Intentional Leader

  • Home
  • Podcast
  • Course
  • Newsletters
  • Articles
  • About
  • Patreon
  • Contact

118: Alison Wood Brooks — Make Great Conversations Easy with Proven Strategies from Harvard Expert

February 16, 2025 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

The views expressed on this podcast and page are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or endorsement of the US Army, DoD, or the US Government.

In this engaging conversation, Alison Wood Brooks, a Harvard Business School professor, shares insights from her research on the art and science of conversation. She discusses the importance of effective communication, the unique perspective gained from being an identical twin, and the value of teaching conversation skills to leaders.

The discussion covers various aspects of conversation, including the significance of preparation, understanding conversational goals, and the framework for successful interactions. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own conversational practices and consider how they can improve their communication skills. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the intricacies of effective communication, emphasizing the cognitive load involved in conversations, the importance of preparation, and the power of follow-up questions.

They discuss strategies for topic switching and ending conversations gracefully, the significance of asking questions, and the art of active listening. The conversation also highlights the role of levity in maintaining engagement and the need for self-compassion in navigating social interactions.

Alison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School. She teaches an award-winning course in the MBA curriculum called “TALK.” Recently named a Best 40-Under-40 Business School Professor by Poets & Quants, her book TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves will be published by Crown (Penguin Random House) in January 2025.

Her research on the science of conversation has been published in prestigious academic journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychological Science, as well as in popular media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New York Times, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review. Professor Brooks holds a Ph.D. in Decision Processes from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Finance from Princeton University.

Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves
By Alison Wood Brooks

If you’re interested in discovering your core values and becoming a more self-aware and emotionally intelligent leader, I’ve built the perfect course to help you get there. Check out my Discover Your Core Values Mini Course, where I coach you through 3 exercises of guided reflection and help you uncover your core values in a way that you can apply them right away.

February 16, 2025 /Cal Walters
relationships, conversation, empathy, questions, listening, preparation, communication
Intentional Living, Leadership
Comment

100: Juliet Funt — A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work

June 01, 2023 by Cal Walters in Leadership, Intentional Living

Featured in top media outlets such as Forbes, CNBC, and Fast Company, Juliet Funt is a globally renowned keynote speaker, tough-love advisor to the Fortune 500, founder and CEO of the efficiency training firm, Juliet Funt Group.

Juliet is the author of A Minute to Think, nominated for the Next Big Idea Club curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Susan Cain and Adam Grant. She is an evangelist for freeing the potential of companies by unburdening their talent from busywork, and she has brought her powerful concepts to Spotify, National Geographic, Anthem, Vans, Abbott, Costco, Pepsi, Nike, Wells Fargo, Sephora, Sysco, and ESPN.

Great minds in the military are using her book! Juliet recently announced that both the Army War College and the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) have included A Minute to Think in their current curricula.

If you are past or current military, Juliet would love to hear from you. Share with her your experience in trying to find thinking time in your work.

Email her at juliet@julietfunt.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.

A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work
By Funt, Juliet

If you’re interested in growing in your leadership practice and being inspired to think differently and unlock greater personal potential, we want to give you a gift. Just click the link below and tell us where to send you 12 Ideas That Will Make You A Better Leader


Listen to some of our most popular podcast episodes here!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Help us close the gap in leadership instruction by partnering with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn

June 01, 2023 /Cal Walters
burnout, busyness, empathy, meetings, productivity
Leadership, Intentional Living
Comment
BG Berger Speech .jpg

#41: Brigadier General Joe Berger — On Empathy, People First Leadership, and Being a Beginner

June 17, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Brigadier General Joseph B. Berger III graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1992 and was commissioned into the Military Police Corps, where he served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Supply Officer and Adjutant.

apple-podcasts-badge.png
google_podcasts_badge@8x.png
Spotify 3.png

The views expressed on this podcast and page are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or endorsement of the US Army, DoD, or the US Government.

Brigadier General Joseph B. Berger III graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1992 and was commissioned into the Military Police Corps, where he served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Supply Officer and Adjutant. Brigadier General Berger was subsequently selected for the Funded Legal Education Program and received his juris doctor from the George Mason University School of Law.

Brigadier General Berger currently serves as the Commanding General of the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, located on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. His previous assignments include: Commander, United States Army Legal Services Agency and Chief Judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals; Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Cyber Command; Chief, Investigations and Legislative Division, Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison, Washington, DC; Chief, Plans Branch of Personnel, Plans and Training Office, Office of The Judge Advocate General, Washington, DC; Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Deputy Team Chief and later Assistant Director, Multi-National Force-Iraq; Group Judge Advocate, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Chief, Criminal Law, United States Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, Fort Bliss, Texas; Chief, Legal Assistance, later Administrative and Operational Law Attorney, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Germany.

BG Berger - Helicopter .jpeg

Brigadier General Berger’s operational deployments include OPERATIONS RESTORE HOPE (Mogadishu, Somalia) and JOINT GUARD (Kosovo), and multiple tours in support of both OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM (Afghanistan) and IRAQI FREEDOM / NEW DAWN (Iraq).

Brigadier General Berger holds a Master of Laws in International Law (LL.M) from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (Distinguished Graduate) and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College (Distinguished Graduate). His military awards include the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Valorous Unit Award (Somalia) and the Presidential Unit Citation (Joint Task Force Neptune). He is authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist’s Badge, the German Parachutist’s Badge (Fallschirmspringerabzeichen), and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Brigadier General Berger and his wife Brenna are the proud parents of two adult children. On this episode, we discuss the Army JAG Corps, the impact his wife and kids have had (and continue to have) on him, overcoming adversity, and much more!

Berger - Wedding Photo .JPG

During this episode, we discuss:

3:30 – Introduction to the Army JAG Corps

8:15 – What life was like growing up for Brigadier General Berger

10:45 – People that impacted him the most growing up

13:00 – What he’s learned the most from his children

14:30 – The power of humility and being open to learning

15:14: – How he is different now from how he was growing up

18:45 – How failure, mistakes, and adversity have shaped him the most

23:35 – He does an autopsy on his own success and provides us advice on how to succeed

29:51 – Somalia Deployment – The Battle of Mogadishu (portrayed in Black Hawk Down)

37: 53 – What he believes are some of the commonalities between those who sustain excellence over time

44:31 – His views on work/life balance

50:14 – His views on servant leadership, one of the four pillars of the Army JAG Corps

53:27 – Examples of servant leaders that he has seen

59:00 – His impressions on Admiral William McRaven

1:02:20 – Questions from Army Lawyers (judge advocates) in the field

1:23:00 – Lightning Round Questions

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher


Brigadier General Berger recommended the following books during this interview:

The Road
By McCarthy, Cormac
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
By Larson, Erik

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Partner with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook

June 17, 2020 /Cal Walters
empathy, army jag corps, servant leadership, growth
Intentional Living, Leadership
Comment