Minds Worth Meeting: Recent Episodes
Stern Strategy Group
Minds Worth Meeting, a podcast produced by Stern Strategy Group (R), connects you with experts and thought leaders at the forefront of today’s issues and tomorrow’s trends. Featuring the broad Stern Strategy Group client roster of influential innovators, researchers, thinkers and doers, Minds Worth Meeting covers a wide range of topics, industries and disciplines for the modern business strategist.
From an employee standpoint, constant upheaval and the specter of having to sit down with the boss multiple times a year to be graded via performance review is a recipe for organizational disaster. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, former Cisco and Deloitte HR executive and author, Ashley Goodall joins Justin Louis to discuss his latest book, "The Problem with Change" and offers practical solutions to help your business understand what people need at work in order to contribute their best.
In this episode:
- We talk about Ashley's book and how constant change stymies the process of actually achieving organizational goals.
- Ashley delves into why leaders need to get serious about understanding how their teams operate, especially what makes the best teams so good.
- He picks apart the performance review process and explains why regularly assigning a grade or number to an employee's achievements has the opposite of the intended effect of boosting performance and morale.
- Ashley describes how HR has lost its way in today's business ecosystem, explaining why leaders need to become more focused on the human aspect of "human resources."
Where to find Ashley Goodall:
- Ashley's website
- Ashley Goodall on LinkedIn
- Ashley's book, “The Problem with Change: And the Essential Nature of Human Performance”
Click or tap here to learn more about how Ashley Goodall provides leaders with strategies for rethinking the change process and performance evaluations that will build stronger teams, not disengaged employees.
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Speaking up – and empowering your employees to speak up – is a vital prerequisite for a company culture that supports innovation. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis and Meg Virag sit down with Oxford University Saïd Business School associate fellow, Megan Reitz. We discuss the importance of how leaders “show up” to work, why we all need safe environments to speak up and permission to pause, and how AI is starting to change dialogue in organizations.
In this episode:
- Before employees can be empowered to speak up, Megan explains why leaders need to work on their own habits first.
- She shares fascinating insights about employee activism and how workers and leaders alike can constructively participate.
- Megan dives into her new research on “spaciousness” at work and how it can supercharge productivity, creativity and wellbeing.
Where to find Megan Reitz
- Megan’s website
- Megan Reitz at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School
- Megan’s book, “Speak Out, Listen Up: How to Have Conversations That Matter”
- Megan’s book, “Speak Up: Say What Needs to be Said and Hear What Needs to be Heard”
Click or tap here to learn more about how Megan Reitz teaches leaders how to cultivate environments of psychological safety where employees genuinely feel empowered to voice their perspectives with the confidence they will be heard.
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Successfully leading a business in the AI-heavy digital age requires a new mindset. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis sits down with University of California Santa Barbara professor and Technology Management department chair, Paul Leonardi. We talk about how to cultivate a digital mindset and why it’s so important to do so, he shares strategies for helping employees succeed with generative AI and tells us how to keep digital exhaustion at bay.
In this episode:
- Paul explains how digital technologies like artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, are changing work roles, and what those new roles look like.
- He reassures us that we don’t need to become experts overnight to be digitally literate and explains “the 30% rule.”
- On a topic that many of us feel in our professional and personal lives alike, Paul discusses digital exhaustion and how to avoid it with practical tips that anyone can implement immediately.
Where to find Paul Leonardi:
- Paul’s website
- Paul Leonardi at the University of California Santa Barbara
- Paul’s book, “The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI“
Click or tap here to learn more about how Paul Leonardi provides leaders with practical, accessible frameworks for ensuring successful AI implementation while creating a healthy culture around digital technology use.
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The conventional wisdom in business is that friction is a bad thing that must be removed for processes to move forward smoothly. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings has a fascinating conversation with MIT researcher and head of the Human-First AI group at the school's Initiative on the Digital Economy, Renée Richardson Gosline. We discuss the benefits of the right kind of friction, particularly when creating with AI, leading with trust when building AI-enhanced customer experiences and more.
In this episode:
- Renée shares the results of a recent study investigating how friction can be applied in the human/AI content creation paradigm and what the most productive level is.
- She outlines how AI tools can have a powerful role in enhancing customer experiences, but they must be built on a foundation of trust.
- Renée describes some of the vital do's and don'ts when implementing AI in an organization, both internally and externally.
Where to find Renée Richardson Gosline
- Renée's website
- Renée at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy
- Renée's MIT Sloan School of Management faculty page
Click or tap here to learn more about how Renée Richardson Gosline gives leaders a better understanding of how customer experience can catalyze a company’s AI-enhanced digital transformation and create collaborative dynamics with customers.
Let us know your thoughts on this episode!
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How can leaders engage people both rationally and emotionally? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis sit down with Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati. We talk about corporate purpose, artificial intelligence leadership and Ranjay shares the inspiring story of how his mother’s passion became a global success story.
In this episode:
- Ranjay, author of “Deep Purpose,” explains how to bring purpose beyond just a statement on a company’s website to truly transform organizations.
- We talk about AI and why it’s vital for leaders to do something and learn rather than doing nothing and falling behind the competition.
- Ranjay tells us about what he’s learned from talking with some of the sports world’s most iconic coaches and how they motivate their teams to perform to the highest standards.
Where to find Ranjay Gulati:
- Ranjay Gulati’s website
- Ranjay’s book, “Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies”
- Ranjay’s “Deep Purpose” podcast
- Ranjay’s Harvard Business School faculty page
Click or tap here to learn more about Ranjay Gulati and how he equips companies with strategies to forge a path of resilience, purpose and strong leadership that empowers organizations – and the people within – to live up to their fullest potential.
Like what you hear? Subscribe, rate and share Minds Worth Meeting wherever you get your favorite podcasts!
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What do the geek takeover, rethinking economies, unparalleled resilience, appreciating nostalgia while understanding our past and ensuring recognition and dignity for all have in common?
They’re just a few of the memorable lessons we learned this past season on Minds Worth Meeting. Join us as our hosts Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis take a look back at our favorite moments of Season 3.
In this episode:
- Renowned MIT researcher Andrew McAfee tells us about his new book, “The Geek Way” and why he’s an optimist about the technology of tomorrow.
- Acclaimed New Yorker writer and lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Nick Romeo discusses his latest book, “The Alternative”.
- Holocaust survivor and author Tova Friedman shares her lessons on how we can choose peace over hate and the message she gave to world leaders at the United Nations.
- NYU professor, social psychologist and author of “A More Just Future,” Dolly Chugh tells us what it means to be a “good-ish” person and why it’s important to appreciate the positives while acknowledging the negatives of our past.
- Harvard professor, sociologist and author of “Seeing Others,” Michèle Lamont tells us how taking the time to see others and give recognition and dignity to all can redefine the workplace.
Want to learn more about our guests? Click on a name below for their latest work and information on how your organization can work with them:
- Andrew McAfee
- Nick Romeo
- Tova Friedman
- Dolly Chugh
- Michèle Lamont
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How can something seemingly as simple as recognition help to heal society's deep divides? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings has a conversation with sociologist and Harvard University professor Michèle Lamont. She tells us how taking the time to see others and give recognition and dignity to all can redefine the workplace, and even society, to be a more sustainable environment in which people can be their authentic selves and thrive.
In this episode:
- Michèle explains the long-term importance of recognition in the workplace as an aspect of good leadership.
- We discuss how it's the responsibility of all managers to create a workplace that acknowledges the dignity of all workers.
- Michèle tells us that stigmatization often begins with moral blaming, but narrative change can help us understand the differences between groups, a process that organizations play a central role in.
Where to find Michèle Lamont:
- Michèle Lamont's Website
- Michèle's book, "Seeing Others: How Recognition Works―and How It Can Heal a Divided World"
- Michèle Lamont on X (Twitter)
- Michèle's Harvard University Faculty Profile
Click or tap here to learn more about Michèle Lamont and how she equips companies with a unique, non-partisan perspective on how to create conditions where recognition, dignity, equality, respect, inclusion and destigmatization are actively promoted in empowering workplace environments.
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How can we become ‘good-ish’ people? For that matter, what is a ‘good-ish’ person? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis speak with NYU Stern School of Business professor and social psychologist Dolly Chugh. She explains how being a ‘good-ish’ person allow us to better relate to others, become great leaders and understand a past that hasn't always been one of beauty and honor.
In this episode:
- Dolly explains what a ‘good-ish’ person is and how to become one.
- We talk about how to be a great boss by becoming more self-aware of how the way we show up to work impacts others.
- We reminisce about View-Master and Pillow Pets and discuss the connections we create by invoking nostalgia.
- Dolly then tells us that it is possible to appreciate nostalgia while taking important lessons from a complicated past.
Where to find Dolly Chugh
- Dolly Chugh’s “Dear Good People” newsletter
- Dolly’s book, “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with Our Past and Driving Social Change“
- Dolly’s book, “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias“
Click or tap here to learn more about Dolly Chugh and how she equips companies with strategies and techniques to become truly inclusive, effective leaders in their industry.
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It is possible to spread a message of hope from the greatest adversity possible. In this inspirational episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis and guest host Meg Virag speak with Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman about how to find hope in times of darkness.
In this episode:
- Tova tells us about the emotional process of writing her memoir, “The Daughter of Auschwitz“
- We talk about how her story became a sensation thanks to TikTok.
- We discuss the roots of hatred and how unchecked movements can lead to genocide.
- Tova shares the simple but powerful message she gave to world leaders at the United Nations.
Where to find Tova Friedman:
- Tova Friedman on TikTok
- The Daughter of Auschwitz: My Story of Resilience, Survival and Hope
Click or tap here to learn more about Tova Friedman and how her incredible story of survival inspires audiences around the world to recognize that natural resilience and the ability to overcome is within every one of us.
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Economics is inseparable from politics and philosophy, but we don’t have to be prisoners to what are assumed to be inevitable economic laws. As we kick off our third season of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with journalist and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism lecturer Nick Romeo about his new book, "The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy."
In this episode:
- Nick discusses how his background in ancient philosophy led him to become an investigative economic journalist.
- We talk about an Austrian village that is successfully experimenting with a jobs guarantee.
- We touch on a growing trend in business: perpetual purpose trusts - what they mean and how they can benefit employees.
- Nick explains how the multi-billion dollar Mondragon Corporation has become one of the most successful worker cooperatives in the world.
Where to find Nick Romeo:
- Nick Romeo's Personal Website
- Nick Romeo at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
- The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy
Click or tap here to learn more about Nick Romeo and how his deft command of international policy and economics makes him a sought-after expert on some of the most impactful issues of the day.
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Companies that are run by geeks are some of the most innovative, agile and scalable organizations today. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with renowned MIT researcher Andrew McAfee, author of “The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results.”
In this episode:
- Andy explains what “geeky leadership” is and how geeks have become the most consequential leaders in modern business.
- We talk about generative AI, how organizations can capitalize on it, and what leaders must understand first.
- We touch on the future of work and what people, currently employed or not, need to know to succeed in the workplaces of tomorrow.
- We dip our toes into the future of tech and the potentially paradigm shifting systems that could come next.
Where to find Andrew McAfee:
- Andy’s personal website
- Andrew McAfee at MIT
- Andrew McAfee at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy
Click or tap here to learn more about Andy McAfee and how his keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization weave emerging technologies like generative AI into your strategic vision, anchored by the transformative power of "geeky leadership."
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Exponential technology, modern communication and failing well – those were the themes we touched on in the second season of Minds Worth Meeting. Today, we’re taking a look back at the fascinating conversations we had with our expert guests to bring you the best of the season.
In this episode:
· We revisit our conversation with technology analyst, investor and author of “The Exponential Age”, Azeem Azhar. We chatted about the exponential speed of technology advancement, how to use generative AI like ChatGPT to maximize efficiency at work and the future of energy prosperity.
· We listen back to the best bits of our talk with public relations expert and Rutgers University professor, Mark Beal, an authority on Gen-Z, and the modern methods of multi-channel communication.
· We share the best clips from our chat with Columbia University Creative Machines Lab Director, Hod Lipson, in which we touched on the (near) future of driverless cars, how AI can manipulate with love and if AI self-awareness is in the cards.
· When Dean of the Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, Ayanna Howard, joined us she explained how AI has been around for a long time and touches just about everything, but regulation and unbiased development is of the utmost importance.
· The AI conversation this season turned to ethics when we welcomed AI ethicist and author of “Ethical Machines” Reid Blackman. He pointed out the difference between bad actors and accidental actors and emphasized the importance of organizations defining their worst-case scenarios when it comes to AI ethics.
· We wrapped the season up with iconic Harvard Business School professor and author of the upcoming book, “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well,” Amy Edmondson. She explains what failing well is and the three types of failures – two of which you want to avoid.
Click or tap here for more on Minds Worth Meeting, Stern Speakers & Advisors and Stern PR & Executive Visibility.
"Failure" doesn't have to be a bad word. In fact, failing well can lead to unexpected positive breakthroughs. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings speaks with Harvard Business School's Amy Edmondson, author of the upcoming book "Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well".
In this episode:
- Amy discusses the origins of her interest in studying one of today's most important organizational teaming topics - psychological safety.
- We discuss what failing well means and the science behind it.
- Amy gives us a few examples of the different types of failure, including a pair to avoid and what an "intelligent failure" is.
- Amy explains why hearing "failure is not an option" from a coach, parent or boss just serves to set up negative outcomes.
Where to find Amy Edmondson:
- Amy's personal website
- Amy at Harvard Business School
- Amy on Twitter
- Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well
Click or tap here to learn more about Amy Edmondson and how her keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization build an environment of psychological safety, transparency and collaborative teaming, which ultimately leads to more effective operations, invested employees and a healthier bottom line.
Artificial intelligence is spreading fast, but are ethical safeguards spreading as quickly as they should be? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with the founder and CEO of Virtue Ethics Consultancy and author of “Ethical Machines” Reid Blackman.
In this episode:
- Reid explains why the issue of ethics in AI has become so much more urgent in the last few months
- We discuss the differences between the impacts AI may have on society versus the impacts that business leaders should be thinking about
- Reid says while the AI genie is out of the bottle and it’s too late to put it back in, it’s not too late for business leaders to familiarize themselves with AI systems before implementing them
- Reid points out the difference between bad actors and “accidental actors”
Where to find Reid Blackman:
- Reid’s website
- Virtue Consultants
- Reid’s book “Ethical Machines: Your Concise Guide to Totally Unbiased, Transparent, and Respectful AI“
Click or tap here to learn more about Reid Blackman and how his keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization mitigate the potential ethical risks of implementing AI systems into business.
Have you ever wished you could sit down and have a conversation with one of the top robotics and AI engineers in the world? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting we do exactly that when Whitney Jennings speaks with former NASA engineer and the current Dean of The Ohio State University's College of Engineering, Dr. Ayanna Howard.
In this episode:
- Ayanna explains that, while buzzy at the moment, artificial intelligence isn’t new. In fact, it’s just data and algorithms. In other words – the basis for all computers.
- She tells us what makes AI different now is that it’s seeping into areas such as healthcare, jobs and even our civil liberties like never before. “These are the things we need to be careful about,” she says.
- Dr. Howard delves into who should regulate AI – the industry, the government, or both?
- Finally, she tells our listeners the most important skill that engineers of the future should start learning today.
Where to find Dr. Ayanna Howard:
- Ayanna Howard on Twitter
- Ayanna Howard’s audiobook - “Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI”
Is AI on the path to sentience? On this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with the director of Columbia University’s Creative Machines Lab, Hod Lipson.
In this episode, Hod talks about the speed with which artificial intelligence is advancing right now and tells us that we shouldn’t think about AI as a “thing” but as a “journey”. Hod, who wrote the book “Driverless: Intelligent Cars and the Road Ahead,” says that it will still be some time before we see truly driverless cars on our highways – “they have to earn their place,” he says. He also discusses what creativity means in the context of “creative machines” and he tells us about his autonomous robot that paints stunning works of art. Finally, Hod weighs in on one of AI’s most controversial topics – how do we know when AI has become self-aware?
Click or tap here to learn more about Hod Lipson and how his keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization leverage new technology like generative AI and make sense of the emerging technology landscape.
Public relations , marketing, and Gen-Z expert Mark Beal joins Stern PR's Kenny Conrade this episode of Minds Worth Meeting. Mark, a public relations professor at Rutgers University, has published several books for and about Gen-Z, including 101 Lessons They Never Taught You In College, 101 Lessons They Never Taught You In High School About Going To College, and most recently ZEO, a book outlining the leadership profiles of Gen-Zers as they continue to climb the corporate ladder.
In this episode, Mark covers his 25-year career as a public relations practitioner where he worked on major sporting events like the U.S. Open and World Series. He also delves into his journey into becoming a professor and author, as well as some of the key lessons about Gen-Z uncovered through his research and how employers can better engage this generation in the workplace.
To learn more about Mark as well as his previous work as a speaker and author, please visit https://www.markbealspeaks.com/.
Exponentialist Azeem Azhar, bestselling author of “The Exponential Age” and author of the Exponential View newsletter joins host Justin Louis on the first episode of season two of Minds Worth Meeting to discuss the future of technology and innovation. In this episode, Azeem discusses what the future of the world's most complex technologies like artificial intelligence may look like, how they will impact society, and how today’s exponential advancements in technology go to the core of our identity. Azeem also speaks to how he uses GPT-4 in his everyday work and reveals a generative AI “superpower.”
You can learn more about Azeem's work and if he may be a fit to speak at your organization's next professional development day by visiting https://sternstrategy.com/speakers/azeem-azhar/.
You can also access his Exponential Views newsletter at https://www.exponentialview.co/.
In this final episode of season one, hosts Whitney Jennings, Justin Louis, and Kenny Conrade look back at some of the top contributions of guests from Minds Worth Meeting season 1 which focused on female experts and thought-leaders.
Guests featured include:
- Zoe Chance, expert on the power of influence and decision-making and author of Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen.
- Randi Caplan, Farient Advisors' Leader of marketing and business development on professional services marketing.
- Susan Stern, founder of Stern Strategy Group on building an organization from the ground up, organizational resilience and culture.
- Sheena Iyengar, Columbia Business School professor and author of The Art of Choosing and Think Biggeron the importance of decision-making and choice as well as the fundamental flaws in brainstorming.
- Dr. Nirit Pisano, licensed clinical psychologist and Chief Psychology Officer of Cognovi Labs on the power of emotions at work and in life, the sudden rise in AI and its potential effects.
Dr. Nirit Pisano, licensed clinical psychologist and the Chief Psychology Officer of Cognovi Labs, an award winning psychology-infused AI platform, joins host Kenny Conrade on Minds Worth Meeting to discuss several hot-button issues in AI, the workplace, and human emotions and psychology.
In this episode, Nirit discusses the work she is doing at Cognovi and the company's social mission to increase emotional intelligence in our day-to-day interactions at work, the way goods and services are marketed, and more. She also dives into the importance of emotions in the workplace and tactics managers can use to create psychological safety at work, in addition to the impact that this focus on emotions may have on our future.
You can learn more about Cognovi and Nirit's work by visiting www.cognovilabs.com.
Sheena Iyengar, Columbia Business School professor and a global authority on decision-making and choice, joins host Whitney Jennings on this week's episode of Minds Worth Meeting. In this episode, Sheena discusses her best-selling book, "The Art of Choosing," as well as her new book "Think Bigger," which was recently released this year.
Sheena discusses the six-step method she created for teaching people how to take advantage of lessons learned from neurological and cognitive science to put our minds to work when generating our best ideas. She also discusses the importance of prioritizing choice for businesses and when too many choices can actually become a bad thing for consumers.
You can learn more about Sheena's work and if she may be a fit to speak at your organization's next professional development day by visiting https://sternstrategy.com/speakers/sheena-iyengar/.
Susan Stern, founder of Stern Strategy Group, joins host Whitney Jennings on Minds Worth Meeting to discuss her experience as a female founder, important lessons learned from founding a PR agency and speakers bureau, and to give advice to the next generation of female founders.
Randi Caplan, Farient Advisors' leader of marketing and business development and a long-time client of Stern PR, joins the show to discuss her role at Farient, the evolution of professional services marketing landscape over her 20 years in the field, what forging a successful partnership with a PR agency looks like, and more.
Randi has been a member of Farient's leadership team since 2010 where she works closely with Farient’s senior leadership to build visibility and attract new clients through high-touch integrated marketing programs, lead generation, and innovative research initiatives. Her background has also brought her to legacy companies, where she served in similar roles at Deloitte and Ernst & Young Consulting.
In the first episode of the relaunched version of Minds Worth Meeting, Zoe Chance, author of Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen,sits down with host Whitney Jennings to delve deep into the the world of persuasion and influence and how to make it a part of your everyday life.
In addition to her work as an author, Zoe is a professor at the Yale School of Management where she teaches a popular MBA elective called “Mastering Influence and Persuasion” which is one of the school’s most sought-after courses. Her research findings have been published in top academic journals like Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and in such influential business media as Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist and Psychology Today.You can learn more about Zoe and inquire for her speaking and advisory services by visiting www.sternstrategy.com/speakers/zoe-chance.
Can large companies successfully innovate?
The popular narrative is the bigger firms become, the less nimble and dynamic they are. Small startups are the disruptors, while big companies are doomed to being static and inflexible.
But according to Gary Pisano of Harvard Business School, this is a myth: large businesses can be just as innovative as startups. But to reach that point, you need to understand the four distinct types of innovation, how to devise a strategy for implementing transformation and, crucially, the importance of an innovative culture.
In this episode, Minds Worth Meeting speaks with Pisano about his recent book, “Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation” (PublicAffairs, January 2019). In “Creative Construction,” Pisano criticizes both the fatalism about the ability of Big Business to innovate and the overly simplified notion that to be dynamic, companies need to “be like Uber.” Large, established firms are entirely different from those born as startups; they need to think about innovation in terms of how best to leverage existing strengths rather than undertaking a wholesale (and potentially destructive) disruption of their own business models.
Accordingly, Pisano urges leaders to determine which of the four types of innovation – disruptive, architectural, routine and radical – best suit a company’s position. And, drawing on his widely cited Harvard Business Review cover story “The Hard Truth About Innovative Cultures,” Pisano urges business leaders to recognize the key trade-offs between dynamism and stability that make for successful transformations. He offers a warning specifically to financial services firms about how failing to consider the role of new technologies can impede their ability to innovate.
For more information about innovation, growth and Pisano’s work as discussed in this episode, visit the links below:
• The Hard Truth About Innovative Cultures (Harvard Business Review) • Large Businesses Don’t Have to Be Lousy Innovators (Strategy + Business) • Fostering an Innovation Culture: Talent, Discipline and Leadership (The Wall Street Journal)
Visit Pisano’s website: gpisano.com Follow Pisano on Twitter: @motogp61
Gary Pisano is available for speaking engagements and advisory/consulting services through exclusive representation by Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
For more from Minds Worth Meeting, follow us on social media @sternstrategy, @sternspeakers and visit https://sternstrategy.com/minds-worth-meeting/.
Despite progress over the past few decades, women still face immense barriers to advancement in the workplace – both systemic and psychological. Women continue to command lower salaries and are under-represented in senior leadership roles across corporate America. How do women not only challenge their organizations to give them their due, but overcome their own uncertainties about being able to succeed in male-dominated companies and industries?
In this episode, Minds Worth Meeting converses with Kimberly Ramalho, vice president of communications and public Affairs for Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS). As a high-ranking executive with the world’s largest defense contractor, Ramalho has more than 25 years of experience in navigating obstacles to climbing the corporate ladder within an industry that is – historically – overwhelmingly male.
Women in business, says Ramalho, must ensure they bring their own expertise to the top table and are heard by their colleagues on the issues that matter. Unconscious or deliberate, bias often causes male counterparts to ignore female voices, reinforcing uncertainty and insecurity. To succeed, women must overcome their own doubts and voice their opinions consistently and effectively, as well as not be timid in demanding equal treatment. In doing so, women can change the narrative of gender in the workplace, getting what they need, want and deserve.
There is still a long way to go in achieving gender equality, whether in the corporate world or in society more broadly. But that journey hinges on individuals’ courage in standing up for themselves and their fellow women. Women truly can “have it all” as leaders – and Kimberly Ramalho helps show you how that’s possible.
Follow Kimberly Ramalho on Twitter: @kimberlyramalho and on LinkedIn.
For more from Minds Worth Meeting, follow us on social media @sternstrategy, @sternspeakers and visit https://sternstrategy.com/minds-worth-meeting/.
Neither poverty nor prosperity are permanent conditions for societies; poor countries have risen from hardship to wealth within decades. But, by and large, we lack an understanding of how that transformation takes place.
In a recent, critically acclaimed book, “The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty” (HarperBusiness, January 2019), authors Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon provide the missing framework.
Prosperity, the authors argue, is generated by market-creating innovations – products and services that create consumers where none previously existed – and these which have the potential to not only uplift entire nations from poverty but allow innovative businesses to reap enormous returns on investment and dominate markets for years and even generations to come.
In the latest episode of the Minds Worth Meeting podcast, co-author Efosa Ojomo, Senior Research Fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, reveals what constitutes market-creating innovations and how businesses can use them to prosper in unexpected places. Drawing on the examples contained in “The Prosperity Paradox” ranging from the Ford Model T to Tolaram instant noodles, Ojomo offers a blueprint for companies seeking a new way to invest and thrive in frontier markets. Often, according to Ojomo’s framework, the key is not to go where the money already is, but to where it isn’t. Only then can you develop the kind of innovative product or service that transforms the way of life for millions of people – and launches your company to the status of a household name.
For more information about “The Prosperity Paradox” and Efosa Ojomo’s work as discussed in this episode, visit the links below:
• How Innovative Companies Help Frontier Markets Grow (Harvard Business Review, February 2019) - https://hbr.org/ideacast/2019/02/how-innovative-companies-help-frontier-markets-grow • Want to Foster Prosperity? Focus on Market-creating Innovations (Knowledge at Wharton, February 2019) - https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/prosperity-paradox-clayton-christensen/ • “The Prosperity Paradox” Review: A Better Way to Fight Poverty (The Wall Street Journal, January 2019)- https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-prosperity-paradox-review-a-better-way-to-fight-poverty-11548890942#comments_sector • How 1 Company – and Its Insanely Popular and Cheap Noodles – Transformed Nigeria (Inc., January 2019) - https://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/clayton-christensen-prosperity-paradox.html • Visit Efosa’s website: https://efosaojomo.com/ • Follow Ojomo on Twitter: @EfosaOjomo
Efosa Ojomo is available for speaking engagements and advisory/consulting services through exclusive representation by Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
For more from Minds Worth Meeting, follow us on social media @sternstrategy, @sternspeakers and visit https://sternstrategy.com/minds-worth-meeting/.
From declining rural villages to the inner cities of the world’s great metropolises, ruined buildings and abandoned spaces stand waiting to be repurposed and revived. Doing so not only restores function to these structures but can potentially reinvigorate entire communities.
In this episode, Minds Worth Meeting sits down with Dan Barasch, leading expert on the future of architecture and design and co-founder and executive director of New York’s The Lowline, a technology-enabled underground park inside a long-unused Manhattan trolley terminal, the first of its kind in the world. Barasch’s insights can inspire not just designers, architects and urban planners but community leaders and real estate developers. Drawing on his experiences conceiving and directing the ongoing Lowline project, Barasch reveals how to reimagine and rebuild in abandoned spaces in a way that strengthens community bonds, honors the historic character of neighborhoods and towns and contributes to the aesthetic inheritance of humanity.
Barasch also discusses his new book, “Ruin and Redemption in Architecture” (Phaidon Press, April 2019), and how it can provide examples and creative motivation to those seeking to resurrect buildings and spaces which have been destroyed or allowed to decay.
For more information about the future of design and urban planning and Dan Barasch’s work as discussed in this episode, visit the links below:
• The Big Business of Ruins • From Ruin to Redemption: Incredible Before-and-After Images Show How Abandoned Buildings Have Been Given New Leases on Life • The Upside Down: Inside Manhattan’s Lowline Subterranean Park
Follow Dan on Twitter: @kineticdb and @thelowlinenyc
Dan Barasch is available for speaking engagements and advisory/consulting services through exclusive representation by Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
For more from Minds Worth Meeting, follow us on social media @sternstrategy, @sternspeakers and visit https://sternstrategy.com/minds-worth-meeting/.
More people from lower-income backgrounds may be going to college, but they continue to drop out at higher rates than their higher-income peers. They also struggle to manage both work and academics and face enormous levels of student-loan debt whether they graduate or not.
One problem is that educators and policymakers have been focused only on access – getting students into college – rather than on success, or what happens to them once they’re there. How can we ensure that more people, especially those from lower-income backgrounds and disadvantaged groups, not only get into college but thrive once they are there, and graduate with minimal (or no) debt?
In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, we speak with Melissa Fries, executive director of the College & Alumni Program (CAP) at the Making Waves Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports students of the Making Waves Academy charter school. Serving the underprivileged students of the Richmond, California area, Making Waves emphasizes long-term college planning for students as early as fifth grade, providing financial education and career advice in addition to the basics of a K-12 curriculum. Once students go on to college, the CAP program maintains continuous communication and support, ensuring that the mission of student success does not end with their acceptance letter at the age of 18.
Fries reveals how Making Waves and its CAP program have pioneered a new approach to education that can be replicated, and how it has demonstrated success in promoting not just college enrollment but graduation and career success for underprivileged young people. As we struggle to address issues like inequality, lack of social mobility and the skills gap at the national and global levels, a solution may be found in a local organization – and with philanthropists like Melissa Fries.
Minds Worth Meeting, a podcast produced by Stern Strategy Group®, connects you with experts and thought leaders at the forefront of today’s issues and tomorrow’s trends – from artificial intelligence to strategies for business growth. Featuring the broad Stern Strategy Group client roster of influential innovators, researchers, thinkers, doers and practitioners, Minds Worth Meeting illuminates the advancements in a wide range of topics, industries and disciplines.
Artificial intelligence is advancing at a rapid rate – and it’s everywhere! From our smartphones to our wearables, AI is now a constant fixture in 21st century life. But while applications such as Alexa and Siri have the ability to answer basic questions, they still lack qualities that make them truly useful to us. In this episode, Minds Worth Meeting converses with Affectiva CEO and Emotion AI inventor Rana el Kaliouby, who reveals how, with AI, the way humans interact with technology is changing for the better. Loaded with cases of profitable applications of her technology, she tells us just how her work impacts business and society. Recently, Affectiva stepped into the self-driving car space – keep an eye out for how emotion AI will change the way we drive.
Follow Rana on Twitter @kaliouby.
For more information about how people and machines interact as discussed in this episode, visit the links below:
•TED Talk - This App Knows How You Feel – From the Look on Your Face
•PBS Nova Wonders
•Affectiva Launches A.I. Tech to Help Cars Sense Your Emotions
•An AI-Powered Design Trick Could Help Prevent Accidents Like Uber’s Self-Driving Car Crash
•The Pursuit of Unbiased AI: Ethics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
•These Industries Can Benefit From Emotion AI Right Now
•Enhancing Customer Experiences with Emotion AI
Rana el Kaliouby is available for paid speaking engagements, including keynote addresses, speeches, panels and conference talks, and advisory/consulting services through exclusive representation by Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
For more from Minds Worth Meeting, follow us on social media @sternstrategy, @sternspeakers and visit https://sternstrategy.com/minds-worth-meeting/.
In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, we speak with social media expert Jeff Hancock about the new psychology of social media.
It's 2018 and more than a billion people utilize social media. For companies, organizations and government bodies, these platforms offer a way to expand their reach to target audiences, and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to name a few, are weaved into many people's everyday lives. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, we speak with social media expert Jeff Hancock about the new psychology of social media. Keep an eye out for his new book, "Calling Bulls**t," which will help us navigate the disinformation on the Internet and in the media.
Follow Professor Jeff Hancock on Twitter @jeffhancock.
For more information about the new psychology of social media and Professor Hancock's work as discussed in this episode, visit the links below:
"Jeff Hancock's speaker profile: https://sternspeakers.com/speakers/jeff-hancock/
"Building the Bridge of Trust: Deciphering the New Psychology of Social Media
"Stanford Social Media Lab http://sml.stanford.edu/
Jeff Hancock is available for paid speaking engagements, including keynote addresses, speeches, panels and conference talks, and advisory/consulting services through exclusive representation by Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
For more from Minds Worth Meeting, follow us on social media @sternstrategy, @sternspeakers and visit https://sternstrategy.com/minds-worth-meeting/.
Technology is constantly evolving, shifting the ways of the world. Future forecasts have the power to educate business leaders and everyday people to make data-driven decisions and stay ahead of the curve. Minds Worth Meeting converses with futurist, best-selling author and NYU Stern professor Amy Webb, who discusses future trends and how technological change, such as the ubiquity of artificial intelligence, will impact businesses in the very near future. Keep an eye out for the paperback and audio editions of her book, "The Signals Are Talking," coming out later this year.