Episodes

  • What Customers Really Value–and Why Leaders Keep Getting It Wrong

    What Customers Really Value–and Why Leaders Keep Getting It Wrong
    Nov 10 2026
    Good leaders believe they understand customer priorities. They invest heavily in data, direct conversations, and really knowing their industry. But according to Vikas Mittal, a professor of marketing at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University, leaders are missing a key step. Without a science-driven strategy, businesses don’t understand what matters most to their customers or what to prioritize to create the most value for the company. Mittal spent seven years studying 72 businesses, and he has lots of advice on how companies can get better at understanding the data that they have at hand. Plus, how to win over leaders who rely too heavily on intuition when the most impactful answers lie in the science. Mittal is the author of the article, “Do You Know What Your Customers Value?”
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    28 mins
  • How AI Is Changing Communication: Weighing Efficiency with Efficacy

    How AI Is Changing Communication: Weighing Efficiency with Efficacy
    Sep 24 2026
    AI is rapidly changing how top leaders communicate with employees, customers, boards, and each other. In episode 2 of a special four-part series on how AI is changing leadership, we explore how executives can use AI to improve communication without outsourcing the thinking, judgment, and empathy that make it effective. Stanford professor Matt Abrahams and Zapier CEO Wade Foster discuss how leaders are using AI to synthesize information, structure ideas, prepare for difficult conversations, and rehearse for high-stakes moments. They also explain why leaders should be wary of letting AI write everything for them, how overreliance on AI can create a “comprehension gap,” and why preserving a distinctive human voice may become even more important as AI-generated communication becomes ubiquitous. Abrahams is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter and host of the podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart. Foster is the cofounder and CEO of Zapier, a software automation company.
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    34 mins
  • What Retail Legend Ron Johnson Learned from Apple’s Success and JCPenney’s Failure

    What Retail Legend Ron Johnson Learned from Apple’s Success and JCPenney’s Failure
    Sep 29 2026
    How do you know when to trust your previous experience in a transformation environment, and how do you know when to listen, observe, and adapt? Ron Johnson helped create the Apple Store and transform Target into a design-forward retailer. But when he brought his approach to JCPenney, his transformation failed. He explains why leaders shouldn't rely too heavily on data when they're trying to create something that hasn't been done before, how Steve Jobs used patience and diverse perspectives to drive innovation, and why great customer experiences depend on empowering employees to solve problems one customer at a time. Johnson also reflects on his experience at JCPenney, where he moved too quickly and underestimated how deeply employees and other stakeholders were invested in the company's existing way of doing business. He shares what he would do differently today—and why listening may be one of the most important skills a leader can develop. Johnson is the author of Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius.
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    33 mins
  • Optimism Is Now an Essential Leadership Skill

    Optimism Is Now an Essential Leadership Skill
    Oct 6 2026
    Optimism isn’t about ignoring problems or pretending everything will work out. It’s about acknowledging challenges while believing that your actions can still make a difference. Psychologist and researcher Michelle Gielan says leaders can cultivate that mindset in themselves and their teams and argues that, when they do, it creates a powerful performance advantage. Drawing on an 11-year dataset of more than 25,000 business professionals, she shares research linking optimism to higher productivity, sales, engagement, and lower burnout. She explains how leaders can use techniques like “power leads" to help teams focus on progress and possibility without losing sight of difficult realities. Gielan wrote the book Resilient Optimism: The Science of Sustaining a Positive Mindset in Tough Times and the HBR article "How Leaders Counter Pessimism in Trying Times."
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    29 mins
  • How AI Is Changing Strategy: Rethinking What Your Business Is Designed to Do

    How AI Is Changing Strategy: Rethinking What Your Business Is Designed to Do
    Oct 8 2026
    AI is advancing so quickly that companies can’t afford to treat it as simply another productivity tool; it is fundamentally reshaping strategy. In this final episode of our special four-part series on how AI is changing leadership, Wharton professor and AI expert Ethan Mollick explains why leaders need to rethink what their organizations are designed to do—and how work gets done. He discusses how AI agents are changing the role of managers, why companies need to experiment rather than wait for proven playbooks, and how leaders can create competitive advantage when everyone has access to the same frontier models. Mollick is author of the forthcoming book Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI.
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    33 mins
  • Why Great Teams Don’t Need to Like Each Other

    Why Great Teams Don’t Need to Like Each Other
    Oct 13 2026
    What makes a great team? It might have less to do with whether colleagues like one another and more to do with whether they’re aligned on a shared purpose. Organizational psychologist and Wharton professor Adam Grant says leaders can build stronger connections at work, foster productive conflict, and create cultures where people feel empowered to speak up. He explains why task cohesion matters more than social cohesion, how to turn differences into a competitive advantage, and why leaders should reward people who challenge the status quo; and also shares practical ways to rethink onboarding, encourage candid feedback, and help employees connect their work to a meaningful mission. Grant is the author of the new book Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connection in a Lonely World.
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    32 mins
  • Staying Principled in a Time of Uncertainty

    Staying Principled in a Time of Uncertainty
    Oct 27 2026
    How do you lead through a crisis, build an innovative company, and prepare an organization for long-term success? For Kenneth Chenault, former CEO of American Express and current chairman at General Catalyst, effective leadership starts with two responsibilities: defining reality and giving people hope. Chenault, who led Amex from 2001 to 2018, navigated the company through 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis and shares the leadership principles and practices that helped him steer the company through uncertainty, foster innovation, and build a culture of accountability. Chenault explains how leaders can establish clear priorities when the stakes are high, encourage employees to speak up about problems, and challenge the status quo. He also shares lessons from his own leadership development, including how he learned to become a better listener, how outgoing leaders can set their successors up for success, and why diversity remains a core business commitment. Chenault is author of the new book Equal to the Task: A Life Forged Between America’s Promise and Its Truth.
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    32 mins
  • The Topics We Avoid at Work—and How to Start Talking About Them

    The Topics We Avoid at Work—and How to Start Talking About Them
    Nov 3 2026
    Money, politics, family responsibilities, age, ambition, and fear: Some of the topics that matter most to employees are the ones they feel least comfortable discussing at work. But avoiding these conversations can erode trust, undermine psychological safety, and leave leaders making decisions without crucial information. That's according to Christina Wing, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, who argues that leaders need to get better at addressing workplace taboos. She explains how managers can create an environment where employees feel safe raising sensitive issues, and shares practical advice for addressing mistakes without defensiveness and helping employees speak up about their ambitions. Plus, how to recover when a discussion doesn't go as planned. Wing is author of the book Unspeakable: The Taboo Topics We Avoid and How to Talk About Them.
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    31 mins