Leaders of the Workplace of Tomorrow

In this episode of Leaders of the WoT Podcast, the host, Steve Miksta, sits down with Elizabeth Rose, Executive and Leadership Coach at Garth Rose Consulting Group, Couples and Family Mediator at Elizabeth Rose Mediation, and a Writer, to discuss psychological safety, emotional resilience, and human connection as AI enters the workplace. They explore how leaders can support employees through change, invite honest feedback, and use AI without neglecting communication skills.Elizabeth moved into coaching after 28 years as a divorce mediator, bringing experience helping people understand their motivations and communicate through conflict. Her approach combines behavioral assessments with nervous system regulation and self-reflection. She explains why emotional patterns, including perfectionism and defensiveness, can prevent leaders from using the management skills they already know.Key TakeawaysBuild psychological safety by helping employees feel valued, ask for help, offer ideas, and challenge the status quo.Involve senior leaders in coaching so communication and regulation skills extend throughout the organization.Establish a coordinated approach to AI use, including training, consistent expectations, and protection of proprietary information.Preserve opportunities to practice human communication rather than outsourcing every interaction to AI.Ask employees to assess their performance and restate their responsibilities to uncover gaps in expectations.Receive feedback with a simple thank-you before responding, explaining, or defending your decisions.Episode Timestamps[00:00] - Teaser[01:13] - Introduction to the guest, Elizabeth Rose[02:55] - Using assessments to understand behavior and motivation[05:26] - Coaching commitments and developing new habits[13:03] - Coordinating AI adoption and protecting human communication[16:59] - Emotional regulation as a foundation for leadership skills[24:30] - Employee self-reflection and role clarity[25:55] - Asking for feedback without becoming defensive[33:14] - Where to contact Elizabeth RoseDisclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.🔗 Connect with Elizabeth Rose and Her Company:👉 LinkedIn - Elizabeth Rose: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethroseesq👉 Email - Elizabeth Rose: [email protected]👉 LinkedIn - Garth Rose Consulting Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/garth-rose-consulting-group/👉 Website - Garth Rose Consulting Group:http://www.garthrose.com/👉 Website - Elizabeth Rose Mediation: https://www.elizabethrosemediation.com/🔗 Follow the podcast:👉Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033rjH7T2gSv9KyUs4uC4x?si=db0aed8e99f84fc8👉Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-the-workplace-of-tomorrow/id1896864216👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@opptyunlimited🔗 Connect with the Host Steve Miksta:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemiksta/🔗 Connect with the Host Company, Oppty Unlimited:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opptyunlimited/👉 Website: https://www.opptyunlimited.com/

In this episode of Leaders of the WoT, host Steve Miksta sits down with Mikhail Papovsky, Founder and CEO of Massaro, to discuss hiring for soft skills, developing self-directed employees, and adapting to AI-driven changes in work. They explore how character and learning ability shape recruiting decisions, how consultants lead without formal authority, and why translating business needs into clear technical context matters.Mikhail traces his journey from arriving in the United States in 1989 and working in a warehouse to software development and management consulting. His frustration with being micromanaged shaped his commitment to hiring people who can exercise independent judgment. Through recruiting examples and a client automation project, he explains how ownership, self-awareness, and a willingness to learn help employees deliver results beyond their existing technical knowledge.Key TakeawaysEvaluate candidates across soft skills, underlying abilities, and character rather than technical knowledge alone.Ask for examples of difficult work experiences and lessons learned to assess accountability and resilience.Look for leadership without authority: the ability to rally others toward a shared outcome.Give self-directed employees ownership of problems instead of prescribing every step.Translate business needs and customer expectations into clear context for technical teams and AI tools.Align teams on goals and responsibilities so faster execution does not leave ownership gaps.Episode Timestamps[00:00] - Teaser[01:08] - Introducing Mikhail Papovsky[08:27] - Assessing leadership without formal authority[12:28] - Helping executives separate operational noise from useful signals[15:30] - Translating business context for AI-assisted development[25:00] - Human alignment as an execution bottleneck[28:02] - Giving a new employee ownership of accounts payable automation[30:03] - Developing leaders and multiplying the company's mission[33:08] - Company website and newsletter signupDisclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.🔗 Follow the Guest and His Company:👉 Mikhail Papovsky - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpapovsky👉 Massaro - Company Website: massaroconsulting.com👉 Massaro - Newsletter: https://massaroconsulting.com/newsletter/👉 Massaro - Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/massaroconsulting/🔗 Follow the podcast:👉Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033rjH7T2gSv9KyUs4uC4x?si=db0aed8e99f84fc8👉Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-the-workplace-of-tomorrow/id1896864216👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@opptyunlimited🔗 Connect with the Host Steve Miksta:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemiksta/🔗 Connect with the Host Company, Oppty Unlimited:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opptyunlimited/👉 Website: https://www.opptyunlimited.com/

In this episode of Leaders of the WoT, host Steve Miksta sits down with Jaime Taets, Founder and CEO of the Keystone Group International, to discuss organizational alignment, leadership development, and how AI is changing business strategy, capabilities, and work design.Jaime draws on her experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation at Cargill and building the Keystone Group International to explain why leaders need clearer strategies, better diagnostic tools, and intentional talent plans. She emphasizes helping organizations identify root causes, translate strategy into execution, and redesign work around changing capabilities.Key TakeawaysTreat AI as an enterprise transformation, not only a productivity tool or technology project.Diagnose root causes behind business fatigue and stalled performance before prescribing solutions.Define how the organization grows so successful performance can be repeated in changing conditions.Translate outside-in strategy into clear actions for the people responsible for execution.Build an operating cadence that regularly checks alignment and turns meetings into decision-making time.Redesign roles, workflows, and talent plans around the capabilities the business will need in the next three to five years.Episode Timestamps[00:00] - Teaser[00:12] - Introduction to Jaime Taets and the Keystone Group International[01:46] - Jaime’s enterprise transformation experience at Cargill[04:46] - Diagnosing the root causes behind business pain points[07:24] - Why AI requires a mindset and capability transformation[09:04] - Rethinking organizational capabilities, roles, and structure[11:02] - Understanding how a business grows in uncertain conditions[14:16] - Translating outside-in strategy into execution[17:04] - Creating an operating cadence for alignment[19:36] - Moving slower to create speed to impact[21:39] - Business strategy, work redesign, and intentional talent planning[26:21] - AI-enabled competition and scaling with AI agents[28:14] - Keystone Group International’s diagnostic approach and expansion priorities[31:24] - Where to connect with Jaime and Keystone Group InternationalDisclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.🔗 Follow the Guest Jaime Taets and Her Podcast:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Jaimetaets/👉 Website: https://jaimetaets.com/👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaime_taets👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaimeladam👉 Go First (Podcast) - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0y2qKmZhMR5vDuExU2JIkk?si=45aa2b8615f34bf7&nd=1&dlsi=66756dad7e484b6b👉 Go First (Podcast) - Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Go-First-With-Jaime-Taets/B0HBZKKW7N?srsltid=AfmBOop-MpsgGydWceAyRexaeKvymnUKUyGl9pOjTPGnmUFznbc22-dA🔗 Follow the Guest Jaime Taets’ Company:👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keystonegroupintl/👉 Company Website: https://www.keystonegroupintl.com/🔗 Connect with the Host Steve Miksta:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemiksta/🔗 Connect with the Host Company, Oppty Unlimited:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opptyunlimited/👉 Website: https://www.opptyunlimited.com/🔗Follow the podcast:👉Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033rjH7T2gSv9KyUs4uC4x?si=db0aed8e99f84fc8👉Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-the-workplace-of-tomorrow/id1896864216👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@opptyunlimited

In this episode of Leaders of the WoT, the host, Steve Miksta, sits down with Amy Hitchner-Allison, Founder and Owner of AHA Solutions Group, an Army Veteran and a Speaker, to discuss improving operational processes, identifying workflow gaps, and preparing teams to use AI responsibly. They cover how leaders can clarify outcomes, train employees on workable systems, and communicate openly about workplace change.Drawing on eight years of active-duty Army experience and a career in HR and recruiting, Amy explains how her work evolved toward helping businesses find leaks in time, revenue, and accountability. She emphasizes observing how work is actually performed, addressing knowledge gaps, and giving employees the context and training needed to adapt to new processes.Key TakeawaysBuild a workable process before adding AI; technology cannot fix an undefined system.Start with leadership’s pain points, then identify the few operational issues most limiting progress.Observe employees performing a process to uncover knowledge gaps, workarounds, and unclear outcomes.Define what a report or workflow must accomplish before deciding who does what and when.Explain the context behind operational changes so employees understand the purpose of their work.Discuss AI plans and policies openly so employees can prepare, protect company information, and contribute ideas.Episode Timestamps[00:00] - Teaser[01:32] - Introduction to Amy Hitchner-Allison and AHA Solutions Group[03:22] - Finding leaks in time, revenue, and accountability[04:22] - Balancing an ideal future state with operational reality[07:52] - Identifying leadership pain points and workflow problems[10:55] - Observing processes to find knowledge and skills gaps[15:30] - Giving people and AI the context behind the work[19:27] - Discussing AI openly with employees and Training employees[22:28] - Redesigning roles alongside AI[23:48] - Amy’s plans for a master’s program in AI engineering[24:56] - Where to learn more about AHA Solutions GroupDisclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.🔗 Connect with the Guest Amy Hitchner-Allison and Her Company:👉 LinkedIn - Amy Hitchner-Allison: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-hitchner-allison/👉 LinkedIn - AHA Solutions Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aha-solutions-group/👉 Website - AHA Solutions Group: ahasolutionsgroup.com🔗Follow the podcast:👉Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033rjH7T2gSv9KyUs4uC4x?si=db0aed8e99f84fc8👉Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-the-workplace-of-tomorrow/id1896864216👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@opptyunlimited🔗 Connect with the Host Steve Miksta:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemiksta/🔗 Connect with the Host Company, Oppty Unlimited:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opptyunlimited/👉 Website: https://www.opptyunlimited.com/

In this episode of Leaders of the Workplace of Tomorrow, Host Steve Miksta sits down with William T. J. Kerr, President and Managing Principal at William Kerr and Associates, to discuss his path from auto racing, music, and theater into consulting. They explore bottom-up problem solving, the difference between symptoms and root causes, and how organizations can approach AI as an aid to human judgment and execution.William draws on experiences in racing, entertainment, and business to explain why consultants should listen to the people closest to the work. He emphasizes role performance, coaching through problem-solving, and helping organizations work with existing systems and people rather than expecting change to happen instantly.Key TakeawaysStart with the people closest to the work to identify operational problems that leadership may not see.Look beyond “safe problems” to find the underlying causes creating recurring symptoms.Treat consulting as research and advice, not as doing a manager’s job for them.Invite employee input and acknowledge good ideas to build participation in solutions.Use AI to expand options and support judgment, while keeping humans responsible for the final choice.Help people learn new tools gradually by reducing fear and connecting technology to practical work.Episode Timestamps[00:00] - Teaser[01:25] - From go-karting and drag racing to music and theater[03:00] - How referrals drive his consulting work[04:29] - Why employees become disconnected from organisations[08:22] -Why consulting starts with frontline employees[11:28] - Finding the real problem behind “safe problems”[15:13] - AI adoption and the productivity gap[19:49] - Fear, learning, and workplace adoption of technology[24:11] - Why you should learn to work right, not chase passion[29:08] - How technology can increase speed while slowing productivity[34:41] - When technology becomes invisible[36:44] - Where to contact William KerrDisclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.🔗 Connect with the Guest William T. J. Kerr and His Company:👉 Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wmkerr/👉 Email: [email protected]👉 Company Website: https://williamkerrandassociates.com/about-me-business/👉 Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/william-kerr-and-associates/🔗Follow the podcast:👉Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033rjH7T2gSv9KyUs4uC4x?si=db0aed8e99f84fc8👉Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-the-workplace-of-tomorrow/id1896864216👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@opptyunlimited🔗 Connect with the Host Steve Miksta:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemiksta/🔗 Connect with the Host Company, Oppty Unlimited:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opptyunlimited/👉 Website: https://www.opptyunlimited.com/