Here’s an EMC newsletter entitled Intrapreneurial Intent that was started by Steve Todd, Distinguished Software Engineer at EMC Corporation. Check out Steve’s blog entitled Information Playground. Steve asked me to contribute an article to Intrapreneurial Intent so I wrote about the type of environment intrapreneurs should seek to work in. Check it out.
Category Archives: Media Appearances
Jim Blasingame Interview: Learn From Great Leaders
Today Jim Blasingame and I discussed how leaders can learn by reading about the stories of other great leaders from business, government, the social sector and sports. Our conversation was broadcast on Jim’s popular, nationally-syndicated radio program “The Small Business Advocate.” You can hear the interview by clicking on the “listen now” button below:
Federal News Radio Interview
Here is a link to the interview I did with Francis Rose of Federal News Radio.
Interview with New York City’s WCBS Newsradio 880
Bookends Podcast Interview
Author/consultant Susan Stamm recently interviewed me for her Bookends series of podcasts. You can hear it at this link. Susan recently authored wrote a great book of employee engagement ideas entitled “42 Rules of Employee Engagement.”
Connection — and Connectors — in Federal Government
Recently I’ve been spending more time in Washington, DC. Earlier this year I spoke at the General Services Administration, the Executive Development Exchange Network (EDEN) and at Senior Fellows and Friends. In the coming months I’ll be speaking at the US Treasury Executive Institute, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Government Accountability Office.
Washington, DC is abuzz with energy, enthusiasm and a “can do” spirit. Some government employees meet on their personal time in groups such as Senior Fellows and Friends and 13L to exchange ideas that make government more effective. They have come up with innovative practices and programs such as Flash Mentoring and FedPitch. The private sector could learn much from these thoughtful civil servants who dedicate their professional lives to a cause greater than self.
Yesterday I had the privilege of joining Martha Dorris, the Deputy Associate Administrator at the GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and AM 1500 Federal News Radio hosts Chris Dorobek and Francis Rose in an hour long discussion about my book, Fired Up or Burned Out, and creating Connection Cultures in Federal Government. Martha is a dynamic leader and an intentional connector who is developing a Connection Culture at the GSA. Chris and Francis are outgoing, intentional connectors too. Their radio programs are thoughtful and encouraging. They inform, educate, inspire and help federal government workers feel more connected. You can listen to our radio conversation by clicking on leadership and employee engagement in federal government.
During this critical time in history when we are rethinking the roles of the government, private and social sectors, government is playing an increasingly important part in shaping our collective future. To this end, President Obama is challenging federal workers to make a difference. He inspires them with a vision of positive change, values their service and contributions, and gives them a voice by seeking their opinions and ideas. And I’m looking forward to spending more time in DC to encourage and advise leaders about how to develop Connection Cultures that will help release the genius of the dedicated individuals who work in federal government.
Attitudes and Activity Picking Up
The leaders I speak with seem to be more optimistic about the future, even though some express concerns about the state of consumer credit card debt and how it might affect the financial system and economy. At E Pluribus Partners, we’ve definitely seen a recent surge in business prospects. Here are some of the new activities on our agenda.
The Conference Board just asked me to be speak and be on the advisory board for its Customer Experience Leadership Conference next March 23-25 in New York City. The conference chairman and emcee is Robert Reiss, host of one of my favorite radio shows, The CEO Show.
The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement just hired me to give the keynote speech at its annual conference in Chicago, Illinois on October 14. The Forum is an affiliate of the Department of Integrated Marketing Communications, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
On October 20-22, I have the honor of meeting with several leaders and speaking to various business student groups at my alma mater, Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. I had a wonderful experience as a undergraduate business student at ISU from 1977 until 1981 and remain in touch with several students and faculty members I met during my years on campus.
The Human Capital Institute just invited me to facilitate a session and speak at its Employee Engagement and Onboarding Conference in Boston on October 26-28. HCI is doing great work and I’m looking forward to working with them.
On May 27, I’ll be recording an interview
for IBM’s developerWorks podcast with host Scott Laningham.
What’s New: DC, Yale, Wharton, Korea, AMA, etc.
In addition to my recent posts about speaking at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business and the interview I did that was just published in the award-winning Rotman magazine, produced by the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, here’s a quick update about my recent and upcoming activities.
I’ve been in Washington, DC lately speaking to various groups including Martha Dorris’ Office of Citizen Services and Communications (part of the U.S. Government Services Administration), Kitty Wooley’s Society of Fellows and Friends and Michael Yoka’s Executive Development Exchange Network. I was inspired during my visits to DC by the dedication, energy and intelligence many Federal Government employees have. This may come as a surprise to many but I believe working in government will be one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding workplaces in the years ahead. Part of this comes from President Obama’s belief that government can be a force for good and his appreciation of people who want to serve a cause greater than self. I’m thrilled to be working more in DC. On June 12 I will be a guest on Federal News Radio’s (AM-1500) book club and on July 1, I will be speaking at the Treasury Executive Institute.
Yale-New Haven Health System just hired me to speak to its 450 managers on June 2 at its Yale-New Haven Hospital Management Symposium. This is one of the world’s great hospitals and I can hardly wait to fire their up their leaders and empower them with tools to create a Connection Culture.
I’ll be presenting at the Wharton Alumni Club of Boston on June 4.
My publisher just informed me that Fired Up or Burned Out is being translated into another language, this time Korean. In the last year alone the book was published in Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam (in Vietnamese, as you can see from the cover to the left). In addition, the book is now available in Kindle and paperback editions. An audio edition is in the works and I’m optimistic it will continue to be published in more languages over the coming years.
The American Management Association just published an article I wrote about Pixar Animation entitled “Case Study: Pixar’s Winning Strategy of Inclusiveness.”
There are some very exciting additional engagements in the works that I hope to announce soon so stay tuned.
P.S. On the personal front, my daughter Sarah was just accepted at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas. A couple weeks back, our whole family flew down to Texas to support Sarah as she tried out to be a cheerleader. So, I’m now the proud father of a TCU Horned Frog cheerleader. Sarah has worked hard and I’m happy and confident that she will thrive at this great school.
Rotman Magazine Interview
Rotman, the award-winning magazine of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, just published an interview I did with them on Connection Cultures, leadership and employee engagement. The Spring 2009 issue also features fascinating interviews with Warren Bennis, Prof. Renee Mauborgue of INSEAD and Prof. Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago. You can subscribe to Rotman magazine or purchase the download by clicking here. Following is the text of the interview.
New Articles on Pixar and Selecting CEOs
Here are two new articles I wrote that will appear shortly in publications in India and the US. As with all of the articles I write they relate to leadership and employee engagement. Email me at mstallard [at] epluribuspartners [dot] com if you have any comments or suggestions. Thanks – Michael
The Competitive Advantage of Pixar’s Environment
By Michael Lee Stallard
At the Technical Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, the Associated Press reported that it wasn’t the host, actress Jessica Beil, who attracted the most attention.