Episodes

  • Woon Shiu Lee and Mondo Mazwai on Leading with Intentionality and Building Teams for a Resilient Future

    Woon Shiu Lee and Mondo Mazwai on Leading with Intentionality and Building Teams for a Resilient Future
    Jun 23 2025
    For the final episode of Season 2, Kavitha is joined via Zoom by two extraordinary guests from the 7th YGELP cohort. Woon Shiu Lee, Managing Director and Group Head of the Wealth Planning Family Office and Insurance Solutions at DBS Private Bank, calls in from Singapore, along with Mondo Mazwai, Chairperson of the Competition Tribunal of South Africa. Together, Mondo and Woon Shiu walk Kavitha through their decision to engage in YGELP as a catalyst to further their commitment to social purpose as leaders in their respective fields. Mondo explains how growing up in apartheid-era South Africa drew her to law as an instrument for societal change. Her 25 years in legal leadership continue to shape her notions of democracy, justice, and how to build a resilient team prepared for an ever-changing future. Woon Shiu, meanwhile, was inspired by early professional experiences across Singapore, the UK, and the US to merge cross-cultural strategies which have allowed him to flourish in the world of banking and wealth management. Both guests emphasize the centrality of impact and social good in their work, with Woon Shiu citing his company's mission to be "the best bank for a better world," as a core pillar of what drives his mindset today. What Mondo and Woon Shiu share in common is a fervent commitment to lifelong learning, even while thriving at the highest levels of leadership. They share with Kavitha stories not only of rich engagement with YGELP readings and instructional sessions, but also of a carefully cultivated network of peers and professors which continues to grow. The interview ends with each guest sharing their views on the role of spirituality in purposeful leadership, in a fitting close to a meaningful journey showcasing the unique and varied voices of the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program. Transcript S2E8—Woon Shiu Lee & Mondo Mazwai Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources and Individuals Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Carrot and the Stick by William Putsis The Book of Joy, The 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams "Research: Why Breathing is So Effective at Reducing Stress," by Emma Seppälä, Christina Bradley and Michael R. Goldstein Dr. Matthew Croasmun, Yale Divinity School Nicholas Pinchuk, CEO of Snap-On Incorporated Stephanie Dunson, Yale SOM Where to Find Mondo: Competition Tribunal of South Africa Africa Leadership Initiative Aspen Institute Where to Find Woon Shiu: LinkedIn DBS Bank Nanyang Business School About Today's Guests Mondo Mazwai is the Chairperson of the Competition Tribunal ("Tribunal") of South Africa – an antitrust adjudicative body – where she adjudicates competition (antitrust) matters, involving mergers and acquisitions and prohibited practice (complaints concerning cartel conduct or abuse of dominance). The cases are referred to the Tribunal by the Competition Commission of South Africa (the investigative body), or by private third parties, for public hearing and decision by the Tribunal. Mondo has over 25 years as an admitted attorney and has worked in the private sector (including as the National Head of the Competition Practice at a prominent law firm), and in the public sector at the Competition Commission of South Africa in various capacities (including Chief Legal Counsel and Acting Deputy Commissioner). Her experience spans all aspects of competition law. She has led a team of economists and lawyers, including in the precedent setting price gouging case at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After 16 years as a legal practitioner, Mondo took a one-year sabbatical (in 2011/2012) to travel. She returned to public service in 2013 as a part-time member of the Tribunal. She was appointed Chairperson of the Tribunal in 2019, a position she still holds. In addition to the adjudicative role, Mondo is responsible for the governance of the Tribunal, ensuring that it operates efficiently, is financially sound and effectively delivers on its legislative mandate. Mondo is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is a Fellow of the Yale Global Leadership programme (the 7th Cohort). She holds a B Juris degree from the University of the Western Cape and an LLB degree from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (Howard College). She was admitted as an attorney in 1997. --- Lee Woon Shiu is Managing Director and Group Head of Wealth Planning Family Office and Insurance Solutions in DBS Bank. He started his banking career with Merrill Lynch in 2000 after working as an attorney in Freshfields Drew & Napier and Coudert Brothers. Woon ...
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Josh Geballe on Learning from the Relationships You Build for the Future

    Josh Geballe on Learning from the Relationships You Build for the Future
    Jun 16 2025
    This week, Kavitha brings in Yale Ventures Managing Director Josh Geballe shortly after another successful annual gathering of Yale Innovation Summit leaders and entrepreneurs. Josh describes a career which has successfully navigated leadership in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. As former COO to Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, CEO to Core Informatics while overseeing a successful acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific, and sitting board member on nonprofits grounded in tech and climate solutions, Josh brings a wealth of change management skills and experience in championing innovative solutions to some of today's biggest challenges. Join us to hear Josh and Kavitha discuss how he leveraged his early career in management consulting into his first finance leadership role managing multinational partnerships for IBM, and how his initiative and drive while working in the Governor's office helped dramatically improve Connecticut residents' experience at the DMV! As a longtime YGELP panelist and instructor, Josh emphasizes the imperative for aspiring leaders to act on networking opportunities, citing the fact that invitations to pursue some of his most transformative roles—including the position in the governor's office and his current role at Yale—followed the nurturing and flourishing of relationships. Finally, Josh shares some of the developments on his radar that are shaping the future of tech and biotech, which span exciting innovations in quantum computing, medical therapy treatments, and AI-facilitated drug discovery. Transcript S2E7—Josh Geballe Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: Yale Today newsletter Yale Ventures newsletter The Write to Roam, Ethan Malik's newsletter on AI Invest Like the Best podcast with Patrick O'Shaughnessy Acquired podcast with Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal The Free Press podcast with Bari Weiss Where to Find Josh: Josh's Yale Ventures Profile Josh Geballe on LinkedIn Highlights and Winners from the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit About Today's Guest Josh Geballe is Senior Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Yale University and Managing Director of Yale Ventures. He is responsible for a wide range of services and programs for students, faculty, and the broader New Haven community to launch new startups based on Yale research, provide training in entrepreneurship and innovation, expand external research partnerships, and foster the growth of the local innovation and entrepreneurship community. Prior to launching Yale Ventures in 2022 Josh served as Chief Operating Officer for the State of Connecticut under Governor Ned Lamont. With responsibility for all executive branch agencies covering 30,000 employees, he led successful initiatives to modernize government operations and led the state's nationally recognized response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to his three years in public service Josh spent his career in the technology industry, most recently as CEO of Core Informatics, a venture-backed scientific software company that was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific where he went on to serve as Vice President and General Manager of Digital Science. Previously he spent 11 years at IBM in a variety of international executive roles. Josh serves on the boards of directors of several non-profit organizations, including ClimateHaven where he is the founding board chair, Connecticut Innovations, AdvanceCT, BioCT and the Mory's Association. Josh holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA from Yale University.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • Saad Omer on How Medical Leaders Can Communicate with Frequency, Clarity, and Humility

    Saad Omer on How Medical Leaders Can Communicate with Frequency, Clarity, and Humility
    Jun 9 2025
    This week, Kavitha is joined by Dr. Saad Omer, a globally recognized leading voice in cutting-edge research on immunization and vaccination. Today he is the Founding Dean of the School of Public Health at UT–Southwestern, and formerly served as inaugural director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. In this prior role, he oversaw not only the university's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also managed some of the innovative research which enabled experts to better predict impending outbreaks. His life's work has involved collaboration in studies everywhere from the US, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa, to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Australia. Kavitha and Saad explore the ways in which business and medical experience can prepare leaders to flourish at top levels of higher education. Saad discusses the strategies he employs to communicate with transparency and compassion to his team and the public at large, as well as the ways in which he continues to anticipate and prepare his response to future adversity. Together, he and Kavitha unpack how management consulting prepares leaders for change management in times of crisis, how humility plays a central role in Saad's approach to his work, and why he enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to learn from leaders outside of the medical field in his time as a YGELP participant. Saad points to encouraging signs for the future of vaccine research, and shares a fascinating ambition for a second act career move which reveals a hidden passion for art. Transcript S2E6—Saad Omer Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Collected Works by Ernest Hemingway Where to Find Saad: Saad Omer on LinkedIn Omer Research Group Gavi Board Member Profile O'Donnell School of Public Health Welcome About Today's Guest Saad B. Omer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.B.S. Founding Dean and Professor, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health Dr. Saad B. Omer is a globally recognized epidemiologist, public health leader, and vaccine policy expert. As the founding Dean of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Omer has dedicated his career to advancing high-impact science that informs vaccine policy and clinical recommendations worldwide. Dr. Omer's research has shaped public health strategies on vaccine hesitancy, maternal immunization, and infectious disease epidemiology. His work has influenced national and international vaccination policies, including those of the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). His studies on vaccine acceptance, immunization coverage, and infectious disease prevention have been cited in major global policy recommendations. His research portfolio includes clinical trials on maternal and infant immunization for diseases such as pertussis, polio, measles, and pneumococcal infections, as well as studies on respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. His landmark studies on maternal influenza immunization demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing severe illness in pregnant women and newborns, directly influencing vaccine recommendations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and beyond. Dr. Omer has authored numerous publications in leading journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, The Lancet, Science, and Nature. His expertise has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and BBC. He has advised global health organizations and served on advisory boards, including the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Vaccines and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. A dedicated mentor and educator, Dr. Omer has trained and advised the next generation of public health leaders. He earned his Ph.D. in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control and his M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University, following his medical degree from The Aga Khan University.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Erin Gianopoulos and Jeff Addison on Military Leadership as a Pathway for Executive Success

    Erin Gianopoulos and Jeff Addison on Military Leadership as a Pathway for Executive Success
    Jun 2 2025
    For the first time on Long Life Learning, Kavitha is joined by two guests. Jeff Addison and Erin Gianopoulos are distinguished, now-retired U.S. military service members whose friendship began as peers in last year's YGELP cohort. Erin and Jeff join Kavitha in the studio during their Yale SOM reunion weekend to discuss how military leadership prepared them for executive roles in law and entrepreneurship. They explain what it looks like to continually learn and evolve at high levels of leadership, and how the military saying, "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready" continues to apply to their personal and professional lives. Erin describes how her path from ROTC, to leading Marines in Japan, to earning a law school degree, has led to a burgeoning career in public service. Jeff Addison shares how his years as a Flight Commander in the Air Force equipped him with the management skills needed to found a data solutions company whose inspiration emerged out of personal tragedy. He also explains how being a lifelong learner helped him pivot and flourish as CEO of Techknowvate throughout the pandemic and the emergence of AI. Both guests express the desire to continually grow and serve their countries both in and out of uniform. Finally, Erin and Jeff speak to the ways in which participating in YGELP—from receiving honest peer-to-peer feedback, to establishing networking connections, to benefiting from the excellence of instruction and building self-confidence—have helped them to embrace the next step in their executive leadership and impact journeys. Transcript S2E5—Erin & Jeff Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson & Jack Butcher The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Alice Schroeder Influence is Your Superpower, Zoe Chance Where to Find Erin and Jeff: Erin Gianopoulos on LinkedIn Jeff Addison on LinkedIn Techknowvate Homepage About Today's Guests Erin Gianopoulos is an attorney specializing in government law practicing in the city of Detroit. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School. Erin previously served in the Office of Legal Counsel for the Governor of Michigan and is currently a judicial clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to law school, Erin held positions around the world as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, finally retiring from service in 2018. Erin is a driven leader committed to public service. She is an active member of Wayne Law's Board of Visitors. She completed Yale's Global Executive Leadership Program in 2024. Jeff Addison is a United States Air Force Academy graduate with an advanced degree from Miami University and the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program, who brings extensive military and business experience. His military career included over 135 combat missions and various command positions in high-pressure, data-critical environments. Following his service, he led an engineering division for a technology and defense company before launching his entrepreneurial journey—successfully starting and exiting multiple businesses in technology and commercial development. His leadership at Techknowvate helped save Ohio nearly $100 million by redefining the state's PPE supply chain software during COVID-19. JeD and his wife reside in Dayton with their three daughters and are actively involved in their community. He serves on several boards, including the Dayton Engineers Club, co-founded by the Wright Brothers, and the JobsOhio Independent Review Board, which oversees development projects supporting $31.5 billion in capital investments.
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Jessica Bailey on Impact as an Accelerant for Business Goals and Societal Benefit

    Jessica Bailey on Impact as an Accelerant for Business Goals and Societal Benefit
    May 27 2025
    When CEO of Nuveen Green Capital and repeat YGELP instructor Jessica Bailey first got into business, it was because of a fascination with the energy sector's ability to drive foreign trade and policy. She quickly identified a market gap in scaling private capital for smart financial energy solutions, and partnered with Ali Cooley to carve a unique entrepreneurial role which allowed her to bridge philanthropic and public sector leadership informed by her years at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Connecticut Green Bank. Today, the team Jessica has built at Nuveen has expanded its scope across the U.S. and into international regions in an effort to provide sustainable commercial real estate finance solutions which support building decarbonization. This week, Jessica joins Kavitha in the studio to discuss how centering impact as a core KPI allows businesses to gain momentum while their competitors face headwinds, how her team's initial emphasis on passion and generalist knowledge allowed them to rapidly flourish in an ever-changing energy market, and why leading with gratitude as a CEO has made the role a long-term and satisfying endeavor. Jessica cautions CEOs not to fall into the trap of prioritizing an air of invincibility which disallows space for vulnerability and the willingness to receive reflection from colleagues. She instead describes the most capable leaders as those who embrace learning specialized business "languages," who dive into new questions and lifelong learning with enthusiasm, and who follow the "green lights" life places on their path. Transcript S2E4—Jessica Bailey Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Diary of a CEO Podcast, Steven Bartlett The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, Admiral William H. McRaven Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey Where to Find Jessica: Jessica Bailey on LinkedIn Nuveen Green Capital on LinkedIn Nuveen Green Capital Homepage About Today's Guest Jessica Bailey is President and CEO of Nuveen Green Capital (NGC), a leading provider of sustainable commercial real estate finance. As a pioneer of the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) industry, Jessica co-founded Greenworks Lending in 2015 and led it to a successful acquisition by Nuveen in 2021 where the firm was rebranded to Nuveen Green Capital. Under her leadership, the firm became one of the largest C-PACE capital providers in the country. Utilizing a state-enabled policy that Jessica helped to develop, C-PACE has become a mainstream financing tool for clean energy upgrades in commercial real estate and sustainable new construction. As President and CEO of NGC, Jessica has grown the company into a national lending platform operating in over 40 states, with over $3 billion in assets under management, and a team of nearly 100 professionals. Through its nationwide distribution and originations platform, NGC has experienced double-digit annual growth since founding. Prior to starting Greenworks Lending, Jessica was with the Connecticut Green Bank from 2012 to 2014, where she played a key role in designing and leading the award-winning C-PACE program for the state – the first successful C-PACE program in the country. Earlier in her career she spent eight years at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a foundation based in New York where she worked to advance clean energy initiatives. Jessica's leadership and entrepreneurship have been widely recognized. In 2025, Jessica was named a GlobeSt. "Rainmaker in CRE Debt & Equity Finance." In 2024, Jessica was recognized as a "Notable Leader in Sustainability" by Crain's New York, and was also included on Worth Magazine's Worthy 100 List, and Commercial Observer's Power 50 Finance List. She was honored as a GlobeSt. "Woman of Influence" in 2023, and she and NGC co-founder, Ali Cooley, were jointly recognized as "CRE's Best Bosses" by GlobeSt. in 2023, as well as "50 Most Important Figures of Commercial Real Estate Finance" by Commercial Observer in 2022. Jessica was named an Ernst and Young (EY) Entrepreneurial Winning Woman in 2019, and Connecticut Magazine included her on their "40 under 40" list in 2019. She was also named a "Champion of Change" by the White House in 2014. Jessica holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree from Yale University.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Fred Crawford on Embracing Executive Leadership with Balance, Vulnerability, and Trust

    Fred Crawford on Embracing Executive Leadership with Balance, Vulnerability, and Trust
    May 19 2025

    This week, Kavitha sits down with Senior Vice Chairman and former CEO of AlixPartners Fred Crawford to discuss his early rise to a C-suite position, and what advice he has for other aspiring executives on the same path. Fred speaks to the importance of not letting the job "run you," managing time to prioritize the most important "pizza pie" slices of your life, and knowing when to engage in smart, graceful, and smooth succession planning.

    Fred explains to Kavitha why, despite thriving as CEO, he chose to transition to opportunities that have allowed him to embrace his passion for philanthropy, non-profit work, board service, and startup mentorship. He also shares the fascinating story of his succession at AlixPartners, which involved developing an innovative co-CEO system so successful that it endures to this day. Fred urges today's leaders to embrace the kind of vulnerability that allows them to seek advice about decision-making, and speaks to the state of a global marketplace evolving so rapidly that the landscape of change management instruction is unrecognizable from a few years ago.

    Finally, Fred shares why his teaching for YGELP continues to inspire him by providing opportunities for international executives to grow their "global quality networks" face-to-face in an increasingly virtual world, and how his work today energizes him to instill values of leadership and giving back around his own dinner table.

    Transcript

    S2E3—Fred Crawford Transcript

    Links and Resources

    Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:

    • Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage
    • What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)
    • Applying to YGELP


    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:

    • True North by Bill George
    • Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
    • The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch


    Where to Find Fred:

    • Fred Crawford on LinkedIn
    • AlixPartners Page

    About Today's Guest

    Fred was the CEO of AlixPartners from 2008 – 2015, and Senior Vice Chair until his retirement from the Firm in 2021. He remains an advisor to the Firm and a member of the Board of Directors. Fred serves on the Board of 5 other Companies and is Chairman of two. He is also a senior advisor to two Private Equity Firms.

    Fred is an internationally recognized strategist and operations restructuring specialist who has been involved in many of AlixPartners' most-high-profile situations. He is the architect, board sponsor, and senior mentor of AlixPartners' global leadership program. Prior to joining the firm, he held senior positions at other major consulting firms and worked in operations and brand management in industry. Fred has an MBA from the Kelley School at Indiana University. He is coauthor of "The Myth of Excellence," a BusinessWeek and New York Times best seller that details his research on consumer motivation and corporate strategic response. Frequently involved with the media, he is a sought-after presenter.

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Asha Rangappa on Leading with Conscience and Courage

    Asha Rangappa on Leading with Conscience and Courage
    May 12 2025
    In our second episode of the season, Kavitha is joined by Asha Rangappa, former Special Agent and current Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Her work today is informed by years spent with the FBI specializing in counterintelligence, national security, and U.S. drug policy in Latin America. Together, Asha and Kavitha unpack what it means to lead with moral conscience in an increasingly divided world, and to embrace impact in the realms of academia, business, and public service. Asha's recent research, culminating in a forthcoming book project, advocates for the urgency of change when leaders succumb to moral disengagement and fail to challenge authoritarian bids for power. She encourages listeners, students, and her own daughters to embrace fear and resilience as two sides of the same coin, and to combat collective apathy and social disengagement by empowering the voices of dissenters and whistleblowers. The latter group, she argues, is characterized by their commitment to higher principles, empathy, and a willingness to take risks in order to make a difference. Kavitha and Asha discuss the importance of supporting academia and media as two "critical institutions in a democracy," citing these institutions as sources of a free exchange of ideas and truth-telling. Central to discussion is the question of how today's leaders can develop and practice a strong moral conscience, which Asha contends is done by developing a code of values and principles, exercising habitual muscles which allow them to reject societal pressures of shame and conformity, and embracing the courage it takes to put themselves in the spotlight. Transcript S2E2—Asha Rangappa Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: On Tyranny by Tim Snyder Quantico starring Priyanka Chopra Going Infinite by Michael Lewis Loving What Is by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell Where to Find Asha: The Freedom Academy, Asha's Substack Asha's Website It's Complicated, Asha's podcast with Renato Mariotti About Today's Guest Asha Rangappa is an Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer at the Yale University's Jackson School of Global Affairs and a former Associate Dean at Yale Law School. Prior to her current position, Asha served as a Special Agent in the New York Division of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. At Yale, she teaches courses on national security law, Russian information warfare, and leadership and ethics. She the author of The Freedom Academy, a bestselling online Substack publication about disinformation and its impact on democracy, and also co-hosts the legal podcast, It's Complicated, with Renato Mariotti. Asha graduated cum laude from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study constitutional reform and U.S. drug policy in Bogotá, Colombia. She received her law degree from Yale Law School where she was a Coker Fellow in constitutional law, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Juan R. Torruella on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Asha is a former legal and national security analyst for CNN and currently a legal contributor for ABC News. She is an editor for Just Security, a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Jeffrey Sonnenfeld on How Successful Leaders Learn

    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld on How Successful Leaders Learn
    May 5 2025
    To kick off Season 2, Kavitha sits down with Yale SOM Professor and Senior Associate Dean Jeffrey Sonnenfeld to discuss the evergreen question, "How do leaders learn?" Drawing on Jeff's decades of research expertise, high-profile media engagement, and longtime partnership with Executive Education, they attempt to answer this question for senior level leaders and C-Suite executives in particular. Together, Kavitha and Jeff delve into the rich history of how institutions have striven to craft timely and innovative education for aspiring business leaders, culminating in Yale SOM Executive Education's flagship initiative, the Yale Global Executive Leaders Program (YGELP). Jeff, who has served as Faculty Director for all eight YGELP cohorts, makes the case for combating CEO loneliness by cultivating strong relationships across markets and borders. He advocates the importance of maximizing impact by leveraging Yale SOM's unique embrace of interdisciplinary learning, from accounting and economics to anthropology and the study of happiness. Join us for a vibrant conversation as Jeff and Kavitha tackle questions like: How can leaders evade the pitfalls of strategic stagnancy in the forms of "success syndrome" and groupthink by elevating dissenting voices where their objections hold true with investigated fact? How can an intensive, multi-module program like YGELP empower leaders to engage in experimental innovation, gain real-time feedback from peers, and facilitate a sense of mutual exchange and clarity when innovating with AI, Cloud technology, and other cutting-edge research and strategies? Transcript S2E1—Jeff Sonnenfeld Transcript Links and Resources Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP) Applying to YGELP Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Evolving Self by Robert Keegan "The Strength of Weak Ties" by Mark Granovetter The Hero's Farewell by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld On Tyranny by Timothy Snyders Works by Marci Shore and Jason Stanley Health & Veritas podcast by Howard Forman and Harlan Krumholz Who Believed in You? by David McCormick and Dina Powell McCormick Where to Find Jeff: Prof. Sonnenfeld Yale SOM Faculty Page Recent publications for Chief Executive Magazine Recent publications for Fortune Recent publications for TIME About Today's Guest Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice at the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, a nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance. He previously served as full tenured professor at Emory's Goizueta Business School for a decade and a professor at the Harvard Business School for a decade. Professor Sonnenfeld has informally advised 5 US presidents - 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans - and thousands of CEOs. He helped advise the development of the Abraham Accords; helped catalyze the exit of over 1,000 companies from Russia; and helped catalyze collective action from CEOs on safeguarding democracy and voting rights. Professor Sonnenfeld's related research has been published in 100 scholarly articles which appeared in the leading academic journals in management such as Administrative Sciences Quarterly, the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Review, the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Social Forces, Human Relations, and Human Resource Management. He has also authored eight books, including The Hero's Farewell, an award-winning study of CEO succession, and another best seller, Firing Back, a study on leadership resilience in the face of adversity. Professor Sonnenfeld's work is regularly cited by the general media in such outlets as: BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, the Economist, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC as well as PBS, and he is a staff contributor for CNBC and a staff columnist for FORTUNE, TIME, Chief Executive, and Corporate Board Member. Sonnenfeld was recognized by Poets & Quants Magazine as the 2022 Professor of the Year in recognition of his high-profile efforts to catalyze the historic exits from Russia of over 1,000+ global businesses after the invasion of Ukraine, and was named to Worth Magazine's "Worthy 100 Leaders", an annual global listing of the most influential leaders across society. Sonnenfeld received the 2023 Greatest Impact on Corporate Boards award by Corporate Board Member magazine, and received the Academy of Management's 2023 Distinguished Scholar Practitioner Award. Sonnenfeld has advised the White House, U.S. State ...
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins