In this episode of Bridging the Gap, Matt Reiner is joined by Reiner Lomb about the importance of purpose, leadership development, and fostering a culture of innovation within organizations. Lomb shares his personal journey, from his early aspirations of becoming a chef to his successful career at HP, where he initially felt aligned with the company’s values and purpose. He also discusses the challenges faced when new management shifted focus from organic growth and innovation to mergers and acquisitions, leading to a decline in employee engagement and overall success.

Lomb highlights the important role of emotions in driving collaboration, innovation, and positive change within companies. He talks about the seven essential emotions for effective leadership: empathy, compassion, interest, caring, serving, understanding, and inspiration. These emotions, when combined with vision and mobilization, lead to meaningful engagement and progress. Reiner also explores the concept of intrapreneurship, the belief in creating positive change from within an organization, and stresses the importance of psychological skills, influencing behavior, and emotional state in driving change.

Reiner Lomb offers actionable advice for individuals seeking to create change and foster innovation within their organizations. He encourages listeners to believe in their ability to make a difference and provides insights on how to influence behavior through emotional shifts. Key takeaways include identifying employees’ strengths and passions to foster engagement and innovation, cultivating essential leadership emotions to build trust and drive collaboration, and encouraging intrapreneurship by empowering employees with the necessary psychological skills and emotional support.

Timestamps From This Episode

[16:21] Cultural competence and emotional engagement are crucial for successful acquisitions and mergers. Emotionally engaged employees contribute significantly more than those who are only rationally engaged.

[17:09] Wealth management faces challenges with private equity influx causing mergers and acquisitions, leading to reduced focus on innovation and potential alignment issues.

[26:47] Identify strengths, move people for maximum value. Leadership tactic. The vision and mobilization of people must hold personal meaning for them to be effective.

[32:45] Empathy, compassion, and interest are fundamental for understanding. These traits are essential for engaging with art, literature, and presentations. A leader must possess these qualities in order to develop a vision for change and transformation in any area of life. For example, envisioning a new future in technology or finance requires understanding how people will behave differently.

[34:18] Inspiration and mobilization of people are crucial for effecting change and realizing a vision for the future. Optimism is essential for creating a positive outlook and mobilizing individuals, and it ultimately leads to inspiration. When people are inspired by a vision, they are more likely to follow, join, and engage with a company.

Host

Matt Reiner, CFA, CFP®

I’ve been fortunate to be around the wealth management business for over 25 years. Along with this, I’m also the CEO of a tech startup. These experiences have given me a bird’s eye view of both the technology and financial services spaces.

Guest

Reiner Lomb, Founder of BoomerangCoach, an executive coaching firm specializing in leadership and career development, innovation, and transformational change

Reiner is the founder of BoomerangCoach, an executive coaching firm specializing in leadership and career development, innovation, and transformational change. Reiner’s mission is to mobilize and develop leaders to create a more sustainable and positive future for all. As an executive coach, he works with leaders and ‘change makers’ in a wide range of organizations, from start-ups and multinational companies to non-profits and local communities – all who aspire to create transformational change. Whether he’s working with corporate executives, entrepreneurs, ‘intrapreneurs’, or indigenous tribal leaders, Reiner’s clients appreciate his international business and cross-cultural leadership experience.