Image credit: AnatolyMYou spend a year building something. You have no idea if it’s any good. Then you put it out into the world and wait.That’s what writing my book felt like. Not one big moment of doubt, but rather a long, quiet stretch of it, spread across a year of dumping content onto notepads

Writing Into the Void (and Learning That It Worked)

I spent years believing that if nobody was complaining, everything was fine. I was wrong, and this thirty second clip is where I first said why, before I even knew I was describing my own business.The clip on this page is from a keynote I gave before I’d written my book or built out the

No News Is Not Good News

Artificial intelligence is transforming every industry—but how do we make sure we don’t automate away the very thing that makes organizations successful: human judgment?In this episode, I welcome back keynote speaker, employee retention expert, and author Lisa Ryan to discuss her new book, Smart Plant: Aligning AI, Automation, and People. Although the book is written

Say “Yes, And!” to Human Judgment in the Age of AI with Lisa Ryan

You know that moment, right?Where one more setback, one more rejection, hearing one more “yes, but” is enough to make you finally want to throw your hands up and say, “okay, enough! I QUIT!”I certainly have over the last 30 years. Some as recently as a year ago.When that happens, there are a few things I

The Books I Reach For When I Feel Like Quitting

Atul Sood sat down for a job interview at McDonald’s and told the interviewer the truth.No, he hadn’t sold his company. He’d shut it down. Three months earlier his marriage of 11 years had ended, he’d been hospitalized for a mental health crisis, and the team he’d spent five years building told him he couldn’t

The Truth Got Him Hired. It’s Also What Your Quiet, Tired Team Is Waiting For.

One of the biggest misconceptions about networking is that it’s about collecting contacts.My guest this week argues it’s about something much deeper: building genuine friendships.I sat down with business development executive Atul Sood to discuss how authentic relationships have shaped his entire career, from helping McDonald’s build technology partnerships to launching startups, navigating personal and

Say “Yes, And!” to Building Relationships that Last with Atul Sood