Detonating traditional business practices, horseshoes being greater than circles, and making a priority of personal passions outside of work are three of the provocative subjects shared by Deloitte Consultings new CEO Dan Helfrich when we sat down for an interview on Dec. 9, 2019. Helfrich became Chairman and CEO of the 56,000-person organization in June.

Here are a few highlights from the interview:

Dan, you have the unique dual perspective of both being a CEO and advising CEOs. What's one or two pieces of advice that you give that you're also practicing yourself?

With the incredible amount of disruption taking place across industries today, I am talking to CEOs about how to detonate traditional business orthodoxies. Detonating orthodoxies is about breaking away from convention and focusing the human behavior impacting your organization, not last years numbers or supposed tried-and-true way of doing things.

Detonating conventional orthodoxies within our own organization is one of my favorite things to do. I love to ask my teams, Why are we doing it that way and before they answer, I often say if its because thats the way its always been done then come back with another solution.

Many companies are investing enormous capital in the internet of things to capture massive amounts of real-time data from sensors. My advice to CEOs: Apply this concept to leadership. Build your own network of human sensors to get that real-time perspective about whats really happening in the field without that filter of myriad layers of management. I am a better leader because people of all levels in my organization are feeding me ideas and insights about what is or isnt working and I dont even have to ask.

Dan Helfrich CEO Deloitte Consulting and Robert Reiss

You also shared some of your leadership philosophy with us and how you boil it down to what you call, everyday equations such as 15 minutes of content is greater than 30 minutes of clutter, and horseshoes are greater than circles. Can you tell us more about that?

So much of an organizations culture depends on how people spend their time and how they treat each other. We can all relate to being in meetings in which the real purpose isnt addressed until 20 minutes in. We only have 1,440 minutes a day so lets spend them more valuably. If you change your standard meeting time to 15 instead of 30 minutes, I predict that you and your teams productivity and engagement in those meetings will skyrocket. And colleagues will appreciate getting time back to do something thats important to them.

In terms of horseshoes being greater than circles, inclusivity is critical to an organizations health and performance. Horseshoes are open to new people, ideas, partners, you name it. Sometimes people can form closed circles or cliques that dont benefit anyone. To me, the more someone has an inclusive mindset the better they are going to be and the better we are going to be as an organization.

You are also a sports broadcaster for your alma mater Georgetown University. Tell us about the importance of work - life balance.

I am a big believer in the importance of well-being, and I talk about it a lot internally with our teams. Well-being to me is taking care of yourself and doing what you need and want to do outside of work to achieve physical, mental and emotional health. In a demanding job, those interests can help center you, give you a broader perspective and quite simply - add more fun to life. One of the ways I maintain my well-being is by staying involved with the top-ranked Georgetown University Mens Soccer Team (Hoya Saxa!) where I played as an undergraduate.

For the past 15 years, I have been doing the play-by-play of every game. If you follow me on social media, youll see that I am very passionate about the team yes, my voice gets a bit excited upon the scoring of a big goal and about soccer in general. My broadcasting has required probably 60 midweek games during that timeframe, which means thoughtfully configuring my schedule and being willing to say no to work expectations that others might deem essential.

So thats great for my wellness, but it only helps the rest of my great Deloitte Consulting team if I share it instead of hiding it. That way, maybe one of my teammates finds a little more confidence to choose their own personal passion / hobby / family moment over Deloitte when it really matters. Walking the wellness talk.

To hear the commercial-free interview with Dan Helfrich, go to: http://www.theceoforumgroup.com

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Leadership Insights Like Everyday Equations and Walking The Wellness Talk From Deloitte Consultings New CEO - Forbes