In this compelling conversation, John Marshall sits down with Dr. Angela Jackson, Harvard lecturer, researcher, and founder and CEO of Future Forward Institute, to explore what it actually takes to build a workplace where people and performance thrive together. Drawing from research across more than 1,700 companies, Dr. Jackson shares the nine pillars of her Win-Win Workplace framework — a data-driven, deeply human roadmap for leaders and organizations ready to close the gap between what they say about their people and what they actually do for them. From centering employee voice and reimagining benefits, to activating frontline managers and building the kind of trust that feeds an organization like oxygen, this conversation challenges the outdated zero-sum model of work and replaces it with something far more sustainable. Packed with real case studies, tangible data points, and practical first steps for culture carriers at every level, this episode is essential listening for anyone who believes that the best businesses are built on the best people practices.

Resources:
The Win-Win Workplace by Dr. Angela Jackson
Future Forward Institute
Win-Win Workplace Summit

Connect with Dr. Angela Jackson: LinkedIn | Website

Takeaways

• Performance and well-being are not in conflict — the data shows they reinforce each other when the right practices are in place.
• Centering employee voice is the foundational pillar because everything else built on top of it only works if people trust that they are actually being heard.
• Companies are spending billions on employee listening programs while nearly two thirds of workers still feel their company does not care about them — that gap is the opportunity.
• Trust is the most important nutrient feeding a high-performing organization, and it is built or eroded in micro moments every single day.
• Reimagining benefits means asking what people actually need today, not what looked good on a benefits brochure five years ago.
• Most frontline managers were never trained to manage people — they were simply promoted for being great individual contributors.
• Voluntary turnover data is one of the most powerful tools a culture carrier can bring to a C-suite conversation to make the cost of disengagement undeniable.
• The best organizations invest in learn-it-all cultures and measure people practices with the same rigor they apply to financial performance.
• Pillar nine — distributed leadership and an ownership mindset — is not a destination but a continuous loop that requires ongoing investment and attention.
• Being present with your people, tracking two to three data points per direct report, and asking how they are really doing costs nothing and changes everything.

Special Listener Offer
The first five (5) listeners who connect with Dr. Angela Jackson on LinkedIn and mention The Present Professional Podcast will receive a free copy of The Win-Win Workplace.

Visit The Present Professional webpage on humessence.com and learn more about how we support leadership development and culture enablement at growth-stage organizations.

Thank you for listening.

Coach John Marshall | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook

In this episode of The Present Professional, John Marshall speaks with Erik Berglund, founder of The Language of Leadership and Loominary AI, about the future of leadership development through AI powered practice. Erik shares how his work evolved from coaching leaders on accountability and communication into building skill simulation systems that help people practice real workplace conversations in a psychologically safe environment.

Together, they explore why traditional training often fails to create lasting behavior change, how the eight critical leadership conversations can transform team performance, and why simulation, feedback, and repetition are essential for true skill development. They also discuss the role of psychological safety, the difference between accountability and conflict, and how AI can help organizations scale leadership training and talent development.

Takeaways

• Leadership development improves when people can practice real conversations, not just hear ideas about them.
• Psychological safety is essential for effective simulation and skill building.
• The eight critical leadership conversations create a framework for stronger teams and clearer expectations.
• AI can help scale practical leadership training across organizations.
• Accountability is not the same as conflict, and recognizing the difference changes how leaders respond.
• Excuses often reveal a development opportunity, not just resistance.
• Professional skill intelligence can help organizations understand where to invest training time and budget.

Resources
Loominary.io - https://loominary.io
The Language of Leadership Framework
https://www.amazon.com/Language-Leadership-Erik-Berglund/dp/XXXXXX

Connect with Erik Berglund
LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/erikberglund
Website - https://loominary.io

Visit The Present Professional webpage on humessence.com and learn more about how we support leadership development and culture enablement at growth-stage organizations.

Thank you for listening.

Coach John Marshall | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, John Marshall sits down with Kevin Asbjornson, global leadership development professional, executive coach, keynote speaker, and performing artist, to explore what it truly means to lead with emotional intelligence in the 21st century. Kevin draws on a career spanning more than 70 countries and a lifelong parallel passion for music to make a compelling case that leadership is both an art and a science — and that most organizations have been over-investing in the science while leaving the art largely untouched. He shares his signature Eight Keys to Inspired Leadership model, the powerful practice of using original piano compositions to develop emotional awareness in leaders, and the critical distinction between a leader's tune and their tone. From practical steps for accessing emotional intelligence assessments, to how the best organizations build learn-it-all cultures and measure leadership impact along the way, this episode is a masterclass in what human-centric leadership actually looks like in practice.

Resources:
Inspire Imagine Innovate Website - https://inspireimagineinnovate.com
Howard Gardner's Intelligence ReFramed - https://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Reframed-Howard-Gardner/dp/0465026117
Hogan Assessments - https://www.hoganassessments.com
Daniel Goleman's What Makes a Leader - https://dme.childrenshospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/What-makes-a-Leader-HBR.pdf

Connect with Kevin Asbjornson: LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/kevinasbjornson Website - https://inspireimagineinnovate.com

Takeaways

• Leadership is both an art and a science, and most organizations have over-invested in the science at the expense of the art.
• People hear your tune, but they feel your tone — and when those two are out of alignment, connection breaks down.
• Emotional intelligence is not something we are born with; it is learned through experience and developed intentionally over time.
• The five pillars of emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills — and intrapersonal intelligence must come before interpersonal impact.
• Leaders inspire people; people motivate themselves — and that distinction changes everything about how we approach leadership development.
• Closing the gap between identity and reputation is one of the most transformative things a leader can do for their team and their organization.
• Real-time feedback throughout a coaching engagement is more powerful than waiting for results at the end of the process.
• The three most common leadership refinements are shifting from tune to tone, distinguishing between urgent and important, and slowing down pace to better connect with the audience.
• The best organizations invest in learn-it-all cultures rather than know-it-all cultures, and they make emotional intelligence a measurable organizational priority.
• Leadership effectiveness at work is directly connected to how we show up at home — life, career, and well-being are not separate categories.

Visit The Present Professional webpage on humessence.com and learn more about how we support leadership development and culture enablement at growth-stage organizations.

Thank you for listening.

Coach John Marshall | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook