Outthinkers

Jean-Manuel Izaret, or, JMI as he often prefers to go by, is a BCG managing director and senior partner and the global leader of the Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice based in San Francisco. His work as a BCG Fellow focuses on the topic of pricing model transformation. JMI has worked on pricing issues across industries, including consumer goods, retail, high tech, financial services, and industrial goods. JMI has a talent for condensing the intricate and vast topic of pricing into clear, simple concepts that any business person can apply. His book, Game Changer: How Strategic Pricing Shapes Businesses, Markets, and Society, released just this October 2023, and co-written with Arnab Sinha, was written with the mission to flip the flawed and clichéd conversations surrounding pricing to an approach that promises winning strategies for greater and fairer value to the buyer and seller and to society at large. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:56—Introducing JMI + The topic of today’s episode 3:32—If you really know me, you know that... 5:36—What do people most get wrong when approaching pricing? 7:43—How Netflix's change in their pricing model evolved over time, radically changing the business model itself 8:48—How does a business decide on what unit to use to when establishing price? 12:17—How do you decide what part of the market or customer segment is going to dictate and most influence the decisions you make when shaping your business model and product? 16:57—What has changed over time about pricing? 20:12—Could you walk us through your Hexagon pricing model? 23:58—What are your thoughts around the rise in dynamic pricing? 26:37—As an interesting side tangent—why do you think Europeans have such a different relationship with tipping than Americans? 29:24—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Author Website:https://www.izaret.net/bio Book website: https://www.bcg.com/capabilities/pricing-revenue-management/game-changer-the-new-strategic-pricing-book LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izaret

Sheena Iyengar is the S.T. Lee Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, where she has taught since 1998. A graduate of both Wharton and Stanford, she is one of the world's experts on choice and innovation. Famously known for her “Jam Study,” which transformed the way we think about products offered in the marketplace and how we curate them for customers, you may recognize her from one of her Ted Talks, which have collectively been viewed nearly seven million times. Sheena is a masterful speaker and thinker on innovation. She opens our conversation with a fascinating take on how the Statue of Liberty was created to illustrate how though seemingly a quality of “geniuses” actually creativity and innovation are attainable by everyone. Sheena has published two books, The Art of Choosing, and her recent 2023, Think Bigger: How to Innovate, which has been hailed by The New York Times and The Financial Times, among others, as a must read for business leaders. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, she shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:25—Introducing Sheena + The topic of today’s episode 3:32—If you really know me, you know that... 4:59—What is your definition of strategy? 5:20—Could you tell us about the design of the Statue of Liberty, and what it teaches us? 9:13—How do you define innovation vs. creativity? 9:47—Could you walk us through the steps in the "Think Bigger" process? 17:33—Tell us about the last step (step 6) and this concept of the "third eye" 19:15—Could you share your exercise for "developing" this third eye? 23:42—How do you see AI interacting with human creativity? 26:52—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Website: https://sheenaiyengar.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheena-iyengar-1592b310/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sheena_Iyengar

David Lancefield is a catalyst, strategist and coach to senior executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. Over the last 25 years, David has worked with organizations on strategy, innovation, culture from start-ups to blue chips, while building and leading successful businesses and client accounts within PwC. He also speaks, facilitates and hosts the Lancefield on the Line podcast, and writes for Harvard Business Review and is a contributing editor for Strategy+Business, as well as being published by Forbes and Financial Times, among others. David sits in the intersection of how strategy, leadership and culture all come together. In this thought-provoking conversation, we discuss two topics that are prevalent in the business world—strategy and culture. But where they are often treated as one dependent on the other, David brings to us the perspective that the two directly support and inform one another—and that building them in tandem is a competitive advantage is too often overlooked. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:14—Introducing David + The topic of today’s episode 3:02—If you really know me, you know that... 4:02—What is your definition of strategy? 5:18—How do you align strategy and culture, and which one would you say comes first? 7:22—What is the relationship between behaviors and their relation to culture? 8:59—what happens when strategy and culture are not well aligned? 12:13—How do you measure culture? 13:59—Is there a set of steps you find most effective when enacting a culture change? 15:55—How do you identify your cultural advocates that can help promote your culture? 19:49—What are your thoughts on intrapreneurship? 21:50—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Author Website: https://davidlancefield.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidclancefield/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dlancefield

Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor of Management Science and Engineering at the Stanford Engineering School. He has given keynote speeches to more than 200 groups in 20 countries, and served on numerous scholarly editorial boards focused around his work on leadership, innovation, organizational change, and workplace dynamics. His most recent book, THE FRICTION PROJECT: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder, co-written with Huggy Rao is focused on scaling and leading at scale. Based on 10 years of research it outlines how to grow organizations, it suggests something really compelling: you know we all almost by default think we should be strive to build a “frictionless organization” to drive agility and efficiency. Bob points out that friction is not bad on its own. In fact, you WANT to create friction to slow down “bad” things while reducing friction to promote good things. This can enhance performance, innovation, and help make sure you fall into the trap of letting bad things grow as the company scales. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:20—Introducing Bob + The topic of today’s episode 3:50—If you really know me, you know that... 5:05—What is your definition of strategy? 7:07—Can you talk to us about the premise of your book, The Friction Project, and its background? 10:50—Could you talk to us about the moments in which friction can be a good thing, or when to apply "gas vs. brakes 16:05—How do you recognize where to apply this idea of velocity vs. slowing down? 18:57—How is it that some teams seem to come together and work seamlessly, while others seem to struggle? 22:57—What is changing in business in terms of leadership, the way people work, etc.? 26:05—Can you talk to us about the importance of reducing frictions, especially in regards to technology? 26:50—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Author Website: bobsutton.net Email: https://www.bobsutton.net/contact/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobsutton1/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/work_matters

In this episode, Andy Binns, co-founder and Director of Change Logic, and an award-winning author who publishes articles on innovation strategy and execution in established firms is joined by an additional guest, Ellie Amirnasr, director of digital ventures at MANN+HUMMEL, who was a chapter author, alongside Andy, of Corporate Explorer Fieldbook: How to Build New Ventures In Established Companies. Their work with this just-released 2023 book brings to the forefront the corporate explorer: the individuals within your organization that have the prowess to lead innovation. In this episode, we delve deep into these pioneers brimming with new ideas. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, they share: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:18—Introducing Andy & Ellie + The topic of today’s episode 2:34—If you really know me, you know that... 5:33—What is your definition of strategy? 8:30—Could you talk to us about your organization, qlair? 9:52—Could you define a "corporate explorer" for us? 11:20—What are some of the aspects that an organization needs to have in place to enable corporate explorers? 13:59—What are some shifts that leaders need to make to allow for corporate explorers? 17:53—Could you lead us through the stages of a new venture and how it relates to decision-making and funding? 26:44—What is the mechanism that makes it more likely to be successful if you state your goals and metrics at the beginning? 29:13—What is the biggest mistake you see corporate explorers make that you could advise them on? 31:14—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Book Website: https://www.thecorporateexplorer.com/ LinkedIn: Ellie Amirnasr, Andy Binns

Shannon Banks is managing director of Be Leadership, and an award-winning facilitator, consultant, and coach. A pioneer in the field of social leadership, she founded her company in 2014 to help organizations bring their purpose to life through their people. In this episode, we'll dive into her steadfast belief that it is leaders that have the power to ignite purpose through social leadership. Shannon has delivered quality, bespoke work to diverse clients across many sectors, including Roche, BNP Paribas, and the UK House of Commons and has partnered with world-changing organizations such as Teach for India, Grameen Foundation, and Siel Bleu. She spent twenty years in the technology industry, including seventeen years at Microsoft where she held a variety of global leadership roles across the business and HR. She has won international awards for her work in leadership development and talent management and is a sought-after public speaker. She is coauthor of the third edition of the field-defining book Optimizing the Power of Action Learning. Her forthcoming book Because: 12 Essential Skills for Connecting How you Lead with Why will be released October 2023. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, she shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:54—Introducing Shannon + The topic of today’s episode 2:55—If you really know me, you know that... 3:49—What is your definition of strategy? 4:25—Could you talk to us about how your career inspired your book? 5:35—Why did you name your company "BE" leadership? 7:28—Could you lead us through your the 12 skills leaders must have? 9:20—Talk to us about your definition of social leadership 12:40—How can executives find their own purpose to help others to connect to theirs? 16:50—What's a powerful insight you could share for leaders on how to use this passion in the workplace? 18:11—Creating change at scale is incredibly difficult—could you share your story of living in Russia that illustrates this? 22:24—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Author Website: https://shannonbanksauthor.com/ Company Website: https://be-leadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-banks-be-leadership Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShannonB

In this episode, Matt Abrahams, leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach shares some of his top insights into strategic communication. He gives us a holistic explanation of what effective communication is, as well as dives into practical daily tips and techniques you can use in any conversation. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world. When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as TED, World Economic Forum, and Nobel Prize presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast. He is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot. His previous book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically. _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:13—Introducing Matt + The topic of today’s episode 3:01—If you really know me, you know that... 4:27—What is your definition of strategy? 5:53—Can you give us your developed theory on communication? 7:56—Could we talk about Step 2, "structures"? 9:56—Can you explain improv (improvisational) speaking, and its benefits in business speaking? 12:04—Can you give us some improv-based tactics that can help us navigate unexpected disruptions during our presentation, speech, etc.? 14:15—Can you elaborate on your tactic of "chunking"? 15:22—What can you tell us about the idea that "communication is the thinking"? 17:22—How do you see AI changing communication as a communication strategist? 19:37—Talk us about your ideas around calendar invites... 21:19—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams Personal page: https://mattabrahams.com/ Podcast: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Newest Book: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/matt-abrahams/think-faster-talk-smarter/9781035024957

Bob Muglia is a data technology investor and business executive, former CEO of Snowflake, and past president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Division. His rich background as a long-time leader in the tech space afforded him the unique position of being on the frontlines of the internet and related tech revolution. Bob is an advocate that while technology and strategy are important, it is critical to maintain keen awareness of that your people are the critical coupling between digital transformation and your company’s strategic initiatives. Bob also focuses on how innovation and ethical values can merge to shape the data economy's future in the era of AI and he serves as a board director for emerging companies which seek to maximize the power of data to help solve some of the world's most challenging problems _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:49—Introducing Bob + The topic of today’s episode 2:05—If you really know me, you know that... 3:45—What is your definition of strategy (and the benefit of the weekly meeting) 6:02—Would you be able to characterize the approach to strategy in the Microsoft ecosystem, as you worked with Bill Gates, Satya Nadella and others? 9:18—You were part of the team that saw Satya Nadella's transition into CEO. What characteristics did he exhibit that made you feel that was the right choice? 13:13—What can you share about the ecosystem and partnership strategy Microsoft adopted from early on? 19:14—Could you expound on your views around artificial intelligence from a leadership perspective? 21:31—Could you talk to us about how values play into the rise of AI and sophisticated machines? 23:50—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Newest Book: https://www.thedatapreneurs.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-muglia Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bob_Muglia

Dear listeners, this week we celebrate our 100th episode. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and listenership, as we treat you to a compilation of some of our favorite insights over the past years. Below you'll find a highlights reel broken down into clips in four categories: CLASSIC STRATEGY: Featuring Rita, McGrath, Richard Rumelt, John Hagel, and Mike Tushman who each share with us timeless ideas around strategy. LEADERSHIP, CULTURE & WORKFORCE: Featuring Adam Bryant, Ajay Banga, Sally Susman, Johnny C. Taylor, Tiffani Bova, and Elizabeth Altman, who each share critical insights into leadership, our employees, and the quickly changing landscape of the workforce. VALUE CREATION: Featuring Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Thales Teixeira, Pete Fader, and Mohan Subramaniam, who each share alternative and modern views around value creation. INNOVATION, TECH & THE FUTURE: Featuring Alex Osterwalder, Rob Wolcott, Vivek Wadhwa, and Faith Popcorn who each share with us insightful ideas around innovation, upcoming trends in tech and society, and the future of business. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:34—Special Introduction to 100th Episode from Kaihan CLASSIC STRATEGY 2:57—Highlight from Rita McGrath: Strategic Planning Amidst Uncertainty 5:24—Highlight from Richard Rumelt: Finding the Crux of Your Strategy 7:01—Highlight from John Hagel: Why You Should "Zoom Out, Zoom In," and Scale From the Edge 9:01—Highlight from Mike Tushman: Why Ambidextrous Organizations Outperform Others LEADERSHIP/CULTURE/WORKFORCE 10:52—Highlight from Adam Bryant: Good vs. GREAT CEOs—500 Interviews Reveal What Makes the Difference 12:58—Highlight from Ajay Banga: Insights from a Former CEO with Ajay Banga of MasterCard 15:11—Highlight from Sally Susman: Insights from Pfizer's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in Crafting Public Discourse 17:27—Highlight from Johnny C. Taylor: Trends You Need to Know About the Workforce 19:27—Highlight from Tiffani Bova: Elevating Your EX to Improve Your CX 21:01—Highlight from Elizabeth Altman: Rethinking the Definition of a Workforce in the Modern Era VALUE CREATION 23:24—Highlight from Felix Oberholzer-Gee: Applying a Value-Based Strategy to Drive Your Business 26:11—Highlight from Thales Teixeira: Decoupling the Customer Value Chain for Competitive Advantage 28:36—Highlight from Pete Fader: Becoming a Customer-Centric Business 30:49—Highlight from Mohan Subramaniam: The Future of Competitive Strategy and the Evolving Role of Data, Customers and Digital Ecosystems INNOVATION, TECH & THE FUTURE 33:46—Highlight from Alexander Osterwalder: How Investing in Culture Ecosystems Leads to Innovation 35:57—Highlight from Rob Wolcott: The Power of Proximity in your Strategy 38:31—Highlight from Vivek Wadhwa: Harnessing Tech for an Innovative Future 40:24—Highlight from Faith Popcorn: Predictions to Know From a Leading Futurist 42:34—Closing and Thank you

Daniel Trabucchi is the co-author, with Tommaso Buganza, of Platform Thinking: Read the past. Write the future. He is Senior Assistant Professor at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano where he fosters research and teaches at the intersection between innovation management and leadership, with a strong focus on platform thinking and the human side of innovation. He is the co-founder of Symplatform, the international symposium on digital platforms that aims to match managers and academics coming from various disciplines and he is the co-founder and scientific director of Platform Thinking HUB the observatory that aims to help established firms in finding innovation opportunities through platforms. Finally, he co-hosts with Philip Meier “Talking About Platforms,” the podcast where the latest research on platforms is featured and spread. His work has been featured by outlets such as Journal of Product Innovation Management, Technovation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change and many others, but he aims to make scientific research as accessible as possible, so—in addition to the book—his platform knowledge can be found also on Coursera in four courses under the title of “platform thinking." The idea of value creation has come a long way—where we used to think of providing value along a linear chain for stakeholders, platforms open up an incredible amount of possibilities in making customers and other stakeholders active participants—not only the end-receivers—of value creation. _________________________________________________________________________________________ "This is the power of platform thinking. You've got the brand. You've got the customers. You've got resources. If you find the right idle assets in your organization, you could actually use platforms as a new way to perceive a value creation." -Daniel Trabucchi _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:08—Introducing Daniel + The topic of today’s episode 2:42—If you really know me, you know that... 3:51—What is your definition of strategy? 4:21—Let's start with the foundation—how do you define a platform? 8:07—Could you describe the four types of platforms? 13:12—What are some of the mindset changes that need to happen for people to see these different ways to use platforms in value creation? 19:04—What are the first steps to take in creating or plugging into a platform? 21:40—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-trabucchi-a7891566/ Email: daniel.trabucchi@polimi.it Newest Book: https://platformthinking.eu/

Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Columbia Business School. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You,and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Dorie has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.” She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. _________________________________________________________________________________________ "We are all being commoditized. But I think that what we can fight back with is relationships, and with brand equity. If you become a person that people wanna be around, if you are a person that people like enough, that they respect enough, then it doesn't matter that AI is nearly as good as what we are doing." -Dorie Clark _________________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode, she shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 1:16—Introducing Dorie + The topic of today’s episode 3:00—If you really know me, you know that... 4:53—What is your definition of strategy? 5:17—Can you define "personal brand," and characteristics of a powerful personal brand? 6:50—How does one assess their personal brand? 9:25—What are some tips on figuring out how to define your personal brand? 13:50—What are the similarities between defining your business brand vs. your personal brand? 15:09—Could you talk to us about why you decided to write The Long Game? 17:16—In what way do you see work itself changing, the future of work? 20:38—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Personal page: https://dorieclark.com/ Newest Book: https://dorieclark.com/thelonggame/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dorieclark

What questions are addressed in this podcast? _________________________________________________________________________________________ Summary: Tiffani Bova is the global growth evangelist and business strategist at Salesforce, an author, and a keynote speaker. We were lucky enough to have Tiffani join us for a second time on this podcast, and in this episode, she brings us a new wealth of much-needed perspective. Where our last episode with Tiffani focused on the how to maximize your company’s Growth IQ—the 10 paths to growing your company—now we shift our focus to the internal movers of this growth—employees and the employee experience, also known as EX. Tiffani’s career taught her that without the people who make the Customer Experience, you can only get so far in fulfilling your brand promise. In her newest book, The Experience Mindset, she dives into how to complement your CX by revamping your EX. In this episode, she shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ "Let me just say to you that that strategy one-pager in that vision and value statement and your tagline does not show up and solve a customer problem. It does not show up and sell something to a customer. It does not show up and design a product. People do that, not the strategy deck that gets you funding from your board." -Tiffani Bova _________________________________________________________________________________________ Action Items: If you'd like to put takeaways from this episode into action in your organization, we recommend starting here: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:56—Introducing Tiffani + The topic of today’s episode 2:58—If you really know me, you know that... 3:31—What is your definition of strategy? 4:31—What prompted you to begin your research into the topic of Employee Experience (EX)? 7:05—What were some of the unexpected findings in your research that led you to writing your book? 11:21—What do you consider EX—the definition and items included within it—and what it is not? 12:27—Can you talk to us about the unintended consequences of offloading customer frictions onto employees? 17:21—The staggering statistics around the tech employed within organizations and their impact on EX 19:59—Why there is a vital need for a role accountable for EX 22:12—What are some tangible steps an organization can take to start owning the EX experience more consciously? 24:21—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.tiffanibova.com/ Newest book, The Experience Mindset, https://www.tiffanibova.com/experiencemindset/ Podcast: https://www.tiffanibova.com/whats-next-podcast/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanibova/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tiffani_Bova

Michael Lenox is an award-winning professor, consultant, author, speaker, and podcaster. For over twenty-five years, he has been helping MBA students and executives navigate the competitive dynamics of markets in the face of innovation and disruption. He is the author of five books, including his latest, Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation (Stanford Business Books, June 27, 2023). Michael is the Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He has served on the faculty at Duke and NYU and as a visiting professor at Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT in Technology Management and Policy and a BS and MS in Systems Engineering from UVA. His Digital Transformation course on Coursera currently has over 150,000 students enrolled. He has had well over a half-million students across all of his online courses, making him one of the most popular teachers on Coursera. Lenox has extensive expertise on the topics most important to today's executives, from decarbonization to digital transformation. As a strategy consultant, he has helped numerous organizations devise effective strategies, such as General Motors, Dominion Energy, NASA, and the NCAA. As an online educator, he has helped millions of learners improve their strategic thinking and reasoning. In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:56—Introducing Michael + The topic of today’s episode 2:40—If you really know me, you know that... 3:28—What is your definition of strategy? 4:03—What are the three fundamental technologies that impact digital transformation? 6:38—How does competitive advantage change in light of how the sheer amount of data is changing? 8:41—What are some misconceptions about competing in the platform age against platform titans? 11:11—Can you talk about the deconstruction of the customer value chain? 13:14—What are some of the positionings companies can take to stay competitive amongst platforms? 14:39—Could you about the distinction between prediction and judgment, the concept from your book? 16:55—Can you talk about some of the ideas you have around how newer technologies like AI are going to affect different industries, like pharma or utilities, for example? 19:09—Can you talk to us about what phases a strategist should tackle to prepare their organization to lead in the digital age? 21:15—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.michael-lenox.com/ Books: https://www.michael-lenox.com/books Podcast: https://www.michael-lenox.com/podcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellenox Twitter: https://twitter.com/Prof_Lenox

Terence Mauri is the founder of the management think thank Hack Future Lab, a bestselling author and a visiting Professor at IE Business School. Terence challenges leaders to pivot from ‘wait and see’ to ‘explore and disrupt’ in a world of complexity and uncertainty. Terence says: ’Building a bold and resilient future never happens by accident. To sustain vitality for the long-term, we must have an eye on the future while searching every day for the upside of disruption.’ His recent publications include co-authoring Thinkers50’s Certain Uncertainty: Leading with Agility and Resilience in an Unpredictable World’ and Building Resilient Organizations: Best practices, tools and insights to thrive in ever-changing contexts. In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:55—Introducing Terence + The topic of today’s episode 2:24—If you really know me, you know that... 3:33—What is your definition of strategy? 4:33—Can you talk to us about your concept of unlearning? 6:59—What is the barrier that keeps organizations from implementing a culture of unlearning? 9:24—Could you explain your concept of "concept over control"? 11:18—What does a career ladder look like nowadays? 12:25—Could you talk to us about the risk of standing still? 14:14—Why do you believe we should we be planning from the future? 16:26—How does one do the third piece of activating the urgency within your organization? 18:03—How do you suggest companies move to a more decentralized org structure without the cognitive overload? 20:20—What do you think is something people should know as a closing thought? 21:01—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.terencemauri.com/ Books: https://www.terencemauri.com/#bestsellers Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terencemauri Twitter: https://twitter.com/terencemauri

Ralph Birchmeieir’s expertise is in accounting, finance, valuation, and strategy. He is a former partner at a global investment firm where he headed financial research into banks, insurers, and real estate concerns. He and his team routinely met with company managements, emerging fintechs, insurtechs and IT professionals. He also sat on two investment committees, constructing global equity portfolios in small cap and all cap strategies. Ralph retired at the end of 2018, taking time out to teach, volunteer, and to become more involved in private company investments. He was an advisor to a digital life distributor, an advisor for a fintech accelerator, and consulted in the AI health care space. He was also a member of Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest angel groups, where he participated in the due diligence process. His first investment book, Reasons To Pass, was published in early 2023. In previous roles he worked as a CPA at a tier one accounting firm, for a quantitative investment manager, obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and earned his MBA with honors from Columbia Business School. In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 01:15—Introducing Ralph + The topic of today’s episode 3:42—If you really know me, you know that... 4:11—What is your definition of strategy? 5:18—Could you tell us a little bit about why you wrote Reasons to Pass? 7:30—What should management be thinking about when it comes to corporate governance? 11:55—Can you talk to us about as a strategist, what should I be thinking about with regard to asset liability mismatch? 14:46—Can you talk to us about valuation, and making sure the messaging is appropriate for the market? 17:39—Let's get into financial leverage... 20:51—Let's recap the reasons to pass addressed in this episode... 21:28—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Newest Book: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/reasons-to-pass/9780231556804

Rob Cross has studied the underlying network dynamics of effective organizations and the collaborative practices of high performers for more than 20 years. Through research and writing, speaking and consulting, and courses and tools, Rob’s network insights are transforming the way people lead, work and live in a hyper-connected world. He is the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership, Babson College and co-founder and current research director of the Connected Commons, a consortium of over 100 leading organizations accelerating network research and practice. In his latest book, The Microstress Effect, co-authored with Karen Dillon, Rob delves into findings that show that our interactions with other people – even those we care most about – trigger an avalanche of small stresses that snowball to the point where it affects our personal well-being. This is a growing issue as companies move toward smaller teams and greater collaboration across teams. In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:49—Introducing Rob + The topic of today’s episode 2:30—If you really know me, you know that... 3:21—What is your definition of strategy? 3:47—Can you start by defining a microstress to us? 5:54—Why do microstresses have such a lasting impact? 7:55—Could you break down the different types of microstresses outlined in your book? 11:16—What can an individual do to reduce the impact of microstresses? 13:12—What do high-performing happy people do differently? 14:51—Should we as leaders be looking to create moments of connection in org structure? 18:45—Does mission or purpose allow us to coordinate behavior without requiring as much interaction between people? 20:27—What do people get wrong about understanding microstresses? 21:49—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Personal page: https://www.robcross.org/ Newest Book: https://www.robcross.org/resources/books/the-microstress-effect/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crossrob Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobCrossNetwork

Dr. Elizabeth J. Altman is an associate professor of management at the Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and guest editor of the MIT Sloan Management Review Future of the Workforce project. Altman served as a visiting assistant professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in Fall 2018 and has served as a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School. Altman teaches strategy, organizational theory, and human resources management in undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral programs. Her research focuses on strategy, innovation, platform businesses and ecosystems, leadership in the digital economy, organizational identity, and organizational change. It used to be, your workforce were your employees. But today, 30-40% of a company’s workforce is made up by contractors! Add to this the increasing amount of work being done by suppliers and partners and you see that what composes your workforce is much different than what it once was. This raises lots of questions. Elizabeth has spent 19 years in industry. She was a vice president at Motorola in executive and leadership roles in industrial design, product development engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and strategy. Awarded a U.S. Dept. of Commerce and Japanese government fellowship, Altman worked as an engineer for Sony in Japan. She lectures and consults worldwide for multi-national clients on strategy and platform businesses and has served on corporate and non-profit boards. Her work has been published in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), MIT Sloan Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Marketing Letters, and other internationally recognized management journals and books. Her HBR article with Prof. Andrei Hagiu was selected for inclusion in an edition of the “HBR 10 Must Reads 2019” book and included in “HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Business Model Innovation.” She also co-authored the book, The Innovator’s Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work, (Harvard Business Press), as well as the recent Workforce Ecosystems (2023). In this episode, she shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 01:07—Introducing Elizabeth + The topic of today’s episode 2:55—If you really know me, you know that... 4:19—What is your definition of strategy? 6:44—Why do you think the focus in companies has shifted to more than just financial performance in this era? 8:34—Tell us about your journey into researching workforce ecosystems. 11:27—Breaking down the types of employees in a typical organization 12:17—A new definition of a workforce 15:13—How do goals change within an organization that has varying types of employees? 17:20—Could you talk to us about the most important implications or adjustments that need to be made in light of this changing workforce ecosystem? 20:54—What is the role of technologies in our workforce as they become a big part of our production? 23:20—How does organizational culture fit into all of this? 25:32—What are some other big implications in leadership as workforces change? 27:18—How is the structure and processes around workforces changing? 29:56—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Manning School of Business Faculty Page: https://www.uml.edu/msb/faculty/altman-elizabeth.aspx Newest Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047777/workforce-ecosystems/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizaltman Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizaltman

Thales Teixeira the co-founder of digital disruption consultancy Decoupling (Decoupling.co), and previously the Lumry Family Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where he taught for 10 years. There he has taught MBA, doctoral and executive-level courses in Marketing Models, Digital Marketing and E-commerce. His two primary domains of research constitute Digital Disruption and The Economics of Attention. He is the author of dozens of articles published in trade press outlets such as The Harvard Business Review, The McKinsey Quarterly, Think with Google, and in academic journals such as Marketing Science, JMR, JM, and JAR. His research and opinions have been routinely featured in The NY Times, The Financial Times, among others. In his most recent book, Unlocking the Customer Value Chain: How Decoupling Drives Consumer Disruption, he dives into his concept of decoupling—the idea that what drives disruption is not technology or new innovations, but the ability to identify and create solutions in the links along the customer value chain. We dig into this concept in its implications in this episode, including: In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:52—Introducing Thales + The topic of today’s episode 2:41—If you really know me, you know that... 2:29—What is your definition of strategy? 6:55—Could you share your definition of disruption with us? 8:09—Could you explain how your work led you to one of your most central principles of decoupling? 12:03—What exactly constitutes the customer value chain, and how is it different than the customer journey? 14:24—Could you share an example of a company that has decoupled and disrupted a customer value chain? 16:27—Could we dive into how Best Buy effectively decoupled their service offering? 18:05—How did Airbnb target a narrow type of customer in a value chain to start their business? 22:30—What should an incumbent do in these decoupling instances, and what do they get wrong? 26:23—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? 24:23—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Decoupling United Company Page: https://www.decoupling.co/about Newest Book: https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Customer-Value-Chain-Decoupling-ebook/dp/B07D6BD87K?ref_=ast_author_mpb Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thales-teixeira-391587 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThalesHBS

Marc Beckman is the Co-Founder and CEO of DMA United, the award-winning advertising agency positioned at the center of style and design. His philosophy concentrates on building equity at the intersection of content and commerce. In fact, Marc has designed and implemented creative campaigns for countless individuals and corporations within DMA United’s polycultural platform, including venerable brands such as NBA, Pepsi, Sony, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Nelson Mandela, Gucci, and MoMA. Marc embraces new technology and trends to augment marketing platforms and communications tactics. To date, he has leveraged blockchain technology to launch platforms for over sixty brands; and has created seven marketplaces in Web3 for clients. Mr. Beckman’s cross-sector blockchain approach includes programs in luxury, fashion, government, technology, academics, philanthropy, and beauty. He is the author of The Comprehensive Guide: NFTs, Digital Artwork, Blockchain Technology. The book has received many accolades, including receiving best-seller status, and inclusion on JP Morgan’s Reading List. Marc is New York University’s Metaverse Senior Fellow, an Adjunct Professor in Marketing, and Chairman of Stern’s Luxury & Fashion Council. Further, Marc is developing legal policy and best practices for Web3 and other emerging technologies as Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Web3 Task Force. In this episode, he shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 01:09—Introducing Marc + The topic of today’s episode 3:20—If you really know me, you know that... 4:33—What is your definition of strategy? 5:43—You came into your role from a legal background—can you explain this pathway? 7:15—Can you give us a sense of what your agency does, and how technology is a fundamental role of this? 10:12—Could you define what the metaverse is for you and your agency? 12:16—Could you talk us through how these new opportunities offer the chance to revamp brand loyalty programs? 15:27—How do you believe the perception of digital assets varies from generation to generation? 18:58—Could you talk to us about Travis Scott and his revenue-generating digital concert? 20:52—Could you tell us about the difference between decentralized, on-chain/off-chain verticals? 22:29—Should companies be worrying about getting into these digital opportunities now, or are they already behind if they are not? 24:23—How can people follow you and connect with you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: DMA United Company Page: https://adobe.ly/39UWLYV IMD Faculty Page: https://www.imd.org/faculty/professors/mohan-subramaniam/ Newest Book: https://www.amazon.com/author/beckman Personal Page: https://indd.adobe.com/view/8480e6ff-4733-438a-be3d-89b3ee52e929 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbeckman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcBeckman

Linda Yates is the founder and CEO of Mach49, the growth incubator for global businesses with clients including Goodyear, Gundersen Health, Hitachi, Intel, Pernod Ricard, Schneider Electric, Shell, and many more. She is a seasoned CEO and board member with over thirty years of experience bridging Silicon Valley and the Global 1000, creating global strategy, building companies, and driving innovation for large multinationals worldwide, and the author The Unicorn Within: How Companies Can Create Game-Changing Ventures at Startup Speed. She is a seasoned CEO and board member with over thirty years of experience bridging Silicon Valley and the Global 1000. With her firsthand e experience in one largest geographic incubators of unicorns in the world—Silicon Valley—Linda has fine-tuned a proven framework for building and sustaining corporate ventures. As heard in the highlight clip, Linda believes that incumbent enterprises CAN unlock their innovative capabilities. Contrary to commonly held dogma of large, established companies as being stagnant, and slow, the reality is that it is these large companies have many advantages to launch transformative projects that start-ups can only dream of. In this episode, she shares: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:46—Introducing Linda + The topic of today’s episode 2:48—If you really know me, you know that... 3:49—What is your definition of strategy, and what got you interested in it? 8:29—What are your thoughts on the idea that incumbent companies are too slow, too archaic? 9:00—Could you talk us through the four pillars that companies need to build their growth engines? 12:15—How do you overcome the reticence of companies to invest in new riskier investments and be willing to invest in new ventures? 13:20—Could you lead us through how to really get to the heart of understanding customer pain? 17:50—Could you talk to us about the need to understand customers' perspectives, and what we overlook around this topic? 19:55—How do you go about conducting customer development interviews? 23:10—Can you lead us through building a portfolio of opportunities in the pipeline? 17:09—Do you have any advice to which pathway should a company commit to? 29:40—How can people follow you and keep learning from you? __________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: Mach 49 Page: https://www.mach49.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-yates-19550249 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindakyates