Events

Tony Ulwick, Author and founder of the consultancy Strategyn is well known as one of the creators, with Clayton Christensen and the gang at Innosight, of the jobs-to-be-done theory of customer understanding. His book "Jobs to be done: Theory to Practice" is a super-useful guide to making this important idea come to life in your […]

Do you ever wonder why some social shifts seem to 'stick' while others, despite a lot of light and heat, never get off the ground? Why policies that are broadly popular never seem to be enacted because of small groups of passionate opponents? Well, join me this Friday for a chat with Leslie Crutchfield, whose […]

Ram Charan was a management guru before the category was well and truly invented! A friend, mentor and longtime collaborator, Ram's work with CEO's and leaders has had an outsize impact on the global economy. Despite a frenetic travel schedule, he's written at least 27 books that I could track down, including the bestselling "Execution" […]

It takes someone special to be a thought leader amidst all the brainpower at the BCG Henderson Institute, and Martin Reeves is just that special. I've enjoyed collaborating with him over many years, and was tickled that he listed the transient advantage approach as a new strategy idea in his book "Your Strategy Needs a […]

It is seldom that a management book could be described as "delightful." But, I'm thrilled that David Duncan's new book "The Secret Lives of Customers" is exactly that. It's a detective story with a hero who is a data detective, clues to solving the customer behavior challenge and a terrific (and very user friendly) introduction […]

George Stalk is a legend in the field of strategy. He was called a "Johnny Appleseed" at respected strategy consultancy BCG, invented a concept called time-based competition and has introduced many other ideas that have fundamentally shaped the field. He's had a huge influence on my thinking and I'm thrilled that he will be joining […]

And now for something completely different! I first learned about category-defying artist Dessa from her brilliant Hamilton-style rap song in honor of Janet Yellen, the first female secretary of the Treasury. She's a singer, songwriter, author, speaker and just all-around fascinating person and I'm really looking forward to sharing an hour learning about her world. […]

Something we don't do enough when looking for answers for big, hairy social problems is find places where solutions are actually working and see how we might benefit from their success. David Bornstein's "Fixes" column in the New York Times is a shining exception. He finds novel and unusual ways in which social problems can […]

Recent events from the COVID-19 pandemic to the killing of George Floyd have sparked social justice movements around the world and have placed diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront in politics, classrooms, and corporations. Financial institutions too are taking part as keen investors increasingly turn their attention to the “Social” aspects of Environmental, Social […]

Jayshree Seth, Ph.D., is a corporate scientist and chief science advocate for 3M Company, where she has worked for over 27 years to advance science and develop new technologies and environmentally sustainable industrial products. She has over 70 patents to her name (with more on the way), received the incredibly prestigious Society for Women Engineers […]

When I learned that Rob Siegel had been the lead researcher for Andy Grove's book "Only the Paranoid Survive," I knew I just had to meet him! Today, he is a lecturer in management at Stanford, is a partner in a venture investment fund, sits on a bunch of boards and is generally very plugged […]

Quick: When I say "tax guy" at a Big Four accounting firm, my guess is your pulse doesn't start to quicken. But in the case of Jeff Saviano, you'll find a delightful departure from that stereotype. Jeff hosts a podcast called "Better Innovation," is the EY Tax Innovation Leader for the firm and has just […]

The thing about inflection points is that steady-state is not an option. You’re either going to seize the moment and thrive or miss it and suffer a setback. The good news is that using the tools built for high-uncertainty environments, you can move forward into the future with more confidence. Rita McGrath will share her […]

I first met Zachary Karabell when he was enrolled in my Columbia Executive Education program "Leading Strategic Growth and Change" and he made a big impression on me all those years ago. I'm delighted to catch up with him to talk about his rich collection of activities - he has a brand new book out […]

Zoe Chance graduated from a massively successful corporate career to doing groundbreaking research to teaching a hugely popular elective at Yale called Mastering Influence and Persuasion, aka "Doing Uncomfortable Things That Make You a Better Person.” She's a TED speaker, consults with major companies and has a new book coming out in 2022, "Influence for […]

We think of unusual events as rare - but as my Friday Fireside Chat guest, Jonathan Brill, points out, they may be rare individually, but when they accumulate, the chance of their creating a catastrophic inflection point increases. Indeed, his research finds that most firms in the US have faced four significant calamities every year! […]

John Hagel was seeing around the corners of the business world long ago. He's well known for his work presented in 7 books on business, digitization and what he's learned as the director of the Deloitte Center for the edge. He's moving on from that role, and in this chat we'll be talking about his […]

Sarah Stein Greenberg has been a fixture at Stanford's famous "d.school" since 2010, and is currently its Executive Director. When the design movement swept across the product landscape, led by thinkers such as David M. Kelley, a co-founder of IDEO, the d.school was where many of its most important advocates and evangelists called home. Greenberg […]

Peter Cappelli and I go back a long way and I can't wait to get caught up with him in this Friday Fireside Chat. Cappelli was one of my professors at Wharton and had a huge influence on the way I think about talent and people strategies. He's a high-impact scholar who looks at questions […]

If you could pick someone to lead you through an intelligent conversation about the new world of work, you couldn't do better than to consult with Jennifer Moss. Author of the forthcoming HBR Press book "The Burnout Academic," Jennifer has written a best business book of the year, won awards for her success as an […]

Leading Strategic Growth and Change (Live Online) is a five-day virtual program focused on the process of finding opportunities, launching new ventures, and leading necessary organizational changes to revitalize and transform an organization in times of uncertainty. Participants will learn how to thrive in rapidly changing and highly uncertain environments and will be able to […]

Everybody Wants To Rule the World. When R "Ray" Wang says it, he isn't just channeling a popular musical line, he really means it. In his view, digital giants are pulling further and further ahead of the rest of us and will eventually reshape our economic future into one of extreme capitalism. He anticipates we […]

I promised Harvard Professor and expert on equality and inclusion Robert Livingston that I would read his book "The Conversation" before he joined me for a Friday Fireside Chat. I did, and am ever so glad. He takes us through a journey centered on three questions: What is racism? Why should everyone care? What can […]

Liz Wiseman changed the way we think about high performing organizations with her groundbreaking book "Multipliers." She found that, despite the best of intentions, some leaders diminish the creativity and impact of their teams while others multiply those same attributes. The performance effects are astonishing! Now, she has a new book on the brink. "Impact […]

Ron Adner and I have been intellectual sparring partners and friends for a very long time. He's just come out with a terrific new book, "Winning the Right Game" which tackles head on the strategic challenge executives confront when the ecosystems they compete in are disrupted. The problems start, as Adner explains, when strategists choose […]

Marcus Eriksen made a huge impression on me when I first met him. He is an environmental scientist, educator and author as part of his day job. On the side, he's built rafts out of junk, floated down the Mississippi river for days on said raft, writes books about his adventures and advocates for the […]

Chris Ategeka is an opportunity / talent catalyst, a successful entrepreneur, a TED talker and a Ugandan orphan, among many other things. His accolades go on for pages! He came to my attention for his work on the unintended consequences of technology, which he is addressing through an unusual startup funding model. We'll be talking […]