Inspiring Impacts

About Inspiring Impacts

Learn how to unlock the power of ”the other AI” - Appreciative Inquiry - with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin. AI is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Apple, The Cleveland Clinic, and the United Nations. In each episode, we’ll hear from leaders and experts who have achieved astonishing results at their organizations, from improved teamwork and productivity, to increased engagement and revenue. Get inspired with ”Inspiring Impacts,” brought to you by the Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College. New podcast weblog

Publisher

Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Feb 2023

Latest episode

21 Aug 2024

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Aug 2024

   Appreciative Inquiry as a Management System, with Scot Lowry and Jeff Bouwman

   In this special double-header, Scot Lowry and Jeff Bouwman share their discovery of Appreciative Inquiry and how, through the AiMS Institute, they have used it as a management approach to help companies transform the way they work. Scot is a Managing Partner at Promise One  and a Professor focused on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. He has found great success in applying a strengths-based approach to engage teams and stakeholders in dialogues that value people and unleash potential. Jeff is the co-founder and CEO of The AiMS Institute and helps leaders create transformative change by bringing an innovative new approach to how they run their businesses. They join us to share how they have seen Appreciative Inquiry enable leaders to think, talk, and act differently in a time of unprecedented complexity and uncertainty. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Scot shares how using AI helped him successfully scale his company, transitioning from traditional management to embedding AI into daily operations, which led to increased employee engagement and business growth. Jeff highlights two essentials for leadership: being open to diverse perspectives and executing leadership through a strengths-based, appreciative approach. They share a case study with Precision Communication. A new owner faced resistance with a traditional top-down approach. By shifting to a co-creative process using AI, the company experienced a transformation in team dynamics, engagement, and business results. The owner involved the team in creating a new organizational structure and setting business priorities, leading to increased ownership, adaptability, and the achievement of 90-day goals. The company saw revenue growth and an energized team, indicating a cultural shift driven by appreciative practices. Scot and Jeff share that true engagement occurs by actively involving people in the process, a simple yet powerful principle that underpinned their success. They emphasize that they aren’t changing what is done, but rather HOW leadership is executed. They cite AI as a transformative tool for increasing engagement (the emotional connection that motivates employees to bring their best efforts voluntarily) and mutual commitment, moving away from top-down, command-and-control methods. Scot and Jeff stress the importance of AI as a management approach that encourages leaders to honor team input and integrate broader perspectives into decision-making. They recommend resources such as the AI Certificate Program at Champlain College, "Conversations Worth Having" by Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres, and Jeff Bouwman's Change Maker program. Jeff advises using simple, actionable AI-based questions to unlock team wisdom, such as asking what's important, reflecting on past successes, and envisioning future possibilities. They both think that the best way to understand AI's benefits is through direct experience. LIKE AND SHARE If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts! Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

2. 

   13 Aug 2024

   Using Appreciative Inquiry to Transform the Energy Industry with Cheri Warren

   Cheri Warren is a seasoned expert with over 30 years of experience in creating impactful, lasting change. Specializing in innovation and appreciative inquiry, she has led high-performance teams in the electric and gas utility industry, most notably as Senior Vice President at National Grid and later as Innovation Strategist on their Board. Cheri is also a dedicated advocate for women in industry, serving on various leadership committees and mentoring others. She holds advanced degrees in electrical engineering and has a long history of contributions to IEEE, including winning the 2007 PES Excellence in Distribution Award and speaking at the White House. She joins us to share her journey with Appreciative Inquiry and how it has impacted her work, teams, and life. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Cheri Warren discovered Appreciative Inquiry (AI) while working as chief of staff for National Grid’s CEO, and she immediately saw its potential. AI was used to redesign a smart grid pilot by involving the Worcester community and stakeholders, leading to a more inclusive and effective initiative. A pivotal summit, facilitated by AI, transformed skeptics into supporters and identified nine initiatives, three related to energy and the smart grid. The revamped smart grid proposal secured an additional $10 million in funding and led to the creation of a "sustainability hub" in a low-income neighborhood. AI transformed performance reviews at National Grid from a negative annual event to a positive monthly conversation, significantly boosting team performance. National Grid’s engineers became highly motivated when they saw the real impact of their work on customers, leading to a high-performing team. National Grid began leading climate initiatives, achieving top national rankings in energy efficiency and changing industry practices towards sustainability. A third global summit focused on transforming the global supply chain with a climate focus, involving key figures like Dame Ellen Macarthur. AI principles have had a transformative effect on Cheri's leadership, emphasizing trust, connectedness, and a generative approach to problem-solving. Cheri encourages using the question "How might we?" to spark positive change, applying AI principles in both professional and personal contexts. To hear more from Cheri or read more about her work, check out this highlight reel from her talk at the 2023 ODN Conference, as well as her article with David Cooperrider in the AI Practitioner Journal. LIKE AND SHARE If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts! Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

3. 

   31 Jul 2024

   Name It, Claim It, Reframe It: Appreciative Inquiry and Indigenous Ways of Knowing with Dr. Denise Henning

   Dr. Henning’s career in higher education spans nearly 25 years in both the United States and Canada, as well as serving as graduate faculty in New Zealand. She currently serves as the Director of the UNCW/3C Collaborative and is a professor of Community College Leadership and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s, Watson College of Education. Born in Creek County Oklahoma, Denise is Cherokee & Mississippi Choctaw. As a committed educator, she believes in equity and inclusion, and shared leadership for administration in higher education. Her philosophy as a leader is based on building relationships through a collaborative and team-spirited approach, energizing people to think outward while focusing on the needs of every student and the organization. She has earned a reputation for cultivating and sustaining positive relationships, building collaborative teams, and energizing people in ways that foster their innovative spirit. She joins us to discuss her experiences using Appreciative Inquiry in higher education and with indigenous populations. In addition to her consulting group, Kiona-Oxendine & Associates, Denise is also a co-founder of Women Honoring Other Women, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower women and create change using strengths-based approaches for leadership development. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Denise shares how her dissertation, rather than studying problems to death, focused on success factors. Instead of asking what they can do to better serve their students, Denise encourages higher education leadership to look for what are they doing well right now, what is working, and what might their students look like at their best? She uses Appreciative Inquiry to create trust between educational institutions and remote rural indigenous communities. She shares stories from her work building bridges between indigenous populations and higher education institutions, focusing especially on dignity and the value of indigenous customs. At one particular engagement, the nature and success of the work completely changed when they invited the people they were serving into the room and into strategic planning discussions. She talks about the importance of appreciative language and the power she has to kindly disrupt the conversation and share the etymology of certain phrases that can often be carelessly thrown about. She shares how Appreciative Inquiry taught her that, for the most part, people want to do the right thing. An appreciative approach has had a meaningful impact on her ability to grandparent and when dealing with personal loss. Denise believes that when we make room for hearing and sharing stories, people feel significant and valued. This changes their encounters with institutions in which they traditionally felt marginalized. LIKE AND SHARE If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts! Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

21 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings