In this conversation, Naji Gehchan sat with Gaurav Mehta CEO at Alveolus Bio, and discussed several deep topics from leadership to happiness and being content, and also the current biotech world and its challenges. Gaurav emphasized that leadership involves self-awareness and humility, aiming for productive outcomes that benefit investors, teams, products, and patients. He linked innovation to combining ideas with execution, highlighting the importance of bringing one’s best self forward to inspire teams and sell ideas passionately. Regarding entrepreneurship, Gaurav stressed shedding self-limiting storylines, allowing inner genius to flourish, and being open to pivoting when necessary. The conversation also touched on vulnerability, humility, and genuine connections as essential for spreading love within organizations. Gaurav encouraged us all as healthcare leaders to set ambitious goals to tackle significant healthcare challenges effectively.
Gaurav Mehta is the Chief Executive Officer at Alveolus Bio, a biotech Harnessing the power of the microbiome for the prevention and treatment of lung disease. Gaurav has raised multi-million dollars in the form of dilutive and non-dilutive money. He also has progressed long term global strategic partnership deals that authenticate his team, their capabilities, and science with the intent of obtaining investments for his company. He has also created a revenue-generating-business to create value, sustain the company in market volatility and mitigate dilution. While in this capacity, he also advises multiple life science businesses.
Gaurav has co-founded multiple companies. His 20 years of building and scaling depth include having led global operations, business transformations, top and bottom-line improvements, M&A execution, and a turn-around.
This experience has been across large to small firms around the globe in BioTech, MedTech, digital health, and tech.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to “Spread Love in Organizations”, a podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host, joined today by Gaurav Mehta, CEO at Alveolus Bio, a biotech Harnessing the power of the microbiome for the prevention and treatment of lung disease. Gaurav has raised multi-million dollars in the form of dilutive and non-dilutive money. He also has progressed long term global strategic partnership deals that authenticate his team, their capabilities, and science with…
This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Nate Beyor, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group, and discussed Digital Innovation, specifically data. For Nate, the key to all those digital innovations is the transformation of how we work with technology rather than adding tech. The biggest moves will be around automation and how we can “make steps go away” in processes to improve efficiency and experiences. With our current moves with data in healthcare, more interoperability, access, and connectivity will allow for further automation and improvements. Those algorithms will certainly be the less risky option for decision-making while ensuring we are empowering humans to make the final call.
“Build first. You’ll learn more by trying to do it than you will by spending a year debating what to do.“
MEET OUR GUESTNate Beyor Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group.
Nate Beyor is Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group where he leads Health Tech based out of Southern California. Nate is passionate about the interface between technology and biology, with a healthy appreciation for operational rigor. He has spent his career exploring different avenues at this intersection, from microfluidics to biologics manufacturing, to stem cell therapy development, and now in digital health.
At BCG, Nate has hands-on experience launching digital solutions remote monitoring, clintech, supply chain, and precision medicine. Nate believes in the power of technology to change how we treat, how we heal, and how we live.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to “Spread Love in Organizations”, a podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this special episode in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the Healthcare Ecosystem Together. I am joined today by Nate Beyor, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group. Nate leads Health Tech for BCG, based out of Southern California. He is passionate about the interface between technology and biology,…
Together, different healthcare stakeholders, should join hands, and work to fix healthcare distribution inequities across the world. Those are Gaurav Deshpande’s words of plea for all of us healthcare leaders. After years in clinic, academic and global health, Gaurav is now leading one of the largest non-profits in the world in cleft disease: Operation Smile, helping kids get the surgery and cleft care needed wherever they call home throughout their childhood and adolescence. Access to safe and quality care is a universal human right. Hear Gaurav’s story, his experiences across different geographies, and his leadership beliefs leading teams and helping thousands of children across the globe have a better future.
“We should fix together healthcare distribution inequities for a better world.”
MEET OUR GUESTGaurav Deshpande Head of Medical Oversight and Safety at Operation Smile.
Gaurav Deshpande is an Experienced healthcare professional with 12 years of clinical, academic, and global health experience. He is currently the Head of Medical Oversight and safety at one of the largest cleft NGOs in the world, Operation Smile.
Gaurav is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at PennState Hershey School of Medicine with several publications in the craniofacial and cleft field.
Gaurav is passionate about global surgery and constantly seeks to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare corporations by helping develop and disseminate high-quality products and therapeutics.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to “Spread Love in Organizations”, a podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host, joined today by Gaurav Deshpande, an Experienced healthcare professional with 12 years of clinical, academic, and global health experience. Gaurav is currently the Head of Medical Oversight and safety at one of the largest cleft NGOs in the world, Operation Smile. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at PennState Hershey school of Medicine with several publications…
This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Jami Taylor, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics and a global Justice Fellow at Yale University to talk about Accessibility in a Global Health Setting. It starts with courageous and tenacious leadership, leaders who believe we can do something about it, think of innovation for access, advocate, and think of affordability as they build new life-saving treatments for patients. Hear Jami’s story, and her incredible experiences bringing accessibility to patients and striving for global justice. For Jami, Spreading Love in Organizations opens the floodgates to progress for a healthy equitable world.
“Spreading love opens the floodgates to progress“
MEET OUR GUESTJami Taylor Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics.
Jami Taylor is Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics, and a Global Justice Fellow at Yale University, working to design new models to improve access to medicines in the world’s poorest and most challenging settings.
Earlier in her career, Jami held global leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson across key divisions and was a founding member of Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health. Jami has served as a member of the National Academy of Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats; the Private Sector Delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the Chairman’s Circle at the Center for Global Development; the Global Health Advisory Council at Harvard Medical School; and on many other committees and forums addressing priority issues in medicine and society.
In 2014, Jami was named a Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow at the Presidio Institute, a program created by the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation to advance the work of leaders addressing society’s most complex challenges.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this special episode in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the Healthcare Ecosystem Together. Jami Taylor is joining me today for this episode. Jami is Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics, and a Global Justice Fellow at Yale University, working to design new models to improve access to…
This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Dr. Assaad Sayah CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance and discussed his personal story, his leadership beliefs, and the “Value-Based Care”, topic of his panel at the conference. Value = Quality / Cost, this is the way to think about value-based care; it has to be of great quality with the best patient experience at a contained cost. Health equity in this context is key. We need first of all to be in the underserved communities and be thoughtful, and purposeful about addressing their needs to narrow equities gaps. For Assaad, leadership is about providing the space for people to do the work, it is about trust, clarity, transparency, and accountability. The ultimate success of a “care delivery system” is for it to disappear because we worked on education, prevention, and screening for the community to remain healthy.
“Provide the space for people to do the work“
MEET OUR GUESTAssaad Sayah Chief Executive Officer Cambridge Health Alliance.
Dr. Assaad Sayah, President and CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance. Assaad was named CHA’s President and CEO in January 2020 after serving as the interim CEO since June 2019 and Chief Medical Officer since 2013.
Before that, Assaad served as the chief of emergency medicine and Senior Vice President of Primary Care. In the Emergency Department, he led tremendous advancements at all three CHA hospitals, resulting in enhanced efficiency, quality, volume, and patient satisfaction. He spearheaded primary care growth by more than 50 percent, expanding CHA’s access in underserved communities and integrating primary care and behavioral health services and systems to address social determinants of health. Assaad also plays a key role in CHA’s commitment to the communities it serves, including his tenure as the co-chair of the Cambridge City Manager’s Opioid Working Group established in 2018 to develop recommendations for strengthening the city’s response to the opioid epidemic.
Additionally, Assaad is Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. His research and publications focus on operational efficiency, improving the clinical environment, and patient experience of care.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this special episode in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the Healthcare Ecosystem Together. I am joined today Assaad Sayah, President and CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance. Assaad was named CHA’s President and CEO in January 2020 after serving as the interim CEO since June 2019 and chief medical officer…
This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Andy Plump, President of R&D and Board Member at Takeda, and discussed his personal story, his leadership beliefs, and the “Challenges in Scaling Biotech Innovation” the topic of his panel at the conference. Hear his thoughts on the current and next decades of innovation, “will it be the decades of Life Science or Computer Science?” Most importantly, Andy leaves us with a message of hope. Every dark period in history anchored on the triad of war, pandemic, and social injustice has ended with greatness through science… We are on the edge of this, again, now.
“This decade will be remembered for Life Science or Computer Science… The potential is limitless.“
MEET OUR GUESTAndrew Plump President of Research & Development and Board Member at Takeda.
Dr. Andrew Plum is the President of Research & Development and a Board Member at Takeda. His career spans nearly 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.
Andy has been recognized for his contributions to the healthcare industry, education, and the arts. He serves on several non-profit boards including the Board of Trustees for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, the Biomedical Science Careers Program, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the PhRMA Foundation.
Prior to Takeda, Andrew served as head of Research & Translational Medicine, deputy to the president of R&D at Sanofi, based in Paris, France. Prior to Sanofi, he served as worldwide cardiovascular research head at Merck.
Andy received his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), his Ph.D. in cardiovascular genetics, and his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in medical genetics at UCSF.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this special episode in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the Healthcare Ecosystem Together. I am joined today Andrew Plump President of Research & Development and Board Member at Takeda. His career spans nearly 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry and academia. Andrew has been recognized for his contributions to…
From communist Poland to building and living her American Dream, Dorota McKay’s story is an inspiring story of resilience, grit, hard work, humility and never being afraid of taking risks but rather always asking for opportunities. Her words of wisdom for all of us healthcare leaders are crucial: If you’re in doubt, always choose integrity and follow your moral compass. Your reputation is more important than any short-term gain. Listen to her story, learning, and powerful experiences around cultural transformations, in this inspiring episode.
“If you’re in doubt, always choose integrity.”
MEET OUR GUESTDorota McKay Vice President, Controller, and Chief Accounting Officer for Vapotherm.
Dorota McKay is a creative problem solver with a passion for finance and personal development. She is currently a VP Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for Vapotherm, Inc., a publicly traded medtech company that develops innovative, comfortable, non-invasive technologies for respiratory support of patients with chronic or acute breathing disorders.
Dorota holds active CPA, CMA and CFE designations. Prior to joining Vapotherm she was a Controller for Decibel Therapeutics and a Finance Director at Oxford Immunotec. She is also corporate trainer and coach certified in Canfield Methodology and a Certified Culture Transformation Tools Practitioner with the Barrett Values Centre.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host, joined today by Dorota McKay a creative problem solver with a passion for finance and personal development. Dorota is currently a Vice President Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for Vapotherm, Inc., a publicly traded medtech company that develops innovative, comfortable, non-invasive technologies for respiratory support of patients with chronic or acute breathing disorders. Dorota holds active CPA,…
Small affection, care, and love can do miracles in life… This is what Ashoka Madduri co-founder and CEO of Target Therapeutics experienced personally, and what he is taking with him paying forward to the teams and communities he serves. From a small village in India to now leading biotech, Ashoka shares his inspiring story of grit, resilience, hope, optimism, and patience. Trust, empowerment, and care are for him the critical ingredients to building successful teams that can develop and bring breakthrough innovation to patients.
“Care and love can do miracles.”
MEET OUR GUESTAshoka Madduri Co-founder and CEO of TargetSite Therapeutics.
Ashoka grew up in a small village in south India. After completing his undergrad and masters he obtained DAAD matching scholarship and moved to Germany. He completed his PhD in Organic Chemistry from University of Groningen, Netherlands, where he worked on anti-cancer complex natural products. He performed his post-doctoral research to understand pathways involved in multi-drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis at Harvard Medical School. Over the years he has worked in multiple biotech companies and developed expertise in business development & corporate strategy.
He received his Executive MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Currently, he is a Blavatnik Entrepreneurial Fellow at Yale Ventures providing strategy & enabling multiple early-stage life science startups.
Ashoka is a Co-founder & CEO of TargetSite Therapeutics, a Yale spin-out, and Partner at Vestra Associates where he advises biotech companies on strategy and partnerships.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this podcast joined today by Ashoka Madduri. Ashoka grew up in a small village in south India. After completing his undergrad and masters he obtained DAAD matching scholarship and moved to Germany. He completed his PhD in Organic Chemistry from University of Groningen, Netherlands, where he worked on anti-cancer complex natural products. He performed his post-doctoral…
From an engineer who “loves to make things” to a longtime life science and technology leader who only makes things that matter to people and make their life better, learn in this episode with Paul Hartung how to build successful biotechs, launch startups in life sciences and most importantly assemble teams that will address relevant unmet needs. Paul leaves us with a simple yet powerful reminder: as healthcare leaders, we are doing important work we should never stop until we solve and cure the diseases we are addressing.
“Develop a passion in your team for them to come every day and solve relevant unmet needs.”
MEET OUR GUESTPaul Hartung, a longtime life sciences and technology executive.
Paul Hartung is a longtime life sciences and technology executive with a proven track record in launching successful startup businesses and leading Fortune 500 organizations. Paul currently serves on several Board of Directors including Leuko and Verisense, he mentors at MIT VMS, MassBio MassCONNECT, and The Capital Network, and serves as a judge for MassChallenge.
He served as President & CEO through successful Phase II of Cognoptix, which has developed an innovative eye scan for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Paul also founded Sonivance, and has held senior management roles at 3Com, Summit (LASIK), Trumpf, Laser Fare and GE.
Paul graduated with honors from MIT with an MS Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is an active speaker, author, and inventor on a number of patents.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this podcast joined today by Paul Hartung, a longtime life sciences and technology executive with a proven track record in launching successful startup businesses and leading Fortune 500 organizations. Paul currently serves on several Board of Directors including Leuko and Verisense, he mentors at MIT VMS, MassBio MassCONNECT, and The Capital Network, and serves as a…
A diplomat who became passionate about innovation-driven entrepreneurship and ecosystems shares what it takes for communities, cities, and countries to become innovation hubs. Phil Budden’s work is centered on studying and creating those ecosystems grounded around 5 key stakeholders interconnected: Entrepreneurs, Government, Universities, Big Businesses, and Risk Capital. For him though, beyond all, it is about people and connecting those great minds together to create impact. His words of wisdom are powerful for all of us leaders: “be thoughtful about your leadership and its impact.”
“Leadership takes innovative tech to impact.”
MEET OUR GUESTDr. Phil Budden, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan focusing on ‘innovation-driven entrepreneurship’ (IDE) and innovation ecosystems.
Phil Budden Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan focusing on ‘innovation-driven entrepreneurship’ (IDE) and innovation ecosystems. Phil’s approach combines academic, historical, and real-world perspectives on how different stakeholders can all contribute to building successful innovation ecosystems.
Prior to MIT, Phil had undertaken projects on innovation and entrepreneurship for the British Prime Minister’s office and served as the British Consul General to New England where he had been responsible for transatlantic business issues, including trade and investment, corporate/government affairs, as well as science and innovation.
Phil has held several diplomatic posts with the British government: British Cabinet Office; British Embassy, Washington DC; 1st Secretary and Adviser to the PM.
Phil holds a BA and MA in History from Lincoln College, the University of Oxford; an MA in History and Government from Cornell University; and a PhD in History and International Political Economy from the University of Oxford.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this episode joined today by Phil Budden Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan focusing on ‘innovation-driven entrepreneurship’ (IDE) and innovation ecosystems. Phil’s approach combines academic, historical and real-world perspectives on how different stakeholders can all contribute to building successful innovation ecosystems. Prior to MIT, Phil had undertaken projects on innovation and entrepreneurship for the British Prime Minister’s…
It is so rare to sit with a math genius leader who has won over the casinos and is now transforming venture capitalism through impact investment. Semyon Dukach, known for leading one of the MIT blackjack teams in the early 90s, featured in the movie Breaking Vegas, serial entrepreneur, and investor, shares with us his story and leadership beliefs. Semyon is focused on impact investing as a VC and more specifically backing exceptional immigrants. With his strong belief that “opportunity should be the same for everybody”, he is extensively working to improve equity and global impact through his leadership and investment philosophy.
“Love makes the world go round.”
MEET OUR GUESTSemyon Dukach Managing Partner, One Way Ventures, the venture capital fund backing exceptional immigrant tech founders who are building great companies like Brex, Momentus Space, and Chipper Cash.
Semyon Dukach, Managing Partner at One Way Ventures, the venture capital fund backing exceptional immigrant tech founders building great companies like Brex, Momentus Space, and Chipper Cash. Semyon is a refugee from the Soviet Union and was formerly the Managing Director of Techstars.
Prior to Techstars, he was a prolific angel investor and a friend of the startup community. Semyon has made over 100 angel investments, including early investments in Quanergy, SMTP.com, and Wanderu. Xconomy lists Semyon as a top angel investor in New England.
His philosophy has been to focus on helping his founders at all costs. Prior to becoming a full-time angel, Semyon co-founded several technology companies including Vert and Fast Engines. Fast Engines was sold to Adero in 2000. Beyond startups, Semyon is known for leading one of the MIT blackjack teams in the early 90s to beat the casinos.
Semyon earned his B.S. from Columbia University and M.S. from MIT, both in Computer Science.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this podcast joined today by Semyon Dukach, Managing Partner at One Way Ventures, the venture capital fund backing exceptional immigrant tech founders who are building great companies like Brex, Momentus Space, and Chipper Cash. Semyon is a refugee from the Soviet Union and formerly the Managing Director of Techstars (Boston). Prior to Techstars, he was a…
“How can I increase impact and prosperity for all” has been the guiding principle for Dina Sherif an impact-driven entrepreneur, Senior Lecturer, and Executive Director of MIT Legatum. Through this lens, we discussed impact, sustainability, social change, and the key ingredient to successfully building startups that will make the world a better place. A lot has to do with intentionality about the purpose and strong belief in human equality that “everyone is allowed”… One of the most powerful reactions to “Spread Love in Organizations” we heard here from Dina: “In a world filled with hate and unkindness, organizations need more love and real true kindness. When this culture is there, you’re lifting up the bar asking people to show up as the best versions of themselves.”
“Today more than ever, we need love and real true kindness on how we show up for each other in the workplace.”
MEET OUR GUESTDina Sherif Entrepreneur, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan, and Executive Director of the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.
Dina Sherif is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management where she also acts as Executive Director of the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship. Dina is also a Founding Partner of Cairo based Ahead of the Curve, which is the Arab region’s leading firms on issues related to sustainable business growth and impact-driven entrepreneurship. Most recently, Dina joined Disruptech, Egypt’s first Fintech-focused venture capital fund as a Partner, pursuing her passion in building a fund that will support technology being used as a critical tool in creating financial inclusion for a largely unbanked population, most specifically women.
Formerly, Dina was a Senior Advisor to Ashoka, providing support to their Global Venture/Fellowship Support arm and helping them reimagine new ways to identify the world’s leading social innovators. She also held the endowed Willard Brown Chair for International Business at the American University in Cairo (AUC), where she was also the Founding Director of their Center for Entrepreneurship. During the time she held the Brown Chair, Dina also taught classes on social entrepreneurship and business ethics. Prior to the above, Dina helped establish the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at AUC.
Dina has been the lead author of several publications including the book From Charity to Social Change: Trends in Arab Philanthropy and key reports such as the 2015 UNDP Business Solutions Report and the first of its kind 7 country study on trends in responsible business practice in the Arab region, in addition to other key policy pieces and blogs on the importance of entrepreneurship and impact investing to building more sustainable and inclusive societies.
In acknowledgment of her dedication to creating a new way of doing business, Dina was given the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Egypt by the American Chamber of Commerce in 2016; was recognized by the Embassy of India as a “Woman of Substance” in 2016; was chosen as one of 10 United Nations Global Compact Sustainable Development Goal Pioneers in 2016; and was named as one of the top 50 most influential women by the Amwal Al Ghad Magazine. During her time at the Harvard Kennedy School, Dina was also a recipient of the prestigious Lucius Littauer Fellows Award in recognition of academic excellence and service. Dina is also an Eisenhower Fellow and was also a fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as a Research Fellow at the New America Foundation.
Dina is currently a member of the Special Presidential Advisory Council for Economic Development reporting to the President of Egypt; a Global Advisory Board Member in the Eisenhower Fellowships; a member of the Board of Qalaa Holding, a member of the Board of Smart Medical Services, and a member of the Board of EducateMe.
Dina holds a Masters of Public Administration and Management from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MA in Economic Development Studies from the American University in Cairo, and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from the American University in Cairo. She is also a graduate of the non-credit leadership program delivered by THNK School for Creative Leadership in Amsterdam.
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship | Development of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems | Sustainable Economic Development | Impact Investing | Strategic Philanthropy | Responsible Business Practices | Gender Equality and Economic Inclusion of Women | Qualitative Research
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I’m Naji your host for this podcast, joined today with Dina Sherif, senior lecturer at MIT Sloan, and executive Director of the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship. Dina is also a founding partner of Cairo based, Ahead of the Curve, which is the Arab region’s leading firms on issues related to sustainable business growth and impact-driven entrepreneurship. Most recently, Dina…
“I am not as good as they think I am”; “I’ll be uncovered at some point”, “They certainly made a mistake having me here”, etc, etc. You might think you’re the only one having those thoughts but you’re not. 70% of people and leaders have them. Hear in this episode what this means to you, your people, and your teams, and how to manage this for success. Professor Basima Tewfik shares with us here years of research on impostor thoughts and also request-declining at work. A great chat many of us need!
“Work is about relationships.”
MEET OUR GUESTBasima Tewfik Career Development Professor and Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies at MIT Sloan.
Basima Tewfik is the Class of 1943 Career Development Professor and an Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Her main stream of research examines the psychology of the social self at work. In particular, she seeks to define new conversations around two underexplored phenomena in the organizational literature that implicate the social self: Workplace impostor thoughts (popularly known as impostor syndrome), defined as the belief that others overestimate one’s competence at work, and request-declining at work, defined as the active decision not to help others at work. In a secondary stream of work, she examines effective employee and workgroup functioning in the modern workplace, an increasingly important topic given the rising complexity of work.
Her dissertation, entitled “Impostor thoughts as a double-edged sword: Theoretical conceptualization, construct measurement, and relationships with work-related outcomes” was named the winner of the 2018 INFORMS Dissertation Proposal Competition. Her work has additionally received recognition from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the International Association for Conflict Management, and the Academy of Management. She was named by Poets & Quants as a “40 Under 40” Best Business School Professor in 2021 and by Thinkers50 as one of 30 thinkers to watch in 2022.
Prior to her graduate studies, Basima worked as a management consultant at Booz & Company, engaging with national as well as global clients across a wide range of industries including financial services, healthcare, education, and aerospace and defense.
She received her PhD in management (Organizational Behavior) from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her AB, summa cum laude, in psychology with a secondary degree in economics from Harvard University.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this podcast, having the pleasure to be joined by Basima Tewfik Career Development Professor and Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan. Basima main stream of research examines the psychology of the social self at work. In particular, she seeks to define new conversations around two underexplored phenomena in the organizational literature that…
We all strive to have an impact on this world, to make life better for people, one at a time… Bridget Akinc exemplifies what leading with impact means through her daily work with nonprofit organizations. In this episode, Bridget shares her story, and sobering lessons we can all learn from as leaders leading in moments of crisis serving communities who experienced a much greater degree of loss; loss of lives, jobs, housing, freedom, financials… For her, we can’t understand “belonging” if we don’t understand being “othered”. Belonging is the crucial next step of DEIB and a key component to focus on as leaders.
“Take a moment to think and facilitate discussions that bring back humanity in all of us”
MEET OUR GUESTBridget Scott Akinc Chief Executive Officer at Building Impact.
Passionate about innovation and finding new ways to work toward solving complex social challenges, Bridget leads Building Impact, a nonprofit organization that engages leading companies and brands in local communities through volunteering and capacity-building.
Prior to this role, Bridget led dynamic teams focused on accelerating growth and innovation enabled by technology across multiple sectors including finance, retail, automotive, high-technology, and education. She led strategic consulting and marketing teams for high-growth Silicon Valley-based software companies like BEA Systems and Oracle, as well as leading non-profit organizations like The New Teacher Project.
Bridget also serves on the faculty of MIT Sloan, teaching the “Leading With Impact” course I had the privilege to be part of. Bridget is a marathon runner, youth soccer coach, and an avid visitor to national parks with her family.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this podcast, having the honor to be joined today by Bridget Scott Akinc CEO at Building Impact. Passionate about innovation and finding new ways to work toward solving complex social challenges, Bridget leads Building Impact, a nonprofit organization that engages leading companies and brands in local communities through volunteering and capacity-building. Prior to this role, Bridget…
Today we welcome Rachel Stevens. Rachel is an entrepreneur, cofounder of Vienvie, a fashion marketplace for women over 45, and also a VLOGGER with Unfinished Product, a VLOG that shows her entrepreneurship journey while it is happening…
We will take Rachel back in time, to this night she had this bad feeling that something is about to happen to her. This night of bad sleep followed by a Monday morning phone call…
Nimble Organizations, Agile, X-Teams, Leadership… You will learn about all those in this incredible chat with Prof. Deborah Ancona! Vision, mission, and objectives are key but constitute only half of the story for a high-performing team. What differentiates high-performing teams is their ability to reach out and understand the larger organization, the wider ecosystem, new trends, new technologies… This is X-Teams. A nimble organization is usually referred to as an organization able to adapt fast, it is also a culture that embraces freedom and people’s ability to be full fledge members of this community. The underlying success factor is respect with a learning mindset: tough on ideas, respect for people. Enjoy learning about years of research and those concepts and tools to make our organizations and teams high-performing to deliver on our companies’ purposes.
“Open up your mind to receive and update your view of the world.”
MEET OUR GUESTDeborah Ancona Professor of Management and founder of the MIT Leadership Center.
Deborah Ancona is the Seley Distinguished Professor of Management, a Professor of Organization Studies, and the Founder of the MIT Leadership Center at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Deborah’s research and work led to the creation of multiple powerful models, tools, practices and concepts, including X-Teams as a vehicle for driving innovation within large organizations, and also the concept of distributed leadership that enable organizations to foster creative leadership at every level.
She has also served as a consultant on leadership and innovation to several companies including healthcare.
Deborah is the author of the book, X-Teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, and Succeed along with several other publications and articles in prestigious reviews. One of my favorites is “Family Ghosts in the Executive Suite”.
Below are some incredible tools and concept resources shared by Prof. Ancona in this episode:
Readings (Don’t hesitate to reach out for more information) – The 4-CAPS+ model: In Praise of the Incomplete Leader, HBR. – Sensemaking: Framing and Acting in the Unknown, chapter. – Challenge-Driven Leadership – The X-Factor: Six Steps to Building High-Performing X-teams, Organizational Dynamics. x-teams: How to Build Teams that Lead, Innovate and Succeed, Harvard Business School Press.
Tools: Tools to help move organizations from bureaucracies to more nimble forms. These can be found at xLEAD.co.
Tools include: x360—a 360-degree leadership development tool based on the 4-CAPS+ model xCHANGE—is a simulation aimed at helping individuals and teams to learn how to use xTEAMS for effective change and innovation. xCARDS—this is an exercise that can be used to assess how well your organization practices nimble leadership. There is also a card exercise to help individuals, teams, and organizations understand their leadership signatures, team identities, or organizational cultures.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this episode joined by a distinguished Professor of Management and founder of the MIT Leadership Center Deborah Ancona. Deborah’s research and work led to the creation of multiple powerful models, tools, practices and concepts, including X-Teams as a vehicle for driving innovation within large organizations, and also the concept of distributed leadership that enable organizations to…
Leadership for John Sterman means distributed responsibility. Each of us has influence and some ability to change the system. In this timely episode, while we see some places melting because of climate change, and some populations risking their existence, we should take our responsibility as leaders, humans, and global citizens, we should stand up, and take action through visioning, networking, truth-telling, learning, AND loving. John remains hopeful and believes that climate change is tough but solvable. We can solve for many sustainable problems by leading from a basis of love; love is more than empathy, more than care, it is the belief that we have the capacity for good, we have the capacity to sacrifice for the common good, and that we can nurture that! And if people believe this is naive, so be it. In this episode hear about the beer game, climate change, leadership, system dynamics, healthcare, and a call for us as leaders to GET BUSY!
“As a leader, design a system so that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”
MEET OUR GUESTJohn Sterman Professor of Management at MIT Sloan in the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society; Director of the MIT System Dynamics Group and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative.
John is a Professor of Management at MIT Sloan in the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. He is also the Director of the MIT System Dynamics Group and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. John’s research centers on improving decision-making in complex systems, including corporate strategy and operations, energy policy, public health, environmental sustainability, and climate change. His work ranges from the dynamics of organizational change and the implementation of sustainable improvement programs to climate change and the implementation of policies to promote a sustainable world. Sterman pioneered the development of “management flight simulators” for corporate and economic systems which are now used by corporations, universities, and governments around the world.
He is the author of many articles on the challenges and opportunities facing organizations today, including the book, Modeling for Organizational Learning, and the award-winning textbook, Business Dynamics.
John has received multiple awards and recognitions around the globe and has been featured in several media for his innovative use of interactive simulations in management education and policymaking, particularly in climate change and energy policy.
I had the privilege to be John’s student, and I see the world now differently…. Definitely through a system dynamic lens but also through a lens of responsibility we all have as leaders to make the world a more sustainable and healthier place.
Learn more about climate solutions through En-ROADS an online simulator where John Sterman is Senior Advisor and Dr. Elizabeth Sawin is co-founder and Senior Advisor.
“What makes you tick?” Alon Shklarek took this question to a deep reflection that led him to be free. Free to create impact through businesses, live his purpose to improve the world, and fix meaningful problems. His deep belief is that every company should have a social impact focus, and deeply think about how with their capabilities they can make the world a better place. Hear his thoughts on leadership being a team sport, his views on entrepreneurship, him not being George Clooney, and his words of wisdom on impact.
“When I see a problem I care about, I start a business.”
MEET OUR GUESTAlon Shklarek, serial impact entrepreneur, investor, and enabler.
Alon has founded, co-founded, and invested in over 25 businesses across 16 countries to date. Whether it is his ventures in the digital health space that are improving health outcomes for thousands of patients every day or his sustainability-focused ventures such as his leading plastics recycling company that gives over 100.000 tons of plastic waste a second life every year, all his companies are focused around leading with purpose and impact.
As an active Impact Investor Alon directly supports and mentors selected social entrepreneurs and is an ASN member of Ashoka, the world’s leading social entrepreneurship organization.
Besides, Alon teaches Leadership and Entrepreneurship as Guest Lecturer at MIT.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership and love. I’m Naji your host for this episode, joined today by Alon Shklarek serial entrepreneur investor, and a serial entrepreneur. Alon has founded co-founded and invested in over 25 businesses across 16 countries. Whether it is duct plexus, the largest Indian doctors platform that solves thousands of patient cases every day, or sky plastics, a leading European recycling company that recycles over 100,000 tons…
It starts with the right people to solve the 75 steps! Jonathan Fleming is clear on what it takes to build successful biotech companies. He has built, cofounded, and funded several companies serving and changing the lives of millions of patients worldwide. Great leaders are humble and mindful enough to understand the blessing they were given for them to give back. They lead with care and love, especially in healthcare. Leadership is also about knowing when to go. In this provocative episode, you will hear incredible insights and straightforward words of wisdom. A great summary for us leading healthcare organizations: we should never forget our moral, ethical, and legal responsibility for patients, employees, and shareholders.
“Leading with love and care is something you should do to the core of your being in healthcare.”
MEET OUR GUESTJonathan Fleming Executive Chairman of QurAlis and Enclear Therapies. Former President and CEO of Q-State Biosciences, and former Managing Partner of Oxford Bioscience Partners, an international venture capital firm specialized in life science investments.
Jonathan has been founding, financing, and operating breakthrough life science companies for over 30 years in the USA, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. During his career, he has raised more than $1 billion for early-stage investment funds that made more than 200 investments resulting in over 20 IPOs and 40 M&A events.
Jonathan has been the CEO of a neuroscience company, been the chairman of the board of numerous organizations, and been a director of many public and private companies. He has participated in the creation of numerous startups and has worked with seven different Nobel laureates to create and build companies based upon their work.
Jonathan has been a senior lecturer at the Sloan School since 2002 where I met him in an incredible class on strategic decisions in Life Science.
Socrates Rosenfeld is co-founder and CEO of Jane Technologies, veteran, husband, and a dog owner. Gayle first met Socrates while he was an MBA student at MIT Sloan and he spilled into her office with one of his best Sloanie friends for a resume review. The two of them were quite a pair bringing a lot of humor and energy. They both were recent veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Socrates’ one moment led to the building of Jane Technologies. So, let’s go back in time, to that conversation he had with his wife…
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and don’t forget Belonging. Belonging is one of the most crucial aspects we talk less about but greatly impacts us. We also talked about Health Equity, what it means, and what we can do as healthcare leaders – it starts by raising the problem for us to start solving it! Hear why quality is about love and other incredible insights in this conversation with a Top Voice in healthcare, Dr. Umbereen Nehal.
“You have to raise a problem for it to be problem-solved.”
MEET OUR GUESTUmbereen S. Nehal, MD, MPH is a Dean’s Fellow and Sloan Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her work is at the intersection of technology, policy, and healthcare delivery to diverse populations.
Umbereen is a recognized thought leader on human-centered health information technology (HIT) design, ethical artificial intelligence (AI), payment reform, quality, and reducing disparities. Educated at Aga Khan University Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Nehal trained at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine followed by the Harvard Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Four times Dr. Nehal has been named “LinkedIn Top Voice” for “Healthcare” and as a “Top Female Voice” on International Women’s Day. As Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs of Community Healthcare Network, Dr. Nehal led a 14-site multi-specialty certified Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) serving 85,000 New Yorkers including behavioral health integration and telehealth. She had oversight of over 700 staff and a $100 million operating budget.
Dr. Nehal served as Associate Medical Director of MassHealth — a Medicaid program serving 1.6 million members and accounting for 40% of the state budget — providing leadership on program development and evaluation, cost effectiveness evaluation, population health initiatives, and state-wide information “HIway” for intraoperability. Dr. Nehal served as clinical lead for the 5-year restructuring to create new Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models, co-leading a successful bid for $1.8b in new investment from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Dr. Nehal has expertise in leading multi-disciplinary teams for change management. She designed novel HIT for Medicare Advantage plans to track and rank new forms of data used for payment by CMS and contributed to a Series C fund raise for a client that offers an integrated cloud-based medial data and extraction platform enhanced by AI and natural language processing (NLP). As an MIT Sloan Fellow Dr. Nehal led an AI-focused hackathon, drawing hundreds of innovators from around the world, for human-centered design solution in the age of COVID-19 and was an invited senior author on a chapter on business models, payment metrics, and business ethics for medical AI.
Dr. Nehal served as co-chair of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research advisory panel, she informed national funding priorities for a portfolio of over $300 million clinical effectiveness evaluations. She co-authored national curriculum on the Patient-Centered Medical Home, now disseminated to over 8,000 residents. She is published on use of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to promote transition planning for children with disabilities. She provided expert review to the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s medical home curriculum. Elected by her peers, she served as district representative and on the board for the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A frequent invited stakeholder to the White House, CMS, HHS, and NIH, she was asked to moderate a panel for U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin. Dr. Nehal served as the Principal Investigator of a community health grant to partner with community-based organizations and faith groups in low-resourced communities to promote improved heart health aligned with the Culture of Health. Dr. Nehal’s national leadership on community engagement won recognition from President Obama.
In this episode, I had a great conversation with a leader in Mindset: Aden Eyob. Aden is a clinical neuroscientist and author of the Book on Mind Training: The Secret for Positive Living. She is the founder and CEO of Mind Medication, a fusion of neuroscience-psychology and spirituality-based mindset consulting and speaker service that helps uncover people’s “why”, unlock potential, and free limiting beliefs to achieve the impossible. Aden’s mission is a world free from limiting beliefs. Her formula is straightforward: Change your thought for it to be positive, it brings positive emotions and leads to the correct behavior. Hear about her great CALM framework: Clarity of the why, Accountability of goals, Love and self-care, and Motivators.
“Thought + Emotion = Behavior”
MEET OUR GUESTAden Eyob, Founder & CEO at Mind Medication, Author, Speaker, and Clinical Neuroscientist.
Aden has over ten years of business experience working with Fortune 500 companies, including Gilead Sciences, Kite Pharma, Medpace, Kantar Health, Ogilvy Healthworld, and academic institutions such as UCLA and Charles R. Drew University. Currently, Aden is the founder and CEO of Mind Medication, a fusion of neuroscience-psychology and spirituality-based mindset consulting, coaching, and speaker service that helps organizations uncover their why, unlock potential; and free limiting beliefs to achieve the impossible.
Before beginning her business, Aden spent most of her career in Biotechnology, most notable, three years at Gilead Sciences / Kite Pharma. She worked as a Clinical Trial Management professional within the oncology therapy unit. She also led Gilead’s Leadership Organization of Black Employees (GLOBE) Community Outreach Pillar, which engages in philanthropic endeavors and investments that provide opportunities to give back to the UK communities in which Gilead operates.
Aden’s innovative thinking and mindfulness approach towards her career, health, and personal commitments were recognized by her peers and awarded the Women at Gilead Life Balance Award for 2018. Moreover, Aden is the recipient of Brainz CREA Global Awards 2021 in recognition of her innovative ideas, adaptability in business, and contribution to mental health projects.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership and love. I’m Naji your host for this episode and I have the pleasure to be with Aden Eyob, a leader in mindset. Aden is a clinical neuroscientist and author of the book on mind training, the secret of positive living. She is the founder and CEO of mind medication. A fusion of neuroscience, psychology and SP spirituality based mindset consulting and speaker service…
Zen Chu built and invested in several successful medical and healthcare companies, his key to success: People first. When reflecting on the investor side, this doesn’t change either, it starts with people. For Zen, the best leaders and investors are those focused on impact, and when love is in their life, it allows them to be laser-focused on the impact they bring. In this episode, hear Zen’s incredible personal story and journey, his insightful advice, and lessons learned from leading turnarounds to building extremely successful ventures!
“Love in your life allows you to focus purely on impact.”
MEET OUR GUESTZen Chu, Health Tech Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor.
Faculty Director for the Healthcare Ventures graduate courses and Hacking Medicine student teams at MIT, Harvard Medical School and UCLA.
As founder of four medical companies and Hacking Medicine Venture Capital fund, Zen has 25 years of experience building early-stage medical technology and healthcare service companies, usually serving among the first investors in companies like PillPack.com, Abridge.com, FeelMore Labs, Nurx.com, Aptible, Luminopia, Molecule.to, MycoMedica, DirectDerm and a few others still in stealth mode.
Zen cofounded and served as CEO for 3D-Matrix Medical Inc. a venture-backed MIT regenerative medicine company with a successful IPO in 2011. 3D-Matrix has wound-healing and drug-delivery products on the market outside of the US and multiple human clinical trials in process.
I met Zen through the MIT Healthcare Ventures, a course that teaches entrepreneurship, business models, and venture creation around technology that can transform healthcare. Zen actively consults companies in pharma, health tech, and healthcare systems struggling to adapt to global digital healthcare transformation and emerging markets.
You rarely chat with a leader with such extensive successful experience, from building companies to being on boards of large institutions, whose purpose is to make people happy. Through his humility and focus on mutual respect, transparency, and honesty, Jim Dougherty believes that one of the most important keys to success is the culture you create in a company. For him, culture should be created strategically in every company including startups, and not only be words on a wall or a slide. You’ll hear incredible advice on how to lead turnarounds while engaging teams to thrive and be at their best. In the end, people will remember how they felt with you, and this is the legacy that will remain…
“People want to work with you because they want to learn how to behave like you.”
MEET OUR GUESTJim Dougherty Executive Chairman and Co-Founder at Madaket Health.
Jim is an entrepreneur, senior executive, and also Senior Lecturer in Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management at MIT. He has extensive experience working directly with investors to execute highly successful turnarounds of troubled companies. He has stabilized and recapitalized such companies as Gartner, IntraLinks, Prodigy, and Small Business ISP. At Lotus Development Corporation, Jim was the founder of eApps (Internet Division), and he created the NOTES: NEWSSTAND business publishing service which was later sold successfully. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow for Business and Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He sits on the board of different institutions too.
Jim is on the Board of Trustees for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he Chairs the Research Oversight Committee, Bright Spirit Children’s Foundation, and the Foreign Policy Association in New York City.
Jim holds a BA in government from Framingham State University, an MA in international economics from Columbia University, and a Graduate Certificate of Special Studies in finance and administration from Harvard University.
Here are the great articles from Jim Dougherty we mentioned in the episode published in Harvard Business Review – HBR.
AI is simply the future, more explicitly Dimitris Bertsimas likes to talk about analytics which is for him the science of using data to build models that lead to decisions that impact the world positively. Personalized medicine is the aspiring future that we will get to soon. As leaders, we will have to drive those changes. This needs courage and openness to what data tells us. Hear from a leader who changed medical practices through data, models and decisions and impacted positively thousands of lives. “The beauty of computers is they don’t get tired”, but they can’t replace humans, hear more about it in this episode.
“Love is the most significant aspect of human happiness”
MEET OUR GUESTDimitris Bartsimas Associate Dean of Business Analytics, Boeing Professor of Operations Research, and faculty director of the Master of Business Analytics at MIT.
Dimitris is Global Operations Professor of Management, a Professor of Operations Research, and the Associate Dean for the Master of Business Analytics at MIT.
A faculty member since 1988, his research interests include optimization, stochastic systems, machine learning, and their application. In recent years, he has worked in robust optimization, statistics, healthcare, transportation, and finance. Dimitris is also a serial entrepreneur and was a co-founder of Dynamic Ideas, sold to American Express. He is also the founder of Dynamic Ideas Press, a publisher of scientific books, the cofounder of Benefits Science, a company that designs health care plans for companies, Dynamic Ideas Financial, a company that provides financial advice to customers, of Alpha Dynamics, an asset management company, P2 Analytics, an analytics consulting company, and of MyA health, a personalized health care advice company.
Dimitris has coauthored more than 200 scientific papers and several books.He is the former department editor of Optimization for Management Science and of Operations Research in Financial Engineering. A member of the National Academy of Engineering and an INFORMS fellow, he has received numerous research awards, including the Harold Larnder Prize (2016), the Philip Morse Lectureship prize (2013), the William Pierskalla best paper award in health care (2013), best paper award in Trapsoration (2013), the Farkas Prize (2008), the Erlang Prize (1996), the SIAM Prize in Optimization (1996), the Bodossaki Prize (1998), and the Presidential Young Investigator Award (1991–1996). He has also received recognition for his educational contributions: The Jamieson prize (2013) and the Samuel M. Seegal prize (1999).
Dimitris holds a BS in electrical engineering and computer science from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, as well as an MS in operations research and a PhD in applied mathematics and operations research from MIT.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this episode joined today by Dimitris Bertsimas Professor of Management, Operations Research, and Associate Dean for the Master of Business Analytics at MIT. A faculty member since 1988, Dimitris’ research include optimization, stochastic systems, machine learning, and their application in different sectors including healthcare. Dimitris is also a serial entrepreneur, he cofounded several companies like Dynamic…
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about empathy and its importance in leadership (finally!), have you heard about compassionate leadership? Marissa Afton will take us through her work and research on what compassionate leaders do to build and engage high-performing teams and deliver success. You’ll also hear about self-care and the importance of “kindness to self” with great practical tips for us to fit in our daily schedules, like performance breaks and self space.
“Do Hard Things in a Human Way”
MEET OUR GUESTMarissa Afton International Partner & Head of Global Accounts at Potential Project
Marissa is a Partner and Head of Global Accounts at Potential Project. She is a driving force behind leadership development and change initiatives at multinational companies, helping leaders and organizations unlock their potential to create cultural excellence and superior performance, resilience, and innovation.
A mindfulness practitioner for over 25 years, Marissa is recognized for her breadth of knowledge and deep experience in transforming organizations by transforming the mind.
She is a sought-after speaker at leadership conferences about the impact of mind training on high-performing cultures, as well as the mental qualities of excellent leaders. She works with many Fortune 500 companies including Bloomberg, Cisco, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and White & Case, among others.
VC and Love? Can those two words coexist? For Richard Kivel, a renowned VC in healthcare, the most valuable VCs in the end, are those who are empathetic and direct at the same time. They are with you when there are problems, and point them out recognizing that things don’t usually go as planned. For him, it is the love versus fear concept. When investing in companies, he looks for devoted CEO, truthful and focused, with a vision and passion for the company, a CEO who is loved rather than feared! “If people feel valued, they feel loved, if they feel loved they are going to be committed, If they are committed, the organization will have a higher probability of success.” So, it really comes down to LOVE.
“Look for a CEO who is loved, not feared.”
MEET OUR GUESTRichard Kivel Investor & Board Director in Technology and Healthcare.
Richard serves as the Managing Director of GrayBella Capital LLC, a Pan-European venture capital firm based in London, investing in growth-stage technology and healthcare companies.
Since 2021 he has served as a Board member of Lottery.com, a publicly-traded (Nasdaq: LTRY) leading technology company that is transforming how, where and when lottery is played. Since 2018, Richard has served as Chairman of the Board of BC Platforms, a Zurich, Switzerland-based bio-computing leader.
Before this, Richard was Executive Chairman of the Board of ViS Research Inc., leading to a successful acquisition by IMS Health. In addition, he was a Board Director and Chairman of the nominating committee of Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: RNN) from 2010 until 2013.
Richard’s executive management experience also includes a Senior Management position at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, and two Chief Executive Officer positions: TheraGenetics, Ltd. from 2006 until 2009, and MolecularWare, Inc. from 2001 until 2004. Both companies were successfully acquired.
He has served various roles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including as the Chairman and President of the MIT Enterprise Forum, a Board member of the MIT Alumni Association, and is a regular Lecturer at MIT and other schools. He is also a Trustee of Bankinter Innovation Foundation, a technology think-tank based in Madrid.
When Bob heard the word love, he was really not sure… Hear his thoughts on the true meaning of spreading love in organizations from helping others realize their dreams to giving space for your people to thrive. Leadership is courage, entrepreneurship is loneliness, and if you go that route make sure the need is unmet, customers really think what you are providing is better, and ensure the sustainability of your venture.
“Help them connect the dots to the purpose, inspire them, and get out of the way!”
MEET OUR GUESTBob Jones Entrepreneur, CEO, Speaker, Author of “The Start-Up Starter Kit”.
Bob is CEO of Scientific Nutrition Products, Inc. The company addresses medical conditions by creating and selling nutrition-based products. Bob was previously a Principal at Scientia Advisors, a strategy consulting firm, where Bob led the Nutrition and Wellness practice. Prior to Scientia, Bob was President and CEO of Vitasoy USA, Inc., the nation’s largest marketer and manufacturer of tofu and the pioneer of soymilk in America. This was a management turn-around.
Before joining Vitasoy, Bob launched three start-ups in the medical nutrition field. Each company addressed chronic medical disorders such as diabetes via specifically targeted nutrition products (rather than drugs). All three start-ups were with staff and faculty at Harvard Medical School. Each company turned leading-edge science into consumer products that were sold through retail pharmacies.
Bob has held executive positions at several other companies, including Abbott Laboratories and Baxter International. He has two awarded patents in the field of nutrition. He is an active mentor with MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service and has served as a judge in MIT’s 100K Business Plan Competition. He has an A.B. in biology from Princeton University and an MSM from MIT Sloan.
After hours, Bob plays in a blues band in the Boston area and is a springboard diver, and an enthusiastic motorcyclist.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I’m Naji, your host for this episode joined today by Bob Jones, serial healthcare industry, entrepreneur. Bob is founder and currently CEO of scientific nutrition products, a company addressing medical conditions by creating and selling nutrition based products. Bob was previously a principal at CIA advisors, a strategy consulting firm, where Bob led the nutrition and wellness practice. Prior to that, Bob was…
We hear a lot about transferable managerial skills from sports to corporate and entrepreneurial world, Ben Shields summarized those to two key components: common goal for teams and measurable performance. Along those comes a crucial leadership skill of creating and maintaining a winning culture, which is a collective set of actions and behaviors that defines it, and best teams are obsessive about ensuring the culture is sustainable daily. This starts by building a learning culture based on mutual understanding. On a more individual level, success for Ben is driven by passion, hard work and luck. What about data and decision making? “Data can help you be less wrong in your decisions.”
“Great leaders make those around them better.”
MEET OUR GUESTBen Shields Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management.
Ben Shields is a Senior Lecturer in Managerial Communication at the MIT. He studies the multibillion-dollar sports industry to identify broadly transferable management lessons in areas such as leadership communication, data-driven decision making, and innovation.
Ben authored three books, Social Media Management: Persuasion in Networked Culture (Oxford University Press, 2016), The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High Performance Industry (Oxford University Press, 2015), and The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace (McGraw-Hill, 2006), teaches and directs a number of courses and programs.
Prior to MIT, Ben served as the Director of Social Media and Marketing at ESPN. He oversaw social media strategy for the ESPN brand and collaborated across the enterprise to develop and implement company-wide social strategy. He also worked on marketing strategy for several ESPN brands and sub-brands, including the SportsCenter “DaDaDa” campaign and the Emmy Award-winning “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports” brand campaign.
Ben holds a BS and MA in communication studies and a PhD in media, technology, and society, all from Northwestern University.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I’m Naji your host for this episode, joined today by Ben Shields, senior lecturer in managerial communication at the MIT. Ben studies the multibillion dollar sports industry to identify broadly transferable management lessons in areas such as leadership, communication, data driven, decision making and innovation. Ben teaches a number of courses. And I had the privilege to be in one of those where…
What if we start as leaders by sharing our own challenges, our vulnerabilities, our stories with our people? This might be the first step to bringing back humanity into leadership and building empathy with our teams. From engineering and technical expertise to leadership, executive coaching and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion role model, Angelique Adams shared her story, experiences, and learning with us. Focus on people, on their entire well-being and results at the same time, and most importantly care for the whole person they are. Finally, don’t forget to celebrate more your team, even the small wins!
Angelique Adams is an author, speaker, and executive coach focusing on leadership development for scientists and engineers. Angelique is an engineer with 25 years of experience in operations, strategy, and innovation. She was Director of R&D at aluminum giant Alcoa, and Chief Innovation Officer at multibillion dollar steelmaker, Aperam. After leading hundreds of scientists and engineers around the world, she discovered her true passion is developing people, not products.
Following the successful publication of her first book for women in STEM in 2021, she launched Angelique Adams Media Solutions, a distribution platform for her books, online courses, and coaching programs. Her second book, for women executives in college athletics will be out this summer.
Angelique lives in Knoxville with her husband and 2 children. She serves on the board of several local nonprofits and volunteers her time to mentor entrepreneurs. She has a Ph.D. from Penn State and an MBA from MIT.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I’m Naji your host for this episode joined today by Dr. Angelique Adams, an author speaker, and executive coach focusing on leadership development for scientists and engineers. Angelique is an engineer with 25 years of experience in operations strategy and innovation. She was director of R and D. At aluminum, giant OAA and chief innovation officer at multibillion dollar steel maker, ARA after…
Sustainability is all about: how are we on this planet and how are we with each other? We can’t continue living on this planet looking at the world as a “pyramid”, a lens of supremacy and extraction of natural resources and labor. Every year of delay means losses and communities we can not recover… Thinking of the world as an interconnected web is the most important action we can take as leaders in each of the decisions we make. Think of it in a staff meeting ensuring all voices are being heard, while building your next manufacturing site ensuring it includes all lives and flows, think of circular economies…. The most impactful projects are the small ones who started to fix a problem that resolved another and entered in a positive loop of change improving the broader environment and community. The key for leaders is to keep a role of learners as we tackle these issues and make disruption of inequities part of our priorities.
“Lead by thinking of the world as an interconnected web.”
MEET OUR GUESTElizabeth Sawin Founder and Director of the Multisolving Institute.
Elizabeth Sawin is the Founder and Director of the Multisolving Institute. Beth is an expert on solutions that address climate change while also improving health, well-being, equity, and economic vitality. She developed the idea of ‘multisolving’ to help people see and create the conditions for such win-win-win solutions.
Beth writes and speaks about multisolving, climate change, and leadership in complex systems for both national and international audiences. Her work has been published widely, including in Non-Profit Quarterly, The Stanford Social Innovation Review, U. S. News, The Daily Climate, and System Dynamics Review.
She has trained and mentored global sustainability leaders in the Donella Meadows Fellows Program and provided systems thinking training to both Ashoka and Dalai Lama Fellows. Since 2014, Beth has participated in the Council on the Uncertain Human Future, a continuing dialogue on issues of climate change and sustainability among a select group of humanities scholars, writers, artists, and climate scientists.
Beth is also a member of the advisory board to the Kresge Foundation’s Climate Change Health and Equity Program. A biologist with a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Beth co-founded Climate Interactive in 2010 and served as Climate Interactive’s Co-Director from 2010 until 2021. While at Climate Interactive, she led the scientific team that offered the first assessment of the sufficiency of country pledges to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2008. Beth also led Climate Interactive’s efforts to integrate measures of equity, health and well-being into decision support tools and computer simulations.
Beth trained in system dynamics and sustainability with Donella Meadows and worked at Sustainability Institute, the research institute founded by Meadows, for 13 years. She has two adult daughters and lives in rural Vermont where she and her husband grow as much of their own food as they can manage.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I’m Naji your host for this episode joined by Elizabeth Sawin founder and director of the Multisolving Institute. Beth is an expert on solutions that address climate change while also improving health, wellbeing, equity, and economic fire fatality. She developed the idea of multisolving to help people see and create the conditions for such win-win solutions. Her work has been published widely. She…
We don’t get to sit every day with someone like Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi. His journey was inspired by incredible leaders he was fortunate to meet along the way. Noble prize laureates, or powerful figures in their community, who triggered questions around how to live a meaningful life. For Venerable Tenzin, in the history of humanity, the challenge of leadership is today more crucial than ever. Despite so many leadership programs thought in the best schools around the world, we suffer from a lack of ethical leadership… When we look around us, we are living in a society increasingly marked by a sense of polarization. More fear and hate than love and compassion. The world has quite often chosen to operate from a place of despair rather than from a place of hopefulness. “Hope is a game-changer”.
No matter how small we think we are, individuals must recognize that they do have a voice, and need to exercise it; quoting Dalai Lama “if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” In a world where nothing is constant, maintain a healthy sense of curiosity and hopefulness, talk more with people who don’t believe in what you do …This is a powerful tool to value perspective in the complex society we live in.
This episode couldn’t have been timelier and resonate with the tense environment we are living in today.
“Aspiration + Reality = Hope.”
MEET OUR GUESTVenerable Tenzin Priyadarshi president and CEO of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Venerable Tenzin is an innovative thinker, a philosopher, an educator, and a polymath monk. He is Founding Director of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a center dedicated to inquiry, dialogue, and education on the ethical and human dimensions of life. The Center at MIT has 6 Nobel Peace Laureates as its founding members and its programs run in 8 countries and expanding.
Venerable Tenzin’s unusual background encompasses entering a Buddhist monastery at the age of 10 to receiving graduate education at Harvard with degrees ranging from Philosophy to Physics to International Relations.
Venerable Tenzin serves on the Board of several academic, humanitarian, and religious organizations. He is a recipient of several recognitions and awards, including a 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award from Harvard for his visionary contributions to humanity.
A transformational episode with a social transformer and thinker, Otto Scharmer. Hear in this episode from the creator of Theory U and the Presencing institute. The pandemic was a mirror of what is broken in our society. We all have a responsibility as leaders and change-makers to fix that, to improve the world, the planetary wellbeing. We can achieve that by sensing, feeling the emerging future possibilities, and embodying them now. Learning from the past is not good enough, we should learn from the emerging future… All we need to do is ask ourselves: What is mine to do? Find that one piece we are polishing as a leader and put it into the path of the future.
“Lead by activating the intelligence of the heart.”
MEET OUR GUESTOtto Scharmer, a social transformer, an MIT professor and incredible leader.
Otto is a Senior Lecturer at MIT and co-founder of the Presencing Institute. He chairs the MIT IDEAS program for cross-sector innovation and introduced the concept of “presencing”—learning from the emerging future—in his bestselling books Theory U and Presence. He is co-author of Leading from the Emerging Future, which outlines eight acupuncture points for transforming capitalism. His most recent book, The Essentials of Theory U summarizes the core principles and applications of awareness-based systems change.
In 2015 Otto co-founded the MITx u.lab and in 2020 the GAIA journey, which have activated a vibrant worldwide ecosystem of transformational change involving more than 200,000 users from 185 countries. Otto is a member of the UN Learning Advisory Council for the 2030 Agenda, the World Future Council, and the Club of Rome’s High-Level 21st Century Transformational Economics Commission.
Otto has won several prizes and received in 2021 the Elevating Humanity Award from the Organizational Development Network.
From the island of Crete in Greece to the US, Georgia Perakis fulfilled her father’s dream. We wouldn’t have imagined that analytics could actually change the world and make a real difference. Georgia took it even further and talks about an analogy with data to understand the power of diversity and inclusion. Her pragmatic vision of using data is invaluable and makes us see things through a different lens. Start by filtering out the noise around big data and asking the big question: what is the problem I am trying to solve? Before big data, let’s start talking about “little data” and missing data to put things in order and see the big picture. Georgia definitely won her students’ hearts but also the analogy of the year by comparing MIT to a great candy store to choose from! Thank you for being who you are and for your exceptional leadership!
“The Love Large Numbers: Look at the long term goal, focus on the end outcome rather than looking at the present failure, persist… it will work out eventually.”
MEET OUR GUESTGeorgia Perakis, Professor of Management, Operations Research, Statistics, and Operations Management.
Prof Georgia Perakis teaches at MIT Sloan courses and performs research in analytics, optimization, machine learning with applications in pricing, revenue management, supply chains, transportation, energy, and healthcare among others.
In her research, Georgia investigates the theory and practice of analytics and its role in operations problems. She has received numerous awards and has several prestigious publications.
Currently, Georgia serves as the co-director of the Operations Research Center, on the council for the College of Computing, and faculty director of the Executive MBA (EMBA) program at MIT Sloan. She is also the editor-in-chief of the M&SOM journal. Prior to that role, she had also served as America’s editor in chief of the Journal of Pricing and Revenue Management, as a department editor for the journal Service Science in the area of Analytics and as an associate editor for the flagship journals: Management Science, Operations Research, M&SOM, INFORMS Journal on Optimization, and as a senior editor for POM. She has served as the chair of the RMP Section of INFORMS and as the VP of Meetings of the MSOM Society of INFORMS.
Georgia holds a BS in mathematics from the University of Athens as well as an MS in applied mathematics and a PhD in applied mathematics from Brown University.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this episode from our new series focused on us as leaders. I’m thrilled to be joined by an exceptional MIT professor of Management, Operations Research, Statistics and Operations Management: Georgia Perakis. Georgia teaches courses and performs research in analytics, optimization, machine learning with applications in pricing, revenue management, supply chains, transportation, energy, and healthcare among others.…
If you are looking for inspiration, straightforward and pragmatic advice, this episode is for you! Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to start and scale a business or a healthcare leader looking to have an impact, Monty’s authentic perspective will help you see things clearer. His favorite sentence “What the heck do I know” shows his powerful humility as he mentors hundreds of startups. Monty shares insights and guidance on how to build teams as an entrepreneur and build the crucial capabilities of a leader. Hope you will enjoy this open and candid discussion.
“Leadership has a moral obligation to help the team grow.”
MEET OUR GUESTMonty Sharma, serial entrepreneur, Managing Director of MassDiGI.
Monty Sharma is a serial entrepreneur, a mentor in several start-up programs, and currently Managing Director of MassDiGI.
Prior to joining MassDiGI, Monty, a respected game industry and technology professional, was co-founder and general manager of Vivox, a voice chat service provider in the games industry with key relationships to EA, Sony, Ubisoft, Nexon, Bigpoint, and many others. Monty advises a number of game companies and is a veteran MassChallenge and MIT Sandbox mentor.
From Brazil to MIT Professor of Accounting awarded multiple times by his students with teaching awards, Rodrigo is more than an accounting expert and teacher, he is an incredible human leader who cares for his people and students. Listen to the best lessons of life learned in kindergarten, and many other inspiring reflections in this episode!
“Legacy in life has to be the people… Those you touched.”
MEET OUR GUESTRodrigo Verdi Professor of Accounting at MIT Sloan.
Prof Rodrigo Verdi joined MIT in 2006 after receiving a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught financial accounting to undergraduate, MBA, EMBA, and PhD students over the last 15 years, and has received five teaching awards at MIT and Sloan.
Rodrigo is Senior Editor at the Journal of Accounting Research, and has previously been Editor at The Accounting Review and Associate Editor at Management Science. His research has been published in the premier accounting and finance journals and has also received the Distinguished Contributions and Best Paper Award recognitions by the American Accounting Association.
Outside MIT, Rodrigo has served as head of the Governance Committee on the board of the Cambridge Ellis School over the last three years and as Advisor to the Provost at Unisinos University, a Jesuit university in southern Brazil with more than 30 thousand students.
In 1972, an army doctor created the terminology “soft and hard” skills as he saw success resided not only in having people with strong machine operation skills but also in having individuals who could manage and supervise teams, along with other skills. Half a century later the world transformed enough for us as leaders to change the terms! In this episode, Prof Loredana Padurean shares her philosophy on the skills of the 21st century: SMART and SHARP! From “treating people like people”, to “love with massive humility”, Loredana, the Unapologetically Unconventional Professor, shares her incredible journey, great research stories, and her leadership beliefs, all with a very fresh perspective on the world of today.
“The job is easy, the people are not.”
MEET OUR GUESTPr. Loredana Padurean Associate Dean at the all-new Asia School of Business.
Prof Loredana Padurean Associate Dean at the all-new Asia School of Business, a collaboration between the Central Bank of Malaysia, MIT Sloan, and an International Faculty Fellow at MIT Sloan.
Loredana is the Faculty Director for Action Learning and Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ASB. She has been an energizing force behind the establishment of the school. Under her leadership, the Action Learning program at ASB was recognized repeatedly as one of the most innovative programs in the world. She is an international keynote and TedX speaker. She has taught in various MIT Sloan executive programs, at IMD, as well as in major companies. Prof. Loredana has an MA in Communication and Economics and a PhD in Management from USI Switzerland.
Find more about Smart x Sharp and the white paper here.
Naji: Hello, leaders of the word. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose driven healthcare leaders, striving to make lives better around the words by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership and love. I’m Naji, your host for this episode, we’re joined by Professor Loredana Padurean, associate dean at the all new Asia School of Business, the collaboration between the central bank of Malaysia, MIT Sloan, and the international faculty fellow at MIT, Sloan. Loredana is the faculty director for action learning and innovation and entrepreneurship at ASB. She has been an energizing force…
36 episodes later, we are closing the year and our first season with a unique episode. Going from the principle that everyone has a story worth telling, Jill Donahue hijacked the mic and turned the table… and the host became the guest.
“Everyone has a story to tell.”
MEET OUR GUESTNaji Gehchan or your host for the past 35 episodes.
High capability with low ego is the crucial combination for leaders of the future. It enables putting customers, businesses, purpose, and most importantly the people and the next generation of leaders before oneself. Hear from Prof Elsbeth Johnson on leadership, transformation, and more about the powerful framework she has developed after years of research on how to lead strategic change, and published recently in her great book: Step up and Step Back: How to Really Deliver Strategic Change in Your Organization.
“Great good ahead of benefit.”
MEET OUR GUESTElsbeth Johnson Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan and expert in leadership, strategy, and change.
Dr. Elsbeth Johnson is Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and an expert on leadership, strategy, and change. The main focus of her research is on what leaders need to do to help their organizations execute strategy, or deliver long-term, strategic change, without the need for the leader’s ongoing, personal involvement. Prior to joining MIT, Elsbeth was taught leadership at London Business School and London School of Economics.
Prior to academia, Dr. Johnson worked as an investment banker, a sell-side equity analyst, and a corporate strategist. She also spent three years as a special adviser to the first Blair Government in the UK.
As a consultant and executive educator, Elsbeth has worked with a range of companies, helping them develop their strategy and the capabilities and culture that will deliver it.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to “Spread Love in Organizations”, a podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. I am Naji, your host for this exciting episode from our new series focused on us as leaders. I’m joined by Professor Elsbeth Johnson, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and an expert on leadership, strategy and change. The main focus for her research is on what leaders need to do to help their organizations execute strategy, or deliver long-term,…
For some time I’ve been thinking about a constant question I get: how do you find time to do all you do (successfully I hope); Work as a leader and executive in biopharma, family with two amazing young daughters, executive MBA at MIT, podcast host, some other entrepreneurship ventures, training, friends… and constantly, I have the voice of my mother telling me when I was younger: “come on, speed it up, do more, stop wasting your time!” Let me share something I never shared before: I really think I’m lazy!
As weird as it can sound, I get things done because I love getting to a point where I can do nothing. This shapes my organizational and operational efficiency. Combined to my constant search for excellence, it always helped me getting things done pretty good and the fastest route possible. When I was at high school and med school, I always woke up at 4 or 5am to get studies done as soon as I could so I can enjoy my afternoons free. And I kept this ever since, but instead of afternoons, it is now more evenings or few hours I intentionally take with my family and/or for myself. Those moments of doing nothing are precious! These are the times where my neurons interconnect and talk to one another unconditionally. This is when I get most creative!
I finally managed to get things straight on this topic while talking to a Professor last week. I get things done, on many fronts and in parallel, because I’m operationally efficient, which in my mom’s words and in my mind equals to being lazy.
No more fear of some day someone discovering it (yes that goes along with my impostor syndrome). In fact, I will be looking from now on for amazing leaders who spread love in their organizations and are lazy enough to get things done beautifully and efficiently.
Daena Giardella’s background is quite unique, she has enjoyed dual careers in business organizational development and in the performing arts for over twenty-five years. She makes an analogy between art and leadership…Because both careers are all about making connections with people and telling the stories that need to be told. Daena gives us her perspective on fostering a safe culture while still being in the hybrid environment missing the human live connections. Today we are at an inflection point, with a strong generational awareness about the psychological dimension of life-work balance and most importantly what to expect from work. Daena’s word of wisdom to all leaders out there is to stop and reflect so they can repair and inspire and keep building exceptional things around them. Hope you will enjoy this heartfelt discussion, happy listening!
“Find a way to reflect so you can repair and inspire.”
MEET OUR GUESTDaena Giardella Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Faculty Affiliate of the MIT Leadership Center.
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Daena has been an organizational leadership, teams consultant, and executive coach as well as a media, communication, and presentation consultant for over twenty-five years.
Before being a senior lecturer at MIT and teaching numerous amazing courses, Daena has enjoyed dual careers in business organizational development and in the performing arts. She combines these backgrounds to design innovative educational programs for numerous world-class companies, organizations, and academic institutions in the USA and abroad.
A fact I learned recently, Daena is also a talented actor who received kudos in the USA and internationally, the Boston Globe has called her an “impressive talent” and she definitely is an impressive talent, an impressive leader, coach, and an amazing person.
Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love. In this episode, get ready to learn and be inspired as I have the honor to be with Daena Giardella, a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Faculty Affiliate of the MIT Leadership Center. Daena has been an organizational leadership consultant and executive coach as well as a media, communication, and presentation consultant for over twenty-five years.…
In every possible way, we are all made up of stories that we accept and acknowledge. These stories shape how we see and define ourselves. Growing up in an immigrant family of 8 adopted children, Gayle Grader was perceived as an outsider. This experience was foundational to who she is today and what she wants to achieve in life; “You can be the outsider and look in” Gayle says. By being the outsider girl, she learned the skill of observation and developed a curiosity in people and society.
In this episode, we discussed the common trait of leaders throughout history; answered complex questions, are we born or made leaders? Talked about optionality and how to mute the noise to find the signal and focus on the legacy we want to leave behind.
How we arrange the plot points of our story into a narrative, can shape who we are; and to know Gayle’s story is to know her philosophy and life’s ultimate purpose: Bringing impact and scale by helping talents unleash their authentic themselves to lead the organization.
“Be fully engaged with who you are…accept the peak and valley of your journey.”
MEET OUR GUESTGayle Grader Executive Coach and Director of Executive Career Development at MIT Sloan.
Gayle Grader is an Executive Career Coach and the Director of Executive Career Development for MIT Sloan. She oversees the Executive Career Development Team and is responsible for setting the programming strategy, delivering career education workshops, and providing one-on-one executive coaching.
Before joining Sloan in 2018, she spent 13 years as a strategy consultant and business coach working with wide-ranging companies from Fortune 500 to start-ups. In her early career, before she took a hiatus to start a family, Gayle worked in consulting, investment banking, asset management, and executive search.
Gayle has a passion for understanding leadership and how great leaders become the people they are; she can be frequently found reading historical and contemporary biographies building up her perspective on what causes some to become those great leaders who go down in history books.
Chatting with a leader whose passion and purpose is to develop innovative principled leaders has a special taste! This is what Johanna Hising DiFabio, Assistant Dean Sloan Fellows MBA and Executive MBA at MIT thrive for! Johanna’s inspiring personal story moving from her home country Sweden, to growing up in different European countries, then coming to the US to pursue her education, her personal experience with healthcare, and her passion for people, bring a different cultural lens of how communities come together to learn, both from their similarities and differences. Johanna is an incredibly inspiring leader fostering this lens of diversity and her leadership beliefs through the programs she leads at MIT, impacting hundreds of leaders joining those programs every year striving to invent the future.
“Have the courage to speak your opinion and truth.”
MEET OUR GUESTJohanna Hising DiFabio Assistant Dean, Sloan Fellows MBA & Executive MBA at MIT Sloan.
Johanna leads all aspects of the Sloan Fellows MBA & Executive MBA programs at MIT Sloan by collaborating with faculty on the development of innovative curricula; co-working with global organizations on action learning labs to help them meet pressing strategic issues; and, with us, students to create a learning environment that is second-to-none in terms of the personal development and career enhancement.
Johanna is passionate about leadership and leadership development and that is why she joined MIT a decade ago. There is no better place for that and it is reflected in MIT Sloan’s mission: “to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice.”
What can we take from being an art performer to becoming an exceptional leader? A silver line connects both: you have to shift your perspective and be genuinely interested in your audience, your people, allowing them to better connect with you. We all have a story, and we all have far more in common than what differentiates us. Understanding the core of humanity, our cultural background, and experiences make us unique, appreciate each point of view… From his hard beginning in the art to his unique experience in Nepal, to becoming a renowned performer and now an executive coach and leader, you’ll hear in this episode Rob’s stories and great advice for us to become better leaders, expanding our boundaries, bringing the quality of tolerance, appreciation of difference to a whole new level.
“Cultivate Positivity… Only if we have a positive view on the world, we are able to bring our best selves forward, and allow everybody else bring theirs as well.”
Rob combines two decades of experience as a top leadership development executive with a well-established career in the performing arts. He has a passion for coaching leaders to develop their presence, tell compelling stories and establish authentic connections.
Rob is the author of – Leading From Your Best Self – an amazing book I strongly recommend.
What is unique about Rob is that for the first half of his career he was a performing artist where he traveled the globe delivering his unique, one-person variety show. Rob is a lecturer in MIT Sloan School of Management and an MIT Leadership Center Master Executive Coach. Over the past 20 years, Rob has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies.
Physician, Harvard Medical, MIT, Serial Entrepreneur, Textile Business Owner in Egypt, Start-ups, Stem cells, what else? Hear from a talented innovator, multi-disciplinary mind, and business savvy physician living his life with the same thread since his childhood: being human. From his early childhood in his father’s textile manufacturing site to now leading startups and his family business, he thrives to learn more every day, genuinely cares for his people, leads with purpose, and does business for good.
“To be a good human is a shortcut to be a great leader.”
MEET OUR GUESTDr. Ahmed Mady is a serial entrepreneur, healthcare consultant, and physician-scientist. He is currently pursuing his Executive MBA degree at MIT Sloan in Boston while serving as the Managing Director of his family textile business in Egypt.
Prior to this role, he worked as the Senior Director of Business Development at an innovative Boston-based diabetes management startup, Healthimation, and as a Senior Consultant at Navigant Consulting where he led numerous global life sciences/healthcare projects in pharmaceutical, med-tech, and biotech spaces. In addition, Dr. Mady has experience conducting translational research at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Harvard Medical School/Mass General Hospital. His laboratory/clinical research is focused on stem cell applications in Heart diseases and Diabetes, where he investigated the differentiation of stem cells into mature heart cells and created human cardiac tissue engineering models.
Ahmed earned his Medical Degree from Alexandria University in Egypt, having done several rotations in Internal Medicine and Cardiology in the United States.
Dr. Mady has over 14 years of experience in the healthcare business, manufacturing, medical research, and technology management.
Naji: Hello leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, a podcast for purpose driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership and love. I am Naji your host for today’s episode joined by Dr. Mady a physician scientist, healthcare consultant, serial entrepreneur, and a brilliant innovator. Ahmed Mady is currently pursuing his executive MBA at MITs Sloan in Boston. While serving as the managing director of his family, textile business in Egypt. Prior to this role, he worked as the senior director of business development…
