In this 'Meet the Gurus' discussion, you get to hear from Amber Vanderburg about human-centered leadership development and how AI is reshaping but not replacing the role of expert facilitators in learning...

• Why skilled human facilitators remain essential even as AI transforms instructional design
• The critical difference between facilitation and instruction, and why it changes learning outcomes
• Assessing both competence and confidence as separate baselines for learner readiness
• How AI can personalize and customize corporate learning journeys at scale and where it falls short
• Why AI's "confidence score" measures likelihood of acceptance, not accuracy of the answer
• Using behavioral design and gamification to move professionals from knowledge to measurable action
• The case for narrow learning objectives to generate clearer, more impactful behavioral data
• Critical thinking and strategic thinking as the top leadership skills in demand today

ABOUT OUR GURU

Amber Vanderburg has spent her entire professional career in talent development, with experience spanning a large healthcare company, a national education leadership organization, and professional sports teams. Six years ago, she founded the Pathways Group, a leadership development company that has since worked with over one million professionals and leaders across more than 75 countries. The company delivers development in areas such as delegation, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence through facilitated workshops, online learning, coaching, and workbook materials, and works primarily with technology companies and institutions.

ABOUT OUR HOST

Paul Siegel is an entrepreneur and educator working to help technology professionals transform into world-class experts and business leaders become tech-savvy innovators. Paul is an inventor and patent (pending) holder in talent management software and has co-authored or edited more than 30 books.

ABOUT MEET THE GURUS

Meet The Gurus is a program sponsored by Starweaver devoted to spreading ideas, knowledge, and insights in short-form conversations typically lasting around 30 minutes.

The show focuses on technology, business, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and design.

Learn more at: https://www.starweaver.com/

In this 'Meet the Gurus' discussion, you get to hear from Anil Erkan about enterprise risk management, how leaders make high-stakes decisions, and why risk must be tied to strategy rather than treated as a back-office function...

• How risk is defined by events, objectives, and context not just probability calculations
• Why individual risk profiles differ and how company risk appetite must drive leadership decisions
• The importance of combining internal senior management input with external expert perspectives when identifying risk
• How scenario analysis and sensitivity analysis replace misleading averages in investment decision-making
• Why effective leaders act at roughly 80% information rather than waiting for certainty and the role of intuition
• How cognitive biases and self-awareness can undermine even the best-prepared risk frameworks
• Why risk management must shift from backward-looking reporting to forward-looking decision support

ABOUT OUR GURU

Anil Erkan began his career in risk management around the year 2000 in Turkey, during a period of economic crisis, while working at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He transitioned into consulting focused on enterprise risk management systems and has spent over two decades in the field. He also works as an executive coach, giving him a distinctive vantage point on how leaders navigate decision-making and risk in practice.

ABOUT OUR HOST

Paul Siegel is an entrepreneur and educator working to help technology professionals transform into world-class experts and business leaders become tech-savvy innovators. Paul is an inventor and patent (pending) holder in talent management software and has co-authored or edited more than 30 books.

ABOUT MEET THE GURUS

Meet The Gurus is a program sponsored by Starweaver devoted to spreading ideas, knowledge, and insights in short-form conversations typically lasting around 30 minutes.

The show focuses on technology, business, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and design.

Learn more at: https://www.starweaver.com/

In this 'Meet the Gurus' discussion, you get to hear from Thomas Giordano about navigating career transitions between engineering, business, and leadership roles...

• Why shifting your "love affair" from technology to customer impact drives career transformation
• The recurring career moment every 4–5 years when saying yes to an uncomfortable opportunity pays off
• How embedding engineers in real customer environments changes what they choose to build
• Overcoming the natural suspicion between technical teams and sales/marketing folks
• Why "failed" products often just need a different market, a different moment, or a different problem to solve
• The loneliness that comes with the top job and why peer mentorship becomes essential
• Finding mentors who will be honest with you rather than simply validate you
• Translating deep technical expertise into customer-centric business value

ABOUT OUR GURU

Thomas Giordano spent the majority of his corporate career at Philips Healthcare, beginning as an engineer, rising to lead the engineering department, and ultimately retiring as Vice President of Marketing after transitioning across functions. His background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, service as a Signal Corps officer in the military, and early work at CBS Laboratories in Connecticut alongside a Nobel laureate and the inventor of the cardioid microphone. At Philips, he worked on notable projects including collaboration with Pixar and Steve Jobs on 3D imaging for CT scans and the introduction of the first digital replacement for film-based radiography in Japan. Following his corporate career, Thomas served as president of a healthcare company and now teaches product management in MBA programs, drawing on decades of career transitions to mentor the next generation of business and technology leaders.

ABOUT OUR HOST

Paul Siegel is an entrepreneur and educator working to help technology professionals transform into world-class experts and business leaders become tech-savvy innovators. Paul is an inventor and patent (pending) holder in talent management software and has co-authored or edited more than 30 books.

ABOUT MEET THE GURUS

Meet The Gurus is a program sponsored by Starweaver devoted to spreading ideas, knowledge, and insights in short-form conversations typically lasting around 30 minutes.

The show focuses on technology, business, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and design.

Learn more at: https://www.starweaver.com/