Lead From the Heart: Recent Episodes
Mark C. Crowley
Paul Osterman is Professor Emeritus of Human Resources and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and one of the most important scholars examining how the structure of work is profoundly changing in organizations today.
His research focuses on a growing and often overlooked shift in employment: the rise of “disposable workers.” Osterman estimates that roughly 35% of today’s workforce now falls into this category in some form.
While public attention often centers on gig work — Uber drivers, DoorDash couriers, and freelance labor — his work shows that this is only a small part of the story. In fact, gig workers make up just around 2% of the workforce, and many use that work as supplemental income rather than their primary employment.
The deeper transformation, Osterman argues, is happening inside traditional organizations. Increasingly, companies are redesigning jobs and employment relationships in order to greatly reduce the compensation and benefits they offer. This doesn’t just apply to custodial or cafeteria workers, it includes adjunct professors who earn substantially less money than their peers and have zero chance of every earning tenure. It applies to attorneys in elite firms who are precluded from ever becoming a partner — and contract or contingent workers embedded within major companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. These workers often perform similar functions to full-time employees but remain structurally separated from the organizations they serve.
Osterman’s work highlights a fundamental shift in how companies think about labor. Rather than hiring employee as long-term investments, organizations are increasingly guided by a hierarchy of choices: automate work where possible, outsource when automation is not feasible, rely on contractors when outsourcing is more efficient, and hire full-time employees only as a last resort.
On the surface, this approach is often justified in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and competitiveness. It allows firms to scale labor up and down in response to market demands and reduce the fixed costs associated with permanent employment. But Osterman’s research raises deeper questions about the broader consequences of this model — not only for workers, but for organizations themselves.
What happens to trust, commitment, and organizational culture when a growing share of the workforce is structurally temporary or peripheral? What are the psychological and social effects on individuals who are fully inside organizations in terms of output, but not fully included in terms of opportunity, training, stability, or belonging?
These are not abstract concerns. They go to the heart of how modern work is experienced — and whether the current trajectory of employment is sustainable in the long run.
In this conversation, Osterman explores the economic logic driving these changes, the historical evolution of employer-employee relationships, and the implications of accelerating automation and AI. He also examines whether these trends are an inevitable outcome of capitalism, or whether alternative models of work are still possible — ones that balance flexibility with dignity, and efficiency with long-term human investment.
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In an era marked by rising depression, loneliness, distractibility, burnout and overall declining well-being, many leaders are searching for more effective ways to support their own flourishing and that of their teams. In this compelling conversation, Cortland Dahl, PhD, shares truly transformative insights from his new book, Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving, co-authored with renowned neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson.
Dahl serves as a Contemplative Scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With a unique background that includes nearly a decade living in Himalayan monasteries and Tibetan refugee communities, years of solitary retreat, fluency in Tibetan, and the translation of classical meditation texts, he brings rare depth to the intersection of ancient contemplative wisdom and cutting-edge neuroscience.
Together with Davidson, Dahl has helped develop the Healthy Minds Framework — a practical, research-backed model showing that humans are literally born with an innate capacity to flourish. The book reveals that genuine well-being arises not from mindfulness alone, but through the cultivation of four interconnected skills: Awareness, Connection, Insight, and Purpose.
These trainable practices, grounded in both brain science and timeless wisdom, can be developed in just a few minutes a day and have been shown to rewire the brain for greater resilience, kindness, and meaning — even amid life’s inevitable challenges.
This episode dives deep into each of the four skills, exploring simple, everyday ways individuals can build them, while also addressing the critical question of how workplace leaders can intentionally model and cultivate these qualities to elevate employee well-being and create healthier, more connected organizational cultures.
Dahl shares why mastering all four skills together produces results far more powerful than any single practice, and how flourishing can become contagious within teams. If you care about leading with heart, reducing burnout, strengthening human connection, and helping people thrive rather than merely survive, this conversation offers both hope and practical guidance.
Tune in to discover how ancient truths and modern science can transform the way we work and live.
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What if one of the greatest threats to employee well-being isn’t workload, stress or even burnout— but the growing feeling that people simply do not matter where they work?
That is the premise behind The Power of Mattering by Zach Mercurio, and the foundation of this compelling conversation about leadership, human significance, and the emotional realities of modern work.
At a time when nearly 60% of employees say their job is negatively affecting their mental health, Zach argues that organizations are overlooking one of the most fundamental human needs: feeling valued by others and knowing we add value to others. In other words, people need to know they matter. The discussion explores why loneliness at work is less about physical isolation and more about feeling unseen, unheard, and ultimately insignificant — and why treating people as interchangeable or disposable quietly undermines emotional well-being, trust, commitment, and performance.
Throughout the conversation, Mercurio argues that cultures where people feel noticed, affirmed, and needed are the very cultures where people thrive and organizations perform at their best. The interview also examines how many workplaces unintentionally create what could be called a “crisis of disposability,” where employees increasingly feel replaceable rather than essential.
Many of the solutions Mercurio discusses will feel familiar to longtime listeners of the podcast because themes like belonging, emotional connection, recognition, empathy, and genuinely caring for people have been central to these conversations from the very beginning — and are core ideas presented in Lead From The Heart and The Power of Employee Well-Being. But this episode goes deeper into the specific concept of mattering itself — what it means, why it affects mental health so profoundly, and how leaders can intentionally create environments where people feel significant.
Grounded in research yet deeply human, this conversation ultimately asks leaders to reconsider what their role truly is. Perhaps leadership is not primarily about managing performance at all. Perhaps it is about making people feel they’re essential — because when human beings feel that they matter, healthier cultures and better results naturally follow.
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What if the way most companies are run today—chasing short-term profits, cutting corners, exploiting customers, and ignoring employee well-being—is actually the opposite of what creates lasting organizational success?
Eric Ries, author of the bestselling The Lean Startup and in his new book, Incorruptible, has spent decades studying how organizations can thrive over the long term while genuinely improving the lives of employees, customers, and communities. In Incorruptible, he argues that the most enduring, high-performing companies are guided by a mission that advances human flourishing and a principled ethos that shapes every decision and action. These organizations resist shortcuts, prioritize employee well-being, and refuse to squeeze customers—proving that ethics and excellence are inseparable.
Eric brings these ideas to life with vivid examples. He examines 3M, where a strong corporate ethos fueled groundbreaking innovation like Post-it Notes, and shows what happens when organizations like them abandon their guiding principles. He highlights Sol Price’s Price Club, a discount retailer which built extraordinary success by treating employees and customers with care, and how that culture carried forward when Price Club merged with Costco, where Jim Sinegal continued the same principles at an even larger scale.
The conversation dives into why so few companies pursue this “road less traveled,” the perils of short-term thinking, and how leaders, boards, and investors can embrace principled, long-term leadership. Eric also shares actionable insights for individual leaders who want to build an incorruptible culture within their own teams—even when systems often reward the opposite.
For anyone who cares about creating workplaces where employees thrive, where all people are treated with respect and dignity, and where long-term success doesn’t come at the expense of human well-being, this episode is packed with insights and practical lessons.
Listen now to discover how incorruptible organizations are built, why they matter, and what it takes to lead with principles, purpose, and care in a world that too often values the opposite.
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Beliefs are one of the most powerful—and least examined—forces shaping human life.
They determine what we notice, what we ignore, what we attempt, what we avoid, and ultimately what we believe is possible for ourselves and for others. Long before we act, long before we speak, long before we even consciously choose, our beliefs are already organizing our perception of reality.
In this conversation, Shawn Achor brings us into the deeper architecture behind that idea.
Shawn is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of positive psychology and human performance. He is widely known for his bestselling book The Happiness Advantage, which challenged a long-standing assumption in psychology and business: that success leads to happiness. Instead, Shawn’s research shows the reverse is often true—our level of happiness, optimism, and mindset significantly influences our ability to succeed in the first place. His work has reached millions through his writing, research, and one of the most widely viewed TED Talks of all time, The Happy Secret to Better Work.
In his newest book, The Power of Belief, Shawn turns his attention to a question that has fascinated philosophers, psychologists, theologians, and scientists for centuries: why do beliefs exert such an outsized influence over human behavior, performance, resilience, and well-being?
At the center of his work is a deceptively simple idea: beliefs are not passive thoughts we hold about the world—they are active filters that shape the world we experience. They influence how we interpret stress and opportunity, how we respond to setbacks, and even whether we see ourselves as capable of growth or constrained by circumstance.
Some beliefs expand us. Others quietly constrain us.
Beliefs such as “I matter,” “my behavior has impact,” or “I have something to contribute” tend to unlock motivation, resilience, and connection. Meanwhile, more limiting internal narratives—“I’m not ready,” “I can’t do this,” or “it’s safer not to try”—can quietly narrow ambition and diminish possibility long before external circumstances ever get in the way.
What makes Shawn’s approach particularly compelling is that he grounds these ideas not in philosophy or motivational thinking, but in research across neuroscience, behavioral science, and organizational psychology. His work explores how beliefs become self-reinforcing systems that shape attention, interpretation, decision-making, and ultimately outcomes.
This conversation goes beyond individual mindset. It touches something deeper about leadership, culture, and human flourishing. Because every organization is, whether intentionally or not, a belief system. People are constantly asking themselves questions like: Do I matter here? Does my work matter? Am I supported? Are problems solvable? Do I belong?
The answers people perceive—often unconsciously—shape everything from performance and engagement to resilience and well-being.
At its core, this episode is about the invisible narratives that run human life. The stories we repeat to ourselves become the boundaries of what we believe is possible. And if we can learn to see those narratives more clearly, we may also learn how to expand them.
This is a conversation about perception, possibility, and the quiet power of belief to shape not just what we achieve—but who we become.
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In an era marked by remote work, digital convenience, and a documented 24% decline in everyday social interactions, many leaders are noticing a subtle but significant erosion of human connection — both in their personal lives and across their organizations.
Our guest is Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, associate professor of psychology at the University of Sussex and author of the new book Once Upon a Stranger: The Science of How Small Talk Can Add Up To a Big Life.
Sandstrom has spent 16 years researching the often-overlooked power of brief conversations with strangers — what she calls “micro-social interactions.” Her work reveals that these small moments are far from trivial. Talking to strangers can meaningfully improve mood, reduce anxiety, strengthen our sense of belonging, spark curiosity, and even lead to surprising insights or unexpected opportunities. Yet most people dramatically underestimate these benefits and overestimate the discomfort involved.
For leaders, the implications extend well beyond personal well-being. In workplaces where belonging remains a fundamental human need — sitting near the top of Maslow’s hierarchy after basic security — fostering even these tiny moments of genuine connection can elevate employee morale, combat isolation, and help create cultures where people feel truly seen and valued.
The conversation explores practical ways leaders can apply these insights: from how they start meetings and interact with team members to the everyday environments they shape that make natural human exchange more likely.
The discussion also examines the real psychological barriers that hold people back — including fear of rejection, which research shows is far rarer than we predict — and offers practical steps for building comfort over time. A memorable statistics class experiment involving simple greetings provides direct, actionable lessons for anyone in a leadership role.
Sandstrom’s research, recently featured in The New York Times, challenges the modern habit of moving through our days in relative silence. It invites a gentler, more connected way of showing up — both as individuals and as leaders. As the episode makes clear, meaningful improvements in well-being and organizational health often arise not from grand gestures, but from the cumulative power of many small interactions.
Tune in to discover why reintroducing these everyday moments of connection may be one of the simplest yet most powerful levers available to leaders today — and how small talk (yes, small talk!) can add up to a bigger, richer life and a more humane workplace. It is a really cool and uncommonly insightful conversation!
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Leaders who care about employee well-being are facing a hidden challenge that most aren’t talking about enough: widespread disconnection.
Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Brigham Young University and Director of the Social Connection & Health Lab, has spent more than two decades showing how human connection — or the lack of it — directly shapes our physical and mental health. Her groundbreaking research helped shape the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on loneliness and isolation, and she is currently leading the landmark Social Connection in America survey, a 25-year national study tracking the true state of social connection across the country.
The early data paints a concerning picture. 41% of American adults report feeling lonely at least some of the time. Nearly three-quarters get together with close relationships only twice a month or less. Many have surprisingly small social networks, and participation in groups or community life has dropped sharply. These patterns matter deeply for organizations because disconnection doesn’t stay at home — it follows people into work.
In our conversation, Julianne explains how weak social connections contribute to higher burnout, increased mental health struggles, lower energy and focus, and greater challenges with retention and performance. She makes a clear case that strong relationships and a genuine sense of belonging are not nice-to-have perks. They are foundational to human health and resilience — and therefore to healthy, high-performing teams.
We explore why disconnection has become so common in modern life, how it quietly affects people at work, and — most importantly — what leaders can actually do about it. Rather than treating connection as an occasional team-building exercise, we discuss how to make building close, supportive relationships and real belonging a consistent part of daily leadership practice.
This conversation offers fresh insight and practical ideas for any leader who wants to create a workplace where people feel truly seen, supported, and connected. Because when individuals feel strong social ties at work, both their well-being and their contribution improve in meaningful ways.If you’re committed to the well-being of your team — and recognize that your own well-being is also tied to the quality of your relationships — this discussion with Julianne will give you new and uncommon perspective, and tools you can put into practice right away.
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A photographic portrait of Julie Claeys
When a global professional services firm decides that employee well-being deserves C-suite ownership — complete with metrics, guardrails, and consequences — it signals a major leap from perks to strategy.
To that end, Frank Giampietro serves as the Americas Chief Well-Being Officer at Ernst Young (EY), leading well-being strategy across dozens of countries and tens of thousands of employees. His role reflects a deliberate decision by EY to treat well-being as a business imperative — not an HR initiative, not a benefits package, and most certainly not a feel-good campaign.
Post-COVID, EY identified a series of operational realities that couldn’t be ignored. Client demand accelerated while teams operated in hybrid and remote environments. In many areas, workloads intensified, teams grew leaner, and leaders lost the informal visibility that once helped them detect burnout or disengagement early. At the same time, employee expectations fundamentally shifted. Flexibility, mental health support, and humane leadership became baseline expectations — not differentiators.
The risks were clear: attrition, presenteeism, disengagement, and burnout threatened client delivery, institutional knowledge, and long-term growth.
Frank explains how EY responded by building systems to identify overload sooner, redefining leadership expectations, and introducing measurable insight through tools like its Vitality Index — combining employee feedback with operational data to give leaders real-time visibility into how their teams are doing.
He also addresses the question many organizations struggle with: what does managerial accountability actually look like. What authority does a Chief Well-Being Officer have? How are leaders expected to show up differently? And what happens when even high-performing leaders fall short or even harm their teams’ well-being?
For leaders who want to move beyond aspiration and embed well-being into the way work truly gets done, this episode offers a concrete, candid and compelling blueprint.
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Jen Fisher is a pioneering leader in workplace well-being and human-centered leadership. She became the first Chief Well–being Officer at Deloitte US, creating a role that, as far as we know, no other major company in the world had ever established. In that role, she helped reshape how one of the largest professional services firms approaches employee wellbeing, connection, and sustainable performance, demonstrating that supporting people isn’t optional — it’s essential to leadership and organizational success.
Her new book, Hope IS The Strategy, builds on these experiences, reframing hope not as a soft or sentimental concept, but as a practical, strategic tool leaders can use to guide teams, foster resilience, and drive meaningful change in the workplace.
In this conversation, Jen shares her personal journey from relentless overwork and burnout — long hours, constant emails, and defining her worth by productivity — to a life and career guided by wellbeing and intentional leadership. We explore why so many high achievers fall into the trap of tying value to output, and how leaders can cultivate cultures that truly support people, elevate resilience, and inspire connection.
We also dive into hope as a leadership strategy: why it matters, how it can be developed in teams, and what it looks like in practice when leaders prioritize wellbeing.
Jen offers practical guidance for creating humane workplaces, making employee well-being a shared responsibility, and leading with empathy, clarity, and heart. For anyone seeking to transform their approach to leadership, culture, and performance, this episode provides both candid stories and actionable insights.
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How can leaders use emotional intelligence to create workplaces where employees flourish? We explore the science and practice of emotional wisdom, examining how leaders can harness the interplay between emotion and reason to foster well-being, connection, and high performance in their teams.
Josh Freedman, named one of the top 50 management and leadership experts by Inc. Magazine, is a global authority on emotions and emotional intelligence. He has spent decades helping leaders develop the skills to better understand themselves and connect with their teams.
In our wonderful conversation, Josh reveals the “secret power” most leaders overlook: emotional intelligence — more specifically, the ability to understand and harness emotions in oneself and others to drive connection, well-being, and performance.
Josh’s new book, Emotion Rules: The Science and Practice of Emotional Wisdom, provides a practical roadmap for leaders who want to apply emotional intelligence to improve both individual and organizational performance. Drawing on decades of research and practice, the book challenges the myth that great leaders are cool, detached, and relentlessly rational. Instead, Josh shows that emotion and reason are deeply intertwined — and that understanding this interplay is essential for effective leadership.
Our conversation explores the idea that humans aren’t strictly rational beings, as highlighted by New York Times columnist David Brooks, who recently described our minds as “swirls” — dynamic, interconnected systems where emotion and reason are inseparable. Josh explains why this framing is critical for leaders who want to support employee well-being. We also examine how historical and cultural myths have shaped the way business views emotion, and what leaders can do to shift these outdated perspectives.
Practical skills for leaders are a key focus. Josh shares how to connect with one’s own feelings, reflect on emotional data, and act with presence. He introduces the TFA Triangle, showing how Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions interact, and how understanding this helps leaders respond more effectively to employees, especially during times of stress or change.
Josh explains emotional contagion and how leaders shape the overall culture and atmosphere of their teams. He also addresses one of today’s most pressing organizational challenges: burnout, explaining why it is driven more by unmet emotional needs than logistics — and what leaders can do to prevent it and support their teams.
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One of our all-time favorite guests, Daniel Coyle returns for a timely and thought-provoking conversation on human flourishing, belonging, and what leaders often misunderstand about employee well-being.
Coyle is widely known for his ability to translate rigorous research into clear, actionable insights for leaders, and seven years ago, he joined us to discuss The Culture Code – an episode that has gone on to be one of the most downloaded conversations in our show’s history.
Daniel is back with a new book, Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment, which challenges conventional thinking about well-being at work. Rather than focusing on individual habits, resilience training, or wellness initiatives, Coyle explores the deeper relational and environmental conditions that allow people to thrive together. The core premise is deceptively simple but deeply disruptive: flourishing is not something people achieve alone.
Coyle argues that individuals become their fullest selves through meaningful relationships and through a felt sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. For leaders, this reframes well-being as an outcome of culture—not a program to be managed. Trust, connection, and shared purpose matter more than perks, and leadership behavior plays a decisive role in shaping whether those conditions exist.
The discussion also examines a defining paradox of modern work: people are more digitally connected than ever, yet increasingly isolated. Coyle explains how many workplaces unintentionally undermine the conditions required for real connection—and how leaders often reinforce this through excessive control, speed, and over-reliance on hierarchy.
Insights are drawn from unexpected places, including a trust-building practice used by a basketball coach at Penn State University, a powerful moment of collective reflection led by Fred “Mr.” Rogers, and a community that consistently produces Olympic athletes. Together, these examples point toward a more humane model of leadership—one centered on humility, shared ownership, and creating the conditions where people can truly flourish.
This is a conversation for leaders who sense that something essential is missing in today’s workplaces—and who are ready to rethink how connection, trust, and meaning are actually built. It offers a compelling reminder that when leaders focus on creating the right conditions, well-being and performance don’t compete—they reinforce one another.
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Some organizations have no heart at all. The best have three!
That’s the thesis of the new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation, co-authored by our guests, Phil Le Brun and Jana Werner. Both work with leaders operating at global scale—Phil as an Executive in Residence at Amazon Web Services, and Jana as a Global Executive Advisor at AWS—helping organizations navigate complexity, change, and continuous transformation.
In their book, Phil and Jana introduce a clear contrast between what they call Tin Man organizations and Octopus organizations. Tin Man organizations are rigid, highly centralized, and overly dependent on a small group of decision-makers at the top. Like the character in The Wizard of Oz, they operate with structure but no heart. Decision-making slows, intelligence gets trapped in the hierarchy, and employees often wait for direction rather than contributing meaningfully.
Octopus organizations, by contrast, are alive with three hearts. They are intelligent, adaptive, and responsive. A strong central purpose keeps everyone aligned, but authority and decision-making are distributed to the people closest to the work. Teams are empowered to sense, decide, and act, allowing the organization to learn, adapt, and thrive in real time.
A central contribution of the book is the identification of what Phil and Jana call organizational “anti-patterns”—recurring leadership behaviors and systems that feel reasonable in the moment but consistently undermine clarity, trust, cohesion, and performance. These patterns exist even in organizations with talented people and strong intentions.
In this episode, we explore several anti-patterns in depth: the lack of clarity that leaves people guessing what truly matters; the overuse of corporate jargon that creates distance and mistrust; purpose statements that are words on a page rather than guides for behavior; and cultures that elevate individual stars at the expense of cohesive, high-performing teams. We also discuss why fast, open information flow is essential for adaptability and well-being.
Phil and Jana also reconfirm our own understanding that well-being cannot be created through perks or programs—it emerges from how people are treated, trusted, and empowered, and how work is designed and decisions flow. For leaders who care about performance, well-being, and building more humane organizations, this episode offers practical insight into creating workplaces that truly thrive.
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For decades, Wall Street has rewarded short-term thinking: layoffs, cost-cutting, and squeezing employees. Let’s be honest, investors have never been concerned about workers or their well-being.
But that era is ending.
David Van Adelsberg, CEO and co-founder of Irrational Capital (alongside renowned behavioral economist Dan Ariely), has helped produce some of the most rigorous research on the connection between employee well-being and long-term business performance. The work draws on data from thousands of publicly traded companies over more than a decade—and the results are hard to ignore.
Irrational Capital’s research shows that companies ranking in the top 20% for employee well-being significantly outperform those in the bottom 20%—by nearly six percentage points over 11 years. Even more striking, their study proves intrinsic factors like trust, clarity, innovation, and connection are consistently more important drivers of company performance than extrinsic rewards such as pay and benefits.
In other words, caring and supportive leaders matter more than what they pay.
For years, CEOs and boards have nodded toward employee well-being without taking decisive action. Now, with investors and market analysts clearly rewarding companies that get it right, ignoring how people feel at work is no longer optional.
In our conversation, David explains how his research was conducted, what surprised him most, and the practical implications for leadership teams still on the sidelines (not a bright future).
For leaders wanting proof that supporting the human needs in employees is worthwhile, we’ve never had greater information to share.
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Due to a technical problem with Apple Podcasts, we had to reissue this episode to ensure all subscribers received it. Sorry if it’s a duplicate for some.
For only the second time since launching the Lead From The Heart podcast eight years ago, Mark is opening a new season by speaking directly to you—without a guest.
In 2018, Mark used the very first episode to introduce himself and his mission for the show. As this new season begins, he felt it was important to pause again, reflect, and—once more—clearly frame the context for what lies ahead.
Over the past seven years, the podcast has featured 170 remarkable guests—CEOs, researchers, academics, and thinkers whose work helped shape and advance a leadership philosophy that was once considered unconventional. What began as a challenge to traditional management thinking has steadily become part of the mainstream conversation about leadership, performance, and culture. Today, many of Mark’s ideas that once provoked debate—or even ridicule—are no longer contested.
In this solo episode, Mark revisits why he created the podcast, what it set out to influence, and how the leadership landscape has changed since it began. As you’ll hear, Season 8 marks an important inflection point. Mark introduces a new dimension he’s adding to the show—one designed to keep the podcast vital and relevant while aligning it more closely with the moment leaders now find themselves in.
Just before the new year, Mark published an article in Fast Company outlining why he believes employee well-being is poised to become a true business priority. In this episode, he expands on that thinking and explains how the podcast will support leaders navigating what comes next.
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For only the second time since launching the Lead From The Heart podcast in 2018, Mark is opening a new season by speaking directly to you—without a guest.
Eight years ago, Mark used the very first episode to introduce himself and his mission for the show. As this new season begins, he felt it was important to pause again, reflect, and—once more—clearly frame the context for what lies ahead.
Over the past seven years, the podcast has featured 170 remarkable guests—CEOs, researchers, academics, and thinkers whose work helped shape and advance a leadership philosophy that was once considered unconventional. What began as a challenge to traditional management thinking has steadily become part of the mainstream conversation about leadership, performance, and culture. Today, many of Mark’s ideas that once provoked debate—or even ridicule—are no longer contested.
In this solo episode, Mark revisits why he created the podcast, what it set out to influence, and how the leadership landscape has changed since it began. As you’ll hear, Season 8 marks an important inflection point. Mark introduces a new dimension he’s adding to the show—one designed to keep the podcast vital and relevant while aligning it more closely with the moment leaders now find themselves in.
Just before the new year, Mark published an article in Fast Company outlining why he believes employee well-being is poised to become a true business priority. In this episode, he expands on that thinking and explains how the podcast will support leaders navigating what comes next.
The post Mark C. Crowley: The Future Of The Lead From The Heart Podcast appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
The first chapter of my new book, The Power of Employee Well-Being is titled Know Thyself—and for good reason. I’ve long believed that the most important work a leader can do begins inward, with deeply understanding who you are, how you show up, and the patterns that shape your behavior. That’s exactly what Margaret Andrews explores in Manage Yourself to Lead Others.
Leadership, she argues, isn’t about talent, technical skill, or even hard work alone. Those things matter, but they aren’t enough. Sustainable, effective leadership starts with self-awareness—the willingness to examine the experiences, influences, and assumptions that shape your decisions and relationships. It’s the foundation that allows you to manage yourself, work effectively with your team, navigate your relationship with your boss, and make better choices under pressure.
Margaret draws on decades of experience teaching executives at Harvard to show how this self-understanding translates into practical leadership. In the book, she invites readers to reflect on the leader they are now, the leader they want to become, and the gaps that stand in the way. She explores the blind spots that derail leaders, the relational skills that often outweigh technical ability, and the ways composure and authenticity separate the most capable leaders from the rest.
In our conversation, we discuss why interpersonal skills continue to be undervalued in leadership development, how leaders can begin the work of self-assessment today, and the subtle ways self-awareness transforms how we influence, support, and collaborate with others.
Whether you’ve just taken on a leadership role or have been leading for decades, this episode is a reminder that the work of leadership is never just outward. It starts with curiosity, honesty, and the real courage to confront what you may not yet fully see about yourself. Margaret’s insights offer a roadmap to that work—and a simple but powerful challenge: to lead others, first understand yourself.
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Mark Thompson is widely recognized as the world’s #1 CEO coach, bringing more than 30 years of experience preparing top executives and boards — from global corporations to fast-growing startups — to step confidently into their next leadership roles.
As founding Chairman of the Chief Executive Alliance and former Chief Experience Officer at Charles Schwab Corporation, he has guided leaders through high-stakes challenges, career transitions, and moments that define organizational success. Few guests bring the depth of operating experience, boardroom insight, and leadership wisdom that Mark does, making this conversation a rare opportunity for any leader seeking to grow.
High performance alone is not enough to secure the promotion you deserve — and Mark knows it. He helps leaders prepare in ways they often don’t realize matter: building the confidence of decision-makers, developing influence without self-promotion, uncovering blind spots, and cultivating leadership agility. In this discussion, he shares practical strategies to navigate these subtleties so leaders are ready when opportunity knocks.
We also explore lessons from his new book, CEO Ready: What You Need to Know to Earn the Job and Keep the Job, which offers an actionable roadmap for leaders at every level. Whether you aspire to the corner office or want to lead more effectively today, Mark’s insights reveal the often-overlooked factors that determine who rises and who stalls — and how to position yourself to succeed.
Mark goes deeper into the human side of leadership, showing how emotions, relationships, and self-awareness shape career growth and organizational impact. He offers guidance on building trust, earning respect, creating cultures where people feel seen and motivated, and addressing challenges like impostor syndrome before they derail your progress.
Finally, Mark shares lessons few leaders ever get the chance to hear directly from someone with his experience: how to reinvent yourself proactively, stay agile, and elevate your leadership so you’re not only prepared for promotion but also ready to excel once you get there. This is a conversation packed with rare insight, practical strategies, and wisdom you can apply immediately — one you’ll want to listen to all the way through.
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Have you ever noticed how many people — even highly successful leaders — live in constant overdrive? They’re productive, disciplined, and always “on,” but inside, they’re exhausted.
That’s survival mode — and according to Jon Rosemberg, author of A Guide to Thriving: The Science Behind Breaking Old Patterns, Reclaiming Your Agency, and Finding Meaning, it’s where far too many of us spend our days.
In our conversation with Jon, he shows that survival mode isn’t just about burnout — it’s about a deeper disconnection from calm, choice, and purpose. We get stuck reacting to life instead of truly living it. While it can look like high performance on the outside, it quietly erodes creativity, well-being, and authentic leadership.
In this conversation, Jon explains:
- Why high achievers are especially prone to it — and why it often feels “normal”
- How to recognize the subtle signs that you’re no longer thriving
- How to reclaim your agency and live with greater energy, clarity, and meaning
- How leaders can create cultures where people feel safe, inspired, and fully alive at work
Jon also introduces his highly adoptable “AIR model” — Awareness, Inquiry, and Reframing — a set of tools to help you move from autopilot to intention, from surviving to thriving. We discuss this at length.
At its core, thriving isn’t about having easy days. It’s about learning to meet challenges with grounded confidence, to respond rather than react, and to cultivate environments where people can flourish.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re running on autopilot — or want to help your team move beyond stress and into sustainable performance — this episode offers both insight and hope.
Listen now to learn how to shift from surviving to thriving — in your leadership, and in your life.
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Why Do Smart, Capable Leaders So Often Get In Their Own Way?
Muriel M. Wilkins — executive coach, host of the Harvard Business Review podcast Coaching Real Leaders, and author of the brilliant new book Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential — has spent her career helping senior leaders uncover the invisible beliefs that quietly sabotage their effectiveness.
In this episode, Muriel joins me to explore what she calls hidden blockers — seven deeply ingrained mindsets that cause leaders to overcontrol, overwork, or second-guess themselves. These blockers sound deceptively simple — “I need to be involved in every detail,” “I need it done now, no matter what,” “I know I’m right,” and “I don’t belong here” — but they drive some of the most common leadership breakdowns we see today.
Muriel shares how her own leadership struggles early in her career — and one pivotal question from her partner, “Did you ever think maybe the problem is you?” — led her to uncover the truth that changed everything: the biggest obstacles to our leadership rarely come from others; they come from within ourselves.
Together, we dive into:
- Why it’s so hard for leaders to see that we might be the problem
- How the need for control and speed quietly destroys trust and engagement
- Why certainty can masquerade as confidence — and how to lead with curiosity instead
- How even the most accomplished leaders can secretly feel like outsiders, a belief closely tied to impostor syndrome, and what to do about it
- The single underlying fear that fuels all these hidden blockers
If you’ve ever wondered why you keep repeating the same patterns — or why leading sometimes feels harder than it should — this conversation will help you see what’s really been standing in your way.
Muriel’s insights are both deeply human and immediately actionable. You’ll walk away seeing leadership — and yourself — through a whole new lens, with practical tools to unstick the hidden beliefs that have been holding you back.
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The core message of Colin M. Fisher’s new book, The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, is simple but profound: we dramatically overestimate the role of individuals in success and underestimate the extraordinary power of groups. History celebrates “great men” like Edison, Jobs, and Musk, but the truth is that real breakthroughs nearly always come from teams—groups that learn how to cooperate effectively, stick together, and build upon one another’s strengths.
Too often, workplace managers mirror this cultural bias becoming infatuated with star performers. They lavish praise and resources on individuals, hoping one person’s brilliance will carry the whole. But as Colin makes clear, the true competitive advantage lies in developing cohesive, resilient teams. A star may dazzle for a while, but groups that collaborate well produce enduring results—driving innovation, loyalty, and resilience that no single person can deliver on their own.
Colin argues that our obsession with individual genius has left workplaces fractured and often mismanaged. And when leaders cling to fear-based tactics—believing pressure and intimidation will push people to perform—they undermine the very conditions groups need to excel. Negative experiences weigh five times more heavily on the human brain than positive ones. They consume energy, erode trust, and ensure people take fewer risks. Fear creates compliance, at best, but never the creativity, loyalty, or innovation required for long-term success.
Our conversation zeroed in on what makes groups thrive. Loyalty, belonging, and well-being aren’t “soft” ideas (as our podcast audience knows very well); they are competitive advantages. Teams that stay together outperform those plagued by turnover. Organizations that invest in caring for people not only attract and retain talent but also become more adaptable in times of disruption. Colin’s research powerfully confirms what many of us already know: well-being is not separate from performance—it’s the fuel that allows groups to commit fully, collaborate deeply, and sustain high achievement over time.
Colin’s research also reveals that truly effective cooperation requires more than just hitting goals—it demands that members feel satisfied enough to remain personally committed. That’s why enduring teams, like the Rolling Stones, last for decades: they balance performance with the relational glue that keeps people engaged.
We also explored some of Colin’s most compelling insights for leaders not previously heard with past guests. In a world increasingly divided and polarized, Colin’s work is a reminder that our greatest strength comes not from going it alone, or idolizing lone stars, but from rediscovering the collective edge—unlocking the trust, creativity, resilience, and well-being that only groups can deliver.
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Klaus Kleinfeld has lived one of the most extraordinary leadership journeys of our time. He’s the only executive ever to serve as CEO of two Fortune 500 giants on different continents—Siemens in Germany and Alcoa in the U.S.—and he’s advised presidents and global leaders around the world.
What struck me most in speaking with Klaus isn’t just the scope of his career—it’s what he believes makes leadership truly sustainable. His new book, Leading to Thrive: Mastering Strategies for Sustainable Success in Business and Life, places enormous emphasis on what he calls the “Inner Game.” Unlike most leadership books written by CEOs, Klaus argues that the foundation of thriving organizations begins not with strategy or financial goals, but with the well-being of leaders themselves.
By “Inner Game,” he means building and renewing energy across four dimensions—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. He challenges the widely held belief that business success must come first, and that well-being can only follow later. To Klaus, that logic is upside down. Ignoring one’s inner life, he says, inevitably leads to burnout, stress, broken relationships, and declining performance. The healthier and more energized we are, the more sustainable our leadership becomes—and the more we elevate the people around us.
In our conversation, we explore how Klaus personally integrated these practices while leading global corporations, and how his philosophy flowed through his organizations. We also talk about the unusual influences behind his leadership—drawing inspiration from timeless wisdom traditions and even the philosophy of memento mori (“remember you must die”) as a reminder to live and lead with perspective.
One of the most powerful themes in our discussion is Klaus’s conviction that love belongs in leadership. He writes that “few energy forces are as potent and transformative as love”—and we talk about how he expressed that through kindness, care, and support for his teams at Siemens and Alcoa.
This is a rare conversation with a major CEO who openly believes that leadership must be rooted in well-being—not only for ourselves, but for our employees. Klaus Kleinfeld shows us that thriving leaders create thriving organizations.
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Laurie Santos is one of the world’s leading voices on the science of happiness and well-being. She’s a psychology professor at Yale University, where her course Psychology and the Good Life became the most popular class in Yale’s 300-year history. So many students enrolled that the university had to move it to a concert hall to accommodate the crowds. Building on that success, Laurie created the online version—The Science of Well-Being—which has now been taken by millions worldwide, making her one of the most influential teachers on happiness anywhere.
But Laurie’s work reaches far beyond the classroom. She hosts The Happiness Lab podcast, downloaded tens of millions of times, where she translates the latest scientific discoveries about human flourishing into insights anyone can use. Her ability to take rigorous research—whether from psychology, behavioral science, or neuroscience—and make it deeply practical is what has made her a global thought leader.
What she’s uncovered challenges some of our most deeply held assumptions. Laurie shows that the things we chase—money, promotions, material success—aren’t nearly as powerful as we think. Instead, small intentional practices like gratitude, social connection, exercise, and sleep have profound effects on our happiness and resilience. These findings are not just personally transformative; they have enormous implications for leaders and workplaces.
At a time when stress, burnout, and disconnection are at record highs, Laurie’s research is a wake-up call. She helps leaders see the blind spots that keep employees from thriving, and she offers evidence-based strategies for creating cultures of well-being that fuel both human and organizational performance. Her insights cut through outdated engagement metrics and show what really makes people flourish at work and in life.
This is a remarkable and powerfully insightful conversation that no leader, manager, or professional should miss. Laurie brings both the science and the practical wisdom to help us understand what truly drives human happiness—and why supporting employee well-being is one of the most important investments any organization can make.
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For the second half of this podcast season, we’ve been focused on employee well-being—why it matters, how to foster it, and what happens when leaders fail to take it seriously. Our new guest, Amy Gilliland, shows what it looks like when a CEO makes well-being a true priority, not a mere slogan.
Amy is president of General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a $9 billion global technology enterprise with 28,000 employees. Under her leadership, GDIT has achieved four straight years of revenue growth, a 27% increase in operating earnings, and a record $15.4 billion in contract awards in 2024. What makes her stand out isn’t only the results, but how she’s achieved them.
Amy believes compassion and performance go hand in hand. She has been a visible advocate for employee well-being and mental health, launching GDIT’s groundbreaking “How Are You, Really?” campaign in 2021. This initiative opened conversations about mental health, reduced stigma, and ensured people know support is available.
I’ve had the privilege of visiting and speaking at GDIT headquarters outside of Washington D.C., and seeing Amy in action. She’s the real deal, which is why I invited her on the show. In our conversation, we cover:
- Her leadership journey from the Naval Academy and Navy service to president of GDIT.
- The philosophy guiding her leadership of nearly 30,000 employees.
- Why companies must move beyond surveys and perks to embed mental, emotional, and social well-being into culture.
- How she’s overcome resistance, educated her team, and built practices that support employees while driving results.
- The ways she captures employee voices to evolve wellness initiatives.
Too often, CEOs treat well-being as a nice-to-have while pushing employees to meet goals at any cost. Amy has shown that when leaders make well-being essential to performance, the results are transformative.
Amy delivers a compelling call for leaders everywhere—HR professionals, managers, and executives—to take meaningful action. Her message: when organizations invest in the health of their people, everyone wins.
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That’s the groundbreaking case made by Dr. Angela Jackson, Harvard University professor and New York Times bestselling author of The Win-Win Workplace: How Thriving Employees Drive Bottom-Line Success.
Angela’s journey is remarkable. After losing her mother at age four, she was raised by grandparents who grew up in the Jim Crow South and never advanced beyond sixth grade. Nonetheless, their resilience and determination gave Angela the foundation to earn a PhD, teach at Harvard, and become a leading voice for creating workplaces where people truly flourish.
Drawing on research from over 1,200 organizations—from global giants like Walmart to small manufacturers—Angela demonstrates how the old zero-sum model of “wages for labor” is breaking down. In its place, she shows how win-win cultures—where employee well-being is prioritized alongside company performance—deliver superior results.
In our conversation, Angela shares truly actionable strategies leaders can use right now: transforming manager mindsets, investing in overlooked employees, listening with intention, and boldly reshaping benefits so all workers feel valued. Her message is clear: the future of work is already shifting toward more humane, caring organizations—and leaders must be ready to meet the moment.
A wonderfully inspiring conversation that proves the future of work is fully aligned with the longstanding themes of our show!
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Nick Foster, former head of design at Google X — the “moonshot factory” — and author of Could, Should, Might, Don’t: How We Think About the Future, joins us to discuss his stunning conclusion that human beings are terrible at predicting the future, calling most forecasts “mostly nonsense.”
For leaders, this insight is absolutely essential: we’re constantly asked to make or evaluate predictions that shape strategies, investments, and organizational futures. Foster’s book provides a vital framework to assess these pitches, helping leaders navigate the uncertainty of forecasts (whether making them or receiving them) with clarity and skepticism, avoiding costly missteps.
Foster outlines four mindsets—Could, Should, Might, Don’t—that define how people generally pitch future outcomes. Each carries strengths but also huge traps that can derail effective decision-making:
The “Could” mindset fuels bold visions, like Theranos’ claim of running hundreds of blood tests from a single drop. But unchecked optimism can obscure feasibility, leading to failures that leaders, swayed by hype, might miss.
The “Should” mindset, as seen in Blockbuster’s focus on in-store rentals, aligns with identity but can blind leaders to disruptive shifts like streaming.
The “Might” mindset relies on data, as Sears did before missing e-commerce, yet past trends can mislead when predicting new realities.
The “Don’t” mindset, like Kodak’s resistance to digital photography, protects strengths but risks stagnation.
Through stories from his career at Google, Dyson, and beyond, Foster reveals how these mindsets manifest in boardrooms and why they often fail. He equips leaders with tools to spot red flags—over-optimism in “Could” pitches, rigidity in “Should” arguments, outdated data in “Might” forecasts, or fear-driven “Don’t” resistance. Drawing from his time at Google’s X lab, where he asked “dumb questions” to unpack emerging tech, Foster urges non-technical leaders to embrace curiosity to challenge predictions without being swayed by charisma or budgets.
Foster’s key takeaway? Leaders must approach predictions—whether their own or others’—with rigorous skepticism, using his framework to test ideas while staying open to change. Leaders must learn to challenge all predictions when tasked with making high-stakes decisions or evaluating pitches that could shape their organization’s future. This episode explores how to navigate uncertainty, avoid flawed forecasts, and make smarter choices in a prediction-obsessed world, offering a clear-eyed guide for leaders steering businesses or personal goals.
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What’s worse than a boss who emails you at midnight, demanding instant replies?
How about one who calls you “Mohammed” instead of your real name, Madhumita, or another who expects you to dive back into work just days after your father’s sudden death. Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Mita Mallick has faced these and 10 other toxic manager archetypes in her career, and brings them all to life in her new book, “The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses.”
As former Head of Inclusion, Equity, and Impact at Carta and Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever, Mita joins our podcast with hard-earned lessons drawn from navigating a gauntlet of workplace dysfunction. Her stories are both stupefying and instructive, from bosses who ruled by fear to those whose micromanaging stifled creativity.
During our conversation, I ask Mita whether we learn more from our worst bosses or our best?” One thing for certain is that too many workplace managers are blind to the behaviors that undermine trust, make people feel disrespected — and even quit because they are so undermining. Hearing Mita’s stories is amusing, but they also teach us about building stronger, more inclusive teams.
Mita exposes why toxic behaviors like bullying (1 in 2 workers has faced or witnessed it) or relentless email barrages take root in organizations. She unpacks the most damaging archetypes and why companies tolerate them, offering leaders strategies to replace chaos with cultures of respect and collaboration.
It should be obvious that no one wants to respond to emails at midnight, but to many a leader, apparently it isn’t.
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In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Urs Koenig, author of “Radical Humility: Be A Badass Leader And A Good Human,” to explore leadership through a lens of selflessness and authenticity. Drawing from his experience as a peacekeeping mission commander in Kosovo, Urs shares surprising insights on leading in high-stakes environments, revealing how humility shaped his approach in ways that challenge conventional leadership norms.
Few could argue that humility is a great strength in workplace leadership – and it’s a core value across all major world religions. One question we ask Urs is why humility is too often missing in leadership –subsumed by the ego-driven leadership style so prevalent in business today?
In our conversation, Urs highlights key research, including a University of Washington study which underscores humility’s profound impact on effective leadership. He also discusses a study from the book, Humbitious on how encouraging deep relationships between co-workers not only fosters greater connection, but also builds stronger, more cohesive teams.
We also question Urs on whether the current leadership selection paradigm needs an overhaul (we advocate for choosing people for leadership roles who prioritize genuine care to create more humane workplaces).
Urs dares us to imagine a world where radical humility redefines leadership, and we ask if this is possible in our ego-driven world?
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Is Bree Groff delusional or naive to believe work should be a source of fun and joy? Having read her bestseller, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously) and interviewed her, we’re certain she’s spot-on—and voicing what many of us have long felt: work shouldn’t be a grind that erodes our happiness or well-being.
Bree’s expertise stems from a dynamic career in organizational transformation. With over a decade advising leaders at Google, Microsoft, and Hilton as a consultant and former CEO of a global change agency, she’s reshaped workplace cultures worldwide. Holding an MS in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, Bree now teaches strategy and change communications, championing work that prioritizes purpose over stress.
Growing up, Bree saw her educator parents find joy in their work, joining them on school holidays and assuming all work was inherently meaningful. Yet, entering the workforce, she was stunned by “patently ridiculous, if not outright dangerous” practices she observed that drained all the fun from work.
In this episode, Bree pinpoints what’s broken and shares practical leadership solutions to fix it. She defines how joy can coexist with high performance and explains why fostering it is critical for success. She also reveals why emotional reliability is a vital leadership skill and offers steps to cultivate it, strengthening team trust. During our conversation, Bree explains why nurturing workplace friendships boosts organizational outcomes and introduces her “user manuals” concept, where teams share personal preferences to enhance collaboration.
This season, our podcast is highly focused on employee well-being, and Bree’s perspective aligns perfectly. She critiques the cost of “discretionary effort” in employee engagement—“It’s free labor, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves where that effort comes from,” she writes, citing sacrifices like missing bedtime stories, not getting exercise or losing sleep. We dive into whether leaders should chase engagement metrics or prioritize well-being for sustainable results. The entire conversation will challenge you to rethink work’s role in your life, whether you’re leading a team or navigating your own career.
And just like her book title and the mission she’s on, Bree Groff is also a rather fun guest!
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As a statistician by trade, Cambridge University Emeritus Professor, Sir David Spiegelhalter might seem to be a huge outlier for our leadership podcast. At the beginning of our conversation he even acknowledges feeling this way.
But his new book, The Art of Uncertainty, was named an Amazon Best Book of 2025, and his investigations aimed at reducing uncertainty in life: about what is happening, what might happen – even why things have happened – have yielded some remarkably useful insights on how leaders can most effectively navigate complex situations. And it’s absolutely invaluable knowledge these days.
As you’ll soon realize on your own, our conversation reveals not only his brilliance, but that he’s also a keen observer of what drives leadership success. It’s also no surprise that that his 50 years of work is so impressive that Queen Elizabeth Knighted him.
With clear, engaging and truly charming delivery, Sir David explains why leaders often fear the unknown and how accepting it fosters resilience. He challenges the instinct to eliminate uncertainty, highlighting humility and adaptability as key to success. He also redefines “luck” – not as something mystical but as a skill – built through openness to opportunities and perseverance. His point is we can learn to make ourselves more lucky in life – a wiser path than hoping the universe bestows it upon us.
Before we’re done, we discuss the importance of balancing intuition with data when making important leadership decisions (currently a wildly uncommon practice in business) along with real-world examples of leaders who’ve succeeded by routinely questioning assumptions. Finally, Sir David shares a brilliant model leaders can use to communicate in uncertain times when they do not have the all the answers – and also don’t want to appear indecisive.
We believe there is great wisdom to be gained from experts outside of business and workplace leadership. And one of the world’s truly great analytical minds (a statistician!) proves the point in this wonderful conversation.
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Ever wonder what 75 days a year glued to your phone is costing you? That staggering figure—based on a 2024 study showing Americans spend an average of 5 hours and 16 minutes daily on their smartphones—reveals how deeply our devices dominate our lives. Enter Richard Simon and his provocative bestseller, Unplug: How to […]
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We’re thrilled to welcome back Margaret Heffernan to the podcast, a guest whose erudition and insight left us in awe last time! Margaret is one of the most remarkable people we’ve had on the show—an entrepreneur, former CEO, acclaimed author, and thought leader whose uncommon education and thirst for knowledge imbue her work […]
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Imagine you’re a leader who’s achieved great success, yet something suddenly feels off: roadblocks appear, your team seems less responsive and productive—and you’re not progressing as hoped. What’s holding you back? Martin Dubin, a clinical psychologist and author of, Blindspotting: How To See What’s Holding You Back As A Leader (being released next […]
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We’re thrilled to welcome Shigehiro Oishi, renowned psychologist and University of Chicago professor, whose groundbreaking research on well-being has reshaped how we understand a fulfilling life. As the author of Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life, Oishi introduces a transformative framework that adds “psychological richness”—a […]
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For over 40 years, Gary Shapiro has been CEO of the Consumer Technology Association – the organization which runs CES, the world’s largest and most influential technology trade show held every year in Las Vegas. CES long ago became the global stage where innovations like the iPhone, self-driving cars, and AI breakthroughs have […]
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Wes Adams, co-author of Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee, joins the podcast and shares profound insights from his extensive, multi-year research, on an essential yet often ignored leadership prerogative: ensuring employees feel they’re connected to a shared purpose, empowered to make a difference – and pushed to […]
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What makes a leader truly successful? To find out, we sat down with Claudius Hildebrand, author of the bestselling The Life Cycle of a CEO: The Myths and Truths of How Leaders Succeed. His core insight? Leadership isn’t a trophy you win or a title you hold—it’s a dynamic, ever-evolving journey that demands […]
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Melody Wilding, Professor of Human Behavior at Hunter College in New York City, and renowned for her expertise in workplace dynamics, has just published, “Managing Up: How To Get What You Need From The People In Charge.” It’s received outstanding reviews, is already a bestseller – and has become an indispensable guide for building […]
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Renowned social psychologist and Columbia Business School professor Adam Galinsky, has dedicated his academic career to understanding the intricacies of leadership and human behavior. His latest book, “Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others,” offers a compelling exploration of what it takes to be an inspiring leader. Adam is clear that inspiring leadership […]
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Ever wondered what truly drives peak performance at work? As research is now proving, the surprising secret lies in employee well-being. In this captivating episode, we’re joined by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, the Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre & an editor of […]
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For our inaugural episode of our new season, we are thrilled to feature two truly extraordinary guests. It also marks a milestone for us as it’s the very first time we’ve recorded an episode where both the host and guests were together in the same room — in this case, at a recording […]
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We’re thrilled to have Ethan Kross accept our invitation to join us for a second time, & to discuss his highly anticipated new book, Shift: Managing Your Emotions-So They Don’t Manage You. (Publishes February 2025).
If you’re a regular listener to our show, you’ll recall Ethan’s previous appearance when we discussed his bestselling book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It. Amazon named it one of its best books of 2021.
Ethan Kross is a renowned psychologist and professor at the University of Michigan, whose research focuses on the conscious mind and strategies for controlling thoughts and emotions. In Chatter, he provided invaluable guidance on transforming our inner critic into an inner coach. His new book takes this further by delving deep into the realm of emotions, offering new frameworks and practical tools for understanding and managing them effectively.
In this episode, we explore:
- The Role of Emotions in Leadership: How emotions are not just obstacles but vital sources of information that can guide decision-making.
- Debunking Myths: Challenging the idea that avoiding emotions is always harmful, and showing how strategic emotional management can actually enhance our leadership effectiveness.
- Leveraging Relationships: Understanding the emotional dynamics within our teams and using these insights to build stronger, more cohesive units.
- New Insights On Emotional Intelligence: Techniques for shifting perspective, managing attention, and fostering EQ in leadership.
Ethan’s insights are particularly relevant to our community’s mission of leading with heart and empathy. By mastering our own emotions, we can become better leaders, create more inclusive environments, and drive positive change.
While many of our previous guests have been kind and thoughtful – and brilliant, as you’ll hear, Ethan’s greatly embodies all three of these traits.
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The Financial Times just named Columbia University professor Michael Morriss’ new book, Tribal: How The Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together, one of the “Best Business Books of the Year” (2024).
When we hear the word “tribalism,” it often carries a negative connotation. It gets blamed for everything from political polarization to workplace discrimination. We commonly believe tribalism is a societal divider & therefore a harmful influence on society.
But, as we discuss in this episode, Morris redefines tribalism not as a flaw but as a crucial part of human nature that can be harnessed for positive change. He believes our tribal instincts are humanity’s secret weapon.
In his book, he writes that humans are unique in forming tribes, & that we are fueled by three psychological instincts:
- The Peer Instinct: tribe members conform to group norms.
- The Hero Instinct: tribe members emulate respected members.
- The Ancestor Instinct: tribe members follow traditions.
Morris says these instincts enable us to collaborate, share knowledge & build on past achievements. Teams and organizations are shaped by these instincts – they subtly influence our thoughts & actions – & when tribal “leaders” recognize & leverage these instincts, they’re able to enhance the tribe’s performance, bridge divided & drive cultural change.
A central theme of Morris’ book is belonging. He explains how our need to belong (a theme we routinely & purposely explore on this podcast) motivates our identities & behaviors. And he provides insights into how we can foster inclusivity & community. It’s when leaders embrace their employee’s tribal nature that they can cultivate environments where people feel valued & connected.
As you’ll hear, Morris’s perspective offers a hopeful view, suggesting that by understanding our tribal instincts, we can turn a potential source of division into a powerful force for unity and progress. By fostering a sense of belonging, leaders can unlock the secrets of our psychology and effectively manage our misunderstood superpower.
Michael Morris is truly brilliant and you’ll be massively impressed by how he connects wide-ranging ideas in real time.
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We live in a world where early achievements are celebrated, but what if some of your greatest successes were to come later in life?
On this truly provocative episode, we sit down with the brilliant Henry Oliver, author of “Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life.” Our conversation is packed with uncommon insights that will challenge your perspectives on career success, personal growth — & surprisingly, networking!
In our fast-paced society, we often feel pressured to reach the top quickly, making us overlook the value of continuous growth & evolution. Henry’s book, “Second Act,” shifts this narrative, celebrating those who achieved remarkable success in the second half of their lives. Henry argues that as we live longer, healthier & more productive lives, the potential to become a late bloomer is within all of us.
In this episode, we delve into the mindset of late bloomers. Henry emphasizes the importance of preparing for the unknown, the unexpected, & the unstated. This isn’t just about having a plan, but about being open to where our journey might lead over the next 10, 20, or even 30 years. He introduces the concept of an “Odyssean education” — the value of intentionally placing ourselves in new contexts & environments in order to broaden our understanding & develop unique skills, rather than sticking to what we already know.
Henry’s book has not gone unnoticed. It has received a glowing review from the Wall Street Journal, which highlighted key insights that resonate deeply with readers.
What motivates someone to study late bloomers? For Henry, it’s about uncovering the lessons we can all learn from these extraordinary individuals. He shares the driving forces behind his research, the inspiration from famous late bloomers, & what he hopes readers will gain from his work.
We discuss the life stories of several world-famous late bloomers & how their preparedness for luck played a significant role in their success. Steve Jobs, the man who made Apple a global phenomenon – in his second go-round as CEO – is just one example of how late bloomers can seize opportunities in ways that early achievers might not.
With a rich background & years of meticulous research, Henry offers exceptional insights that are bound to inspire you. This episode is a must-listen for anyone considering a new direction in their career, or simply wanting to understand the power & potential of their blooming later in life.
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Mitch Warner is the Managing Partner of the Arbinger Institute, an organization renowned for its groundbreaking work in leadership & organizational transformation. The Arbinger Institute has just released the fourth edition of its classic book,“Leadership and Self-Deception: The Secret to Transforming Relationships and Unleashing Results.”
First published in 2000, “Leadership & Self-Deception” has become one of the top five leadership books of all time. Over the years, this influential book has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
The book delves into how self-deception clouds our vision, leading us to blame others rather than acknowledging our own faults & contributions to problems. It offers profound insights into how we can overcome these persistent lies that plague our relationships and hinder organizational results.
In the summer of 2024, Arbinger produced a significantly revised & updated fourth edition of this enduring classic. This new edition includes updated stories, a broader cast of characters & practical guides to help readers apply the concepts to modern workplace challenges. Through an engaging narrative, the book reveals how we blind ourselves to our true motivations & unwittingly sabotage our efforts to achieve success & rebuild broken relationships.
Join us as we explore the timeless principles of “Leadership and Self-Deception” and discover how they can transform your personal and professional life.
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In this episode, we delve into the pervasive issue of burnout & dissatisfaction in modern work cultures & explore how rethinking workplace operations can enhance employee well-being. Our guest, Brigid Schulte, author of the bestseller “Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life,” provides uncommonly researched perspectives on this topic.
Brigid critiques the extreme work expectations set by figures like Elon Musk, who advocates for grueling work hours & dismisses remote work as “morally wrong.” And, we’re all familiar with companies like Dell & Amazon who’ve recently decided to eliminate hybrid work schedules, pushing employees back to the office full-time.
A former journalist with The Washington Post & a New York Times bestselling author, Brigid argues these approaches are counterproductive, & highlights the historical shift from work that supported well-being to today’s relentless demands. Her research suggests innovative solutions such as the four-day workweek & flexible work hours, showcasing CEOs who foster humane working conditions.
Her book emphasizes that our work patterns need a significant overhaul, asserting that we are only limited by our imagination & the narratives we create about work. With endorsements from thought leaders like Adam Grant, who praises her meticulous research, Brigid offers a compelling vision for a future where work can be both fulfilling and joyful.
Join us as Brigid challenges the status quo & presents practical strategies for transforming our work lives.
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We have the distinct honor of hosting a true visionary in human resources and organizational culture, Laszlo Bock. His name is synonymous with innovation, empathy, and transformative leadership. His journey is a testament to leading with both the mind and the heart, a philosophy that has revolutionized the workplaces he has touched.
Laszlo earned a BA from Pomona College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He honed his skills at General Electric and McKinsey before his tenure at Google as the Senior Vice President of People Operations, which catapulted him into the global spotlight.
At Google, he instituted a workplace culture that astonished everyone. Extravagant perks like free shuttle buses with Wi-Fi, free food, and slides between floors were just the beginning. These investments contributed to Google’s success, which saw record stock performance in its first 20 years. Under Laszlo’s leadership, Google was named the Best Company to Work for over 30 times globally and received more than 100 awards as a top employer. His innovative HR approaches emphasized data-driven decision-making, transparency, and employee well-being.
In 2010, at age 38, he was named Human Resources Executive of the Year by HR Resources Magazine. In 2015, he published his New York Times bestseller, “Work Rules! Insights From Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live And Lead.” Two years later, Laszlo left Google and co-founded Humu, a company that combines technology and human-centric leadership to deliver “nudges” to workplace managers.
Humu describes nudges as short, science-backed suggestions—bite-sized actions to support teams and improve work. For the curious, this concept was developed by University of Chicago scholars Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.
Having recently sold Humu, Laszlo has just created a Transformative Chief Human Resources Leadership Program at the Haas Business School at UC Berkeley. His program aims to equip the next generation of HR leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate modern workplaces, further cementing his legacy as a pioneer in the field.
Laszlo Bock’s career is a masterclass in leading with both the mind and the heart. His ability to blend analytical rigor with genuine care for people has set a new standard for leadership today. As we dive into our conversation, we will explore the principles that have guided his journey, the lessons he has learned, and his vision for the future of work.
Not to be missed.
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The idea of balancing the rational aspects of leadership with the intelligence of the heart and the wisdom of the soul is suddenly emerging as a legitimate best practice in organizations.
At last, were moving away from traditional thinking — & knee-jerk assumptions — that caring about employees & giving them more power & agency, is a very bad way to drive performance.
Kim & Erin Clark are the co-authors of the new bestseller, “Leading Through: Activating The Soul, Heart & Mind Of Leadership.” And while one could conjecture that the authors of a book with a title like this are spiritualists or people who don’t understand management, Kim happens to be the former Dean of the Harvard Business School — & Erin is a managing director of human capital at Deloitte Consulting!
They have chops. They have massive credibility. Which makes it rather hard to refute what they both have to say.
For as long as any of us can remember, workplace leadership has always been anchored on rationality, efficiency & control. Workers were treated as being easily replaceable, & managers were routinely taught to focus on productivity — not on employee engagement or well-being.
As evidenced by Kim & Erin’s book, we’re at the onset of an era when traditional leadership philosophy gets tossed aside, and when a new, more informed and enlightened methodology becomes embraced. Their work is a testament to the power of integrating the heart, soul and mind into how we lead human beings in our workplaces.
The profound insights they both share in this conversation are certain to inspire & challenge you to rethink what it means to lead in today’s world.
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One of the most common questions on the minds of workplace managers today is, “How can I most successfully manage the new generation of people entering the workforce?” This is a crucial question, as not only are the dynamics of the workplace rapidly changing – the generation of workers aged 18 to 25 really does have unique needs needing our support.
Dr. David Yeager, a renowned developmental psychologist and the author of the groundbreaking bestseller, “10 To 25: The Science of Motivating Young People” fundamentally breaks away from our traditional beliefs on how to motivate young people.
In his book, he draws on cutting-edge research which shows that around age ten, puberty spurs the brain to crave socially rewarding experiences, such as pride, admiration, and respect – and to become highly averse to social pain, such as humiliation or shame. And because this hyper-sensitivity to status and respect continues all the way into the mid-twenties, managers can leverage these insights to create a work environment that not only meets the needs of their young employees but also harnesses their full potential.
Dr. Yeager introduces what’s called a “mentor mindset – a leadership style that’s finely attuned to the unique needs of young people for status and respect.
His practices include validating young people’s perspectives rather than dismissing them, asking them questions instead of telling them what to do, being transparent about our beliefs and goals rather than assuming they will accurately guess our thoughts, and holding them accountable to high standards instead of coddling them.
To be clear, this isn’t done for the purpose of making young people feel good. It’s about tapping into the basic neurobiological systems that drive their motivation and behavior – and which influences them to perform at very high levels.
One of the biggest misconceptions about mentoring is that it takes up too much time. Dr. Yeager dispels this myth by showing that those who use the mentor mindset actually end up with more time. Through back-and-forth conversations, young people feel empowered, and managers can transfer more responsibility to them. This not only frees up the manager’s time but also fosters a sense of ownership and accountability among young employees.
It’s easy to be jaded about having to support yet another new generation’s unique needs – but if our goal is to have a workplace where young people aren’t just clocking in and out, but are genuinely engaged, enthusiastic, and ready to contribute – we’re rather wise to match those needs.
It also just so happens that mastering these skills will make you a better manager to employees of all generations.
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In the post-COVID era we now live in, warnings about our lack of social connection – largely the result of habits we developed during the pandemic, and the new normal of working remotely – have become far more frequent.
But what’s the real harm in having fewer in-person interactions with other people – especially with work colleagues? Many of us think we’re doing just fine spending time with partners, children and close friends. Is this a false alarm?
In a groundbreaking study, science writer David Robson explored the importance of social connection, and has just written the bestseller, “The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network.” And, Robson concluded that social connection is as crucial for our health and happiness as having a balanced diet and regular exercise. It not only reduces the risk of stroke, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s but also enhances creativity and adds years to our lifespan.
A previous podcast guest, London Business School’s Herminia Ibarra, stressed that because we human beings are “lazy and narcissistic,” we’re far less likely to further develop our social network today unless we literally run into people – experiences which sadly occur far less often today.
So, in his book, Robson explores evidence-based strategies for enhancing our social connections (he’s landed on 13 different principles many discussed in our conversation), and strongly emphasizes that the most informed workplace leaders are already investing much time and effort cultivating connection for people on their team – and not just because doing so will elevate their individual well-being, but explicitly because doing so will elevate the team’s overall performance.
Please don’t miss this conversation. David’s book has been spotlighted by the Wall Street Journal and was just named a “Next Big Idea Must Read Pick” by Adam Grant, Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink.
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Research shows that people consistently overestimate their ability to make accurate inferences about what other people are thinking & feeling in any given moment. In actuality, our success in “reading” other people proves to be no better than a coin flip!
But because we’re all so solidly convinced that we’re uniquely skilled at deducing what’s going on inside of people’s minds and hearts, we often go on to make wrong assumptions that end up getting us into trouble – assessments that easily could be avoided were we to take just one important step:
Ask people what they are thinking & feeling. Get confirmation from them directly.
Jeff Wetzler is an expert in learning & leadership & invites us to unlock hidden insights by mastering the art of asking. His book, “Ask: Tap Into The Hidden Wisdom Of People Around You For Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership & Life” provides a practical guide to tap into the the experience, knowledge & wisdom of people around us. Harvard Business School’s Amy Edmondson wrote the book’s Foreword, & rightfully gave it very high praise.
In this episode, we discuss all of Wetzler’s Five Key Steps:
- Choose Curiosity: Cultivate genuine interest in what others think, feel, and know. Curiosity fuels new discoveries and unexpected connections.
- Make it Safe: Create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing hard truths. Safety encourages honesty.
- Pose Quality Questions: Uncover what truly matters to others. The right questions unlock wisdom.
- Listen to Learn: Truly hear what others are saying. Active listening reveals essential insights.
- Reflect & Reconnect: Translate conversations into meaningful actions.
In a rapidly changing world, where AI is now replacing various skills, our ability to learn from & connect with our fellow human beings remains crucial. “Ask” equips us with an everyday superpower – one that enhances not only our personal lives but also our teams, organizations & society at large.
“Asking” great questions has become an essential leadership skill. Listen in as Jeff shares his awesome expertise & guidance on how you can become a master yourself. We suspect you’ll also note how remarkably thoughtful he is when answering all the questions he’s “asked!”
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Matt Beane is a researcher & professor in the Technology Management Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara – & the author of the new bestseller, “The Skill Code: How To Save Human Ability In An Age Of Intelligent Machines.”
In his book, Beane delves into the critical challenge of maintaining valuable skills in a world increasingly filled with AI & robots – & warns that younger workers especially are already falling behind in their skill development, a real crisis in the making.
Beane emphasizes that the most valuable skills all of us have acquired were developed through working with older experts who knew more than we do. This underscores that fact that while formal learning provides conceptual knowledge, real mastery comes from hands-on experience gained from working side-by-side with skilled mentors.
But, in business’s aggressive pursuit of productivity through AI & robots today, junior workers are often now separated from experts. And they’re no longer building the knowledge & skills they’ll need in order to progress in their careers.
In this episode, we discuss how AI is disrupting the traditional process that ordinarily ensures junior workers learn directly from more senior experts, & how organizations – & each of us – can navigate these complexities, & leverage AI to enhance our own productivity, innovation & skill development.
As you’ll hear, Beane says many of his professorial colleagues prohibit their students from using AI when they’re preparing class assignments. Find out what he has his students doing instead – his guidance holds profound advice for you as well.
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John Mackey is the visionary founder of Whole Foods Market which today employs 90,000 people, has 500 stores in America, the UK & Canada & generates $22 billion in annual sales.
Mackey started the well-known natural foods grocery chain 44 years ago in Austin, Texas – & a few years ago sold it to Amazon which operates it today.
John has just published what amounts to an autobiography – & it’s really the story of how a college dropout had the vision to launch an organic foods store just as consciousness about what people wanted to put in their bodies was radically shifting.
In his highly entertaining new book, The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism, Mackey not only describes his journey in building Whole Foods from the ground up – & leading it as CEO for four decades – he describes a leadership philosophy that remains extraordinarily uncommon in business today.
He all but coined the term, “conscious leadership” which essentially considers purpose, people & the planet in running a business. His philosophy isn’t sentimental, but rather is a commitment to the well-being of all stakeholders: employees, customers, suppliers, the environment – and, oh yes, shareholders.
Throughout his book, Mackey repeatedly stresses that he is a highly competitive capitalist. But his leadership philosophy is tied to a spiritual understanding that virtues like trust, empathy, care, authenticity, integrity – even love – produce far better outcomes than traditional leadership practices ever could.
In reviewing his book recently, the Wall Street Journal – not surprisingly – called John Mackey “peculiar” as a business CEO. Notably, they also went on to say “the world could use more of his kind.”
In what proved to be a moving & inspiring conversation, we asked Mackey to reflect upon all he’s learned on successfully leading human beings in the workplace, not to mention his views on maintaining personal & employee well-being. We didn’t let him go until he shared his feelings on how Amazon changed Whole Food’s culture after he left. His answer is likely to surprise you & enlighten you!
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According to the most recent statistics, 42 percent of the global workforce feels burned out at work today – a higher percentage than before or during the COVID pandemic.
The World Health Organization defines burnout as work related stress that produces feelings of exhaustion, negativity & cynicism related to a person’s job & an overall lack of engagement.
One consistent theme of this podcast is that taking steps to support employee well-being has become an essential leadership practice simply because how people feel at work, & about their work, proves to play an enormous role in their productivity.
In her uber-bestselling book, “Do Nothing: How To Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing & Underliving,” journalist Celeste Headlee suggests much of our stress may be self-imposed. It’s our relentless drive to be productive that ultimately undermines our well-being. Ironically, our constant focus on producing is really a false efficiency given the harm it does to our mental and physical health.
Headlee’s prescription to anyone who’s ever experienced burnout is perhaps counterintuitive. She encourages us to embrace moments of idleness, rest, and reflection. By taking time for ourselves without an agenda or profit motive, she says, we can redefine what truly matters.
Headlee’s book draws from history, neuroscience, social science, & even paleontology to challenge long-held assumptions about work, time use & hard work. It reveals that many of our habits are harmful & developed relatively recently in human history, which means they can all be broken.
In this conversation, we explore our our obsession with productivity and discuss ways of achieving a much healthier balance between doing and being. These include prioritizing rest, leisure, and investing time in meaningful connections. Surprising to some, by following Celeste’s guidance, you’ll actually end up achieving more.
If you’re interested in learning how you can better thrive in life – and in how you can support your own team’s flourishing, please listen in!
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Marshall Goldsmith is one of the top executive coaches in the world.
He was a pioneer in the use of 360-degree feedback which involves gathering input from peers, subordinates, and supervisors to assess a manager’s impact and effectiveness. His approach to coaching emphasizes self-awareness, behavioral change and constant improvement. And he has personally coached over 200 global CEOs in various industries.
Marshall is also a New York Times bestselling author of several influential books on leadership, personal development, and behavior change including, *“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There,” “Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts” and “The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment.”***
During his career, he was also a professor of management practice at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.
Marshall is only the second person we’ve ever invited to be a guest on this podcast three times (Amy Edmondson is the first), and this time it’s on the occasion of his 75th birthday. This specific discussion focuses on identifying the most important wisdom he’s acquired in his life – with respect to what matters most in coaching, workplace leadership, work-life balance, spirituality – and living a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Over six years, Marshall Goldsmith has been one of our most popular guests. In this this episode we ask him to share insights he’s gained from a truly remarkable career – some of which may prove life changing for you!
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In our every day experience at work, we attend innumerable events – team meetings, orientations, employee recognition events, etc.) – that all have the potential to become really tedious & uninspiring simply because they feel routine & therefore joyless.
But there’s an extremely powerful way of reinvigorating these kinds of events & making them truly meaningful to people. According to Harvard Business School professor, Michael Norton, adding rituals “can convert ordinary acts from black & white to technicolor.”
Rituals are symbolic actions or ceremonies that hold special meaning within a team & help create a shared identity amongst everyone on it. When teammates participate in consistent rituals, they end up feeling more united to a common purpose, values & each other.
In his new bestseller, “The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions,” Norton stresses that rituals are a powerful tool for leaders to use in fostering team bonds & connection.
Starting every team meeting with the same brief ritual, for example, or awarding the identical prize to employees whenever they attain a certain right-of-passage, proves to have a powerful effect on engagement & even motivation. That’s because rituals reinforce positive behaviors. When teams celebrate achievements or recognize individual efforts in the exact same way every month, people on the team will work very hard to ensure their own performance is called out & honored.
In this wildly informative discussion, Norton brilliantly explains why rituals so often yield deep meaning for people. And he shares several specific examples of the kinds of rituals workplace managers would be highly enlightened to introduce to their teams!
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Saul Perlmutter, Nobel Laureate 2011 for Physics, in his office.
There’s a lot that’s remarkable about the new book, Third Millennium Thinking: Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense, starting with the fact that one of its three co-authors is a Nobel laureate who earned the Nobel prize in physics for discovering the accelerating expansion of the universe.
One might imagine that UC Berkeley professor, Saul Perlmutter could have written this book on his own, but instead, he intentionally collaborated with two people way outside of his own discipline: John Campbell – a philosophy professor at Berkeley – and Robert MacCoun – a social psychologist and law professor Stanford University.
Before working together on their book, the authors teamed up in developing a wildly popular UC Berkeley course, designed to teach students how to better understand the world and make informed decisions in an era of uncertainty and overwhelming data. It emphasizes how processes used in the practice of science can provide widely-applicable tools for approaching individual and collective decision-making.
One of Perlmutter’s gifts is his ability to simplify complex ideas and, in this conversation, he explains why every decision we make as leaders is really a bet – we’re rarely guaranteed that our choices will be the right ones – and why despite the fact that uncertainty makes us all really nervous and uncomfortable, we can use it in a way that allows us to have strong confidence in what we’re doing.
Yes, that’s a paradox – but what did you expect from a guest like this?
Saul Perlmutter is brilliant and relatable – and he shares some wonderful disciplines you can put to immediate use.
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Nearly two decades ago, Stanford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, introduced the groundbreaking idea that human flourishing can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents & abilities. In her classic book, “Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success,” she taught us that some people have a general belief that their talents and intelligence are predetermined, & largely unalterable (hence, “fixed mindset”), while others believe their talents & abilities can indeed be nurtured and developed (hence, “growth mindset”).
Dweck’s research proved that people who believe that their abilities are fixed are much less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset – people who do believe that abilities can be developed.
In her new bestseller, Cultures Of Growth: How The New Science Of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams & Organizations, Mary C. Murphy, a social psychologist at both Stanford and Indiana Universities, shows that mindset transcends individuals. A growth mindset culture can transform any group, team, or classroom to reach breakthroughs while also helping each person achieve their potential.
When Dweck’s book was just being published, Murphy was her graduate student earning her Ph.D. And it was then that Murphy observed that that “mindset” transcends individuals. Her thesis was that a growth mindset culture could transform any group, team, or classroom to reach breakthroughs while also helping people individually achieve their full potential.
Working with Dweck, & later independently, Murphy spent a decade researching & then proving that organizations & teams which are geared toward growth mindsets, have huge performance upsides. She found they inspire deeper learning, spark collaboration, spur innovation & build the trust necessary for risk-taking and inclusion. They’re also more likely to achieve top results.
As we discuss in this episode, Microsoft was the first company to apply “Growth Mindset” thinking to its overall leadership philosophy and culture. And, because of their great success they went on to have tied to this thinking, they’re by no means the last.
Listen in to learn how you can create a culture of growth within your own team and organization – & how to build a workplace where everyone can thrive and achieve their potential, both individually and together.
PS: Murphy’s research finds that people are infinitely more excited to work at companies that foster a culture of growth – and that translates into them being more loyal, more engaged and more productive.
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As a professor in NYU’s prestigious Stern School of Business, Alison Taylor spends a lot of time with the next generation of business leaders. In her new best seller, *“Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World,” she tells us that her MBA students are not hoping to have careers working for ethical companies. They now expect to.*
For decades, organizations largely committed themselves to doing whatever was legally allowable to maximize shareholder value – a singular focus that’s proving to be no longer viable.
Taylor’s book easily could have been titled, “How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World,” because while shareholders remain unrelenting in pressuring companies to drive stock prices higher and higher, other stakeholders – customers and employees, especially – have significantly elevated their expectations of companies over issues like diversity and inclusion, fair treatment of workers, impacts on the environment, transparency and social responsibility.
Taylor’s book (the focus of this episode) shows leaders how businesses can navigate this messy paradigm shift, build trust, and achieve long-term strategic advantage in our turbulent world. And she argues, the starting point is for companies to gain new and greater clarity around their purpose saying, “a healthy organizational culture has never been a better source of strategic advantage.”
Because society itself is so divided, however, Taylor says companies can no longer hope to be all things to all people. The only realistic approach today is to define who they are – and who they aren’t – and then attract the stakeholders who want to align themselves accordingly.
In this rather timely conversation, we discuss why respect for employees is now the most important principle in organizational leadership, why transparency is a managerial essential – and why so many workplace managers are stressed out about the contradictory pressures on driving performance and supporting employee well-being.
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Human beings are social creatures. We’re hard-wired to connect deeply & intimately with others. We want to feel valued, supported, & needed. And this makes connection a fundamental aspect of our existence.
But in our busy, technology-driven lives today, we have fewer friends than people did in past generations, we interact less with our neighbors, & the majority of interactions we have with people are now held virtually – not face-to-face. Many of us are even working remotely some days of the week, further limiting the number of other human beings we see & interact with on a regular basis.
Needless to say, we’re missing out on something essential to our emotional & psychological well-being. Connection with others improves the quality of our lives, builds empathy, lengthens our lifespans & makes us less self-focused & more collaborative. It feeds our spirits.
In her new bestseller, “The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World,” Sharon Brous says we’ve reached the moment in time when we must restore our relationships with friends, family, co-workers and people in our community – all in order to honor our most basic human instinct – the yearning for real connection.
Of her book, author Daniel Pink says “Sharon Brous has crafted a profound and poetic reminder that the remedy for a fractured world is human connection. The Amen Effect is a powerful call for each of us to show up for others, see them fully, & hold them close.”
Daniel Pink’s testimonial – & another one from Wharton’s Adam Grant – is what caught my attention.
I strongly believe that our workplaces must become centers for connection, that workplace managers must intentionally foster connection – & that leaders who focus on team cohesiveness will be the big winners in the future of work.
To that end, Sharon Brous is urging us to not only invest in relationships of shared purpose, & to build communities of care, but to also “show up for one another in moments of joy & pain, vulnerability & possibility.” The word “amen” in her book’s title refers to the ancient practice of affirming another person’s life experiences by demonstrating, in body & word that: “I see you. You are not alone.”
It’s really love that we’re all seeking and needing – & our conversation with Sharon Brous is focused on seeing how leaders can support this profound human need in order to ensure their people thrive & are able to perform optimally. You’ll be inspired.
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In his new bestseller, “The Geek Way,” Andrew McAfee makes the fascinating case that the most important technological revolution of our time isn’t what companies make, it’s in how they’re being managed.
And by his definition, being geeky isn’t a pejorative but rather a clear description of leaders who are perennially curious, not afraid to tackle hard problems or embrace unconventional solutions.
Those few assertions alone piqued our interest in having Andrew as a guest; and then we learned The Economist and The Financial Times named “The Geek Way” one of the best books of 2023.
According to former Google Chairman, Eric Schmidt, “The Geek Way” is a book that will change the way we think about work, teams, projects, & culture – & give us the insight & tools we need to harness our human superpowers of learning & cooperation. We explore all of this in this episode.
McAfee describes a new & optimal leadership culture based around four norms: science, ownership, speed, & openness. It’s a culture that’s neither deferential to experts, fond of planning & process, afraid of mistakes, or obsessed with “winning.” And when all four of his norms are in place, he says a culture emerges that is freewheeling, fast-moving, egalitarian, evidence-driven, argumentative, & autonomous. These are cultures that intentionally leverage “intense cooperation” & “rapid learning.”
Andrew McAfee is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Initiative on the Digital Economy and a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management. We invite you to listen in to this cutting edge thinker.
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When we think about the highest performing people in all disciplines of life, they all commonly share the ability to think clearly, stay focused & shrug off setbacks all while under very high levels of stress.
In their most critical moments, in other words, they know how to maintain intellectual clarity & emotional control – which allows them to consistently perform at exceptional levels.
While we might believe that people like this are born into the world with uncommon abilities, the truth is they’re not innate talents at all; they’re 100% learned.
So, this episode is dedicated to introducing you to more cutting-edge performance psychology techniques the world’s best athletes & elite military teams are known to already have mastered. This is a topic we first began exploring a few episodes ago with guest Michael Gervais & in which we now go even deeper & wider.
We believe it’s time workplace leaders were given the tools they need to master their own states of being & introduce you to Dr. Eric Potterat to provide it.
Eric is a clinical & performance psychologist who, as a US Navy Commander, helped create the mental toughness curriculum used during Navy SEALs BUD/S training. He spent several years as the director of specialized performance for the Los Angeles Dodgers & has worked with Red Bull athletes, the US Women’s national soccer team, the NBA’s Miami Heat, numerous Olympic athletes & NASA astronauts.
In Eric’s words. the difference between settling & achieving, between good & great, between contentment & fulfillment, is based entirely on our mental approach. And he’s just published his first book which teaches the requisite skills.
In “Learned Excellence: Mental Disciplines For Leading And Winning From The World’s Top Performers,” Eric distills his high-performance knowledge into five mental disciplines: “Values & Goals,” “Mindset,” “Process,” “Adversity Tolerance,” and “Balance & Recovery.”
We discuss them all in our conversation with Eric – & his methodologies are guaranteed to both surprise & enlighten you.
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Every organization is plagued by what Stanford University Business School professor, Bob Sutton, calls “destructive friction:” forces that make it harder, more complicated, or downright impossible to get things done. In Sutton’s language, “the convoluted, time-consuming & soul-crushing gyrations that drive people crazy and undermine organizational performance.”
Along with his co-author, SBS professor, Huggy Rao, Sutton spent seven years studying the ways in which companies unintentionally create maddening friction – from mazes of red tape, to clueless leaders who pile on needless complexity, to hours spent in meetings to more wasted time spent reading poorly constructed and indirect communications (e-mail especially). And they’ve just published the new bestseller, “The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make The Right Things Easier And The Wrong Things Harder” in which they provide clear and proven solutions: tactics, tools, & practices to help us avert these traps & move forward.
While most friction in organizations proves to undermine and slow-down progress, the authors stress there are times when leaders are actually wise to inject good friction into the mix – for the explicit purpose of enabling teams to be more creative, develop deeper connections and trust, be kinder & more ethical, make better decisions, and prevent bad friction from building up in the first place.
On the book, Wharton’s Adam Grant says “If every leader took the ideas in this book seriously, the world would be a less miserable, more productive place.”
Bob Sutton has written seven books including the bestsellers “The No Asshole Rule,” “Good Boss, Bad Boss” and “Scaling Up Excellence,” and has long been a desired guest for our podcast.
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The expression, “emotional intelligence” is seamlessly embedded into our common vernacular – but it was Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking book a quarter century ago that first coined the idea & brought it to a mass audience. In his #1 bestseller “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” Goleman revolutionized how we think about human intelligence.
Along with Rutgers University psychology professor Cary Cherniss, Goleman has just taken a fresh look at how emotional intelligence has evolved over the past few decades, & has written,“Optimal: How To Sustain Personal & Organizational Excellence Everyday.”**
Tied to new research, Goleman reveals practical methods for using one’s inner resources to more readily enter an “optimal” state of high performance while also avoiding burnout.
There are moments when all of us achieve peak performance: An athlete plays a perfect game; a team has record-breaking quarterly results. But these moments are often elusive, & for every amazing day any of us has, we may also have a hundred ordinary or even unsatisfying days to follow.
As isolated peak experiences clearly fail to consistently produce excellent results, Goleman’s book answers the question: How do we sustain high performance, while avoiding burnout and maintaining balance?
His book taps into how hundreds of people have built the inner architecture that repeatedly leads them to having good days – proving that emotional intelligence holds the key to everyone’s best performance.
Building on attributes such as self-awareness, a sense of meaning, emotional balance, high concentration and ‘flow’ states, Goleman demonstrates that it is in our optimal moments that our mental clarity shines. And when workplace leaders are equipped with this knowledge, they’re able to build a culture that additionally empowers employees to sustain their own high performance.
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Workplace managers are often told to define their leadership purpose & authentic self, & that this personal introspection & self-reflection will guide their leadership journey.
But research on how adults actually learn shows that the logical sequence – “think, then act” – is reversed in a personal change process such as what’s involved with becoming a leader. In other words, we only increase our self-knowledge in the process of making changes. We try something new and then observe the results – how it feels to us, how others around us react – & only later reflect on and perhaps internalize what our experience taught us.
Tied to this understanding, London Business School Organizational Behavior professor, Herminia Ibarra titled her global bestseller, “Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader.”
Herminia tosses conventional wisdom aside – the idea that managers should increase their self-awareness first – & asserts that managers must experiment by taking actions and trying new things. (“How can I know what I think until I see what I do”)? New experiences not only change how we think, they change who we become. In other words, who we are as a leader is not the starting point on our development journey, but rather the outcome of learning about ourselves.
Herminia Ibarra is ranked among the top management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, a judge for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award, and a fellow of the British Academy. Before moving to London, she taught at the Harvard Business School.
This is the second time Herminia has been a guest on the podcast. Her first episode, focused on her study of how Satya Nadella transformed Microsoft, is the second most downloaded episode in our five-year-long podcast series.
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Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist who has helped some of the world’s most successful athletes overcome mental & emotional obstacles on their way to excelling in their sports. He was on the sidelines when the Seattle Seahawks won a Super Bowl, when beach volleyball players Kerri Walsh & Misty-May Treanor won Olympic gold – & when daredevil, Felix Baumgartner set a skydiving world record for the highest-ever free fall.
In his new bestseller, “The First Rule Of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think Of You,”co-written with his partner, Kevin Lake, Gervais argues that the single greatest constrictor of human potential is our fear of other people’s opinions (FOPO).
FOPO shows up almost everywhere in our lives—& the consequences are great. When we let FOPO take control, we play it safe & small because we’re afraid of what will happen on the other side of critique. When challenged, we surrender our viewpoint. We trade in authenticity for approval. We please rather than provoke. We chase the dreams of others rather than our own.
As the antidote, Gervais says the key to leading a high-performance life lies in learning how to redirect our attention from the world outside us into the world inside us. Discovering how to accomplish this – the mental skills & practices – is one of the key themes of this conversation. As you’ll also hear, so is the importance of gaining clarity around our personal purpose.
Gervais believes valuing the opinion of others over our own creates a huge obstacle for optimal success in life. “But few want to do the hard work needed to change. The greatest, however, have a vision, & they commit to following it. They have great capacity to experience what’s uncomfortable, because they know that’s the way to self-mastery.”
What separates the boys from the men (and the girls from the women!) is the focus of this highly informative conversation. Truly one of our most interesting & compelling episodes.
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Professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Dr. Marcus Collins, believes culture is the most powerful vehicle for influencing human behavior. In his words, “if you want to get people to move, there’s no vehicle more powerful or influential than culture. Full stop. Culture is how we inspire people […]
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Many of the world’s wisdom traditions teach that we humans all have a core purpose – a gift uniquely assigned to us by the universe. Eastern religions call this “dharma,” and we also know it as “an inner calling.” What’s intriguing about this idea is that we know so many people are unhappy in their […]
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As an entrepreneur and CEO, Ron Shaich has had one truly remarkable career. He’s the founder and former chairman and CEO of Panera Bread, a groundbreaking restaurant brand that today has more than 2,400 bakery cafés, 120,000 employees – and nearly $6 billion in annual sales. Under Shaich’s leadership, for multiple years, Panera generated […]
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Frances Frei (left) is a tenured professor at the Harvard Business School, and two years ago, was an extraordinary guest on this podcast when we discussed her brilliant understanding on how to build, retain and restore trust. Listeners should note that she also gave a remarkable TED Talk on trust that shouldn’t be missed. Frances […]
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Our drive to create change, have impact & solve problems all comes from emotional energy. Who we become – how dynamic & powerful we are as people & leaders – depends upon our learning to work with this energy. Leaders may feel as if they don’t control this energy, that it’s just a product of […]
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What comes to mind when you think about failure – specifically, a failure of your own? Intellectually, we may all agree that failures are great teachers, but deep down the idea of failing at anything in life tends to produce some distressing emotions & feelings. The truth is, most of us (try as we will) […]
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In what might seem to be the least likely workplace imaginable to implement this, automaker BMW now has five generations of people working under one roof in their factories collaborating & contributing their unique skills and perspectives. If, by chance, you’re wondering how older workers could possibly keep up with the rigorous demands of building cars on an […]
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Very few people know their life’s purpose at an early age, but as a young college student, Ed Catmull started dreaming of making the world’s first computer animated movie. He went on to nurture that dream by earning a Ph.D. in Computer Science before forging a partnership with George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) that […]
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What makes for a happy life? A good life? In 1938, Harvard University researchers launched what’s now become the longest in-depth longitudinal study of human life ever done. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed the lives of two generations of individuals, from the same families, for nearly 85 years. And the conclusion from all these […]
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Seemingly overnight, the COVID pandemic caused a massive societal transformation — a structural change in how and where people work and live. And while we may be hearing that CEOs is general still have dreams of having all of their employees back in the office five days a week as they once did, the truth is that nothing is going back to normal.
Perhaps because it’s long been uncertain as to whether or not remote working would endure, organizations have yet to fully embrace the new reality and adapt their leadership practices accordingly. In other words, they’ve yet to master managing people who work in the office some days and in the office on others. And, in many cases, they’ve failed to give employees clear direction on expectations.
By all important measures – engagement, well-being and employee retention – the evidence is clear that most people today are poorly managed. Employee engagement has fallen to a seven-year low, just 20% of workers feel strongly connected to their organization’s culture – and turnover (at least in the US) has set records for two consecutive years.
To punctuate all of this, Microsoft’s Chief Human Resource Officer, Kathleen Hogan wrote an article titled, “We Are Experiencing A Global Human Energy Crisis.” Her assertion was that workers everywhere have become highly dispirited by traditional leadership practices and that companies are suffering for it as a result.
In fortuitous timing, Gallup has been ahead of the curve in identifying all the pivots organizations need to make at this important inflection point, and we’ve invited Jim Harter – Gallup’s long-time Chief Scientist and founder of the firm’s longstanding engagement and well-being studies – to be our first three-time guest.
Along with Gallup Chairman, Jim Clifton, Harter has just written “Culture Shock: An Unstoppable Force Has Changed How We Work And Live. Gallup’s Solution To The Biggest Issue Of Our Time,” a book that will be published in late May.
How do we solve society’s energy crisis? How to companies re-engage their people and ensure they feel a greater connection to its mission and people? How can managers ensure their employees with hybrid working schedules remain highly productive? These are just some of the important leadership questions we discuss in this invaluable episode.
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One of the through lines of this podcast is the idea that the COVID pandemic profoundly and permanently changed how people think about work – not to mention the value exchange we now expect from it.
Consequently, in a post-pandemic world, our common and traditional ways of motivating human performance in our workplaces instantly lost any remaining viability, and now must be replaced with practices that inherently demonstrate to workers that they are valued, appreciated and respected in the most meaningful ways.
What’s long been missing in leadership is heart – and if the nearly 100 million American workers who quit their jobs during the past two year-long “Great Resignation” have a message to send, it’s that they’ll no longer accept job offers where they don’t have a manager who cares about them, advocates for them, develops them and honors who they are as a person.
One theme we haven’t spent enough time discussing is empathy, more specifically the managerial ability to better understand the lives, motivations and needs of the employees we lead before being able to give them the personalized support they’re seeking.
Authors Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley have just published “The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce,” a book that speaks to this directly – and this podcast with Heather is focused on exploring some of the less obvious ways managers can powerfully demonstrate empathy to their people.
In his book, “The Future Normal,” our most recent podcast guest, Rohit Bhargava noted that both sexual identity and gender were emerging as a new form of diversity in workplaces. And Heather’s book more directly asserts these “have become the most rapidly transforming demographic in the workforce today.” So, in our discussion, we address this sensitive issue with Heather providing some rather humane and insightful guidance to managers on how to effectively maneuver as this change takes hold.
With another through line of this podcast being that we all must learn to effectively navigate our new uncertain and non-linear world, Heather brings an optimistic view to virtually every topic we discuss. A long-time listener and promoter of this podcast, my conversation with her replicates one you’d have with a long-time friend. And it’s truly informative.
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As life today seems to be becoming more complex & unpredictable by the minute, it sure would be nice if we had a crystal ball to see into the future.
And, while seeing into the future with any degree of certainty is, of course, a fantasy, there are trends occurring in the world that some informed observers can determine with reasonable certainty are poised to impact our future lives.
And this episode’s guest is one of the best at spotting those things – & the title of his new bestseller, “The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work & Thrive In The Next Decade”** pretty much sums up the theme of today’s episode.
Rohit Bhargava is the founder of the Non-Obvious Company & is widely considered one of the most original thinkers on marketing disruption & innovation in the world. He is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books and teaches marketing and storytelling at Georgetown University. Rohit was also a recent speaker at the “South By Southwest” conference in Austin, Texas.
Having a view into the future is always valuable, of course, but there are a few specific reasons why I wanted Rohit to join us.
First, he doesn’t see technology as something to be feared or resisted, but rather as being a tool for creating a better world for all of us. He optimistically acknowledges that there will be challenges along the way, but believes that with the right mindset & approach, we can navigate those challenges & emerge stronger & more connected than ever before.
And speaking of connection, Rohit recognizes that technology has the power to bring us together in new & exciting ways, but also knows it can be isolating & alienating if not used properly. In our discussion, he shares his best strategies for staying connected with our loved ones, & for building meaningful relationships, at a time when we’re now spending record amounts of time on our devices.
So, what’s life going to be like in the months & near years ahead. Please listen in to my discussion with Rohit to find out!
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The post-pandemic world we’re all living in sure seems to be more volatile, more toxic, more stressful and more subject to radical change due automation, downsizing, and globalization than ever. And that just means it’s become much harder for any of us human beings to truly flourish in our lives.
As if the past three years of COVID related challenges didn’t already make us feel weary!
Martin Seligman is a University of Pennsylvania professor & the former president of the American Psychological Association. It was Seligman who first argued that psychological research would far better serve society if it focused more on discovering ways to enable human thriving than it does on treating people who already have psychological illness. And with that impetus, he launched the “positive psychology” movement.
Recently, Seligman partnered with Dr. Gabriella Rosen Kellerman in writing the new bestseller, “Tomorrowmind: Thriving At Work With Resilience, Creativity & Connection – Now And In An Uncertain Future.”
Trained in psychology herself – & having earned a medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Harvard University – she is the chief product and chief innovation officer at human transformation company BetterUp.
Much of Dr. Kellerman’s her work has resulted in identifying five psychological powers she and Martin Seligman believe have become essential to personal well-being & success in the future workplace: (“Resilience & Cognitive Ability,” “Meaning & Mattering,” “Connection & Rapid Rapport Building,” “Prospection” – the forward looking ability to emotionally and logistically prepare for change before it arrives – and, “Creativity & Innovation”).
No one can deny that how we worked ten years ago, how we work today, and how we’ll work just five years from now are all likely to be profoundly different. The entire focus of this conversation with Dr. Kellerman, then, is to help you not just survive in the emerging and new work environment, but to bloom in it. And it starts by fleshing out these five psychological powers in order that you can master them.
It’s insight we all need assuming life’s about to become more demanding & challenging than it already is today.
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When hybrid cars first became mass produced over a decade ago, Honda and Toyota had two different strategies.
Honda chose to produce a hybrid version of its wildly popular “Civic,” believing brand familiarity would help customers feel more comfortable with its brand-new technology.
Toyota not only decided to produce an entirely new model car, they intentionally designed it so it would stand out.
Which of the two models do you think ended up outselling the other one on a grand scale?
According to Uri Gneezy, behavioral economics professor at the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego, Toyota’s “Prius” continues to dominate hybrid car sales today – specifically because Toyota’s senior management understood how incentives work.
One might think that acquiring one of the first energy-saving hybrid cars would have been motivation alone for people already inclined to do their part to help the planet. But Toyota knew it wasn’t. They understood that people buying the first hybrid cars would also want to “signal” to other people that they were the kind of eco-conscious person who’d be willing to sacrifice personal luxury & horse power in order to help the environment. So, Toyota intentionally built an edgier (literally) car to ensure other people “noticed” it.
This is just one of the myriad examples Gneezy cites in his new bestseller, “Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work,” to show that incentives send powerful signals that aim to influence behavior. But often – especially when it comes to workplace incentives – there’s a conflict between what a company intends with their incentives & the behavior they actually motivate.
Consider the leader who urges teamwork, but unintentionally designs incentives for individual success. Or the one who invites innovation but punishes failure. It might sound funny, but organizations have been known to tell workers that “quality is job one,” while launching incentives that pay for quantity.
To help workplace leaders especially, Gneezy highlights how the right combination of economic & psychological incentives can encourage people to drive more fuel-efficient cars, be more innovative at work, & even get to the gym. “Incentives send a signal, & your objective is to make sure this signal is aligned with your goals.”
This is a fascinating discussion that will not only teach you how to more effectively create incentives for your employees and even children – it also explains how incentives are used to motivate our behavior (and not always favorably) by people we all interact with every day (think doctors, plumbers, sales people et al).
Wharton’s Adam Grant named “Mixed Signals one of his highly recommended books of 2023.
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When you think about our world today, “turbulent” might be the first word you use to describe it.
After a three-year long COVID pandemic fatigued us all, we’re now bewildered by a surprising number of employee layoffs occurring in all industries, & equally uncertain about how disruptive the AI-GPT technology will be to our work & careers. A crisis in Urkraine continues with no end in sight; it’s still undetermined where people will work most days – & unrelenting inflation is adding financial stress to all of our lives.
To put it lightly, the world we live & lead in today is filled with uncertainty, ambiguity & complexity – & there simply are no signs suggesting we’ll ever again live in more simpler times.
Our guest this episode is Jean Gomes, author of “Leading in a Non-Linear World: Building Wellbeing, Strategic and Innovation Mindsets for the Future, a book the Financial Times spotlighted as one its most anticipated books of 2023.
Jean was the co-author with Tony Schwartz of the New York Times bestseller, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working – & his new book shows how our mindset, more than our knowledge & expertise, has become our greatest asset in facing an uncertain future – & to making important decisions when little or no data exists.
Tapping into emerging science & research which proves our basic understanding of the term, “mindset” is missing some important dimensions, Gomes’ book shows that our mindset isn’t just a set of beliefs that shape how we make sense of the world, but actually the interplay of our feeling, thinking, & seeing.
While a lot of us (those of us in leadership roles, especially) instinctively go to our minds when we’re having to make difficult or spontaneous decisions, it turns out we have far greater & supplemental intelligence to leverage when we learn to listen to what our bodies tell us. Remarkably, science proves that our bodies know significantly earlier than our brains when we’re about to make a bad decision – & our feelings tell us the truth about situations that our rational minds often cannot see.
While the expressions “lead with the heart” and “heart-led leader” are suddenly gaining traction in business, they’re almost always used as a metaphor. But, in the case of Mark’s book & this podcast, the title “Lead From The Heart” was specifically chosen because of the emerging science which proves our hearts are not just blood pumps, they’re also a source of intelligence that holds great influence over human choices & behavior.
Because we no longer live in a linear world where both our problems & solutions are clear, our rational, thinking brains alone cannot adequately respond to the non-linear world in which we find ourselves today. And, so, Jean Gomes joins us to explain why tapping into the intelligence of our bodies – which very much includes the heart – provides a profound competitive advantage in leadership because it consistently leads to better judgments.
This is absolutely cutting edge insight, & learning how to do this is easy.
Listen in!
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When Bob Chapman was thirty years old, his father died of a sudden heart attack – instantly making Bob CEO of a small, unprofitable manufacturing company his dad had only recently purchased. For the next two decades, leveraging an MBA from the University of Michigan, and a few years’ experience as a senior level accountant to prepare him, he led his company as most CEOs of his era did. He squeezed his workers as much as he could, and laid them off in times when the business’s profits were challenged.
But in the late 1990’s Bob Chapman had a massive change of heart.
He started caring about his employees in truly significant ways. With great intention, he reimagined the culture at Barry-Wehmiller, and went on to build a $3.7 billion (revenue) business via 60 acquisitions. And every time he took on a new team or a new plant, he went there personally to ensure his skeptical workers heard it from him: They were now working for a company based on trust and the ideal that “everybody matters.”
During the Great Recession, Chapman never laid off a soul in any of his many locations. He personally forfeited 90% of his salary and then asked every employee to take a one-month unpaid leave. The way he saw it, “during tough times a family pulls together, makes sacrifices together, and endures short-term pain together. “If a parent loses his or her job, a family doesn’t lay off one of the kids.” As a result of his approach, Barry-Wehmiller remarkably emerged from the downturn with higher employee morale than ever before.
In his book, “Everybody Matters,” Chapman says, “once you stop treating people like functions or costs, disengaged workers begin to share their gifts and talents toward a shared future. Uninspired workers stop feeling that their jobs have no meaning. Frustrated workers stop taking their bad days out on their spouses and kids. And everyone stops counting the minutes until it’s time to go home.”
In the eight years since his book was published, Chapman has become an activist in the world of CEOs. He realizes too few of them have embraced any of the humane leadership practices that have made his company so successful – and he spends much of his time working to persuade them to change.
This podcast exists for the sole purpose of persuading managers around the world that there is nothing but upside for them once they begin to lead from the heart. Bob Chapman is the embodiment of that ideal – and a model leaders can follow if they not only want to drive performance and profits, but positively impact the lives of other people as well.
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Our most precious resource isn’t money. It’s time.
We’re all given the same twenty-four hours a day – &, for most of us, that never feels enough. We flatter ourselves for being “so busy” in our jobs, yet end our days feeling depleted & without enough time to get to the gym, read the books we want to – or spend dedicated time with the people we love. And often, the recognition that we always feel “time poor” makes us resentful and unhappy.
Social psychologist and professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, Cassie Holmes, has devoted her career to researching the role that time plays in our lives – with a specific interest in how different ways of thinking about & allocating our time might lead to greater life satisfaction & well-being.
Tied to all she’s learned, she’s just published, Happier Hour: How To Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time And Focus On What Matters Most, named by Amazon’s editors as one of their “Best Books” of 2022.
One of the first eye-opening observations she makes is that we don’t really need much more free time to make us content. A key study shows people are happiest with just 2 to 5 hours of discretionary time per day (ironically, when we’re given more than this, we grow bored & wanting more to challenge us).
Another discovery is that, as people get older, they tend to find a higher level of happiness in ordinary events (say, a walk with a friend) in contrast to younger people, who mostly see happiness boosts from extraordinary events (a great vacation or show). “Realizing their time is precious, these people become more prone to savor even the simplest of moments.”
Holmes observes that many of our daily experiences can be made to feel more meaningful when we, too, realize we won’t continue to do them every day forever. After admonishing her son to hurry up when he had literally stopped to smell the roses on the way to preschool, she says, “I didn’t realize that on that very morning I was trying to get Leo to hurry up, we had already completed 80 percent of those preschool commutes. Better to enjoy the roses on the last 20 percent.”
“How we decide to approach our hours and spend our days determines the happiness we get to enjoy in life,” Holmes says. “And, when it comes to time & creating a good schedule, ‘we are the artist.’ We’re not just an observer, subject to passive viewing. This is our time. The mosaic we create is the magnificent life that we get to live.”
This podcast, then, is dedicated to helping you become wiser in how you use life’s most precious resource — time — and in making decisions that will affect the happiness you experience every single day.
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According to PepsiCo’s award-winning, and first, Chief Design Officer, Mauro Porcini, “our world is radically changing, and is forcing us to innovate as never before. And, we are entering a new, modern renaissance fueled by the reborn, humanistic necessity of putting people at the center of everything.”
And when Porcini says, “put people at the center of everything,” he’s not just referring to the human beings (consumers) for whom companies design products and services, but also explicitly for all of the human beings who lead and participate in the innovation process – (an organization’s employees).
Porcini, who also was the first ever Chief Design Officer at 3M – one of the most innovative companies in the world – has just published, “The Human Side Of Innovation: The Power Of People In Love With People,” where he makes the uncommon assertion that:
“Innovation is an act of love.*It is a gesture of empathy, respect, generosity, of one human being’s devotion to another.”*
And, recognizing that humans have all of the ideas that make innovation happen, he’s an advocate for loving employees as a condition for drawing out their greatest creativity.
When hiring people to work on his design team, Porcini not only focuses on finding candidates who “are in love with people” – and who have a genuine fire in them to create meaningful solutions for actual human beings – but people who also possess the specific traits of kindness, optimism, curiosity, and humility. Leading any team of human beings, he believes, inherently requires managers possess these exact same qualities.
We don’t often think about how a company’s culture will impact its ability to drive change, transform product offerings or reimagine processes; but one of the world’s top design thinkers believes any leader who fails to see the direct connection will fall by the wayside – transcended by people, and organizations, who do.
Mauro Porcini isn’t just inspiring in this conversation. His philosophy and leadership thinking will likely transform you.
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You might not think a book on philosophy could be a bestseller these days, but the title of MIT professor, Kieran Setiya’s new book, “Life Is Hard” clearly has wide appeal. We’ve just come out of a two-year global pandemic, have experienced record inflation due in part to a seemingly endless war in Ukraine – and are heading into a recession that could put many workers’ jobs in jeopardy. And these are just the headline issues that make our lives especially difficult today.
It’s rather confirming (soothing even) to hear a respected academic say the words, “life is hard” if for any reason that we’ve all been influenced to believe that, when it comes to dealing with life’s challenges, we’re just supposed to suck it up, plow through and keep smiling.
Setiya’s book (and the focus of this podcast) is about making the best of a bad lot. It offers guidance for coping with pain, grieving loss, getting older, failing with grace, confronting injustice and searching for personal meaning. Pop psychologists simplistically advise us to “find our bliss” and “live our best lives,” while Setiya acknowledges that, at times, the best can often be out of our reach. As a contrast, he asks how we can better weather life’s adversities, find hope and live well when life is hard?
Our first episode of the new season welcomes an educator from one of the world’s top universities. A philosophy expert and a philosopher in his own right, Setiya joins us to share wisdom of the ages we can apply to better manage all of our life’s challenges. And since many of our biggest difficulties and daily stresses too often occur at work, we’ve asked Setiya to share wisdom that can directly help you become a more grounded and confident leader…no matter how hard your life gets.
It’s a truly brilliant and inspiring conversation you won’t want to miss.
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For our 100th episode – and our final episode of the 2022 season – we bring you a guest who is the true embodiment of the Lead From The Heart philosophy. Bill George is formerly the CEO of Medtronic – a Fortune 200 medical device company which has 90,000 employees across 120 countries. And, for […]
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“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa. Social belonging is a fundamental human need, hardwired into our DNA. And yet, 40% of people say that they feel isolated at work, and the result has been lower organizational commitment and engagement. I suppose […]
The post Geoffrey Cohen: The Science Of Creating Connection And Bridging Divides appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Are you someone who would love to make a positive change in the world? Could you be an influential change maker? University of California, Berkeley Haas Business School professor, Alex Budak believes all of us have the potential. And he created a wildly popular class called “Becoming a Changemaker,” which has quickly grown into one […]
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Leadership is full of paradoxes: Should we build close relationships with our employees or keep a suitable distance? Should we trust our staff, or keep an eye on what’s happening? Are we best to display self-confidence – or is humility a greater power? For many of us, these competing & interwoven demands are a source […]
The post Wendy Smith & Marianne Lewis: The Profound Limitations Of “Either-Or” Thinking appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Being a CEO at any of the world’s largest companies is among the most challenging roles in business. Billions, and even trillions, are at stake – and the fates of tens of thousands of employees often hang in the balance. Yet, even when “can’t miss” high-achievers win the top job, very few prove to excel. […]
The post Carolyn Dewar: Six Mindsets That Distinguish The Best Leaders appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Tiffani Bova is the global growth evangelist at Salesforce – working for Mark Benioff – and the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book “GROWTH IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make or Break Your Business.” She’s been named to the latest Thinkers50’s list of the world’s top management thinkers. Along with Columbia […]
The post Tiffani Bova: Salesforce’s Growth Guru Explains Why Employees Must Come First appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Uncertainty in life is, ironically, certain. Amid a pandemic, the past two years have been no exception. None of us needs to think very hard to recall the unprecedented and sudden need we had to move employees en masse to their homes to work, the lingering fears we all had around an unknown virus, and […]
The post Nathan And Susannah Furr: A Guide to Finding Possibility in the Unknown appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Alan Murray is the CEO of Fortune (Magazine) Media. He’s the former president of the Pew Research Center & the Deputy Managing Editor – & Washington Bureau Chief – of the Wall Street Journal. And, for decades, he’s had tremendous access to the world’s top CEOs. In his new book, “Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search For The Soul […]
The post Alan Murray: Is The Shift To Stakeholder Capitalism For Real? appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
When Bo Seo was 8 years old, he and his family migrated from Korea to Australia. At the time, he didn’t speak English and struggled at school. But, in the fifth grade, something happened to change his life: he discovered competitive debate. It turns out the seemingly shy and introverted kid had a knack for […]
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He’s a New York Times bestselling author, a former White House advisor to four American Presidents – both Republican and Democrat – a long time senior political commentator on CNN television, and the founder of the John F. Kennedy Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University, where’s he been Director or co-Director for almost two […]
The post David Gergen: How Great Leaders Are Made appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
We’ve all been told that thinking rationally is the key to success. But at the cutting edge of science, researchers are discovering that feeling is every bit as important as thinking. All of us make hundreds of decisions every day — including what to eat for breakfast & how we should invest our money — & not […]
The post Leonard Mlodinow: People Aren’t As Rational As We Think appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Most books about time management are written as guides to creating the perfect schedule or productivity method for cranking through as many items on our to-do list as we possibly can. Even when those methods work, they somehow still leave us feeling stressed & overwhelmed, paddling frantically against a current whose strength we can never […]
The post Oliver Burkeman:Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Named by Forbes Magazine as one of “10 Must-Read Career & Leadership Books For 2022,” Roger Martin’s A New Way To Think: Your Guide To Superior Management informs us that our collective leadership thinking must stop centering around the organization & begin centering around human value. Martin is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto’s […]
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The country where people live the longest is Japan where they’ve long had a rich tradition of respecting and honoring older people. In America, & throughout the West, we have especially negative views on aging, & almost treat getting older as being shameful. In her new book, “Breaking The Age Code: How Your Beliefs About […]
The post Becca Levy: It’s Our View Of Aging That’s What’s Really Old appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is routinely ranked as one of the top executive coaches in the world – & the Thinkers50 organization named him the #1 leadership thinker in the world – twice. A former Professor of Management Practice at the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business, he’s the author or editor of 41 books, which have […]
The post Marshall Goldsmith: A Coaching Legend’s Wisdom For Living A Fulfilling Life appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Few business topics arouse more skepticism than the notion of corporate purpose – & for good reason. Too many companies have deployed purpose as a promotional vehicle to make themselves feel virtuous & look good to the outside world. The insincerity behind efforts like these are, of course, easily spotted by both outsiders & insiders […]
The post Ranjay Gulati: Why Purpose Is The Heart And Soul Of High Performance Teams appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
For over twenty-five years, Marcus Buckingham has been one of the world’s leading researchers on human performance, especially in our workplaces. He is the New York Times bestselling author or co-author of ten books, including the business classic, “First, Break All the Rules” in addition to, “Now, Discover Your Strengths” & “Nine Lies About Work.” You probably know that Marcus is […]
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“Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention.” These famous lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s classic song, “My Way,” assert the idea that it’s very easy to recover & move on from the bad choices we make in life. But in 2020, Daniel Pink launched the “World Regret Survey,” & asked 15,000 […]
The post Daniel Pink: The Surprising Power Of Regret appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
A lot of us would like to become more influential because – all boiled down – influence is the ability to create change, direct resources & move hearts & minds. But when we think about the tactics we’ve seen other people use to influence people, we use words like sneaky, manipulative & coercive to describe […]
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There are many disciplines outside of workplace management that can elevate our leadership effectiveness, & tapping into the experiences & insights of highly creative & accomplished people is one great way of skinning that cat. This is especially true when you have a guest who has interviewed over 400 of the world’s most creative people […]
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2,500 years ago, Greek philosopher, Heraclitus famously observed that “there is nothing permanent in life except change.” And anyone who’s lived just a few years on our planet knows old Heraclitus was speaking truth. Despite our intellectual acceptance of the ancient sage’s observation, we humans tend to strongly resist & even reject change – something […]
The post David Schonthal: How To Overcome The Resistance That Always Awaits New Ideas appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
“Would you like vanilla, chocolate or strawberry?” When presented with simple decisions like these, most of us will instinctively pick our favorite from the three options, without ever considering that there may be many more ice cream flavors available. Columbia Business School professor, Eric Johnson is the lead researcher behind some of the most well-known […]
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For much of the pandemic, a familiar ritual played out in workplaces around the globe. Companies set return-to-office dates, only to repeatedly backtrack & delay them due to health concerns. Apple, as one example, was set to have employees back in its offices at the start of 2022, but now has an indefinite target date. And, […]
The post Peter Cappelli: Why Most Employers Still Haven’t Decided The Future Of Their Offices appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Success in life is never a question of how many tasks we get done in a day. It’s not even a question of what we manage to achieve. Instead, it’s about knowing our life’s purpose & taking the right steps to fulfill our potential. That all sounds very nice & neat until we come face-to-face […]
The post Dorie Clark: How To Be A Long-Term Thinker In A Short-Term Focused World appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
As we near the two-year anniversary of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the occasion merits some acknowledgment. The stress, strain, fear & ambiguity we’ve all endured as a result of this ordeal is truly incomparable to any other time in our lives. And even more remarkable is the fact that, no matter where people […]
The post Brad Stulberg: Remaining Grounded When The Future Is Uncertain appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Longtime Wharton business and law school professor, G. Richard Shell, joins us to do double duty. It was Shell whom Wharton specifically chose to reinvent its entire MBA program curriculum, & our first objective in asking him to be a guest was to explain why one of America’s top ranked business schools intentionally became more humanistic? […]
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We’ve all been frustrated by people who were difficult, angry & arbitrary. And we’ve all had hard-to-please bosses not to mention work colleagues who consistently got under our skin. It’s easy to point the finger at people who push our buttons – & judge them harshly. But what if there were something about our own psychology […]
The post Naomi Shragai: To Understand Your Colleague’s Irrational Behavior, You Must First Understand Your Own. appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
The key benefits of working remotely are clear to all of us. Not having to commute into an office every day frees us up to get more sleep, spend more time with family & get in regular work-outs in. And left alone most of the day – separate from attending a lot of ZOOM calls […]
The post Jon Levy: Why A Sense Of Belonging Is Essential To The Well Being Of People Who Work Remotely appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
One of the recurring themes of our podcast series is the idea that society largely believes that all human cognition occurs in our brains & ignores the emerging science which proves human intelligence is distributed throughout our bodies – including even in our hearts. When we’re faced with a big problem or challenge, we’re urged to use […]
The post Annie Murphy Paul: The Key To Superior Performance Lies In Thinking Outside The Brain appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Are you a manager, coach, or teacher who aims to help other people make meaningful change in their lives? Are you someone who’s currently struggling to kick-start change in your own? If you are either of these – or both – this episode will introduce you to state-of-the-art methods that will take you from where […]
The post Katy Milkman: The Science Of Getting From Where You Are To Where You Are Meant To Be appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently said that every leader in the world must read “Lights Out: Pride, Delusion and the Fall of General Electric.” Written by two masterful Wall Street Journal reporters, Tom Gryta and Ted Mann, it’s an astonishingly true tale of how GE went from being one of the world’s sustainably great companies to […]
The post Tom Gryta & Ted Mann: The Leadership Failures Of Two CEOs Who Steered GE Into Its Tragic Fall appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
All of us are seeking greater self-knowledge, & Maria Konnikova found it through poker – literally by challenging herself to become a champion of the game despite never having played it before. And she succeeded. In less than two years, she mastered the fiercely competitive game of Texas Hold’em poker, became an international poker champion […]
The post Maria Konnikova: Poker As A Guide To Life, Luck & Decision Making appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
“Burnout” may be one of the most talked about workplace topics these days, & for good reason. According to a recent survey of people in over 40 countries published in the Harvard Business Review, 90% of respondents said their work lives were getting worse during the pandemic – & more than 60% felt they were […]
The post Paula Davis: Strong Teams Are The Secret To Beating Employee Burnout appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Hubert Joly is the former CEO of Best Buy – a large American electronics retailer – who orchestrated his company’s spectacular turnaround by changing the rules of executive management. His uncommon philosophy was to pursue a noble purpose, put people at the center of his business, create an environment where every employee could blossom, & treat […]
The post Hubert Joly: The CEO Who Transformed “Best Buy” By Leading From His Heart And Mind appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Time Magazine named Martin Lindstrom one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People – and “Thinkers50” named him one of world’s top 20 business thinkers. He’s the author of 7 New York Times best-selling books including his newest, “The Ministry Of Common Sense.” Lindstrom runs one of the world’s leading brand & culture transformation companies […]
The post Martin Lindstrom: Empathy Is The Cornerstone Of Common Sense appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Anyone who’s worked from home this past year knows the experience brought many joys & also many sorrows. The upsides included nonexistent commute times, the freedom to dress as we liked, the constant companionship of our pets – and more time spent with our family members (just as long as they lived in our same […]
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Years ago, research by Harvard Business School professor, John Kotter found that when major companies sought to initiate any kind of major organizational change, most ended up failing. Kotter & his team of graduate students watched many leaders simply abandon their change initiatives after concluding there was no viable road to success – despite a […]
The post Damon Centola: How To Make Big Change Happen On Your Team Or In Your Organization appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Do you have a voice in your head that operates like an inner critic & saboteur – one that undermines your success by calling you a loser or a failure, one that insists you’ll never be any good at something (e.g. math, relationships, golf, et al), or one that asserts that you’re somehow unworthy as […]
The post Ethan Kross: How To Tame Your Inner Critic appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
While making coffee one morning, a man passed out in his kitchen and fell onto a travertine floor. After being taken to the hospital, doctors discovered broken ribs, a punctured lung – & a blood clot so close to the man’s heart that 16 different attending physicians wrote in their notebooks, “patient not expected to […]
The post Dr. Stephen Trzeciak: Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes A Difference appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Do you have what it takes to excel in times of high stress & ambiguity – even during a crisis? Are you able to succeed no matter what conditions you face? While we might imagine that people who perform optimally under duress share a unique set of talents & skills, former U.S. Navy Seal team Commander, […]
The post Rich Diviney: The Attributes Of People Who Excel When Life Gets Hard appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
“In her excellent & very timely new book, “Uncharted,” Margaret Heffernan stresses that while the forecasting business has made its ‘experts’ very rich, it is also based on a fallacy: the idea that the future can be extrapolated from the past.” This is how the Financial Times announced it had chosen “Uncharted: How To Navigate […]
The post Margaret Heffernan: How To Face The Future With Confidence & Courage appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
While none of us could have predicted that the arrival of a global pandemic would fundamentally reshape our lives in 2020, stunning research by Wharton Business School professor, Mauro Guillén, shows that a series of once-in-a-lifetime events is about to profoundly reshape our culture, economy and the world by the end of this decade. And at […]
The post Mauro Guillén: The World As We Know It Is About To Profoundly Change appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Dr. Jim Loehr is the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson’s Human Performance institute & the author of 16 books. He’s a performance coach to some of the world’s greatest athletes including professional tennis players Jim Courier & Monica Seles, pro golfers, Mark O’Meara & Justin Rose, Olympic gold medal speed skater, Dan Jansen, National Hockey […]
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It’s part of the human condition to wonder if we can truly make a difference in the world, & whether our personal talents & experiences are unique or special in any meaningful way. In her book, The Power of Onlyness, Nilofer Merchant says yes, emphatically, & we couldn’t need that kind of encouragement any more. […]
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As co-executive Chairman of the Carlyle Group, one of the world’s most successful private equity firms – & host of his eponymous podcast on Bloomberg – David Rubenstein has had unparalleled access to many of the world’s most influential leaders. Over the past 5 years, he’s sat down with corporate heads including Eric Schmidt, Phil […]
The post David Rubenstein: “How To Lead” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
A recent Fortune Magazine survey shows that nearly two-thirds of American CEOs have committed to taking meaningful action to advance racial equity within their organizations . Just this week, JPMorgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon, committed $30 billion dollars in support. But, it’s not just money that organizations must spend in order to attain greater diversity and […]
The post Minda Harts: A Conversation With The Author Of “The Memo” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh An underlying objective of all leaders is to help maximize the full human potential of every person they manage – to effectively coach […]
The post Marshall Goldsmith: Lessons From A Coaching Legend appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our work lives. It’s forced many of us to work from home, away from our bosses, and has us worrying about the long-term security of the jobs we hold. And all these sudden changes have us asking ourselves, “How do I make sure I’m seen as indispensable at work?” For […]
The post Bruce Tulgan: The Secret To Becoming Indispensable At Work appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
The Wall Street Journal calls London Business School professor, Gary Hamel, the world’s most influential business thinker – and his landmark books have been translated into twenty-five languages. His brand-new book, Humanocracy: Creating Organizations As Amazing As The People Inside Them, just launched as an Amazon “Number One Release” & is the focus for this […]
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Wharton Business School management professor, Sigal Barsade believes too many leaders focus on how employees think and behave at work & largely ignore how they feel. This is because few managers realize that human feelings matter just as much – if not more – to their employees’ commitment, engagement & productivity. And by lacking a […]
The post Sigal Barsade: What’s Love Got To Do With Leadership? appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
In 2017, ride-sharing innovator, UBER was in serious trouble. The company was facing a lawsuit from drivers that alleged the firm had cheated them of pay. Various media reports described UBER as having an “asshole culture” where women were sexually harassed – and the firm’s CEO Travis Kalanick was caught on video berating an UBER […]
The post Frances Frei: How To Build And Rebuild Trust appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Who isn’t impressed by a highly confident person? Confident applicants are more likely to be hired, & self-assured politicians are more likely to be elected. Because we believe it produces a winning edge, we all strive to be self-confident. In fact, a surge of confidence can feel fantastic. It offers us a rush of energy – […]
The post Don Moore: The Mindset You Need For Making The Best Life Choices appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
What percentage of people would say they’ve ever had a really great boss? In an ideal world, most of us could recall a long list of past and present managers who fit the bill. But we know highly caring & supportive managers remain rare in most workplaces. As evidenced by consistently low employee engagement scores around […]
The post Stewart Friedman: Be a Better Leader And Have a Richer Life appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Author Erik Larson has written six New York Times bestselling books including “The Devil In The White City,” a National Book Award finalist. On the day we recorded this podcast, his new book, “The Splendid And The Vile” ranked as the number-one work of nonfiction on both the New York Times & Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The Splendid And The Vile focuses on Sir Winston Churchill’s first year as England’s Prime Minister (exactly […]
The post Erik Larson: Why Winston Churchill Is The Greatest Crisis Leader Of All Time appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Now Is The Time To Make Employees As Important As Shareholders: For decades, businesses have deferred to the interests of shareholders above and beyond the interests of all other stakeholders – most especially employees. And according to London Business School finance professor, Alex Edmans, shareholders have long been conditioned to believe that the value any company produces […]
The post Alex Edmans: The Choice Between People & Profits Is A False Dichotomy appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
A Special Podcast! In the new era of remote working – forced upon at least a third of the world’s working population in just the past few weeks – all of our lives have been disrupted. The Coronavirus pandemic has us indefinitely confined to our homes, working away from our colleagues and offices – and […]
The post Amy Edmondson: How To Lead & Succeed When The Future Is Uncertain appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
But according to long-time Stanford Business School leadership professor, Deborah Gruenfeld, while power makes human beings act on their best and worst instincts, research shows people are consistently rewarded when they use their power in the service of others. In her new book, “Acting With Power: Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe,” Gruenfeld […]
The post Deborah Gruenfeld: You Are Far More Powerful Than You Believe appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
It’s been said that “sight is a faculty, but seeing is an art,” and New York University social psychology professor, Emily Balcetis, fully concurs. In her new book, “Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World” she says highly successful people tend to view the world differently – and the good news is that […]
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At 32 years old, Doug Conant was fired from his job as Marketing Director for Parker Brothers Toy and Game Company – and he never saw it coming. Stunned, hurt, indignant, angry and humiliated, Conant nevertheless wasted no time working on a rebound. On the same day he was let go, he met with an […]
The post Doug Conant: A Top CEO’s Blueprint For Leadership Success appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Can you recall the last time you tried to talk to someone about a personal, political or work issue and quickly discovered their view of the situation was entirely different than yours? How’d that work out for you? If words like “strained,” “painful,” “awful” or “never again,” come to mind – you have company. Acknowledging […]
The post Buster Benson: Mastering The Art Of Productive Disagreement appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
If you’ve ever felt unseen, under-estimated or unfairly passed over in your career, this podcast provides all the remedies you’ll need to ensure you never feel that way again! While we’d all like to believe our career growth will always be the result of a reliable meritocracy, the truth is our success at work is […]
The post Laura Huang: Four Powerful Ways To Create A Winning EDGE appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
In an economy marked by downsizing, offshoring and an accelerated deployment of robots and automation technology, fears around the future of our work and careers abound. But according to New Yorker Magazine writer and co-founder of NPR’s Planet Money podcast, Adam Davidson, we needn’t be so gloomy. Tied to extensive research that went into the writing of […]
The post Adam Davidson: The New Rules for Thriving In The Twenty-First Century appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Some of the greatest business innovations of our time were first proposed by other companies, but summarily rejected: Polaroid (now gone) invented the digital camera – and then ditched it in the belief it couldn’t make money. Engineers at cell-phone maker, Nokia, proposed a device that had all the functionality of the I-Phone – […]
The post Safi Bahcall: How To Nurture Crazy Ideas Into Breakthrough Innovations appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
For decades, the commonly accepted purpose of a corporation (or any company for that matter) has been to ensure the interests of shareholders always came first. But today, we’ve finally reached a point where most leaders realize that a “profits over people” philosophy has proven to be an entirely unsustainable way to run a business. Amongst […]
The post Michael Gelb: The Emerging New Formula For Organizational Success appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
We musn’t fool ourselves into believing that the majority of the world’s workplace managers have bought into the idea that caring deeply about people is essential to leadership success. Metrics on job satisfaction, employee well-being and, of course, engagement continue to reflect an attitude about leadership that’s anything but caring. Truth be told, many of […]
The post Kim Scott: Leading With Radical Candor appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
We live in a society today that’s obsessed with early achievement, whether it’s getting perfect SAT scores, gaining acceptance into an Ivy League school or landing an amazing job at Google or Facebook – or better yet – creating a start-up with the potential to be the next Twitter or Instagram. We see software coders […]
The post Rich Karlgaard: Forbes Magazine Publisher Says “Hail To The Late Bloomer,” Which Is Most Of Us appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Many of us believe that our emotions are a distraction to success in life – and that they upend our ability to make sound decisions. When it comes to leading and managing people, we carry over these same beliefs; we’re convinced making any kind of emotional connection with our employees will only hijack our effectiveness and […]
The post Marc Brackett: Yale’s Chief Emotion Scientist Unlocks Your Leadership Potential appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
It wasn’t all that long ago when tech giants like AOL, Yahoo and Blackberry seemed immortal. Today, of course, we remember them only as fallen giants – a fate Microsoft appeared to be headed toward less than a decade ago. That Microsoft was able to fully revive itself when other first-generation technology innovators couldn’t begs […]
The post Herminia Ibarra: How A New Mindset And A Massive Culture Change Made Microsoft Number One Again appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
It’s an irrefutable truth that trust is on a serious decline. And all the key pillars of society are affected. The RAND Corporation recently reported that trust in government, the media – even in our businesses and workplaces – “has reached a lower absolute level than ever before.” And they warned that such a lack […]
The post Stephen M.R. Covey: Leadership & The “Speed Of Trust” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Bill Campbell is a Silicon Valley legend. Following a career leading sales & marketing at Apple – & as CEO of Intuit – he spent nearly two decades coaching a “Who’s Who” list of world-changing executives. The list included Apple founder, Steve Jobs, Google founders, Sergei Brin and Larry Page. Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, former […]
The post Jonathan Rosenberg: Why Bill Campbell Was The Greatest Executive Coach The World’s Ever Known appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Esther Wojcicki knows what it takes to raise successful children. Her daughter, Susan, is the CEO of YouTube. Janet is professor of Pediatrics at the UC San Francisco Medical School (and A Fulbright scholar). And Anne is co-founder & CEO of DNA testing company 23andMe. If any of us were to guess how Esther influenced […]
The post Esther Wojcicki: How To Raise Successful People appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
When researchers tell us employee engagement is especially low, they’re almost always referring to American businesses. But as distressing as engagement is in the United States, the truth is it’s far worse in Europe and the UK – a fact this podcast is dedicated to exploring. Just a few days before this interview with Dan […]
The post Daniel Cable: How To Ensure Your Employees Come “Alive At Work” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Pick up any business magazine today, and it won’t take you long to find an article that features the phrase, “according to Gallup research.” And whether that article is about workplace management, the future of work or how to most effectively lead a team of millennials, the studies to which the author will be referring […]
The post Jim Harter: Gallup’s Chief Scientist Discusses His #1 Bestseller, “It’s The Manager” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Over a span of only a couple of decades, we’ve witnessed entire industries get wiped out by digital disruption – advances in technology that have decimated traditional business models while ushering in new & previously unimaginable ways of delivering the same service. Very often, the innovators had never been previously seen as being either a […]
The post Gerald Kane: How To Prepare For The Digital Disruption Headed Your Way appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
In their new best-selling book, “Nine Lies About Work,” co-authors Marcus Buckingham (“First Break All The Rules”) & Cisco’s Director of Leadership, Ashley Goodall prove that many of the basic truths we’ve long believed about work are actually lies. As examples of our faulty assumptions, we believe the best people are well-rounded & that employees crave feedback. […]
The post Ashley Goodall: Nine Lies About Work appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Gallup research shows 75% of people quit their jobs in response to a bad manager. 65% of Americans say they’d rather change their boss than get a pay raise. Global surveys report a staggering 70% of employees aren’t engaged at work – and only 4% of these employees had anything nice to say about their […]
The post Tomas Chamorrow-Premuzik: Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
When we consider the future of our careers, most of us fully realize that the only way we can ensure our continued relevance & viability is by learning & growing. We know we have a need to get increasingly better at our existing jobs while, at the same time, preparing ourselves to do entirely new […]
The post Brad Staats: A Framework For Staying Relevant In A Rapidly Changing World appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Harvard Business School professor, Amy Edmondson, is one of the world’s top experts on building highly cohesive, cooperative and productive teams. And much of her expertise comes from her decades of research into “Psychological Safety,” recently confirmed by Google to be the single most important quality found in all super-achieving groups. Simply put, psychological safety means that […]
The post Amy Edmondson: Why Psychological Safety Breeds Exceptionally High Performing Teams appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
We all know the primary reason companies go into business is to make money. But is it possible for organizations to thrive financially while also doing good in the world? USC Marshall School of Business Professor Emeritus, Jim O’Toole spent ten years researching companies that were founded with the uncommon ambition of driving profits – while […]
The post James O’Toole: Leadership Lessons From The Enlightened Capitalists appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
There’s a longstanding taboo against displaying emotions in the workplace – and it’s based on the idea that we make our best business decisions when we keep feelings and intuition out of the mix. But the time has come for us to directly question these longstanding beliefs about human effectiveness – and challenge the notion […]
The post Liz Fosslien: The Future Is Emotional appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
If you’d invested $1,000 in Netflix stock just a dozen years ago, you’d have $90,000 today – quite an extraordinary return from a company that fearlessly took on the Goliath, Blockbuster Video, and won – and today has 137 million customers worldwide. It wasn’t all that long ago that Netflix was shipping out a million […]
The post Patty McCord: Parting Ways With Traditional Leadership Rules Is How Netflix Built It’s Hugely Successful Culture appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
With people living longer than ever – and therefore wanting to work longer – a big question many workplace leaders are asking themselves today is whether workers in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s can remain relevant in our rapidly changing digital world. If you have even a tinge of gray in your hair, you’ll be […]
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Not since 1974 when Studs Terkel published his groundbreaking book, “Working,”has anyone performed a deep dive into the modern-day work experience. But with automation and digitalization poised to radically change our workplaces in the very near future – along with the jobs we all do – Boston University journalism professor, Ellen Rupell Shell spent the […]
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HOW DOES A LEADER TAKE THEIR TEAM FROM GOOD TO GREAT? Georgetown University business school professor, Christine Porath says we won’t make that leap until we address the incivility that’s taken over our workplaces. In preparing for her recent TED Talk that’s had nearly one million views so far, Dr. Porath asked 20,000 employees around the world […]
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Is it possible that you have a pattern of behavior or a personality trait that greatly limits your effectiveness as a person and as a leader? Could you have an unconscious way of acting – particularly under stress – that unwittingly thwarts your dreams of moving up the ladder? If you consider yourself part of […]
The post Dr. David Dotlich: Why Leaders Fail: The Top Behaviors That Can Derail Your Career appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
More than anything else today, what people want from their employers & leaders is to be given a safe & respectful place in which to work. That’s the conclusion of new Pew research which shows 89% of American workers rank these needs highest. Yes, employees also expect their leaders to be honest, ethical – and […]
The post Erica Keswin: How To Design A Workplace That Is Good for People & Great for Business appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
While we might consider the time in which we’re all living a more enlightened age, the word “heart” still carries a lot of negative associations when it comes to workplace leadership. Tied to traditional leadership wisdom, we cling to the belief that caring and supportive management is an inherently weak idea that cannot drive productivity – […]
The post Rollin McCraty: Why The Heart Is The Driver Of Optimal Human Performance appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Hear the word “rebel” & we immediately think of troublemakers & outcasts – people who end up with bad reputations for being non-conformists. But after a decade of studying rebels (especially rebel leaders), Harvard Business School Professor, Francesca Gino says we’ve got it all wrong. In her New York Times bestselling book, “Rebel Talent: Why […]
The post Francesca Gino: Why It Pays To Break The Rules In Life, Work & Leadership appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
In 2012, Gallup made the startling announcement that employee engagement across the globe was in crisis. We learned that only 30% of American workers were fully committed in their jobs – and the numbers were even worse in most other countries. So here we are six years later and we’re left to wonder: “Has engagement […]
The post Jim Harter: Gallup’s Chief Scientist Explains Why Employee Engagement & Caring Cultures Differentiate Thriving Organizations appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
If you have the chops to get accepted into an elite MBA Program at a school like Harvard, Wharton or Yale, you pretty much know that the next two years of your life will be devoted to mastering left-brain coursework – classes in analytics, statistics, accounting, economics, finance and the like. But a few years ago, top […]
The post Leah Weiss: Why A Class On Mindfulness & Self-Mastery Is Now Stanford Business School’s Top Elective appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Everyone has self-limiting behaviors, for the simple reason that we’re all human. But frequently, what holds women back from obtaining the next raise, promotion or job tends to be different from men. In their new bestseller, “How Women Rise,” legendary leadership coach, Marshall Goldsmith, and Sally Helgesen – the person Forbes Magazine named the world’s top women’s […]
The post Sally Helgesen: The Bad Habits That Limit Our Career Growth & Success appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
We’ve all worked for managers who sapped our talent, energy and commitment while always needing to be the smartest person in the room. And if we’ve been lucky, we’ve also worked for leaders who brought out the better angels of our nature – people who used their own intelligence to amplify the talents and capabilities […]
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Podcast 008: Kim Powell Many of us have it in our mind that very few people (including ourselves) have what it takes to become a CEO. We conjure up images of oversized personalities like Steve Jobs & Jack Welch and assume that’s what a successful CEO looks like. But in her new best-selling book (and […]
The post Kim Powell: Master Just Four Leadership Behaviors And You Could Be CEO Material appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Podcast 007: Dr. James Doty Dr. James Doty: Stanford Medical School Professor Says The Heart Matters More Than The Brain In Leadership As a world-class brain surgeon and Stanford University Medical School professor, Dr. James Doty is nevertheless certain that “the best way of influencing human beings to excel in their jobs is to intentionally […]
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Podcast 006: Geoff Colvin With technology poised to eliminate millions of jobs in every imaginable industry, we’re left to wonder what kind of work will remain and what skills will be most highly valued in the future workplace. To answer these serious questions, few people in the world today have a better grasp of what […]
The post Geoff Colvin: Fortune Magazine’s Editor Believes “Humans Are Underrated” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.
Podcast 005: Daniel Coyle New York Times bestselling author, Daniel Coyle spent the past four years researching the cultures at eight of the world’s most successful organizations — including the U.S. Navy’s Seal Team Six, global design firm IDEO and the five-time NBA champions San Antonio Spurs. And he came away with the remarkable discovery […]
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Podcast 004: Garry Ridge For the past 20 years, Garry Ridge has been CEO of the WD-40 Company, and he’s built one of the most inspiring workplace cultures on the planet. INC. Magazine named him one of the Top-10 CEOs across the globe (leadership legends Jim Kouzes and Ken Blanchard both say he’s #1 in […]
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Podcast 003: Tom Peters Legendary leadership author, Tom Peters could easily be reclining on a New England beach these days. But he’s by no means the retiring type. Instead, he just published his 17th book, “The Excellence Dividend,” and continues to challenge workplace leaders to reinvent how they lead and manage. Three decades ago, Peters wrote the […]
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Podcast 001: Jim Kouses Thirty-years ago, Jim Kouzes and his collaborator Barry Posner wrote “The Leadership Challenge” – a book that has sold 2.5 million copies (so far) and is taught in universities and management classes around the world. As the author of five other best-selling leadership books, a consultant and a Fellow of Leadership […]
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Podcast 002: Adam Bryant Imagine having the opportunity to interview hundreds of the world’s top CEOs and hear them describe their leadership philosophy, not to mention the successes and failures that shaped them as managers. For eight years, Adam Bryant did that exact thing as the creator and writer of the New York Times’ highly popular […]
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Podcast 000: Mark C. Crowley The expression “Lead From The Heart” elicits different meanings to different people, so Mark uses his first podcast to introduce himself, his vision for the show and some clarity around his leadership philosophy. Interviewed by his friend and “Blip” author, Ken Boynton, Mark talks about his best-selling book, the kinds […]
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