What's Next! with Tiffani Bova Tiffani Bova

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
This week, I’m excited to re-share a conversation with retired U.S. Army colonel and Silicon Valley investor Peter Newell.
 
Pete is the co-founder and managing partner of BMNT, an investment company that provides early-stage investment to companies developing technology for the commercial market that has relevant applications in solving national security problems. He is a co-author of Hacking for Defense, a platform that merged the rapid problem-solving techniques curated on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan with a lean startup methodology developed by Steve Blank in Silicon Valley. Pete is a former Army Ranger who has received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Silver Star and the Presidential Unit Citation. It's an honor to have Pete on the show to discuss innovation, deploying, and forward-thinking.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders interested in identifying and fixing problems and wanting to move their teams and companies forward with an innovation focus.
 
TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… this episode is all about bringing the battlefield to the boardroom and re-engineering the problem. Your role as a leader is not to sell products. Your role as a leader is to identify the problem and guide your team and your customers to an innovative solution. Lack of investment in understanding the problem is what ultimately leads us to failure.
 
WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… I love the concept of innovation exhaustion and the difference between “innovators,” “makers,” and “hackers.” I love that distinction along with the thinking around deploying an idea and making sure you design what people are actually looking for–thinking about the customer. It's necessary to be innovation-focused if we want to keep pushing ourselves, our people, and our companies forward.
 
Running time: 34:52
 
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Find Pete Online:
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Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
I have a special treat for this show. We have not one, but actually two guests. 
 
The first is Martin Gonzalez. He is the creator of Google’s Effective Founders Project, a global research program that decodes the factors that enable startup founders to succeed. He also works closely with Google’s engineering and research leaders on org design, leadership, and culture challenges.
 
Joining him is Josh Yellin, who co-founded Google's first Startup Accelerator and spearheaded its growth, reaching founders in 70 countries. Along with Martin, he co-founded Google's Effective Founders Project, and he recently spent four years as Chief of Staff at Google Brain and is presently an organizational leader at Google DeepMind. 
 
Martin and Josh are the authors of a new book called The Bonfire Moment. 
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… founders of startups who want to avoid common pitfalls. 
 
TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… research shows that 65% of startups will fail due to people issues - not the product development, resourcing, or any of the other challenging parts of being a founder. In this episode, Martin and Josh share how they face the people issues head-on and have trained thousands of founders through Bonfire Moment workshops. 
 
Key takeaways: 
Startups thrive when people issues are addressed alongside product and market challenges
Structured reflection helps startups solve hidden problems
Addressing people issues early on fosters long-term growth and stability
Finding a co-founder should be a slow and deliberate decision
Self-awareness is a critical character trait for founders to develop
 
WHAT I LOVE MOST… Josh and Martin’s recommendation to not using the “maverick mindset” on the organizational side of things. Lean into innovative ideas for your product of service but rely on best practices when approaching leadership. 
 
Running Time: 30:34
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Learn More About Martin and Josh: 
The Bonfire Moment Website
 
Book: The Bonfire Moment
 

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
This week I am very excited to bring back my first episode with an NFL coach, Michael Lombardi! 
 
Michael is an American Football Executive and Media Analyst with over 30 years of experience who enjoyed front-row access to football titans Bill Walsh, Al Davis, and Bill Belichick. He was an assistant to the coaching staff of the New England Patriots and is a former Analyst for the NFL network. He previously served as an NFL executive for the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Philidelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders. 
  
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who loves football and wants a masterclass in leadership and culture building. 
  
TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… culture is key. In an organization like football, the role of the Head Coach goes beyond making calls, training players, or winning games. It’s the culture that the Head Coach develops that will ultimately determine how successful that team is. The same is true of business; it starts with your leadership and the culture set by that leadership. But, you can’t sit around and wait for it to develop, you have to be deliberate about building your team’s culture if you expect to be successful. 
 
You have to figure out and know who you are as a person, as a team, as a business, and develop a plan to establish that culture as a leader. It starts with self-evaluation and planning. Whether you are 18 or 80, being self-aware and knowledgeable in your craft will make you a leader worth following, because you can develop a culture worth being a part of. 
 
WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… Michael talks about the importance of self-evaluation in culture-building and working at the things that make you struggle, not merely following the “best light.” When you are good at self-evaluating, you are better prepared to grow and change with your industry and your craft. 
 
Running Time: 36:32
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Find Michael Online:
Twitter 
Michael’s Book 
Michael on The Ringer 

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
I'm thrilled to welcome Jeff Wetzler to the show today. He is Co-CEO of Transcend, where he combines unique leadership experiences spanning more than 25 years in business and education as a management consultant to the world's top corporations. He’s also a learning facilitator for leaders around the world and the Chief Learning Officer at teach for America. Jeff is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and is an Edmund Hillary Fellow. And he’s the author of a new book called Ask.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who wants to learn how to ask the types of questions that will tap into the thoughts and insights of the people around them. 
 
TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… each of us is surrounded by people in our lives - customers, investors, colleagues, managers, people we manage, friends - who are filled with ideas, perspectives, insights, and feedback that could be incredibly helpful to us. But too often, we never uncover these things because we don’t ask questions. 
 
Key takeaways:
The key barriers to asking questions
Understanding what makes a clumsy question and what makes a quality question
Jeff’s five-step Ask Approach
The most high-leverage thing you can do as a listener
How leaders can implement this into the culture of an organization
WHAT I LOVE MOST… creating safety for a question asker. Question-asking is a muscle that needs to be built and for someone learning the skill, voicing those first few questions can be an uncomfortable or nervous experience. Jeff encourages everybody, especially leaders, to be considerate in how they answer questions so they can encourage more questions. 
 
Running Time: 26:47
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Find Jeff Online:
Website 
LinkedIn 
 
Jeff’s Book: 
Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life
 

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
I’m inviting Steve Dennis, a long-time social media friend to the show. Steve is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, podcast host, and the bestselling author of his previous book, Remarkable Retail. He has been named a top global retail influencer by multiple organizations and his thoughts on the future of shopping are regularly shared in his role as a Forbes Senior Contributor. He is the president and founder of Sage Berry Consulting, but prior to that, he was Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Multichannel Marketing at the Neiman Marcus Group. He serves on multiple nonprofit boards and has a new book out, Leaders Leap.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders seeking insights on navigating industry disruption and fostering innovation in their organizations.
 
TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… making incremental changes is a risky strategy in this day and age and the organizations that don’t adapt to the accelerating pace of change risk falling behind in competitiveness. Steve explores how to get ahead. 
 
Key takeaways: 
How to prepare for “leaps” and drive powerful innovation. 
How to embrace discomfort and manage fear around change. 
The role of ego in limiting innovation. 
Why it’s important to incorporate both bold leaps and incremental changes based on an industry’s disruption levels
 
WHAT I LOVE MOST… change can be really scary. Steve shares some great reminders on how fear often precedes the greatest innovations. 
 
Running Time: 31:16
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Find Steve Online:
Website 
LinkedIn 
 
Steve’s Book: 
Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
I have the honor and pleasure of welcoming Ty Wiggins to the show today. He advises leading companies on leadership transitions and executive onboarding to ensure more expedient paths to effectiveness. His new book, The New CEO, is based on original research and candid conversations with world-leading CEOs. In the book, Ty offers a backstage pass to nailing your first year as a leader and sometimes CEO, whether it's your first, second, or third time in the role.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders who want to learn from the experiences of the most successful CEOs. 
 
TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… stepping into the role of CEO is a big step, whether it’s your first time or not. After working with many CEOs on their transitions, Ty has picked up on patterns and lessons. In this episode, he underscores the nuanced nature of CEO transitions and the need for thoughtful, strategic approaches to leadership.
Key takeaways: 
The significance of early actions and decision-making during the first 12 to 24 months of a CEO's tenure.
The two most common regrets CEOs have about their transitions.
How to strike a balance between addressing immediate challenges and investing in long-term growth.
How to navigate the complexities of organizational culture and communication.
 
WHAT I LOVE MOST… the decisions you make at the senior leadership level end up somewhere. They aren’t just problems solved in the boardroom. Ty asks the question, “Is your decision landing well? Is it theoretical, or is it actually helping?”. Add these questions into your decision-making process to understand the full effect. 
 
Running Time: 30:56
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Twitter
LinkedIn
 
Find Ty Online:
Website 
LinkedIn 
 
Ty’s Book: 
The New CEO: Lessons from CEOs on How to Start Well and Perform Quickly (Minus the Common Mistakes)