Outthinkers

Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor of Management Science and Engineering at the Stanford Engineering School. He has given keynote speeches to more than 200 groups in 20 countries, and served on numerous scholarly editorial boards focused around his work on leadership, innovation, organizational change, and workplace dynamics. His most recent book, THE FRICTION PROJECT: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder, co-written with Huggy Rao is focused on scaling and leading at scale. Based on 10 years of research it outlines how to grow organizations, it suggests something really compelling: you know we all almost by default think we should be strive to build a “frictionless organization” to drive agility and efficiency. Bob points out that friction is not bad on its own. In fact, you WANT to create friction to slow down “bad” things while reducing friction to promote good things. This can enhance performance, innovation, and help make sure you fall into the trap of letting bad things grow as the company scales. _________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, he shares:How as organizations grow, they become increasingly complex over time and how to mitigate this How to identify where to "put in gas" vs. "pump the brakes" to slow down when it comes to new and ongoing initiatives Why running at full speed is not always the answer (and the surprising byproduct of doing so) What makes collaboration between individual team members and make teams as a whole efficient What is changing in the workforce, and what has changed in terms of what makes a good leader in light of that _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:20—Introducing Bob + The topic of today's episode3:50—If you really know me, you know that...5:05—What is your definition of strategy?7:07—Can you talk to us about the premise of your book, The Friction Project, and its background?10:50—Could you talk to us about the moments in which friction can be a good thing, or when to apply "gas vs. brakes16:05—How do you recognize where to apply this idea of velocity vs. slowing down?18:57—How is it that some teams seem to come together and work seamlessly, while others seem to struggle?22:57—What is changing in business in terms of leadership, the way people work, etc.?26:05—Can you talk to us about the importance of reducing frictions, especially in regards to technology?26:50—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Author Website: bobsutton.netEmail: https://www.bobsutton.net/contact/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobsutton1/Twitter: https://twitter.com/work_matters

In this episode, Andy Binns, co-founder and Director of Change Logic, and an award-winning author who publishes articles on innovation strategy and execution in established firms is joined by an additional guest, Ellie Amirnasr, director of digital ventures at MANN+HUMMEL, who was a chapter author, alongside Andy, of Corporate Explorer Fieldbook: How to Build New Ventures In Established Companies. Their work with this just-released 2023 book brings to the forefront the corporate explorer: the individuals within your organization that have the prowess to lead innovation. In this episode, we delve deep into these pioneers brimming with new ideas._________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, they share:What is a corporate explorer, and why are they so advantageous to your organization? How you as a leader can create a culture that paves the path for success for corporate explorers to innovate The recipe and ingredients that spark innovation within an organization and the distinct stages of innovation projects, and what metrics to consider when deciding to continue funding a project at each stage _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:18—Introducing Andy & Ellie + The topic of today's episode2:34—If you really know me, you know that...5:33—What is your definition of strategy?8:30—Could you talk to us about your organization, qlair?9:52—Could you define a "corporate explorer" for us?11:20—What are some of the aspects that an organization needs to have in place to enable corporate explorers?13:59—What are some shifts that leaders need to make to allow for corporate explorers?17:53—Could you lead us through the stages of a new venture and how it relates to decision-making and funding?26:44—What is the mechanism that makes it more likely to be successful if you state your goals and metrics at the beginning?29:13—What is the biggest mistake you see corporate explorers make that you could advise them on?31:14—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Book Website: https://www.thecorporateexplorer.com/LinkedIn: Ellie Amirnasr, Andy Binns

Shannon Banks is managing director of Be Leadership, and an award-winning facilitator, consultant, and coach. A pioneer in the field of social leadership, she founded her company in 2014 to help organizations bring their purpose to life through their people. In this episode, we'll dive into her steadfast belief that it is leaders that have the power to ignite purpose through social leadership.Shannon has delivered quality, bespoke work to diverse clients across many sectors, including Roche, BNP Paribas, and the UK House of Commons and has partnered with world-changing organizations such as Teach for India, Grameen Foundation, and Siel Bleu.She spent twenty years in the technology industry, including seventeen years at Microsoft where she held a variety of global leadership roles across the business and HR. She has won international awards for her work in leadership development and talent management and is a sought-after public speaker.She is coauthor of the third edition of the field-defining book Optimizing the Power of Action Learning. Her forthcoming book Because: 12 Essential Skills for Connecting How you Lead with Why will be released October 2023._________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, she shares:The 12 leadership traits that can elevate you as a leader—both relationship-based and contextual-based Why now, more than ever, being a social leader is critical as technology cements itself into our work environment The difference between strengths, values and passions—and how they intermingle to optimize your purpose _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:54—Introducing Shannon + The topic of today's episode2:55—If you really know me, you know that...3:49—What is your definition of strategy?4:25—Could you talk to us about how your career inspired your book?5:35—Why did you name your company "BE" leadership?7:28—Could you lead us through your the 12 skills leaders must have?9:20—Talk to us about your definition of social leadership12:40—How can executives find their own purpose to help others to connect to theirs?16:50—What's a powerful insight you could share for leaders on how to use this passion in the workplace?18:11—Creating change at scale is incredibly difficult—could you share your story of living in Russia that illustrates this?22:24—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Author Website: https://shannonbanksauthor.com/Company Website: https://be-leadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-banks-be-leadershipTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShannonB

In this episode, Matt Abrahams, leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach shares some of his top insights into strategic communication. He gives us a holistic explanation of what effective communication is, as well as dives into practical daily tips and techniques you can use in any conversation.As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB's Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world. When he isn't teaching, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as TED, World Economic Forum, and Nobel Prize presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast. He is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot. His previous book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically._________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, he shares:How to craft a careful, concise, audience-centric conversation in any scenario (which, bonus, it reframes the conversation to take the pressure off of you, reducing your anxiety) The importance of narrowing your important points to the essentials, while putting the right structure around your conversation to make a conversation, not a presentation Practical, yet easy to implement tactics from his book that can transform your communication into being poignant and powerful _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:13—Introducing Matt + The topic of today's episode3:01—If you really know me, you know that...4:27—What is your definition of strategy?5:53—Can you give us your developed theory on communication?7:56—Could we talk about Step 2, "structures"?9:56—Can you explain improv (improvisational) speaking, and its benefits in business speaking?12:04—Can you give us some improv-based tactics that can help us navigate unexpected disruptions during our presentation, speech, etc.?14:15—Can you elaborate on your tactic of "chunking"?15:22—What can you tell us about the idea that "communication is the thinking"?17:22—How do you see AI changing communication as a communication strategist?19:37—Talk us about your ideas around calendar invites...21:19—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahamsPersonal page: https://mattabrahams.com/Podcast: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcastNewest Book: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/matt-abrahams/think-faster-talk-smarter/9781035024957

Bob Muglia is a data technology investor and business executive, former CEO of Snowflake, and past president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Division. His rich background as a long-time leader in the tech space afforded him the unique position of being on the frontlines of the internet and related tech revolution. Bob is an advocate that while technology and strategy are important, it is critical to maintain keen awareness of that your people are the critical coupling between digital transformation and your company's strategic initiatives. Bob also focuses on how innovation and ethical values can merge to shape the data economy's future in the era of AI and he serves as a board director for emerging companies which seek to maximize the power of data to help solve some of the world's most challenging problems_________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, he shares:How a leader's role is to lay an effective strategic plan but in a way that empowers people own the idea like it's their own Fascinating insights into his years working with Satya Nadella, and how Microsoft from its inception leveraged partnerships for growth and competitive advantagePowerful tips on how you can grow non-core ventures and businesses even from within a slowly-growing company _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:49—Introducing Bob + The topic of today's episode2:05—If you really know me, you know that...3:45—What is your definition of strategy (and the benefit of the weekly meeting)6:02—Would you be able to characterize the approach to strategy in the Microsoft ecosystem, as you worked with Bill Gates, Satya Nadella and others? 9:18—You were part of the team that saw Satya Nadella's transition into CEO. What characteristics did he exhibit that made you feel that was the right choice?13:13—What can you share about the ecosystem and partnership strategy Microsoft adopted from early on?19:14—Could you expound on your views around artificial intelligence from a leadership perspective?21:31—Could you talk to us about how values play into the rise of AI and sophisticated machines?23:50—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Newest Book: https://www.thedatapreneurs.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-mugliaTwitter: https://twitter.com/Bob_Muglia

Dear listeners, this week we celebrate our 100th episode. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and listenership, as we treat you to a compilation of some of our favorite insights over the past years. Below you'll find a highlights reel broken down into clips in four categories:CLASSIC STRATEGY: Featuring Rita, McGrath, Richard Rumelt, John Hagel, and Mike Tushman who each share with us timeless ideas around strategy.LEADERSHIP, CULTURE & WORKFORCE: Featuring Adam Bryant, Ajay Banga, Sally Susman, Johnny C. Taylor, Tiffani Bova, and Elizabeth Altman, who each share critical insights into leadership, our employees, and the quickly changing landscape of the workforce.VALUE CREATION: Featuring Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Thales Teixeira, Pete Fader, and Mohan Subramaniam, who each share alternative and modern views around value creation.INNOVATION, TECH & THE FUTURE: Featuring Alex Osterwalder, Rob Wolcott, Vivek Wadhwa, and Faith Popcorn who each share with us insightful ideas around innovation, upcoming trends in tech and society, and the future of business._________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:34—Special Introduction to 100th Episode from KaihanCLASSIC STRATEGY2:57—Highlight from Rita McGrath: Strategic Planning Amidst Uncertainty5:24—Highlight from Richard Rumelt: Finding the Crux of Your Strategy7:01—Highlight from John Hagel: Why You Should "Zoom Out, Zoom In," and Scale From the Edge9:01—Highlight from Mike Tushman: Why Ambidextrous Organizations Outperform OthersLEADERSHIP/CULTURE/WORKFORCE10:52—Highlight from Adam Bryant: Good vs. GREAT CEOs—500 Interviews Reveal What Makes the Difference12:58—Highlight from Ajay Banga: Insights from a Former CEO with Ajay Banga of MasterCard15:11—Highlight from Sally Susman: Insights from Pfizer's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in Crafting Public Discourse17:27—Highlight from Johnny C. Taylor: Trends You Need to Know About the Workforce19:27—Highlight from Tiffani Bova: Elevating Your EX to Improve Your CX21:01—Highlight from Elizabeth Altman: Rethinking the Definition of a Workforce in the Modern EraVALUE CREATION23:24—Highlight from Felix Oberholzer-Gee: Applying a Value-Based Strategy to Drive Your Business26:11—Highlight from Thales Teixeira: Decoupling the Customer Value Chain for Competitive Advantage28:36—Highlight from Pete Fader: Becoming a Customer-Centric Business30:49—Highlight from Mohan Subramaniam: The Future of Competitive Strategy and the Evolving Role of Data, Customers and Digital EcosystemsINNOVATION, TECH & THE FUTURE33:46—Highlight from Alexander Osterwalder: How Investing in Culture Ecosystems Leads to Innovation35:57—Highlight from Rob Wolcott: The Power of Proximity in your Strategy38:31—Highlight from Vivek Wadhwa: Harnessing Tech for an Innovative Future40:24—Highlight from Faith Popcorn: Predictions to Know From a Leading Futurist42:34—Closing and Thank you

Daniel Trabucchi is the co-author, with Tommaso Buganza, of Platform Thinking: Read the past. Write the future. He is Senior Assistant Professor at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano where he fosters research and teaches at the intersection between innovation management and leadership, with a strong focus on platform thinking and the human side of innovation. He is the co-founder of Symplatform, the international symposium on digital platforms that aims to match managers and academics coming from various disciplines and he is the co-founder and scientific director of Platform Thinking HUB the observatory that aims to help established firms in finding innovation opportunities through platforms. Finally, he co-hosts with Philip Meier “Talking About Platforms,” the podcast where the latest research on platforms is featured and spread. His work has been featured by outlets such as Journal of Product Innovation Management, Technovation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change and many others, but he aims to make scientific research as accessible as possible, so—in addition to the book—his platform knowledge can be found also on Coursera in four courses under the title of “platform thinking."The idea of value creation has come a long way—where we used to think of providing value along a linear chain for stakeholders, platforms open up an incredible amount of possibilities in making customers and other stakeholders active participants—not only the end-receivers—of value creation. _________________________________________________________________________________________"This is the power of platform thinking. You've got the brand. You've got the customers. You've got resources. If you find the right idle assets in your organization, you could actually use platforms as a new way to perceive a value creation."-Daniel Trabucchi_________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, he shares:The definition of a platform, and how it has changed over time—and how it expands past what we have all come to think of as the archetype of platforms, digital ones like Airbnb and Uber. Four types of platforms, and how the core of each one, despite their distinct differences, is to create value between users. How it's not just the startups who can utilize platforms—established organizations have many assets to leverage in getting into the platform space How platforms offer the opportunity for business leaders to reevaluate their business model with fresh eyes, challenging traditional labels and considering alternate perspectives _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:08—Introducing Daniel + The topic of today's episode2:42—If you really know me, you know that...3:51—What is your definition of strategy?4:21—Let's start with the foundation—how do you define a platform?8:07—Could you describe the four types of platforms? 13:12—What are some of the mindset changes that need to happen for people to see these different ways to use platforms in value creation?19:04—What are the first steps to take in creating or plugging into a platform?21:40—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-trabucchi-a7891566/Email: daniel.trabucchi@polimi.itNewest Book: https://platformthinking.eu/

Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Columbia Business School. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You,and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Dorie has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.” She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. _________________________________________________________________________________________"We are all being commoditized. But I think that what we can fight back with is relationships, and with brand equity. If you become a person that people wanna be around, if you are a person that people like enough, that they respect enough, then it doesn't matter that AI is nearly as good as what we are doing." -Dorie Clark_________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, she shares:What Dorie's definition of personal brand is—how it's related to reputation, and what constitutes an effective brand Tactics you can use to assess your personal brand, and build a brand that really encapsulate you How you can craft and shape yourself and your career into virtually any role you'd like with some careful consideration and strategic decisions (feel free to cut this one out) How AI might expand in our organizations and things humans can do to remain relevant Why relationships and your personal brand equity will become a critical competitive advantage as we enter the era of AI and tech commoditization _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:16—Introducing Dorie + The topic of today's episode3:00—If you really know me, you know that...4:53—What is your definition of strategy?5:17—Can you define "personal brand," and characteristics of a powerful personal brand?6:50—How does one assess their personal brand?9:25—What are some tips on figuring out how to define your personal brand?13:50—What are the similarities between defining your business brand vs. your personal brand?15:09—Could you talk to us about why you decided to write The Long Game?17:16—In what way do you see work itself changing, the future of work?20:38—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://dorieclark.com/Newest Book: https://dorieclark.com/thelonggame/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dorieclark

What questions are addressed in this podcast?What are aspects of Employee Experience (EX) that leaders often overlook with dire consequences on CX?Who in an organization should own EX?Are there tangible ways to measure EX vs. CX?What is the ROI of developing a more thought-out employee experience?_________________________________________________________________________________________Summary: Tiffani Bova is the global growth evangelist and business strategist at Salesforce, an author, and a keynote speaker. We were lucky enough to have Tiffani join us for a second time on this podcast, and in this episode, she brings us a new wealth of much-needed perspective. Where our last episode with Tiffani focused on the how to maximize your company's Growth IQ—the 10 paths to growing your company—now we shift our focus to the internal movers of this growth—employees and the employee experience, also known as EX. Tiffani's career taught her that without the people who make the Customer Experience, you can only get so far in fulfilling your brand promise. In her newest book, The Experience Mindset, she dives into how to complement your CX by revamping your EX.In this episode, she shares:A re-definition of EX (though not a new concept), including what it is not The specific, measurable impact EX can have on your future financial results How management often not only neglects the Employee experience, but actually makes it worse by offloading customer stress onto employees What kinds of metrics you can set around EX—which can often run parallel to and complement CX metrics _________________________________________________________________________________________"Let me just say to you that that strategy one-pager in that vision and value statement and your tagline does not show up and solve a customer problem. It does not show up and sell something to a customer. It does not show up and design a product. People do that, not the strategy deck that gets you funding from your board." -Tiffani Bova_________________________________________________________________________________________Action Items: If you'd like to put takeaways from this episode into action in your organization, we recommend starting here:Each time you make a change or implement a new initiative, ask yourself "What is the intended or unintended consequence to my people, to our employees? Are we setting them up for success to deliver on this change we're making for customer in order to increase that promoter score or customer satisfaction?"Develop a KPI for EX that correlates to and complements each CX KPIAsk your employees one simple tangible question relating to frictions for each task or initiative in weekly check-ins: "How easy on a scale of 1-5 was it to execute on this task?"_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:56—Introducing Tiffani + The topic of today's episode2:58—If you really know me, you know that...3:31—What is your definition of strategy?4:31—What prompted you to begin your research into the topic of Employee Experience (EX)?7:05—What were some of the unexpected findings in your research that led you to writing your book?11:21—What do you consider EX—the definition and items included within it—and what it is not?12:27—Can you talk to us about the unintended consequences of offloading customer frictions onto employees?17:21—The staggering statistics around the tech employed within organizations and their impact on EX19:59—Why there is a vital need for a role accountable for EX22:12—What are some tangible steps an organization can take to start owning the EX experience more consciously?24:21—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.tiffanibova.com/Newest book, The Experience Mindset, https://www.tiffanibova.com/experiencemindset/Podcast: https://www.tiffanibova.com/whats-next-podcast/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanibova/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tiffani_Bova

Michael Lenox is an award-winning professor, consultant, author, speaker, and podcaster. For over twenty-five years, he has been helping MBA students and executives navigate the competitive dynamics of markets in the face of innovation and disruption. He is the author of five books, including his latest, Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation (Stanford Business Books, June 27, 2023). Michael is the Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. He has served on the faculty at Duke and NYU and as a visiting professor at Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT in Technology Management and Policy and a BS and MS in Systems Engineering from UVA. His Digital Transformation course on Coursera currently has over 150,000 students enrolled. He has had well over a half-million students across all of his online courses, making him one of the most popular teachers on Coursera. Lenox has extensive expertise on the topics most important to today's executives, from decarbonization to digital transformation. As a strategy consultant, he has helped numerous organizations devise effective strategies, such as General Motors, Dominion Energy, NASA, and the NCAA. As an online educator, he has helped millions of learners improve their strategic thinking and reasoning.In this episode, he shares:The core technologies that are thrusting us into digital transformation—and it's not the usual technology (blockchain, AI, automation), but the three foundational technologies that make such technologies possibleHow the number one source of competitive advantage—economies of scale—is changing in the age of platforms Why human decision-making will remain central to the equation even as AI automates and becomes more prevalent _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:56—Introducing Michael + The topic of today's episode2:40—If you really know me, you know that...3:28—What is your definition of strategy?4:03—What are the three fundamental technologies that impact digital transformation?6:38—How does competitive advantage change in light of how the sheer amount of data is changing?8:41—What are some misconceptions about competing in the platform age against platform titans?11:11—Can you talk about the deconstruction of the customer value chain?13:14—What are some of the positionings companies can take to stay competitive amongst platforms?14:39—Could you about the distinction between prediction and judgment, the concept from your book?16:55—Can you talk about some of the ideas you have around how newer technologies like AI are going to affect different industries, like pharma or utilities, for example?19:09—Can you talk to us about what phases a strategist should tackle to prepare their organization to lead in the digital age?21:15—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.michael-lenox.com/Books: https://www.michael-lenox.com/booksPodcast: https://www.michael-lenox.com/podcastLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellenoxTwitter: https://twitter.com/Prof_Lenox

Terence Mauri is the founder of the management think thank Hack Future Lab, a bestselling author and a visiting Professor at IE Business School. Terence challenges leaders to pivot from ‘wait and see' to ‘explore and disrupt' in a world of complexity and uncertainty. Terence says: 'Building a bold and resilient future never happens by accident. To sustain vitality for the long-term, we must have an eye on the future while searching every day for the upside of disruption.' His recent publications include co-authoring Thinkers50's Certain Uncertainty: Leading with Agility and Resilience in an Unpredictable World' and Building Resilient Organizations: Best practices, tools and insights to thrive in ever-changing contexts.In this episode, he shares:What “unlearning” is and why its so important How excess bureaucracy and complexity are significant barriers for senior leaders to unlearn Why we must prioritize context over control, embrace autonomy and accountability, and foster cultures of curiosity rather than conformity Why companies should avoid the trap of overestimating the risk of trying something new while underestimating the risk of standing still_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:55—Introducing Terence + The topic of today's episode2:24—If you really know me, you know that...3:33—What is your definition of strategy?4:33—Can you talk to us about your concept of unlearning?6:59—What is the barrier that keeps organizations from implementing a culture of unlearning?9:24—Could you explain your concept of "concept over control"?11:18—What does a career ladder look like nowadays?12:25—Could you talk to us about the risk of standing still?14:14—Why do you believe we should we be planning from the future?16:26—How does one do the third piece of activating the urgency within your organization?18:03—How do you suggest companies move to a more decentralized org structure without the cognitive overload?20:20—What do you think is something people should know as a closing thought?21:01—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.terencemauri.com/Books: https://www.terencemauri.com/#bestsellersLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terencemauriTwitter: https://twitter.com/terencemauri

Ralph Birchmeieir's expertise is in accounting, finance, valuation, and strategy. He is a former partner at a global investment firm where he headed financial research into banks, insurers, and real estate concerns. He and his team routinely met with company managements, emerging fintechs, insurtechs and IT professionals. He also sat on two investment committees, constructing global equity portfolios in small cap and all cap strategies. Ralph retired at the end of 2018, taking time out to teach, volunteer, and to become more involved in private company investments. He was an advisor to a digital life distributor, an advisor for a fintech accelerator, and consulted in the AI health care space. He was also a member of Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest angel groups, where he participated in the due diligence process. His first investment book, Reasons To Pass, was published in early 2023. In previous roles he worked as a CPA at a tier one accounting firm, for a quantitative investment manager, obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and earned his MBA with honors from Columbia Business School. In this episode, he shares:The top four reasons investors might pass on investing in your company – that are particularly important for strategists to be thinking about. Why governance in an organization is so indicative of future success—and what specifically investors will be looking at when assessing your CEO or board or compensation or decision-making. He lays out some key strategic measures that strategists and management don't typically think about – like asset liability mismatch – and why this can be a game-changer for a company What factors really matter when thinking about valuation of your own company _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode01:15—Introducing Ralph + The topic of today's episode3:42—If you really know me, you know that...4:11—What is your definition of strategy?5:18—Could you tell us a little bit about why you wrote Reasons to Pass?7:30—What should management be thinking about when it comes to corporate governance?11:55—Can you talk to us about as a strategist, what should I be thinking about with regard to asset liability mismatch?14:46—Can you talk to us about valuation, and making sure the messaging is appropriate for the market?17:39—Let's get into financial leverage...20:51—Let's recap the reasons to pass addressed in this episode...21:28—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Newest Book: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/reasons-to-pass/9780231556804

Rob Cross has studied the underlying network dynamics of effective organizations and the collaborative practices of high performers for more than 20 years. Through research and writing, speaking and consulting, and courses and tools, Rob's network insights are transforming the way people lead, work and live in a hyper-connected world.He is the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership, Babson College and co-founder and current research director of the Connected Commons, a consortium of over 100 leading organizations accelerating network research and practice.In his latest book, The Microstress Effect, co-authored with Karen Dillon, Rob delves into findings that show that our interactions with other people – even those we care most about – trigger an avalanche of small stresses that snowball to the point where it affects our personal well-being. This is a growing issue as companies move toward smaller teams and greater collaboration across teams. In this episode, he shares:What microstresses are and how they can impact the workplace and collaboration within teams The surprising effects that microstresses have on our health, mental state, and organizations' effectiveness Why managers accidentally create microstresses by encouraging more collaboration … and what we can do about it Some specific tips we can all follow to reduce the negative effects of microstresses _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:49—Introducing Rob + The topic of today's episode2:30—If you really know me, you know that...3:21—What is your definition of strategy?3:47—Can you start by defining a microstress to us?5:54—Why do microstresses have such a lasting impact?7:55—Could you break down the different types of microstresses outlined in your book?11:16—What can an individual do to reduce the impact of microstresses?13:12—What do high-performing happy people do differently?14:51—Should we as leaders be looking to create moments of connection in org structure?18:45—Does mission or purpose allow us to coordinate behavior without requiring as much interaction between people?20:27—What do people get wrong about understanding microstresses?21:49—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.robcross.org/Newest Book: https://www.robcross.org/resources/books/the-microstress-effect/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crossrobTwitter: https://twitter.com/RobCrossNetwork

Dr. Elizabeth J. Altman is an associate professor of management at the Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and guest editor of the MIT Sloan Management Review Future of the Workforce project. Altman served as a visiting assistant professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in Fall 2018 and has served as a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School. Altman teaches strategy, organizational theory, and human resources management in undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral programs. Her research focuses on strategy, innovation, platform businesses and ecosystems, leadership in the digital economy, organizational identity, and organizational change.It used to be, your workforce were your employees. But today, 30-40% of a company's workforce is made up by contractors! Add to this the increasing amount of work being done by suppliers and partners and you see that what composes your workforce is much different than what it once was. This raises lots of questions. Elizabeth has spent 19 years in industry. She was a vice president at Motorola in executive and leadership roles in industrial design, product development engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and strategy. Awarded a U.S. Dept. of Commerce and Japanese government fellowship, Altman worked as an engineer for Sony in Japan. She lectures and consults worldwide for multi-national clients on strategy and platform businesses and has served on corporate and non-profit boards. Her work has been published in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), MIT Sloan Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Marketing Letters, and other internationally recognized management journals and books. Her HBR article with Prof. Andrei Hagiu was selected for inclusion in an edition of the “HBR 10 Must Reads 2019” book and included in “HBR's 10 Must Reads on Business Model Innovation.” She also co-authored the book, The Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work, (Harvard Business Press), as well as the recent Workforce Ecosystems (2023).In this episode, she shares:The new role of institutions in society, and how workforce employee and stakeholder sentiment play into that The actual definition of a workforce, and how it has even expanded into including questions like: What is a workforce? Who is in the workforce? and how do you think about it from an ecosystem perspective to incorporate technologies as an integral part of them? How to consider goals and incentives for employees given this broader perspective? How do you build culture when your workforce is composed by a large percentage of contractors and suppliers? How AI and machine learning technology can now be considered an official part of the workforce in many cases _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode01:07—Introducing Elizabeth + The topic of today's episode2:55—If you really know me, you know that...4:19—What is your definition of strategy?6:44—Why do you think the focus in companies has shifted to more than just financial performance in this era?8:34—Tell us about your journey into researching workforce ecosystems.11:27—Breaking down the types of employees in a typical organization12:17—A new definition of a workforce15:13—How do goals change within an organization that has varying types of employees?17:20—Could you talk to us about the most important implications or adjustments that need to be made in light of this changing workforce ecosystem?20:54—What is the role of technologies in our workforce as they become a big part of our production?23:20—How does organizational culture fit into all of this?25:32—What are some other big implications in leadership as workforces change?27:18—How is the structure and processes around workforces changing?29:56—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Manning School of Business Faculty Page: https://www.uml.edu/msb/faculty/altman-elizabeth.aspxNewest Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047777/workforce-ecosystems/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizaltmanTwitter: https://twitter.com/lizaltman

Thales Teixeira the co-founder of digital disruption consultancy Decoupling (Decoupling.co), and previously the Lumry Family Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where he taught for 10 years. There he has taught MBA, doctoral and executive-level courses in Marketing Models, Digital Marketing and E-commerce. His two primary domains of research constitute Digital Disruption and The Economics of Attention. He is the author of dozens of articles published in trade press outlets such as The Harvard Business Review, The McKinsey Quarterly, Think with Google, and in academic journals such as Marketing Science, JMR, JM, and JAR. His research and opinions have been routinely featured in The NY Times, The Financial Times, among others. In his most recent book, Unlocking the Customer Value Chain: How Decoupling Drives Consumer Disruption, he dives into his concept of decoupling—the idea that what drives disruption is not technology or new innovations, but the ability to identify and create solutions in the links along the customer value chain. We dig into this concept in its implications in this episode, including: In this episode, he shares:His definition of the customer value chain —and where it really starts and ends, contrary to what we traditionally have thought How disruption is not as much about competitors as it is about understanding the customers' point of view How startups often create disruption by learning how to target weaknesses in the customer value chain neglected by incumbent organizations And how incumbent organizations can stay competitive by beating others to disrupting their own value chain—even those not heavily invested in technology _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:52—Introducing Thales + The topic of today's episode2:41—If you really know me, you know that...2:29—What is your definition of strategy?6:55—Could you share your definition of disruption with us?8:09—Could you explain how your work led you to one of your most central principles of decoupling?12:03—What exactly constitutes the customer value chain, and how is it different than the customer journey?14:24—Could you share an example of a company that has decoupled and disrupted a customer value chain?16:27—Could we dive into how Best Buy effectively decoupled their service offering?18:05—How did Airbnb target a narrow type of customer in a value chain to start their business?22:30—What should an incumbent do in these decoupling instances, and what do they get wrong?26:23—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?24:23—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Decoupling United Company Page: https://www.decoupling.co/aboutNewest Book: https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Customer-Value-Chain-Decoupling-ebook/dp/B07D6BD87K?ref_=ast_author_mpbLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thales-teixeira-391587Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThalesHBS

Marc Beckman is the Co-Founder and CEO of DMA United, the award-winning advertising agency positioned at the center of style and design. His philosophy concentrates on building equity at the intersection of content and commerce. In fact, Marc has designed and implemented creative campaigns for countless individuals and corporations within DMA United's polycultural platform, including venerable brands such as NBA, Pepsi, Sony, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Nelson Mandela, Gucci, and MoMA. Marc embraces new technology and trends to augment marketing platforms and communications tactics. To date, he has leveraged blockchain technology to launch platforms for over sixty brands; and has created seven marketplaces in Web3 for clients. Mr. Beckman's cross-sector blockchain approach includes programs in luxury, fashion, government, technology, academics, philanthropy, and beauty. He is the author of The Comprehensive Guide: NFTs, Digital Artwork, Blockchain Technology. The book has received many accolades, including receiving best-seller status, and inclusion on JP Morgan's Reading List.Marc is New York University's Metaverse Senior Fellow, an Adjunct Professor in Marketing, and Chairman of Stern's Luxury & Fashion Council. Further, Marc is developing legal policy and best practices for Web3 and other emerging technologies as Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association's Web3 Task Force. In this episode, he shares:Real-world Insights from a marketing agency at the forefront of the digital revolution on how to leverage and pull your brand into the new digital era The essential things you need to know about Web3, the metaverse and the digital space to take advantage of the new opportunities afforded by them How to use the perception of value of digital assets to create new revenue streams without cannibalizing your legacy streams The new opportunities to co-create with third parties in the digital space—or create a microverse of your own for your brand What brands can do—and examples of what they are already doing—to revamp their brand loyalty programs with these new technologies _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode01:09—Introducing Marc + The topic of today's episode3:20—If you really know me, you know that...4:33—What is your definition of strategy?5:43—You came into your role from a legal background—can you explain this pathway?7:15—Can you give us a sense of what your agency does, and how technology is a fundamental role of this?10:12—Could you define what the metaverse is for you and your agency?12:16—Could you talk us through how these new opportunities offer the chance to revamp brand loyalty programs?15:27—How do you believe the perception of digital assets varies from generation to generation?18:58—Could you talk to us about Travis Scott and his revenue-generating digital concert?20:52—Could you tell us about the difference between decentralized, on-chain/off-chain verticals?22:29—Should companies be worrying about getting into these digital opportunities now, or are they already behind if they are not?24:23—How can people follow you and connect with you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: DMA United Company Page: https://adobe.ly/39UWLYVIMD Faculty Page: https://www.imd.org/faculty/professors/mohan-subramaniam/Newest Book: https://www.amazon.com/author/beckmanPersonal Page: https://indd.adobe.com/view/8480e6ff-4733-438a-be3d-89b3ee52e929Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbeckman/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcBeckman

Linda Yates is the founder and CEO of Mach49, the growth incubator for global businesses with clients including Goodyear, Gundersen Health, Hitachi, Intel, Pernod Ricard, Schneider Electric, Shell, and many more. She is a seasoned CEO and board member with over thirty years of experience bridging Silicon Valley and the Global 1000, creating global strategy, building companies, and driving innovation for large multinationals worldwide, and the author The Unicorn Within: How Companies Can Create Game-Changing Ventures at Startup Speed. She is a seasoned CEO and board member with over thirty years of experience bridging Silicon Valley and the Global 1000. With her firsthand e experience in one largest geographic incubators of unicorns in the world—Silicon Valley—Linda has fine-tuned a proven framework for building and sustaining corporate ventures. As heard in the highlight clip, Linda believes that incumbent enterprises CAN unlock their innovative capabilities. Contrary to commonly held dogma of large, established companies as being stagnant, and slow, the reality is that it is these large companies have many advantages to launch transformative projects that start-ups can only dream of. In this episode, she shares: Why your company needs to learn to pivot and adapt strategy to execution asap or risk becoming part of the 88% of companies that won't survive next decadesThe four pillars needed to jumpstart your company's growth engine How to overcome the reticence many companies have of allocating funding toward risky new ventures How to ensure your organization is ready to successfully accelerate and scale opportunities—and make these stages fail-proof while doing so. _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:46—Introducing Linda + The topic of today's episode2:48—If you really know me, you know that...3:49—What is your definition of strategy, and what got you interested in it?8:29—What are your thoughts on the idea that incumbent companies are too slow, too archaic?9:00—Could you talk us through the four pillars that companies need to build their growth engines?12:15—How do you overcome the reticence of companies to invest in new riskier investments and be willing to invest in new ventures?13:20—Could you lead us through how to really get to the heart of understanding customer pain? 17:50—Could you talk to us about the need to understand customers' perspectives, and what we overlook around this topic?19:55—How do you go about conducting customer development interviews?23:10—Can you lead us through building a portfolio of opportunities in the pipeline?17:09—Do you have any advice to which pathway should a company commit to?29:40—How can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Mach 49 Page: https://www.mach49.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-yates-19550249Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindakyates

Mohan Subramaniam is a Professor of Strategy and Digital Transformation at the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. He focuses on the digital transformation of incumbent industrial firms and new sources of competitive advantage in the digital age. He is a recognized thought leader in digital strategy, and have helped senior executives in several companies find new sources of value and growth for their companies when competing with data within emerging digital ecosystems. He outlines his thinking in his 2022 book The Future of Competitive Strategy: Unleashing the Power of Data and Digital Ecosystems, where he introduces a new paradigm for competitive strategy anchored in data and digital ecosystems and the game-changing role of digital technologies in the modern economy. Legacy firms have for decades anchored their competitive strategy in products and industry characteristics, but these approaches are now becoming outdated. His book therefore explains how legacy firms can harness their existing assets, infrastructure, and traditional strengths to leverage the new and explosive power of data by thoughtfully applying and emulating the best practices of digital titans such as Amazon and Google.His articles regularly appear in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. I have also published articles in several leading academic journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Management, and the Journal of International Business Studies, and my research has been recognized by awards from Strategic Management Society, McKinsey Corporation, the Academy of Management, the Academy of International Business, and the Decision Sciences Institute. In this episode, Mohan shares:Why some of the long-prevailing concepts of competitive strategy, like Michael Porter's industry value chain, industry attractiveness (or five forces), and even the central paradigm of these approaches may have served us well for decades, but are increasingly becoming ineffectiveHow traditional legacy firms can harness their existing assets, infrastructure, and traditional strengths to be even more effective at the digital game than digital native giants like Amazon and Google Why the first step for such incumbent organizations should be to evolve your traditional customers to digital customers Why we should not just be thinking about ecosystems broadly, but about two specific—and different—ecosystems we need to create, and what they areWhy the idea that so many companies have of capturing and owning lots of data misses the point of what it means to win with data, in a world where the shelf-life value of the data you collect is getting shorter and shorter _________________________________________________________________________________________"The big shift in thinking is that we always thought of data as something that supports our product. What I'm saying is that think of products as something that can support your data."_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode01:02—Introducing Mohan + The topic of today's episode2:58—If you really know me, you know that...3:25—What is your definition of strategy?3:36—Could you talk to us about your thesis involving your ideas around Michael Porter's idea of competitive advantage?7:51—Why is competitive advantage less relevant today than it was 40 years ago when it was created?10:50—Can you explain how data has impacted our idea of customers, and how companies should make the transition from traditional customers to digital customers?13:06—Can you give an example of a physical product that is able to create continuous data and not episodic?15:11—Could you explain the differences between two different types of the two types of ecosystems you detail in your book?18:23—Could you explain how value chains have expanded to include complements outside of the traditional service and product offering?21:03—If we were to put production and consumption capabilities into a diagram (like an x and y-axis), how would you explain how the two interact and interplay?24:20—Could you illustrate your point of how products can deliver value outside of what its obvious value with the light bulb story?27:13—How should companies be thinking about the role of data given everything we've talked about today? It has a very short shelf life, so it is about controlling data necessarily?29:25—Closing__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: http://www.professormohan.com/IMD Faculty Page: https://www.imd.org/faculty/professors/mohan-subramaniam/Newest Book: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/david-shrier/basic-metaverse/9781472148131/Linkedin: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/mohan-subramaniam-961986bTwitter: https://twitter.com/Profmohans

Sally Susman is Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. She is also Vice Chair of the Pfizer Foundation. Sally leads engagement with all of Pfizer's external stakeholders, overseeing communications, corporate responsibility, global policy, government relations, investor relations, and patient advocacy. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, she held several senior communications and government relations roles at Estée Lauder Companies and the American Express Company.Through these extensive career experiences, Sally has honed an acute sense of how to navigate the delicate conversation that an organization must perpetually engage in with their stakeholders. And her work and expertise are more needed now than ever. With the growing interest among consumers, investors, and the community in the companies they support doing the right thing, your corporations' success depends, more so than perhaps any time in history, on your ability to strategically approach the complex challenges of when to take stand, what stand to take, and how to authentically community your corporate stance to the world. In this episode, she shares: The 5 questions leaders can ask to determine what discourses they will engage in with the public, especially in this modern era where that channel is never “off' How an organization can work in a collaborative way with their leadership and corporate affairs team to craft a united message that reflects company values The principles to mastering “informal influence”—getting others to be willing to adopt your ideas, as discussed in her most recent book, BREAKING THROUGH: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World Why communications is not a nice-to-have soft skill, but an essential capability that any leader or company must master_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:52—Introducing Sally + The topic of today's episode3:00—If you really know me, you know that...4:14—What is your definition of strategy?4:37—Can you tell us about a document Pfizer has developed called a "purpose blueprint"?6:00—What made you make the career shift from a government to corporate role?7:27—It seems that there is now a more pronounced expectation for corporations to channel their impact in the world, why do you think this is taking place, and why now?9:47—What are some suggestions you can share from the experience of navigating really high-stakes, fast moving moments?12:20—Could you tell us about how Pfizer navigated the Russian/Ukraine crisis?13:45—How does a leadership team approach creating a communication plan so that it's coming from authority? 15:07—Could you talk about the personal story in chapter two of your book regarding approaching difficult moments with courage and candor?17:48—Is there something you've changed your mind about?18:45—Any advice for being effective at using communication for informal influence?22:21—How can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.sallysusman.com/Pfizer Profile Page: https://www.pfizer.com/people/leadership/executives/sally_susmanLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallysusmanBreaking Through book: https://www.sallysusman.com/the-book

David Shrier is a globally-recognized expert on technology-driven change at scale. He is a Professor of Practice, AI & Innovation, with Imperial College Business School, where he is founding faculty of the Centre for Digital Transformation and leads the new Trusted AI initiative. Healso chairs the Research group for the World Metaverse Council. Through his venture studio Visionary Future, David also works extensively with the private sector helping established organizations build innovative capacity, having developed $10 billion of value-creation opportunities with companies such as UBS, Dun & Bradstreet, Kyriba, Ernst & Young, GE and The Walt Disney Company, as well as leading private equity and VC funds. He is CEO of a NYSE-listed company which he led through a 500%-oversubscribed IPO, and advises disruptive technology companies such as Dandelion Science (neurotechnology) and Kaleidoco (metaverse). He is best known for creating and leading the blockchain and fintech classes for MIT and Oxford that expanded access in over 150 countries and revolutionized the business model for higher education online. His efforts resulted in nearly $1 billion of financial support for MIT, Harvard and Oxford. David's government advisory work spans over 100 countries and has influenced policy affecting more than 2.4 billion people. He has published seven books in seven years; his eighth book, Basic Metaverse, is coming out June 8, from Little Brown and Harvard Business Publishing. More information at www.VisionaryFuture.com. In this episode, he shares: His definition of the metaverse in simple terms, and how it goes beyond just virtual reality, as it's often perceived Several real-world examples of how AI and the metaverse are already changing industries, careers and businesses, from architecture to the practice of medicine, among many others The sheer accelerated pace at which newer technologies are being adopted compared to previous groundbreaking technologies in history How technology has shaped the way in which the public and private spheres work together to advance new initiatives and funding around these_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:51—Introducing David + The topic of today's episode2:47—If you really know me, you know that...3:44—What is your definition of strategy?4:47—Could you talk to us about your work at Oxford and MIT around digital technologies?7:51—Could you give us your definition of the metaverse as you would explain it?9:43—How do you see business changing, and how long will these digital transformations be adopted?14:06—What are some of the implications of the adoption of these technologies that people would be surprised by or people get wrong?17:05—What drove you to write your newest book on AI, what was the timing?19:18—What do you think business leaders need to act in light of this fast impending change?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://davidshrier.com/Company Page: https://visionaryfuture.com/Newest Book: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/david-shrier/basic-metaverse/9781472148131/Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-shrierTwitter: https://twitter.com/DavidShrier

Stephanie Woerner, Director and a Research Scientist at MIT's Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is also the co-author, with Peter Weill, of What's Your Digital Business Model? And with Peter Weill and Ina Sebastian, Future Ready: The Four Pathways to Capturing Digital Value. Stephanie studies how companies use technology and data to create more effective business models, as well as how they manage the associated organizational change, governance and strategy implications. She has a passion for measuring hard-to-assess digital factors and linking them to firm performance, and as heard in the highlight clip, helping strategists through the challenges digital transformation brings. In this episode, she shares: What digital transformation is exactly, and the characteristics future-ready companies adopt to enable it The four pathways to digital transformation, and which pathway to pursue based on the stage your company is in What companies who succeeded in digital transformation focus on—and what you can learn from them Why digital transformation often requires a shift to an ecosystem business model and partnerships-based modular production What interviews with hundreds with CIOs revealed is the most important IT-enabled digital transformation initiatives The four explosions that will happen in your company's culture that will enable your company to digitally transform _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:56—Introducing Stephanie + The topic of today's episode2:26—If you really know me, you know that...3:15—What is your definition of strategy?3:51—You focus on digital business models and innovation towards this. Can you tell us about what got you into this space?4:38—Why are digital business models important now as opposed to 10 years ago?6:07—Why does the digital business model require us to deliver more within an ecosystem?8:00—What are the key points that companies who successfully achieve digital transformation focus on? 9:32—What is a digital business transformation?11:04—Could you give us the high-level idea of the digital transformation end states that companies work toward, and the four pathways that lead there?12:27—The first pathway13:34—The second pathway15:49—The third pathway17:09—Do you have any advice to which pathway should a company commit to?18:05—The fourth pathway18:50—Could you talk to us about Bancolombia as a case study in successful digital transformation?20:46—Does a digital transformation require a cultural change?22:21—How can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: MIT Faculty Page: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/stephanie-woernerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-woerner-mitcisrTwitter: https://twitter.com/sl_woerner

Andrew Winston is one of the world's most widely read writers and leading thinkers on sustainable business. His books on sustainability strategy, including Green to Gold and The Big Pivot, have sold more than 150,000 copies in seven languages. Winston has also written cover stories for Harvard Business Review and published hundreds of articles in HBR, MIT Sloan Management Review, and other top publications. He was recently selected for the Thinkers50 Radar 2020, a list of 30 thinkers to watch out for in the coming year. His views on strategy have been sought after by many of the world's leading companies, including 3M, DuPont, HP, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Marriott, PepsiCo, PwC, and Unilever. Andrew has spent much of his career helping business leaders understand how to put sustainability at the forefront of their strategy—which will inevitably affect all industries and companies. In this podcast he shares with us: Why this seemingly impossible ideas of not net zero but net positive is actually feasibleHow the pandemic actually accelerated both interest and willingness to accept the transition to greener global initiatives Why now is a good time to invest in ESG/sustainability initiatives The role of business in society, and why has it changed over time How any company can make a leap or move to adopting sustainable practices—taking UPS as an example, and how all industries will inevitably be affected _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:45—Introducing Andrew + The topic of today's episode2:05—If you really know me, you know that...3:26—What is your definition of strategy?4:48—What got you interested in strategy, and particularly in ESG and sustainability strategy?6:03—Why do companies care about sustainability now where they didn't as much in the past?7:59—Why is ESG and sustainability a smart place to invest right now?11:00—Do you think there is a fundamental mindset shift happening in leadership?13:34—Could you tell us about how UPS adopted sustainable practices in a surprising, yet effective way?15:10—Could you talk about the future of various industries, using agriculture as an example?17:44—Where should strategists start with net positive practices?20:00—How can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://andrewwinston.com/Newest Book, Net Positive: https://netpositive.world/book/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwinston/Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewwinston

Avi Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare and Professor of Marketing at Toronto's Rotman School of Management. He is also Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, a fellow at Behavioral Economics in Action at Rotman, and a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Avi has written extensively on a broad range of topics from marketing, statistics, law, management, medicine, political science, refugee studies, among many others. He has also conducted much deep work in the study of AI and machine learning and how businesses can wield and leverage the predictive capabilities of these technologies.In this podcast, he shares:Point-to-point changes v. the bigger, broader systemic changes that AI may introduceHow AI prediction changes judgement. Until now, most of the exploration of machine learning have been around prediction, but how will things change when AI starts getting good at judgement? The fascinating implications machine learning and AI will have on business decision-making, economics, and competitive advantage _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:44—Introducing Avi+ The topic of today's episode2:21—If you really know me, you know that...2:50—Could you talk about cost of prediction coming on?6:25—Can machine learning surpass human judgment, or where do they have their place?9:30—Could you explain the point-to-point solutions vs. systemic changes?11:40—How does technology change power?14:27—Could you give us an example of the impact of AI-powered predictions in a practical real-life case?17:01—Do you think we have a reason to worry?19:01—How can people continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.avigoldfarb.com/Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/avi-goldfarb-46a7473Twitter: https://twitter.com/avicgoldfarb?lang=en

Nina Mažar is Professor of Marketing at Questrom School of Business at Boston University and author of the book Behavioral Science in the Wild (with Dilip Soman). Nina was the 2019 president of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making and has been named one of "The 40 Most Outstanding B-School Profs Under 40 In The World” (2014). With her focus on behavioral science she examines ways to help individuals and organizations make better decisions and increase societal welfare. Popular accounts of her work have appeared among others on NPR, BBC, Wired, and various NYTimes Bestsellers. Nina is the co-founder of BEworks and former inaugural Senior Behavioral Scientist of the World Bank's behavioral insights team (eMBeD) in Washington, DC. She has served as advisor on boards of various government (e.g, Austria and Canada) and organizations (e.g., Irrational Labs in San Francisco, CA). She holds a Dr. rer. pol. in Marketing from the University of Mainz in Germany. In this podcast, she shares:Fascinating insights from her years of study about how morals, honesty and dishonesty guide our decisions. How an organization can impact a client or customer's decisions at the moment they happen How pricing can be a powerful, and I would say overlooked, lever for affecting customer behavior How to design experiments to understand your customers' underlying motives _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:59—Introducing Nina + The topic of today's episode2:21—If you really know me, you know that...4:33—What is your definition of strategy?5:46—What is an insight you can share when it comes to honesty?8:29—Could you tell us about your work with the Ontario government on projects affecting human behavior?11:03—Can you share an experience where the attempt to influence human behavior backfired?12:42—How do you approach designing a behavioral science experiment as a company?16:14—What do organizations get wrong when they are looking to scale behavioral science and shape behavior?20:00—How can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://ninamazar.com/Thinkers50 Profile: https://thinkers50.com/biographies/nina-mazar/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamazar/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ninamazar

Whether building hyper-growth startups or advising Fortune 500 companies, the Royal Family or the United Nations, Lindsey McInerney has spent her career helping people understand the impact of cutting-edge technologies and adopt them early.An internet nerd and tech futurist, Lindsey has launched multiple projects in the metaverse and web3 space and remains excited about the ways crypto, blockchain, NFTs, and extended reality (XR) will change our digital and physical landscape.As Global Head of Technology and Innovation at AB InBev (Anheuser-Busch), the world's largest brewer, she launched Stella Artois into the metaverse in an explosive partnership with ZED RUN, a crypto horse racing game.One of the first major brand executions in the space, the Cannes Lion award- nominated campaign, put Stella Artois on the map as the first beer brand and FMCG company in the metaverse and was well received by traditional and crypto media alike.McInerney was named to the 2023 ‘Thinkers50 Radar List', a cohort of 30 thinkers whose ideas are predicted to make an important impact on management thinking. She has also been named one of ‘The 30 Most Influential People in the Metaverse', one of ‘The Most Prominent Digital Futurists to Watch Out For in 2022', one of the ‘Top Players of the Metaverse' and an 'Adweek Pride Star class of 2022'.As Founder and CEO of Black Sun Labs, Lindsey works with executives, teams and personalities on their web3 and metaverse strategies. She is also the CEO of Sixth Wall, a technology and entertainment company co-founded with actor/producer Mila Kunis and producer Lisa Sterbakov.In this podcast, she shares:How important it is to learn to pivot in the ever-changing digital landscapeWhat the Metaverse, NFTs, Augmented Reality and Virtual reality all are in simple terms—and where they bring new opportunities to businessesHow any brand can distill the essence of their business to launch into the metaverse and emerging tech space _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:45—Introducing Lindsey + The topic of today's episode2:19—If you really know me, you know that...3:41—What is your definition of strategy?4:47—Could you start off with a simple definition of the metaverse?10:10—Would you say the physical technology of modern devices have an impact on their adoption?14:17—What kind of applications do you see for companies that are in more traditional industrial and infrastructure industries?16:01—How does blockchain or NFTs fit into this bigger picture?20:05—How do you transfer a brand and its essence to the metaverse?23:06—How should a company structure their team to move into this new space of technology?25:56—How can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Thinkers50 Profile: https://thinkers50.com/biographies/lindsey-mcinerney/Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lindseymcinerneyTwitter:https://twitter.com/themcinerney?lang=en

David Rogers is one of the world's leading expert on digital transformation, a member of the faculty at Columbia Business School, and the author of five books. His landmark bestseller, The Digital Transformation Playbook, was the first book on digital transformation and put the topic on the map. David defined the discipline by arguing that digital transformation (DX) is not about technology; it is about strategy, leadership, and new ways of thinking. In his newest book, The Digital Transformation Roadmap, he tackles the biggest barriers to DX success and offers a blueprint to rebuild any organization for continuous digital change. David has helped shape the way companies around the world transform their business for the digital age, working with senior leaders at corporations including Google, Microsoft, Citigroup, Visa, HSBC, GE, Toyota, Cartier, Pernod Ricard, China Eastern Airlines, and NC Bank Saudi, among others. He regularly delivers keynotes at conferences on all six continents and has appeared on CNN, ABC News, CNBC, Channel News Asia, and in The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. At Columbia Business School, Rogers is faculty director of executive education programs on digital business strategy and on leading digital transformation, having taught over twenty-five thousand executives. In this podcast, he shares:What companies usually get wrong when they pursue a digital transformation The cognitive barriers that most often stop companies from effectively embracing digital transformation Lessons from some really tangible cases from Intel and Disney, to the New York Times, what works and what doesn'tWhy digital technologies ultimately are changing how organizations will organize themselves _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:46—Introducing David + The topic of today's episode3:03—If you really know me, you know that...4:01—What is your definition of strategy?5:50—Can you give us an example of a company that successfully mastered digital transformation?8:20—Can you lay out the five domains that you outline in your book, The Digital Transformation Roadmap?11:05—As we become aware of the cognitive biases we carry, then what are some strategies that companies can think about maybe in customer strategy?14:00—Have you found a framework or tool that you think is particularly good for culture transformation?17:06—Where can people get in touch with you and follow your work?17:30—What's something important you changed your mind about?19:47—How do you get people to support a cultural change and transformation?20:38—How do digital tools help in a cultural transformation?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: davidrogers.digitalLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrogersdigital/Columbia faculty page: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/dlr42

Miklós Dietz is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he leads McKinsey's banking strategy and innovation work globally and is the managing partner of the Vancouver office. Miklos's specialty is in helping financial services companies and other organizations harness digital technology and stay ahead of emerging trends. He is the author of The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders, a compelling and practical books I've read on this shift strategists have been tracking now for a decade of the erasing of barriers and growing cross-section competition .He is the founder and chair of the Panorama research group and the Ecosystem Hub, and has served over 450 clients in 40+ countries across multiple industries. Prior to joining McKinsey, he worked at Merrill Lynch and Reuters. Miklós is a certified financial analyst, a member of the CFA Institute, and a founding member of the Hungarian Society of Investment Professionals.In this podcast, he shares:Why now? We've been talking about the erosion of industries boundaries for years now, but Miklos offers the economic and technological reasons why we are about to step into a new era of ecosystem-based competition.A picture of what this future would be like when the 88 sectors of the global economy reconfigure into a smaller number of ecosystems.Some very specific strategic exercises and steps you can act on right now to move position your organization to thrive in emerging ecosystem economy._________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:51—Introducing Miklos + The topic of today's episode2:51—If you really know me, you know that...4:15—What is your definition of strategy?5:15—What is the argument for 'why now'? Why is this the time from an economic perspective for a shift to ecosystems?9:55—What do you think is the future of data?11:27—How many sectors are there now, and if they reconfigure into ecosystems, can you give us an example of what that looks like?14:38—If a company wants to start building capabilities to work within an ecosystem rather than a sector—where do they start?18:23—Does migrating an ecosystem economy reduce startup costs and risk for experimentation?20:12—Do you have any last advice on how companies can start migrating into an ecosystem economy?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/miklos-dietzLinkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/miklosdietz

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is an international authority in people analytics, talent management, leadership development, and the Human-AI interface. He is the Chief Innovation Officer at Manpower Group, co-founder of Deeper Signals and Metaprofiling, and Professor of Business Psychology at both University College London, and Columbia University. He has previously held academic positions at New York University and the London School of Economics, and lectured at Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School, London Business School, Johns Hopkins, IMD, and INSEAD, as well as being the CEO at Hogan Assessment Systems. Tomas has published 10 books and over 200 scientific papers, making him one of the most prolific social scientists of his generation. He is a frequent contributor to Fast Company, the Guardian, Forbes, and the Harvard Business Review. His latest book is I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique. In this podcast, he shares:The link between diversity and ROI What many organizations get wrong when identifying talent that has potential How AI and data analytics are going to change how organizations in the future select, develop, and manage talent _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode00:51—Introducing Tomas + The topic of today's episode2:20—If you really know me, you know that...3:02—How would you tie the win of the recent Argentina world cup win to what you know of talent and leadership training?5:05—What can we learn about identifying talent from soccer?7:16—What is the difference between a manager and a leader?10:33—What do people look at when trying to determine talent early on?15:10—What is the right mechanism for spotting the right talent decisions?12:12—What do you think is the link between diversity and organizational success?21:26—How can people learn from you and connect with you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://drtomas.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtomaschamorroTwitter: twitter.com/drtcp

Lele Sang is Globe Fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and coauthor (with Professor Karl Ulrich) of Winning in China: 8 Stories of Success and Failure in the World's Largest Economy (Wharton School Press, 2021). She is also a contributor to Harvard Business Review and writes about international business. A formal journalist and editor, She has interviewed world leaders from prime ministers to Fortune 500 company CEOs. In addition to journalism, she had stints at startups and multinational corporations as a marketer in both the United States and China. Lele was a visiting scholar at the University of California - Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. She holds an MPA degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In this podcast, she shares:Several counter-intuitive lessons from the successes and failures of companies like Amazon, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Intel Three conditions necessary to compete in ChinaWhat competitive advantages may not work in China though it works in your market Five key managerial decisions when competing in China_________________________________________________________________________________________"One characteristic of the Chinese market is consumers are open-minded, they always want to try new products and new services. So that actually provides an opportunity for global companies to create demand for their offerings."-Lele Sang_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Short preview of Lele's episode00:48—Introducing Lele + The topic of today's episode2:04—If you really know me, you know that...4:09—What is your definition of strategy?5:04—Can you tell us how you went from being a journalist to where you are now?5:58—Can you explain what caused you to expand the focus of your book from being about the failure of tech companies entering China, to a broader focus?6:20—Can you give us an example of how competing in China is different than other markets?8:18—Can you give us examples of companies that successfully did enter the Chinese market, and what we can learn from them?10:41—What do you think we have to learn about Amazon's attempt to enter the Chinese market, which wasn't the most successful?12:49—What do you find that people most get wrong that doesn't work in the China context?14:00—You talk about five key managerial decisions you have to make to compete in China—can you brief us on those?16:16—How can people connect and learn from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.lelesang.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelesangWharton Faculty Page: https://wsp.wharton.upenn.edu/book_author/lele-sang/

Tom Davenport is the President's Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College. He is also a Visiting Professor at Oxford's Said Business School, a Fellow of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and a Senior Advisor to Deloitte's AI practice. He is a widely published author and speaker on the topics of AI, analytics, information and knowledge management, reengineering, enterprise systems, and electronic business. Tom has written, co-authored, or edited 23 books, including the first books on business analytics, enterprise AI, business process reengineering, knowledge management, attention management, and enterprise systems. He recently published “Working with AI,” and “Advanced Introduction to AI in Healthcare.” And just published “All in on AI: How smart companies win big with artificial intelligence” He has written over 300 articles for such publications as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, California Management Review, the Financial Times, and many other publications, and has been a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Information Week, and CIO. He has been named one of the world's top 25 consultants by Consulting magazine, one of the 100 most influential people in the IT industry by Ziff-Davis magazines, and one of the top 50 business school professors by Fortune magazine. In this podcast, he shares:Operational transformation to maximize the use of AINew products and services made capable by AIUsing AI to change customer behavior 5 levels of analytics organization _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:17—Introducing Tom + The topic of today's episode3:25—If you really know me, you know that...4:59—What is your definition of strategy?6:00—How does competitive advantage change with the adoption and evolution of AI?7:13—What are the different ways in which companies are thinking about using AI?10:15—Could you elaborate on the idea that you don't have to be a digital-first company to be an AI-fueled one?11:17—What advice do you have for overcoming barriers to implementing AI?13:04—Do you have any lessons form companies that were able to make a successful cultural shift to AI?15:11—Could you talk about the different levels of tech or data maturity that companies fit into?18:10—Where do the teams that work on AI sit within a company?19:33—Is there a particular model or framework that you found particularly helpful that you'd like to share with us?21:26—How can people learn from you and connect with you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.tomdavenport.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davenporttomTwitter: https://twitter.com/tdav

Tony O' Driscoll is a Professor, Research Fellow and Academic Director at Duke University. His central message emphasizes that the key digital-age differentiator is not technology, but people. Tony is the co-author of the new release, Everyday Superhero: How You Can Inspire Everyone and Create Real Change at Work. His role as adjunct professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Pratt School of Engineering afford him the unique opportunity to apply cutting-edge academic research to increasingly complex business challenges. He has spent the bulk of his professional and academic career at the nexus of business, innovation, technology, change, and learning, creating and implementing strategies that enable organizations to realize the full potential of their most valuable asset: human beings. There are few people in the world who have thought as deeply about the interface of technology and human organizations and imagined what the future models might be for how organizations will evolve than Tony. In this podcast, he shares:Why AI is going to transform the way we organize in ways we have never experienced in history The key reasons why strategy execution fails and some tips for addressing them Why attempts at organizational and digital transformation so often create resistance and how you can help mitigate that response_________________________________________________________________________________________"I started to realize at the end of the day, organizations are nothing without humans. The humans literally breathe life into every organization on this planet. And if they don't understand the why behind something or as they disagree with the premises or assumptions upon which any strategy has been formulated, you're going to have a really hard time. It'll be executed in the wrong way; it'll be killed rather than done. And that's where I became really interested in the human part of the system."-Tony O'Driscoll_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Short preview of Tony's episode00:58—Introducing Tony + The topic of today's episode2:37—If you really know me, you know that...3:55—What's the difference between productive learning vs. creative learning?5:10—How AI has changed the new capabilities to change the human-machine interface7:13—Why is this level of technological revolution with AI and machine learning happening now, and how is it different, and how can we learn what will unfold?10:15—Why do 60-70 percent of strategies fail?11:39—Why humans are at the center of systems and technology12:53—What should strategists be thinking about human-centered transformation?15:48—How do you build accountability alongside trust?19:00—Could you explain how we are shifting paradigms as a global culture?20:39—How can people connect and learn from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: http://tonyodriscoll.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-o-driscoll-5bb46b5Twitter https://twitter.com/Compleximple1Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZxzoSCU9ZdSE5UwcIGxuw

John Mullins is an Associate Professor of Management Practice at the London Business School. He earned his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. An award-winning teacher and scholar and one of the world's foremost thought leaders in entrepreneurship, John brings to his teaching and research 20 years of executive experience in high-growth retailing firms, including two ventures he founded and one he took public. Since becoming an entrepreneurship professor in 1992, John has published five books, dozens of cases and more than 50 articles in a variety of outlets, including Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, and The Wall Street Journal. His research has won national and international awards, and he is a frequent and sought-after speaker and educator for audiences in entrepreneurship and venture capital. John has authored and co-authored three widely-recognized books: The New Business Road Test: What Entrepreneurs and Executives Should Do Before Launching a Lean Start-Up, Getting to Plan B: Breaking Through to a Better Business Model, and The Customer-Funded Business: Start, Finance or Grow Your Company with Your Customers' Cash. John's newest book, Break the Rules! The Six Counter-Conventional Mindsets of Entrepreneurs That Can Help Anyone Change the World (released January 2023), identifies what makes entrepreneurs “entrepreneurial” and provides a road-map for how anyone can adopt and master these mindsets to challenge assumptions, overcome obstacles, and mitigate risk. John has done executive education on five continents for a variety of organizations both large and small, including the Young Presidents' Organization, Endeavor, the Entrepreneurs' Organization, Kenya Airways, Merck-Serono, 3M, among many others. He has served on the boards of fast-growing entrepreneurial companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia. You can also listen to John on the From Founder to CEO podcast at London Business School. In this podcast, he shares:Why it's better to get customer funding than venture funding or getting your company to fund the new business Five ways to get customers to fund your business Six mindsets of successful entrepreneurs: _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing John + The topic of today's episode2:34—If you really know me, you know that...3:41—What is your definition of strategy?4:00—What drove you to develop your current career path, after your original one?5:26—What was the topic you were known for that propelled you into becoming a London Business School professor?6:51—Could you tell us a little about your book, Getting to Plan B?8:49—Could you tell us about the story that illustrates the points in Getting to Plan B—it's so relevant to entrepreneurs?10:08—Your next book is about next book, The Customer-Funded Business?13:40—You say your most recent book, Break the Rules, is the most important book. Why is that?15:53—Could you describe the six mindsets of entrepreneurs you describe in your most recent book?20:59—Any last thoughts you'd like to leave our listeners with?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: http://www.johnwmullins.com/Latest Book: https://break-the-rules.net/Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/john-mullins-43a416Twitter: https://twitter.com/John_W_Mullins

Efosa Ojomo is the Director of the Global Prosperity research group at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, an innovation-focused think tank based in Boston. Efosa is also on the faculty of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management where he teaches the course, Entrepreneurship and Market Creation in Emerging Markets. Efosa was selected as one of 30 thinkers in the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar list. He researches and writes about how innovation can transform organizations and create inclusive prosperity for many. In January, 2019, alongside the late Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christensen, he published the book, The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation can Lift Nations Out of Poverty. Christensen was the world's foremost thinker on Disruptive Innovation and was a mentor to Efosa Ojomo. Over the past several years, his work has been published and covered by the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, The Guardian, Quartz, Forbes, Fortune, The World Bank, NPR, and several other media outlets. He speaks and consults often on how organizations can develop a culture that fosters market-creating innovations, and has presented his work at TED, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the World Bank, Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and at several other conferences and institutions. His TED Talk on Innovation and Corruption has garnered over 2 million views. Efosa graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in computer engineering and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. In this podcast, he shares:Why the big opportunity of metaverse is not on the all the B2C marketing side that we tend to talk about The number one future trend that keeps her up at nightWhat competencies will be necessary in the future of AI_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Efosa + The topic of today's episode2:27—If you really know me, you know that...3:08—What is your definition of strategy?5:55—How did working with Clayton Christensen impact your career?7:33—Can you talk about disruption theory in the context of prosperity, as you developed it?10:31—Could you describe the three types of innovation?15:55—What are the reasons—that we can address—to unlock non-consumption?19:38—How can people connect with you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: http://efosaojomo.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/efosa-ojomo-95b74710Twitter: https://twitter.com/EfosaOjomo

Erica Orange is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world's leading futurist consulting firms. She evaluates emerging social, technological, economic, political, demographic and environmental trends—and identifies the strategic implications (the “So what?”) of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and public sector clients. Erica's ability to identify patterns, think critically and analytically, and translate that into actionable strategies is what has made her an invaluable asset to clients. Erica frequently speaks to a wide range of global audiences about the macro trends that are shaping and impacting today's landscape. She has spoken at TEDx and keynoted over a hundred conferences around the world, including across Europe, Latin America, and Asia. She has authored numerous articles and industry white papers on a variety of future-focused topics, and has been featured in news outlets including NPR, Time, Inc, Yahoo Singapore, WWD, Bloomberg, and CBS This Morning. In 2020, she was named by Forbes as one of the world's 50 Top Female Futurists. In this podcast, she shares:Why the big opportunity of metaverse is not on the all the B2C marketing side that we tend to talk about The number one future trend that keeps her up at nightWhat competencies will be necessary in the future of AI__________________________________________________________________________________________" "-Erica Orange_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Erica + The topic of today's episode2:17—If you really know me, you know that...2:55—What is your definition of strategy?4:59—How did you become a futurist?6:59—For the individual what does it look like to think about these trends and extrapolate?8:20—Could you elaborate on the trends you've seen in artificial intelligence, and what we should be thinking about?12:08—What are the implications for AI in terms of what it will affect, e.g. hiring, training...14:57—What keeps you up at night?18:35—Could we dig into the concept of "digital twins"?21:50—How do we balance reaching too far in the future with what's immediately possible?22:59—How do you get companies ready for the permutations of the future?25:46—Where can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://thefuturehunters.com/speaking-engagements/erica-orange/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericaorangeTwitter: https://twitter.com/erorange

Dr. Simone Ahuja is the founder of Blood Orange, a global innovation and strategy firm headquartered in Minneapolis, USA. She is co-author of the international bestseller, Jugaad Innovation, called “the most comprehensive book yet on the subject” on frugal innovation by the Economist. This practical innovation playbook makes clear how and why leaders must support the passionate and purpose-driven “intrapreneurs” inside their organizations to drive innovation and achieve sustainable growth. Dr. Ahuja has served as an advisor to MIT's Practical Impact Alliance and Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. She provides innovation and strategy advisory and consulting services to organizations including 3M, UnitedHealth Group, Procter & Gamble, Target Corp, Stanley Black & Decker, and the World Economic Forum. Dr. Ahuja is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and a practitioner of improvisational comedy. In this podcast, she shares:Why severe resource constraints often activate intrapreneurship and innovationThree things you need to put in place to unlock greater levels of internal innovationWhy bottom-up innovation is so important to include in your portfolio of innovation approachesThe mindset shift leaders and intrapreneurs should make to unlock greater levels of internal innovation__________________________________________________________________________________________""-Simone Ahuja_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Simone + The topic of today's episode2:05—If you really know me, you know that...3:14—What is your definition of strategy?6:24—Simone's biggest pet peeve6:54—Where do you see the link between strategy and innovation being broken?9:28—Could you talk about your idea of intrapreneurship?11:50—Could you explain the concept of "juugad"?15:06—Can you give us examples of these internal intrapreneurs who practice juugad innovation?18:33—What is something I haven't asked you'd like to talk about?22:02—How do you solve for intrapreneurial experience to encourage their abilities?24:32—Where can people follow you and keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://simoneahuja.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-simone-ahuja-6b93a52/Twitter: https://twitter.com/simoneahuja?lang=en

Alex Budak is a social entrepreneur, faculty member at Berkeley Haas, and the author of Becoming a Changemaker. He teaches, speaks, and writes to help people make a positive impact in their lives, career, communities, and society. At UC Berkeley, Alex created and teaches the transformative course, “Becoming a Changemaker,” and is a Lecturer and Faculty Director for Berkeley Executive Education programs. As a social entrepreneur, he co‐founded StartSomeGood.com, ran Sweden's most prominent social innovation incubator, Reach for Change, and helped Change.org scale globally. He has given talks on leadership, entrepreneurship, and changemaking around the world from Cambodia to Ukraine to the Arctic Circle, and at the White House, UN Agencies, and leading companies. A graduate of UCLA and Georgetown University, Alex loves travel adventures (39 countries and counting), rooting for the underdog, and spending time with his two favorite changemakers: his wife, Rebecca, and their toddler son. In this podcast, he shares:Why leadership is not about power, but rather about embracing "moments of micro-leadership"The three key aspects of being a changemaker—and a formula on how to multiply these aspects to be an effective changemakerSome practical advice on something you can do with your team and organization to help people embrace learning opportunity of taking risk __________________________________________________________________________________________""-Alex Budak_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Alex + The topic of today's episode2:05—If you really know me, you know that...4:12—What is your definition of strategy?4:26—Could you explain your concept of micro-leadership?6:00—How did you create your incubator "start some good," and was it related to micro-leadership?7:17—Why have you dedicated so much of your career to teaching people to become a changemaker?8:32—What are the elements of being a changemaker?10:30—How do you get people to experience failure and take it effectively to learn from?12:54—How can leaders encourage the willingness to fail?14:48—What is a big misconception of leadership or power?17:09—How do you know what kind of change you want to commit to?20:25—Where can people follow you and take the next step in the journey with you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.alexbudak.com/Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/alexbudakTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexbudak

Derek Lidow is unique in having successful careers as CEO of a global publicly traded semiconductor company, a founder and CEO of an innovative and valuable startup, and now as a teacher and scholar of entrepreneurship and innovation. Derek is a professor of the practice at the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education at Princeton University. He is the author of Startup Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas Into Successful Enterprises , Building on Bedrock: What Sam Walton, Walt Disney, and Other Great Self-Made Entrepreneurs Can Teach Us About Building Valuable Companies, and THE ENTREPRENEURS: The Relentless Quest for Value, as well as more than a hundred articles on innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Lidow graduated summa cum laude from Princeton and received a PhD from Stanford as a Hertz Foundation Fellow. In this podcast, he shares:What it really takes to be a successful entrepreneur—and the history of these individualsWhat people often get wrong when they think about entrepreneurshipLessons for you to apply to become a successful entrepreneurThe positive and unexpected negative consequences of entrepreneurship in society__________________________________________________________________________________________""-Derek Lidow_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Derek + The topic of today's episode2:23—If you really know me, you know that...2:54—What is your definition of strategy?3:29—What is your definition of entrepreneurship?5:14—Could you talk about the history of corporations and their structures, and how entrepreneurs fit into that?7:01—How were business people like the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos perceived 4,000 years ago, and who were they?8:15—What would the world look like without entrepreneurs within the business mix?9:39—What are the less desirable impacts of entrepreneurs?11:51—How do we incentivize entrepreneurs to lean toward positive endeavors?14:14—Do you believe there is a shift toward entrepreneurs being focused on societal problems rather than self-interest focuses?15:44—What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur (qualities, characteristics, etc.)?17:16—What is something you'd like to share we haven't covered?17:58—How can people continue to learn from you and follow you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://dereklidow.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dereklidowTwitter: https://twitter.com/DerekLidowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/derek.lidow1

Andrew Binns is managing director and co-founder of Change Logic, a Boston-based strategic advisory firm. He works with CEOs, boards, and senior teams as they lead significant business change. He is the lead author of the new book Corporate Explorer: How Corporations Beat Startups at the Innovation Game and won the best article award 2020 for his article, with Charles O'Reilly in the California Management Review – "Three Stage of Disruptive Innovation."Andy has 25 years of consulting experience as both an external and internal consultant for McKinsey & Co., IBM, and Change Logic. He won an award for his work on the IBM Emerging Business Opportunity program. He is an Executive Fellow at the Center for Future Organization at the Drucker School of Management and a member of the Fast Company Executive Board. In this podcast, he shares:What a corporate explorer is and what it takes to become one What companies often get wrong why trying to unlock innovation Why you should think about the value of weaponizing your humility Why you should't accept a lot of money How to look out for silent killers __________________________________________________________________________________________""-Andrew Binns_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Andrew + The topic of today's episode1:47—If you really know me, you know that...2:44—What do you believe about the idea that things are never perfect, and there is always room for improvement?4:18—What is your definition of strategy?6:13—What are some key elements for a company to grow organically?7:30—How do corporate explorers work with with balancing the core of a company vs. exploring new options?8:47—What are the characteristics of someone who has the ability to do both core and exploring work?11:22—What does a "corporate explorer" look like? Is there a "type"?13:35—Could you talk more on the idea that corporate explorers "weaponize humility"?15:17—What do you think about the idea of "corporate antibodies," the idea that an explorer has to go outside the company to create something new?17:53—What are the first steps to developing a culture of "corporate explorers"?19:02—How can people continue to learn from you and follow you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Corporate Explorer Page: https://www.thecorporateexplorer.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjmbinnsTwitter: https://twitter.com/AJMBinns

As an award-winning and globally recognised leader, executive coach, company director, writer and speaker, Kirstin Ferguson is one of Australia's most prominent leadership experts. Kirstin is also making a global impact, with UK-based Thinkers50 naming her one of the world's top 30 “Thinkers to Watch” and she was shortlisted for the Distinguished Award in Leadership in 2021. Kirstin's career includes over a decade of experience on a range of company boards, including a previous appointment by the Australian Prime Minister as Acting Chair and Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Kirstin currently sits on the boards of two technology companies. Kirstin has previously been the CEO of a global consulting company, a senior executive at a leading corporate law firm, and spent nearly 10 years as an Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. Kirstin's second book, Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership has been described as an “indispensable companion for every leader” and “the book we need right now.” A passionate advocate for women, diversity, and inclusion, Kirstin was responsible for sparking a viral social media campaign called #CelebratingWomen, and is the co-author of award-winning book, Women Kind. Kirstin writes a popular weekly column for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age called Got a Minute? answering the nation's work, leadership, and culture questions. In this podcast, she shares:Why great strategy begins with what she calls reading the roomWhat her research shows are the eight key attributes of an effective leaderWhy being the smartest person in the room can often backfireMany other practical advice for becoming an effective leader__________________________________________________________________________________________""-Kirstin Ferguson_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Kirstin + The topic of today's episode2:20—If you really know me, you know that...3:09—What is your definition of strategy?4:47—What got you interested in strategy?5:40—How can people at every level become leaders?7:06—Could you explain why you titled your new book "the head and heart"?9:16—Could you break down the eight attributes of "head and heart" leaders?11:39—What does it look like to have too much empathy?12:55—What is your perspective on having confidence vs. humility when it comes to strategic decision-making?15:29—Having experienced both military and business realms, how has that shaped your perspective?19:49—How do you help people who don't feel ready to "step up" feel comfortable taking on a leadership role?21:48—What is the importance or cost of good leadership?23:15—How can people continue to learn from you and follow you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://www.kirstinferguson.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstinferguson/Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirstinfergusonHead and Heart website: https://headheartleader.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstinferguson/

Hermann Simon is the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners, today the world's leading price consultancy with 41 offices and 1600 employees. From 1995 to 2009 he served as the CEO and is the firm's Honorary Chairman today. He is an expert in strategy, marketing and pricing and the only German in the “Thinkers50 Hall of Fame” of the most influential management thinkers in the world. In German-speaking countries he has been continuously voted the most influential living management thinker. The magazine Cicero ranks him in the top 100 of the 500 most important intellectuals. Hermann was a professor of business administration and marketing at the Universities of Mainz and Bielefeld (and a visiting professor at Harvard Business School, Stanford, London Business School, INSEAD, Keio University in Tokyo and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology).Hermann has published over 40 books in 30 languages, including world bestsellers on Hidden Champions and Price Management. His most recent books are True Profit! No Company Ever Went Broke from Turning a Profit, and Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and Transformation, both published by Springer Nature, New York. The new book Beating Inflation will be out this fall of 2022. In this podcast, he shares:The number one thing most companies get wrong when setting their pricing strategies How to deal with inflation, and how to know when and by how much to raise your prices How new technologies are opening up the possibility of evolving to new, innovative pricing models that we should be considering today __________________________________________________________________________________________"How does the willingness to pay change for customers [during inflation]? Do you have the pricing power to increase your prices without losing volume and customers?"-Hermann Simon_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Hermann + The topic of today's episode2:12—If you really know me, you know that...2:47—What is your definition of strategy?3:30—What do companies typically get wrong when it comes to pricing?4:35—How do you approach communicating value when you are competing against many other bidders in the same industry?6:09—What is a "hidden champion?"7:05—What do you do when your competitors are behaving irrationally and engage in price wars?8:56—What do companies get wrong when it comes to pricing in an inflationary environment?11:26—How do you know by how much to change prices given a change in input prices during inflation?13:06—Could you explain your term "phantom profits" that helps people understand if they're ahead or behind a wave?14:37—Could you explain any pricing models that come to mind that are emerging that you recommend to clients?17:57—What are your thoughts on transparency in pricing? Is it a growing trend?20:59—There is the question of "fairness" when it comes to pricing (who puts in value vs. how much they extract when many players are involved). What are your thoughts on the topic?24:47—Is there anything we haven't covered that you'd like to address?26:34—How can people continue to learn from you and follow you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://hermannsimon.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhermann/Twitter: https://twitter.com/hermannsimonYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZnVfMkFXvm2GLpy5VsVdtA

Vijay Govindarajan is the Coxe Distinguished Professor at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and is a Faculty Partner in the Silicon Valley incubator Mach 49. He is widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on strategy and innovation. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His most recent best seller is Three Box Solution.His Harvard Business Review articles “Engineering Reverse Innovations” and “Stop the Innovation Wars” won McKinsey Awards for best article published in HBR. His HBR articles “How GE Is Disrupting Itself” and “The CEO's Role in Business Model Reinvention” are HBR all-time top-50 bestsellers. Vijay was named by Thinkers50 as a Top 3 Management Thinker in the world and received the Breakthrough Innovation Award in 2011. Vijay was inducted into Thinkers50 Management Thinkers Hall of Fame and was given the Distinguished Achievement Award for most contributions to the understanding of innovation in 2019. Vijay is the only recipient of Distinguished Achievement Awards in two different categories from Thinkers50. Vijay has worked with CEOs and top management teams in over 40% of the Fortune 500 companies to discuss, challenge, and escalate their thinking about strategy. He has been a keynote speaker in the BusinessWeek CEO Forum, HSM World Business Forum, TED, and World Economic Forum at Davos. Vijay received his doctorate from the Harvard Business School and was awarded the Robert Bowne Prize for the best thesis proposal. He received his MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School. Vijay received his Chartered Accountancy degree in India where he was awarded the President's Gold Medal for obtaining the first rank nationwide.In this podcast, he shares:Three rules companies should follow if they want to both protect their core businesses and build for the future Why it is so critical to erase institutional memoWhat the biggest possibility gap in the world today is—the metaverse—and why Why the metaverse will fundamentally change corporations and everything else__________________________________________________________________________________________"And this why my framework is easy to say, but not easy to do. It is nothing but common sense. But common sense is never common practice because my common sense message is: If you want to achieve your true potential in the year 2030, it's not about what you have to do in the year 2030. Future is now and, therefore, you have a conflicting situation that you have to manage."-Vijay Govindarajan_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Vijay + The topic of today's episode2:37—If you really know me, you know that...4:55—What is your definition of strategy?5:28—Could you explain the "three-box solution"?10:25—Can an organization have both sides of the equation (possibility vs. performance gap) in an organization? How do you balance that?18:24—What role does box two—"stopping"—play?19:33—Could you talk to us on the background and implications of your books The Other Side of Innovation and Beyond the Idea?20:18—You seem to really have your pulse on what enterprises should be concerned with. What are topics we should be thinking about now?21:57—How can people connect with you and follow your work?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vg-govindarajan/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vgovindarajanBooks

Peter G. Klein is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Baylor University's business school, and Faculty Director of Baylor's Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise. He is also Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Management at the Norwegian School of Economics and Carl Menger Research Fellow at the Mises Institute. Peter's research focuses on the links between entrepreneurship, strategy, and organization, with application to innovation, diversification, vertical coordination, health care, and public policy. His work has appeared in numerous top journals from Academy of Management Review, to the Sloan Management Review. Peter's 2012 book Organizing Entrepreneurial Judgment, received the 2014 Best Book Award from the Foundation for Economic Education. His upcoming book Why Managers Matter, being published in October 2022, focuses on how even though the decentralized, “startup” culture has been increasingly popular the last few decades, the creative use of authority and hierarchy helps companies to be more agile and flexible, enabling educated, motivated people and teams to thrive. Peter has also held faculty positions at the University of Missouri's Division of Applied Social Science and Truman School of Public Affairs, the Copenhagen Business School, among other academic posts. He was formerly a Senior Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In this podcast, he shares:Argues why this movement we are seeing toward decentralized organizations—flat hierarchies or no hierarchies—actually are not really flat Gives us a very clear answer to a critical question for anyone designing an organization: when and where is manager authority or centralized authority the better option to more open models What organizations need to do to unlock greater levels of intrapreneurship Why making profits depends on embracing uncertainty_________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Peter + The topic of today's episode2:22—What is your definition of strategy?3:41—What got you interested in strategy?5:04—Could you elaborate on your idea of "without uncertainty there would be no profits"?7:15—Do you think some companies are more equipped to take on risk than others?10:25—Are organizational structures becoming "flatter" or more layered, and why now?14:54—If the role of the manager changes to org design and directing, does strategy change and does leadership in essence change?17:50—Where do we expect to see hierarchy vs. non-hierarchy structures?23:18—How can people connect with you and follow your work?__________________________________________________________________________________________"The role of the manager is to design, implement, and force the organizational rules of the game. In other words, you're not playing the game for people, you're not making everyone's decision for him or for her, but rather you're putting people in the right places where they can use their abilities, and their human capital if you like."-Peter G. Klein__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://sites.baylor.edu/peter_klein/Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/petergkleinTwitter: https://twitter.com/petergkleinNewest Book

Julia Boorstin is the author of recently released book, When Women Lead. CNBC's Senior Media & Tech Correspondent and has been an on-air reporter for the network since 2006. She also plays a central role on CNBC's bicoastal tech-focused program “TechCheck” delivering reporting, analysis, and CEO interviews with a focus on social media and the intersection of media and technology. In 2013, Julia created and launched the CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list she oversees, highlighting private companies transforming the economy and challenging companies in established industries. She also helped launch the network's ‘Closing the Gap' initiative covering the people and companies closing gender and diversity gaps. A graduate of Princeton University, she has been a reporter for Fortune magazine, as well as a contributor to CNN and CNN Headline News. She was also an intern for Vice President Gore's domestic policy office. In this podcast, she shares:Key lessons from over 60 women CEOs and 300 research articles related to women and leadership Why we see so few women in leadership positions today (hint: a psychological concept called “pattern matching” has a lot to do with it)What unique leadership traits women leaders can bring to your strategy and company, and why they are so important, especially today _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Julia + The topic of today's episode1:59—If you really know me, you know that...5:06—What is your definition of strategy?6:32—You talk about listening to diverse opinions. How do women bring this to leadership?8:55—Can you talk about the unique leadership approaches by women?12:22—Can you explain what the psychological term "pattern matching" means?14:36—What are some other leadership trips we haven't discussed yet that women bring to the workplace?16:16—Could you describe empathy in your own words?19:40—Of all the strategic advice you've gotten, what has really stuck with you?20:38—What is something we haven't covered you'd like to share?21:25—What is your suggestion for where to start for people dealing with these double standards?23:41—How can people connect with you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal Page: https://juliaboorstin.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaboorstin/Newest Book: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1982168218Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBoorstin

A research fellow with MIT Sloan School's Initiative on the Digital Economy, Michael Schrage's research, writing and advisory work focuses on the ‘behavioral economics' of models, prototypes and metrics as strategic resources for managing ‘innovation risk' and opportunity. He is author of award-winning The Innovator's Hypothesis [MIT Press 2014], Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become? [Harvard Business Review Press 2012] and Serious Play [Harvard Business Review Press 2000]. His most recent MIT Press book, Recommendation Engines, was published Fall 2020 as part of its "Essential Knowledge" series. He runs design workshops and executive education programs on innovation, experimentation and 'strategic measurement' for global organizations. Currently pioneering work in ‘selvesware' technologies—he coined the word—Schrage's design research looks to augment aspects, attributes and talents of productive individuals. Ongoing research efforts also examine the interplay of 'network effects'-driven innovation, such as recommender systems, and human capital creation for the enterprise. His work exploring the future of KPIs, digital ‘performance management' dashboards and machine learning - in collaboration with Google, McKinsey, Deloitte and the Sloan Management Review – builds on that theme, i.e. what happens when 'essential metrics' become 'software agents.' He is particularly interested in the future co-evolution of ‘expertise,' ‘advice' and human ‘agency' as technologies become ‘smarter' than the people using them. In this podcast, he shares: How human-machine collaboration may evolve Why we should be asking, “What customer do we serve?” or even, “What problem do we want to solve?” but more importantly, “Who do we want our customer to become?” A powerful, simple, approach to activating greater innovation and experimentation throughout your organization __________________________________________________________________________________________"What kind of selves do our innovations, our products, our services, our user experiences, our customer experiences, our client experiences, facilitate, enable and empower?-Michael Schrage__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Mark+ The topic of today's episode1:59—If you really know me, you know that...3:09—What is your definition of strategy?3:45—What is a 5x5 experiment?6:48—You look at AI and predictability, how does it change the 80/20 strategy that so many strategists abide by?10:00—You wrote a book on the concept of what a customer becomes. Could you explain what you mean by this?12:23—Could you talk to us about the idea of how we all have multiple selves, and how as a strategist that plays a part?15:47—Do people follow algorithmic recommendations, and what happens with algorithms becomes smarter than us?18:16—Do you think these machines we've been talking about help us become better selves?20:12—How can people connect and follow you to keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Exp_Mark?s=20&t=DuBbgLTaYk4K7Pw21BJiYQLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markespositoUpcoming Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047937/

Bruce Usher is professor of professional practice and the Faculty Director of the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School. He teaches on the intersection of finance, social and environmental issues, and is a recipient of the Singhvi Prize for Scholarship in the Classroom, the Lear Award, and the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2019, Bruce published Renewable Energy: A Primer for the Twenty-First Century, the first in the Earth Institute's sustainability series of books. His latest book is Investing in the Era of Climate Change. Bruce has written numerous cases for use in business school courses, with a primary focus on climate change and business. Prior to joining Columbia University, Bruce was CEO of EcoSecurities Group plc, which developed greenhouse gas emission reduction projects in developing countries. EcoSecurities completed an IPO in 2005 and was acquired by JPMorgan in 2009. He was previously the co-founder and CEO of TreasuryConnect, which provided electronic trading solutions to banks and was acquired in 2001. Prior to that, he worked in financial services for twelve years in New York and Tokyo. He is an active investor and advisor to entrepreneurial ventures focused on climate change and clean energy, and is Chair of the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures. In this podcast, he shares:Why—and how—a climate catastrophe can be avoided, and why investors and business play a central role to avoiding it Which of the remarkable advances in energy technology forward-looking investors and people pouring money into it are likely to have the greatest impact Why clean energy is about to become remarkably inexpensive and what the implications might be for businesses and industries around the world _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Bruce + The topic of today's episode2:23—If you really know me, you know that...3:43—What is your definition of strategy?4:15—What got you interested in strategy?4:58—What was your main motivation to use capitalism to solve social and environmental problems?6:50—How can this recent capitalistic interest "doing good" help us deal with climate change, and why now?8:30—Just to clarify, when we talk about climate change, is it inevitable or is it preventable?10:12—Could you give us examples of some of your favorite inventions or technologies 12:35—Expanding on your last point, some countries are already moving toward a hydrogen-based energy plan. Could you tell us about this?13:50—What should I be thinking about climate change in terms of its impact on business?15:44—What do most people get wrong about everything we've talked about in this podcast?17:08—How can people connect with you and your work; what's the next step?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Columbia Faculty Page: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/bmu2001Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-usher-b8b13219Newest Book: https://www.amazon.com/Investing-Climate-Change-Professor-Bruce/dp/0231200889

Dr. Mark Esposito is recognized internationally as a top global thought leader in matters relating to The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the changes and opportunities that new technology will bring to a variety of industries. He is Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer at Nexus FrontierTech, an AI scale-up venture and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Strategic Foresight Board for the Circular Economy Alliance, an EdTech venture. He was recognized in 2016 by Thinkers50 as one of the 30 most prominent rising business thinkers in the world. He is a global expert of the World Economic Forum, an advisor to national governments and a Distinguished Fellow in the UNESCO Chair in Future Literacy of Finance. He is currently advisor for the Prime Minister Office in the UAE. He serves as Senior Advisor to the Ideation Center of Strategy& at PwC. He is Professor of Business and Economics at Hult International Business School and at Harvard University's Division of Continuing Education. He has authored/co-authored over 150 publications peer and non-peer reviewed, 12 books, among which two Amazon bestsellers: Understanding how the Future Unfolds and The AI Republic. His latest book is: The Emerging Economies under the Dome of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with Dr. Amit Kapoor for Cambridge University Press and his next one is The Great Remobilization: Designing A Smarter World with Dr. Olaf Groth and Dr. Terence Tse. He holds a Doctoral Degree in Business and Economics from Ecole des Ponts Paris Tech, one of France's most prestigious Grande Ecole. In this podcast, he shares: Why the fourth industrial revolution is proving to be different from past industrial revolutions The potential good (and not so good) future implication of AI to business and society Which types of jobs AI will replace and which will not be effected and, more broadly, how AI and other technologies may shape the future of work __________________________________________________________________________________________""-Mark Esposito__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Mark+ The topic of today's episode3:00—If you really know me, you know that...3:52—What is your definition of strategy?6:49—Can you describe your drive framework?9:04—What are the key technologies that compose the fourth industrial revolution?10:38—You talk about how technologies are adopted at quicker rates, but also how there are different aspects. Could you talk about that?13:22—Could you talk about how technology is influenced by humans, not necessarily replacing them?14:00—Could you talk about how technology is now enabling less-known opinions to be amplified and influence many people?15:37—Where do you think jobs will be replaced vs. augmented by technology?20:10—It seems based on what you're saying some people will join the creative work force, while others won't and potentially get left behind. What are the implications of that?23:22—How can people connect and follow you to keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Exp_Mark?s=20&t=DuBbgLTaYk4K7Pw21BJiYQLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markespositoUpcoming Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047937/

Venkat Ramaswamy is Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. He is a globally-recognized thought leader, idea practitioner, and eclectic scholar with wide-ranging interests in innovation, strategy, marketing, branding, IT, operations, and the human side of the organization. Venkat's award-winning book in 2004, The Future of Competition, co-authored with the late C.K.Prahalad, introduced Co-Creation as a revolutionary concept. It provided a new frame of reference for jointly creating value through experienced environments and called for a process of co-creation—the practice of developing offerings through ongoing collaboration with customers, employees, managers, financiers, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders. Their articles, the popular 2000 Harvard Business Review article “Co-opting Customer Competence” and the 2003 MIT-PwC award-winning Sloan Management Review article “The New Frontier of Experience Innovation” envisioned an individual and experience-centric view of interactive value creation and innovation. Venkat's 2010 book, The Power of Co-Creation (with F. Gouillart) showed how enterprises in over twenty industry sectors were all leveraging platforms to create new interactions with people everywhere in the system and how new forms of value could be created together with individuals through a focus on human experiences. Venkat is currently working on co-creating systemic transformation and positive impact on wellbeing-wealth-welfare, through platforms in digitalized societal ecosystems that afford the enactment of interactional creation by engaging and organizing actors (across the plural, private, and public sectors).In this podcast, he shares: How digital technologies including IoT, edge computing, and AI are forcing us to fundamentally re-conceptualize strategy Why we should be thinking of experiences—rather than products and experiencers—instead of customers What it take to flip the mind-set of yourself your leadership, and your company to be ready for the future of competition __________________________________________________________________________________________""-Venkat Ramaswamy__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Venkat + The topic of today's episode2:54—If you really know me, you know that...3:55—What is your definition of strategy?5:00—How is the idea of value being re-created, and how does that relate to strategy?8:03—Do you believe it is now easier to coordinate multiple services to deliver a composite experience, and why is that?11:00—How do you balance the many facets of how the "experiencers" are shifting their expectations of services and products, and how ecosystems are changing the value delivery?13:15—Could you explain what the mental shift we need to make in imagining a value chain is, and why is it happening now?15:27—How do you think the pandemic accelerated accepting the technological changes and innovations happening?20:21—Could you tell us your definition of co-creation?21:15—What is the cognitive leap that we need to make, and how can a CSO help leadership make that transition?22:54—What are your thoughts on people shifting their mindset through this big fundamental mind-shift of creating value through ecosystems and interactions?26:00—How can people connect with you and keep learning from you?26:23—What are the downsides to the shifts we've been talking about, especially in relation to the new risks they bring?24:13—How can people connect and follow you to keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: http://www.venkatramaswamy.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/prof_venkatLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkat-ramaswamy-ba522810

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, a New York Times #1 bestselling author, has written or edited 47 books which have sold over 3 million copies, been translated into 32 languages, and become listed bestsellers in 12 countries. Amazon recently recognized the ‘100 Best Leadership & Success Books Ever Written,' and included Marshall's Triggers and What Got You Here Won't Get You There. Marshall is the only living author with two books on the list. Marshall is a member of the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame. He is the only two-time Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World. He has been ranked as the World's #1 Executive Coach and Top Ten Business Thinker for eight years, and he was chosen as the inaugural winner of the Lifetime Award for Leadership by the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Marshall served as a Professor of Management Practice at the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business. His Ph.D. is from UCLA's Anderson School of Management, where he was the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, and his MBA is from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, where he was the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year. He is one of a select few executive coaches who has worked with over 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He served on the Advisory Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation for ten years and has been a volunteer teacher for US Army Generals, Navy Admirals, Girl Scout executives, and leaders of the International and American Red Cross – where he was a National Volunteer of the Year. He has over 1.3 million followers on LinkedIn and over 3 million views on YouTube. Hundreds of his articles, interviews, columns, and videos are available (at no charge) online at www.MarshallGoldsmith.com. People from around the world have viewed, read, listened to, downloaded, or shared his resources tens of millions of times. In this podcast, he shares: How to coach people to start focusing on the long-term strategy goal Why doing good work is not enough, and what you need to do to get credit for the good work you do After decades of being one of the most sought-after coaches in the world what he has learned about what matters most, and what we should all be focusing on __________________________________________________________________________________________""-Marshall Goldsmith__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Marshall + The topic of today's episode3:02—If you really know me, you know that...3:53—What is your definition of strategy?4:25—What is the "trick" to creating a vision for your company?5:08—What are you most well-known for?5:52—What motivated you to write your newest book?6:49—You talk about "every breath is a new me" in your book. Could you elaborate on this?8:53—How do you coach someone to learn to make the shift to a change?11:24—You say in your book, "credibility has to be earned twice." What do you mean by that?16:21—What are your thought on the topic of getting buy-in from leadership, and how this is one of the most critical points of making an idea come to fruition?20:50—The three big points in The Earned Life24:13—How can people connect and follow you to keep learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://marshallgoldsmith.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachgoldsmith/Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallgoldsmith/Most Recent Book: https://marshallgoldsmith.com/book/

A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze's teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries. Horst's professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server's assistant in a German resort town. He has worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1983, where he created the operating and service standards that have become world famous. Horst served as President and COO, responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company became the first service-based company to be awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—twice. In 1991, Horst was recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS magazine. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management. Most recently, Horst was honored with the “Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration Award” by Historic Hotels of America. Horst went on to found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide, and gave Horst the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions. Today, Horst serves as Expert in Residence at Arch + Tower, a boutique, organizational strategy consulting firm, and recently completed his first book, titled Excellence Wins. In this podcast, he shares: How he built the culture behind the top rated luxury hotel chain in the world, Ritz-Carlton, and later Capellaseveral immediately actionable practices you can put in place to directly shape and manage your organization's cultureWhy he believes you can transform culture within just a year and the first steps to take along that path__________________________________________________________________________________________"An overwhelming issue for me, relative to leaders of companies, is to accept your role." Accept that [your employees are] human beings that you deal with to be fulfilled in life. Human beings need to belong and need to have purpose. Why wouldn't we give them purpose that the vision or why wouldn't we do this as organization?"-Horst Schulze__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Horst + The topic of today's episode2:53—If you really know me, you know that...3:26—What is your definition of strategy?6:25—How do you know if the purpose or "why" of your company is authentic?7:39—How do you define customer-centricity?11:12—How do you help every employee understand the company's intent when it comes to customers?14:03—Could you explain your meeting structures and mechanisms in which you share messages with your team?17:14—How long does it take to have a lasting culture change?18:20—Is there anything we missed you'd like to share?20:22—Where can people follow you and your work?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: Personal page: https://horstschulze.com/Recent bookTwitter: https://twitter.com/horstschulzeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehorstschulze/

FutureThink CEO Lisa Bodell ranks among the Top 50 Speakers Worldwide and is the best-selling author of Kill the Company and Why Simple Wins. She's a global leader on simplification, collaboration, and innovation, whose keynotes leave audiences inspired to change and arm them with radically simple tools to get to the work that matters. Lisa brings a compelling perspective to the sought-after topics of simplification and innovation to over 100,000 people each year. A thought leader and serial entrepreneur, her transformational message has inspired executives at top-ranked organizations such as Google, Cisco, Citigroup, and the U.S. Navy War College. Lisa provides a provocative yet practical approach that enables organizations and individuals to eradicate the unnecessary complexity and time-sucks that hold them back from more meaningful work, and allow simplicity to become their new operating system. She has also contributed her expertise to a wide variety of media. She is a monthly contributor to Forbes and has frequently appeared in other media including: Fast Company, WIRED, The New York Times, Inc., Bloomberg Businessweek, Harvard Business Review, The Huffington Post, FOX News, and CNN. She has taught innovation at both American University and Fordham University, and has served on the board of advisors of several organizations, including the Global Agenda Council for the World Economic Forum, the United States National Security Agency, and the Association of Professional Futurists In this podcast she shares: Practical tips to get your organization to simplify … that is to stop doing the busy work that is not strategic so you spend more time focusing on the work that actually matters How to run a “kill your company” exercise and why doing so can unleash innovation and new thinking Why changing culture should not be a top down process, indeed is should neither be top down or a process at all, and what works instead __________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Lisa + The topic of today's episode2:39—If you really know me, you know that...3:06—What is your definition of strategy?4:00—Can you talk to us about how we do things that are strategic vs. not?5:02—What are people spending time on if not strategic things?6:08—What are practical things people can do to encourage a culture that has the space and room to say no to things?8:27—Can you illustrate effective ways other leaders have created a culture of simplicity?11:26—We often think of change as a top-down process, could you describe how you think of it differently? 13:05—How can the SWT analysis tool best be used to make strategic decisions?16:08—Could you share some practical tips on how to run an effective strategy meeting?17:13—If someone wants to start implementing the shift toward simplicity, how do you get started on that path?18:29—What are the first steps to addressing risk aversion?19:47—Where can people follow you and learn from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-bodell-futurethinkTwitter: twitter.com/LisaBodellCompany Page: futurethink.comContact: innovate@futurethink.com

Dr. Anna Tavis is Clinical Professor and Academic Director of Human Capital Management Department at NYU School of Professional Studies, Senior Fellow with the Conference Board, and the Academic in Residence with Executive Networks. Anna has been named to Thinkers50 Radar for 2020. Her latest book, Humans at Work. The Art and Practice of Creating a Remote Workplace, was published in the spring of 2022. Anna publishes regularly and has been quoted by the Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Human Resources Executive, and Training Magazine. Her Harvard Business Review articles with Peter Cappelli "HR Goes Agile" ( 2018) and "The Performance Management Revolution" (2016) were reprinted in HBR's Must Reads and in Agile: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review (2020).She has navigated a diverse global career in academia, business and consulting, and was the Head of Motorola's EMEA OD function based in London, Nokia's Global Head of Talent Management based in Helsinki, Chief Learning Officer with United Technologies Corp based in Hartford, CT and Global Head of Talent and Organizational Development with AIG Investments based in NYC. Her work on the topics of Future of Work, People Analytics and Technology, Employee Experience and Intelligent Automation in the Workplace are truly at the cutting edge. In this podcast, she shares: Three trends most impacting the future of work How AI will shape what work humans do in the future Why diversity and inclusion matter What it will take for an organization or a leader in an organization to win the war for talent going forward __________________________________________________________________________________________"With culture, you're dealing with changes in values, but I think even more important: changes in behaviors, how we do things around here." -Anna Tavis__________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Introducing Anna + The topic of today's episode2:29—If you really know me, you know that...3:38—What is your definition of strategy?4:43—How do you define work?5:47—How is work changing?9:37—Could you give us a visual of how this re-emergence of the era of creative work is happening?11:05—How is the role of society and companies for employees going to change in light of how work is changing?13:50—Is culture defined by value or behaviors?16:22—You talk about the phases of an effective culture transformation—could you talk about those?21:15—Where can people follow you and your work?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annatavis/esColumbia University Page: https://sps.columbia.edu/speaker/anna-tavis-phdTwitter: https://twitter.com/annatavis