Master the Future with Less Fear and More Confidence.

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence.

Thought Sparks Articles are regularly published on LinkedIn, Substack, Medium, and the Rita McGrath Group website. 

New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every Tuesday at 11am Eastern, wherever you get your podcasts.

Thought Sparks Articles

Where do you go to cut through the noise and develop real insights? The Thought Sparks article series covers the latest in strategy and innovation thinking: taking a strategic lens to business headlines, shedding light on the weak signals that tell of a brewing inflection point, and insights from the top conferences, business schools, and corporate settings.

Featuring new authorship as well as reproductions from Rita’s column in Fast Company, and other prominent publications.

When A Tugboat Steers Us Toward A Golden Age

Apr 6, 2026

A sneak peek into this week's Thought Sparks episode, featuring Dave Whorton.

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Your Human Magic: A Conversation with Johan Roos

Apr 2, 2026

I’ve known Johan Roos for close to thirty years.

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A Public Service Offering for Those Lacking Fluency in Corporate-Speak and Jargon

Apr 1, 2026

A primer in the jargon of press releases and strategy theater.

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Sneak Peek: This Week’s Thought Sparks Podcast — Johan Roos on Human Magic

Mar 30, 2026

Dropping Tuesday, March 31 — but you’re getting this first.

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Is the AI Era the Beginning of The End of VC as We Know It?

Mar 26, 2026

Content originally published by Fast Company

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Thought Sparks Podcast

The Thought Sparks Podcast welcomes world-class thinkers, authors, executives, researchers, and practitioners  to explore the questions that matter most to leaders navigating uncertainty, transformation, and change. Topics have ranged from strategic foresight and inflection points to organizational reinvention, leadership in turbulent times, and what it means to build enduring competitive advantage.

New episodes are released every Tuesday at 11 am ET, anywhere you get your podcasts.

Rita McGrath interviews Sangeet Choudary

Mar 17, 2026

Sangeet Choudary explores how AI transforms competitive strategy through systems thinking rather than traditional frameworks. Using the Maginot Line metaphor, he argues companies often build elegant solutions to obsolete problems. […]

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Rita McGrath interviews Christian Marcolli

Mar 10, 2026

Christian Marcolli shares insights from his book “Winning Match,” exploring how high-performance athletic coaching translates to business leadership. Drawing from his career-ending soccer injury and subsequent work with elite athletes […]

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Rita McGrath interviews Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Mar 3, 2026

Psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic challenges the authenticity movement, arguing that being yourself can be career-limiting. Success requires adapting behavior strategically. His book “Don’t Be Yourself” uses psychological research to show that […]

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Rita McGrath interviews Jose Marcilla

Feb 24, 2026

Jose Marcilla, Novartis executive and author of “Unlimited Leadership,” shares insights from 25 years leading teams across five countries. He advocates for humanistic leadership grounded in empathy, authenticity, and continuous […]

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Rita McGrath interviews Geoff Tuff & Steven Goldbach

Feb 17, 2026

Geoff Tuff and Steven Goldbach argue organizations must “detonate” legacy playbooks before inflection points force obsolescence. Their framework challenges conventional strategy—advocating for proactive self-disruption, treating change as continuous rather than […]

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Get to know Rita McGrath—professor at Columbia Business School, keynote speaker, best-selling author, and thought leader in strategy, innovation, and digital transformation.