Whitney JohnsonEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

In this episode of Paradigm Shifting Books , hosts Stephen and Britain Covey explore Disrupt Yourself with the author herself, Whitney Johnson, to discuss the powerful framework for understanding personal growth, career evolution, and why progress often feels uncomfortable before it feels rewarding. Drawing on Clayton Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation, Whitney applies the same principles used to explain market shifts to individual lives, revealing how meaningful growth requires intentional disruption. Stephen reflects on why this episode is especially timely, inviting listeners to use moments of pause, like the holiday season, to reflect on where they are in their careers and lives. Through Whitney’s explanation of the S-curve of learning, the conversation unpacks why starting something new feels slow and discouraging, why momentum eventually accelerates, and why mastery can quietly become a trap. Growth, they explain, is not linear, it is cyclical. The episode also dives into the seven accelerants that move people up the S-curve, including taking the right risks, embracing constraints, stepping back to grow, and reframing failure as a tool rather than a verdict. Whitney shares deeply personal stories from her time on Wall Street and her decision to disrupt her own career, offering a model for navigating change with courage and clarity. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone feeling stuck, restless, or ready for their next chapter, and for leaders seeking to better understand how growth unfolds in themselves and others. What We Discuss [00:00] Introduction [00:36] Holiday Reflection [01:33] Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson [03:17] The S-Curve of Learning [08:15] Applying the S-Curve to Personal Growth [12:34] Seven Variables for Growth [16:08] Embracing Failure as a Tool for Growth Notable Quotes [05:34] “Disruption isn’t just about products, it’s about people.” – Whitney Johnson [05:38] “If I'm going to accomplish what I feel I need to in life, I may need to disrupt myself.”– Whitney Johnson [09:13] “Every time I start something new, I am at the base of the S-curve, and growth is happening but it's not yet apparent.”– Whitney Johnson [10:56] “ When you know where you are, you increase your capacity to grow. You orient yourself and so that can impact you, and it can help you grow the people around you. So the S-curve is basically telling you where you are on the mountain..” – Whitney Johnson [16:46] “ Failure and mistakes are not actually the problem.It's the shame that we associate with the mistakes.” – Whitney Johnson Resources Paradigm Shifting Books Podcast Instagram YouTube Book Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson Whitney Johnson Website Instagram LinkedIn Britain Covey LinkedIn Instagram Stephen H. Covey LinkedIn

Let’s be real—“just checking in” is the sales equivalent of ghosting yourself. In this episode, we’re closing the loop and tightening up that post-appointment game. Whitney Johnson takes us deep into how to follow up like a pro, use MAC texting the right way, and get that MPA signed without sounding like a lost lamb. If your deals are stalling at the paperwork stage, this is your wake-up call. No more “hope all is well” energy—we’re moving with precision and power. #getyourmindright #gymr #poweredbyevolv #builtbyviv #merchantservices #salesskills #followupstrategy #closingdeals #mpasigned #salesplaybook #digitalonboarding #salestraining

Anxiety doesn’t have to be the thing that holds you back, it can actually be the spark that pushes you forward. In this episode, I sit down with Whitney Johnson, one of the world’s leading experts on personal disruption, to talk about what it really means to disrupt yourself and why growth often comes with discomfort, fear, and uncertainty. Whitney opens up about her leap from Wall Street, building a new identity, the lessons she’s learned as a mother and entrepreneur, and the daily practices that help her stay grounded. She also shares the question to ask yourself when anxiety kicks in, why you sometimes quit or avoid opportunities out of fear, and the exact strategies she uses to handle anxiety instead of running from it. Get ready to grow, no matter where you’re starting from. Highlights 00:00 Meet Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors. 03:30 The privilege of dreaming and why so many people hold back. 05:00 Leaving Wall Street, parenting, and finding a new work-life fit. 07:45 What is disrupting yourself? 12:45 Is anxiety fueling your work ethic or running your life? 17:30 Whitney’s way of breaking the avoidance loop. 19:30 How anxiety shows up in your career and inbox. 23:30 How do you handle the anxiety of leaving a steady job to go out on your own? 27:30 Ways to find strength when anxiety holds you back. 31:00 Why growth is your default setting (and proof change is always possible). 32:45 Whitney’s hack for stopping the anxious cycle. Resources + Links Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever Learn more about Whitney Johnson and Disruption Advisors HERE Find more resources on our website morraam.com Follow Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam Follow Whitney: @johnsonwhitney

👉 Join my community: "Change is possible" - The business community for professionals who want to stay ahead in a changing world, explore new career paths, create multiple income streams, and build a personal brand that opens new doors. Do not miss your chance to start redesigning your career, income, and life now! 🔗 https://bit.ly/anifilipovacommunity --------------------------------------- In this episode of Change is Possible, host Ani Filipova welcomes Whitney Johnson, a renowned leadership expert and disruptor, to explore the transformative concept of personal disruption. They discuss how individuals can reinvent themselves, navigate major life and career transitions, and embrace change with intention and courage. Drawing from her experience in Wall Street, entrepreneurship, and working with the late Clayton Christensen, Whitney unpacks how change is not only possible but essential. Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a leadership development company, and one of the top global experts on disruption and growth. A former Wall Street equity analyst and an award-winning author, Whitney is recognized for her work on personal disruption and helping individuals and organizations scale their growth. She’s the author of several books, including Disrupt Yourself and Smart Growth. 🔑 Key Topics: What personal disruption really means and why it’s crucial for growth. How to identify when it’s time to stop fixing the job and start planning your exit. Practical steps to explore new directions without risking everything. The importance of building emotional resilience in fast-changing times. Why leadership today is more about grounding and empathy than ever before. ⌛ Episode Highlights and Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Trailer & Introduction: Whitney shares early life experiences and how her mother’s unfulfilled dreams inspired her drive. [00:07:40] – On Not Having a Plan: Whitney explains why her career path wasn’t linear and how uncertainty shaped her growth. [00:12:00] – Golden Ticket of Youth: Advice for people in their 20s on how to leverage mentorship and build confidence. [00:14:48] – The Concept of Personal Disruption: Whitney explains how she coined the term and how it has shaped her philosophy. [00:19:50] – Signs It’s Time to Change: Emotional cues and mindset shifts that indicate it’s time for big disruption. [00:23:55] – Getting Unstuck: Why talented people stay stuck and how identity and fear play a role. [00:31:27] – Fixing vs. Leaving the Job: When to know if it’s time to try harder or walk away. [00:33:46] – Low-Risk Exploration of Change: A practical guide to discovering your next chapter with constraints and strengths. [00:41:26] – Leading in Times of Rapid Change: Whitney on what leadership needs to look like in today’s disruptive world. [00:49:29] – Fun Fact & Closing Reflections: Whitney reveals her love for K-dramas and shares final words on grace, growth, and human resilience. 📱 Follow our guest, Whitney Johnson: 👉 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyjohnson/ 👉 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnsonwhitney/ 👉 X - https://x.com/johnsonwhitney/ 👉 Website -https://thedisruptionadvisors.com/ 📱 Follow the Host Ani Filipova on: 👉 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/anifilipova/ 👉 Personal site: https://anifilipova.me 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ani.filipova.148 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anifilipova_/ 👉 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ani_filipova 🔗 Listeni

Career growth starts with stepping outside your comfort zone. Building a successful career isn’t about following a set path—it’s about knowing when to evolve and embracing change. Whitney Johnson believes that success comes from disrupting yourself—challenging routines, stepping into discomfort, and continuously evolving. “People think staying in their comfort zone is the safe choice,” she explains, “but real growth happens when we take intentional risks.” As a bestselling author and leadership expert, Johnson has spent years helping individuals and organizations navigate change. She breaks down the S-curve of learning, a framework that helps professionals recognize when it’s time to move on, pivot, or double down on their current path. From identifying signs of stagnation to developing strategies for career reinvention, she shares practical tools for making bold moves with confidence. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Johnson joins host Matt Abrahams to explore why mastery can be a sign that it’s time for a change, how to manage the discomfort that comes with growth, and why personal disruption isn’t just a challenge—it’s the key to long-term success. To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium Episode Reference Links: Whitney Johnson Whitney’s Books: Disrupt Yourself / Smart Growth Ep.147 Disrupt Yourself: How to Innovate Who You Are and Become Who You Can Be Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn <

Whitney Johnson , the esteemed CEO of Disruption Advisors, graces us on today’s episode of The CLS Experience with her profound insights on personal and professional growth. As a visionary in the realm of personal disruption, Whitney unpacks how individuals can ignite their own transformations, differentiating between the nuances of personal and business disruptions. Learn how embracing both major and minor changes can propel you toward meaningful growth by retraining your mind and body to welcome abundance and joy, thereby unlocking a world of new possibilities. Whitney offers a roadmap for harnessing fear as a catalyst for positive change, rather than a deterrent. Let’s have some fun. 7:41 - Disrupting 16:22 - Embracing Change and Personal Growth 22:35 - Unlocking Your Best Potential Connect with Whitney here: https://thedisruptionadvisors.com/whitney-johnson/ To join our community click here . ➤ To connect with Whitney Johnson follow Whitney on Instagram ➤ Order a copy of my new book The Reinvention Formula today! ➤ Join our CLS texting community for free daily inspiration and business strategies to elevate your day, text (917) 634-3796 To follow The CLS Experience and connect with Craig on Social Media: ➤ INSTAGRAM ➤ FACEBOOK ➤ TIKTOK ➤ YOUTUBE ➤ WEBSITE ➤ LINKEDIN ➤ X

Innovation and disruption aren’t just for organizations. According to Whitney Johnson , we can find new possibilities for personal and professional growth — by disrupting ourselves. As an executive coach, author, and podcaster, Johnson teaches people how to level up their lives and careers through the power of personal disruption. Her book, Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work , reveals how shaking things up enables us to break free of the constraints we might not even know we’re imposing on ourselves. “Personal disruption [is] a process of deliberate self-innovation; a decision to step back from who you are to slingshot into who you can be,” she explains. In this Think Fast, Talk Smar t episode with host Matt Abrahams, Johnson offers strategies for tailoring messages to different audiences, reveals the key ingredients for successful communication, and explains how disrupting yourself can open new doors and help you reach your full potential. Episode Reference Links: Whitney Johnson Whitney’s Book: Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work Whitney’s Podcast: Disrupt Yourself Podcast Ep.118 Maximizing Your Personal Brand: Communicating Who You Are to Help Get What You Want Ep.138 Speak Your Truth: Why Authenticity Leads to Better Communication Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/whitney-johnson-growth-as-a-default-setting/ Have you ever had a star employee whose performance suddenly dropped and you didn’t understand why? Everyone experiences the S curve of job satisfaction. The 3 points in the “S” are always a launch point, sweet spot, and mastery. When employees reach mastery, they get bored and less motivated because they’re not getting the same amount of dopamine from performing the job as before. A former award-winning Wall Street stock analyst, Whitney Johnson applies her understanding of momentum and growth in stocks to people. In her words, “you have to be willing to disrupt yourself”. Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a leadership development company, helping you grow your people to grow your business. A Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, she was named by Thinkers50 as one of the ten leading business thinkers in the world. She is a keynote speaker and a popular lecturer for Harvard Business Publishing’s Corporate Learning. In 2017, she was selected from more than 17,000 candidates for the initial cohort of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches, and was named the #1 Talent Coach. In episode #180, Whitney explains how learning is the oxygen of human growth, how to deal with bored employees, the value of getting a coach, and why we need to disrupt ourselves. Tune in to hear all about Whitney’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way! . . . Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues. . . . TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [03:40] Micromanagement on Wall Street [09:30] Team member growth (the S curve framework) [18:00] What happens when your employees get to mastery [25:00] The innovator’s dilemma [30:16] Disrupting ourselves leads to growth [36:00] Surprise and delight RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn Check out Disruption Advisors Read Whitney’s book Disrupt Yourself Listen to Episode 80 of Disrupt Yourself Listen to the Disrupt Yourself podcast Check out Fellow’s Meeting Guidelines feature Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

In this episode of Pit Stops To Podium, we're delighted to welcome Whitney Johnson, the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a distinguished leadership development company specializing in change management. She delves into the profound significance of ongoing growth and learning, emphasizing their role in personal and professional development. Whitney also unravels the captivating concept of the S-Curve, providing a deeper understanding of its relevance and application. For sales leaders aiming to navigate the S-Curve shift, Whitney offers guidance, shedding light on how to approach this critical transition. We also touch upon the significance of partnership and the unique challenges faced by high-growth B2B SaaS organizations Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:56 - Disruption Advisors and Whitney's Books 01:56 - Who’s Whitney Outside Work 04:35 - What Led Whitney To Write “Smart Growth” 07:34 - Understanding the S-Curve Concept 10:46 - The S-Curve Shift for Sales Leaders 14:32 - What Comes After Mastery and Scaling 16:58 - Partnership and Challenges in High-Growth B2B SaaS Organizations 20:49 - The Backstory of Whitney Connection with Clay Christensen 22:22 - Engage With Whitney //ENGAGE WITH WHITNEY The Disrupt Advisors Website Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson //MENTIONS Malcolm Gladwell Reid Hoffman //BOOKS Disrupt Yourself, With a New Introduction Build an A-Team Smart Growth The Brand Called You by Tom Peters The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen //SUBSCRIBE! Subscribe to RevPartners YouTube Channel New "pit stops" every week. Join our growing community! //STAY AWESOME & DO IT BIG!! Website: revpartners.io Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

In today's episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan speaks with Whitney Johnson. Whitney is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a tech-enabled talent development company. She also co-founded Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen, is the host of the Disrupt Yourself podcast, and is the author of the book Smart Growth: How To Grow Your People To Grow Your Company. Whitney Johnson talked about the S-curve of personal, leadership, and organizational growth. Whitney also discussed creating a corporate culture that encourages continuous learning and development and leaders pursuing new S-curves of growth. Highlights: - Why disruption is about more than products and services - The three phases of the S-curve of growth - Whitney Johnson on the neuroscience behind the S-curve - How leaders can encourage growth in their organizations - How to use S-curve as a recruiting and retention tool - Whitney Johnson on the CEO mindset needed for growth - How to deal with underperforming team members - The importance of shadow values and how to use them in guiding your growth Mentioned: - Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor, author, and co-founded Disruptive Innovation Fund - Everette Rogers, originated the diffusion of innovations theory - Juan Carlos Mendez-Garcia, co-author of Throw Your Life A Curve - Patrick Pichette, former CFO of Google - Sumeet Shetty, Development Manager at SAP - Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen - Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson - Dare, Deam, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare To Dream by Whitney Johnson - Build an A-Team by Whitney Johnson - The Burnout Epidemic by Jennifer Moss - How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen Connect with Whitney Johnson: Smart Growth Book Website Disrupt Yourself Podcast Whitney Johnson Website Whitney Johnson Twitter Whitney Johnson Instagram Whitney Johnson LinkedIn Connect with Mahan Tavakoli : Mahan Tavakoli Website Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week we're bringing back a fan-favorite episode of the What's Next! Podcast with Whitney Johnson. Whitney was recognized as one of the world's most influential management thinkers in 2015, was a finalist for the Top Thinkers on Talent at the biennial Thinkers50 ceremony in London, and is best known for her work on driving corporate innovation through personal disruption. She's the author of the critically acclaimed Disrupt Yourself , one of Tiffani's favorite books. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anybody who wants to learn how to harness change and meet disruption head-on. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… disruption is bound to happen at work and in your personal life. There are ways to adapt to change so you (and your company) aren't left behind as the rest of the world moves forward. WHAT I LOVE MOST… the idea that sometimes leaders need to disrupt themselves to kick-start innovation inside of their company. Running Time: 32:46 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Whitney on Social: Twitter LinkedIn Harvard Business Review

Whitney Johnson is the CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors, an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America (2020). One of the top ten business thinkers in the world, as named by Thinkers50, Whitney is an expert at smart growth leadership. Whitney has worked at FORTUNE 100 companies, and as an award-winning equity analyst on Wall Street. She co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s late Clayton Christensen. She has coached alongside the renowned Marshall Goldsmith, selected by Goldsmith in 2017 as a Top 15 Coach out of a pool of more than 17,000 candidates. Whitney understands how companies work, how investors think, and how the best coaches coach. An award-winning author, Johnson teaches the S Curve of Learning to managers and companies as both a keynote speaker and a frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice (2020) with 1.8 million followers. Her course Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. Whitney was co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen. Her role included fund formation, strategy, and capital raising. They invested and led the $8 million seed round for South Korea’s Coupang eCommerce platform, currently valued at $50 billion. Don't forget to follow CB, comment, rate, review, and subscribe to the show on your preferred platform! Rating/reviews: Rating/reviews: https://lovethepodcast.com/courage Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/34Q2dcI iHeart Radio: https://ihr.fm/3sKaUgM Amazon: https://amzn.to/36j2DZz Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3I6jXzc WEBSITES: Courage Consulting: https://courage-consultant.com/ KeynoteSpeaking: https://www.cbbowman.com/ Coaching Association: https://www.acec-association.org/ Master Corporate Executive Coach Certification: https://www.meeco-institute.org/ SOCIAL MEDIA: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbbowman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CbOttomanelli Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CB.BowmanMBA/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZU3KqucXRXDsrHLvj8UIw Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/courage-c-suite-challenges-6874133122783469568 #CBBowmanLive #courage #courageleadership #cbbowman #courageous #courageconsultant #leadership

The fundamental unit of growth in any organisation is the individual. The more you understand about how to respond to your own deep longing to grow, the greater your capacity to grow your people, to grow your organisation, says Whitney Johnson, co-founder of tech-enabled talent development company, Disruption Advisors. Disruption Advisors supports people and organisations through coaching, training, and technology, empowering innovation through disruption. Whitney’s latest book, Smart Growth , explains if you grow your people, you grow your company. In this episode of The Melting Pot, Whitney talks about the S curve model and what it means to you as an individual, how to start one, how to envisage it, how to get up when you might get stuck. And by way of as an example, we use Whitney's personal journey along her own S curve of public speaking. So, if you’re looking to grow your organisation, your team, or individually, download and listen to Whitney today. Book recommendations: Bittersweet - Susan Kane Range - David Epstein Anti Time Management - Richie Norton On today’s podcast: The S curve What drives motivation The S curve - the launch point, the sweet spot and mastery Moving beyond mastery Grow your people to grow your company Links: Books – Whitney Johnson Twitter – @johnsonwhitney LinkedIn – Whitney Johnson Website – www.whitneyjohnson.com

Jeff Heggie Daily Success Strategies 596: Smart Growth with Whitney Johnson https://jeffheggie.com/2022/06/16/whitney-johnson-smart-growth/ Whitney Johnson | Smart Growth Whitney Johnson is CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors, an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America (2020). One of the top ten business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50, Whitney is an expert at smart growth leadership. Whitney has worked at FORTUNE 100 companies, and as an award-winning equity analyst on Wall Street. She co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s late Clayton Christensen. She has coached alongside the renowned Marshall Goldsmith, selected by Goldsmith in 2017 as a Top 15 Coach out of a pool of more than 17,000 candidates. Whitney understands how companies work, how investors think, and how the best coaches coach. An award-winning author, Johnson teaches the S Curve of Learning to managers and companies as both a keynote speaker and a frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice (2020) with 1.8 million followers. Her course Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. An innovation and disruption theorist, Whitney is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Author of the bestselling Build an A Team (a Financial Times Book of the Month) and Disrupt Yourself, fittingly described by Publisher’s Weekly as “Savvy . . . often counterintuitive . . . superb.” She hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself podcast with guests including Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and General Stanley McChrystal. Whitney was co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen. Her role included fund formation, strategy, and capital raising. They invested and led the $8 million seed round for South Korea’s Coupang ecommerce platform, currently valued at $50 billion. Don’t Make The One Mistake That Will Keep Your Business From Growing https://jeffheggie.com/businessdomination Become an Optimal Performing Entrepreneur: www.JeffHeggie.com/GroupCoaching Discover How to Double Your Revenue in Just 5 Moves https://JeffHeggie.com/BusinessMastery The Peak Performance System for High Achievers [FREE]: https://jeffheggie.com/peakperformance

Our lives are a portfolio of S-curves. We have periods of starting, learning, and mastery. Whitney Johnson joins Kevin to talk about the S-curve of Learning to measure growth; personally, professionally, and organizationally. It is hard to start something new because growth is hard. By keeping rituals (or known things), we can create calm and stability in our brains to allow for more growth. Key Points In this episode, Whitney Johnson defines the S-curve of Learning and shares the stages of growth and learning. She discusses using the S-curve of Learning for assessment. She shares examples of how we can build a culture around the S-curve of Learning. Meet Whitney Name: Whitney Johnson Her Story: Whitney Johnson is the author of several top-selling books including, Disrupt Yourself and Build an A Team . Her latest book is Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company . She is CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors , an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America. Worth Mentioning: In 2021, Whitney was named #8 on the Thinkers50 list, made up of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world.

Welcome to Anxiety at Work --> We hope the time you spend with us will help remove the stigma of anxiety and mental health in the workplace and your personal life. Whitney Johnson is CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors , an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America (2020). One of the top ten business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50, Whitney is an expert at smart growth leadership. Whitney has worked at FORTUNE 100 companies, and as an award-winning equity analyst on Wall Street. She co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s late Clayton Christensen. She has coached alongside the renowned Marshall Goldsmith, selected by Goldsmith in 2017 as a Top 15 Coach out of a pool of more than 17,000 candidates. Whitney understands how companies work, how investors think, and how the best coaches coach. An award-winning author, Johnson teaches the S Curve of Learning to managers and companies as both a keynote speaker and a frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice (2020) with 1.8 million followers. Her course Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. Whitney is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Author of the bestselling Build an A Team (a Financial Times Book of the Month) and Disrupt Yourself, fittingly described by Publisher’s Weekly as “Savvy . . . often counterintuitive . . . superb.” She hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself podcast with guests including Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and General Stanley McChrystal. ### Support the show For a weekly dose of gratitude from Chester Elton, text GRATITUDE to 908-460-2820. Until next week, we hope you find peace & calm in a world that often is a sea of anxiety. If you love this podcast, please share it and leave a 5-star rating ! If you feel inspired, we invite you to come on over to The Culture Works where we share resources and tools for you to build a high-performing culture where you work. Your hosts, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton have spent over two decades helping clients around the world engage their employees on strategy, vision and values. They provide real solutions for leaders looking to manage change, drive innovation and build high performance cultures and teams. They are authors of award-winning Wall Street Journal & New York Times bestsellers All In , The Carrot Principle , Leading with Gratitude, & Anxiety at Work . Their books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. Visit The Culture Works for a free Chapter 1 download of Anxiety at Work. Learn more about their Executive Coaching at The Cultur...

Whitney Johnson: Smart Growth Whitney Johnson is CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors, an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America. As one of the top ten business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50, Whitney is an expert at smart growth leadership. She has worked at FORTUNE 100 companies, and as an award-winning equity analyst on Wall Street. Whitney co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with the late Clayton Christensen. She has coached alongside Marshall Goldsmith, selected by him in 2017 as a Top 15 Coach out of a pool of more than 17,000 candidates. She is the author of Disrupt Yourself and the host of the podcast of the same name. She is also the author of Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company*. In this conversation, Whitney and I explore a big reality of growth; it’s often slow at the start. We discuss three practical steps that leaders can take for both themselves and others to stay engaged during the early stages of growth. Key Points Auditing some of your roles, secrets, beliefs, values, and boundaries will help you move forward along the growth path. Listen to the stories that others tell and help them link past experiences with what’s important today. Images are a critical entry point to growth. Utilize them in addition to the new behavior itself to begin to frame your thinking and identity. Circle back after receiving feedback and show others what you’ve learned from it and how it’s changed your behavior. That motivates them to stay invested. Use “I am” statements that have a noun rather than a verb. Instead of “I run,” consider saying, “I am a runner.” Resources Mentioned Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company* by Whitney Johnson Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Become the Person You Want to Be, with James Clear (episode 376) How to Motivate Leaders, with John Maxwell (episode 452) How to Win the Long Game When the Short-Term Seems Bleak, with Dorie Clark (episode 550) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

In today's episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan speaks with Whitney Johnson. Whitney is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a tech-enabled talent development company. She also co-founded Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen, is the host of the Disrupt Yourself podcast, and is the author of the book Smart Growth: How To Grow Your People To Grow Your Company. Whitney Johnson talked about the S-curve of personal, leadership, and organizational growth. Whitney also discussed creating a corporate culture that encourages continuous learning and development and leaders pursuing new S-curves of growth. Highlights: - Why disruption is about more than products and services - The three phases of the S-curve of growth - Whitney Johnson on the neuroscience behind the S-curve - How leaders can encourage growth in their organizations - How to use S-curve as a recruiting and retention tool - Whitney Johnson on the CEO mindset needed for growth - How to deal with underperforming team members - The importance of shadow values and how to use them in guiding your growth Mentioned: - Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor, author, and co-founded Disruptive Innovation Fund - Everette Rogers, originated the diffusion of innovations theory - Juan Carlos Mendez-Garcia, co-author of Throw Your Life A Curve - Patrick Pichette, former CFO of Google - Sumeet Shetty, Development Manager at SAP - Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen - Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson - Dare, Deam, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare To Dream by Whitney Johnson - Build an A-Team by Whitney Johnson - The Burnout Epidemic by Jennifer Moss - How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen Connect with Whitney Johnson: Smart Growth Book Website Disrupt Yourself Podcast Whitney Johnson Website Whitney Johnson Twitter Whitney Johnson Instagram Whitney Johnson LinkedIn Connect with Mahan Tavakoli: MahanTavakoli.com Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: PartneringLeadership.com Connect with Mahan Tavakoli : Mahan Tavakoli Website Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. I am thrilled to bring back girl boss Whitney Johnson for this week's episode of the What's Next! Podcast . Whitney is CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors, an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America (2020). She also co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School's late Clayton Christensen, worked as an award-winning equity analyst on Wall Street, and was named one of the top ten business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. Whitney is an accomplished author of four books, and recently released "Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company" in 2022. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… people who want to maximize their growth potential and broaden their horizons. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Whitney doesn't think the term "The Great Resignation" accurately describes the workplace culture shift, rather she believes in "The Great Aspiration" - the idea that people are aspiring to jobs that give them greater fulfillment and more opportunities for learning and growth. WHAT I LOVE MOST … Whitney's takes the S-Curve model one step further to apply the theory as an assessment tool for managers to help guide their team members and become the best boss a person will ever have. Running time: 31:42 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Whitney online: Official Website Twitter LinkedIn Whitney's Book: Smart Growth

In this "HBR Minute Rewind" HCI Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) explores Whitney Johnson's recent HBR video, "How and When to Disrupt Your Career, and Yourself" (Originally Aired October 4th, 2020). See the full video and all of the details here: https://youtu.be/1wrQ6Msp7wM Overview of video: "If you’re comfortable but bored at your current position, you’re in the danger zone. Here are some ways to keep growing without leaving your company. Whitney Johnson, an executive coach and author of "Disrupt Yourself", says we give a lot of airtime to building disruptive products and services, to buying and/or investing in disruptive companies, and we should. Both are vital engines of economic growth. But, the most overlooked engine of growth is the individual. If you are really looking to move the world forward, begin by innovating on the inside, and disrupt yourself." Recognized as one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world (Thinkers50), Whitney Johnson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyjohnson) is an expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption; specifically, a framework which she codifies in the critically acclaimed book Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work and in her latest book Build an "A" Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve. (Harvard Business Press, 2018). She is also the author of Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream. She developed her proprietary framework and diagnostics after having cofounded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School's Clayton Christensen. This framework is complemented by a deep understanding of how executives create and destroy value, having spent nearly a decade as an Institutional Investor ranked equity analyst on Wall Street. In addition to her work as a speaker and advisor, Whitney is one of Marshall Goldsmith's original cohort of 25 for the #100 Coaches Project, is a coach for Harvard Business School's Executive Education program, frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, is a Linkedin influencer, and hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself Podcast. Check out Dr. Westover's book, 'Bluer than Indigo' Leadership, here: https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/bluerthanindigo. Check out Dr. Westover's book, The Alchemy of Truly Remarkable Leadership, here: https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/leadershipalchemy. Check out the latest issue of the Human Capital Leadership magazine, here: https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/hci-magazine. Ranked #6 Performance Management Podcast: https://blog.feedspot.com/performance_management_podcasts/ Ranked #6 Workplace Podcast: https://blog.feedspot.com/workplace_podcasts/ Ranked #7 HR Podcast: https://blog.feedspot.com/hr_podcasts/ Ranked #12 Talent Management Podcast: https://blog.feedspot.com/talent_management_podcasts/ Ranked in the Top 20 Personal Development and Self-Improvement Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/personal_development_podcasts/ Ranked in the Top 30 Leadership Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/leadership_podcasts/

Whitney Johnson shares key science behind learning and growth so you can continue growing your skills smartly over the long haul. — YOU’LL LEARN — 1) The 3 phases of growth–and how to master them 2) How to get your brain to learn faster 3) The tremendous power of ridiculously small goals Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep733 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT WHITNEY — Whitney Johnson is CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors, an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America and one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50. She is an award-winning author, a regular keynote speaker, and a frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning. A frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, Johnson is author of several top-selling books including Disrupt Yourself and Build an A Team . Her latest book is Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company . She is also the host of the popular Disrupt Yourself podcast, with guests including Brené Brown, Simon Sinek, Susan Cain, and General Stanley McChrystal. • Book: Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company • Book website: SmartGrowthBook.com • Podcast: Disrupt Yourself • Tool: S Curve Insight Platform — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Book: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear • Book: Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You by Suneel Gupta and Carlye Adler • Book: Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan • Book: The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton Christensen • E-commerce: Rent the Runway • Study: The New Science of Wise Psychological Interventions by Gregory Walton • Tool: WHOOP • YouTube: <a hre

In this episode, Chester talks with Whitney Johnson. Whitney Johnson is the CEO of WLJ Advisors and one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50. She is an expert on helping high-growth organizations develop high-growth individuals. Whitney is an award-winning author, world-class keynote speaker, frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School's Corporate Learning and an executive coach and advisor to CEOs. She is a popular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, has 1.7 million followers on LinkedIn, where she was selected as a Top Voice in 2018, and her course on Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. In 2019, she was ranked #3 on the Global Gurus' Top 30 Organizational Culture Professionals . In 2017, she was selected from more than 16,000 candidates as a “Top 15 Coach” by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. An innovation and disruption theorist, she is the author of the bestselling Build an “A” Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve , and the critically-acclaimed Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. In these books, she codifies her frameworks for developing high-growth individuals and organizations – the Personal Disruption and the S Curve of Learning frameworks. Whitney was the cofounder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen, through which they invested in and led the $8 million seed round for South Korea’s Coupang, currently valued at more than $9 billion. She was involved in fund formation, capital raising, and the development of the fund’s strategy. As a former award-winning Wall Street stock analyst, Whitney understands momentum and growth. She was an Institutional Investor–ranked equity research analyst for eight consecutive years and was rated by StarMine as a superior stock picker. Whitney hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself podcast , publishes a popular weekly newsletter, and she is married with two children. LifeGuides is a peer-to-peer community that helps people navigate through their day-to-day stressors by providing a place of empathy, listening, wisdom and support with a Guide who has walked in your shoes, experiencing the same challenge or life experience as you.

Whitney Johnson is the CEO of WLJ Advisors and one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50. She is an expert on helping high-growth organizations develop high-growth individuals. Whitney is an award-winning author, world-class keynote speaker, frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School's Corporate Learning and an executive coach and advisor to CEOs. She is a popular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, has 1.7 million followers on LinkedIn, where she was selected as a Top Voice in 2018, and her course on Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. In 2019, she was ranked #3 on the Global Gurus' Top 30 Organizational Culture Professionals. In 2017, she was selected from more than 16,000 candidates as a “Top 15 Coach” by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. An innovation and disruption theorist, she is the author of the bestselling Build an “A” Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve, and the critically-acclaimed Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. In these books, she codifies her frameworks for developing high-growth individuals and organizations – the Personal Disruption and the S Curve of Learning frameworks. Whitney was the cofounder of the Disruptive Innovation. Whitney hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself podcast, publishes a popular weekly newsletter, and she is married with two children. Visit https://whitneyjohnson.com/ To learn more about Whitney Johnson and her company visit Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company. Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community. Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

SLI founder Art Barter has a conversation with Whitney Johnson about the theory behind the Disruptive Mindset, the S Curve, and much more. Be sure to have a note pad handy, because these two talk about a lot! We hope you enjoy this episode. Whitney Johnson is the CEO of WLJ Advisors and one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50. She is an expert on helping high-growth organizations develop high-growth individuals. Whitney is an award-winning author, world-class keynote speaker, frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School's Corporate Learning and an executive coach and advisor to CEOs. She is a popular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, has 1.7 million followers on LinkedIn, where she was selected as a Top Voice in 2018, and her course on Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. In 2019, she was ranked #3 on the Global Gurus' Top 30 Organizational Culture Professionals. In 2017, she was selected from more than 16,000 candidates as a “Top 15 Coach” by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. An innovation and disruption theorist, she is the author of the bestselling Build an “A” Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve, and the critically-acclaimed Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. In these books, she codifies her frameworks for developing high-growth individuals and organizations – the Personal Disruption and the S Curve of Learning frameworks. Whitney was the cofounder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen, through which they invested in and led the $8 million seed round for South Korea’s Coupang, currently valued at more than $9 billion. She was involved in fund formation, capital raising, and the development of the fund’s strategy. As a former award-winning Wall Street stock analyst, Whitney understands momentum and growth. She was an Institutional Investor–ranked equity research analyst for eight consecutive years and was rated by StarMine as a superior stock picker. Whitney hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself podcast, publishes a popular weekly newsletter, and she is married with two children.

Whitney Johnson has been recognized as one of the world’s foremost management thought leaders by Thinkers 50 and Fortune magazine. She is an advisor, speaker and host of the weekly podcast, Disrupt Yourself. She joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss her recent book, Build An A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve, in which she shows leaders and managers how to reduce turnover and enhance loyalty by leading their team members up their current learning curve and designing their jobs to maximize learning and engagement.High growth organizations need high growth individuals. Whitney’s why is to provide ideas to make it less scary to continue to grow and develop. When you’re learning and growing, you are happy. [4:02]Marcel asks how music has influenced Whitney’s work. She responds that when she’s writing or giving a speech, she infuses musicality and structure. Also, music has taught her how to listen and interact deeply with others. This impacts her speeches and her coaching. [5:23]We disrupt ourselves many times throughout our lives. The difference between business and personal disruption is that with personal disruption you're both the disrupter and the incumbent. [8:09]If leaders allow their people to disrupt themselves, to learn and leap, these employees will help the business be a high growth organization. If you let them disrupt themselves, you as an organization will not get disrupted, Whitney says. [8:52]The S-curve of learning is a framework for high employee engagement. Disruption is really about people. Whitney describes the S-curve framework and what managers can do at each point to lead their team along. [10:00]Whitney lists the seven accelerants for leading people along the S-curve of learning:Take the right risks;Know your distinctive strengths;Embrace constraints or impose the right constraints;Battle entitlement;Step back in order to grow;Give failure its due;Be driven by discovery. [13:00]This framework of personal destruction allows you to accelerate and move up the S-curve quickly so that you can learn, leap and repeat quickly. The faster you can do that, the higher growth individual you become. [21:01]When someone you’re managing is at the top of the curve, you can help push them back into the sweet spot by either getting them a coach, letting them mentor others or by stretching them. [21:35]Marcel asks how fear-based management styles affect the learning curve. Whitney says that fear means that there isn’t enough for me as a manager. "So when I have people on an S-curve and they're in the sweet spot, I might start to feel threatened by them." Another way that fear affects the learning curve is when a leader has a high performer on his team who is ready to leap forward, the leader may not want to allow the team member to do so because it would affect his or her future prospects. [25:19]Organizations whose business models are built on command and control find it hard to create a sense of belonging because the structure itself does not allow for it. [27:25]The best advice Whitney would give to managers is to understand where your people are on the S-curve and manage them accordingly. When you do that, you will find that everyone is a high performer. [30:42]ResourcesWhitneyJohnson.com Disrupt Yourself Podcast, episode 120 Email Marcel: marcel@loveinaction.club Send Marcel a text message!

#105—Disruption: Managing Your Career Whenever I feel stuck or I’m looking for a mentor, career-wise, one of my favorite things to do is to identify people whose careers I really admire, and watch them from afar. I study how they work, what they’ve done and what changes for them over time. I learned about Whitney Johnson after I read her first book, Dare, Dream, Do. It’s about building dreams for your life, and it has so many useful applications for that time period of transition in your career after becoming a parent when you can dream up what your future life can look like. So, when I reached out and asked her to be on the show, I was floored when she said yes. It’s always a particular joy when you get to connect with someone you’ve watched and learned from for a long time. Innovation, disruption, and management theory Whitney is an innovation and disruption theorist, and an executive and performance. She was formerly a Wall Street analyst who also started an investment firm with Harvard’s Clayton Christensen. She’s also a bestselling author of three books, her most recent the book all about building great teams and using the ideas of disruption (both of yourself as well as your process) in Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up The Learning Curve. IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: What the term “disruption” means and why it’s more than a buzzword. How pregnancy and parenting are both “disruptive forces” and how that makes them really powerful potential forces for good. How pregnancy gives women the opportunity to think strategically Her parenting journey—when and how she decided she wanted to be a mother. Managing work travel and an intense work schedule with parenting. How to hire great people and how to build great teams. What to do when you have underperformers on your team, or people who have outgrown a role. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/105 . LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITNEY JOHNSON Whitney Johnson, is an innovation and disruption theorist, executive and performance coach, ​and ​one ​of the world's leading management thinkers, according to Thinkers50​. More about Whitney

In this episode, Whitney Johnson discusses the secrets to creating an engaged and productive team as outlined in her book, Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve . Johnson shares seven ways managers can support their team members' journey up the curve. Take the right kind of risks —Help team members understand the difference between doing something just to compete, versus finding a problem that needs to be solved and creating the solution. Play to your distinctive strengths —Help team members identify what they are good at and let them apply their knowledge to those types of projects. Embrace your constraints —By identifying constraints and taking a hard look at them managers can help team members inspire innovation. Battle entitlement —Encourage team members to think about new ways of doing things. Just because a process has been in place for years, doesn't mean it is the best process. Entitlement can kill innovation. Step back, down, or sideways to grow —Continually pushing forward is not always the best way to drive innovation. Help people understand the positive influence of stepping back to look at other possibilities. Give failure its due —Accept what you can learn from failure. It might be the very thing to catapult you up the learning curve. Be driven by discovery —Encourage your team to ask for feedback and use what they learn to discover things that might be holding them back. About The Ken Blanchard Companies The Ken Blanchard Companies is the global leader in management training. For nearly 40 years, Blanchard has been creating the best managers in the world, training over 150,000 people each year. From the award-winning First-time Manager program, based on the best-selling business book, The New One Minute Manager ® —to SLII ® , the most widely taught leadership model in the world, Blanchard is the provider of choice for Fortune 500 companies as well as small to medium businesses, government agencies, and educational and nonprofit organizations. About Whitney Johnson For more information on Whitney Johnson visit www.whitneyjohnson.com . Or visit www.whitneyjohnson.com/diagnostic to take an assessment to determine where you are on the S-Curve of Learning.

In this episode, Whitney Johnson, one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world ( Thinkers50 ), gives simple yet powerful, life-changing wisdom that can change anyone's life. She is an expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption. Her books are life-changing, disrupting your core, and forcing you to identify and face your personal conflicts. You might want to check out her books Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work , Build an "A" Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve . (Harvard Business Press, 2018). She is also the author of Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream Time Stamps [00:01:43] Whitney talks about how how she started as a disruption and innovation theorist. [00:03:03] What is disruptive innovation? [00:04:56] What is "Disrupt to Ascend"? [00:05:53] Whitney talks about competitive risk versus market risk. [00:08:12] Henry talks about how liberating it can be when you decide that you are going to be who you truly are. [00:08:42] How can you change your beliefs about yourself? [00:09:58] Henry asks Whitney about practical things that she teaches to help other people be free from their limiting beliefs. [00:10:49] Whitney discusses how important it is to be aware of what you want to believe about yourself. [00:11:42] Whitney talks about the differences between the conscious and subconscious mind] [00:12:27] Whitney says that deciding one thing that you want to be true about yourself can greatly help make that come true. [00:12:54] Henry shares his experience that proved that telling yourself one thing over and over will eventually make it your truth. [00:14:13] Henry talks about the importance of discovering what it is that you want to do and tapping into your authenticity. [00:15:14] Whitney discusses how it can help to be patient if you still don't know what you want to be yet, but more importantly to be able to recognize it when it presents itself. [00:16:01] Whitney shares how challenging it was when she was still unaware of what her calling really was. [00:17:10] Whitney talks about the book Innovator's Dilemma and what it helped her realize. [00:17:49] Whitney says disrupting yourself over and over again to reinvent yourself will help you get constructed. [00:18:25] Henry says how crucial it is to decide to ascend from your current situation that is limiting you. [00:19:44] Whitney express how she believes it is imperative for every human being to have a dream and to believe that you can contribute in a meaningful way. [00:20:49] Henry shares his belief that fear is the binding force that keeps people from being doers. [00:22:02] Whitney talks about failure and how it is not the problem, and how it is actually shame that limits one's ability to disrupt. [00:23:40] Henry asks Whitney for advice for those people who wish to be more aware of their strengths. [00:24:18] Whitney says being aware of what your "triggers" are and knowing when you are getting "triggered" should be your first step. [00:24:56] Whitney shares that being aware of what frustrates you can help you understand what your strengths are. [00: 25:56] Whitney says you have to pay attention to the compliments people give you. [00:26;33] Whitney shares that part of your strength is figuring out what they actually are. [00:29:30] Whitney says it is essential to look at what you do well and to be present in situations where people around you cannot do the things you do as good as you can. [00:30:02] Whitney shares a story about Steven Spielberg's movie Jaw and how he t

Whitney Johnson is a speaker, podcast, and author of "Build an A Team," published by Harvard Business Press. In "Build an A Team," Whitney explains her "S curve" framework - a methodology for understanding competence and mastery in the context of personal and professional development. Whitney Johnson developed her "S curve" framework and methodology when she co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund, along with Clayton Christensen (author of the one of my top 11 books for entrepreneurs ). Using the "S curve," you can better facilitate the development of employees (and yourself) - and it's even a great tool for identifying and hiring amazing employees. The following are four recommendations from Whitney on organizing yourself and your team to reach a state of optimal challenge: Are you taking on market risk or competitive risk? Be willing to play in the spaces where others aren't playing. Taking on market risk is good; taking on competitive risk is bad. Are you playing to your strengths? Discover what you do great and focus on what you do well. Is the work you do hard but not debilitating? If you're scaling the 'S' curve and it's hard, but you love it - you're in the right spot. If you dread the work you do, or have anxiety around the next day or next week's work, perhaps you need to shift roles or responsibilities. Are you gaining momentum? Is your rate of growth increasing? If not, you need to shift your frame and your focus, otherwise it's a matter of time before you burn out. Momentum is critical . I brought Whitney Johnson onto In The Trenches to share her process for hiring, firing, and developing an organization that keeps employees improving and growing. In this broadcast, whitney johnson and I talk about: How the 'S' curve impacts your business, whether you know it or not Why you should hire for general competency, not mastery of a particular subject matter Before you hire your next employee, do this (starts at 10:30) How to use the 'S' curve to evaluate your own drive, passion, and motivation The most fundamental unit of disruption (hint: it's not an idea) 4 questions to determine where you or your team members exist on the 'S' curve And much more. Useful Resources from my Conversation with whitney johnson Diagnostic Tool - to see where you are on the S curve Build an A Team How to connect with WHITNEY JOHNSON online: Whitney Johnson's Diagnostic Tool @johnsonwhitney WHITNEY JOHNSON on personal and professional growth: "Every day, say 'I'm going to do an experiment to see what works and what doesn't,' and know that it's totally okay if it doesn't work. That flexes our muscle of getting really comfortable with failure." - Whitney Johnson Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches Subscribe to In The Trenches on iTunes How You Can Support In The Trenches Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes . Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

In this episode, we are joined by Whitney Johnson to discuss her upcoming book, Build an A-Team. Whitney is the author of the bestselling book Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Innovation to Work, and is the founder of the accompanying Disrupt Yourself podcast. Whitney is also a noted speaker, and executive and innovation coach, and is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review. What was covered The S-curve, and how it can be used to gauge not only product growth and investment, but individual learning and innovation The stages of learning in the S-curve, and how to predict challenges and boredom in the individual learning process in order to drive growth and prevent a lack of innovation Why Whitney believes organizations should hire "disruptively", taking on market rather than competitive risk for this core business process Key Takeaways and Learnings 'Onrampers' and 'boomerangers', and how organizations can benefit from hiring these ex-employees who return with fresh skills and competitor and client knowledge 'Taking the pulse of the workplace' and how to optimize your people for innovation and predict disruption by analyzing the different stages of learning within your team 'Learn, leap, repeat'; Whitney's theory for leaders on how to use the S-curve model to lead teams towards innovation by implementing fresh learning cycles Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode Get in touch with Whitney Johnson via email , LinkedIn or Twitter Whithey Johnson's website Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve , a book by Whitney Johnson Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work , a book by Whitney Johnson Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream , a book by Whitney Johnson Whitney Johnson's podcast The Innovation Ecosystem Podcast Episode 013 – The Disruptive Individual, Riding the S-Curve and Liberating Constraints with Whitney Johnson The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business , a book by Clayton M. Christensen The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued , a book by Ann Crittenden Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter , a book by Liz Wiseman