The Doctor's Den

Join Dr. D. Leitner and Hillel Davis of Trusted House Realtors in a thought-provoking conversation as they delve into the challenges of transitioning from leadership to management roles in the business world. Gain valuable insights on the importance of trust, relationship building, and prioritizing management skills alongside leadership skills for sustainable growth. Discover how to enhance your strategic decision-making processes and foster innovation in your professional journey. Learn more about Dr. D. Leitner on his website: www.drdleitner.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

In this episode of The Doctor's Den we learn from Mitch Mandel, a marathon runner and enterprise sales executive, sharing lessons on personal health, sales, leadership, and setting ambitious goals. Mitch describes his journey getting into tech sales without meeting typical criteria, through persistence and personal connections. He emphasizes listening to prospects, building trust, and providing value whether a sale happens or not. Mitch also discusses his dramatic weight loss through running, and how he quickly progressed from nothing to marathons under his father’s coaching. He applies the grit developed from running to sales and life, pushing through challenges while staying optimistic. Mitch shares an impactful story of pacing runners in a marathon while sick, demonstrating leadership by putting their needs first when he had to slow down. He stresses the importance of mentorship, remaining coachable and humble, and dreaming big without fear of failure. Join Dr. D. and learn what it is like to run after big goals in life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

In this episode of The Doctor's Den, Dr. D. Leitner interviews Aaron Kalman, Chief of Staff at Lightricks. They discuss Aaron's personal journey, his professional growth, and how he is applying politics, strategy, and leadership in his roles. Aaron Kalman shares his professional journey that spans various sectors, including journalism, working as an emissary for the Jewish Agency, public service, and the high tech sector. He discusses his initial years with the Times of Israel, and his stint as an Emissary in Sydney. Bringing the focus on the latter part of his career, he elaborates on his tenure as a staff member of senior politicians in Israel, working for the Ruderman Family Foundation, and his return to public service during the election turmoil and COVID. Today, Aaron serves as Chief of Staff to the CEO at Lightricks. In the conversation Dr. D. and Aaron discuss the job description and responsibilities of a Chief of Staff and how the role can vary broadly but can best be described as a vital extension of the CEO's productivity. They focus on different ways to understand strategy, strategic decision making, operative focus, and tactical engagement. They discuss balancing strategic and tactical outlooks as crucial to successful leadership. This balance gives you the flexibility to solve immediate problems while staying focused on the end goal. A key takeaway - Successful leadership in public policy, business, and non-governmental work starts with strategic thinking. As part of that discussion, Dr. D. highlights the importance of questioning base assumptions and identifying root causes in strategic decision making. Aaron highlights the importance of the 'and then what?' questioning strategy during the planning process. And together they conclude that there is this bridge between the why of strategy, the what ifs, of operative thinking, and the "and then what" of tactics. Aaron Kalman is the Chief of Staff at Lightricks, a technology company specializing in developing mobile apps for photo and video editing. Born and raised in Jerusalem, he currently resides there with his wife Shakar and their three children. Before joining Lightricks, Aaron served as an emissary for the Jewish Agency in Sydney, Australia, and went on to work for the Times of Israel as one of its first employees. He has also held advisory positions in government, working with Naftali Bennett, the former Minister of Education in Israel and Diaspora Affairs, as well as Orit Farkash-Hacohen, the Minister of Strategic Affairs, and later the Minister of Tourism. In addition to his governmental experience, Aaron worked with the Ruderman Family Foundation, a Boston-based philanthropy focusing on Israel's relationship with the American Jewish community and inclusion of people with disabilities. With a Master's degree in Diplomacy and Strategy from Tel Aviv University, Aaron brings valuable strategic thinking to his role at Lightricks. This podcast is part of the work done by Dr. David Leitner to continue educating about strategy and leadership. You can find out more about him on his website: www.drdleitner.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

Join Dr. D. Leitner as he sits down with Miriam Weiss, a senior technical writer at Red Hat and close friend, to delve into the fascinating world of neurodiversity, inclusion, and how Miriam is trying to make her industry more accessible to people with ADHD. In this candid conversation, Miriam shares her personal journey from studying English Literature to finding her calling as a senior technical writer. Miriam shares the unique challenges faced by individuals with ADHD in the workplace and how she has used her creativity and storytelling to reshape how she engages the field of technical writing. She also shares her thoughts and feelings about how ADHD is addressed in the medical field. She also shares valuable insights into strategies for managing ADHD, optimizing executive functions, and fostering a supportive work environment that embraces neurodiversity. If you're a graduate navigating the job market or simply seeking inspiration and empowerment, this episode is a must-watch! This episode of The Doctor's Den is also available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/TheDoctorsDen ------------------------------------ I'm Dr. D. I post about #followership, #leadership, #strategy, #inclusion. I challenge you to choose courageous exemplary followership in support of your leaders and ideas that are important to you. I also give motivational lectures that weave my personal story as a Disabled IDF Veteran with concepts from leadership, followership and strategy theory. Follow me 👍 and hit that 🔔 to see more of my content and posts. Want to find out more or work with me one on one? Check out my website: www.drdleitner.com Disclaimer: This video does not provide medical/health advice. The information provided is for general information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Before taking any action based on the contents of the video, please consult with a medical professional. Following the information in this video is done at your own risk. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

Max Saltzman is a Customer Success specialist with years of experience. He is highly organized, out-of-the-box, analytical thinker who takes independent action in support of his colleagues, company and customers. In this episode of The Doctor's Den we deep dive into how Max got to Customer Success and how he utilized his exemplary followership to help build several customer success teams without having a leadership position. Throughout this interview Max teaches us about leadership and followership, communication skills, learning from every experience, and most importantly the need for trust in teams. In addition, Max is super motivated and tries to continually expand his skill-set to establish himself as an expert in his field. He is an avid D&D DM and player which helps him in his relationships at work and beyond. And he explains why it is important to learn from every experience. Max has a B.A. in Psychology from Yeshiva University as well as a certification in UX Design from CareerFoundry. This episode of The Doctor's Den is also available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/TheDoctorsDenYoutube ------------------------------------ I'm Dr. D. I post about #followership, #leadership, #strategy, and #inclusion. I challenge you to choose courageous exemplary followership in support of your leaders and ideas that are important to you. I also give motivational lectures that weave my personal story as a Disabled IDF Veteran with concepts from leadership, followership and strategy theory. Follow me 👍 and hit that 🔔 to see more of my content and posts. Want to find out more or work with me one on one? Check out my website: www.drdleitner.com ToC: 00:00 Introduction 02:08 Max's College and High School Experience 03:56 Making Aliyah and a US degree in Israel 05:52 What I didn't learn in Uni 09:03 High School versus University 12:55 Leadership 15:17 Exemplary Followership 19:03 Be an Expert 23:52 Learning from Every Opportunity 27:24 Applying Lessons 29:07 Building Trust 32:14 Dungeon Master and Trust 33:28 D&D and Relationships 35:25 Work-Life Boundaries 37:18 WFH and Trust 41:59 Support from Leadership 42:39 Trust Broken 49:23 D&D and Mutual Trust 50:53 The most important piece on the board --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

Naomi Fein is the Director of Business Operations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. With over 10 years experience working for Jewish Federations, Naomi brings a unique perspective about the inner workings of Jewish philanthropic groups. And she presents interesting take on the nature of the Jewish community in the diaspora. As part of that she discussed the conflict of personal belief systems and organizational values and how she is working to balance them. This takes us into a discussion about Jewish Peoplehood and the difference between being Jewish and being part of the Jewish Community. Before joining the Federation, Naomi worked for Yeshiva University and PresenTense so she has a lot of experience about non-profit organizations and how they work . Throughout this interview she teaches us about community, perspective, risk assessment, strategic thinking, operative planning, financial responsibility, and more. Naomi has a B.S. in Family Studies, an MA in Community Leadership and Philanthropy Studies and is a certified Project Manager. This episode of The Doctor's Den is also available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/TheDoctorsDenYoutube ------------------------------------ I'm Dr. D. I post about followership, leadership, strategy, and inclusion. I challenge you to choose courageous exemplary followership in support of your leaders and ideas that are important to you. I also give motivational lectures that weave my personal story as a Disabled IDF Veteran with concepts from leadership, followership and strategy theory. Follow me 👍 and hit that 🔔 to see more of my content and posts. Want to find out more or work with me one on one? Check out my website: www.drdleitner.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

Robbie Strazynski shares his story, from an MA in English Linguistics through his work as an employee in the online gaming industry and the random decision to start a site called Cardplayer Lifestyle as a “nights and weekends” side gig to taking the leap to self-employment. He shares life lessons from his time and travels working in poker media.   Along the way he teaches us about how to measure failure, the importance of doing something you love, and more.    Robbie is the founder and owner of CardplayerLifestyle.com where he publishes interviews with top poker personalities, poker strategy articles and course reviews, op-eds, and lifestyle pieces. His site features coverage of top-tier live poker events and festivals as well as stories about fascinating lesser-known happenings in the poker world that casual fans don’t always get to hear about.  And he established the Mixed Game Festival which he has hosted in both Las Vegas and Europe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

Jeff Yeger, VP Customer Success at Peerspot, teaches us all about his perspective on Customer Success. He takes us on a deep dive into the ideational hierarchy of CS and what he has learned from his failures and successes. Along the way he opens up about his struggles separating his sense of self worth from his work and how he sees himself moving between leadership and management. He also suggests a path for those seeking to get into hi-tech and provides advice that will significantly impact a person's perceived worth in an organization. And he explains some of the methodology his team uses to impact their relationship with customers.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

Ro Oranim takes us on a storytelling adventure from escaping the world of national politics, to helping people fulfill their dreams, to telling stories for the dead. Along the way she shares lessons on self-care and the need to actively safeguard mental health. And she shares the very personal story of her struggles with In-Vitro Fertilization during the Corona pandemic. She also teaches us a little about how life has reframed her locus of focus and reprioritized her magnitude of impact. Ro has worked in several different positions that give her an interesting take on the different perspectives of storytelling - from telling stories for those who are no longer able to tell their story, to helping others to tell their story, to building and guiding a developing story.  Welcome to The Doctor's Den. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message

David "Dr. D." Leitner interviews Simone Somekh about his personal and professional journey. Along the way they discuss why Simone chose to continue his studies with an MA in Journalism after graduation, how he transitioned into Content Marketing, the worth of money, and some skills that are important for working with a team. They also touch on how Simone is engaging leadership, strategy, and politics (and working to make the world a better place) by volunteering with the RSDSA - an organization that provides support, education, and hope to all affected by the pain and disability of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - a chronic pain disorder that both Simone and Dr. D. experience every moment of every day.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedoctorsden/message