Work And Life With Stew Friedman

Jay Moldenhauer-Salazar is Chief People Officer for Minted.com.  He oversees and manages Minted’s People team, which includes human resources and facilities. After several years running a research lab in Silicon Valley, he went on to lead HR in multiple industries and various scales, from hyper-growth start-up to global Fortune 500, including stints at Sun Microsystems, Taco Bell, BlackRock, Gap and Old Navy, Starbucks, and Riot Games. Prior to his corporate career, he received his Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan, with his dissertation on organizational change and diversity. Jay considers himself a closet creative and maintains a weekly writer’s group and dusty art portfolio.  He is an internationally lauded game strategist with a particularly large following in the Magic the Gathering community.  In this episode, Stew and Jay  talk about lessons he’s learned from decades of experience in cultivating meaningful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initia

Jessica Calarco is Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University Bloomington. She earned her master’s and her PhD in sociology here at the University of Pennsylvania. Jessica’s research examines inequalities in education and family life, and she’s written about these inequalities for the New York Times, the Atlantic, Inside Higher Ed, and the Conversation. She’s the author of two books, A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum, which has just been published, and Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in Schools, which received a 2019 Scholarly Achievement Award for Best Book by the North Central Sociological Association.In this episode, Stew and Jessica  talk about her latest research, which is about how the pandemic and its impact on childcare arrangements and schooling is having a disparate impact on mothers, compared to fathers. Jessica describes the emotional and financial costs for working women and the negative impact on their relationships

Carol Cone, Founder and CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE, is internationally recognized for her work in social purpose and corporate social responsibility. Carol was a pioneer in the field of social purpose in the 1980s. Her work has built global movements, garnered hundreds of awards, and raised billions of dollars for a variety of worthy causes. She was the Founder, CEO and Chairman of Cone, Inc., recognized as the nation’s leading Cause Branding consultancy. PRWeek called her “arguably the most powerful and visible figure in the world of Cause Branding.” Her book, Breakthrough NonProfit Branding, was published in 2010.In this episode, Stew and Carol talk about the history of incorporating social causes in corporate strategies and her role in it, which grew out of her engagement in social action in the 1960s and 1970s.  Carol shares insider insights about Reebok’s role in Amnesty International, PNC Financial’s sponsorship of early childhood education, Aflac’s support for pediatric cancer patients, and more

Dr. Marilyn Gist, author of The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility: Thriving Organizations & Great Results, is an expert on leader development. Marilyn’s academic career includes time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the University of Washington, where she held the Boeing Endowed Professorship of Business Management; and Seattle University, where she served as Associate Dean, Professor of Management, and Executive Director of the Center for Leadership Formation. She earned her BA from Howard University and her MBA and PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park. In this episode, Stew and Marilyn  talk about what it means to lead with humility and why that’s most especially important during these tumultuous times.  People are crying out for respect for human dignity as a defining quality for leaders today.  Marilyn describes the three questions her research shows are what we ask of our leaders: Who are you? Where are we going? Do you see me?  What it ta

Joan C. Williams is a Distinguished Professor of Law, Hastings Foundation Chair, and Founding Director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings Law. Joan has played a central role in reshaping the conversation about work, gender, and class over the past quarter century, and her path-breaking work helped create the field of work-family studies and modern workplace flexibility policies. She’s one of the 10 most cited scholars in her field and has written 11 books, including the influential What Works for Women at Work in 2014 and more recently, White Working Class in 2017. Her awards include the Families and Work Institute’s Work Life Legacy Award (2014), the American Bar Foundation’s Outstanding Scholar Award (2012), and the ABA’s Margaret Brent Women Award for Lawyers of Achievement (2006). Her Harvard Business Review article, “What So Many People Don’t Get About the U.S. Working Class” has been read over 3.7 million times and is now the most read article in HBR’s 90-plus year

Maurice “Tony” Ewing is the CEO of Conquer Risk, a Hong Kong-based risk management and compliance consultancy, and he’s also a motivational speaker and coach.  As a former senior banking executive, public company board member and Princeton-certified behavioral scientist who was a PhD student of Nobel laureates John Nash and Daniel Kahneman, Tony has a broad experience base. He’s advised over $4 billion in corporate investments and initiatives, using behavioral science methods to inform decision-making and group dynamics. He’s also an active columnist for Forbes and he serves on the Executive Education faculty of the University of Cambridge.In this episode, Stew and Tony discuss a few of his recent Forbes pieces about how to talk about hot and potentially divisive issues like politics and race at work. Stew and Tony also talk about the added complexity of what “at work” means during the pandemic when so much of interacting with work colleagues occurs while one is sitting in one’s own home and one’s own ho

Reverend Charles “Chaz” Howard  is the first-ever Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania—a role he assumed in June 2020. But he’s long been a part of the Philadelphia community as Penn’s University Chaplain. After graduating Penn's College of Arts and Sciences in the year 2000, Chaz served in both hospital and hospice chaplaincies, and as a street outreach worker to individuals experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia before returning to his alma mater. As Vice President for Social Equity and Community at Penn he’s overseeing the University’s Projects for Progress, a new fund intended to encourage students, faculty, and staff to design and implement pilot projects based on innovative research that will advance Penn’s aim of a more inclusive university and community. He also works with University leaders to expand successful initiatives across campus, prominent among them Penn’s ongoing Campaign for Community, as well as to convene University events and other pro

Dr. Uma Naidoo, Harvard based psychiatrist, chef, and author of This is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, PTSD, ADHD, OCD and More, is regarded internationally as a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychiatry, having founded the first US hospital-based clinical service in this area. She serves as the director of nutritional & lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and is also on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Naidoo also graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts as a professional chef and was awarded her culinary school’s most coveted award, the MFK Fisher Award for Innovation. In this episode, Uma describes to Stew, in very practical terms, the ways that different kinds of food affect our moods, well-being, and productivity; how we can avoid the perils and pitfalls of over-eating or eating the wrong foods, especially when confined to home during the pandemic; and some useful suggestions for how business

Dr. Dana Sumpter is an associate professor of organization theory and management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business. Her research employs a cross-cultural lens in understanding social behavior at work, studying topics including energy, mindfulness, power, work/family enrichment, managerial systems, and work relationships. She has published in professional journals and has been quoted in various popular outlets. Dr. Sumpter's research has received grants from the Center for Innovation Research in Cultural Intelligence and Leadership, and UC Irvine’s Center for Organizational Research. She is a member of two micro-communities of scholars: Mindfulness at Work, which she co-founded, Positive Relationships at Work. Her recent award-winning international management case focused on a woman’s expatriate human resource experience in Oman. Across 10 Asia-Pacific nations, Professor Sumpter led live executive training and coached executives on people management skills. She is an avid traveler, who ha

Professor Quinetta Roberson has over 20 years of experience teaching courses and workshops globally on leadership, talent management and diversity, and her research and teaching are informed by her background in finance, having worked as a financial analyst and small business development consultant. She’s also served as an expert witness in employment discrimination lawsuits and provides professional advice and guidance to for-profit and non-profit organizations. Quinetta earned her Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of Maryland and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in finance. Her research interests focus on developing organizational capability and enhancing effectiveness through the strategic management of people, particularly diverse work teams. To summarize some of her experiences and insights from working with organizations, she delivered a TED talk on The Science of Inclusion at the 2013 TEDxVillanova conference. She currently serves as President of the Academy of Management (AO

Christopher Marquis is the Samuel C. Johnson Professor in Global Sustainable Enterprise and Professor of Management at Cornell University. His current teaching and research focus on the two areas of social innovation and change and doing business in China. Prior to joining Cornell, Chris worked for 10 years at Harvard Business School and has held visiting positions at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Peking University, Fudan University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University. He received a PhD in sociology and business administration from the University of Michigan.In this episode, Stew and Chris discuss his new book, Better Business: How the B Corp Movement Is Remaking Capitalism. Chris reviews the meaning and intent of a B Corp, how this differs from corporate social responsibility initiatives, and why the essential features of B Corps are good for all businesses and their people.  They get into why and how the U.S. differs from other industrialized nations in resisti

Natalie Neilson Edwards is the Director of Inclusion & Diversity for The Estee Lauder Companies. She joined Estee Lauder in May of 2018 after graduating with her MBA from the Wharton School, with a concentration in business analytics. She leads inclusion strategy and operations for all 45,000 Estee Lauder employees and 25+ brands. While at Wharton, Natalie drafted the school’s official diversity plan, working with the Dean as the Wharton Graduate Association's VP of Diversity and as one of the only student members of the Diversity Strategy & Policy Task Force. She was instrumental in doubling the black student population in one year. She has a BA in finance from Howard University where she was Female Graduate of the Year.In this episode, Stew and Natalie discuss the challenges employees at all levels face discussing and grappling with race and how to help them do so more effectively. She describes what she learned from her experience about this issue growing up in suburban Houston and throug

Dr. Howard Stevenson is the Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education, Professor of Africana Studies, in the Human Development & Quantitative Methods Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Stevenson is Executive Director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative (REC) at Penn, a research, program development, and training center that brings together community leaders, researchers, authority figures, families, and youth to study and promote racial literacy and health in schools and neighborhoods. He is also the Director of Forward Promise, a national program office funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It provides philanthropic support for organizations designed to improve the health of boys and young men of color and their families, and to help them heal from the trauma of historical and present-day dehumanization, discrimination, and colonization. Since 1985, Dr. Stevenson has served as a clinical and consulting psychologist working in impoverished

Stephanie Creary, Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School,  has been teaching a course called “Leading Diversity in Organizations” since Fall 2017. She was one of the principal investigators on a report from Wharton’s People Analytics Department and the firm Diversity Inc. that shows which practices seem to work for companies. Stephanie recently authored a piece in Harvard Business Review called “How to Be a Better Ally to Your Black Friends”.  Her research centers on identifying and understanding the work that individuals and leaders do to manage identity in asymmetric relationships – where power differentials between relationship partners are high – and how their efforts shape self-views, relationship quality, and the performance of work. Her research also examines the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion practices. She is a founding faculty member of the Wharton IDEAS lab (Identity, Diversity, Engagement, Affect, and Social Relationships), an affiliated faculty member of Whart

Dr. Marisa Porges is known for her work on leadership, education, and national security. She is currently head of The Baldwin School, a 130-year-old all-girls school outside of Philadelphia renowned for academic excellence and for preparing girls to be leaders and changemakers. Prior to joining Baldwin in 2016, Dr. Porges served in the Obama White House; was a visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and at the Council on Foreign Relations, where her research focused on worldwide counterterrorism efforts; and served in the US Navy as one of eight female aviators in an air wing of about two hundred. She graduated from Harvard University in and earned her doctorate from King’s College London. Her new book is What Girls Need: How to Raise Bold, Courageous, and Resilient Women.In this episode, Stew and Marisa discuss the unique challenges educators and parents everywhere are currently facing during the pandemic and the resurgent awareness of what we must do to pursue a just society.  They talk about the per

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts is a  Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and an expert in the science of maximizing human potential in diverse organizations and communities. She has published over fifty research articles, teaching cases, and practitioner-oriented tools for strategically activating best selves through strength-based development, workplace equity and inclusion.  Her influential publications in the Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management Review on diversity, authenticity and leadership development have been recognized by Thinkers50 “On the Radar” (2018) and the Academy of Management. Laura is the 2020 inaugural recipient of the Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Award for Societal Impact. She has edited three books: Race, Work and Leadership; Positive Organizing in a Global Society; and Exploring Positive Identities and Organizations.In this episode, Stew and Laura talk about microaggressions, code-switching and the powerfu

Rita McGrath, Columbia Business School Professor, is an expert on inflection points, paradigmatic shifts in the landscape. Rita has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50 and has been consistently named one of the world’s Top 10 management thinkers in its bi-annual ranking. She received her Ph.D. from Wharton and has degrees with honors from Barnard College and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs.  Her recent book Seeing Around Corners:How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen is about how effective leaders and teams see those shifts coming before they happen and can react in innovative ways to succeed.In this episode, Stew and Rita talk about how to see around unpredictable, unprecedented, or blind corners in order to make the best decisions for employees, students, teachers, staff,  families, and communities during this pandemic period.  They discuss how remote work is radically altering our social and business lan

Stefanie Johnson is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and her new book is Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams. Professor Johnson studies the intersection of leadership and diversity, focusing on how unconscious bias affects the evaluation of leaders and on strategies that leaders can use to mitigate bias.  She draws on her own experience as a Latina who grew up poor to inform her research. She is a member of the MG 100 Coaches, was selected for the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, and has presented her work at over 170 meetings around the world, including at the White House for a 2016 summit on diversity in corporate America on National Equal Pay Day.In this episode, Stew and Stefanie talk about how she has evolved in her thoughts and feelings about what it takes to create cultures that both celebrate individual differences and build a sense of belonging among members.  Stefanie draws an important distinction bet

Karl Moore is an Associate Professor on the management faculty of McGill University. Prior to his academic career Dr. Moore worked for eleven years in sales and marketing management positions with IBM and Hitachi.  Before McGill, he taught at Oxford University for five years. Since 2014, Karl has hosted the CEO Series, a weekly program on Bellmedia’s C-J-A-D, where he interviews leaders one-on-one.  He has been blogging for Forbes for eight years. In this episode, Stew and Karl discuss his forthcoming book, We’re  All Ambiverts Now.   They explore the tendencies we have to express either introversion or extroversion and how, in order to be effective as leaders, we have to learn to sometimes act in a way that’s inconsistent with our natural inclinations.  But to do so can be exhausting, so it’s useful to take account of the costs of acting like an extrovert if you’re an introvert, and vice versa, and to then do something to rejuvenate and restore yourself following such episodes i

Larry Hagner is the founder of the Good Dad Project and the author of The Dad's Edge: 9 Simple Ways to Have: Unlimited Patience, Improved Relationships, and Positive Lasting Memories as well as Daddy Will Always Love and Protect You. He is an advocate for fathers and believes many men want to be good fathers but, for a number of reasons, struggle with that role. Based on his own experiences, including his failures, he’s dedicated himself to helping them.In this episode, Stew and Larry talk about men’s roles in their families; the obstacles they face at home, at work, and in society that conspire against them being the dads they want to be for their children; the changes occurring in men’s and fathers’ roles; how the pandemic is having an impact on dads at home and at work; and much more.  If you’re a father, then here is an invitation, a challenge, for you, once you’ve listened to the conversation.  Think of one thing on which you need help from someone in your life -- support of some kind, any