Rita Gunther-McGrath - Podcast Details

Shows

Thought SparksReclaiming Capitalism for Social Good with Rita McGrath and Peter GeorgescuIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Peter Georgescu, chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam and author of 3 books: Capitalists, Arise!, The Source of Success, and The Constant Choice. Their conversation covers how business leaders can take action in an increasingly divided society, how multi-stakeholder capitalism unlocks long-term value creation, and how passionately caring for your customers and your employees is crucial to your success as a leader. Key Takeaways: (Add description and time codes)0:00 - Introducing Peter Geor...2025-06-031h 02

Thought SparksBecoming An Unstoppable Entrepreneur with Rita McGrath and Lori RosenkopfIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Lori Rosenkopf, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and author of “Unstoppable Entrepreneurs: 7 Paths for Unleashing Successful Startups and Creating Value through Innovation”. Their conversation covers how to succeed and persist as an entrepreneur and what it takes to bring innovation to fruition, including case studies from Madison Reed, Nokia, and Square. Key Takeaways: (Add description and time codes)0:00 Meet Lori Ro...2025-05-2000 min

Thought SparksWhat WD-40 Got Right About Corporate Purpose with Rita McGrath & Garry RidgeIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Garry Ridge, the former CEO of WD-40, and author of “Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It: Learning Moments from an Everyday CEO of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Company”. They share lessons from Garry’s 25-year tenure at WD-40 on how leaders can foster a supportive, positive workplace, and create cultures of belonging. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Meet Garry Ridge: WD-40 Chairman Emeritus & "Dean of Dumbassery"01:19 Business as a Force for Good: Creating Cultures Where Pe...2025-05-0658 min

Thought SparksParty City’s Retail Innovation: Rita McGrath & Steve MandellIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Steve Mandell, founder of party goods retail giant Party City. With recent headlines about Party City’s bankruptcy after nearly 40 years in business, they discuss Steve’s journey to founding the company, including the passion, hard work, and attention to detail that established Party City as a powerhouse. They discuss the future of retail, as online shopping continues to dominate over brick-and-mortar stores, and the impact of US tariffs remains to be seen. 2025-04-1558 min

Thought SparksWhen To Pivot - with Rita McGrath by Hidden BrainWhen should you stay the course in life, and when should you shift with changing tides? This week, we bring you case studies from the world of business to explore the science of inflection points — changes that dramatically transform the course of events. Researcher Rita McGrath of Columbia University explains why we fail to see impending moments of upheaval, and what we can do to be more adept at spotting them.What you’ll learn from this week’s episode:The definition of an inflection point, and how to identify it in your own professional or personal...2025-04-0849 min

Thought SparksHow to Lead amid Constant Disruption - Rita McGrath & Terence MauriIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Terence Mauri, founder of the AI-trends think tank Hack Future Lab, and a MIT Entrepreneur Mentor. Their conversation covers everything from the meteoric rise of AI tools like Deep Seek, how we should consider tackling today’s climate crises, and how bureaucracy can help or hinder innovation. 00:00 Meet Terence Mauri: Author of "The Upside of Disruption" & Thought Leader on Thriving in Uncertainty00:50 "The Day a Car Hit Me Ch...2025-04-0157 min

Thought SparksWhy Employee Experience is Crucial to Business Success: Rita McGrath & Stephan MeierIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Stephan Meier, a Columbia Business School Professor and expert on behavioral strategist. His recent book, “The Employee Advantage”, explains how companies that put their employees first are more profitable, innovative, and appealing to top talent, and how customer-centric tools can be repurposed to support employees. 00:00 Welcome to Thought Sparks: The Employee Advantage Unveiled01:38 What Really Sparked 'The Employee Advantage'? Stephan's Pandemic Revelation04:08 The ROI of Putting People First: Why Emp...2025-03-181h 02

Thought SparksRandom Acts of Medicine: How unexpected events shape our health - Rita McGrath & Anupam JenaIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Anupam Jena, the host of the Freakonomics MD Podcast. Anupam is here to talk about his recent book “Random Acts of Medicine”, which shows how unexpected—but predictable—events profoundly affect our health. What are the hidden forces that sway doctors, impact patients and shape our health? He’s here to explain and help us understand what to do about it. 00:00 Welcome to Thought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Dr. Anupam "Bapu" Jena00:56 "...2025-03-041h 03

Thought SparksThe Microsoft Playbook: Business Strategies That Work - Rita McGrath, Dean Carignan and JoAnn GarbinIn this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Dean Carignan and JoAnn Garbin about their new book The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft. Together, the three innovation experts discuss the strategies and models that enabled Microsoft to continuously innovate for 50 years, and how other leaders and organizations can apply these strategic lessons. Key Takeaways:✅ The Power of Reinvention – How Microsoft has navigated four major technological shifts, including AI.✅ Culture of Risk & Learning – Why embracing failure fuels innovation rather than stifling it.✅ From Competi...2025-02-181h 02

Thought SparksRita McGrath joins KFNNRita McGrath joins KFNN 2024-12-0506 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Anupam B Jena, Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School - Thought SparksHere's my conversation with Anupam B. Jena! He's the Joseph P. Newhouse Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and a physician in the Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and if that weren't enough, he hosts the Freakonomics MD podcast, and has just written a fascinating book called "Random Acts of Medicine". We'll be talking about how unseen forces shape our health outcomes: everything from EZ Pass tollbooths to marathons is on the table! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s to...2024-03-0759 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Chip Conley, Author of "Learning to Love Mid-Life"- Thought SparksChip Conley is on a mission to make mid-life a welcome and joyous part of life's journey! His new book "Learning to Love Mid-Life" is an invitation to explore the wisdom that comes with experience, to let go of baggage that doesn't serve you well and to transform toward a fulfilling future. He'll be joining me by the fireside on February 23 at noon EST to talk about lessons he's learned about making the most of this part of your life. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the...2024-02-2759 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Bob Sutton, Author of the "The Friction Project" - Thought SparksStanford's Bob Sutton is one of the smartest people on the planet with respect to what goes on in organizations and why (hint - he's the guy that helps you deal with organizational A**holes). He has a brand-new book coming out, "The Friction Project" with Huggy Rao on the subtle ways in which leaders can make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. Boy do we need those insights now! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and gr...2024-01-2559 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Matt Abrahams Award-winning Podcast Host - Thought SparksHere's my first Friday Fireside Chat of 2024, I'll be talking to award-winning podcast host and communications expert Matt Abrahams. He'll share time-tested techniques for rocking that unexpected conversation in which you have a great opportunity to make an impression. Much better than flubbing it and wishing you got the chance for a do-over. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thin...2024-01-1059 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Kelly Richmond-Pope, a Professor at DePaul University - Thought SparksForensic accounting and filmmaking? How does that go together? Well, join Kelly Richmond-Pope, a Professor at DePaul University in Chicago as we delve in what she's learned from years of studying fraudsters, scammers and backroom operators of all kinds. Her new book is "Fool Me Once" and it uncovers what makes perps tick, why victims are so gullible, and why whistleblowers are so morally righteous. It's serious stuff but also legitimately hilarious. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Ri...2023-12-1458 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Kai D. Wright, Columbia Professor- Thought SparksKai D. Wright is a scholar-practitioner who has taught at Columbia University for over 10 years while serving as a leader at global marketing agencies Ogilvy and Dentsu, advising Fortune 100 companies. He's a change expert that helps organizations and industries advance DEI, is a member of Ad Age’s diversity council, and host of the "System Overload" series on Ad Age, which is how I got to know him as we discussed how you get large scale change to actually happen. On this Friday Fireside Chat, we're going to chat about his career and his new book "Follow the Feeling," gi...2023-09-291h 01

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Sheena Iyengar - Thought SparksHere's my conversation by the fireside with Sheena Iyengar, one of Columbia's most popular professors and author of the new book "Think Bigger". The book is getting great acclaim and is a fun and practical read, just full of stories from Sheena's extensive experience. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by T...2023-08-2555 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Jeremy Utley Author of "Ideaflow." - Thought SparksHave you ever wondered about the essence of an idea? According to Jeremy, there are no entirely new ideas, as our brains cannot create something from nothing. He explains that a new idea is simply a connection between two concepts that haven't been linked before. In other words, it's a novel synthesis of existing knowledge. Sharing with you our exhilarating conversation with Jeremy Utley, centered around his latest and already immensely popular book, "Ideaflow." What makes it even more fascinating is that Jeremy actively participates in start-up initiatives, providing him firsthand experiences of the concepts he describes in the...2023-07-2856 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Bob Sutton Professor and Organizational Psychologist @stanford - Thought SparksIf you haven't been keeping up with Bob Sutton's research-based but incredibly practical work, you are missing a treat. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instag...2023-02-1759 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Richard Rumelt Professor Emeritus at UCLA Anderson - Thought SparksRichard Rumelt has been described by no less than McKinsey as a "giant in the field of strategy." He's also a dear friend and an enormously influential thought leader. We're going to chat about his latest book, "The Crux" in which he illustrates the principles of challenge-based strategy. The idea is that strategists need to identify the main obstacle to overcome, and do so again and again - a very dynamic approach. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on inno...2023-01-131h 02

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Rita Kakati Shah, Award-winning gender inclusion strategist - Thought SparksRita Kakati-Shah, an award-winning gender inclusion strategist, is the author of "The Goddess of Go-Getting," a fun guide to making your way in the world when you are not in the majority group. Rita’s spin on diversity, equity and inclusion is that most people get it wrong and, as a result, the outcomes are causing people to segregate rather than unify. Rita attended Sandhurst, the British equivalent of West Point, where she attained the rank of sergeant major. She then became one of the first women on Goldman Sachs’ trading floor in London and spearheaded business development in the...2022-12-2357 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Christian Stadler, Professor of strategy at Warwick Business School - Thought Sparks@Christian Stadler is a Professor of strategy at Warwick Business School in the UK (formerly at the Tuck School). He was short-listed for the @Thinkers50 strategy award in 2021. His new book "Open Strategy: Mastering Disruption from Outside the C-Suite" explores how interconnected and open strategies can challenge conventional wisdom about keeping things to yourself! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked...2022-12-1058 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Ryan Close, Bartesian CEO - Thought Sparks"Let's take it yard by yard." This philosophy, shared by my Guest entrepreneur and Bartesian CEO Ryan Close is one reason his company is poised to triumph in a market in which far larger and better-funded competitors have stumbled. Drop in on this clip from our longer conversation to see how true entrepreneurs build things worth building! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consis...2022-11-1157 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Eric J. Johnson , Director of the Center for Decision Sciences at the Columbia Business School - Thought SparksIn 2018, Goldman Sachs reported that Google paid Apple $9 billion to be the default search engine on the iPhone; by 2022 that number is reportedly $20 billion. Why is a position that a user could easily change with just a few clicks so valuable? The answer, according to my Friday Fireside Chat guest, Eric J. Johnson, has to do with choice architecture. How choices are presented to us affect our decisions in deeply profound ways. This is explored in his terrific new book "The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters." We'll be talking about his idea of sludge...2022-10-0759 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Matt Richtel, Pulitzer prize-winning author and journalist - Thought SparksMy guest this week is Pulitzer prize-winning author and journalist Matt Richtel. His work has focused on science, technology, business and narrative-driven story telling around these issues, including cancer immunotherapy, electronic cigarettes, and the impact of heavy technology use on behavior and the brain. His latest book (one of many!) is "Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul." We'll be talking about the book - and much more. Join us! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and gr...2022-09-1655 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Stephen Bailey, ExecOnLine co-founder - Thought SparksIt isn't just anyone who can run an organization that has an impact on tens of thousands of leaders in over 100 countries, but ExecOnLine co-founder Stephen Bailey is that person. Prompted by a sense that access to high-quality online education could unleash career breakthroughs for diverse talents, the fast-growing company is a leader in its category. Stephen has also won recognition as the New York EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He'll be joining me this Friday and you can be part of the conversation. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime...2022-08-3159 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Keith Ferrazzi, Best-Selling Author of "Never Eat Alone" - Thought SparksWant to be successful? Well connected? Richer? Maybe even happier? Well, join me in a front-row seat for a man who has decoded a great deal of not only why to do these things but how. Meet Keith Ferrazzi, author of the best-selling "Never Eat Alone" join and listen. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the w...2022-08-2246 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Sharon Price John, CEO of Build-a-Bear - Thought SparksSharon Price John, the CEO of Build-a-Bear workshop, has had a fabled career that includes losing (even though you won), taking big risks and having them pay off, the mom thing and more recently the turnaround and transformation of the beloved brand. She's written about her experiences in a great book called "Stories & Heart" which offers not only lessons learned from her own experiences but guidelines for how you can apply them in your own adventures. Can't wait! Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the...2022-07-201h 03

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Michael Bungay Stanier, Founder of Box of Crayons - Thought SparksMichael Bungay Stanier (or "MBS" as those who know him affectionately call him has written books that have sold over a million copies, rebelled against a traditional path that would have been his fate after his Rhodes scholarship and developed an approach to coaching that "un-weirds" it. His latest book is "The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious and Change the Way You Lead Forever." I'm looking forward to chatting to him about de-mystifying coaching, helping people lead better lives and more broadly creating the conditions in which all can thrive. Rita McGrath is a...2022-06-2756 min

Thought SparksRita McGrath & Ruth Gotian, Chief Learning Officer at Weill Cornell Medicine - Thought SparksSure, we're all Olympic athletes and Nobel prize winners in our own minds, but have you ever wondered what makes them different than you and I? My guest has a great new book out that encapsulates the answer, synthesized from hundreds of hours of interviews with hugely successful people. "The Success Factor," Ruth Gotian's new book, describes how intrinsic motivation, perseverance, a strong foundation, and constantly learning through informal means, in the right mix, explains a lot. Gotian is the Chief Learning Officer at Weill Cornell Medicine and a new inducted member of the Thinkers50 RADAR thinkers. Join us...2022-05-1158 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Roger MartinWe all think that we are rational decision-makers who determine what stuff we'll buy and how we will spend our time on the basis of rational calculation. But, as my Friday Fireside Guest and top-ranked thinker Roger Martin observes, our minds are like an iceberg - the stuff that we can access consciously is a fraction of what is actually there. Instead, our minds seek convenience, comfort and familiarity. The course of least resistance is the course of action that is most powerful. Cumulative advantage is the consequence of habit! Great insights in this short clip. Rita M...2022-04-201h 00

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Anna LembkeRita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Get in Touch, Keep in Touch! https://www.ritamcgrath.com/You can follow me on Twitter (@rgmcgrath), on Instagram (@ritamcgrathofficial), on LinkedIn and here on YouTube. For access to the archives, ability to make comments and to be part of the c...2022-03-1058 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Whitney JohnsonRita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. As one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, Rita’s work is regularly published in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the Top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50.2022-02-0959 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Chris MimsChristopher Mims is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and writes Keywords, a weekly column on technology. He has a fascinating new book out called "Arriving Today" that is particularly relevant to our pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. It's really eye opening! Before joining the Journal in 2014, he was the lead technology reporter for Quartz and has written on science and tech for publications ranging from Technology Review, Smithsonian, Wired, the Atlantic, Slate and other publications. Mims, who has degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University, lives in Baltimore.2022-01-261h 01

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Anne Marie SlaughterAnne-Marie Slaughter burst into the public eye with her 2012 article in the Atlantic "Why Women Still Can't Have It All." Since then, she's gone on to run New America Foundation as its CEO (among many other things, including her highly acclaimed book "Unfinished Business"). She has a new book out, "Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation in Our Lives, Work, and Politics" in which she reflects on the transformation in her own life sparked by a major professional crisis. Can't wait to dive in!2022-01-121h 02

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Marcus EriksenMarcus Eriksen made a huge impression on me when I first met him. He is an environmental scientist, educator and author as part of his day job. On the side, he's built rafts out of junk, floated down the Mississippi river for days on said raft, writes books about his adventures and advocates for the environment. He has been an outspoken and forthright advocate for the environment, particularly the elimination of plastics in the oceans. Most importantly, his efforts have gotten results, notably in a law prohibiting micro-beads in cosmetics.2021-12-1556 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Ron AdnerRon Adner and I have been intellectual sparring partners and friends for a very long time. He's just come out with a terrific new book, "Winning the Right Game" which tackles head on the strategic challenge executives confront when the ecosystems they compete in are disrupted. The problems start, as Adner explains, when strategists choose the wrong "game" to begin with, meaning that even if they succeed, they will ultimately lose. The book talks about defense, offense, timing, mindsets and what has to be one of my favorite chapters the dangers of an "ego-system" in which leaders let their...2021-12-0857 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Liz WisemanAre you a regular contributor or what Liz Wiseman calls an "impact player?" You might think you're doing just fine, doodling along doing your job, but what you might actually be doing is adding to people's burdens at work, taking up headspace with unnecessary detours and generally being a drag on everyone around you. A new book from the celebrated author of "Multipliers" sheds another gleaming light on what behaviors make work light, easier and even fun, and which don't. More importantly, she tells us what to do to create a team-ful of high impact players. I'm thrilled that...2021-11-1759 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Robert LivingstonI promised Harvard Professor and expert on equality and inclusion Robert Livingston that I would read his book "The Conversation" before he joined me for a Friday Fireside Chat. I did, and am ever so glad. He takes us through a journey centered on three questions: What is racism? Why should everyone care? What can we do to eradicate it? Professor Livingston de-mystifies many misconceptions about racism in a reasonable, non-threatening and deeply researched way. And the cliff notes are - racism is enduring and endemic. We should care because it hurts all of us. And - really good...2021-11-101h 00

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Ray WangEverybody Wants To Rule the World. When R "Ray" Wang says it, he isn't just channeling a popular musical line, he really means it. In his view, digital giants are pulling further and further ahead of the rest of us and will eventually reshape our economic future into one of extreme capitalism. He anticipates we will have huge data-driven networks, extreme consolidation, extreme investing and extreme monetization. He's going to be my guest to talk about this phenomenon which is part of his new book, and to help us think through how the digital age doesn't end up in...2021-11-0358 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks Rita McGrath & Jennifer MossIf you could pick someone to lead you through an intelligent conversation about the new world of work, you couldn't do better than to consult with Jennifer Moss. Author of the forthcoming HBR Press book "The Burnout Epidemic," Jennifer has written a best business book of the year, won awards for her success as an entrepreneur and spoken to audiences all over the world. It was exciting to get to know her and to learn about her book, which provides a guide on an incredibly timely topic.2021-10-2056 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Peter CappelliWork - what's work anyway? Where does it get done? How are people supposed to "manage" it? These are questions of the hour and who better to think them through than my colleague, former professor and mentor Peter Cappelli. Capelli is one of the foremost thinkers on the topic of people and work I have ever met. We'll be chatting about his new book, "The Future of the Office - Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face" out any day now by Wharton University Press. This is a conversation anyone with an interest in...2021-10-061h 01

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & John HagelMy Friday Fireside chat guest, John Hagel, was looking around corners before I even stumbled across the concept. In this short clip from our longer conversation, John explains how, in the early days of the Internet, he saw massive opportunities in creating virtual communities on-line and also to create “infomediaries” who would guarantee a fair exchange of value in return for access to people’s personal information. Featured in his books from the 90’s “Net Gain” and “Net Worth,” these are two ideas that remain huge opportunities even today as we struggle to reckon with what the digital revolution means for our live...2021-09-2257 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Jonathan BrillWe think of unusual events as rare - but as my Friday Fireside Chat guest, Jonathan Brill, points out, they may be rare individually, but when they accumulate, the chance of their creating a catastrophic inflection point increases. Indeed, his research finds that most firms in the US have faced four significant calamities every year! These are what he calls "rogue waves" or events in business that are like the huge waves that can come seemingly out of nowhere to sink even large ships. While he was at HP, he had the amazing title of Global Futurist and Director...2021-09-1557 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Zoe ChanceZoe Chance graduated from a massively successful corporate career to doing groundbreaking research to teaching a hugely popular elective at Yale called Mastering Influence and Persuasion, aka "Doing Uncomfortable Things That Make You a Better Person.” She's a TED speaker, consults with major companies and has a new book coming out in 2022, "Influence for Nice People: The New Science of Making More Friends, Money, Impact—and Joy." We talk about the practical implications of her research and how it can be used to help people do some good in the world. As she says, "we cannot change people's minds, but...2021-09-0857 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Zachary KarabellI first met Zachary Karabell when he was enrolled in my Columbia Executive Education program "Leading Strategic Growth and Change" and he made a big impression on me all those years ago. I'm delighted to catch up with him to talk about his rich collection of activities - he has a brand new book out about Brown Brothers Harriman and the way capitalism used to work. He is an author and columnist, the founder of the Progress Network at New America, and president of River Twice Research and River Twice Capital. He's written many other books and is a...2021-08-2555 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Robert SiegelAll digital, all the time - that's what we hear among the chattering business classes. My guest begs to differ. Instead, Robert E. Siegel points out, the competitors who will triumph combine both "Brains" (digital, smarts) with "Brawn" (operations and execution). Just one or the other won't cut it. Indeed, incumbents have shown that they can win by leveraging traditional strengths even as they bring on new capabilities. This should be fascinating. Come join us!2021-08-1857 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Jayshree SethJayshree Seth, Ph.D., is a corporate scientist and chief science advocate for 3M Company, where she has worked for over 27 years to advance science and develop new technologies and environmentally sustainable industrial products. She has over 70 patents to her name (with more on the way), received the incredibly prestigious Society for Women Engineers Achievement Award and is one of the few top performing scientists to be inducted into the 3M Carlton Society. We're going to be talking about her book "The Heart of Science," what its like to be among the pioneering women in STEM and whatever else...2021-08-1159 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Carter CopelandCarter Copeland is the President of Melius Research, where he is also the lead research analyst covering the global aerospace and defense sector. He is consistently ranked in Institutional Investor’s annual survey of top analysts, and was named the number one aerospace and defense analyst by Institutional Investor’s Alpha magazine. His recent co-authored book, "Lessons From the Titans" takes us on an analysts' journey to understand the inner workings of the corporate giants that are so critical to our everyday lives. With CEO's blaming the pressure of Wall Street for an excessive short-term focus and failure to appr...2021-08-0457 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Dorie ClarkMy good friend Dorie Clark is a master of personal and professional reinvention. After starting out as a journalist and political operative (what careers could have brighter prospects?) she has transformed her career multiple times. She’s written three great books on how to be your own entrepreneur, is an accomplished and sought after speaker, and been at the leading edge of many career trends. While there is a lot we can talk about, I’m particularly interested in her take on how we are all going to be approaching what I call the “tour of duty” career, now and as w...2021-07-281h 00

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath, Chester Elton & Adrian GostickSome of the most magical things that happen at work aren't expensive, hard or risky. Simple human connections, treating each other with dignity and kindness and leveraging the power of appreciation are things anyone at any level can do. My Friday Fireside guests this week are Chester Elton, the "Apostle of Appreciation" and his co-author and co-conspirator Adrian Gostick. Author of several best-selling books about corporate culture, teamwork, and leadership skills, they'll be joining me to leverage their perspective on what we can do to build better organizations now, and whenever we come out of whatever this is.2021-07-2159 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Safi BahcallIn the inflection point that is a public health crisis, an economic crisis, a crisis of social justice and an environmental crisis, few people have more smart things to say than Physicist, biotech entrepreneur, author and consultant Safi Bahcall. His most recent book "Loonshots," was an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller. He previously co-founded a company developing drugs for cancer which went through an IPO. We'll be talking about smart ideas, innovation, science and discovery.2021-07-2110 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Bjarte BogsnesOne of the biggest barriers to growth and innovation is the overhang of the corporate budgeting process. Bjarte Bogsnes, Chairman of the Beyond Budgeting Institute and implementation head at Equinor, Scandinavia's largest company, has a better idea. Get beyond rote, mind-numbing budgeting processes and create flexible, changeable structures that allow your company to actually use the new strategy playbook.2021-07-141h 01

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Judy SamuelsonJudy Samuelson is the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, a high-impact initiative to uproot some of the more damaging beliefs that have led to income inequality, the lack of consideration of all stakeholders in corporate governance and skyrocketing executive pay that has no basis in value creation. She’ll be joining me to discuss these ideas as well as those in her forthcoming book, “Six New Rules of Business: Creating Real Value in a Changing World.” What a great perspective to share as we begin a new year.2021-07-141h 00

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Gina O'ConnorGina O’Connor was figuring out how to help companies innovate long before it was a hot topic. In her many books and articles, she’s shown how we can get beyond what I call innovation theater by building proficiency in three distinct processes: Discovery, Incubation and Acceleration. It can be done, and she’s demystified the process. In our conversation, we’ll cover some of the biggest myths that get in the way of true innovation (for instance, that it’s all about the ideas), what she thinks the current pandemic has done to alter the innovation agenda and what s...2021-07-0757 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Tim HarfordTim Harford, the well known "Undercover Economist" columnist for the Financial Times was awarded an OBE in 2019 for his contribution to our economic understanding. I could not be more thrilled that he'll be joining me live and virtually to discuss, among other things, his new book. The US edition is called "The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics" and it's now available for pre-order. We'll talk about this book, his others, and whatever else he'd like to cover.2021-06-3055 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Rick GoingsI’ve been an unabashed fan of Rick Goings’ since we first met at a CEO Summit where one of the most memorable moments involved a real-time display of the creativity that goes into the Tupperware new product development process! Rick has a distinguished career in the military, as an entrepreneur and more recently as the long-time CEO of Tupperware, where he oversaw its successful global expansion, figured out how to create a truly diverse and inclusive workplace (for real – his accomplishments in promoting female leaders are astonishing), and kept the brand relevant to its original customers while breaking new gr...2021-06-231h 02

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Noah WilsonDid you know that in 1945, there were 4.5 million beehives in the United States, but that today there are only about 2 million? In what promises to be a fascinating new topic for a Friday Fireside Chat, I’ll be talking to Noah Wilson-Rich, a beekeeper, biologist, TED speaker and founder of the Best Bees Company, a premier beekeeping service. He’s a citizen-scientist who has created the world’s first mass sampling of data on bee behavior, enlisting thousands of people who have access to unused urban spaces and other places where bees can be raised. If you eat food, you sh...2021-06-1656 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Martin LindstromProcedures that defy logic. Requirements that no one can meet. Practices that are designed to frustrate and confuse. These are all crazy, says my Friday Fireside Chat guest Martin Lindstrom. Martin, who is a world renowned expert on branding and one of the most influential marketing experts in the world will be joining me to discuss, among other things, his brand-new book “The Ministry of Common Sense.” In it, he argues that so much of what we accept about organizational life is actually nuts, a product of bureaucracy and siloed thinking that ultimately harms our well being, our brands and...2021-06-0957 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Jeff Abbott and Chris YehChris Yeh and his partner in the Global Scaling Academy and I get together to discuss Blitzscaling, what it means to be entrepreneurial, the company they have just started and predictions for whatever happens after we're done with the pandemic. Have a look at the replay!2021-06-0457 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Glen de VriesOne of the most exciting frontiers in medicine is the use of huge amounts of patient data to help design personalized and highly effective individual treatments which never would have been possible before. My Friday Fireside Chat guest, Glen de Vries, is the co-CEO and co-founder of Medidata, a company which provides an analytical platform that has completely transformed the way clinical trials are done, making them faster, better targeted and more effective. He is also the author of the recent book, "The Patient Equation" which promises to give us a glimpse of the data-intensive future of healthcare.2021-05-3159 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Chester Elton and Adrian GostickSome of the most magical things that happen at work aren't expensive, hard or risky. Simple human connections, treating each other with dignity and kindness and leveraging the power of appreciation are things anyone at any level can do. My Friday Fireside guests this week are Chester Elton, the "Apostle of Appreciation" and his co-author and co-conspirator Adrian Gostick. Author of several best-selling books about corporate culture, teamwork, and leadership skills, they'll be joining me to leverage their perspective on what we can do to build better organizations now, and whenever we come out of whatever this is.2021-05-2459 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Amy EdmondsonHarvard's Amy Edmondson pioneered the breakthrough concept of psychological safety at work, in which people feel that they can speak up without fear of retribution. It's been shown to be crucial to innovation and growth. Psychological safety has also been essential for improvements in hospital care. I can't think of a more important topic for where we are right now. In this chat, we'll discuss the initial research behind the concept and how it has now been embraced. We'll also touch on the core themes of the book "The Fearless Organization" which is a treasure.2021-05-1455 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Chris FussellProtests in the streets, against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic with political upheaval the world over. What kind of leadership should we look to under such complex and highly uncertain conditions? I'm grateful to be speaking with Chris Fussell of the McChrystal group, who together with Stan McChrystal, transformed the culture in the Joint Special Operations Command to distributed, not hierarchical, leadership with a network form of governance. What Chris learned in highly deadly military situations are essential insights for all of us today.2021-05-1059 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Charlotte Jones BurtonWe are in the midst of several huge inflection points - a global pandemic, a recognition of structural inequities in American society and a looming economic crisis. How timely then to be talking to the founder of Women of Color in Pharma (WOCIP) and a senior executive at Otsuka, with a unique perspective on all three and what needs to happen next.2021-05-0754 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Clive ThompsonProtests in the streets, against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic with political upheaval the world over. What kind of leadership should we look to under such complex and highly uncertain conditions? I'm grateful to be speaking with Chris Fussell of the McChrystal group, who together with Stan McChrystal, transformed the culture in the Joint Special Operations Command to distributed, not hierarchical, leadership with a network form of governance. What Chris learned in highly deadly military situations are essential insights for all of us today.2021-05-0359 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Clive ThompsonClive Thompson's recent book "Coders" takes us into the minds and hearts of the people that are actually creating the digital world we all live in. From the first piece of code many learned to love - "hello, world" to the sophisticated interactions behind artificial intelligence, Thompson gives us a fascinating fly on the wall perspective. In this #FridayFiresideChat, he explains why coders hate to be interrupted, why they sometimes don't even eat and why grappling with inhuman amounts of frustration comes with the job. Have a listen - you'll find it really interesting.2021-04-301h 03

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Erich JoachimsthalerIt's pretty clear that we need a whole new playbook for strategy, and Erich Joachimsthaler has just published a thought-provoking new book on this very topic. While strategy used to be thought of as the property of a firm, the winners today are building what he calls "interaction fields" where value comes from the velocity of transactions partners can create between customers and suppliers and other value-system members. In this thought-provoking #FridayFiresideChat, the two of us draw the contours of what an entirely new way of thinking about strategy looks like.2021-04-261h 00

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita Mcgrath and Gisbert RühlGisbert Rühl, the CEO of German metals distributor Klöckner is one of my corporate heroes. He and his company have digitized a very old legacy business, changed their business model and created new growth in an incredibly difficult traditional business. In this recording of our Friday Fireside chat, we discuss why he felt digital transformation was an imperative, how Yammer became a tool for breaking through the bureaucracy and how he got the right balance between the legacy core businesses and the new businesses the company is pursuing. It was an inspiring conversation and I learned a lot!2021-04-2356 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Jennefer Witter FiresideJennefer Witter, public relations expert, CEO and one of the “10 most successful black CEOS and entrepreneurs” by Madame Noire Magazine enjoy a spirited conversation in this #FridayFiresideChat. She describes her professional journey - from a financially strapped upbringing to a scholarship at Fordham to the challenging world of public relations to creating her own company. We talk about the importance of networking, diversifying your portfolio, and lessons learned through the experience of setbacks. We also cover resources for those wishing to learn more about racism and social injustice and some practical things you can do. Have a listen!2021-04-1958 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Joanne WilsonThe original Gotham Girl herself, Joanne Wilson, and I get into a great conversation! You can listen in while we talk about her varied interests, how NYC will come back, the insanity that has been venture capital in this past decade, how women can re-imagine their careers and so much more. One of my favorite quips she reported was to her husband, well known venture capitalist Fred Wilson, "How did you get to be Fred Wilson? I was supposed to be Fred Wilson!"2021-04-1657 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Linda HillGlobally recognized leadership scholar Linda Hill is the author of well regarded business books "Being the Boss" and "Collective Genius." She's been interviewing leaders about how they are navigating the COVID-19 crisis and will share her insights with us.2021-04-1251 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Shellye ArchambeauEven in the midst of a pandemic, we have to be thoughtful about our next career moves, what kinds of support we'll need to take our next step and what being ambitious - especially for women - really means. Join me and Shellye Archambeau, author of the forthcoming book "Unapologetically Ambitious" in what I know will be an empowering and informative conversation.2021-04-0958 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Sally HelgesenMOSTRA MENOIn this #fridayfiresidechat @Sally Helgesen recounts aspects of @Francis Hesselbein's leadership style. Showing junior people how to handle a tricky call from the @NewYorkTimes, trusting associates to resolve differences on their own, avoiding becoming an #advicemonster, all part of the #webofinclusion that women leaders have historically created. 2021-04-0621 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Peter Georgescu"America," said Peter Georgescu, "is the star of my life's story." And, worried that his grandchildren may not have that America, in which "I became the best Peter Georgescu I could be," he has written a fiery manifesto in "Capitalists Arise!" The book takes us through the painful path of inequality and warns that if we don't heal the middle class, we'll end up with blood in the streets or a society in which we'll need bulletproof cars. In this Fireside Chat, Peter describes his journey from essentially house arrest in Romania to become the Chairman of Young and Rub...2021-03-3058 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Paul LeBlancA visionary leader from a rather surprising place, Paul LeBlanc has presided over the dramatic transformation of Southern New Hampshire University and shown many skeptics that it is possible to reinvent our institutions. From a sleepy school with a few thousand on-campus students experiencing their "coming of age" years, to a national powerhouse of around 135,000 enrolees, LeBlanc has been a beacon for rethinking what Higher Ed is all about. In this #FridayFiresideChat we chat about his vision, which is that access to high quality, affordable education is still crucial for social mobility. For many of SNHU's adult learners, the "job"...2021-03-241h 02

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Patty McCordTED phenomenon and author of the book "Powerful," Patty McCord, the founding talent leader at Netflix, will be joining me for a Friday fireside chat. We'll talk about why so many things we believe about HR are just plain wrong, what people should be thinking about with respect to their talent today and how to create the context that releases the power of high performing teams.2021-03-1659 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Victoria Montgomery-BrownVictoria Montgomery-Brown has a new book out - "Digital Goddess" which tells a no-holds-barred history of her abandoning her nice, safe, corporate job and hurtling into the world of entrepreneurship. The book is full of stories that are honest, often funny and really illuminating for anyone who has ever wanted to follow their dreams and start a business. From getting arrested just as you were about to launch (as it turns out, a politically motivated and trumped-up charge), to how picking a business partner is like getting married, to actually getting married (as it happens, at City Hall), to ba...2021-03-1256 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Tom PetersRita Gunther McGrath is a best-selling author, a sought-after speaker, and a longtime professor at Columbia Business School. Rita is one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth and is one of the most regularly published authors in the Harvard Business Review. She is consistently ranked among the top 10 management thinkers in the world and was ranked #1 for strategy by Thinkers50. Rita is the author of the best-selling The End of Competitive Advantage (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013). Her new book is Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen (Houghton Mifflin Ha...2021-03-081h 01

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Tomas Chamorro-PremuzicWhy Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? Asks the provocative title of Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic's recent book. A major issue, he suggests, is that we all too often confuse confidence with competence, meaning that many - even most - people who achieve formal leadership roles are not actually very good leaders. Among the solutions we'll discuss are improving the way we evaluate and select leaders, in particular paying more attention to emotional intelligence, or EQ in our evaluations. It should be a fascinating conversation.2021-03-051h 00

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Whitney JohnsonHow do you go from a newly-minted music degree to a secretarial position to becoming one of the leading analysts on Wall Street to co-founding one of the most successful boutique investment firms of all time to running your own business and being ranked as a top thinker by #Thinkers50? Not to mention writing best-selling books? My #FridayFiresideChat guest Whitney Johnson would say that it is the happy result of moving from S curve to S curve in your own life! We had a far-ranging conversation, including her "aha" discovery that @Clayton Christensen's theory of disruption could apply at a per...2021-03-0156 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Alexander OsterwalderCreator of the Business Model Canvas and CEO of Strategyzer, Alexander Osterwalder joins Rita McGrath in conversation. Rita interviewed Alex about his new co-authored book "The Invincible Company," the implications of its lessons for other firms and his guidance for how to navigate through these nerve-wracking times.2021-02-2659 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Amy WebbWith everyone wondering what the future holds, especially now, it was an enormous pleasure to welcome my friend, quantitative futurist Amy Webb to a #FridayFiresideChat. She offered a great key to thinking about the future, namely "what would it take for X to be Y". I brought up the Jetsons, that old 1960's era television show and Amy astonished me by recounting that the first patent for a flying car was filed in 1917! Who knew? And apparently the flying car has become the standard by which all progress and innovation is judged. We spent a chunk of time talking about h...2021-02-2258 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Dave UlrichDave Ulrich is a legend in the world of talent and organizations. In this fireside chat, he and Rita McGrath will exchange ideas on the people implications of the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on the critical leadership behaviors that are going to be essential now and as we rebuild for the future.2021-02-2057 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and David KidderI was absolutely delighted to welcome David Kidder, serial entrepreneur and founder of Bionic to our #FridayFiresideChat! David shares Bionic's approach to building growth engines quickly - going from $1 to $100 million, fast. We also talk about the Startup Mindset and the five practices that gifted entrepreneurs use to build and scale their businesses, why minimizing regret is a great guide to setting priorities and how creating a growth mindset is a path to moving through this crisis. The hour flew by, and I think you'll come away from this session feeling more positive and energized!2021-02-1659 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Erin MeyerErin Meyer's ideas have been fundamental to our understanding of how cultures work. Her first book, "The Culture Map" is used by organizations all over the world to help them communicate better, adapt their corporate cultures to local environments and understand seemingly inexplicable behavior on the parts of their global teammates. I was thrilled, then, that Erin teamed up with Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, to examine and document the extraordinary culture of freedom and responsibility at Netflix. Hastings first reached out to her to get support for the Netflix international expansion in an email with the obscure sub...2021-02-0258 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Gary HamelWhy bureaucracy is the enemy of so much innovative, human-led creativity and what to do about it. Gary Hamel, co-author of the new book "Humanocracy" and I touch on his body of work in general, which has had a huge influence on me, but more recently his efforts to create a framework for real organizational change. This full #FridayFiresideChat is chock a block with insights from one of the most well known management thinkers and writers.2021-01-291h 08

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Geoffrey Moore.What an absolute pleasure to spend an hour with my good friend and innovation thought leader Geoffrey Moore. In this #FridayFiresideChat, we discuss the arc of his breakthrough work. He's influenced generations of innovators both in the world of tech startups and in large organizations trying to become more agile and innovative themselves. His most recent book, "Zone to Win" is designed to help leaders address the paralyzing resource allocation challenges they face when they have to pull resources out of a successful operating business to fund a new growth business which might not show results for two or thr...2021-01-2658 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Herminia IbarraHerminia Ibarra just recently published a super-timely Harvard Business review article on the topic of "leader as coach", in which she explores the skills that are so sorely needed to create higher levels of organizational capability. Most of the executives she works with, unfortunately, think they are much better coaches than they actually are! In this far-ranging #FridayFiresideChat, she and I reflect on how the concept of leadership has evolved, what we need to know now and how her book "Act Like a Leader: Think Like a Leader" has moved individuals forward.2021-01-2246 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Jeffrey PfefferTalking to Jeffrey Pfeffer is always a gift, and this #FridayFiresideChat does not disappoint! We discuss the ideas in his recent book "Dying For a Paycheck" among which are that while physical workplace safety issues have largely been addressed, the invisible toll on workers' mental health has not. One of Jeff's interesting ideas is that a company's benefits managers could tell you - if you wanted to know - which parts of your organization are using the most sleeping pills and anti-depressants, and use that as an input to decisions about who gets to become - and stay - a...2021-01-1458 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and John MackeyIn his new book "Conscious Leadership" Whole Foods Market Co-Founder and CEO John Mackey takes us through his journey as the leader of a company that changed what we expect from our grocery stores. From the opening story in the book - in which he came close to being ousted in a corporate coup - to the later discussions of fending off an activist investor before orchestrating a merger with Amazon - the story is endlessly fascinating. Have a look, buy the book - it will prompt you to think differently about your own leadership journey.2021-01-1156 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Rebecca HendersonCapitalism, by many accounts, is committing "slow suicide." It was a thrill, therefore to be joined by Rebecca Henderson, professor at Harvard Business School and a dear friend to talk about her new book, "Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire." In this wide-ranging #Fridayfiresidechat, we discuss the urgent need for all of us to rethink assumptions in a capitalist world gone completely out of balance. A small example - we don't price environmental and health impacts into our market-based models, so the pricing mechanism doesn't account for those. The hour just flew by! Do have a listen and get y...2021-01-0856 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Sylvia AcevedoMy #FridayFiresideChat guest Sylvia Acevedo has had an astonishing career. From a childhood in a neighborhood with dirt roads and few opportunities to a full-scholarship education to NASA, Stanford and beyond, this tech executive never looked back at her "Path to the Stars" as her book is called. We chat about the challenges of overcoming setbacks, the unexpected twists lives and careers can take and about what she learned during her time as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. During her time there, she created STEM badges, figured out how to get girls interested in subjects that s...2021-01-0359 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath and Zeynep TonWe need good jobs and we can have them! My dear friend and @MIT Professor Zeynep Ton joined me in a #FridayFiresideChat, to talk about the Good Jobs Strategy. Her pathbreaking book presented her research that showed that successful operations, combined with good jobs, can allow firms to outperform, even in historically low-margin sectors such as retail. She shared the results of a Brookings Institute study that showed we have a horrible bad jobs problem in the United States - 53 million U.S. employees work at jobs that pay $17,950 a year. In contrast, a firm such as Cos...2021-01-0258 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath, Jennifer Aaker and Naomi BagdonasHave you fallen off a humor cliff in which every day is full of spreadsheets, powerpoints and meetings and each one seems a little less fun than the one before? If so, I have just the antidote for you. It's Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas' wonderful new book, "Humor, Seriously" now available for pre-order (with goodies) prior to its February 3 US publication date. Just in time for the holidays! Just sayin. In this not-#FridayFiresideChat we probably have a lot more fun than is strictly allowed talking about humor that works, how to weave it into your life at work...2021-01-0158 min

Thought SparksThought Sparks with Rita McGrath, Scott Anthony and Paul CobbanEven if you want to spark innovation in your organization, the challenges can seem terribly daunting. In their delightful co-authored book "Eat, Sleep, Innovate" DBS Bank's Paul Cobban and Innosight's Scott Anthony make it much easier to engage in everyday innovation. The book is chock-full of practical, fun examples of how you can get rid of frustrating and obsolete controls and replace them with energizing, customer-focused new behaviors. Unlike a lot of books about innovation, this one focuses on the day to day behaviors that are actually in your own control. Have a listen and pick up the book!2020-12-2958 min