Disrupt Yourself Podcast With Whitney Johnson

A 21st century career path can take many twists and turns. The skills you learn for one S Curve may not map perfectly to the next. That's why learning is the most important skill of all. That's some wisdom from Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey, the Chief Learning and Chief Diversity Officer at Kraft Heinz. And she should know. Before earning her many prestigious titles in the corporate world, she came from a background in standup comedy and improv. Pamay is a first generation Nigerian-American, born in New York City. Her heritage has deeply informed her approach to diversity and inclusion, but her passion for comedy made her career path unconventional to say the least. Pamay and Whitney discuss how to translate skills from one S Curve to another, especially when it comes to job interviews. And why it's so important to fill your eyes and ears with the stories of others who have accomplished great things. Pamay also explains how journaling regularly became a powerful self-reflection tool, especially during a difficult t

We all have jobs to pay the bills, but what is your purpose? And what's your company's purpose? Leena Nair asks these questions every day. She's the chief human resources officer at Unilever. She's also the first female, first Asian, and youngest CHRO in the company's history. "Companies with purpose last. And people with purpose thrive," Leena explains. And she has the data to back it up. Ensuring the well-being of 150,000 employees is a monumental endeavor, but her success stems from spending time with people to understand their motivations. And she rejects outdated business models that only view employees as a cost, rather than a company's greatest asset. Leena's made huge investments in purpose workshops and mental health programs. It's not only good for people; it's good for the bottom line, too. "For every $1 I invest in human well-being, we get $2.50 back." Whitney and Leena discuss why raising your hand for the most difficult jobs is one of the most important things you can do. "When was the last time

Being a leader and teaching leadership are two very different things. Harry Kraemer found this out when he jumped S-curves later in life. Harry is the former chairman and CEO of Baxter International, a $12 billion global healthcare company. But more importantly for this conversation, he now teaches leadership at Northwestern University. Harry explains the importance of self-reflection and genuine humility, and identifies the nature of "true self-confidence." It's not about taking risks or getting up in front of people. By contrast, true confidence is a leader's ability to say "I don't know." Harry and Whitney discuss the qualities that make leaders both effective and relatable, and why it's never OK to say, "I don't know where you're coming from." Harry's most recent bestselling book is titled: Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life.

When we talk about starting a new S-curve, few exemplify this better than Jacqueline Novogratz. She upended her successful career in international banking to focus on addressing global poverty through the impact investment organization Acumen. Her journey is extraordinary, inspiring, and at times heartbreaking. Jacqueline and Whitney talk about what it takes to have a "moral imagination," the foundational work of building a better world. As she puts it, "the opposite of poverty isn't wealth, it's dignity." Jacqueline explains why top-down and bottom-up solutions lack the nuance to effect lasting change, and how she learned to leverage her privilege, rather than distance herself from it. And when extreme poverty and violence make everything feel futile, Jacqueline reminds us to look for beauty wherever we can find it. "Beauty reminds us why we're here to do the hard work."  

Dr. Astrid Tuminez is the first female president of Utah Valley University, and her journey is incredibly inspiring. Born in the Philippines and raised in extreme poverty, Tuminez made pivotal choices and gained important mentors which led her to the U.S. Her passion for international relations made her an influential voice of peace at the height of the Cold War. In her conversation with Whitney, Astrid explains how she got comfortable with failure, and how the kindness of teachers completely changed her life. "No person in this world is self-made. Somebody along the way did something for you," she says. She shares the three most important decisions in her life, the benefits of getting fired, and a key lesson from martial arts: "Be a limp noodle."

TV host, author, and podcaster Mike Rowe would have been a construction worker if not for advice from his grandfather: "Find a different toolbox." Turns out, Mike wasn't great with his hands, but his grandfather and other mentors recognized different skills. They pushed him out of his comfort zone and in front of microphones and cameras. Today, Mike's wildly popular "Dirty Jobs" TV series has shown millions of viewers what it takes to do extraordinary jobs that don’t get talked about on “Career Day,” but are critical to a well-functioning society. And Rowe credits a lot of his success to multiple failures. The show itself was born out of a TV news segment gone wrong. In this episode, Mike and Whitney discuss the unusual mindset of his early career: He sought out bad ideas and was happy to get paid to work on projects that were doomed to fail. Removing the stakes freed him up to experiment and take risks, which led to much more interesting projects. Mike also discusses the importance of music in his life, and

Chris Dancy's life used to be a lot different. Back in 2008, he weighed more than 300 pounds, smoked two packs and drank 36 cans of Diet Coke a day. But he had one disruptive skill in his back pocket. As a database engineer, he's obsessive about tracking information. And when he put the lens on himself, it changed everything. By tracking every aspect of his life (food, feelings, TV, social media posts, etc.) he collected "big data" on himself, the way a tech company would. Using a variety of sensors, apps, and home-brewed systems, Dancy harnessed his habits and completely disrupted his life. Today, he's an author and speaker who warns against the dangerous discourse that technology is "breaking" people. Instead, he says "don't unplug," and explains how the systems that suck our attention and data can be reverse-engineered to make our lives better, and ultimately make us more human. "Today's technology is engineered around reactions, not feelings," he says, and shows us that it's within our power to change tha

The proverbial "glass ceiling" is real, and can block women from reaching their full potential. There is a lot of work to be done here, but not all women are in a position to effect systemic change. So what can women (and their allies) do in their daily lives and careers to close the gap? That's the subject of Sally Helgesen's book, How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job. Helgesen's groundbreaking research with thousands of women and companies over 30+ years reveals the fascinating differences between genders in the workplace, and the reasons some women struggle to claim credit for their achievements and vocalize their career aspirations — habits that often come more naturally to men. In a corporate culture where achievements are rarely valued unless you shout them from the rooftops, women constantly balance perceptions of being "too aggressive" and not advocating for themselves enough. Helgesen says, "why not both?" And she shares practical advice for wom

If you've already answered the question we posed in episode 80 (Why should you disrupt yourself in the first place?), then it's time to revisit risk, the first accelerant of personal disruption. In this encore episode, Whitney discusses why not all risk is created equal, and why taking the right risks can have huge upsides. If this podcast is valuable to you, email Whitney at wj@whitneyjohnson.com. She responds to every one.   80 Why would you disrupt yourself? 7-point framework for personal disruption.   First accelerant of personal disruption, encore.  

There's a lot of common wisdom around building good habits: stick to a schedule, reject constraints, and seek out great advice. But science would like a word. Katy Milkman is an economist and behavioral scientist who has done breakthrough research on how people form (or break) habits. Surprising data from her book, How to Change, shows that flexibility, not routine, is the key to conquering procrastination, exercise, and more. Environmental changes, even small ones like the start of a new week or a new year (resolutions, anyone?) can be psychologically huge in effecting change. And constraints on creativity often yield better results than unlimited resources. Science also explains why when it comes to mastering a skill, tis often better to give advice than to receive it.

Reframing failure as a learning experience is so hard to do. But when you can, it's one of the most powerful tools for personal growth. This week, Whitney explores the value of a discovery-driven mindset through the advice of many past Disrupt Yourself guests, and her own experience. Knowing where you are on your emotional journey before walking into the unknown removes so much risk. And traditional planning isn't always enough. Discovery-driven planning is a different, and often more flexible way to embark. Whitney also discusses testing your assumptions by setting milestones, and why sometimes the bravest thing you can do is just show up.

In an economy dominated by tech giants, growing your business to compete with Amazon or Google can feel futile. But Ray Wang thinks differently about this challenge. Wang is the founder and chairman of Constellation Research, a Silicon Valley advisory firm that finds opportunities for businesses to scale — especially in highly competitive climates. He explains why companies that have won the digital innovation battle have yet to win the war. From Domino's Pizza, to Honeywell, to Walmart, and even Mom & Pop businesses, Wang shares numerous examples of how successful companies stopped playing their competitors' game, and invented new lines of business they can uniquely own. Wang also re-thinks personal data as a property right — a simple regulatory shift that would completely disrupt tech in favor of consumers and small businesses.

Brooke Snow is an author, meditation instructor, musician, podcaster, and parent who prefers to define herself by her qualities, rather than any of these roles. Reframing identity as traits (kind, thoughtful, determined) rather than titles allows Brooke to be so much more than the sum of her jobs. Brooke explains why bad days are actually good when you can recognize your wins (however small), putting floors and ceilings on your daily productivity, where her S Curves as an entrepreneur and a parent inform each other, and why it's not always a bad thing to be "self-centered." Learn more about Brooke's work here: https://brookesnow.com/

“Listen first” and “Disrupt yourself before you are disrupted.” Those are some of the hard-won lessons from Scott Miller on this encore episode.  Scott is the Executive Vice President of the Thought Leadership practice at FranklinCovey and author of Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow, about becoming the leader you would want to follow. In this episode, he offers many lessons that are critical for the challenges facing today’s leaders. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/scott-miller-encore/

What does it take to get someone to believe in you? To back you and what you are doing? This episode’s guest is Harvard University Visiting Scholar Suneel Gupta, author of the new book Backable. We talk about what you must do, and what you must leave behind, to get people to take a chance on you. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/222-suneel-gupta/

Writer, investor, and entrepreneur Chris Yeh joins on this episode of Disrupt Yourself. He has been in the world of startups for 25 years and shares amazing insight and wisdom he has gained along the way including going faster than you might be comfortable with; deciding what you are willing to go “all in” on; how to realize that you need to discover the new rules, and others. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/221-chris-yeh

Play to your strengths and play where no one else is playing These are the first two of the Seven Accelerants for Growth™ on the S Curve of Learning™. Sarah Feingold is a great example of both. She former General Counsel of Etsy, and general counsel of Vroom.com, and co-founder of Fourth Floor that helps women become ready for the Board Room—and her stories provide guidance and inspiration for all of us looking to have a great career.   Enjoy this encore episode that we recorded in 2016. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit:https://whitneyjohnson.com/encore-sarah-feingold

Scott O’Neil is head of the organization that owns the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team, the New Jersey Devils hockey franchise, and the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey. He’s just written a new book, Be Where Your Feet Are and we talk about jumping to new S Curves of Learning™, how to encourage other people to take new risks, how to be present where you are, and the importance of dreaming big. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/219-scott-oneil/

Justin Osofsky, Chief Operating Officer at Instagram, shares some of his hard-won insights about Building an A Team. The five takeaways from the episode can help any manager be more engaged and supportive of their team.

When you combine the human spirit and technology all sorts of great things start to happen. Aicha Evans, CEO of the autonomous vehicle company Zoox, is our guest. There are six big takeaways from this conversation including understanding everyone’s importance in a company’s value chain, how complaints can help reveal truth, how to add value to a team by not just focusing on individual output. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/aicha-evans