Business has traditionally been so concerned by the bottom line that treating employees as people used to be almost an after-thought. Thankfully, that mentality is changing and a new wave of leaders like our guests on this episode, Jen Davis of The Junto Institute and Jay Rudman of TopstepTrader, are leading the charge of balancing humanity and business. In addition to sharing their human-focused approach to leadership, Jen shares her personal transformation journey including significant weight loss, while Jay talks about how he balances deep empathy with high standards, and an appreciation for diversity and inclusion’s role in running a company.
Jen Davis recently became a Partner at The Junto Institute after going through the program and identifying areas of her life she knew she needed to change. Jen talks to Raman about how she got stuck in a painful pattern of being a human-doer rather than a human being both at work and in her personal life. It wasn’t until she embraced self-care that she found herself switching jobs and putting her health and happiness first.
Next Raman talks to long-time Junto mentor, Jay Rudman, CEO of TopstepTrader. Jay has a unique ability to be empathetic with his employees while also keeping standards high. Jay shares how the book, Rocket Fuel, helped shape his leadership approach at TopstepTrader and talks about the idea of visionaries and operators.
Raman closes the episode by diving into his love for definitions as he reflects on these complex conversations and the words ‘relationship’ and ‘partnership’.
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[00:55] – Welcoming Jen Davis, Partner at The Junto Institute
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[02:41] – Emotion wheel
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[03:40] – Jen’s first recollection of leadership
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[06:02] – Reflecting on the leadership forum lifeline exercise
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[14:15] – Weight loss triumph
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[17:50] – Dinner disinvitation
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[20:15] – Spreading the message about becoming a better version of yourself
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[25:57] – Closing appreciations
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[27:53] – Welcoming Jay Rudman, CEO of TopstepTrader
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[30:12] – Emotion wheel
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[31:31] – Jay’s first recollection of leadership
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[34:33] – What Jay has learned about himself as a mentor
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[36:45] – Experiences as successor to Michael Patak
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[42:41] – Balancing expertise in vision and integration
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[44:28] – Diversity and inclusion
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[50:57] – Closing appreciations
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[54:04] – Raman’s closing reflection
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[54:09] Words matter
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[54:34] Being ‘in relationship’ vs being ‘in a relationship’
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[57:18] Bringing it back to conversations with Jay and Jen
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The Junto Institute runs a structured, designed Apprenticeship Program that is built on deep mentorship, emotional intelligence training, and teams learning together. Originating in 2012 in Chicago, IL, over 30 companies have participated in the Junto Apprenticeship program.
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This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.
