Thought Sparks

Erin Meyer's ideas have been fundamental to our understanding of how cultures work.  Her first book, "The Culture Map" is used by organizations all over the world to help them communicate better, adapt their corporate cultures to local environments and understand seemingly inexplicable behavior on the parts of their global teammates.  I was thrilled, then, that Erin teamed up with Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, to examine and document the extraordinary culture of freedom and responsibility at Netflix.  Hastings first reached out to her to get support for the Netflix international expansion in an email with the obscure subject line "Peace Corps."  It turns out that they had both been in the Peace Corps, though at different times.  Since their initial contact, the introduction grew into a full-scale collaboration in which the Netflix ambition to increase talent density led it to abandon rules, processes and procedures and give its people extraordinary degrees of freedom.  Tune in to this #FridayFiresideChat to learn about the story, how it might apply to you and lessons learned from one of the most extraordinary companies of our time.Thought Sparks with Rita McGrath

Why bureaucracy is the enemy of so much innovative, human-led creativity and what to do about it.  Gary Hamel, co-author of the new book "Humanocracy" and I touch on his body of work in general, which has had a huge influence on me, but more recently his efforts to create a framework for real organizational change.  This full #FridayFiresideChat is chock a block with insights from one of the most well known management thinkers and writers.

What an absolute pleasure to spend an hour with my good friend and innovation thought leader Geoffrey Moore.  In this #FridayFiresideChat, we discuss the arc of his breakthrough work.  He's influenced generations of innovators both in the world of tech startups and in large organizations trying to become more agile and innovative themselves.  His most recent book, "Zone to Win" is designed to help leaders address the paralyzing resource allocation challenges they face when they have to pull resources out of a successful operating business to fund a new growth business which might not show results for two or three years.  We didn't just talk about the past, though.  We speculated on what kind of path companies might be taking going forward, including the very interesting idea that we could be looking at a "Y" shaped recovery, where some sectors (food, healthcare, infrastructure) pick up very rapidly while others (travel, hospitality, tourism) go along an entirely different path.  Knowing your customers' trajectory could shape the most appropriate strategy for that going forward.  Have a listen!

Herminia Ibarra just recently published a super-timely Harvard Business review article on the topic of "leader as coach", in which she explores the skills that are so sorely needed to create higher levels of organizational capability.  Most of the executives she works with, unfortunately, think they are much better coaches than they actually are!  In this far-ranging #FridayFiresideChat, she and I reflect on how the concept of leadership has evolved, what we need to know now and how her book "Act Like a Leader:  Think Like a Leader" has moved individuals forward.

Talking to Jeffrey Pfeffer is always a gift, and this #FridayFiresideChat does not disappoint!  We discuss the ideas in his recent book "Dying For a Paycheck" among which are that while physical workplace safety issues have largely been addressed, the invisible toll on workers' mental health has not. One of Jeff's interesting ideas is that a company's benefits managers could tell you - if you wanted to know - which parts of your organization are using the most sleeping pills and anti-depressants, and use that as an input to decisions about who gets to become - and stay - a leader. We also talk about the dangers of externalizing costs with employers putting the burden on society for things like health care and retirement benefits.  We also discuss some of his ideas about power, and that if you want to advance you need to build relationships with people who can help you do that. Not people you like. Not people you respect, necessarily. Quite a bit of the conversation is very relevant to women leaders and how they might get ahead. We wrap up on why we so often substitute talk for action and what you can do about that.  There's much more - have a listen!

In his new book "Conscious Leadership" Whole Foods Market Co-Founder and CEO John Mackey takes us through his journey as the leader of a company that changed what we expect from our grocery stores.  From the opening story in the book - in which he came close to being ousted in a corporate coup - to the later discussions of fending off an activist investor before orchestrating a merger with Amazon - the story is endlessly fascinating.  Have a look, buy the book - it will prompt you to think differently about your own leadership journey.

Capitalism, by many accounts, is committing "slow suicide."  It was a thrill, therefore to be joined by Rebecca Henderson, professor at Harvard Business School and a dear friend to talk about her new book, "Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire."  In this wide-ranging #Fridayfiresidechat, we discuss the urgent need for all of us to rethink assumptions in a capitalist world gone completely out of balance.  A small example - we don't price environmental and health impacts into our market-based models, so the pricing mechanism doesn't account for those.  The hour just flew by!  Do have a listen and get your hands on a copy of Rebecca's book for a deeper dive.

My #FridayFiresideChat guest Sylvia Acevedo has had an astonishing career. From a childhood in a neighborhood with dirt roads and few opportunities to a full-scholarship education to NASA, Stanford and beyond, this tech executive never looked back at her "Path to the Stars" as her book is called.  We chat about the challenges of overcoming setbacks, the unexpected twists lives and careers can take and about what she learned during her time as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. During her time there, she created STEM badges, figured out how to get girls interested in subjects that solved problems in a technical way, and ... a big challenge - revamped the cookie program!  I learned a ton, and you will too.

We need good jobs and we can have them! My dear friend and @MIT Professor Zeynep Ton joined me in a #FridayFiresideChat, to talk about the Good Jobs Strategy.  Her pathbreaking book presented her research that showed that successful operations, combined with good jobs, can allow firms to outperform, even in historically low-margin sectors such as retail.  She shared the results of a Brookings Institute study that showed we have a horrible bad jobs problem in the United States - 53 million U.S. employees work at jobs that pay $17,950 a year.  In contrast, a firm such as Costco can offer a $23 hourly wage and still out-compete its rivals.  The steps to creating a good jobs strategy? 1) simplify and focus; 2) standardize and empower; 3) cross-training and 4) provide for more hours of labor than the expected demand to cover peaks and dips.  Zeynep has started the Good Jobs Institute to give these ideas a home - see goodjobsinstitute.org.  We both fervently hope that as we rebuild after COVID-19 that we will do so based on good jobs.

Have you fallen off a humor cliff in which every day is full of spreadsheets, powerpoints and meetings and each one seems a little less fun than the one before?  If so, I have just the antidote for you.  It's Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas' wonderful new book, "Humor, Seriously" now available for pre-order (with goodies) prior to its February 3 US publication date.  Just in time for the holidays!  Just sayin.  In this not-#FridayFiresideChat we probably have a lot more fun than is strictly allowed talking about humor that works, how to weave it into your life at work and the -- serious -- mental health, physical health and community health benefits of embracing the funnier side of things.