One of the great things about my role at Personify is that I get to regularly connect with entrepreneurs, CEOs, executive directors and leaders of associations and nonprofits across the country to learn about their leadership journey. These are people changing lives and our planet through their leadership. I have access to some amazing leaders with compelling stories that fascinate me. And, I’ve been thinking for a while that I would like to be able to share these stories with a larger audience.
I’m excited to share that we recently launched a podcast called Planet Leadership where I get to do that and much more.
Why I Created Planet Leadership
I’ve been working with entrepreneurs, CEOs and some of the largest associations and nonprofits for several years. It occurred to me that I don’t think that anyone is out there telling their stories and discussing the challenges they face, especially in the association and nonprofit market. I made the decision to call the podcast—Planet Leadership—because we feature stories about leaders who are trying to change the planet every day, and in many different ways. They are advocating upon behalf of their members to Congress, providing development and training opportunities to grow their industry and profession, curing diseases, eradicating poverty, protecting our environment, creating new companies and more.
I also work in the private equity world. Some people don’t understand how private equity works and may even have some concerns and questions about the role that private equity plays in both the nonprofit market and the commercial sector. I think there are a lot of great things happening with private equity so I’m excited to bring people from that world on the podcast to explain how it’s shaping organizations of all kinds.
We’ll talk to CEOs, executive directors and leaders who may not have a big title but are doing compelling things for their organization and driving transformation. I’ll ask these leaders things like- How do you build a great culture? What’s important to think about when building a great team? How are you scaling your organization? Why have you initiated a change in leadership? When leaders are successful, what are they doing to move the needle for their organization?
A Focus on Leadership Journeys
I will be sharing stories from some amazing Personify clients who have really interesting stories about their leadership journeys. But this podcast is not just about the association and nonprofit sector. It’s not about Personify. It’s about sharing the leadership journeys of individuals who are enacting meaningful change. And, I’m excited to give some of my colleagues, partners, friends and influencers in the market an opportunity to share how they got to where they are today and their advice for other leaders.
I’ll also reveal some details about my leadership journey. In fact, we spend time talking about it in the first episode. I’ve had several people ask me what it’s like to be a CEO and run a mid-size software company. We’ve gone through a significant transformation at Personify including rearchitecting our product structure and we have bought companies from entrepreneurs who have been really successful. I’ll share the process that we have gone through when we’re acquiring a new company and let the entrepreneurs from the companies we have acquired discuss how they built and grew their organization.
Who We’ll Speak With
We’ll come out with new episodes of Planet Leadership every other week. On the podcast, we’ll feature entrepreneurs, association executives, nonprofit leaders, private equity folks and much more. These are people who are trying to make a difference in the world and do something great. Here is a sneak peek at some of the upcoming interviewees:
- Amy Porter, founder of AffiniPay, a payments technology solution for associations, law firms and accounting organizations.
- Matt Ott, founder of the nonprofit organization Black Fret that supports local musicians in Austin.
- Loretta Deluca, founder and CEO of Delcor, an organization that partners with associations and nonprofits on their technology strategy.
- Michael Wilson, founder of the company Small World Labs (which is now Personify Community) that was created to connect nonprofits and people with disabilities
- Susan Robertson, interim executive director of ASAE, the organization for association management.
- Other leaders that have a great story to tell
Wherever you get your podcasts, I encourage you to go out and subscribe to Planet Leadership. I’m excited to be on this journey and hope that you’ll join me in learning from our amazing leaders that will share their stories.