In this episode of “The Soul of Enterprise,” hosts Ron Baker and Ed Kless engage with Jordan Birnbaum, co-founder of Glinda Group, to explore the intersection of behavioral science and business strategy. They discuss how applied social science can drive measurable improvements in employee engagement, leadership development, and organizational culture. Jordan shares insights from his extensive experience, including his tenure as Chief Behavioral Economist at ADP and his entrepreneurial ventures in the entertainment industry. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how behavioral principles can be harnessed to enhance business outcomes and foster a more engaged workforce.
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SHOW NOTES
Segment one
Fun fact: Jordan Birnbaum, our guest today, owned and operated a live entertainment venue in Hollywood, CA called The Vanguard.
So what is Jordan doing now? He is the co-founder of Glinda Group. More info is available here https://glindagroup.com/who-we-are/
“Business ain’t science.” —Ed Kless in the Harvard Business Review
“Why Big Innovation Doesn't—Can't—Work at Large Companies” by Jordan Birnbaum at PsychologyToday.com. Link is here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-uncertainty-principal/202501/why-big-innovation-doesnt-cant-work-at-large-companies
Is authentic best defined as “being a narcissistic jerk”? Jordan had some great insight for us today during segment one
Segment two
“It's not personal, it's business” —Michael Corleone. Our guest, Jordan Birnbaum, flips this statement upside down in his article called, “It's Personal—The Real Source of Business Success” https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-uncertainty-principal/202411/its-personal-the-real-source-of-business-success
Intrinsic motivation is, “I’m doing this because I want to.” If you can get people intrinsically motivated at work then you are on the right path. More in this article from our guest, Jordan Birnbaum https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-uncertainty-principal/202411/its-personal-the-real-source-of-business-success
Self determination theory is a deeper dive into intrinsically motivated employees. More here https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/
If the Chicago Bulls were a corporation, Michael Jordan would have been promoted to the coaching staff after his rookie year. Because he was a great player, the first thing we would do is ask him to stop playing. In the business world, we take our best players and turn them into coaches. Jordan wrote a GREAT article about this: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-uncertainty-principal/202408/what-big-biz-can-learn-from-big-sports-about-human-assets
What are the six words that every worker needs to hear? Jordan Birnbaum tells us in this article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-uncertainty-principal/202408/that-is-why-we-need-you
Segment three
What is a cognitive budget? You have a set amount of budget per day and just letting it get spent on unintentional things is wasteful. This concept is detailed by our guest, Jordan Birnbaum, in GREAT detail at this link https://globalriskcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/building-the-cognitive-budget-for-your-most-effective-mind
Jordan Birnbaum, our guest today, first heard about the concept of rumination on a podcast called Hidden Brain. Here is the link https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/regrets-i-have-a-few/
“Creating a cognitive budget is a good way to be more intentional with your mental energy.” —Jordan Birnbaum in his article, Building the Cognitive Budget for Your Most Effective Mind https://globalriskcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/building-the-cognitive-budget-for-your-most-effective-mind
Ron mentioned the book “Humanonics” today during the show. Here is an Amazon link to the book https://amzn.to/4jM8V5j
Segment four
Is HR a destructive force in business? The individual HR professional certainly is not so why the disparity? https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-uncertainty-principal/202409/why-hr-doesnt-cant-work
If the performance appraisal is meant to give people a view into their performance then it should be structured one way. If it is intended to motivate and give guidance then it should be structured another way. But because organizations do both at the same time, neither works.
A big THANK YOU to Jordan Birnbaum for joining us today. Do yourself a favor today and check out what he is up to at Glinda Group https://glindagroup.com/
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