Board member, best-selling author and champion for Women in the C-suite Tracey Newell shares her own meaningful journey through what she calls the "jungle gym"  that is a career path.  She encourages all of us to think differently in recognizing that long-term success may mean sometimes going sideways and sometimes moving backwards as "detours" that give you experiences no one else has.  For women especially, It is all about avoiding overthinking, over-preparing and under-asking as you rewrite your internal narrative to be "ready" for that next role.  "We can accomplish so much more than we know and believe." 

Own Your Leadership Path - Tracey Newell

New Alvaria CX Chief Product Officer Chris Botting shows how current Gen AI disruption is changing the economics of what customers think is possible, accelerating the speed of tool ramp up from quarters to days or weeks.  Impactful leadership in times of dynamic transitions is all about remembering  leaders operate in fishbowls where "there is always someone watching."   Building a sustainable, healthy culture not about getting everyone to think the same way.  It is about agreeing on how people are going to work together to serve  a higher need.   Continuous improvement comes from the leadership courage of inviting constructive input from customers and your teams. "If you're not going to do anything with the answer then you shouldn't ask the question."

Disruptive Transitions - Chris Botting

Metadata VP AI & GTM Lisa Sharapata shares how mindset trumps everything when it comes to reaching your full potential as a leader. having been key to her evolution from focusing on creative campaigns to understanding the human element.  "Understanding what motivates other people and what their goals and objectives are, that's the biggest difference maker."  She knows lasting impact comes from focusing on outcomes instead of just effort and output.  Through it all, creating psychological safety has been her secret weapon.  It's not fluffy, it's fundamental because when people feel free to speak up, share wild ideas, and point out flaws without fear of retaliation, innovation explodes. "If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together."

Mindset Is Everything - Lisa Sharapata

Jeffey Klubeck, author of The Integrity Game, shows every leadership role is really the ultimate "inside job."  Before you can elevate your team, you must elevate yourself. You can't inspire growth in others if you're not committed to your own personal development.  "If as a leader you are unwilling to be vulnerable, you're only going to lead people so far."    Leadership actions speak so much louder than words, and are being constantly watched.  "Your team doesn't care about your good intentions—they experience your behaviors. Are your actions aligned with your leadership values?"  Making the effort to deeply understand your team members' motivations is the ultimate difference maker.  Can you tell me right now what everybody on your team wants for themselves? I know you can tell me what the company wants, but can you tell me what everybody on your team wants?"

The Integrity Game - Jeffrey Klubeck

Join Nancy Ridge, Founder of Ridge Innovative, and Max Ferguson for an insightful conversation on reimagining workflows - exploring the intersection of trust, technology, and transformation.

Max Ferguson is the Founder and CEO of Lumin, a global SaaS platform serving over 120 million users worldwide.
Lumin delivers comprehensive document management solutions through a unified platform, including PDF editing, eSignature workflows, collaboration tools, and AI-powered features. The company serves high-growth startups and SMBs through to Fortune 500 enterprises, providing enterprise-grade security and functionality at every stage.

Max’s leadership philosophy centers on building a culture of innovation that challenges industry standards and solves complex business problems at scale. Under his direction, Lumin has demonstrated that world-class technology companies can compete globally while maintaining operational excellence and customer-centric innovation.

His experience scaling a SaaS platform to serve millions of users across diverse markets provides unique insights into building sustainable competitive advantages within the software landscape.

Index
•	01:26 – Max Ferguson’s Background
•	03:35 – The Spark Behind Lumin: Tracing the Inflection Point of Innovation 
•	08:37 – Uncovering Deeper Value in the Unexpected Impact of Lumin 
•	14:10 – AI’s Deeper Disruption Rethinking Workflows and Systems 
•	20:38 – Tech for All: How Lumin Is Driving Digital Inclusion 
•	30:41 – Understanding Digital Trust in a Rapidly Changing Ecosystem 
•	36:03 – The New Gatekeepers of Digital Trust 
•	40:01 – The Innovation Max would most like to see gain adoption 

Links –

•	Lumin - https://www.luminpdf.com/ 
•	Max Ferguson LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxkferg/ 

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Do you have questions, comments, insight on the topics discussed today? Send an email to support@ridgeinnovative.com with Subject: “Culture of Innovation E32”!

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Max Ferguson: Workflow Reimagined: Trust, Tech, and Transformation | Ep. 32

Craft President/Founder Angelo Ponzi shows how the sales and marketing relationship is a critical driver of long term success for any business.  Stop treating them like warring tribes.  They are relay runners, not rivals.  Internal data is your gold, but most companies are sitting on powerful insights they never know they have.  Fixing your communication breakdowns is a great place to start.  If your accounting team can't explain your value proposition, you've failed.  "Be curious. Ask questions.  Don't make assumptions."  How many departments in your company could accurately describe what you actually do and why it matters?  If the answer is "just a few," you're not building a business - you're managing expensive chaos.


Strategic Marketing Impact - Angelo Ponzi

MentalFit CEO and Co-Founder Derrick McElroy shares how long term business success happens when your employees are healthy in body and mind.  With 68% of millenials and 81% of Gen Z reporting leaving jobs due to mental health concerns, this is more than "quiet quitting", it is a full exodus of talent.  Using his very personal experience of pain and tragedy as inspiration, Derrick is helping organizations create "high trust environments" where people feel safe to be human.   At the end of the day, it's about leaders choosing to be exceptional in creating cultures where their teams thrive. "Exceptional leaders do the inner work.  They create a foundation of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, social intelligence and possess a high degree of integrity.  Choose to be proactive.  

The Healthy Organization - Derrick McElroy

Very COO Jessica Begley shares her experience taking on Marketing responsibility for the first time and the power of delivering radical honesty to her new team.  "You're the experts, not me."   She understands her team can see the difference in leadership styles, just as faux plants differ from actual plants.  Plant people know seasons can change, and you have to meet people where they are. Walking Central Park in New York City every day, Jessica has solidified a new leadership principle:  "Leaders who show up when the cherry blossoms are out and the sun is shining, every leader can do that.  Exceptional leaders show up whey it is icy or when it is blazing hot."  She's ready to embrace AI, which is fundamentally changing the power dynamic between employers and employees.  She isn't  about to apologize for evolving. She will apologize for staying stagnant. "Disruption is not disloyalty." 

A Fresh Marketing Perspective - Jessica Begley

Go Big Strategies Chief Sustainability Officer Marilyn Johnson shares the real truth about corporate sustainability, which is all about behavioral change, the choices that we make and the values that drive our lives.   Sustainability isn't a department, it's a lens through which everyone operates that helps unleash the potential of everyone in an organization.   AI innovation is real, accelerating sustainability data analysis and problem-solving.  But at the end of the day, it can't alone solve the people problem in getting to long-term solutions. 

A Sustainable Future - Marilyn Johnson

Techquity CEO and Founder Anthony Bay shares lessons learned driving high innovation team cultures at Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.  It begins with an understanding that technology needs to be in service of a problem you're trying to solve for a customer.  Start with customers first and work backwards, not the other way around, even with the transformational impact  of the shiny object called AI.  Understanding the "two door" framework is key, and meaningful innovation is paralyzed by treating "two-way" doors (reversible decisions) like "one-way" doors (irreversible decisions).  Building winning, innovative teams is about both culture AND performance, where people are working on things they are genuinely proud of.  

Creating An Innovation Culture - Anthony Bay

Market Impact Insights provides the latest in business leadership perspectives.    Hear from global marketing and sales leaders on strategies, tactics and tips to help your business grow and succeed.

Creating An Innovation Culture - Anthony Bay

Market Impact Insights

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