Outthinkers

JP Pawliw-Fry, a world-renowned keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling author, shares insights from his work with elite teams like the Navy SEALs. He discusses how pressure can actually hinder performance, debunking the myth that we thrive under stress. JP introduces the '8% gap,' revealing how people often falter when facing high-stakes situations. He emphasizes the importance of nurturing a courageous team culture, where open communication and smart risk-taking lead to exceptional performance and growth.

Oscar Munoz, is the former CEO and Chairman of United Airlines. Oscar has led an accomplished career, spanning senior financial positions at Coca-Cola, Pepsico, AT&T, and US West. He also served as President and COO of North American rail-based transportation giant CSX Corp. He is also an independent trustee for Fidelity and a CNBC Contributor. A first-generation college graduate with degrees from the University of Southern California and Pepperdine, he was twice honored by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of its ‘100 Most Influential Hispanics’, honoring his journey as an immigrant who is the first person of Hispanic heritage to run a U.S. airline.  In this conversation, we get to glean Oscar’s incredible insights from his Wall Street Journal best-selling memoir, Turnaround Time: Uniting an Airline and its Employees in the Friendly Skies. Having joined United, he had quite a task ahead of him, uniting the very fragmented workforce the airline faced at the time.  At the core of this immense turnaround was Oscar’s steadfast belief, that employees are as important as customers and shareholders in ensuring a business succeeds. In this podcast we discuss: His journey throughout his career that brought him to United, and the insightful takeaways on leadership he gleaned along the way  His human-first approach in taking over the reins, which put each and every employee at the core of United transformation The Core4 policy that emphasizes each employee operate by the four pillars of safe, caring, dependable and efficient, emphasizing the human part of customer service over business objectives _______________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode01:14—Introducing Oscar+ the topic of today’s episode04:45—If you really know me, you know that...05:52— How Oscar's core values were shaped 07:32—What is your definition of strategy13:11—Oscar gives insights into how he became CEO of United19:22— Oscar steps into the CEO role 24:12— Economic factors shaping airline strategy 26:58—The Core4 policy as a strategy for growth 35:12— Bottom-up leadership: building a company from the employee level  38:10—How can people follow you and continue learning from you? _______________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources:Personal website: oscar-munoz.com Link to book: Turnaround Time Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/oscarmunozua Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscarmunoz Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

David Edelman, a Harvard Business School Fellow and Executive Advisor at BCG, dives into the transformative power of personalization in today's market. He explores how personalization has evolved beyond marketing to create genuine value for customers, driven by data and AI. Edelman introduces five key promises businesses must embrace for success. He highlights the significance of ethical data use and collaborative ecosystems. Additionally, he shares insights on measuring effectiveness with a custom Personalization index, emphasizing its link to financial success.

Rebecca Homkes, a high-growth strategy expert and CEO, shares insights on her 'Survive, Reset, Thrive' framework, emphasizing adaptability in today’s volatile markets. She discusses how companies can view growth as a loop rather than a line, embedding continuous learning into their strategies. Rebecca highlights the importance of psychological safety in decision-making, especially as businesses navigate AI advancements. She also explores the concept of learning velocity as a key competitive advantage for sustainable success.

William Duggan, a strategy and innovation lecturer at Columbia Business School and author of 'Corporate Innovator: A Guide Through the Labyrinth,' shares key insights on employee-driven innovation. He explores the neurological basis of creativity and how organizations unintentionally create barriers for innovators. Duggan uses the labyrinth metaphor to highlight the importance of support systems within corporate hierarchies. He also lays out practical strategies for individuals to navigate obstacles, fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration.

Frederik Pferdt, Google's first Chief Innovation Evangelist, dives into cultivating a future-ready mindset. He emphasizes that the future is ours to create, not just predict. Listeners learn about six dimensions that foster an innovative outlook. Frederik discusses powerful psychological techniques like positivity and gratitude that elevate team dynamics and morale. He also reflects on the balance of routines and new experiences, highlighting how proactive imagination intertwines with action to shape our collective future.

Brian Evergreen, an author known for his insights on transforming organizations in the AI era, shares profound wisdom from his experience at major firms like Amazon and Microsoft. He breaks down the concepts of transformation, reformation, and creation, emphasizing the importance of human reasoning in business strategy. His 'reason-driven framework' advocates for innovative thinking over purely data-driven approaches. Evergreen also highlights how lessons from chess can enhance strategic decision-making amid uncertainty, making a compelling case for autonomous transformation.

Cristina Alaimo, an Assistant Professor of Digital Economy and Society at Guido Carli University in Rome, explores the profound influence of data on modern strategy. She uncovers its historical roots, tracing back to ancient clay tokens and how data has shaped our identities long before the tech boom. Alaimo delves into the evolution of business ecosystems, illustrating the need for leaders to adapt to new data-driven opportunities. The discussion challenges traditional views, urging a social science perspective on data's implications for society.

In this engaging discussion, Stephan Meier, Chair of the Management Division at Columbia Business School, champions the concept of employee-centricity as a key to competitive advantage. He argues that happy employees lead to better performance and profitability. Discover how frameworks for customer-centricity can enhance the employee experience. Meier reveals the four crucial motivators beyond pay that significantly impact workplace dynamics. He also explores the double-edged sword of technology in optimizing employee engagement.

The world has undergone a transformation in the past century, as the industrial revolution turned many luxuries into everyday commodities. Then, at the turn of the century, the advent of the internet compounded this supply and demand shift. Now, we are entering yet again a new era as we see technology once again propel us into a new radical shift we call: Proximity.  Full disclosure, in this episode, we follow a different format to present the findings a book I co-authored with Rob Wolcott, cofounder and chair of The World Innovation Network (TWIN Global). He came up with the idea years ago. He I spent the last three years compiling research and case studies on the topic into our recently released book: Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life. In this discussion, Rob and I are honored to be joined by guest host Stuart Crainer, co-founder of Thinkers50, the definitive listing of the world's top 50 management thinkers. Rob is the cofounder and chair of The World Innovation Network (TWIN Global) and adjunct professor of innovation at the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago. Together, we lay out the key discoveries Rob and I made as we interviewed innovators, business leaders, and other experts seeking to piece together the facets of the concept of proximity: the idea that digital technologies are pushing the production and provision of value ever closer to the moment of demand in time and space.What we discovered is a monumental shift in how businesses approach value creation. Rather than following the typical value creation chain that has so long prevailed the concept of business and industries, businesses are now meeting customers by creating value at the moment it is needed. Not just when they need but actually where they need it.The implications of this shift with change most, maybe every, area of life: the way we work, eat, heal, produce, power, defend, explore space. And the implications for businesses are profound as well, and we share what leaders need to know and act on now if they want to stay ahead of this curve that will likely upend every business industry as we know it. We hope you enjoy this special episode of Outthinkers.__________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode0:33—Introducing the topic of today’s episode4:25—If you really know me, you know that...5:41—What's your definition of strategy?6:36— What is Proximity? Unpacking the core concept 11:31— Praise for Procrastination: The counterintuitive logic of proximity 14:38—The Proximity revolution: Real-world examples and implications 17:20—How well is the Proximity concept understood in the business world 20:40—Proximity and AI 25:01— Overcoming obstacles 26:27— Proximity pioneers: Organizations leading the way 31:40— Just-in-time reimagined 32:46— Sustainability and Proximity  36:04—Projecting proximity's timeline 38:40—Optimism and caution in the proximity era Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast