Building Commercial Capabilities with On-The-Job Coaching & "Growth Projects"

The discussion revolved around unlocking growth through learning, focusing on how to equip employees with the right mindset, skill set, and tool set to drive meaningful business impact. Topics included corporate transformation, resilience (AQ), grit, learning effectiveness, and motivation.

 

Watch the video version:

 

The discussion revolved around unlocking growth through learning, focusing on how to equip employees with the right mindset, skill set, and tool set to drive meaningful business impact. Topics included corporate transformation, resilience (AQ), grit, learning effectiveness, and motivation.

🎤 Summary of Points by Each Speaker

Ron Denoo

Former Chief Strategy Officer, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials

• 30+ years in chemicals, plastics, and composites—ranging from project engineer to CEO
• Specialized in business turnarounds and corporate transformation
• Led global transformation for a chemical company with 70,000 employees across 32 countries
• Now runs a portfolio of musical instrument companies, merging business strategy with passion

Key Discussion Points

• Corporate Transformation Failure
  • 70–80% of transformations fail due to:
    • Superficial strategy (e.g., bonuses without structural change)
    • A sprint mindset—short-term focus instead of long-term capability building
    • Ignoring people—transformation is behavioral, not just procedural
• Best Practices
  • Put employee growth first, not just business metrics
  • Support change with intrinsic motivation, structured learning, and behavior design

Dr. Paul Stoltz

Resilience & AQ Expert, Founder of Peak Learning

• 38+ years studying Adversity Quotient (AQ)
• Trained 5M+ people in 137 countries, including the U.S. Olympic team
• Faculty at Harvard, Stanford, INSEAD, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, and Princeton

Key Discussion Points

• Why Transformations Fail
  • Change is framed as resistance, rather than opportunity
  • Traditional models falsely assume performance dips before recovery
  • Employees must be trained to thrive in change, not just react to it
• Power of AQ
  • AQ predicts:
    • Resilience
    • Innovation
    • Leadership
    • Problem-solving
  • Employees with high AQ:
    • Are more adaptable and productive
    • Overcome adversity faster
    • Show lower attrition and higher engagement
  • AQ > IQ or EQ in adversity
  • AQ enables EQ—especially in emotional regulation and trust under stress

Kurt Friedman

Strategic Sales & Coaching Expert

• 20+ years in revenue growth, learning, and customer experience
• Co-founded 6 startups—4 successfully acquired
• Advised 500+ founders and students

Key Discussion Points

• The Forgetting Curve
  • 90% of learning is forgotten in 1 week without reinforcement
  • Traditional methods (e.g., lectures, e-learning) are not sticky
• Retention Strategies
  • Learning by doing: 75% retention
  • Teaching others: 90% retention
  • Use spaced learning, coaching, and real application
• Guided Discovery
  • Ask questions instead of prescribing answers
  • Encourages ownership and reflects real-world decision making

Jesse Hopps

Founder of Demand Metric, Behavioral Science Advocate

• Background in psychology, learning science, and motivation
• Partnered with Dr. Stoltz to apply AQ and grit to growth strategies

Key Discussion Points

• Traditional Training Falls Short
  • The issue isn’t lack of tools—it’s lack of motivation
  • Most training ignores intrinsic drivers
• Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
  • People learn best when they feel:
    • Autonomy – freedom to choose their path
    • Competence – confidence and ability
    • Relatedness – personal relevance and connection
• Real-World Learning Models
  • Inspired by Montessori and Fontan methods
  • Emphasizes project-based, self-driven learning over rote memorization
  • Businesses should adopt guided discovery and problem-solving approaches

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Corporate transformations fail when they ignore mindset and motivation
2. Resilience (AQ) is the most powerful predictor of innovation and performance
3. Interactive, applied, and reinforced learning methods outperform traditional training
4. Guided discovery and intrinsic motivation create deeper engagement
5. Organizations must shift from “change management” to “harnessing adversity”

“This fireside chat offered a fresh perspective on growth, transformation, and learning—placing resilience and intrinsic motivation at the center of employee development.”