Thought Sparks

Have you ever wondered about the essence of an idea? According to Jeremy, there are no entirely new ideas, as our brains cannot create something from nothing. He explains that a new idea is simply a connection between two concepts that haven't been linked before. In other words, it's a novel synthesis of existing knowledge. Sharing with you our exhilarating conversation with Jeremy Utley, centered around his latest and already immensely popular book, "Ideaflow." What makes it even more fascinating is that Jeremy actively participates in start-up initiatives, providing him firsthand experiences of the concepts he describes in the book. Throughout our talk, I relished the multitude of examples he shared from his own experiences and personal life, adding depth and relatability to his insights. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Join Tiffani Bova and I for actionable insights from her book "The Experience Mindset" and the respective research supporting how you can drive revenue growth by getting the balance between focus on customer experience and focus on employee experience right. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

It is staggering how many truly awful jobs Americans hold. Low pay, unpredictable hours, no opportunity for advancement and no chances of development. Little surprise then is that what we get as a result is high turnover, poor customer service and even higher risks in our everyday lives. In this masterful and entirely readable book, Zeynep Ton systematically dismantles the argument that bad jobs are the price we pay for profitable companies. If you combine operational excellence with good jobs, you can create a competitive advantage - and that's something competitors with the wrong mindset won't be able to match! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

It's easy to despair at high levels of inequality and lack of access to capital and resources that still face entrepreneurs who aren't white, male or well-connected. @Freada Kapor Klein's career is a beacon of hope for those of us looking for real, practical solutions. The Fund, @Kapor Capital, which she co-founded puts its money into underrepresented founders with huge impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem and benefits for all of us! She is going to be joining me to discuss her new co-authored book "Closing the Equity Gap" to share with others how it's done. Join us live on May 5th at 1pm EST or catch the recording afterward. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Do you feel as though you are perennially chasing your tail? Look up from your screen and wonder where the morning went? Feel as though you accomplished nothing but are totally exhausted by it? The problem may not be one big thing, but an accumulation of lots of little things. On Friday, I'll be talking with Rob Cross and Karen Dillon about their highly anticipated new book "Micro-stressors" with guaranteed practical and actionable takeaways. Join us live or catch the recording on my YouTube channel once it's released. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Hiding in the Bathroom: How to Get Out There When You'd Rather Stay Home - Is this a great title, or what?? My Friday fireside chat guest is Morra Aarons-Mele, a globally recognized speaker, podcast host and author of the new book "The Anxious Achiever." She's on a mission to get people to understand that anxiety can actually be a superpower if you train yourself to manage it well. More broadly, she's at the forefront of making mental health issues a discussable phenomenon at work and in your personal life. Her new book is personal, readable and engaging and I'm really looking forward to our conversation. Join us live! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

If you haven't been keeping up with Bob Sutton's research-based but incredibly practical work, you are missing a treat. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Richard Rumelt has been described by no less than McKinsey as a "giant in the field of strategy." He's also a dear friend and an enormously influential thought leader. We're going to chat about his latest book, "The Crux" in which he illustrates the principles of challenge-based strategy. The idea is that strategists need to identify the main obstacle to overcome, and do so again and again - a very dynamic approach. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Rita Kakati-Shah, an award-winning gender inclusion strategist, is the author of "The Goddess of Go-Getting," a fun guide to making your way in the world when you are not in the majority group. Rita's spin on diversity, equity and inclusion is that most people get it wrong and, as a result, the outcomes are causing people to segregate rather than unify. Rita attended Sandhurst, the British equivalent of West Point, where she attained the rank of sergeant major. She then became one of the first women on Goldman Sachs' trading floor in London and spearheaded business development in the CNS drug development industry before starting her own company. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

@Christian Stadler is a Professor of strategy at Warwick Business School in the UK (formerly at the Tuck School). He was short-listed for the @Thinkers50 strategy award in 2021. His new book "Open Strategy: Mastering Disruption from Outside the C-Suite" explores how interconnected and open strategies can challenge conventional wisdom about keeping things to yourself! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

"Let's take it yard by yard." This philosophy, shared by my Guest entrepreneur and Bartesian CEO Ryan Close is one reason his company is poised to triumph in a market in which far larger and better-funded competitors have stumbled. Drop in on this clip from our longer conversation to see how true entrepreneurs build things worth building! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

In 2018, Goldman Sachs reported that Google paid Apple $9 billion to be the default search engine on the iPhone; by 2022 that number is reportedly $20 billion. Why is a position that a user could easily change with just a few clicks so valuable? The answer, according to my Friday Fireside Chat guest, Eric J. Johnson, has to do with choice architecture. How choices are presented to us affect our decisions in deeply profound ways. This is explored in his terrific new book "The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters." We'll be talking about his idea of sludge - when a decision situation makes what is in the best interest of the chooser difficult - and dark patterns, when users are tricked into taking an action they didn't intend to. Join us for what I know will be an eye-opening session. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

My guest this week is Pulitzer prize-winning author and journalist Matt Richtel. His work has focused on science, technology, business and narrative-driven story telling around these issues, including cancer immunotherapy, electronic cigarettes, and the impact of heavy technology use on behavior and the brain. His latest book (one of many!) is "Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul." We'll be talking about the book - and much more. Join us! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

It isn't just anyone who can run an organization that has an impact on tens of thousands of leaders in over 100 countries, but ExecOnLine co-founder Stephen Bailey is that person. Prompted by a sense that access to high-quality online education could unleash career breakthroughs for diverse talents, the fast-growing company is a leader in its category. Stephen has also won recognition as the New York EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He'll be joining me this Friday and you can be part of the conversation. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/ You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. We're also ramping up some interesting offers at Valize. For instance, we've revived the BareBones net present value calculator featured in my book, Discovery Driven Growth. You can download it for free from the Valize web site @ https://www.valize.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Want to be successful? Well connected? Richer? Maybe even happier? Well, join me in a front-row seat for a man who has decoded a great deal of not only why to do these things but how. Meet Keith Ferrazzi, author of the best-selling "Never Eat Alone" join and listen. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/ You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. We're also ramping up some interesting offers at Valize. For instance, we've revived the BareBones net present value calculator featured in my book, Discovery Driven Growth. You can download it for free from the Valize web site @ https://www.valize.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Sharon Price John, the CEO of Build-a-Bear workshop, has had a fabled career that includes losing (even though you won), taking big risks and having them pay off, the mom thing and more recently the turnaround and transformation of the beloved brand. She's written about her experiences in a great book called "Stories & Heart" which offers not only lessons learned from her own experiences but guidelines for how you can apply them in your own adventures. Can't wait! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/ You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. We're also ramping up some interesting offers at Valize. For instance, we've revived the BareBones net present value calculator featured in my book, Discovery Driven Growth. You can download it for free from the Valize web site @ https://www.valize.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Michael Bungay Stanier (or "MBS" as those who know him affectionately call him has written books that have sold over a million copies, rebelled against a traditional path that would have been his fate after his Rhodes scholarship and developed an approach to coaching that "un-weirds" it. His latest book is "The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious and Change the Way You Lead Forever." I'm looking forward to chatting to him about de-mystifying coaching, helping people lead better lives and more broadly creating the conditions in which all can thrive. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. We're also ramping up some interesting offers at Valize. For instance, we've revived the BareBones net present value calculator featured in my book, Discovery Driven Growth. You can download it for free from the Valize web site @ https://www.valize.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Sure, we're all Olympic athletes and Nobel prize winners in our own minds, but have you ever wondered what makes them different than you and I? My guest has a great new book out that encapsulates the answer, synthesized from hundreds of hours of interviews with hugely successful people. "The Success Factor," Ruth Gotian's new book, describes how intrinsic motivation, perseverance, a strong foundation, and constantly learning through informal means, in the right mix, explains a lot. Gotian is the Chief Learning Officer at Weill Cornell Medicine and a new inducted member of the Thinkers50 RADAR thinkers. Join us - this will be great! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. We're also ramping up some interesting offers at Valize. For instance, we've revived the BareBones net present value calculator featured in my book, Discovery Driven Growth. You can download it for free from the Valize web site @ https://www.valize.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

We all think that we are rational decision-makers who determine what stuff we'll buy and how we will spend our time on the basis of rational calculation. But, as my Friday Fireside Guest and top-ranked thinker Roger Martin observes, our minds are like an iceberg - the stuff that we can access consciously is a fraction of what is actually there. Instead, our minds seek convenience, comfort and familiarity. The course of least resistance is the course of action that is most powerful. Cumulative advantage is the consequence of habit! Great insights in this short clip. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the community, subscribe. We're also ramping up some interesting offers at Valize. For instance, we've revived the BareBones net present value calculator featured in my book, Discovery Driven Growth. You can download it for free from the Valize web site @ https://www.valize.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth, Rita's work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Christopher Mims is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and writes Keywords, a weekly column on technology. He has a fascinating new book out called "Arriving Today" that is particularly relevant to our pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. It's really eye opening! Before joining the Journal in 2014, he was the lead technology reporter for Quartz and has written on science and tech for publications ranging from Technology Review, Smithsonian, Wired, the Atlantic, Slate and other publications. Mims, who has degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University, lives in Baltimore. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Anne-Marie Slaughter burst into the public eye with her 2012 article in the Atlantic "Why Women Still Can't Have It All." Since then, she's gone on to run New America Foundation as its CEO (among many other things, including her highly acclaimed book "Unfinished Business"). She has a new book out, "Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation in Our Lives, Work, and Politics" in which she reflects on the transformation in her own life sparked by a major professional crisis. Can't wait to dive in! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Marcus Eriksen made a huge impression on me when I first met him. He is an environmental scientist, educator and author as part of his day job. On the side, he's built rafts out of junk, floated down the Mississippi river for days on said raft, writes books about his adventures and advocates for the environment. He has been an outspoken and forthright advocate for the environment, particularly the elimination of plastics in the oceans. Most importantly, his efforts have gotten results, notably in a law prohibiting micro-beads in cosmetics. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Ron Adner and I have been intellectual sparring partners and friends for a very long time. He's just come out with a terrific new book, "Winning the Right Game" which tackles head on the strategic challenge executives confront when the ecosystems they compete in are disrupted. The problems start, as Adner explains, when strategists choose the wrong "game" to begin with, meaning that even if they succeed, they will ultimately lose. The book talks about defense, offense, timing, mindsets and what has to be one of my favorite chapters the dangers of an "ego-system" in which leaders let their preferences (and their hubris) undermine their judgment. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Are you a regular contributor or what Liz Wiseman calls an "impact player?" You might think you're doing just fine, doodling along doing your job, but what you might actually be doing is adding to people's burdens at work, taking up headspace with unnecessary detours and generally being a drag on everyone around you. A new book from the celebrated author of "Multipliers" sheds another gleaming light on what behaviors make work light, easier and even fun, and which don't. More importantly, she tells us what to do to create a team-ful of high impact players. I'm thrilled that Liz was able to join me by the fireside. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

I promised Harvard Professor and expert on equality and inclusion Robert Livingston that I would read his book "The Conversation" before he joined me for a Friday Fireside Chat. I did, and am ever so glad. He takes us through a journey centered on three questions: What is racism? Why should everyone care? What can we do to eradicate it? Professor Livingston de-mystifies many misconceptions about racism in a reasonable, non-threatening and deeply researched way. And the cliff notes are - racism is enduring and endemic. We should care because it hurts all of us. And - really good news - there is a path to solving it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Everybody Wants To Rule the World. When R "Ray" Wang says it, he isn't just channeling a popular musical line, he really means it. In his view, digital giants are pulling further and further ahead of the rest of us and will eventually reshape our economic future into one of extreme capitalism. He anticipates we will have huge data-driven networks, extreme consolidation, extreme investing and extreme monetization. He's going to be my guest to talk about this phenomenon which is part of his new book, and to help us think through how the digital age doesn't end up in catastrophe. He's the Founder, Chairman and Principal Analyst of Constellation research and co-host of the DisrupTV program. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

If you could pick someone to lead you through an intelligent conversation about the new world of work, you couldn't do better than to consult with Jennifer Moss. Author of the forthcoming HBR Press book "The Burnout Epidemic," Jennifer has written a best business book of the year, won awards for her success as an entrepreneur and spoken to audiences all over the world. It was exciting to get to know her and to learn about her book, which provides a guide on an incredibly timely topic. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Work - what's work anyway? Where does it get done? How are people supposed to "manage" it? These are questions of the hour and who better to think them through than my colleague, former professor and mentor Peter Cappelli. Capelli is one of the foremost thinkers on the topic of people and work I have ever met. We'll be chatting about his new book, "The Future of the Office - Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face" out any day now by Wharton University Press. This is a conversation anyone with an interest in the future of work won't want to miss! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

My Friday Fireside chat guest, John Hagel, was looking around corners before I even stumbled across the concept. In this short clip from our longer conversation, John explains how, in the early days of the Internet, he saw massive opportunities in creating virtual communities on-line and also to create “infomediaries” who would guarantee a fair exchange of value in return for access to people's personal information. Featured in his books from the 90's “Net Gain” and “Net Worth,” these are two ideas that remain huge opportunities even today as we struggle to reckon with what the digital revolution means for our lives. If you have five minutes, have a watch – always so interesting to learn the history of things that we take for granted today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

We think of unusual events as rare - but as my Friday Fireside Chat guest, Jonathan Brill, points out, they may be rare individually, but when they accumulate, the chance of their creating a catastrophic inflection point increases. Indeed, his research finds that most firms in the US have faced four significant calamities every year! These are what he calls "rogue waves" or events in business that are like the huge waves that can come seemingly out of nowhere to sink even large ships. While he was at HP, he had the amazing title of Global Futurist and Director long term research. He talks about how you get people to pay attention to the possibilities, how to change behavior and how to change culture so that the action needed today to be resilient in an uncertain future is taken. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Zoe Chance graduated from a massively successful corporate career to doing groundbreaking research to teaching a hugely popular elective at Yale called Mastering Influence and Persuasion, aka "Doing Uncomfortable Things That Make You a Better Person.” She's a TED speaker, consults with major companies and has a new book coming out in 2022, "Influence for Nice People: The New Science of Making More Friends, Money, Impact—and Joy." We talk about the practical implications of her research and how it can be used to help people do some good in the world. As she says, "we cannot change people's minds, but we can influence their behavior when we learn how the mind works." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

I first met Zachary Karabell when he was enrolled in my Columbia Executive Education program "Leading Strategic Growth and Change" and he made a big impression on me all those years ago. I'm delighted to catch up with him to talk about his rich collection of activities - he has a brand new book out about Brown Brothers Harriman and the way capitalism used to work. He is an author and columnist, the founder of the Progress Network at New America, and president of River Twice Research and River Twice Capital. He's written many other books and is a regular columnist and commentator. An all around fascinating person I'm looking forward to chatting with. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

All digital, all the time - that's what we hear among the chattering business classes. My guest begs to differ. Instead, Robert E. Siegel points out, the competitors who will triumph combine both "Brains" (digital, smarts) with "Brawn" (operations and execution). Just one or the other won't cut it. Indeed, incumbents have shown that they can win by leveraging traditional strengths even as they bring on new capabilities. This should be fascinating. Come join us! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Jayshree Seth, Ph.D., is a corporate scientist and chief science advocate for 3M Company, where she has worked for over 27 years to advance science and develop new technologies and environmentally sustainable industrial products. She has over 70 patents to her name (with more on the way), received the incredibly prestigious Society for Women Engineers Achievement Award and is one of the few top performing scientists to be inducted into the 3M Carlton Society. We're going to be talking about her book "The Heart of Science," what its like to be among the pioneering women in STEM and whatever else she'd like to discuss! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

In the inflection point that is a public health crisis, an economic crisis, a crisis of social justice and an environmental crisis, few people have more smart things to say than Physicist, biotech entrepreneur, author and consultant Safi Bahcall. His most recent book "Loonshots," was an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller. He previously co-founded a company developing drugs for cancer which went through an IPO. We'll be talking about smart ideas, innovation, science and discovery. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Judy Samuelson is the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, a high-impact initiative to uproot some of the more damaging beliefs that have led to income inequality, the lack of consideration of all stakeholders in corporate governance and skyrocketing executive pay that has no basis in value creation. She'll be joining me to discuss these ideas as well as those in her forthcoming book, “Six New Rules of Business: Creating Real Value in a Changing World.” What a great perspective to share as we begin a new year. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Gina O'Connor was figuring out how to help companies innovate long before it was a hot topic. In her many books and articles, she's shown how we can get beyond what I call innovation theater by building proficiency in three distinct processes: Discovery, Incubation and Acceleration. It can be done, and she's demystified the process. In our conversation, we'll cover some of the biggest myths that get in the way of true innovation (for instance, that it's all about the ideas), what she thinks the current pandemic has done to alter the innovation agenda and what she sees as the critical next steps in our collective innovation journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Tim Harford, the well known "Undercover Economist" columnist for the Financial Times was awarded an OBE in 2019 for his contribution to our economic understanding. I could not be more thrilled that he'll be joining me live and virtually to discuss, among other things, his new book. The US edition is called "The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics" and it's now available for pre-order. We'll talk about this book, his others, and whatever else he'd like to cover. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

I've been an unabashed fan of Rick Goings' since we first met at a CEO Summit where one of the most memorable moments involved a real-time display of the creativity that goes into the Tupperware new product development process! Rick has a distinguished career in the military, as an entrepreneur and more recently as the long-time CEO of Tupperware, where he oversaw its successful global expansion, figured out how to create a truly diverse and inclusive workplace (for real – his accomplishments in promoting female leaders are astonishing), and kept the brand relevant to its original customers while breaking new ground internationally. Now CEO Emeritus at Tupperware, he is co-founder and Chairman of the World Federation of Youth Clubs, an organization dedicated to providing resources and support to groups with the mission of supporting youth. In a breathtakingly short period of time, the WFYC has touched over 3,000 groups in 24 countries around the world. We'll be talking about the lessons learned from his business career, of course, as well as what he's excited about working on today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Did you know that in 1945, there were 4.5 million beehives in the United States, but that today there are only about 2 million? In what promises to be a fascinating new topic for a Friday Fireside Chat, I'll be talking to Noah Wilson-Rich, a beekeeper, biologist, TED speaker and founder of the Best Bees Company, a premier beekeeping service. He's a citizen-scientist who has created the world's first mass sampling of data on bee behavior, enlisting thousands of people who have access to unused urban spaces and other places where bees can be raised. If you eat food, you should care about bees! Noah will share insights about climate change resilience, food system stability and other things we all too often take for granted. I'm very much looking forward to it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Procedures that defy logic. Requirements that no one can meet. Practices that are designed to frustrate and confuse. These are all crazy, says my Friday Fireside Chat guest Martin Lindstrom. Martin, who is a world renowned expert on branding and one of the most influential marketing experts in the world will be joining me to discuss, among other things, his brand-new book “The Ministry of Common Sense.” In it, he argues that so much of what we accept about organizational life is actually nuts, a product of bureaucracy and siloed thinking that ultimately harms our well being, our brands and our customers. I'm excited to share stories about his journey, the new book and what he's thinking about as we look forward to whatever comes next. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Chris Yeh and his partner in the Global Scaling Academy and I get together to discuss Blitzscaling, what it means to be entrepreneurial, the company they have just started and predictions for whatever happens after we're done with the pandemic. Have a look at the replay! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

One of the most exciting frontiers in medicine is the use of huge amounts of patient data to help design personalized and highly effective individual treatments which never would have been possible before. My Friday Fireside Chat guest, Glen de Vries, is the co-CEO and co-founder of Medidata, a company which provides an analytical platform that has completely transformed the way clinical trials are done, making them faster, better targeted and more effective. He is also the author of the recent book, "The Patient Equation" which promises to give us a glimpse of the data-intensive future of healthcare. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

My good friend Dorie Clark is a master of personal and professional reinvention. After starting out as a journalist and political operative (what careers could have brighter prospects?) she has transformed her career multiple times. She's written three great books on how to be your own entrepreneur, is an accomplished and sought after speaker, and been at the leading edge of many career trends. While there is a lot we can talk about, I'm particularly interested in her take on how we are all going to be approaching what I call the “tour of duty” career, now and as we get to wherever we're going to be post-pandemic. I suspect a lot of wisdom will come from her book “Entrepreneurial You.” And if we're lucky, we'll get a chance to check out her individualistic cats! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Some of the most magical things that happen at work aren't expensive, hard or risky. Simple human connections, treating each other with dignity and kindness and leveraging the power of appreciation are things anyone at any level can do. My Friday Fireside guests this week are Chester Elton, the "Apostle of Appreciation" and his co-author and co-conspirator Adrian Gostick. Author of several best-selling books about corporate culture, teamwork, and leadership skills, they'll be joining me to leverage their perspective on what we can do to build better organizations now, and whenever we come out of whatever this is. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

One of the biggest barriers to growth and innovation is the overhang of the corporate budgeting process. Bjarte Bogsnes, Chairman of the Beyond Budgeting Institute and implementation head at Equinor, Scandinavia's largest company, has a better idea. Get beyond rote, mind-numbing budgeting processes and create flexible, changeable structures that allow your company to actually use the new strategy playbook. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Carter Copeland is the President of Melius Research, where he is also the lead research analyst covering the global aerospace and defense sector. He is consistently ranked in Institutional Investor's annual survey of top analysts, and was named the number one aerospace and defense analyst by Institutional Investor's Alpha magazine. His recent co-authored book, "Lessons From the Titans" takes us on an analysts' journey to understand the inner workings of the corporate giants that are so critical to our everyday lives. With CEO's blaming the pressure of Wall Street for an excessive short-term focus and failure to appropriately balance the needs of multiple stakeholders, I'm really interested to hear t --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Harvard's Amy Edmondson pioneered the breakthrough concept of psychological safety at work, in which people feel that they can speak up without fear of retribution. It's been shown to be crucial to innovation and growth. Psychological safety has also been essential for improvements in hospital care. I can't think of a more important topic for where we are right now. In this chat, we'll discuss the initial research behind the concept and how it has now been embraced. We'll also touch on the core themes of the book "The Fearless Organization" which is a treasure. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message

Protests in the streets, against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic with political upheaval the world over. What kind of leadership should we look to under such complex and highly uncertain conditions? I'm grateful to be speaking with Chris Fussell of the McChrystal group, who together with Stan McChrystal, transformed the culture in the Joint Special Operations Command to distributed, not hierarchical, leadership with a network form of governance. What Chris learned in highly deadly military situations are essential insights for all of us today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thoughtsparksritamcgrath/message