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At times, it can feel as though the world is changing faster and faster, and it is up to business leaders around the globe to ensure that they and their companies are keeping up with the multitude of cultural evolutions. Today we are joined by the co-author of Management In a Changing World, Jakada Imani, as he explains how his 30-plus years of experience in racial, social, and economic justice movements helps him in his role as CEO of The Management Center in helping leaders build and run equitable and sustainable results-driven organizations.

Jakada has recently updated his book to include themes of equity and sustainability, which are now central in his company’s approach to helping leaders adapt and grow in a changing world. Our conversation explores why Jakada wrote the book and who it’s for, why it’s important for companies to conspire and align, how to go about internal meetings the right way, and why asynchronous communication should be a priority for all businesses. 

Conflict resolution is a sensitive topic containing many nuances, and, should you need some help on the matter, look no further than today’s conversation as Jakada graciously delivers a lesson on how to handle conflict and toxic behavior in the workplace. Be sure to tune in to learn all about how you and your business can stay meaningfully connected to the modern world.    

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Key Points From This Episode:

•   Welcoming Jakada Imani back to the show as he recaps his role as CEO of The Management Center. [0:01:30]

•   Management In A Changing World: what it’s about, why he wrote it, and who he wrote it for. [0:03:25]

•   ‘Aha’ moments that Jakada experienced during his book’s updating process. [0:05:40]

•   What it means for a company to conspire and align, and why it matters. [0:09:27]

•   How Jakada addresses issues around internal meetings. [0:12:38]

•   Whether asking everyone to be asynchronous is possible in today’s work climate. [0:17:04]

•   Dealing with conflict and toxic behavior in the workplace. [0:26:35]

•   What Jakada is looking forward to the most in 2024 and beyond. [0:35:56]

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Quotes:

“What [Management In A Changing World] does that the old book didn’t do is it centers equity and sustainability. Those were literally sidebars in the past, now they are whole threads that are deeply woven into our approach.” — @jakada_imani [0:04:02]

“Being a manager is much more like playing a saxophone than it is like being a physicist – it just lives in the practice.” — @jakada_imani [0:13:36]

“We have to have organizational clarity about lines of communication. What is email for? What is Slack for? What are meetings for? I wish we all knew this, but we don’t.” — @jakada_imani [0:22:05]

“How do we engage in conflict in a way that is principled; that is about deeper alignment, more commitment, more connection, [and] more focus? Setting that expectation around conflict saw lots of people transforming. ” — @jakada_imani [0:30:23]

“We’re moving online in a way that is not just good, but how do we get great?” — @jakada_imani [0:37:44]

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jakada Imani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakada/

Jakada Imani on X: https://twitter.com/jakada_imani

Jakada Imani on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakada_imani/

Jakada Imani on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakada/

The Management Center: https://www.managementcenter.org/

Management In A Changing World: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/management-in-a/9781394165797/

‘Jakada Imani: How to Run Equitable, Sustainable, and Results-Driven Organizations’: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/jakada-imani

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