
Curve Benders by David Nour
By David Nour

Curve Benders by David NourMar 10, 2020

82 - Final Curve Benders Episode: Ten Attributes to Success in 2023
From our 2022 Relationship Economics Summit - an intimate gathering of senior executive clients, partners, and friends this past October, to over 100 senior executive conversations since Nour Group Managing Partner David Nour has gathered Ten Attributes to success in 2023. Join us for insights on where you and your team should focus in the New Year as we sign off on the Curve Benders Livestream and broaden our horizons moving forward.

81 - Curve Benders Live on Agile Execution
Relationships take time and nurturing, you need to be very intentional in building relationships and meeting curve benders. Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn how to grow a relationship from a seed into a fruit bearing tree.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

80 - Curve Benders Live on Strategic Relationships
Your relationships shape who you are and in turn who you will grow to be. Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn how to choose which relationships you should invest into and how you can become that person for others.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

79 - Curve Benders Live on Immersive Inquiry
Now that you've found your spark, where are you going to direct your energy? Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn the importance of learning, learning, and more learning!
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

78 - Curve Benders Live on the Catalyst
Do you feel like something is missing in your life? Are you ready to become the best version of you? Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn how to find that spark to set off your personal journey of growth.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

77 - Curve Benders Live on Professional Commitment
Are you exceeding expectations? How committed are you to your professional development? Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn how to double down on where you are, what you're doing, and the value you're creating.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

76 - Curve Benders Live on Personal Foundation
How do you prioritize which relationships you invest in? Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn why a smaller network of deeper relationships is more powerful than a huge network of shallow relationships.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

75 - Power and Promise of Product Marketing
Join David Nour in this episode of Curve Benders Live! Listen to David discuss Product Marketing with Michele Konetski.
Learn how to optimize your customer experience, shorten your sales cycle, and the importance of knowing your product.
Chime in with your thoughts and questions on the Nour Forum after the episode and engage with like-minded professionals in a setting designed to facilitate your growth.

74 - Curve Benders Live on Your Personal Market Value
What are you really worth? How are you assessing your personal market value? Join David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live and learn about the three foundational rings that make up your personal market value, and how you can make a proper assessment of where you stand in the war for talent.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts after the episode in the Nour Forum! Join our community of like-minded professionals to build relationships with industry leaders, share wisdom with peers, and get access to exclusive content.

73 - Field Service-Centricity with Karin Hamel
How important is recognizing the efforts of the people who represent your brand directly to the customer? The answer: very.
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast as he hosts Karin Hamel, VP of Services for Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric. Listen to Karin talk the importance of people, customer experience, and strong company culture, and get insights from someone at the top of one of the country's most important industries.
Chime in with your thoughts and questions on the Nour Forum after the episode and engage with like-minded professionals in a setting designed to facilitate your growth.

72 - Unstuck - Unlocking Wisdom of Others with Craig Lemasters
Are you feeling stuck? How are you utilizing your personal and professional networks to their fullest potential?
Join David Nour as he explores how to become Unstuck by embracing and engaging the knowledge and experience of the people around you with Craig Lemasters. Craig is the author of Unstuck - How to Unlock & Activate the Wisdom of Others, and is Chairman at GCX. Listen on as Craig tells us about the power of listening and learning, building your network up, and not being scared of external help.

71 - Super Bowl Marketing and Your Personal Growth Strategy
Did you watch the Super Bowl last sunday? How about the ads? Beyond their entertainment value, which ones did you think were really smart, delivered a well-thought out strategy, and were executed well?
What if we applied some of the lessons from Super Bowl marketing into your personal growth strategy? In this session, I'll share 14 I've captured - from the Worst Overall Marketing Strategy by Amazon Alexa, to the Best Integration of a Social Good by Google, let's look at some of the highlights.
Actual ads and the 14 points can be found in our private online community, NourGroup.com/Forum.

70 - Curve Benders Live on The Success Factor with Dr. Ruth Gotian
What do astronauts, Olympic champions and Nobel laureates do differently that allows them to achieve at such a high level?
Join David Nour for the next Curve Benders Live as he welcomes Dr. Ruth Gotian, author of the new book, The Success Factor, which outlines the methodological approach that individuals aspiring to improve their performance can adopt to achieve success. High achievers share the same four attributes (intrinsic motivation, perseverance, strong foundation, constantly learning through informal means). The key to their success is that they do all four of these things in tandem.
Using these four shared attributes as a guide, The Success Factor helps you reach peak performance by applying the lessons of high achievers in your own life: identify your passion using a Passion Audit; learn how and where to find a mentor and how to build a mentoring team; develop your own community of practice; pursue your interests through informal learning; and manage your time and energy. The Success Factor comes with online resources that feature a downloadable Passion Audit worksheet, Mentoring Team worksheet, and Goal Audit worksheet. The book offers scripts for approaching potential mentors and a list of uncommon places to find a mentor, such as webinars, airports, and social media.

69 - Curve Benders Live on MarTech and RevOps with Jenn Cordz
How's your pipeline? How well do you understand your audience, buying behaviors, and your ability to connect their needs with your solutions? Did you know the average organization utilizes more than 70 tools in an attempt to connect their marketing efforts to revenue, many of which are disjointed or are missing critical data? That's 70 of the 8,000+ unique techs addressing the needs of organizations from advertising & promotions, to content & experience, social & relationships, commerce & sales, data, and management.
Join The Nour Group founder David Nour and new RevOps partner, Jenn Cordz as they discuss Marketing Technologies (MarTech) and Revenue Operations (RevOps) in '22 - what works, what doesn't, and how to dramatically elevate, enhance, and amplify your efforts in the year ahead.
Join us in the Nour Forum community to continue the conversation. Learn more about the Nour Group RevOps practice here.

68 - Nour Curve Benders Live on Reflection
What went well for you in 2021? What didn't quite click or materialize as you had hoped or expected? Through another year of the global pandemic, what lessons did you learn, what will you think about differently in 2022? Most importantly, which relationships enhanced, elevated or otherwise amplified your personal and professional growth? And which ones let you down, held you back, or you left neglected?
Use this simple, but powerful template to really think about the year that just passed. Equally valuable is the opportunity to think, feel, or do - in essence, lead differently in the New Year.
Join best-Selling author of Relationship Economics, Co-Create, and Curve Benders, David Nour on this episode of Curve Benders Live for a conversation on the incredible value of reflection. Visit NourGroup.com/Forum to continue the conversation and to access the exclusive content, resources, and events.

65 - Digital Body Language with Erica Dhawan
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast, featuring Erica Dhawan and her new book, Digital Body Language.
When leaders want to break team silos, drive exponential growth, and innovate through teamwork, they call Erica Dhawan. She is an internationally recognized leading authority, speaker, and advisor on 21st-century teamwork, collaboration, and innovation. Named by Thinkers50 as the “Oprah of Management Thinkers”, she is the author of two books Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence and Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance.
It’s 2021, the world of business is increasingly digital and work practices have changed at a blistering rate. Erica shares innovative strategies to unlock the collective power of teams, build a culture of trust across any distance and create authentic engagement to ensure competitiveness. Rated #1 on the Top Women Keynote Speakers of 2020 and featured as one of the management thinkers most likely to shape the future of business, Erica frequently appears in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wall Street Journal. Erica speaks on global stages ranging from the World Economic Forum at Davos to TEDx and for companies such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, SAP, and Cisco. She has degrees from Harvard University, MIT Sloan, and The Wharton School.
Show notes are in Nour Forum, our private online community.

64 - Reimagining Work with Michael Watkins
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast as he hosts Michael Watkins, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and the author of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, which The Economist recognized as "the on-boarding bible."
With more than 1,000,000 copies sold in English, and translations in 24 languages, The First 90 Days has become the classic reference for leaders in transition and a standard resource of leading change. In 2011, it was named one of the best 100 business books of all time 800-CEO-Read. Amazon declared it "one of the 100 best leadership & success books to read in your lifetime."
Prior to joining IMD, Dr. Watkins was an associate professor at the Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. While on the faculty of these institutions, he designed and taught world-class programs for high-potential leader development, corporate diplomacy, and strategic negotiation.
Dr. Watkins is the author or co-author of eleven books and numerous articles on leadership and negotiation. In the field of leadership, these include Your Next Move: The Leader's Guide to Managing Critical Career Transitions (HBS Press 2009), Shaping the Game: The New Leader's Guide to Effective Negotiating (HBS Press 2006), and Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming and How to Avoid Them (HBS Press 2004). Predictable Surprises was named one of the best business books of 2004 by Strategy + Business and won the 2006 annual Kulp-Wright Award from The American Risk and Insurance Association. He also is the author or co-author of eight Harvard Business Review articles, including "It's All About Day One" (2013), "How Managers Become Leaders" (2012), "Picking the Right Transition Strategy" (2009), "The Leadership Team: Complementary Strengths or Conflicting Agendas" (2007) and "The Successor's Dilemma" (2000).
In addition, Dr. Watkins has written extensively on business-government relations, international security, and negotiation, most recently co-authoring Case Studies in U.S. Trade Negotiation, Volumes 1 and 2 and Winning the Influence Game: What Every Business Leaders Should Know About Government. His books on negotiation - Breakthrough International Negotiation: How Great Negotiators Transformed the World's Toughest Post-Cold War Conflicts and Breakthrough Business Negotiation: A Toolbox for Managers, won the CPR Institute's prize for best books in the field of negotiation in 2001 and 2003.
Dr. Watkins is the co-founder of Genesis Advisers, a transition acceleration consultancy.
Originally from Canada, Dr. Watkins received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, did graduate work in law and business at the University of Western Ontario, and completed his Ph.D. in Decision Sciences at Harvard University.

63 - Value-Based Leadership with Harry Kraemer
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast as he hosts Harry Kraemer, Jr., an executive partner with Madison Dearborn Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago, Illinois, and a Clinical Professor of Leadership at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, where he was named the 2008 Kellogg School Professor of the Year.
Harry is the author of three bestselling leadership books: From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership, Becoming The Best: Build a World-Class Organization Through Values-Based Leadership. and Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Baxter International Inc., a $12 billion global healthcare company. He became Baxter's chief executive officer in January 1999 and assumed the additional responsibility of chairman of Baxter's board of directors in January 2000.
Harry joined Baxter in 1982 as director of corporate development. His twenty-three-year career at Baxter included senior positions in both domestic and international operations. In 1993, he was named senior vice president and chief financial officer, responsible for financial operations, business development, global communications, and European operations. Over the next several years, he assumed additional responsibility for Baxter's Renal and Medication Delivery businesses. He was elected to Baxter's board of directors in 1995 and was named president of Baxter International Inc. in 1997.
Before joining Baxter, Mr. Kraemer worked for Bank of America in corporate banking and for Northwest Industries in planning and business development.
Mr. Kraemer is active in business, education, and civic affairs. He serves on the board of directors of Leidos Corporation, Dentsply Sirona, Option Care Health, Performance Health, and Alcami, and on the board of trustees of Northwestern University, The Conference Board, NorthShore University Healthsystem and the Archdiocese of Chicago Finance Committee and School Board.
He is a member of the Dean's Global Advisory Board of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is a member of the Council of CEOs, the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Economics Club of Chicago. He is a past member of the Business Roundtable, the Business Council, and the Healthcare Leadership Council.
Mr. Kraemer graduated summa cum laude from Lawrence University of Wisconsin in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics. He received an MBA degree in finance and accounting from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in 1979 and is a certified public accountant. For his outstanding leadership and service, he received the 1996 Schaffner Award from the Kellogg School of Management. Harry enjoys jogging, tennis, skiing, and reading, especially world civilization. Harry, his wife Julie, and their five children live in Wilmette, Illinois. More info on Harry at www.harrykraemer.org.
#CurveBendersBook

62 - Values-Based Alignment with Dr. Mandeep Rai
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast as he hosts Thinkers50 Radar 2021 colleague, Dr. Mandeep Rai to discuss values-based alignment. Mandeep is a global authority on values, working with companies, institutions, and individuals around the world. She has traveled to more than 150 countries and reported as a journalist for the BBC World Service and Reuters, amongst others.
She began her career in private banking at J.P. Morgan and later worked for the United Nations, the European Commission, and grassroots NGOs before setting up the UAE’s first media venture capital fund.
Mandeep studied philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE), has an MSc in International Development from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and completed an MBA at London Business School, with a year at Harvard Business School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also holds a Ph.D. in global values.
Join Nour today at Noon ET for a Livestream with Mandeep. Show notes and further discussions in the Nour Forum. Fabulous guests joining us in the next several episodes including Harry Kraemer, Michael Watkins, Erica Dhawan, and Geoff Parker, so we hope you'll subscribe wherever you consume podcasts.
#CurveBendersBook

61 - From Ideas to Impact with Stuart Crainer + Des Dearlove, Thinkers50
Join David Nour for this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast, as he hosts the founders of Thinkers50, Stuart Crainer, and Des Dearlove.
Internationally recognized experts and commentators on management thinking, Stuart and Des have championed the very best new management ideas for the past two decades. The editors of the Financial Times Handbook of Management, they are the authors of a number of best-selling books, including Generation Entrepreneur, Gravy Training, What We Mean When We Talk About Leadership, and the six-book Thinkers50 McGraw Hill series.
Through their work with Thinkers50, they are frequently asked to advise organizations and individuals on how to maximize the impact of their ideas. Their clients include some of the world’s leading business schools and corporations. Stuart and Des’s work in business thought leadership led Management Today to describe them as “market makers par excellence”.
Don't forget, Stuart and Des will be Nour's guests on LinkedIn LIVE today at Noon ET. We also turn the show notes from these episodes into more in-depth articles in our private online community, Nour Forum. Several brilliant guests coming up, so hope you'll subscribe to Curve Benders, wherever you consume podcasts.

60 - Who vs. How Many with Mitch Joel
Join David Nour for this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Mitch Joel as they discuss the fundamental evolution of digital marketing. Called “one of North America’s leading visionaries” by Strategy Magazine, Mitch is the Founder of Six Pixels Group - an advisory, investing and content producing company focused on brands, commerce, community, and what’s next. Prior to Six Pixels Group, Mitch spent close to two decades building, running, and selling his agency to WPP.
Mitch's books include Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, which was named one of the best business books of 2013 by Amazon. He is a fellow #MG100 and Thinkers50 Radar class for 2021 colleague.
Mitch is also Nour's guest on LinkedIn Live, so hope you'll join us there. Don't forget, we turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles and post them in our blog and private online community, the Nour Forum. We have several fantastic guests joining us, so hope you'll subscribe to the Curve Benders wherever you consume podcasts.

59 - Path To Your Curve Benders
Have you ever thought of the individuals in your past who have left an indelible imprint on shaping the manager, the leader, the professional you are today?
What if you had met them earlier, knew more of these quality, caring, and impactful relationships? More importantly, in the future of constant disruptions in our lives, how could these relationships accelerate your reinvention to keep you relevant?
These profound relationships I'm calling your Curve Benders in my brand new book launching this week. Path to Your Curve Benders is both the subject of my podcast this week and our Live gathering on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter today at Noon ET. I'll show you our research, insights from our interviews, and why in the future of work, these relationships will be so critical to your success.
More importantly, we'll discuss how you can become a Curve Bender in the lives of others. Join me on Tuesday, April 27th at Noon ET on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter for Curve Benders LIVE.
Show notes and images of the 7 Steps in Nour Forum, our private online community. Join us.

58 - Reducing Variations with Subir Chowdhury
He is one of the 50 Most Influential Management Thinkers in the World by Thinkers50. He has been a pioneer in championing the Quality movement across the globe through his thought-provoking ideas, unique methods, pedagogy, and passion. Hailed by the New York Times as a leading quality expert and by BusinessWeek as The Quality Prophet, he is the author of fifteen books, including several international bestsellers translated into more than 20 languages with over a million copies sold, including The Difference, The Ice Cream Maker, The Power of Six Sigma, and Management 21C.
He is the chairman and CEO of ASI Consulting Group, LLC, a global leader on strategic initiatives, quality consulting, and training helping hundreds of Fortune 100 corporations and industrial leaders increase revenues while saving billions of dollars in enterprise waste.
He is an honorary member of the World Innovation Foundation (WIF) and has been inducted into the Engineering, Science and Technology Hall of Fame and honored by the Automotive Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ Gold Medal, and the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) Henry Ford II Distinguished Award for Excellence in Automotive Engineering.
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Subir Chowdhury.
BTW,
Subir will be our Livestream guest today at Noon ET, so join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. We turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Nour Forum private community. We have several fabulous guests joining us such as Harry Kramer, Michael Watkins, Geoff Parker, and Erica Dhawan on Digital Body Language, so hope you’ll subscribe to the Curve Benders wherever you consume podcasts.
57 - Hybrid Relationships
In the post-pandemic world, you'll need to think about your business relationships differently. Those you new pre-pandemic, mostly through your in-person interactions, you've been forced to engaged only online for the past 13 months! Conversely, there are others you've only met/connected with online whom you'll need to prioritize and engage in person. Welcome to the world of Hybrid Relationships.
I believe we're thinking about coming back to work all wrong. Beyond the tactical 'how many days in the office,' we need to rethink and reimagine our work. A strong enabler of that journey will be the relationships you choose to invest in.
In this episode, I review some of my seminal work from Relationship Economics, such as the Relationship Currency Roadmap, your most neglected relationships, the need to recalibrate your Relationship Value Pyramid, ABCs of your relationship investments, and the 10 Relationship Impact Moments. I then link those ideas to ten (10) Digital Relationship Best Practices in the post-pandemic, hybrid relationship world.
I hope you find these ideas of interest and value. Come join us in the Nour Forum to continue the discussions.
Best,

56 - Operating System for Relationships with Thor Ernstsson, CEO - Strata
Join us on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast, as David Nour hosts Thor Ernstsson, CEO of Strata, the operating system for professional relationships. Prior to Strata, Thor founded Feedback Loop to bring customer feedback into product management and Rally Health to transform how people engage with their health. Aside from building companies, Thor is an avid hot sauce maker.
Three quick notes:
Thor will be our guest on LinkedIn Live today at Noon ET, so hope you'll join us there. We turn the show notes from these episodes into more in-depth articles, so join us in the Nour Forum for further discussions. We have some fabulous guests coming up like Michael Watkins, of the First 90-Days fame. We hope you'll subscribe wherever you consume podcasts or at NourGroup.com/Podcast.
55 - Outside-In Leadership with Dennis Sadlowski
He's a battle-tested CEO and a respected board member. After stepping in from the Board of Directors to become the Chief Executive Officer, he led an outside-in growth strategy and the transformation of CECO Environmental into an integrated and aligned force in the market. His efforts steered the company around debt covenant risks and delivered 29% organic orders growth over two years. He successfully transitioned his CEO role in late 2020.
He has a strong track record delivering benefits for customers that generate growth and value for shareholders. While CEO of Siemens Energy and Automation, he led the Siemens operating company to record successive years in financial performance that included $500m in organic growth while doubling profit and tripling free cash flow in a two-year period. His early career began with 10 years at GE which tripled in market value during that time, followed by leadership roles at Thomas & Betts who closed 18 acquisitions during his 6 plus years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Trojan Battery.
He holds an MBA from Seattle University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Nuclear Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an avid soccer player and fan and enjoys traveling with his family.
Join David Nour as he hosts this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Dennis Sadlowski.
BTW, three quick points:
Dennis will be our guest on LinkedIn Live today at Noon ET, so hope you'll make time to join us. We turn the show notes from each episode into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our private community, Nour Forum. We have some fabulous guests joining us in the next several weeks and we're launching the Curve Benders book in April, so we hope you'll subscribe wherever you consume podcasts.
54 - Splendid Torch with Diane Ryan, Tufts University
She joined Tisch College in 2017 as the Associate Dean for Programs and Administration, overseeing a portfolio of programs and curricula that support the entire Tufts University undergraduate and graduate student body as well as provide resources for faculty research and professional development.
She has devoted her career to public service, serving in the U.S. Army and spending nine years as a faculty member and senior leader at the United States Military Academy in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. While at West Point, her teaching and research were focused on leadership and civic engagement. During her last combat assignment with the 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad, Iraq she founded a US-Iraqi partnership for military women and worked with several NGOs on peace and security initiatives. She retired after 29 years of Active Duty at the rank of Colonel.
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Col. (Ret.) Diane Ryan.
BTW, three quick points:
Diane Ryan will be our LIVE guest today at Noon ET on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Hope you'll join us and jump in with your questions. We turn these show notes into more in-depth blog posts and articles, so check them out on NourGroup.com We have some fabulous guests joining us in the coming weeks, including Dennis Sadlowski, former CEO of Siemens Energy and Automation, Thor Ernstsson, CEO of Stratta, Michael Watkins, IMD Professor and Author of the First 90 Days, and Subir Chowdhury, the foremost authority on Six Sigma. Hope you'll subscribe wherever you consume podcasts.
53 - Leading a Culture to Improve, Protect, and Save Lives with Damon Griggs, Dovel Technologies
He is the Chief Executive Officer at Dovel Technologies and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. He brings more than two decades of executive leadership in the government technology space, including strategic planning, P&L stewardship, world-class service delivery for customer success, and the development of high-performing, growth-oriented teams.
In his current role, he leads the overall corporate direction and strategy at Dovel, focused on expanding the company’s competencies and capabilities, enhancing relationships with current and prospective customers, and providing opportunities for employee growth. Through Dovel’s strong market presence in health IT, life sciences, public safety, and grants management, he is dedicated to fostering a culture of innovation and an unparalleled commitment to customer success, while elevating Dovel’s position as an employer of choice. Under his leadership, Dovel has more than doubled in employee size, has delivered exceptional revenue growth, and has solidified its infrastructure for the next phase of growth.
Previously, he served as President and COO of InScope International, Inc. where he was responsible for operations, business development, and strategy to drive significant top and bottom-line growth. Prior to InScope, he was Senior Vice President at Alion Science and Technology, an engineering, IT, and operational solutions firm. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. He is a member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) Board of Directors, the Professional Services Council (PSC) Board of Directors, and the Washington, DC chapter of YPO.
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast, with Damon Griggs.
BTW, three quick points:
We turn the show notes from this episode into more in-depth articles; join us in our private online community, Nour Forum to learn more. We regularly host podcast guest via livestreams on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, so hope you'll join us there. We have some fabulous guests coming up, including Col. Diane Ryan (Ret.), Dennis Sadlowski, former CEO of Siemens Energy and Automation, and Subir Chowdhury, one of the world's foremost authorities on Six Sigma. Hope you'll continue to listen to Curve Benders wherever you consume podcasts or at NourGroup.com/Podcast.
52 - Reinvention of the Enterprise with Julian Birkinshaw, London Business School
He is a Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Faculty Advisor for Executive Education at the London Business School. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the (American) Academy of Management.
He has a Ph.D. and MBA degrees in Business from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University, Canada, and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Durham, UK. He was awarded Honorary Doctorates by the Stockholm School of Economics in 2009 and Copenhagen Business School in 2018.
He is a recognized thought-leader on the impact of digital technology on the strategy and organization of established companies, for example, such topics as digital disruption, agile working, corporate entrepreneurship, business model innovation, and management innovation. He is the author of fifteen books, including Mindtools for Managers (2018), Fast/Forward (2017), Becoming a Better Boss (2013), Reinventing Management (2010), Giant Steps in Management (2007), Inventuring: Why Big Companies Must Think Small (2003), and Entrepreneurship in the Global Firm (2001), as well as over one hundred articles.
He is currently ranked as one of the Thinkers50 top thought leaders in the field of Management. He is regularly quoted in international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, Bloomberg Business Week, and The Times. He is a regular keynote speaker and a consultant to many large companies, such as BP, Dell Technologies, Roche, Tata Group, BMW, Unilever, Enel, and Orsted.
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Julian Birkinshaw.
Three quick reminders:
Each week's podcast guest will also join us for a livestream on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube, so hope you'll join us for a live Q&A. We turn the show notes from this podcast into blogs and articles, so check them out in the Nour Group Blog. We have some fabulous guests coming up, including several CEOs and insights by Nour on his forthcoming book, Curve Benders.
51 - Intellectual Honesty with Sydney Finkelstein, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College
He is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Masters degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. He has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, which LinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus.
His research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast, The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life.
Join David Nour on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Sydney Finkelstein.
Three quick reminders:
We host each week's guest on a livestream via LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube, so join us. We turn the show notes into blog posts and articles, so check them out in the Nour Group Blog. We have some fabulous guests joining us in the next several weeks, so search #CurveBendersPodcast for the latest updates.
50 - B2E with Tiffani Bova, Salesforce
She is the chief growth evangelist at Salesforce and the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book GROWTH IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make or Break Your Business. She has been named to the latest Thinkers50’s list of the world’s top management thinkers and is a welcomed guest on Bloomberg, BNN, Cheddar, MSNBC, and Yahoo Finance, among others. She also contributes her thinking to publications including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Diginomica, Quora, Thrive, Rotman School of Management, and Duke Dialogue Review. She is a change-maker whose thought-provoking and forward-thinking insights have made her a frequent guest on a variety of industry-leading podcasts and live broadcasts.
Prior to working with Salesforce, she was a sales, marketing, and customer service executive for startups as well as Fortune 500 companies where she was recognized as being one of the first to develop a robust go to market model for cloud-based solutions, and indirect channel strategies to accommodate changes in buying behavior. She left the corporate world and joined Gartner becoming a Distinguished Analyst and Research Fellow where she won the Thought Leadership award and earned accolades from the best leaders in the technology world for her cutting-edge analysis and her skill at architecting bold new strategies for sales and growth.
Join Nour Group CEO, David Nour, and Tiffani Bova on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast.
BTW, two quick points:

49 - Rethinking Careers as Projects with Joel Koblentz
He is nationally recognized for resolving our clients’ most sensitive, critical, and confidential leadership and governance challenges. He advises publicly traded companies and private equity concerns, globally. Over the past three decades, he has advised on CEO successions and has led the recruitment of CEOs for a wide range of clients as well as recruiting several hundred new board of directors and senior executive leaders. He has led numerous “sensitive matter” Board of Director examinations, recommending improvement in their governance practices.
Previously, he was a Senior Partner at Egon Zehnder, a leading global executive search and board of directors' consultancy. During his tenure, he served as the Managing Partner of its New York and Atlanta practices as well as led its Service Sector Practice Group for the Americas. Earlier, he held senior strategic management and financial positions at Cox Cable Communications (Atlanta) and Tiger International (Atlanta and Los Angeles) with previous experience in financial roles at Occidental Petroleum and as a senior consultant at EY.
He has served as a board member and as Chairman of the Compensation Committee of Focus Brands, a leading restaurant group. Mr. Koblentz also served on the board of In Q Tel, the C.I.A.’s venture capital fund, as a board member for The National Association of Corporate Directors and as President of the Association of Corporate Growth in Atlanta.
Currently, he is the Chair of Emory University’s Center for Ethics and on the Board of Directors of the Chick-fil-A Bowl Foundation. He has served on the boards of The Carter Center, Junior Achievement, Atlanta's High Museum, Central Atlanta Progress, The Latin American Association, and ZooAtlanta. He is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Southern California.
Join Nour Group CEO, David Nour, and Joel Koblentz, founder and CEO of The Koblentz Group, on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast.
BTW, we turn the show notes from this podcast into a more in-depth article and link resources by or about our guest. Check them out in our new, private community, the Nour Forum.

48 - Mobility on Demand with Aicha Evans, Zoox
She joined Zoox as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in February 2019. Prior to Zoox, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Intel Corporation, driving the company's transformation from a PC-centric to a data-centric company. Previously, she ran the company’s wireless efforts and oversaw a global team of 7,000 engineers. Evans is a member of the Supervisory Board of SAP and holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from The George Washington University.
Join Nour Group CEO, David Nour, and Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox, on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast.
BTW, we turn the show notes from this podcast into a more in-depth article and link resources by or about our guest. Check them out in our new, private community, the Nour Forum.

47 - Leading from Anywhere with David Burkus
One of the world’s leading business thinkers, his forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.
He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, he has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.
A former business school professor, he holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.
Join Nour Group CEO, David Nour, and David Burkus, author of Leading from Anywhere, on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast.
BTW, two quick points:

46 - Unbundling of The Firm with Simone Cicero
He is an entrepreneur, facilitator, thinker, writer, and host, with a focus on open business models, ecosystemic organizations, and platforms: he worked on these topics in edge contexts such as emergent, self-managed organizations, and startups but also with large institutions, ranging from Fortune 500s to the UN, to explore and experiment a new theory of organizing for the XXIst century.
In 2013 as a result of his experience with open and systemic business models, he created the first fully open-source methodology for Platform and Ecosystems thinking - the Platform Design Toolkit - an approach that effectively contributed to kickstart a new design domain and now accounts for more than 70 thousands practitioners all over the world. This and other works allowed him to be featured in Thinkers50 Radar class of 2020.
Join Nour Group CEO, David Nour, and Simone Cicero, CEO of Boundaryless and Creator of Platform Design Toolkit: helping companies revolutionize the way they do business, on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast on Unbundling of The Firm.
BTW, two quick points:

E45 - Evolution of Ecosystems with Michael Jacobides
He is a Professor of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation at the London Business School, where he passionately believes that research and engagement in strategy and policy should go hand in hand. He often looks at how firms should navigate the increasingly complex and digitized environment: where and why value migrates, how firms can best capture it, and how they should respond to the dramatic growth of business ecosystems. His main areas of interest are digital platforms and ecosystems, financial services, and turnarounds. He's the co-editor of Industrial and Corporate Change and has published in top strategy and innovation journals such as SMJ, Organization Science, AMJ, AMR, and Research Policy.
He was recently recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the world’s top 50 management thinkers, and a finalist for their Strategy Award. He is a regular speaker at events such as the Global Drucker Forum and meetings organized by the WEF.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders to discuss the evolution of ecosystems with Michael Jacobides.
Three quick points:
1. Blog - Show notes will be posted on our new revamped website - check it out at NourGroup.com/Blog.
2. Newsletter - We're revamping our newsletter, including a free one at NourGroup.com/Newsletter.
3. Forum - Lastly, we're building a thriving community of like-minded professionals, passionate about strategic relationships, non-linear growth, and visual storytelling. Come join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

44 - Observations 2020 + Seven Sequence 2021
Let me ask you three questions:
What relationship lessons did you learn in 2020? What went great for you amid the chaos, and what could you have done differently? How do you show up digitally today, and how will you elevate your digital presence/footprint in the New Year? What relationships will be the most relevant and enablers of your success in 2021?Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast as I share a couple of observations from 2020, and the Nour 7 Sequence for your Strategic Relationships in 2021.
Don't forget three quick points:
We turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog We've turned on a new, private community, the Nour Forum. I'll add additional questions/discussion topics from this podcast there. NourGroup.com/Forum. Lastly, we're revamping our newsletter with Your Non-linear Growth (free), Countdown to a Better You (NourForum), and #NeverStopGrowing (premium/paid) - learn more and sign up at NourGroup.com/NewsletterHappy New Year!

43 - The 9 Notables of Future Leaders with Jacob Morgan
He is a four-time bestselling author, keynote speaker, and futurist who explores leadership, employee experience, and the future of work. He is the founder of FutureofWorkUniversity.com, an online education, and training platform that helps future-proof individuals and organizations by teaching them the skills they need to succeed in the future of work.
He is regularly featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, CNN, and USA Today. His work has been endorsed by the CEOs of Unilever, Mastercard, Cisco, T-Mobile, Best Buy, SAP, Nestle, and KPMG to name a few.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Jacob Morgan.
BTW, we're completely revamping our website this next month, and I've been saving up all the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles and will post them in our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

Bonus - Tech Sales Insights Podcast with Jeff Casale
He has a consistent track record of leading and scaling high growth organizations from sub $20M to billions through complex and often ambiguous go-to-market challenges. Success has required creating and executing bold strategies to enter new markets and build predictable revenue growth. The most important foundational element has been a proven track record of servant leadership. Creating an environment where people are growing and developing as they take risks and make the mistakes necessary for ongoing success.
He most recently served as President DT Select Group at Dell Technologies, now a $10 billion business, responsible for strategic planning, business operations, go-to-market, and management of key functions for Dell's most strategic global relationships, including sales, channels, services, and field marketing.
Previously he spent five years at VMware and led business operations for the company’s Americas region, bringing more than 20 years of experience in U.S. and international markets, storage and information software, and global sales and service. Prior to VMware, he spent 19 years at EMC, where he led global channels, OEMs, and go-to-market strategy. While at EMC he also held executive and operational leadership positions for sales and services across Latin America and for the company’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions.
Join Randy Seidl and David Nour on this episode of The Sales Community #TechSalesInsights podcast with servant leader and board advisor, Jeff Casale.
Don't forget, two quick points:
Seidl and Nour host each week's guest at a Twitter Chat, so search Twitter for #TechSalesInsights for the latest updates, and We turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out at SalesCommunity.com.
42 - The Amazon Mindset with John Rossman
He is an expert at digital business models, operations, and organizing programs. He has led engagements on developing innovation processes, Internet of Things strategies, marketplace and API driven platform business models. He is a sought-after speaker on creating a culture of operational excellence and innovation, having worked with clients across various industries, notably, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Nordstrom, and several of the world’s leading retail and insurance organizations.
Prior to finding his own advisory firm, he was a Managing Director at Alvarez and Marsal, a performance improvement consulting firm. Prior to A&M, he was responsible for launching and scaling the Amazon marketplace business, which is now over 50% of all units sold at Amazon.com.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with the Author of Think Like Amazon: 50 1/2 Ideas to Become a Digital Leader, John Rossman.
BTW, we're completely revamping our website and soon, I'm turning the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles and will post them in our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

41 - Concurrent Learning with Alan Weiss
His firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, The Federal Reserve, Toyota, and over 500 other leading organizations.
He is an inductee into the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame® and the concurrent recipient of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award of Excellence, representing the top 1% of professional speakers in the world.
His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill) now in its 25th year and fifth edition. His newest is Threescore and More: Applying the Assets of Maturity, Wisdom, and Experience for Personal and Professional Success.
Success Magazine cited him in an editorial devoted to his work as “a worldwide expert in executive education.“ The New York Post called him “one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America.“ He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Press Institute, the first-ever for a non-journalist.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast, with one of my Curve Benders, Dr. Alan Weiss.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

40 - 6th Gear of Entrepreneurship with Marc Lore, President & CEO - Walmart.com
He is the president and chief executive officer of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, appointed to the role in September 2016 when his company Jet.com was acquired by Walmart Inc. He founded and grew Jet.com to a $1 billion gross merchandise value run rate in its first year.
Prior to Jet, he was the co-founder and CEO of Quidsi, the parent company of e-commerce websites Diapers.com, Soap.com, Wag.com, and more, which was sold to Amazon in 2011 for $550 million.
His industry accolades include E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year regional winner and being named one of the “smartest people in technology” by Fortune. Prior to being a serial entrepreneur, he held various investment banking positions, including executive vice president of Sanwa International Bank in London, and vice president of emerging markets risk management at Credit Suisse First Boston.
He graduated from Bucknell University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in business management and economics, graduating cum laude. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Marc Lore.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

39 - Evolution of Higher Education with Paul Corona
He is a clinical professor of leadership in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where his teaching and coaching ratings average 96/100. He is also the founder of the award-winning Lee’s 3 Habits system, which helps motivated professionals and organizations build stronger relationships and achieve greater happiness — and he’s the author of The Wisdom of Walk-Ons: 7 Winning Strategies for College, Business and Life.
During the past three decades, he has transformed himself from a business person into a performance improvement specialist. He previously held a variety of leadership roles in Fortune 500 corporations, a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm, and major research universities. Most importantly, he is a proud husband, parent, and friend.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Paul Corona.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

38 - Becoming Indispensable at Work with Bruce Tulgan
Today, more than ever, we all want to be viewed as an indispensable go-to person. However, in our current world of work, getting things done is more complex than ever. While in many companies there is a clear organizational chart, in reality, day-to-day working relationships are much more tangled. Trying to become indispensable means thinking we need to say yes to everything and everyone. But, collaborating with an increasing number of people leads us to being overwhelmed and prone to burnout. How can we win influence, tackle overcommitment, and get the right things done? That’s the art of being indispensable at work.
For nearly three decades, my guest has followed the latest developments in the workplace through several long-term organizational studies: on generational shifts in the workplace, best practices for leading and managing others effectively, and techniques for optimizing performance.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Bruce Tulgan, bestselling author and founder of RainmakerThinking.
BTW, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

37 - 2020, The Year of Nonlinear Growth
How would you describe the year 2020? A struggle? A test of our humanity? Someone really had fun on Twitter asking others to describe songs that perfectly describe 2020. Here are a few fan favorites:
"Alexa, play If I could turn back time by Cher" Don't Stand So Close to Me by the Police I'm Just Dancing By Myself by Billy Idol "It's the End of the World as We Know It" by R.E.M.What if I said that 2020 was the definitive year of nonlinear growth? Think about it - we've had to learn how to wash our hands correctly, engage others while staying physically distant, really think about what matters most to us, and invest in fewer but more authentic relationships. We've had to learn all kinds of new digital skills, and amplify other capabilities - some new, many rusted.
Although we may not look back on 2020 with fondness, join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast, as we discuss nonlinear growth to accelerate your relevance.
Don't forget, I turn these podcasts into standalone articles, so check them out in our blog at NourGroup.com/blog.

36 - Curiosity Led with Michael Bungay Stanier
He is at the forefront of shaping how organizations around the world make being coach-like an essential leadership behavior and competency. His book The Coaching Habit is the best-selling coaching book of this century, with over a million copies sold and 1,000+ five-star reviews on Amazon. His most recent book, The Advice Trap, focuses on what it takes to stay curious a little bit longer and tame your Advice Monster. In 2019, he was named the #1 thought leader in coaching, and was shortlisted for the coaching prize by Thinkers50, the “Oscars of management”.
He is the Founder of Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations transform from advice-driven to curiosity-led. And the host of the fabulous Cocktails and Questions virtual social gatherings.
He left Australia nearly 30 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Join us on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast on Curiosity Led, with my friend, Michael Bungay Stanier.
Two other quick points:
I'm excited to launch the Tech Sales Insights Podcast with long-time client, friend, founder, and CEO of the Sales Community, Randy Seidl. Learn more at SalesCommunity.Com/Podcast. I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.Enjoy, Nour

35 - An Obsession with Economic Efficiency with Roger Martin
American democratic capitalism is in danger. How can we save it?
For its first two hundred years, the American economy exhibited truly impressive performance. The combination of democratically elected governments and a capitalist system worked, with ever-increasing levels of efficiency spurred by a division of labor, international trade, and scientific management of companies. By the nation's bicentennial celebration in 1976, the American economy was the envy of the world.
But since then, outcomes have changed dramatically. Growth in the economic prosperity of the average American family has slowed to a crawl, while the wealth of the richest Americans has skyrocketed. This imbalance threatens the American democratic capitalist system and our way of life.
In his brand new bracing yet constructive book, When More Is Not Better, he starkly outlines the fundamental problem: We have treated the economy as a machine, pursuing ever-greater efficiency as an inherent good. But efficiency has become too much of a good thing.
With lucid analysis and engaging anecdotes, he argues that we must stop treating the economy as a perfectible machine and shift toward viewing it as a complex adaptive system in which we seek a fundamental balance of efficiency with resilience.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast, with world-renowned business thinker, Roger Martin, as we discuss an obsession with economic efficiency.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.

34 - Ten Signs of Weak Business Relationships
I'm always fascinated by the conversations I have with prospective clients about their business relationships, right after I hear comments like "we have a fantastic culture," or "we have an amazing relationship with our clients!"
My first reaction is to simply ask them "how do you know?" To which their response is often formulaic or textbook corporate-speak at best: "because they keep showing up for work," or "because they keep buying from us!"
Most of these answers are flawed at best, dangerous at worst if you're not focused on asking the right questions.
So, in this episode, I thought I'd share ten observations as definitive signs that your business relationships are not strategic, they're not worthy of co-creation, and won't be curve benders in your future. In short, they're weak!
Check out our Blog for the complete list, and the Nour Group Forum for a deeper discussion on these 10 observations. Enjoy, Nour

33 - Embracing Uncertainty with Margaret Heffernan
Our society has become increasingly obsessed with predicting the future. We find doubt and uncertainty so uncomfortable that entire industries have been created to feed our “prediction addiction.” But the future remains as unknowable as it always has despite our technological progress. The COVID-19 pandemic is a perfect example of our forecasting failure.
In her new book, UNCHARTED: How to Navigate the Future, she chronicles our love affair with prediction and reveals how we can forge ahead with creativity, agility, and preparedness. She explains why our efforts to forecast the future are futile in our complex and ever-changing world and proposes a better way forward.
She is a Texas-born, Cambridge educated author, former media CEO, award-winning journalist, and BBC documentary maker whose TED Talks have been viewed more than twelve million times. Her six previous books include Willful Blindness, which was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with renowned business thinker, former CEO, popular TED speaker, and bestselling author, Margaret Heffernan.
BTW, where can you leverage the best sales thought leadership to accelerate your skills, help sales leaders lead, get peer advice, network, learn from industry executives, build your brand, accelerate your career, and ultimately sell more? Whether you're a Sales Development Representative, Global Account Manager, District Manager, Director, Regional VP, or Chief Revenue Officer... The Sales Community will help you improve, skip the guesswork, and get second opinions...so you can ultimately sell more. Learn more and join the Sales Community, where I'll post weekly columns, monthly interactive online roundtables, and host a Podcast with a former client and long-time friend, Randy Seidl at salescommunity.com.

32 - From Illness to Wellness with Umang Vohra, Global CEO - Cipla
He has been Managing Director and Global Chief Executive Officer of Cipla since September 2016. Previously, he was Cipla's Global Chief Financial Officer and Global Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Cipla, he led the North American business of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. After gaining degrees in engineering, marketing, and finance, he led teams at Eicher Motors and PepsiCo.
Under his leadership, Cipla has built strong momentum in its home markets, augmented its capability, strengthened its core, and shown significant improvement in its operating margin and profitability. At the helm of the Cipla Management Council, his vision is to define and execute Cipla’s strategic growth roadmap and geographical footprint, identify the next levers of growth, invest in innovation for the future, and build the right organization. Recognized as an action-oriented industry leader, he is a firm believer in the power of agile business models, disruptive technologies, data-driven analytics, and a future-ready workforce with a view to shaping the healthcare ecosystem and making a difference to the lives of patients.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Cipla's global CEO, Umang Vohra.
Read the excerpt from my journey in writing the Curve Benders book, and an article about this interview, in our private, free, online community, Nour Forum. Learn more at NourGroup.com/Forum

31 - Evolution of Associations/Non-Profits with Elisa Pratt, CAE
She's an association management executive with a passion for engagement, whether grassroots advocacy or the development and advancement of regional chapter affiliates both domestically and internationally. In the last two decades, she has served as a Political Affairs Manager, a Director of Congressional Relations, a Senior Director of Chapter Support Services, the Director of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and most recently as the Chief Global Member Engagement Officer. Working with members and chapters in more than 125 countries, she's driven to promote membership policies and benefits, design strategies to retain and recruit members, oversee foundations, chapters, councils, and association government affairs efforts.
With a unique background in advocacy and activism, membership, and stakeholder relations, as well as association management operations, her diverse expertise makes her a valuable partner and advisor to global non-profit clients.
A native of Sacramento, California, she received her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and English Literature from the University of California, at Davis and a Master of Arts in Government with honors from Johns Hopkins University. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) by the America Society of Association Executives (ASAE), considered the highest level of professional competency in association management and serves to elevate professional standards.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Elisa Pratt.
Separately, I'm excited to announce the launch of PM Next, with longtime friend and colleague, Jennifer Bridges. Check out at https://www.pdus2go.com/pm-next.
Lastly, don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

30 - The Profound Rationale for Voice with Amy Edmondson
She is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, where she teaches and writes on leadership, teams, and organizational learning. Her books Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy and Teaming to Innovate explore teamwork in dynamic, unpredictable work environments. Her most recent book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth is the winner of the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award and offers practical guidance for teams and organizations who are serious about success in the modern economy.
She has been ranked by the biannual Thinkers50 global list of top management thinkers since 2011 (most recently #3) and selected in 2019 as the #1 most influential thinker in Human Resources by HR Magazine. Before her academic career, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on transformational change in large companies. In the early 1980s, she worked as Chief Engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller. She received her Ph.D. in organizational behavior, AM in psychology, and AB in engineering and design, all from Harvard University.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Amy Edmondson.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

29 - Your Personal Market Value
One of the topics I'm most excited about in writing the CB book is the Curve Benders Roadmap. Think of it as your personal GPS from now to next, specifically around strategic relationships that will empower your nonlinear growth. Throughout various stages in your life, you’ll uncover or stumble upon refraction points where certain strategic relationships will accelerate your path forward, and highlight new opportunities, potentials, and directions, if not destinations.
Here are the key objectives to consider as you think about your Curve Benders Roadmap:
Understand the strategies that will drive organizational value and through your individual as well as collaborative efforts, your currency in the market Apply these strategies to your personal and professional growth – the why, what, when and how you’ll need to learn, unlearn, and relearn Assess your portfolio of strategic relationships in that growth journey, create intentional actions, and apply specific behaviors to engage and influence your potential Curve BendersStep one of Curve Benders Roadmap is to define Your Personal Market Value. Similar to an organization creating and increasing its market value, you, too, have the potential to enhance and expand your personal market value dramatically. Over time, the comparable value of your market value will heavily depend on a stable foundation, a set of growth enablers, and subsequent value accelerants. Foundations are a must, and without them, the rest will be difficult, if not impossible.
Your personal market value, at the center, requires a strong foundation across three critical areas:
People Personal ProfessionalJoin me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast as I share insights into your personal market value.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

28 - Willing To See No Boundaries with Margo Georgiadis, CEO - Ancestry®
Blackstone to Acquire Ancestry, Leading Online Family History Business, for $4.7 Billion. Ancestry is the global leader in digital family history services, operating in more than 30 countries with more than 3 million paying subscribers across its Ancestry online properties and more than $1 billion in annual revenue. The company harnesses the information found in family trees and historical records to help people gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Ancestry also operates a market-leading consumer genomics business, which informs consumers about their heritage and key health characteristics.
Prior to joining Ancestry, she served as CEO of Mattel, President of Americas, and Vice President of Global Sales Operations at Google. She has also held leadership roles as COO of Groupon, EVP of US Card Services and CMO of Discover Financial Services, and was a partner at McKinsey in London and Chicago. She has championed organizations that inspire girls to pursue education opportunities and careers in STEM and the next generation of women leaders. She is a recipient of the Forbes “Excellence Award in Innovation,” Chicago Innovation’s “Visionary Award”, and was named to Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list. She serves on the Board of Directors of McDonald’s Corporation. She earned a BA in Economics and an MBA from Harvard.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast on Willing to See No Boundaries, with Margo Georgiadis, President, and CEO of Ancestry.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

27- Organization of Truth and Just with Ron Carucci
He has a thirty-year track record helping executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization, and leadership — from start-ups to Fortune 10s, non-profits to heads-of-state, turnarounds to new markets. He's passionate about creating sound strategies, overhauling leaderships and cultures, and re-designing them holistically for growth.
As the co-founder and Managing Partner at Navalent, he has worked in 25 countries on 4 continents, helping organizations articulate strategies that lead to accelerated growth and then designing programs to execute those strategies. The best-selling author of eight books, including the recent Amazon #1 Rising to Power, he is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Forbes and is proud to be a member of the Marshall Goldsmith MG100 coaching community. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Ron Carucci.
In this episode, I also read an excerpt from chapter one of my forthcoming book, Curve Benders (Wiley, 2021). You'll find a part of it in our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog, and the rest in Nour Forum.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

26 - Speaking Truth to Power with Megan Reitz
Her passion and curiosity centers around the quality of how we meet, see, hear, speak, learn with, and encounter one another in organizational systems. She believes how we might encourage dialogue is not only more humane, but it also enables us, our colleagues, and our society to flourish. Working at the intersection of leadership, change, dialogue, and mindfulness, she has presented her research to audiences throughout the world and is recognized by the Thinkers50 Radar of global management thinkers.
Her recent research with John Higgins on ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ – examining how perceptions of power enable and silence others, is the subject of her new book, Speak Up: Say what needs to be said and hear what needs to be heard.
As well as running her own business, she is a Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Ashridge Executive Education – part of Hult International Business School. Previously she was a consultant with Deloitte, an executive at Boo.com, and worked in strategy consulting in what is now the strategy arm of Computer Science Corporation. Educated at Cambridge University she gained an MA in Land Economy, a Masters in Change Agent Skills and Strategies at Surrey University, and a Masters in Research at Cranfield School of Management where she also earned her Ph.D.
Most valiantly, she’s the mother to two wonderful daughters who test her regularly on her powers of mindfulness and dialogue. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Megan Reitz.
In the opening section of the podcast, I also reference my recent The Way I See It…Innovative Teams Thrive Through Visionary Leaders. Hope you’ll get a chance to read the rest of the article.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

25 - Creating Space for Inquiry with Hal Gregersen
He is the Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center and a Senior Lecturer in Leadership and Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management where he pursues his vocation of executive teaching, coaching, and research. He is passionate about exploring how leaders in business, government, and society discover provocative new ideas, develop the human and organizational capacity to realize those ideas, and ultimately deliver positive powerful results.
Before joining MIT, he taught at INSEAD, London Business School, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Brigham Young University, and in Finland as a Fulbright Fellow.
His most recent book, Questions Are the Answer, delivers insights about the conditions that give rise to catalytic questions and how anyone can create them. His previous book, The Innovator’s DNA (with Jeff Dyer and the late Clayton Christensen), explored where disruptive innovations come from. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Hal Gregersen.
The Way I See It... Finding a Path Forward article can be found in our blog at NourGroup.com/Blog.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

24 - How to Have a Good Day with Caroline Webb
She is an executive coach, an author, and a speaker specializing in showing people how to transform their lives and work for the better by applying insights from the behavioral sciences (behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience). Her book on that topic – How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life – has been published in 14 languages and over 60 countries. It was hailed by Forbes as one of their “must-read business books,” described by Fortune as one of their top “self-improvement through data” books, and listed by Inc. magazine as one of the “best 15 leadership and personal development books of the past five years.”
During her twelve years with McKinsey & Company, she co-founded McKinsey’s leadership practice and designed the firm’s approach to transforming senior team dynamics. She also founded and remains a faculty of McKinsey’s flagship training course for senior female executives. Previously, she spent the 1990s working in public policy as an economist at the Bank of England.
She is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and has written on behavioral change topics for the World Economic Forum, Fast Company, Business Insider, Huffington Post, and WIRED.
She is one of Marshall Goldsmith’s ‘MG100‘ coaches, a member of Silicon Guild, a Founding Fellow of the Harvard-affiliated Institute of Coaching, and has degrees in Economics from Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Caroline Webb.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

23 - Self-Awareness with Tasha Eurich
She is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and a New York Times best-selling author of Bankable Leadership and Insight. She pairs her scientific grounding in human behavior with a pragmatic approach to professional development.
With a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, she leads a boutique executive development firm that helps companies succeed by improving the effectiveness of their leaders and teams. Her diverse client list includes organizations like T-Mobile, KPMG, Walmart, IBM, Royal Bank of Canada, Vail Resorts, and the Miami Heat.
Thinkers50 has named her one of the top 30 emerging management thinkers in the world and a top 50 World Leader in Coaching. She contributes to Harvard Business Review and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, and Fast Company.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Tasha Eurich.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

22 - Future of Education with Asheesh Advani, President & CEO, JA Worldwide
He is a lifelong social innovator with a passion for entrepreneurship. His first venture was acquired by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group in 2007. Previously, he served as CEO of a financial technology company that was acquired by Interactive Brokers in 2015. His experiences as an entrepreneur and founder have been chronicled in case studies at Babson College and at Harvard Business School. Outside of his entrepreneurial activities, he has served as a corporate executive, magazine columnist, author of business books, an active member of non-profit and corporate boards, and occasional commentator in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, and MarketWatch.
He is currently the Board Chair of Prosperity Now, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit that bridges public policy and practice in the areas of education, financial capability, entrepreneurship, and homeownership. He is actively involved in the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a member of the Global Agenda Council for the Future of Education, Gender, and Work.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast with Asheesh Advani, President & CEO, JA Worldwide.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, the Nour Forum. I hope you'll join us in the Curve Benders thread at NourGroup.com/forum/curve-benders.

21 - Curve Benders Book Journey Update
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” – Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer. If you've been a regular listener of the Curve Benders Podcast, you may be asking where has Nour been since the last episode a month ago?
Over the past twenty episodes, I've shared some ideas about this intersection of future of work and strategic relationships. I've had many guests sharing their insights and I've teased you about a new book coming out. Well, it's now official. I'm excited to announce that Wiley, the publisher of my first book, Relationship Economics back in 2008 and the updated second edition in 2012, will also publish Curve Benders to be released this fall.
I'm writing a chapter a week toward a September 1 manuscript deadline. In this episode, I want to share key chapter ideas, and invite you to come along the writing, editing, rewriting, and the production journey with me. It's an incredibly exciting time to learn, unlearn, and relearn and to capture the last several year's thinking and research into this next book.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community, Nour Forum. Join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

20 - Future of Business Models with Alex Osterwalder
He is one of the world’s most influential proponents of business model innovation and value proposition design. More recently, his focus has been on testing business ideas and developing a roadmap for invincible organizations. Over a decade ago, alongside fellow Swiss Professor Yves Pigneur, his long-time co-author, he created a framework for large companies and startups to innovate by rapidly experimenting with new business models and value propositions.
His Business Model Canvas, a strategic management tool to design, test, build, and manage business models has been successfully used by such leading organizations as Coca-Cola, GE, P&G, Mastercard, Ericsson, LEGO, and 3M.
A passionate entrepreneur at Strategyzer, a distinguished member of Thinkers50, the Global Drucker Forum, and the recipient of the European Union’s inaugural Innovation Luminary Award, join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Alex Osterwalder.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out in our Free, Member-Based community call the Nour Forum. I hope you'll join us at NourGroup.com/Forum.

19 - Entrepreneurial You with Dorie Clark
She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She's a consultant and keynote speaker, teaches executive education at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School, and is the author of Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine.
A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” A frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, she consults and speaks for clients including Google, Microsoft, and the World Bank.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast on Entrepreneurial You with Dorie Clark.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website at NourGroup.com/blog.

18 - Seeing Around Corners with Rita McGrath
She is the best-selling author of one of my favorite books, The End of Competitive Advantage. She is a sought-after speaker and a longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. She has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50 and has been consistently named one of the world’s Top 10 management thinkers in its bi-annual ranking.
Her new book is Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, which is the topic of our interview today. She has written three other books, including Discovery Driven Growth, cited by the late Clayton Christensen as creating one of the most important management ideas ever developed.
She received her Ph.D. from the Wharton School and has degrees with honors from Barnard College and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast on Seeing Around Corners with Rita McGrath.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

17 - Future of Brands with Martin Lindstrom
He is the founder and chairman of the world’s leading brand & culture transformation group, operating across five continents and in more than 30 countries.
For three years running, Thinkers50, the world’s premier ranking resource of business icons, has selected him to be among the world’s top 50 business thinkers. He is the author of 7 New York Times best-selling books, translated into 60 languages. His book Brand Sense was critically acclaimed by The Wall Street Journal as “one of the five best marketing books ever published”, Small Data was praised as “revolutionary” and TIME Magazine wrote this about Buyology: “a breakthrough in branding”.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders Podcast on the Future of Brands, with one of TIME Magazine “World’s 100 Most Influential People," Martin Lindstrom.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from past podcasts into more in-depth articles, including links to multiple resources on the topic, so check them out on our website at NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 16 - Multipliers with Liz Wiseman
She's a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. She is the CEO of a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. Some of her recent clients include Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Salesforce, Tesla, and Twitter.
She has conducted significant research in the field of leadership and collective intelligence and writes for Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and a variety of other business and leadership journals. She is a frequent guest lecturer at BYU and Stanford University and is a former executive at Oracle Corporation, where she worked as the Vice President of Oracle University and as the global leader for Human Resource Development.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with the 2019 Thinkers 50 top leadership thinker in the world, Liz Wiseman.
Lastly, don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 15 - Emotional Courage with Peter Bregman
Having started his career teaching leadership on wilderness and mountaineering expeditions, he now helps successful people become exceptional leaders and stellar human beings. He is ranked as a Top 30 thought leader by Thinkers 50 Radar and selected as one of the Top 8 thought leaders in leadership.
He is the award-winning, best selling author and contributor of sixteen books, including most recently, Leading with Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work.
He is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and his articles and commentary appear frequently in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, and The Financial Times. He earned his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with a respected advisor to global CEOs and author of Leading with Emotional Courage, Peter Bregman.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 14 - Relationship Growth In Midst of Chaos
Networking is so 1990! I’m fairly sure in few other parts of your life you’re doing the same thing the same way as you did 20 years ago! Particularly in B2B, most people are completely turned off by the cheesy, cliché, one-liners at cocktail receptions, or other intelligent events. It’s time to elevate how you engage, influence, shape hearts and minds - to leave them wanting more. Unfortunately, COVID-19 coronavirus and social distancing aren't conducive to face-to-face, interpersonal relationships. So how can you grow your relationships, and thrive (if not survive) in your business?
In short, how do you build mutually beneficial relationships to keep moving business ideas forward?
If you’ve exhausted countless hours of your valuable and irreplaceable time networking only to show zero net results, join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast focused on Relationship-Centric Growth in the Midst of Chaos.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 13 - Disruption Mindset with Charlene Li
She was named one of the Top 50 Leadership Innovators by Inc., and one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company. She has appeared on 60 Minutes and PBS NewsHour and is frequently quoted by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Associated Press. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including Open Leadership, Groundswell, and her newest release, The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Businesses Transform While Others Fail.
She founded and ran Altimeter Group, a disruptive industry analyst firm that was acquired by Prophet in 2015, where she continues today as a Senior Fellow. She is a former vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, worked in online newspaper publishing and was a consultant with Monitor Group. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with a respected advisor to Fortune 500 companies on digital transformation and leadership, Charlene Li.
As a reminder, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 12 - Future of Storytelling with David Hutchens
He has been exploring the intersection of narrative, leadership, and complex systems change for over two decades. A bestselling author, business writer and learning designer, he creates solutions for The Coca-Cola Company, Accenture, PayPal, Wal-Mart, IBM, L’Oreal, and The US Olympic Committee to name a few. He is a recurring instructor at the globally renowned INSEAD School of Business in Fontainebleau, France. He speaks to organizations and leadership teams all around the world on the topic of storytelling as an organizational capacity. His most recent book is “Circle of the 9 Muses: A Storytelling Field Guide for Innovators and Meaning Makers,” published by Wiley & Sons.
He has served as an executive speechwriter or ghostwriter for global thought leaders such as Stephen M.R. Covey, and the CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. He is the creator of the Learning Fables -- a book series that uses narrative and metaphor to illustrate principles of organizational learning.
A nationally recognized developer of innovative learning products, his work has been recognized with distinctions such as Training & Development's "Training Product of the Year" award; ATD's prestigious "Excellence in Practice" award; and the Brandon Hall Gold award. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Nour Cohort Community member and masterful storyteller, David Hutchens.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 11 - Changes You Must Make
One of the biggest challenges and I would submit opportunities, I've seen between my last book, Co-Create, and the next one and the focus of this podcast, Curve Benders, has been the awesome responsibility we have to ourselves and our organizations - that of driving our continual evolution toward a well-defined future state. Implied in this role is the need to lead change - in ourselves, our teams, and our organizations. Easily said, complex, difficult and often painful in practice.
Navigating change has been prevalent in business, management, and leadership literature for decades. Even with the plethora of books, articles, consultants, and experts, personal and organizational change efforts generally produce moderate success at best. Why? To quote something I read recently, "Change would be easy if it didn’t involve people."
You see we are all wired for free will. Change requires us to alter established, and often very comfortable, behavior patterns. With the self-imposed change, redesigning our patterns is challenging enough. There can be an additional layer of resistance in an organizational setting, where change is triggered or mandated by someone or something outside ourselves because the motivation stimulating behavioral pattern redefinition is not our own. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast as we tackle the Changes You Must Make to remain relevant.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 10 - Project Revolution with Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
He is the world’s leading champion of Project Management and Strategy Implementation, having created concepts such as the Hierarchy of Purpose, or the Project Manifesto. He has been recognized by the prestigious Thinkers50, who identifies the most influential management thinkers in the world, including Michael Porter, the late Clayton Christensen, and Liz Wiseman to name a few.
His work focuses on advising senior leaders on how to lead transformational change; prioritize and implement strategic initiatives; build high-performing teams; work across silos and become a learning organization; all essential elements to create a culture that strives for execution, excellence, and collaboration.
He is the director of the Program Management Office at GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines and Chairman of the Project Management Institute. Previously he worked as Head of Transversal Portfolio Management at BNP Paribas Fortis for the Executive Board, head of Post-Merger Integration at Fortis Bank, and spent a decade at PricewaterhouseCoopers, becoming the global lead practitioner for project management.
Born in Madrid, Spain, and educated globally, he is an Economists and has an MBA from London Business School, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Strategy and is fluent in five languages. Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez.
Don't forget, I turn the show notes from these podcasts into more in-depth articles, so check them out on our website, NourGroup.com/blog.

Episode 9 - Three Superpowers with Saul Kaplan
He is the founder and Chief Catalyst of the Business Innovation Factory and author of the book, The Business Model Innovation Factory: How to Stay Relevant when the World Is Changing. He started BIF in 2005 with a mission to enable business model innovation. BIF makes transformational change safer and easier to manage for institutional leaders by helping them explore, test, and commercialize next practices and new business models. Prior to BIF, he served as the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and as the Executive Counselor to the Governor on Economic and Community Development.
His past professional life includes fascinating experiences as a Senior Strategy Partner in Accenture’s Health & Life-Science practice working broadly throughout the pharmaceutical, medical products, and biotechnology industry. As a Marketing Plans Manager at the Pharmaceutical Division of Eli Lilly and Company, he assisted in developing the launch strategy and successful introduction of Prozac into the U.S. market. He holds an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute focusing on the strategic management of technology and a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.
Join me on this episode of the Curve Benders podcast with Saul Kaplan of the Business Innovation Factory.

Episode 8 - Strategic Relationships
15 forces will dramatically impact the way we live, work, play and give in the future. One of the most fundamental ones, I believe, will be strategic relationships. As I've advocated for the past two decades, they're often your most valuable asset - as an individual, a team or an organization. They're also the least often understood, untapped, and undervalued. So, let's spend a few minutes together on today's episode of the Curve Benders podcast, talking about strategic relationships in what you'll do in the future, where you'll do it, and whom or how you'll do it.
I share 10 Strategic Relationship insights most useful to your view of the future of work and 5 action items to implement today to maximize your impact in the work you do. These will be featured in the Nour Group blog. Enjoy and as always, I'd welcome your comments, perspectives, or insights - email podcast@nourgroup.com.

Episode 7 - Future of Health with Marcus Whitney
In episode 7 of the Curve Benders podcast, I interview Marcus Whitney of Jumpstart Foundry and Health:Further on the future of Health. We discuss where healthcare has been, where it is today, and what lies ahead with the evolution of this incredibly complex, outdated, siloed industry in dire need of real innovation. You can learn more about Marcus and subscribe to his content here: https://marcuswhitney.com/
Here is also the Medicare Advantage example that Marcus shared during our time together: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/07/devoted-medicare-advantage-plan-covering-apple-watch-as-a-benefit.html?__source=twitter%7Cmain

Episode 6 - Future of Talent
Several reports estimate 85M shortage of talent to help drive enterprise growth by 2030! And surprisingly, fewer jobs are believed to be susceptible to replacement by tech. Instead, many believe, as I do, that there will be this fundamental need for a hybrid human-tech knowledge worker.
You, as the producer of that talent, as well as organizational leaders as consumers of talent, not to mention boards as the overarching stewards of the health and viability of an organization, must take a more proactive approach in the manner in which we attract, train, develop, and retain talent - including reskilling, upskilling, and redeploying talent.
As an individual, you must take a more proactive approach in identifying 3-5 capabilities you'll need in the future of work to remain relevant. And create a roadmap including reading, attending, seeking strategic relationships, and using the gap between where you are today (am I passionate about what I'm doing, am I developing new skills/knowledge, and am I creating real value/impact) and where you want to get to as the gap to apply a plan, from your now to your next.
Enjoy this Episode on the Future of Talent, and as always, I welcome your comments - dnour@nourgroup.com. Best, Nour

Episode 5 - #NeverStopGrowing - 5 Foundational Must-See-Do-Become
The day you stop learning is the day you're no longer relevant to your biggest asset: your portfolio of relationships! So, how do you keep learning and growing in your journey? Hear five foundational must-see-do-become in your efforts to #NeverStopGrowing in today's podcast:
1. Become Naturally Inquisitive
2. Read + Hypothesize
3. Insert Yourself In Growth Relationship Ecosystems
4. Test an Idea Prototype
5. Learn, Adapt, Co-Create

Episode 4 - Describing Curve Benders
The single biggest question I get when I tell people that I'm writing the next book and the title of it is Curve Benders, is this deer in the headlight look and "interesting. What is a Curve Bender?" So in this episode, I thought I'd describe them - who are they, where are they, and why they're critical to our personal and professional growth. If you can think back to your first Algebra class, we all learned about Slope - Rise over the Run.
For most of us, our personal and professional growth journey is a linear curve - think of it as a slope of 1. We've found a direct correlation between that slope and expanded roles, various realms of responsibilities, opportunities for you to lead critical projects, run different geographic regions, get promoted, lead a team or a business with a P&L.
Curve Benders, in their purest form, are strategic relationships in the future of our work, which dramatically change that slope! They are inflection points in our personal and professional growth journey. We find them if we get very focused on that which we're genuinely passionate about, that which we can develop a deep level of competency in, and that which the market will need with the willingness and ability to pay for it. The intersection of those three parts creates clarity for the types of relationships most relevant to us. But you can't stop there.
You have to create opportunities to put yourself where they are. They don't live in the status quo. They don't take solace in the mundane. Although they appreciate blocking and tackling, by definition, curve benders are focused on the future - of teams, companies, organizations, industries, and geographies. They're continually looking ahead, and they're searching the market for like-minded individuals willing and able to take a prudent level of risk to solve tough challenges. They appreciate and thrive on chaos, painful lessons learned, and those who thrive in survival.
I'd encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 3 where I describe some of the 15 forces - we'll undoubtedly dive deeper into them moving ahead because those forces present us opportunities to find curve benders in our path forward.
Although I briefly touch on the subject of how you can become a curve bender towards the end of this episode, we'll certainly spend more time on that topic moving forward as well.
Look forward to welcoming some of the early guests into this podcast, so stay tuned and look forward to having you join us next time.
With my best, Nour

Episode 3 - 15 Forces That Will Dramatically Impact Our Future of Work
Your personal and professional growth journey over the next two decades (fundamental purpose of the Curve Benders book, podcast, keynote, training, coaching, and tools) will not be an easy one! None of us can predict your future; all of us can begin planning on what skills, knowledge, and behaviors we need to acquire to succeed in the future now! Think of Curve Benders as your Waze GPS navigation tool.
This journey will not be a straight line and I doubt anyone is going to simply hand you the outcomes you're after. This growth journey will be fraught with obstacles, challenges, opportunities, ups, and downs. Think of them as headwinds, tailwinds, and turbulence. We call these forces that will impact your trajectory, and our research has identified 15 very specific and relevant ones.
From your Relationship Strategy to Grit, Visualization, Storytelling, Co-Creation, and Black Swan Events, join David Nour for a brief review of this list. We'll dive into each in more depth in future episodes. For now, listen, internalize these ideas and let's begin to think of your personal journey from now to next. As always, thanks for listening. Nour

Episode 2 - Future of Work
Have you ever played a dynamic game like soccer, hockey or lacrosse? Would you agree that 90% of the game is played without the ball? That's how you need to think about our dynamic markets. There are no timeouts and only the skills, knowledge, and behaviors of the right players will keep them on the field of play! In this episode, we'll cover the Future of Work, how 75% of companies are amidst some type of transformation, and the staggering stats of just how many of those efforts, or certainly impact from them will fail. We'll cover Web 3.0 tools in browsing, storage, video calls, operation systems, social, messaging, and payments that are blockchain-enabled and will change the way you live and work. I'll share a Systems-Thinking example and ask what if that become the way we collaborated moving forward, we'll cover timeline of emerging science and technology in the Present, the Probable, and the Possible, in context of five critical fields: Digital, Nano, Neuro, Green and Bio. I'll share future work skills you'll need in the next decade, and wrap up with some examples of future jobs, integrating a hybrid model of man-machine ecosystem. Strap on your seatbelt for 30 minutes of intellectual Red Bull! ;-) As always, welcome your comments, suggestions, and ideas. Nour

Welcome to the Curve Benders Podcast
So excited to launch this Curve Benders podcast in conjunction with the research and writing of my newest book, by the same title. In the Star Wars vernacular, Relationship Economics, Co-Create, and now Curve Benders are a trilogy focused on intentional, strategic, and quantifiable business relationships. I'll interview interesting people, share "Nourisms," case studies, examples, fun tidbits, and reference the 15 forces we've identified as critical buckets at the intersection of future of work and strategic relationships. None of us can predict the future. But we all can (and should) plan. Think of this podcast and book as a roadmap in your personal and professional growth journey from now to next. As always, I welcome your comments, ideas, suggestions, examples, and criticisms. And if you find a session of particular interest and value, hope you'll share it with others as well. Take care, Nour