S3 E6 - Change Leaders

The Whole Enchilada Podcast

Should the business world’s focus be on returning to pre-pandemic models? Or should we forge ahead with new insights? What’s the impact of The Great Resignation on the future of leadership and how are innovation and culture changing as we rethink how we run our companies? The group talks to Dr. Sandra Gray about these topics and more (including the importance of corn in the Mayan diet) in this episode of The Whole Enchilada Podcast.

The Whole Enchilada crew welcomes businesswoman, professor, and Asbury University President Emeritus, Dr. Sandra Gray. Distance kept the group from dining together but that doesn’t mean that Mitch, Gil, Chris, and Isaac (he’s back!) didn’t enjoy various enchiladas. As usual, the conversation devolves into bad jokes and strange reactions to certain foods. Chris gives a lesson on the history of enchiladas and Dr. Gray shares that her love for the Mexican dish came from her Texan college roommate…and that she still has the recipe.

Diving into Dr. Gray’s leadership philosophies, Mitch opens by asking about how she sees the business world evolving as we enter year three of the COVID pandemic. Dr. Gray gives a surprise answer when she says that normal isn’t always a good thing. She talks about the legacy that excuses can bring and what can be lost when excuses are made.

The group moves on to talk about The Great Resignation and Dr. Gray shares an example of a someone who saw a new solution precipitated by the current situation. She mentions it in reference to Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program.

The conversation moves into the strengths and weaknesses of today’s job force and how they were affected by their own parents’ and grandparents’ work ethics. Mitch muses that young, eager graduates are asking more philosophical questions about their futures like, “What does success look like to me?”

The topics of measured risk and the downfalls of top-down come up, with a specific question to Dr. Gray about her takeaways on company culture and leadership styles. All four talk about creating a culture of innovation while Chris shares his Mexican Pizza fail.

Mitch shares a memory of his son’s time at Asbury University and asks Dr. Gray about her gift for making people feel like they matter and that they are the only one in the room. They also talk about what it means to retire and still be useful and productive.

Finally, Gil ends by asking about Asbury’s Dayton School of Business’s motto: training leaders to be the best for the world and Dr. Gray says it’s all about focus: is it on yourself or on the greater good?

Links:

Harvard Human Flourishing Project

https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/

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