Employee Fanatix. Her experiences as an entrepreneur, manager, attorney, writer, coach, listener, speaker, collaborator, and mother of 4 all lend themselves to a laser-focused clarity into what makes employees of organizations and companies—large and small—tick.
• https://heatheryounger.com/
• http://theartofcaringleadership.com/
• https://employeefanatix.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherryounger/
• https://www.instagram.com/heatherryoungerofficial/
• https://twitter.com/HeatherRYounger
• https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRYounger

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Bold moves are meaningful actions you can take to grow and move forward. Shanna Hocking joins Kevin to discuss bold moves and share examples. Shanna emphasizes the importance of mindsets and how they shape our actions and outcomes. The discussion focuses on four key mindsets: Gratitude, Progress, Happiness, and And Mindset. Shanna shares actionable ways to grow and develop personally and professionally. From reading and continuous learning to intentional rest and having an accountability partner, Shanna provides a roadmap for self-investment and long-term success.

Listen For...

00:00 Introduction to the topic of women reaching their potential in their careers
02:50 Introduction of guest, Shanna Hocking
03:13 Discussion on the four mindsets for success
05:06 Importance of mindset in personal and professional growth
08:11 Importance of mindset in the writing process
09:39 The connection between gratitude and progress mindset
13:56 The importance of the "and" mindset
15:33 The role of leaders in supporting women's career growth
19:35 The importance of investing in oneself
22:59 Strategies for building belief in oneself
30:33 Where to find the book and learn more about the author

Meet Shanna

Shanna's Story: Shanna Hocking is the author of One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential, which was recognized by The Next Big Idea Club as “must read nonfiction.” She is a leadership consultant, philanthropic strategist, author, and speaker with 20 years of experience raising hundreds of millions of dollars and leading large teams at organizations such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Alabama, and Duke University. Her clients include universities, national nonprofit organizations, global businesses, and family foundations.

https://www.shannaahocking.com/book
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannaahocking
http://www.instagram.com/shannaahocking
http://www.twitter.com/shannaahocking