Heather McGowan, Leader, Thinker & Future-of-Work Strategist (Part 1 of 2)

Heather McGowan is an extraordinary leader, thinker, and future-of-work strategist. She is an author and speaker who has a lot of insight about the future of work, the future of our relationships with one another, and the skills it will take to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution. Heather is not one to tout a dystopian future but believes that humans need to think differently about how we prepare for work and how we work in order to thrive in the future of it.

 

In the first of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Heather shares how her own upbringing shaped her as a thinker and leader, as well as some of her key observations about the changes that are taking place at an individual, organizational, and societal level. Heather explains why our current structures do not support our human needs for connection and community, how social media might provide a solution, as well as how leaders should be approaching strategy in their organizations to adapt to the future of work. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:44] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Heather McGowan.

[1:38] Who is Heather?

[2:25] What are some of the values that have shaped Heather as a person and a leader?

[5:58] What is the moment of change that individuals, organizations, and institutions are living through?

[8:27] What happens to the psyche of the worker when the structures we have do not support our needs for membership, belonging, and a sense of community?

[12:48] What is Heather optimistic about in relation to what is possible in building up authentic human connections?

[15:09] What are Heather’s thoughts on how leaders should be approaching strategy and strategic planning?

[20:35] Cognitive diversity and psychological safety are two essential elements to a competitive and successful organization. What is Heather’s advice to leaders to cultivate these in their organizations?

[24:26] Knowing vs. learning mindset — Heather breaks down the differences and explains why it is so important for us to adopt a learning mindset to move into the future of work.

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Heather McGowan

Articles by Thomas Friedman (NY Times)

Between Two Ages: The 21st Century and the Crisis of Meaning,
by William Van Dusen Wishard

Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle

Brené Brown

The Two Traits of the Best Problem-Solving Teams, by Alison Reynolds and David Lewis (HBR)

Peter Senge