All Interviews | Journal by getAbstract

INTERVIEWS

At Eye Level with Experts and Professionals

“We Need to Relearn How to Build Authentic Relationships.”

Leadership coach Maya Hu-Chan explains how an ancient Chinese concept can help leaders build the human skills necessary to thrive in today’s multicultural and multigenerational work environment.

“Responding to Different Realities Is What Tribal Peoples Have Always Done in This Country.” — Shoshana Wasserman

Shoshana Wasserman has worked all her life to increase native peoples’ visibility – the past 16 years alone by helping to make the First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma a reality. Yet, for many years, the project hung on by a tiny thread. With the finishing line in plain view, she tells us what has kept her running regardless.

British psychologist Audrey Tang discusses how introducing small nuggets of mindfulness into your workday can lead to powerful changes over time.

“The Growth Mind-Set Is Almost a Ticket to Entry to Becoming an Effective Learner”

Matthew Smith, chief learning officer at McKinsey, opens up about simple and actionable learning practices that will make you an intentional learner in no time.

“It Helps People Communicate, It Helps Reduce Conflict, and It Helps to Drive Innovation.”

Simon Brown, author of The Curious Advantage and chief learning officer at Novartis, explains the superpower that lies dormant in all employees, but is organizationally discovered only in a few: Curiosity.

Global workforce management leader Barbara Jamelli-Sefchik talks about the importance of giving people the time and headspace to build resilience and agility.

“Structure Begets Flexibility.” — Cal Newport / Penny Gray Photography

We’re drowning in emails, text messages, and more and more new collaboration tools. Cal Newport advises organizations to pull the emergency brake now.

Co-founder of Centric Consulting and management expert Larry English on why “hybrid” work solutions – where employees work from home at least part time – are here to stay.

Author and Human Resource expert Dave Ulrich talks about business transformation and what it means to be a learning organization.

“Virtual Learning Is a Great Equalizer.”

COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation in all areas, including the L&D space. Blended learning pioneer Jennifer Hofmann shares some of her experiences working with clients over the past year.

“Go Watch Your People!” — Donald H. Taylor

Donald H. Taylor on the results of the latest Learning and Development Global Sentiment Survey, and what matters now if you want to properly upskill and reskill in your organization.

“Being Open and Agile Is the One Vital Skill for the 21st Century” — Henna Inam / transformleaders.tv

Applicable Tricks That Help Navigate Disruption in the Workplace.

“People Thoroughly Underestimate the Importance of Body Language in Virtual Communication.” — Richard Newman / borntospeak.com

The virtual work environment requires a new set of communication skills. Award-winning communication expert Richard Newman explains how to captivate an online audience.

“Hybrid Work Structures Are Here to Stay”

As businesses adapt to a hybrid workforce, having effective collaboration tools in place is key. Author and technology expert Phil Simon opens our eyes to the underused potential of new collaboration technologies that will make work processes more transparent and efficient.

“I Lived All That and I Turned It All Around.”

The “Father of Biohacking,” best-selling author and entrepreneur Dave Asprey, explores the cutting edge of anti-aging medicine.

“Technology Is Not the Real Problem Here.”

Relying on technology to communicate can leave us feeling increasingly disconnected from one another. Author and consultant Dr. Karen Sobel Lojeski developed a system to measure and best practices to reduce Virtual Distance at organizations.

“Up Is Just One Way to Grow.” — Beverly Kaye

The best talent acquisition process won’t be of much use if you can’t keep the talent you have, says career development expert Beverly Kaye.

“Experience Tells People What You Did. Your Character Tells People Where You’re Going.”

In US Special Operations, having the right people on your team can often mean the difference between life and death.

“Sideways Is the New Up!” — Kelley Steven-Waiss & Edie Goldberg / (c) Christophe Testi @ CreativeShot Photography

Most organizations still assess employees’ skills by looking at their current roles and job titles. Edie Goldberg and Kelley Steven-Waiss propose a tried-and-tested alternative.

St. Andrew’s Hospice emphasizes its learning culture through Learning At Work Week. Lisa Tillison, Learning and Development Lead at the charity, explains why.

York von Heimburg has been working on the topic of virtual team leadership for many years. He knows what’s essential – and what mistakes to avoid.

“For Creativity and Innovation, Life needs Time and Space”

Companies are living systems, says management expert Michele Holliday. Cultivate the right conditions for growth and the whole will be more capable than the sum of the parts.

“Your Level of Social Connection Affects Your Longevity” — Michael Lee Stallard

Business author Michael Lee Stallard on how to maintain connections in our private and professional lives – and why the pandemic could improve our working relationships enormously in the long term.

“Make Sure You Have 35 Years of Experience. And Not One Experience Repeated 35 Times.” — Ken Allen, CEO of DHL

Ken Allen, CEO at DHL, explains what executives will need tomorrow to be able to “deliver”.

“In Times of Confusion, It’s Crucial That the Message Gets Through.” — Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo / Photo by Bryce Vickmark/MIT/UPI/laif

Nobel Laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit V. Banerjee on the surprisingly commonsensical nature of economics, and how COVID-19 will affect the global fight against poverty and the quality of economic policy.

“Passivity Is Depressing, Activity Is Energizing.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter / Photo: Jason Grow

The doyenne of leadership experts, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, on the importance of advanced leadership in times of crisis, more diversity at the executive level, and the need to reinvent institutions.

“The Focus is ‘Enough’ Rather Than ‘More’”

The mainstream economics notion that unfettered growth accompanied by greater consumption and productivity benefits society is false, argues Rob Dietz, Program Director at the Post Carbon Institute. In an interview with getAbstract, he shares his vision of a new economic way forward.

“If a Diversity Expert Can Fail So Epically, Anyone Can.”

Tiffany Jana and Michael Baran on subtle acts of exclusion, how to recognize them, how to avoid them and how to deal with them proactively – on both sides of a conversation.

“Education Ministries Across Latin America Have Been Quite Creative.” — Lima city at lockdown on coronavirus pandemic in 2020 / Photo: Christian Vinces / getty

Learning loss, especially among the world’s poor, is a major concern following months of school lockdowns. Yet new teaching tools and digital initiatives rolled out during the pandemic could benefit the cause of improving literacy in the long term.

“Our Level of Knowledge About China Is Not Sufficient”

China is systematically trying to expand its influence in the world. China expert Mareike Ohlberg – co-author of Hidden Hand – Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party Is Reshaping the World – speaks of infiltration. In this interview, she explains the methods Beijing is using and why the West must react.

The World Post-Pandemic? It’s Not Going To Be What You Expect. — Paolo Gallo

The “New Normal” has turned into the buzzword du jour. But is the world really going to settle into a new routine following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic? Author and executive coach Paolo Gallo doesn’t think so.

“It’s Up to the Users to Advocate for Change” — Brian Solis, photo by Stuart Tracte

Has COVID-19-induced physical distancing made our unhealthy relationship with technology worse? Not necessarily, argues digital anthropologist and author Brian Solis. But the time has come for consumers to start demanding for technology that will help us make more of ourselves.

…and unfortunately, this also applies to the economic system the world largely adopted and is now relying on: capitalism. The world’s leading inequality scholar, Branko Milanović talks about global income disparities, resurgent ideologies and the most promising strategies for dealing with both.

“When You Talk to People About Fairness, the Conversation Immediately Becomes Political” — Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth

Computer scientists Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth research how computer programs can affect our lives. Even when written without malice, algorithms have the potential to treat people unfairly or violate their privacy. How do you get algorithms to be decent?

As the world strategizes on what the “New Normal” should look like, Vlatka Hlupic argues that humane, social-minded companies will survive in the post-pandemic world. How can we become part of a company that is a force for good?

“We Lead the World in Science, and We Also Lead the World in Opposition to Science” — Jared Diamond, American historian and anthropologist, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and UCLA professor, playing piano in the living room of his home in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles; photo by Damon Casarez /Redux/laif

Jared Diamond, world-famous historian of societal crises and collapses, currently lives in self-imposed quarantine in California. When he’s not writing papers on the birds of New Guinea or playing Beethoven sonatas on the piano, he is concerned about the effect the current pandemic will have on his country and the world. What gives him hope?

“People Who Don’t Feel Respected Will Not Want to Show Up Every Day and Contribute to Your Organization.”

A millennial herself, Crystal Kadakia provides globally relevant insight into her generation in her book, The Millennial Myth. Here, she shares some of her thoughts on how to attract millennial talent.

“You Can Watch the March of Ideas from the Minds of Economists and into Our Lives.”

After decades of free-market policies in the United States and Britain, working-class voters are in full revolt. In The Economists’ Hour Binyamin Appelbaum surveys the last half-century and sees an obvious path from the economics of Milton Friedman, Arthur Laffer and others to today’s disgruntled masses.

Efosa Ojomo, Clayton M. Christensen and Karen Dillon

In one of his last interviews, economist Clayton M. Christenen, who passed away in January, argues that only innovation can lift nations out of poverty.

“The Emergence of Liberty Is Perhaps Even More Surprising than Economic Growth.”

To get an idea of the political construction of the world of tomorrow, one has to travel back in time – sometimes a few thousand years. Renowned MIT economist Daron Acemoğlu talks about the making and the most interesting findings of his new book.

Kai Strittmatter, Foto Anton Turovinin (Piper Verlag) — Kai Strittmatter by Anton Turovinin (Piper Verlag)

The “Middle Kingdom” is back. But not the way one had imagined in the West: While the Chinese economy is growing, the freedoms of the population are dwindling, says China expert Kai Strittmatter.

In his book Open to Think, Dan Pontefract offers strategies for cutting through the clutter, thinking more clearly and making better decisions. His prescription: be more deliberate with your time.

“Public Attention Is Not Awarded Rationally. It Has To Be Carried by a Story” — Robert J. Shiller, Kai Nedden/laif

In his new book, economist and Nobel laureate Robert Shiller argues that he and his fellow dismal scientists need to look beyond the usual data point: Stories are what really drive decisions to spend, save or speculate.

“Access to Much Greater Intelligence Will Be a Step-Change in Our Civilization” — Stuart Russell by Mehdi Chebil/Polaris/laif

Leading computer scientist Stuart Russell on the major breakthroughs towards the first human-level AI, its foreseeable economic and social effects – and the risks of massive pullbacks on the way.

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