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The Iowa Idea: Dr. Kenneth G. Brown

“An opportunity to get better together.”

Welcome to the 75^th episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, where I’m joined by Dr. Kenneth G. Brown. Ken is a Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship in the Tippie College of Business at The University of Iowa. He also serves as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Program in Business. Ken grew up in Maryland and earned his PhD at Michigan State. His award-winning research focuses on e-learning, engagement, leadership development, motivation and self-regulation, and training design and evaluation.

Outside of his work for The University of Iowa, Ken is an active supporter of public education and a passionate  advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Ken shares his journey into organizational psychology, the importance of embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion. We dig into organizational and individual learning in the context of psychological safety; and why safety and high performance are not mutually exclusive. Ken helps illustrate how business can benefit from embracing DEI.

We explore the role of psychological safety and learning opportunities in organizations, and why it’s instrumental to continuous improvement and innovation. We talk about the ability for organizations to balance both explore and exploit mindsets, and the importance of paradoxical thinking.

As we face ever more complex problems, we need move beyond the stereotype of the rugged individual and embrace the potential of high performing teams. To do that, Ken says “you need teams that functional well.”

It was an honor having Ken join me on the show. I’d like to thank him for his time and perspective. If you’re interested in improving the performance of your teams or organizations, or simply want to hear a great guest, listen in. Ken provides plenty of insights and tips on critical issues that may face groups and organizations. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Ken

Ken is a Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship in the Tippie College of Business at The University of Iowa. He also serves as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Program in Business. Ken earned his PhD at Michigan State. His research interests include e-learning, engagement, leadership development, motivation and self-regulation, and training design and evaluation.

Outside of his work within The University of Iowa Ken is an active supporter of, and fundraiser for, public education and an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Links

Ken’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kgbphd/

Tippie College of Business: https://tippie.uiowa.edu/

ICCSD Foundation: https://iccsdfoundation.org/

Endure to Cure Foundation: https://enduretocure.org/

Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/iowa/

No Labels: https://www.nolabels.org/

Credits

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/).

The Iowa Idea Podcast theme music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).

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The Iowa Idea: Annie Duke

“This is going to be such a weird podcast.”

Welcome to this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, where I’m joined by Annie Duke. Annie is an author, speaker, and decision strategist. Her latest book is called How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices. Annie’s previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. I highly recommend for innovators and strategists.

As a former professional poker player, Annie has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. She is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education.

Annie and I dig into her journey as an accidental, but wildly successful, poker player

We talk about life experience choices through the intersectional lens of mixing Tab with vodka, chewing mint Bubblicious, and waking up with Cheap Trick’s Dream Police LP.

Annie believes that our life comes down to two things – the quality of decisions we make and luck. We discuss her work, exploring cognitive biases that impede our ability to make good decisions and prevent us from objectively reviewing the quality of our decision. One particular phenomenon we discuss is “resulting.” Annie explains resulting from a poker perspective and Pete Carrol’s play calling in Super Bowl XLIX. We explore the role of luck and self-serving bias and how we struggle to acknowledge luck when there’s a positive outcome yet blaming bad luck when there’s a negative outcome. We also cover some interesting ground in the realm of forced quitting and the cognitive headwinds that prevent us from looking for or at alternatives.

It was an honor having Annie join me on the show. Thanks to Annie for her time and insights, as well as the work that she’s doing to help young people develop better decision-making skills. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Annie

Annie is an author, corporate speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space. Annie’s latest book, How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, was released in the fall of 2020 from Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is also a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute. In 2020, she joined the board of the Renew Democracy Initiative.

Links
The Alliance: https://www.alliancefordecisioneducation.org/

Her Books: https://www.annieduke.com/books/

Credits

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/).

The Iowa Idea Podcast theme music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).

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The Iowa Idea: Dan Klyn

“What has been will always be.”

Welcome to this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast where I’m joined by Dan Klyn. Dan is a wonderful human. He teaches information architecture at the University of Michigan School of Information, is co-founder of World Information Architecture Day, past President of the Information Architecture Institute, and is a founding member of the teaching faculty at Building Beauty. In 2011 he co-founded The Understanding Group (TUG) with Bob Royce, and has worked as an information architect for 23 years. He’s currently enjoying a sabbatical year, writing the biography of Richard Saul Wurman.

Dan shares his deep curiosity about the architecture of information and the role it plays in supporting human well-being in keynote presentations, workshops, and architecture walks. Klyn’s writings have appeared in the Journal of Information Architecture, the Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, and in the edited volumes Reframing Information Architecture (2014) and Advances In Information Architecture ( 2021).

In this episode, Dan and I dig into his family’s connection to Iowa, the spatiality of meaning, nerd out a little bit on James Joyce. I appreciated Dan’s framing of understanding – getting under the standing and how exploration, parallax, and vulnerability, can help us understand.

If the world of information architecture sounds interesting to you, check out IAC21. This year’s conference will take place in April and will be completely online. You can get $25 off your registration using the code iowaidea

It was an honor having Dan join me on the show. Thanks to Dan for his time and insights and his quest to help us understand. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Dan

Dan Klyn teaches information architecture at the University of Michigan School of Information, is co-founder of World Information Architecture Day, past President of

the Information Architecture Institute, and is a founding member of the teaching faculty at Building Beauty. In 2011 he co-founded The Understanding Group (TUG) with Bob Royce, and has worked as an information architect for 23 years.

An inveterate speaker at digital design conferences, Klyn shares his deep curiosity about the architecture of information and the role it plays in supporting human well-being in keynote presentations, workshops, and architecture walks. Klyn’s writings have appeared in the Journal of Information Architecture, the Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, and in the edited volumes Reframing Information Architecture (2014) and Advances In Information Architecture ( 2021).

He’s currently enjoying a sabbatical year, writing the biography of Richard Saul Wurman.

Links:

https://www.theiaconference.com/ ($25 off registration with the code “iowaidea”)

Credits

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/).

The Iowa Idea Podcast theme music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).

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The Iowa Idea: Justin Ahrens

“If somebody wrote a story about your life, would it be interesting?”

Welcome to this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast where I’m joined by Justin Ahrens. Justin is the Chief Evangelist at Rule29 and the author of Life Kerning.

Since 2000, Justin has led his creative agency and Certified B Corporation®, Rule29, in a commitment to smart business, great design, and helping others think differently about the world around them. Justin and Rule29 have been recognized by most major competitions and publications, including Fast Company, AIGA, and the Webby Awards. Justin regularly talks to incredible leaders and innovators in various industries through the Rule29 podcast, Design Of.

Justin and I dug into how experience and social-emotional maturity are part of our journey as we continue to improve ourselves and be more present for those around us. Our conversation went deep, quickly and I really appreciate Justin’s vulnerability and perspective in our conversation.

It was an honor having Justin join me on the show. Thanks to Justin for his time and insights. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Justin

Justin Ahrens is the Chief Evangelist at Rule29.

Justin Ahrens’s passion for life is rooted in his creative firm’s dedication to “making creative matter®.”

Since 2000, Justin has led his creative agency and Certified B Corporation®, Rule29, in a commitment to smart business, great design, and helping others think differently about the world around them. Through their design for good project, Wheels4Water, the Rule29 team helped raise nearly a million dollars, with over 19,000 Africans receiving safe water, education, and hygiene services.

Justin and Rule29 have been recognized by most major competitions and publications, including Fast Company, AIGA, and the Webby Awards. He has spoken internationally and at conferences such as Adobe MAX, AIGA, TEDx, and CreativeMornings. Justin regularly talks to incredible leaders and innovators in various industries through the Rule29 podcast, Design Of.

Links
Justin’s LinkedIn learning course: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/justin-ahrens
Rule 29 podcast: https://rule29.com/designofpodcast/
A kindness experiment: https://leomoments.com/
Justin’s book Life Kerning: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Kerning-Where-Creativity-Meet/dp/1118067827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308147451&sr=8-1

On social media: @justinahrens

Credits

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/).

The Iowa Idea Podcast theme music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).

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The Iowa Idea: Gregg Bernstein

“Writing is the superpower for researchers.”

Welcome to this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast where I’m joined by Gregg Bernstein. Gregg establishes user research practices for growing organizations, and wrote Research Practice: Perspectives from UX researchers in a changing field. He spends his days advocating for and practicing user-centered product development as lead user researcher for Webflow. He speaks around the world about his work at conferences and company events.

Gregg has built innovative research practices at Vox Media and Mailchimp, and taught design, branding, and typography at Georgia State University. In a previous life, he created album covers for punk and emo bands, and designed for clients in the music and advertising industries. In this episode we explore his journey from designing albums and posters to teaching to leading UX research and his experience as an author.

It was an honor having Gregg join me on the show. Thanks to Gregg for his time and insights. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Gregg

Gregg Bernstein establishes user research practices for growing organizations, and wrote Research Practice: Perspectives from UX researchers in a changing field. He spends his days advocating for and practicing user-centered product development as lead user researcher for Webflow, and speaks around the world about his work at conferences and company events.

He built innovative research practices at Vox Media and Mailchimp, and taught design, branding, and typography at Georgia State University. In a previous life, he created album covers for punk and emo bands, and designed for clients in the music and advertising industries.

Gregg earned his MFA in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art & Design, where he focused on user experience research and design. He resides with his family in Athens, Georgia, where he enjoys long, quiet trail runs around the state botanical gardens.

Links

researchpractice.co

gregg.io

Credits

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/).

The Iowa Idea Podcast theme music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).

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Subscribe: Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | RSS

The Iowa Idea: Dan Clay

“Attend to the people side.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Dan Clay. Dan is currently professor and dean of the University of Iowa College of Education.

Prior to this, Dan served as the dean of the University of Missouri College of Education since 2010. At the University of Missouri, he was also on the board of directors of the Missouri Innovation Center, a business incubator/accelerator.

Dan and I explore his journey from growing up in a small rural community, his involvement in Future Farmers of America, to his interests in psychology, child development, and education, to leadership roles in higher education; and as a business owner and brewer. Our conversation also dug into the crossroads that higher ed finds itself.

I appreciated Dan’s openness and perspectives on leadership and innovation and how to model the behaviors he wants to see in his organization and the importance of attending to the people side of things when it comes to change management. I enjoyed one of Dan’s favorite pieces of advice from a mentor “if you’re not really sure what to do, just go fishing.”

It was an honor having Dean Clay join me on the show. Thanks to Dan for his time and insights. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Dan

Daniel L. Clay is currently professor and dean of the University of Iowa College of Education.

Prior to this, Clay served as the dean of the University of Missouri College of Education since 2010. At the University of Missouri, he was also on the board of directors of the Missouri Innovation Center, a business incubator/accelerator.

Though originally from Minnesota, Dan has deep roots in the local community. He served as a tenure-track faculty member in the UI College of Education’s counseling psychology program from 1997 to 2006.

Clay is a nationally recognized scholar and fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association. He has authored the award-winning book Helping Schoolchildren with Chronic Health Conditions: A Practical Guide. His most recent research has focused on reintegrating children who have experienced chronic illness back into schools and communities.

Clay has pioneered the development of online K-12 curriculum to bring the highest quality K-12 curriculum to a global audience. He is a leader in the application of continuous quality improvement methods through implementation of Baldrige principles, which focus on organizational performance excellence. Clay was recognized in 2014 as a Leader of Change by The Network for Change and Continuous Innovation: Higher Education’s Network for Change Leadership.

Clay earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota; a Master of Arts in educational and counseling psychology from the University of Missouri; and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri. He also received a higher education administration certificate through the Management Development Program at Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business.

Clay is also a successful entrepreneur involved in business start-ups inside and outside education.

Links:

https://education.uiowa.edu/

https://intellisee.com/

Credits

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/).

The Iowa Idea Podcast theme music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).