Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. Michael Chavez is my latest guest on the podcast. Michael Chavez, CEO of Duke Corporate Education, part of Duke University, joined Duke in 2006 and held various leadership roles before becoming the CEO in 2016. Before Duke, Michael spent over five years as the founding member of a successful startup and was the Director and Senior Learning Consultant at Coca-Cola Company. Today, Michael's research focuses on how leaders can most effectively shape, institutionalize, and lead from a shared organizational purpose. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders, especially those in the middle of an organization, who want to reconnect with their own sense of purpose so they can inspire those around them to do the same. TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… Leadership and purpose are playing an even larger role than ever within a company looking to drive change. Because of this, a new kind of leader has emerged, the “center managers,’ meaning they are at the center of the organization, managing up and managing down at the same time. These center managers face a tremendous amount of tension from all over the organization that they have to navigate. Leaders are the storytellers of purpose and meaning. Purpose is what drives people to feel like they're part of something larger and more important than themselves. Michael believes, and I agree, that purpose is the stabilizing factor over initiatives or strategies which are disrupting the workforce faster than people can process the information. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Purpose galvanizes and motivates people to bring their best self every day. Leaders are the makers of meaning because they are the ones who inspire people to be more engaged, which leads to a much better workplace.   Running time: 37:11 Subscribe on iTunes   Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn   Find Michael on social: Duke Bio LinkedIn