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Bill Baker is the principal of BB&Co Strategic Storytelling. For over eight years, Bill and the BB&Co team helping companies build brand strategies for human nature, using storytelling to connect a company’s strategic plans to the employees and partners needed to bring them to life. More specifically, BB&Co uses storytelling strategically to help clients first uncover and define a strategic vision for their brand or branded initiative and then align, inspire and unlock the human energy needed to make that vision real. BB&Co also conducts training for senior executives and managers, helping them understand how to use storytelling to increase the impact and uptake of their communications and, with that, their ability to persuade, inspire and lead others. BB&Co works with clients all over the world, including GE, Coca-Cola, Relais & Châteaux, Johnson & Johnson, State Farm, Cadillac Fairview, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, Hilton Worldwide, The Tourism Ministry of Spain, Travel Alberta, The Irvine Company and the University of British Columbia. Prior to starting BB&Co, Bill spent the first 18 years of his career in the world of advertising, most recently as part of the Global Planning Group of DDB Worldwide, but also working for other multinational agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Grey. Bill is a magna cum laude graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and attended both the Sorbonne in Paris and Albert Ludwigs Universität in Freiburg, Germany. He is an avid skier, a promising jazz pianist and an eternally frustrated golfer.

Bill Baker

Leadership Through Storytelling

November 2011 - TD Magazine

A Banker's Trust in Training

Join us for a practical discussion on how AI is transforming retail leadership. Foot Locker’s Director of Learning and Development, Jennifer Baker, and Tenor’s James Cross will explore how AI tools are transforming frontline manager enablement in the retail space. You’ll see practical examples of how AI is helping retail managers practice tough conversations, strengthen team performance, and deliver consistent, exceptional customer experiences at scale.

Key Takeways


	Harness AI for Scalable Leadership Development – Learn how AI enables consistent training and feedback across thousands of retail leaders.
	Empower Frontline Teams Through Practice – See how simulated role play and feedback improve manager confidence and customer engagement.
	Drive Performance Across Every Store – Understand how AI tools translate leadership growth into measurable business impact and operational excellence.


3 Ways AI Is Transforming Retail Leadership

Bob has served as CEO of New York Stock Exchange companies during his thirty-year business career. As the former CEO, Bob guided Sensormatic (a $1 billion security company) and Recognition Equipment (a $250 million high-tech company) through successful turnarounds. He is co-author of Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations (McGraw-Hill), a 2012 USA Best Book Awards finalist. His writing has been featured in or reviewed by Fast Company, American Management Association, Center for Creative Leadership, Leader to Leader, Leadership Excellence, CNBC Bullish on Books, Investor's Business Daily, and more. Bob has taught leadership at the University of Denver and Colorado Mountain College and is Chairman Emeritus of the Vail Leadership Institute.  He is a Baker Scholar graduate of the Harvard Business School, a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, and served as an officer in the U.S. Army. Bob is co-author of Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations (McGraw-Hill), a 2013 International Book Awards winner.

Robert Vanourek

Bob has served as CEO of New York Stock Exchange companies during his thirty-year business career. As the former CEO, Bob guided Sensormatic (a $1 billion security company) and Recognition Equipment (a $250 million high-tech company) through successful turnarounds. Bob is co-author of Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations (McGraw-Hill), a 2013 International Book Awards winner. Bob has served as Group Vice President and Division President of two major divisions of Pitney Bowes and Vice President, General Manager of two divisions of Avery International. Bob has led businesses and teams that have won numerous local, state, and national awards, including a state-level Malcolm Baldrige Quality Prize and the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence (shortly after Bob left). Bob is co-author of Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations (McGraw-Hill), a 2012 USA Best Book Awards finalist. His writing has been featured in or reviewed by Fast Company, American Management Association, Center for Creative Leadership, Leader to Leader, Leadership Excellence, CNBC Bullish on Books, Investor’s Business Daily, and more. Bob has taught leadership at the University of Denver and Colorado Mountain College and is Chairman Emeritus of the Vail Leadership Institute. Bob has served on the boards of and consults with numerous businesses and community organizations. He is a Baker Scholar graduate of the Harvard Business School, a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Bob Vanourek

The smartest CEOs and business owners know that planning for the future leadership of the organization needs to be a top-of-mind priority. And yet, more than 25 percent of companies don’t have a succession plan. In time of global business competition, rapid change, and skill shortages, it is more important than ever to build a succession plan that is smart and sustainable.Indispensable for the CEO and small business owner as well as the learning and development and human resources professional, Passing the Torch presents stories from the boardroom to the family-owned bakery, and from the car dealership to the beach resort hotel. This is a book for all with a stake in maintaining the livelihood of a business, and contains templates to guide you through the seven steps of the succession planning life cycle.Authored by talent development experts Wanda Piña-Ramírez and Norma Dávila, this workbook highlights the importance of knowledge transfer, something that many organizations identify as a major worry as baby boomers are positioned to retire in great numbers.  In this book, readers will learn: • why all companies, regardless of industry or size, must create a succession plan • how to create a business case to guide your company through the succession planning life cycle • how to identify key positions and retain key people in your company.Elaine Biech, one of the most highly regarded talent development experts in the industry says, “Wanda and Norma have tackled a topic that few corporations have addressed successfully… and they’ve scored a victory. Passing the Torch presents a winning game plan that includes a practical approach, functional examples, and sound advice to succession planning. This book will put your company in the winner’s circle.” For more information, and to purchase the book, visit www.td.org/torch.About the authorsNorma Dávila has dedicated her career to developing others in diverse industries. She is a hands-on consultant in organizational development and training who designs and implements change management and capacity building strategies. Norma provides outplacement support, designs employee handbooks, and challenges operational processes among other services. Her consulting practice also includes leadership development and talent management programs.  Norma is certified as Project Management Professional (PMP), and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Yale University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology at the University of Chicago. Wanda Piña-Ramírez is an enthusiastic advocate of selecting and developing talent for business success, and has held various roles in many industries and with government. Wanda is certified as a Coach (CCC) from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, as a Practitioner in Neurolinguistic Programming and Applied Kinesiology by the International NLP Trainers Association, and as a Human Resources Administrator by the Escuela Avanzada de Administración de Recursos Humanos y Legislación Laboral de Puerto Rico. She serves as an advisory board member of the School of Business Administration of the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón.

Passing the Torch - A critically important guide for every business leader

As the CEO of Bulldog Drummond, Shawn is responsible for strategically directing each of Bulldog’s key engagements, ensuring there’s an “Uncommon Sense” methodology at the center of everything the company does. This approach maintains that the biggest opportunities can be realized, and the most complex challenges solved, by using a powerful combination of simplicity, common sense and determination. He brings twenty-plus years of innovation, design, brand and business-building experience to companies from Fortune 500s to purpose-driven startups.Shawn helps leadership teams transform large, multinational companies and passionate entrepreneurs launch new companies, products and brands. He has worked with executive teams at companies including Adidas, Bolthouse Farms, CMT, Diageo, Eddie Bauer, Heineken, H&R Block, IDEO, MTV, Mattel, Nike, PIRCH, Starbucks, Samsung, Taco Bell, WD-40, Westfield, and World Vision, among many others.Following a life-changing trip to Malawi in March of 2004, Shawn has become committed to finding creative and sustainable ways to make a measurable difference in the world by helping people and companies realize their full potential. He sits on the board of The Honest Kitchen, the advisory boards of FEED Projects and International Farming, is the co-founder of YouSchool and Y-Malawi? and a faculty member of The Honor Foundation. He writes feverishly for Fast Company, PSFK, and is a sought-after speaker. Shawn lives in San Diego with his wife and three children, is a dawn patrol surfer, wanna-be photographer and avid cultural voyeur.

Shawn E. Parr

When things are changing rapidly, fear doesn’t just linger—it multiplies. It moves through teams quietly, often unspoken but deeply felt. Deadlines are missed, meetings lose direction, and initiative dries up. Employees do the minimum to avoid risk, and leaders (especially new ones) find themselves reacting rather than leading.We’ve seen what fear does to an organization: it drains energy, clouds decision making, and halts forward motion. We’ve also seen what happens when leaders choose something different. They don’t ignore fear. They acknowledge it, then replace it with something far more powerful: clarity, trust, and action.Fear Isn’t Just Emotional—It’s OrganizationalFear shows up in systems, not just people. When it becomes baked into how your organization operates, you start seeing common patterns:Teams avoid tough conversations or delay key decisions in hopes that conditions will improve.Managers micromanage, trying to control outcomes instead of building trust and ownership.Innovation stalls because employees are rewarded for playing it safe, not thinking big.Excuses multiply because accountability feels unsafe when outcomes are unclear.This fear-based stagnation is what we call “paralysis in disguise.” It looks like busy-ness, but no one’s making meaningful progress. It sounds like caution, but no one’s taking ownership. It feels like uncertainty, but really, it’s a lack of leadership clarity.Great Leaders Don’t Eliminate Fear. They Replace It.Optimism is a choice, but it’s not naive. It's not about ignoring risk or forcing positivity. It’s about training your brain to focus on what you can control, even when the external environment is uncertain. That mindset shift, when modeled by leaders, starts to cascade.Great leaders replace fear-based patterns with high-trust, high-accountability cultures. Here’s how they do it:They communicate with purpose and transparency, especially when stakes are high. Uncertainty thrives in silence, and clarity shrinks it.They create psychological safety, where people are encouraged to speak honestly, take smart risks, and learn from failure.They use the Decision Ladder to clarify ownership, so no one’s left wondering who should act next.They define success clearly through tools like Team Key Results (TKRs), making progress measurable even when the future isn’t.Your Mindset Sets the ToneIn Power in 30, we compare human mindset to battery power. When you're drained, you lose the ability to lead effectively. Fear accelerates that drain. Leaders who intentionally recharge, through reflection, connection, and clarity, show up with energy that fuels their team. They refuse to let fear set the pace.You don’t have to be fearless to lead, but you do have to act. Leadership is about modeling the mindset and behaviors that help others move forward, even when the path is unclear.Questions to Ask Yourself (and Your Team)If fear has quietly crept into your culture, ask these questions to bring it into the light:Where in our work are people hesitating instead of acting?What decisions are stalled right now and why?Have we created clarity around what success looks like?Are we rewarding smart risk-taking or punishing imperfection?Do I show up with energy and direction or with uncertainty and reactivity?These questions won’t solve fear on their own, but they’ll give you the insight to replace it deliberately and effectively.In ConclusionFear will always have a seat at the table, but it doesn’t have to lead the meeting. When leaders create clarity, demonstrate optimism, and move with intention, they set a new tone for the organization, one rooted in trust, ownership, and momentum. That’s what real leadership looks like when fear tries to take over. Uncertainty isn’t going anywhere, but neither are you.

How Leaders Overcome the Fear That Is Paralyzing Their Organizations

You can’t build tomorrow’s learning program on yesterday’s infrastructure. Whether you’re training internal teams or educating external audiences like customers or members, the goal isn’t just to “keep up;” it’s to stay ahead. That means building a program that scales without breaking, adapts without rework, and delivers measurable value at every growth stage.If your current training program feels stuck in the past (or in spreadsheets), you’re not alone. But scaling isn’t just about making things bigger. It’s about making them better. Here’s what separates scalable learning programs from the ones that stall out.Designed for Flexibility, Not Just FunctionalityA rigid learning program might check boxes today, but will it hold up next quarter? Next year? Or when you onboard twice as many learners?Scalable programs are built with flexibility at the core. That means modular, reusable content that can easily be tailored by audience, role, or skill level. Instead of locking knowledge into a 60-minute webinar, you can break it into microlearning modules that slot into different learning paths.And don’t underestimate the value of interoperability. A program that “plays well with others” (whether that’s HR platforms, CRMs, or credentialing systems) is more likely to scale without rework or technical debt. Flexibility isn’t just about convenience; it’s your insurance policy against constant reinvention.Learner Experience Comes First (Always)You could have the most sophisticated learning platform on the planet, but learners won’t stick around if it’s hard to navigate.A scalable program puts the learner experience at the center. That includes intuitive navigation, mobile accessibility, clear content progression, and interactive elements that drive engagement. (No offense to static PDFs, but they’re not exactly binge-worthy.)And let’s talk about personalization. Scalable learning programs offer pathways that adjust to each learner’s goals and knowledge level. If someone’s already nailed the basics, let them skip ahead. If they need extra help, give them targeted content. The goal is to help learners succeed faster, not slog through irrelevant material just to hit a “completion” bar.Data Isn’t Just Nice to Have—It’s NonnegotiableIf you’re still gauging program success by the number of people “logged in,” it’s time for an upgrade.Scalable learning programs use data to measure not just activity but impact. They track knowledge retention, course effectiveness, skill progression, and business outcomes, like reduced onboarding time or improved customer satisfaction.This data empowers your teams to iterate in real time. Noticing a drop-off in a certain module? Optimize the content. Seeing a spike in demand for a specific skill? Build a new learning path. When your program is data-informed, it’s no longer reactive—it’s strategic.Technology That’s Built to Scale With YouSpoiler: not all learning platforms are created equal. Choosing the wrong tech stack can feel like upgrading a flip phone with an app store.A scalable program is built on technology that grows with your organization. That means open APIs, customizable workflows, native integrations, and a vibrant partner ecosystem. Whether layering on credentialing, integrating video learning, or expanding into new audiences, your tech shouldn’t hold you back.Equally important? Administrative ease. Your learning ops team should be able to manage content, users, reporting, and integrations without needing a developer on speed dial.Supports Internal AND External Training at ScaleYour organization likely has more than one audience to train. Employees, contractors, customers, channel partners, members, you name it. Too often, companies build a separate system for each, leading to silos, redundant content, and (let’s be honest) a support nightmare.A truly scalable program supports multiple audiences within one platform, with role-based access, custom branding, and personalized learning paths: one system, multiple audiences, zero chaos.This is especially valuable for organizations that generate revenue from education. If your learning program drives business growth, it needs to scale like any other revenue engine with visibility, control, and flexibility baked in.Final Thought: Scaling Is a Mindset, Not a MilestoneThe reality is that no learning program is ever “done.” Business needs evolve, technology shifts, and learner expectations keep rising. A scalable, future-ready learning program is one that adapts to all of it without starting from scratch every time.The organizations that succeed long term don’t just react to change—they design for it. They treat learning as a strategic function, prioritize the learner experience, and ask bold questions: Are we building for today, or preparing for what’s next?Interested in learning how to create e-learning content? ATD’s Articulate Storyline Certificate will show you how to use this powerful tool to create innovative, interactive e-learning content.

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