Shows
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #71 - Culture as a MultiplierIn this episode, we unpack how culture becomes a force-multiplier for your systems: why teams with psychological safety learn faster and perform better, how leaders actually shape culture through Schein’s “embedding mechanisms” (what you fund, schedule, reward), and what Netflix’s “freedom & responsibility” shows about rituals that make candor travel. Expect practical moves that wire values into day-to-day execution, so your operating system runs without you pushing it uphill.References1) Making It Safe: The Effects of Leader Inclusiveness and Professional Status on Psychological Safety and Improvement Efforts in Health Care...
2025-09-2404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #70 - Leverage: Designing Systems So Invisible Work Doesn’t Eat Your WeekIn this episode, we break down how leaders can reclaim their week from the invisible drag of coordination and decision churn by building leverage into their systems. From Amazon’s narrative memos that sharpen debate, to Bain’s RAPID framework that cuts decision ping-pong, to research on meeting-free days that protect deep work, you’ll learn three evidence-backed moves to scale your leadership without drowning in the hidden load.References:1) Why do management practices differ across firms and countries? https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.24.1.2032) How CEOs Ma...
2025-09-2303 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #69 - Making the Invisible VisibleIn this episode, we turn the “soft stuff” into usable evidence: you’ll learn a simple seven-column Leadership Ledger to track invisible work, spot who’s carrying non-promotable tasks, and link your time to outcomes. Grounded research plus Indra Nooyi’s Performance with Purpose reporting discipline, you’ll leave with a 10-minute routine to make the unseen visible and improve it week over week.References:1) CEO Behavior and Firm Performance: https://www.nber.org/papers/w232482) My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future: http...
2025-09-2203 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #68 - Mapping the Invisible Work on Your CalendarIn this episode, we pull back the curtain on the six categories of invisible work and show you how to spot them in your own calendar. You’ll learn why these unseen activities matter, how uneven loads create burnout risks, and a simple four-step scan to surface where your energy is really going.References:1) Sensemaking in Organizations: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/818257.Sensemaking_in_Organizations2) Will AI Fix Work? Work Trend Index: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/will-ai-fix-work...
2025-09-2104 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #67 - The Invisible Work of LeadershipIn this episode, we dive into the hidden side of leadership, the work that never makes it to dashboards or OKRs but holds organisations together. From Karl Weick’s sensemaking to Linda Babcock’s research on non-promotable tasks, from Tanya Reilly’s “Being Glue” in engineering teams to Paul O’Neill’s safety-first turnaround at Alcoa, we explore how invisible work shapes trust, efficiency, and performance. References:1) Sensemaking in Organizations: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/818257.Sensemaking_in_Organizations2) Will AI Fix Work? Work Trend Index: ht...
2025-09-2004 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #66 - The Adaptability Toolkit (Weekly Wrap-up)In this weekly wrap-up episode, we stitch adaptability into a practical toolkit. From Monday’s distinction between flexibility, agility, and adaptability, to Tuesday’s litmus test, to Wednesday’s SLICE experimentation engine, Thursday’s levers of decision velocity and resource mobility, and Friday’s simple rules. You’ll walk away with a one-page adaptability playbook that helps you sense shifts, run disciplined experiments, move faster, free up resources, and guide decisions with clarity.References:1) Dynamic capabilities and strategic management: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:73.0.CO;2-Z2) Dyna...
2025-09-0504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #65 - Simple RulesIn this episode, Vishal unpacks why simple rules are a leader’s best weapon in complex systems. Backed by research, this episode shows how three to five crisp heuristics can outperform thick manuals and guide decisions without bottlenecks. From wildfire management’s legendary LCES rule set to corporate playbooks that focus on boundaries, priorities, and timing, you’ll learn how to design rules that travel fast, scale under stress, and stick in people’s heads when leaders aren’t in the room.References:1) Simple Rules for a Complex World. Harvard Bu...
2025-09-0404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #64 - Decision Velocity & Resource MobilityIn this episode, Vishal explores why adaptability fails without Decision Velocity and Resource Mobility. Backed by research and examples from Jeff Bezos and Piyush Gupta, this episode urges leaders to halve their “signal-to-decision” time and free up capital and talent for new bets. You’ll walk away with practical litmus tests and a simple one-pager to publish in your teams.References:1) DBS: Digital Transformation to Best Bank in the World: https://store.hbr.org/product/dbs-digital-transformation-to-best-bank-in-the-world/SMU816?srsltid=AfmBOopcxwtvJKsOiz8sJsmVjP3KS7DQFY6Tabz0tYRaQJE0ujCwp8Kz2...
2025-09-0304 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #63 - SLICE - Experimentation as an Operating SystemIn this episode, Vishal introduces SLICE (Select, Learn, Implement, Chronicle, Expand) as a practical operating system for experimentation. This episode explores how adaptability comes from a repeatable rhythm of trustworthy experiments. You’ll hear how SLICE helps leaders build experimentation into their organisation’s DNA and makes innovation a habit.References:1) SLICE - Experimentation as an Operating System: https://medium.com/@vishalprasadin/slice-b1f1e7aa2aa42) Building a Culture of Experimentation: https://hbr.org/2020/03/building-a-culture-of-experimentation3) The Discipline of Busi...
2025-09-0204 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #62 - The Dynamic Capabilities ChecklistIn this episode, Vishal unpacks adaptability through the lens of dynamic capabilities; sensing, seizing, and transforming. Drawing from strategy research and the real-world case of DBS Bank’s digital transformation, this episode breaks theory into a practical checklist: how to spot early signals before they erupt, convert them into committed bets, and rewire the organisation to sustain change. If you can answer the three checklist questions without hesitation, you’re running adaptability by design; if not, this is where you start.References:1) Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of...
2025-09-0104 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #61 - Adaptability ≠ Agility ≠ FlexibilityIn Episode of The EnterpriseJoy Podcast, Vishal untangles three terms leaders often confuse; adaptability, agility, and flexibility. Drawing on research and real-world cases, he explains why flexibility is about range, agility is about pace, and adaptability is about evolution. You’ll hear how Netflix’s pivot to streaming wasn’t just agility in action, but true adaptability; a deliberate reconfiguration of its business model and culture. The episode leaves you with a practical challenge so you can stop solving the wrong problem and start leading with clarity.References:1) What Really...
2025-08-3104 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #60 - Designing for AdaptabilityIn this Sunday setup of The EnterpriseJoy Podcast, we dive into Designing for Adaptability. Vishal unpacks why adaptability is no longer a leadership buzzword but a survival toolkit, backed by decades of research showing volatility has doubled since the 1980s. You’ll hear how strategy scholars define “dynamic capabilities” and why leaders like Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen bet big on adaptability to reshape industries. Expect a week ahead filled with practical routines: from distinguishing adaptability from agility, to running experimentation as an operating system, to boosting decision velocity and crafting simple rules that travel.Referenc...
2025-08-3004 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #59 - The Trust Toolkit (Weekly Wrap-up)In this wrap-up episode, we bring the week on trust to a close by consolidating everything measurement, behaviours, outcomes, and routines into a one-page Trust Toolkit you can carry into your Monday leadership meeting. Vishal explains how to blend metrics like the ABI model, behavioural and organisational trust inventories, and psychological safety with simple weekly habits and routines like decision logs, blameless post-mortems, and working agreements. The result? A lightweight, repeatable system that builds trust not through intensity, but through consistency.Music Credit: Switch It Up, performed by Silent Partner, from the YouTube Studio...
2025-08-2904 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #58 - External Trust for you AI Growth StrategyIn this episode, we step outside the walls of the organisation and explore how external trust becomes a growth lever for AI. Using the three lenses of Assure, Explain, and Control, Vishal unpacks how frameworks from ISO and the EU AI Act are shaping the market’s expectations of risk, transparency, and governance. You’ll hear why assurances turn “trust us” into “audit us,” why transparency notes and data provenance lower adoption friction, and why serious-incident pathways build resilience before a crisis. And most importantly, how small visible artefacts move real outcomes from shorter sales cycles to higher adoption.
2025-08-2804 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #57 - The Trust Operating SystemIn this episode, we move from talking about trust as a value to embedding it as a system. Vishal unpacks how decision logs, blameless post-mortems, and working agreements transform trust into repeatable routines that reduces friction, increases predictability, and accelerates learning. You’ll hear why transparent artefacts signal fairness, how debriefs improve team effectiveness, and why simple, team-owned agreements outperform top-down rules. Together, these practices create a “Trust Operating System”, your shock absorbers under pressure and your reliability amplifier in the long run.References:1) Reconceptualizing organizational routines as a source...
2025-08-2704 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #56 - Trust to OutcomesIn this episode, we connect trust directly to business results you can measure. Research shows that higher trust reduces turnover, strengthens engagement, and sharpens performance. You’ll hear why trust acts as an early-warning system for attrition, how fair process and transparency fuel employee commitment and innovation, and why teams with strong psychological safety outperform under pressure. We’ll also explore practical lenses for leaders, from spotting red flags in disclosure and meeting dynamics to linking trust scores with cycle time, retention, and quality on a simple Trust → Outcomes dashboard ensuring that trust becomes an operational capability.
2025-08-2604 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #55 - Trust Behaviours in ActionIn this episode, we move from measuring trust to living it through behaviours leaders practise daily. Drawing on Frances Frei’s “Trust Triangle,” we explore how authenticity, logic, and empathy form the three legs of trust, and why a wobble in any one weakens the whole. This episode includes practical micro-habits to apply this week: framing decisions with principles and constraints, narrating reasoning with clarity and uncertainty, and running inclusion rounds that make every voice count. By Friday, you’ll know exactly which habits create the strongest ripple for your team.References:
2025-08-2504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode # 54 - Measuring TrustIn this episode, we take trust out of the “soft skill” bucket and put it into the measurable category where it belongs. You’ll hear how the ABI model (ability, benevolence, integrity) providing a reliable lens to assess trustworthiness, and why inventories like the Organisational Trust Inventory, the Behavioural Trust Inventory, and McAllister’s cognition- and affect-based scale give you practical tools to take a baseline pulse. We also connect trust to psychological safety as the everyday signal of whether people feel safe to speak up. Expect a lightweight framework you can apply immediately: a short pulse survey, spotting asymmetr...
2025-08-2404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #53 - Building Trust as an Organisational CapabilityIn this opening episode of the week, we reframe trust as an economic driver and a measurable capability. Backed by Stephen M. R. Covey’s insights and decades of organisational research, we explore why high-trust teams consistently outperform, how the ABI model (ability, benevolence, integrity) explains trust dynamics, and why psychological safety is the everyday expression of it. This week, expect a practical roadmap to measure, design, and scale trust; turning it into your organisation’s most overlooked yet powerful performance asset.References:1) The Speed of Trust: The One Thin...
2025-08-2404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #52 - Silos Orchestration Reflection ToolkitIn this wrap-up episode of The EnterpriseJoy Podcast, Vishal brings the week together with a Reflection Toolkit, a one-page-one-hour practice your team can start right away. Using Alan Mulally’s turnaround at Ford as proof, the toolkit blends service blueprinting, value stream mapping, shared outcome scorecards, Team APIs, psychological safety cues, and boundary-spanning rituals. Simply put, when teams reflect regularly, silos stop being walls and start becoming bridges.References:1) Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams: https://doi.org/10.2307/26669992) Project Aristotle: Understanding team ef...
2025-08-2304 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #51 - Metrics That Melt SilosWhen silos each chase their own scoreboard, organisations slow down. In this episode, Vishal explores how just five well-chosen measures can align entire enterprises around outcomes that matter. These “Friday Five” metrics shift the conversation from “my team delivered” to “our system must improve,” melting silos into collective accountability.References:1) The Balanced Scorecard — Measures that Drive Performance: https://hbr.org/2005/07/the-balanced-scorecard-measures-that-drive-performance2) Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35747076-accelerate3) A Proof for the Queuing Fo...
2025-08-2105 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #50 - Making Collaboration Safe & SustainableIn this milestone 50th episode, Vishal unpacks why even the best-designed pods and scorecards collapse without psychological safety. Drawing on research from Amy Edmondson, Google’s Project Aristotle, and the Center for Creative Leadership, he explains how trust enables teams to span boundaries and solve problems at scale. Expect practical rituals like weekly dependency huddles, immediate retrospectives, and end-to-end demo days turning cross-team collaboration from stressful heroics into sustainable a rhythm.References:1) Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams: https://doi.org/10.2307/26669992) Project Ar...
2025-08-2104 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #49 - Designing the System for FlowIn this episode, Vishal explores how to design organisations that deliver flow rather than friction. From Conway’s Law to value-stream pods, Team APIs, and evidence-backed metrics like DORA and the Flow Framework, you’ll discover how structure and communication shape the very product you build. References:1) How Do Committees Invent? https://www.melconway.com/Home/Conways_Law.html2) The Product Operating Model: https://www.svpg.com/the-product-operating-model-an-introduction3) Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow: https://www.g...
2025-08-1904 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #48 - Building Shared OutcomesIn this episode, Vishal shows you how to move from silo diagnosis to alignment by building a shared outcomes scorecard. Drawing on research from Harvard, McKinsey, and the Balanced Scorecard tradition, you’ll learn how to craft 3-5 metrics that cut across functions, blend personal delivery with collective accountability, and shine a spotlight on flow and quality. Expect practical steps from naming an end-to-end outcome to setting thresholds and cadences, backed by evidence that collaboration stops being optional only when incentives and ownership make it the job.References:1) Smarter Co...
2025-08-1804 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #47 - Diagnosing Silos With EvidenceIn this episode, we get hands-on with diagnosing silos. Vishal walks you through mapping a real customer or risk journey, separating work from waits using value stream mapping, and applying Little’s Law to ground the numbers. Backed by decades of research in lean, queueing theory, and even lessons from healthcare handoffs, this episode gives you a clear method to uncover where speed is lost and silos silently form.References:1) Designing Services That Deliver: https://hbr.org/1984/01/designing-services-that-deliver2) Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation: ht...
2025-08-1704 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #46 - Orchestrating Excellence Across SilosIn this week’s opener, Vishal pulls back the curtain on silos from why they form and how they quietly erode enterprise performance, to what leaders can do to orchestrate excellence across them. Backed by research from McKinsey, MIT Sloan, Harvard, Google’s Project Aristotle, and lessons from Satya Nadella’s Microsoft, this episode sets the stage for a week of turning scattered brilliance into collective impact. Expect a roadmap that moves from diagnosing silos to redesigning structures, aligning incentives, and building the psychological safety that makes collaboration less about heroics and more about the rhythm.R...
2025-08-1604 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #45 - The Decision-as-Bets Playbook (Weekly Wrap)In this episode, Vishal ties together this week’s “Decision-as-Bets” journey into a simple, powerful playbook you can carry forward. From framing calls as bets (with base rates, assumptions, and tripwires), to using the one-way/two-way door test, running regular updates and Brier scores, and sizing decisions with expected value. Listen in and give yourself a practical system to make better, faster, and more resilient decisions.References:1) Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.185.4157.11242) Heuristic Decision Making: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120709-14534...
2025-08-1504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #44 - Thinking in Expected ValueIn this episode, we level up your “bets” by introducing Expected Value thinking, a surprisingly simple yet powerful shift: multiplying upside by probability, subtracting downside by its likelihood, and comparing it across options. You’ll discover how low-probability, high-payoff moves can beat safe channels on paper, how “safe” choices can hide asymmetrical losses, and how portfolio thinking with EV tilts your actions toward real strategic value.References:1) Theory of Games and Economic Behavior: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1r2gkx2) Decision Trees for Decisi...
2025-08-1504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #43 - Building Update Systems That Keep You RightIn this episode, we build the “low-drama” systems that keep your bets honest; a simple cadence of decision logs, evidence-first reviews, authentic dissent, premortems, and short after-action debriefs. Drawing on research from forecasting tournaments, medicine, and organisational psychology, you’ll get a practical operating rhythm that turns your leadership team into a lightweight forecasting engine; updating little and often, learning faster, and arguing less.References:1) Small steps to accuracy: Incremental belief updaters are better forecasters: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.02.001 2) Decision discovery using clinical decisio...
2025-08-1304 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #42 - Moving Fast Without Being RecklessIn today’s episode of The EnterpriseJoy Podcast, we explore Amazon’s one-way vs. two-way door framework, a simple but powerful way to decide when to move fast and when to slow down. You’ll learn how to classify decisions, match the right process to the right “door,” and apply real-options thinking so you make bolder moves without leaving a trail of expensive mistakes. Plus, a practical Door Test Playbook to help you start using it today.References:1) Amazon’s Two-Way Door Framework: https://youtu.be/DcWqzZ3I2cY?feature=shar...
2025-08-1204 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #41 - Writing your Decisions as BetsIn this episode, we turn decision-making into a measurable discipline with the Bet Card, a one-page framework to make your calls explicit, quantify your odds, expose your uncertainties, set review points, and score your accuracy over time. Backed by research on base rates, overconfidence, and the power of incremental updates from the Good Judgment Project, plus the calibration benefits of the Brier score, this episode gives you the tools to stop relying on memory and start tracking real decision quality.References:1) Timid Choices and Bold Forecasts: A Cognitive Perspective...
2025-08-1104 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #40 - The Science Behind Better BetsIn this episode, we move from the “why” to the “how” of thinking in bets, the science that separates disciplined decision-makers from lucky guessers. We explore the power of base rates, the pitfalls of overconfidence, and the cultural shift needed to overcome outcome bias. Drawing from Kahneman and Tversky’s foundational research, Moore and Healy’s overconfidence studies, the Good Judgment Project’s lessons from superforecasters, and McKinsey’s work on behavioural strategy, this episode gives you a practical four-step challenge to make better, more adaptable decisions under uncertainty.References:1) Judgment un...
2025-08-1004 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #39 - Thinking in BetsWe kick off the week about “Thinking in Bets”, where leadership decisions aren’t about chasing the mythical “right call”, it’s about making smarter, adaptable bets under uncertainty. Backed by research from Kahneman and Tversky on cognitive biases, Annie Duke’s work on “resulting,” Bezos’ one-way/two-way door principle, and the Good Judgment Project’s findings on superforecasters, this episode sets the stage for a practical, evidence-driven playbook you can use to sharpen your decision process and outlast the illusion of certainty.References:1) Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don...
2025-08-0904 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #38 - The Data-less Decision Making Playbook (Weekly Wrap-up)This week, we’ve dealt with the messy art of making decisions when the data isn’t complete, from bias checks and robust scenario planning to gut-testing, pre-mortems, and creating a culture of learning over blame. In this wrap-up, I’ll hand you a simple, seven-day playbook you can run with your team starting Monday. Just clear, actionable steps to keep momentum, build resilience, and make smarter bets in uncertainty.Referenced Sources:1) Models of Man: Social and Rational: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7302177-models-of-man2) I...
2025-08-0804 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #37 - Accountability Without CertaintyWhen the outcome goes wrong, who really owns the decision? In today’s episode of The EnterpriseJoy Podcast, we explore how smart leaders build systems that learn from imperfect decisions instead of punishing them. From McKinsey’s accountability maps to Bain’s RAPID model, and the life-saving rituals of “Just Culture” in hospitals, we uncover real-world ways to make accountability a shared strength, not a blame game. Tune in for practical tools like decision journals, leadership mindset shifts, and proven frameworks to build resilience into your decision-making especially when data is missing, messy, or late.Referenc...
2025-08-0704 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #36 - Building Decision InfrastructureWhen your data is incomplete and time is ticking, decisions can’t wait; but they can be made smarter. In this episode, we move from intuition to infrastructure and explore how high-impact leaders and organisations build decision systems to act with clarity. From Gary Klein’s pre-mortems to decision journals and Amazon’s “two-way door” principle, this episode dives into rituals that build strategic momentum even when the data doesn’t have your back.References:1) Performing a project premortem: https://hbr.org/2007/09/performing-a-project-premortem2) Comparing precaution i...
2025-08-0604 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #35 - When Gut Beats the ModelIn this episode, Vishal dives into the surprising science of expert intuition showing how, in uncertain and fast-moving environments, trained gut instincts often outperform even the most complex models. Drawing from the work of Gerd Gigerenzer and Gary Klein, you’ll learn when to lean on heuristics, how recognition-primed decisions work in high-stakes settings, and why a hybrid approach of data + judgment might be your sharpest strategic tool.References:1) Heuristic Decision Making: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-120709-1453462) Why Biased Minds Make Better In...
2025-08-0504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #34 - Decision Frameworks for UncertaintyIn today’s episode, Vishal breaks down three decision-making frameworks built for situations when the data isn’t enough. He shares a few field-tested decision-making frameworks successfully used for military strategy, climate forecasting, and product development. You’ll learn when to aim for robustness over precision, when one more user test is just procrastination, and how to prepare for multiple plausible futures without building a 40-slide deck. If uncertainty’s holding your decision hostage, then this episode hands you the keys.References:1) Info-Gap Decision Theory: Decisions Under Severe Uncertainty: https...
2025-08-0404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #33 - The Psychology of IndecisionWhy do we freeze up on decisions we know we should take? In this episode, Vishal explores the reasons leaders delay and lack of data is hardly ever the reason. Hidden psychological biases like the illusion of validity, confirmation bias, and anticipated regret probably has a larger role to play and being aware about these can help you spot the difference between a thoughtful pause and a strategic drag. A simple 4R framework can assist in moving forward with clarity, even when your confidence wavers.References:1) Rational Decision Making...
2025-08-0304 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #32 - Making Decisions Without Perfect DataThis week, we’re taking aim at one of the biggest myths in leadership: that more data = better decisions. In this Sunday setup, Vishal explores why perfect data is rarely available when it matters most and how leaders like Andy Grove made high-velocity, high-impact calls using partial signals, not polished forecasts. Drawing on research from behavioural economics, decision theory, and the playbooks of Intel, Amazon, and McKinsey, this week is your cheat code to leading with confidence, even when the data is foggy. Referenced:1) Rational Decision Making in Business Org...
2025-08-0205 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #31 - The Strategic Flexibility Playbook (Weekly Wrap-up)This episode brings it all together, the leadership cues, decision loops, and operational systems, into one usable playbook for strategic flexibility. Vishal unpacks a four-phase framework adapted from Deloitte’s research, showing how leaders can sense, generate, build, and pivot with rhythm. With examples from 3M and evidence from McKinsey, Harvard, and Stanford, it’s a ready-to-run pilot for your next strategic bet. If you want to turn uncertainty into a repeatable advantage, this wrap-up episode is your starting line.References:1) The Four Pillars of Strategic Flexibility: https://www2.delo...
2025-08-0105 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #30 - Operational Enablers for Strategic FlexibilityMost leaders talk agility. But without flexible systems, you’re just spinning ideas on square wheels. In today’s episode of The EnterpriseJoy Podcast, Vishal dives into the operational backbone of strategic flexibility, covering IT responsiveness, supply chain resilience, and internal alignment. With insights from large-scale research across global firms and industries, this episode unpacks what truly enables adaptive leadership at scale and what slows it down. Expect stories, systems, and an action plan to tune your organisation for movement, not maintenance.References:1) Information technology competencies, organizational agility, and firm...
2025-07-3105 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #29 - Decoding Ambidextrous LeadershipWhat does it really take to lead with flexibility without confusing your team or killing momentum? In this episode, Vishal breaks down the science of ambidextrous leadership, the ability to know when to open up space for innovation and when to close in for execution. Drawing from research-backed frameworks, you’ll learn how the best leaders switch modes intentionally, how team size affects strategic agility, and a drill to strengthen your own leadership rhythm. If you’re trying to move fast without breaking your team then this one’s for you.References:
2025-07-3005 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #28 - Structuring Flexibility: Culture, Teams & Decentralised DesignToday’s episode gets into the operational heart of flexibility. Vishal explores how organisations can embed adaptability not just in strategy, but in structure and culture. You’ll learn the difference between structural and contextual ambidexterity, why decentralised decision-making works when paired with trust, and how to design systems that don’t break when reality shifts. This one’s for leaders who want to make flexibility sustainable.References:1) The Ambidextrous Organization: https://hbr.org/2004/04/the-ambidextrous-organization2) The Antecedents, Consequences, and Mediating Role of Organizational Ambidexterity: https...
2025-07-2905 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #27 - Decision-Making Under Deep UncertaintyHow do you lead when the future offers no clear answers, only unpredictable curves? In this episode, Vishal unpacks the essentials of decision-making under deep uncertainty using practical, research-backed frameworks like Scenario Planning and Robust Decision-Making. Learn why clarity in chaos doesn’t come from certainty, instead from preparation. With three actionable steps and one leadership question you can take straight to your next meeting, this episode is your toolkit for strategic thinking when forecasts fail.References:1) Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:73.0.CO;2-Z...
2025-07-2804 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #26 - Strategic Flexibility by DesignWhen your plan breaks, do you pause or pivot? In today’s episode, Vishal unpacks the foundational idea of strategic flexibility, not as a last-minute scramble but as a deliberate, designed capability. You’ll hear how dynamic capabilities theory redefined modern strategy, and why the real winners aren’t the biggest players, rather the fastest re-configurers. With one sharp case study and two practical action calls for your leadership team, this episode sets the tone for leaders who want to build resilience before the storm hits.References:1) Dynamic Capabilities and St...
2025-07-2704 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #25 - Strategic Flexibility in Uncertain TimesWhen the ground shifts, do you freeze, or flex? In this Sunday setup, Vishal kicks off the week by exploring why strategic flexibility isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the new backbone of resilient leadership. This episode lays the foundation for a week of insights. If you’ve ever watched your best-laid plans unravel, this one’s your chance to pivot with purpose.References:1) Economic Conditions Outlook, September 2023: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-state-of-strategy-in-20232) Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management: https://doi.org/10.1...
2025-07-2604 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #24 - Saying No: The Weekly Wrap-UpIn this reflective wrap-up of our “Strategy of Saying No” series, we revisit how leaders can protect focus, foster psychological safety, and say no, not just out of resistance but out of strategy. You’ll hear why “yes” can be expensive, how frameworks like ERASE build trust, and how the world’s top companies (like Apple) made bold progress by turning down even good ideas. Backed by research and real-world practices, this episode will help you recalibrate your leadership lens and reset your toolkit for the week ahead.References:1) You Have Mor...
2025-07-2504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #23 - Saying “No” to Good Ideas (For Greater Ones)In this episode, Vishal challenges a common leadership instinct of saying yes to every good idea and shows how true strategic clarity comes from recognising opportunity cost. Drawing on economic theory and innovation research, we explore why saying no to safe, promising options can free up space for breakthrough initiatives. Vishal walks you through a four-step process all grounded in evidence and designed to help leaders make tough, high-impact choices with confidence.References:1) Highlights that choices aren’t free and that most leaders overlook what they forgo by saying “yes”...
2025-07-2404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #22 - Building No‑Friendly SystemsSaying no once is brave. But turning “no” into a system? That’s leadership by design. In this episode, we explore how to hardwire boundaries into your team’s rituals, calendars, delegation norms, and feedback loops; so you don’t have to keep defending your time every week. Understand some research-backed ideas and practical systems that make “no” not just acceptable but expected.References:1) Reconceptualizing Organizational Routines as a Source of Flexibility and Change: https://doi.org/10.2307/3556611 2) Deciding How to Decide: https://hbr.org/2013/11/deciding-how-to-decide
2025-07-2304 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #21 - “No” Enables High Performance (Tough Love Included)In today’s episode, Vishal uncovers the powerful impact of strategic “no”, not as a limitation but as a performance accelerator. Backed by robust research from Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety to studies linking clear boundaries with improved focus, you’ll discover how saying “no” can free up time, reduce stress, and reinforce strategic priorities. Expect a dose of tough love as we explore how high-performing leaders use “no” to protect what truly matters, and empower their teams to do the same.Reference:1) High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety: https://hb...
2025-07-2204 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #20 - A Framework for Saying “No” Without Burning BridgesIn this episode, Vishal breaks down the ERASE framework that helps leaders say “no” clearly and compassionately. We’ll explore why blunt or hesitant declines hurt more than the no itself, and expand the five-step framework for preserving trust while protecting your bandwidth. Grounded in studies from organisational psychology and leadership scholars, this is a practical toolkit for leaders who want to say “no” without burning bridges.References:1) Yes, You Can Get Better at Saying No: https://time.com/6332017/how-to-say-no-better 2) Why Saying No is a Critical...
2025-07-2105 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #19 - Decoding the Hidden Cost of Saying "Yes"In this episode, Vishal unpacks the leadership trap we rarely talk about: the silent cost of saying yes too often. You’ll discover how good intentions can quietly derail your focus, strategic clarity, and team growth. And how a simple three-step reflection can help you reclaim your capacity one micro-declutter at a time.Reference:1) Study on social pressure and the overcommitment spiral leading to decision fatigue, goal misalignment, and strategic loss: https://doi.org/10.1086/669202Music Credit: Switch It Up, performed by Silent Partner, from th...
2025-07-2004 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #18 - The Strategy of Saying "No"Expect a powerful look at why every “YES” stealthily punches a hole in your leadership capacity by stealing time, focus, and drive. In this episode, Vishal shares what the week has in store for you, here at The EnterpriseJoy Podcast. Over the week we’ll see how overcommitment quietly erodes your leadership edge, how you become the bottleneck, how your decisions grow more taxing, and your team feels the strain. This is the hidden cost of those constant yeses, and your calling to reframe “no” as a strategic safeguard for clarity and impact.References:
2025-07-1903 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #17 - From Action Trap to Strategic Edge: Weekly WrapIn this wrap-up episode, Vishal ties together all five insights from this week’s focus. Why strategy is consistently crowded out, how a 3‑minute mindset reset sharpens clarity, escaping the action trap via high-leverage moves, building momentum with microstrategies, and mastering strategic delegation with RERA. You’ll also hear the story of Microsoft’s transformation, illustrating how these small shifts compound into massive impact.References:1) Why is Strategic Planning important? https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/why-is-strategic-planning-important2) Developing better change leaders: https://www.mckinsey.com/capa...
2025-07-1804 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #16 - Delegate like a StrategistMost leaders delegate, but few do it strategically. In this episode, Vishal breaks down why delegation often fails and how to fix it using a simple RERA framework: Responsibility, Explanation, Resources, and Appraisal. Learn how to stop taking tasks back and start building autonomous, capable teams that free up your time for what only you can do.References:1) Why Aren’t You Delegating? https://hbr.org/2012/07/why-arent-you-delegating2) How Leaders Can Let Go Without Losing Control: https://hbr.org/2016/06/how-leaders-can-let-go-without-losing-controlMu...
2025-07-1705 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #15 - Micro-strategies: Tiny Moves, Big DirectionToday we’re zooming into Micro-strategies. These are tiny, almost invisible actions you can embed into your day in forms of check-in questions, brief pauses, and self-signups, that nudge and stack-up to shape clarity, trust, focus, and innovation. Vishal also suggests practical ways you can try these today and it hardly takes a minute.References:1) Nudging leaders: Overcoming the ‘transfer problem’: https://www.trainingjournal.com/2022/business-and-industry/nudging-leaders2) Micro-affirmations: How small actions can yield big results: https://www.employerscouncil.org/resources/its-the-little-things-that-count-how-small-actions-can-yield-big-results3...
2025-07-1604 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #14 - Escaping the Action Trap and Reclaiming Strategic LeverageIn today’s episode, Vishal helps you break free from the constant motion of doing without moving forward. If your calendar is packed but your progress feels slow, this one’s for you. Discover how strategic leverage works, why we fall into action loops, and what you can do today to rewire your leadership mindset.References:1) Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-social-economy2) Dopamine and Habit Formation: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/food-and-mood-is-there-a-connection
2025-07-1504 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #13 - Three Minute Mindset Reset (from Reactive to Strategic)This week’s theme, Strategy in a Time‑Starved World, continues as Vishal guides you through a simple yet powerful three-minute reset. Learn how to pause your mind, refocus on your true objective, anchor it with a quick plan, and return with clarity. Backed by neuroscience, goal-setting research, and creativity studies, this reset helps you shift from autopilot to strategic thinking in no extra time.References:1) 3‑Minute Mindfulness and Decision-Making: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674694/full2) Meta-analysis of Implementation Intentions: https://www.tandfonline.com/do...
2025-07-1404 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #12 - Why Leaders Struggle to Make Time for StrategyIn this episode, Vishal explores the gap between intent and action using insights from Harvard Business Review, Columbia Business School, and cognitive science. He breaks down the big blockers and shares two practical tools to del with this dilemma.References:1) If Strategy Is So Important, Why Don’t We Make Time for It? https://hbr.org/2018/06/if-strategy-is-so-important-why-dont-we-make-time-for-it 2) How CEOs Manage Time: https://hbr.org/2018/07/how-ceos-manage-time3) The Leadership Gap: Understanding Strategy Execution Failure: https://balancedscorecard.org/blog/the-leadership-gap-understanding-strategy-execution-failure4) Conspicuou...
2025-07-1304 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #11 - Strategy in a Time-Starved World (Season 2 Kickoff)In this premiere episode of Season 2, we reintroduce The EnterpriseJoy Podcast with a fresh format tailored for today’s time-starved leaders. After a five-year pause, the podcast returns not with nostalgia, but with urgency, shaped by the shifting landscape of leadership, the impact of AI, and the growing demand for clarity over complexity. This new season is designed as a daily companion for enterprise leaders, CXOs, founders, and decision-makers looking for sharp, practical thinking on the move.This week's theme "Strategy in a Time-Starved World", speaks directly to a common leadership dilemma - the fee...
2025-07-1204 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #10 - a dance with Trust with Sarika Kharbanda (26m)Relationships are built on Trust. Possibly every story in history has an element of Trust, be it with fallen monarchs, birth of religions, rise of organisations, or even examples from the animal kingdom. This has been an area of research for many years and as we flourish in the age of information, Trust becomes one of the most essential foundations on which organisations and teams get built. But how do we build trust? Where do we begin? Who takes the first step? And how do we know when it's achieved?
To discuss this in more detail, I...
2020-10-2526 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #9 - being Optimistic with Jeff Stuit (32m)Optimism, it's one of those unspoken qualities that differentiates a leader from the crowd. Where other's see failure, optimists see opportunity. Where others see chaos, optimists see self organisation. And where others see end, optimists see new beginnings. I came face to face with one such leader in this podcast, Jeff Stuit, the founder of Improvement School. He recently published his book "An Agilist in India", which he wrote while being stuck in a hotel room, 7000 miles away from his home, in-between a nationwide lockdown down & a hurricane; and his stories had me gripped. I consider myself an optimist...
2020-10-1131 min
The Agile PlanetTAP02-Vishal PrasadOur guest of this episode is Vishal Prasad from Pune, India. He has more than a decade of experience in Agile. Expert in Scrum and XP (Extreme Programming), Vishal shares some interesting stories from his experiences while working with the clients in Europe. He describes himself as an Agile practitioner by day and the podcaster by night. His podcast is EnterpriseJoy and is worth listening to.
2020-09-2833 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #8 - Engaging with Liberating Structures with Rucha Kapare (19m)I've been a fan of the Twitter handle @MeetingBoy since many years now and one of its tweets that I've remembered forever goes something like this - If someone falls asleep during your PowerPoint presentation, you are at least partially to blame. That is true with many teams where individuals mostly engage using conventional structures like presentations and managed discussions. The problem with most of these is that the decision making is usually owned by one person while utilising a centralised mechanism to control the content. That's where Liberating Structures are different and make it possible to include everybody...
2020-09-2718 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #7 - a culture called The Lean Startup with Bob van Luijt (26m)The Lean Startup, a methodology for developing products and businesses using short cycles of build-measure-learn to continuously improve. That's probably the crispiest definition one can provide but what impact does this have on products, on businesses, and more so on the culture of an organisation? A startup may embrace this methodology on day one of its conception and not even realise how its culture gets moulded by it, however more mature organisations who wish to realise the benefits of this methodology do witness a cultural change, sometimes not very successful ones. So it only seemed fair to speak with...
2020-09-1325 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #6 - Period Leaves, Period (21m)The title of this episode is Period Leaves, Period. The second period is a full-stop, in-case you didn't get the pun. It's usually unusual for men to talk about periods, but I'm going to do it anyway. It all started with the Founder & CEO of Zomato, publishing a blog on 8th of August 2020. Zomato introduced upto 10 days of Period Leaves for women, including transgender people. And the media went berserk. There was coverage in national news papers and news channels, there were interviews and statements from Zomato officials, however what caught my attention was the eruption on social media...
2020-08-3020 min
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #5 - Extreme Ownership; when everyone's a Leader with Sriharsha B (1h, 18m)Let's say that you were on a vacation and the day you returned you found out that your team has made the biggest blunder in the history of your organisation. You're to meet the Senior Leadership in an hour to explain what went wrong and possibly point the one who should take the fall for it. You spend enough time understanding what went wrong and even identify who was responsible for it and now you're in front of the senior leadership. But when they ask who's fault it was, you take the blame on yourself. The senior leadership is...
2020-08-161h 18
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #4 - Building High-performance Teams with Vinaya Murlidharan (1h, 31m)Not expecting high performance is no longer an option. In the information age, mediocrity doesn't stand a chance and this means individuals, teams, leaders, and organisations need to deliberately focus towards improving their current status quo. This would mean aligning teams to conform to their high performance standards, working together to continuously develop themselves, overcoming their dysfunctions, and managing conflicts head-on. This is what I discussed with Vinaya Murlidharan during this podcast, she is a Coach at Fiserv in Pune and leads one of their Delivery Transformation teams.
If you like what you hear then do subscribe...
2020-08-021h 30
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #3 - What makes an organisation Agile? with Sunil Mundra (2h, 24m)Every organisation needs agility, be it in being the market leader or trying to keep their businesses afloat during a crisis. In the year 2020, every organisation is facing a crisis, as we go through a global turmoil right now, it is sad to say that many shall not pass. It is said that we live in a VUCA world, one that's volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous and it takes agility to navigate through it.
To discuss this further, joining me for this episode is Sunil Mundra; he is the author of the book Enterprise Agility - Being A...
2020-07-192h 23
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #2 - Motivating your Workforce with Priya Kher (1h, 2m)The question "What motivates an individual to perform their best?" has been asked since the days of scientific management and the answer has evolved over many years. The applications of research in this area spans from the fields of education to game designing; and it's needless to say that an organisation that has motivated people has better products & services and much happier shareholders.
And to discuss this further, joining me for this podcast is Priya Kher, she is the Director of Collective Quest, a psychologist, and an executive coach who has been supporting organisations to develop their p...
2020-07-051h 01
The EnterpriseJoy PodcastEpisode #1 - The Rise of OKRs (1h, 38m)This episode is a discussion with the members of the Product Management Tribe around the nitty-gritty of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), published on the EnterpriseJoy podcast.
Host: Vishal Prasad (www.enterprisejoy.com)
Attendees:
Rahul Sharma (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-sharma-0388022)
Sriharsha B (https://www.agileamigo.com)
Rucha Kapare (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchakapare)
Vijay Dhatrak (https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijaydhatrak)
Mayuresh Athalekar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/athalekar)
References:
Measure what Matters, by John Doerr (https://www.whatmatters.com)
Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals with Objectives and...
2020-06-141h 37