“We are in a knowledge economy and we have got to continue to invest in our talent.”

Janine Davidson, Ph.D., is the president of Metropolitan State University of Denver, the state’s third-largest public university, serving more than 20,000 students in high-quality, career-oriented undergraduate and graduate academic programs. As president, she has listed her top three priorities as 1) students, 2) students, and 3) students, and has become known on campus for her relatable personality. She’s one of few university presidents who is as comfortable in board meetings as she is playing ping pong with undergraduates. Prior to joining the University, Davidson served as the 32nd undersecretary of the United States Navy, where she managed all Department of the Navy affairs including acquisition, finance, personnel, legislative affairs, research and development, and was responsible for the health and well-being of nearly 900,000 sailors, marines, civilians, and their families.

Listen And Learn:

• The unique challenges facing leaders in higher education.
• Her commitment to meeting a market need in higher education.
• How she put in place a student-focused infrastructure.
• Her approach to “inclusive leadership.”
• How leadership at a university is a hybrid between “being a mayor and being a CEO.”

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVERCLICK HERE.

TO FIND DR. JANINE DAVIDSON ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

“One percent of your week will determine what happens with the other 99% of your week.”

Rob Shallenberger, CEO of Becoming Your Best Global Leadership, is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and execution. He has trained and coached hundreds of companies around the world, including many Fortune 500 organizations. He served as an F-16 fighter pilot in the Air Force for 11 years and was an Advance Agent for Air Force One. He is co-author, along with his father, of The Transformation Challenge, and works with clients to help them discover how to make communication easier and clearer, live in greater peace and balance, manage time effectively, more persuasively lead others with an inspiring vision, and to embrace change—not fear it. 

Listen And Learn:

• The 12 Principles of Highly Effective Leaders.
• Insights into how companies can create cultures by design not default.
• The pre-week planning process that is instrumental in creating productive and engaged teams.
• His recommendations for creating a powerful company vision, including that it “should not be dictated from the top.”
• How truly effective leaders help their teams understand and manage the process of executing a plan.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING YOUR BEST GLOBAL LEADERSHIP CLICK HERE.

TO FIND ROB SHALLENBERGER ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

“People should not look up for answers. They should look inside for answers.”

 Rick Miller is an unconventional turnaround specialist, sought-after speaker, servant leader, and an expert in driving sustainable growth. For over 30 years he served as a successful senior executive in roles including president and CEO in Fortune 10, Fortune 30, nonprofit, and startup companies, including AT&T Global Services and Lucent Technologies. Throughout his career, he has been recruited from the outside to turn around poor performance in difficult times. His new book, Be Chief: It's a Choice, Not a Title, helps leaders at all levels achieve their true potential.

Listen And Learn:

• The five words he uses to define leadership: clarity, influence, energy, confidence, and impact.
• How bringing decision making to the lowest point in the organization increases the quality of that decision-making.
• How to build your own power compass consistent with your values and your choices.
• Why he always starts with “who” first.
• The courage of vulnerability.

TO FIND RICK MILLER ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

“Strategy is a fancy word for making informed choices to meet your business objectives.”

Nag-Bushan Odekar, vice president and head of marketing/individual markets for Great-West Financial, is a marketing executive with superior analytical/problem-solving skills, creativity, strategic agility, and entrepreneurial drive. He began his financial services career at Fidelity Investments in 1999. Nag also has prior experience as the co-founder and CMO at ForeverCar.com, an online retailer that enables consumers to purchase and finance automobile warranties. Prior to ForeverCar, Nag was vice president of consumer marketing at Aviva (now Athene), a leader in indexed life and annuities, where he led the company’s innovation pipeline and brand strategy.

Listen And Learn: 

• How connecting to a brand means offering a solution.
• Why statistics might be interesting, but they don’t necessarily mean that they will change buyer behavior.
• How to know the difference between objectives, strategies, planning, and tactics.
• How to create your brand’s narrative.
• The importance of creating emotional connections.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GREAT-WEST FINANCIAL CLICK HERE.

TO FIND NAG ODEKAR ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE. 

“LinkedIn is by far the easiest network in the world to go viral on.” 

AJ Wilcox is a long-time digital marketer who fell in love with the LinkedIn Ads platform back in 2011. Since then, he's scaled and managed among the world's most sophisticated accounts worldwide. In 2014, he founded B2Linked.com which specializes in LinkedIn Ads training, consulting, and account management. He is globally recognized as one of the top LinkedIn Ads experts, and he speaks with, trains, presents, and manages advertising campaigns for executives and teams around the world. To date, he and his team have managed >200 LinkedIn Ads accounts, spent a cumulative $110M+ on the platform, and have managed four of LinkedIn's top 10 accounts.

Listen And Learn:

• The big difference between organic and paid LinkedIn-only marketing.
• His Best Practices for LinkedIn advertising.
• How to bring your AMO to your social marketing.
• Why he recommends focusing on “matched audiences.”
• How to become an influencer on the platform.
• Why the currency of the Internet is a comment.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT B2LINKED.COM, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND AJ WILCOX ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

“Humans are emotional buyers.”

Jeffrey Shaw is the author of LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible. Jeffrey helps his clients understand the "lingo" of their ideal customers they want to reach and the audience they want to impact. Jeffrey believes that to understand the lingo of those you want to attract is to know their essence, their values, and what emotionally triggers them so that you stand out, and that to build a successful business is not about education or even skill set. It's about understanding the culture, mindset, values, and the way of being of those you want to serve.

Listen And Learn:

• The five emotional triggers that form the basis for lingo.
• How familiarity is the most powerful of emotions when it comes to connecting with your customers.
• Why it’s vitally important to deeply and empathetically understand whom you want to reach and to build a business from their perspective.
• His ultimate goal when it comes to customer connection.
• The importance of understanding your audience’s “secret language.”
• How personas and avatars only go so far.

TO FIND JEFFREY SHAW ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

“Strategy and branding are one.”

Manny Rodriguez is the chief marketing and experience officer for UCHealth, a nationally recognized Colorado health system comprised of leading community hospitals and the region’s top academic medical center. Manny is responsible for overseeing brand, marketing, advertising, sponsorships, public relations, and patient experience. A seasoned marketing executive with proven success, Manny is an expert in brand positioning and building, consumer marketing, community marketing, and sports and entertainment marketing. At UCHealth, he established sponsorships with the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Mammoth. He launched a new brand for UCHealth, positioning the health system as patient-centered and innovative.

Listen And Learn:

• Why the corporate strategy and the brand strategy have to be the same.
• How he has integrated virtual reality into the patient experience.
• His tips for how to manage strategy to meet goals.
• The importance of involving your employees in delivering your brand promise.
• The very purposeful intention behind the brand’s tagline.
• Why he doesn’t want to talk about “us.”

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT UCHEALTH, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND MANNY RODRIGUEZ ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.