Best of MBS

Dr. Lisette Nieves is an experienced social entrepreneur, a leader in the world of education and a clinical professor at NYU, where she teaches education leadership and policy. See how she helps people learn, develop their potential and spark something new.

Bonnie St. John was the first African American to win medals in a winter Olympic competition, a Rhodes Scholar, and served in the White House as a Director of the National Economic Council. Today, Bonnie travels the globe as a keynote speaker, Fortune 500 leadership expert, and bestselling author. In our conversation we dive into the principles, strategies and tactics of micro-resilience; explore how someone from San Diego ends up winning skiing medals; look into the power of what happens in between the moments of performance; and how to stay focused on “the next turn”, whatever that may be for you.

The Simplicity Survival Handbook, I got the opposite: a book that is practical, easy to read and focused at the heart of what matters. It’s worth picking up even if it’s just for the tip on how to delete 75% of your emails. In this interview Bill and I tackle why editing is a critical skill in today’s world, how to use a courage-a-meter, why 1440 is the most important number you need to know … and advice on who should mentor you. If you are looking for tips on how to simplify your life and focus on your true purpose, this interview is for you. https://www.mbs.works/

Rita McGrath is a popular speaker, an author and a long time faculty member at Columbia Business School. She's been on the Thinkers 50 ranking for global management thinkers for more than a decade, and recently was ranked the number one thinker in strategy. In our conversation we look at the temptations and delusions of certainty; the power of Discovery Driven Planning; how to work back from the future; and why intelligent failure is a critical component of success.

Jim Knight, president of the Instructional Coaching Group, has spent more than a decade studying instructional coaching. He’s changed the way teachers teach, and significantly improved the way students learn.In this conversation, Jim and I discuss: Why simplicity is the key to going viral and spreading ideas. Which “this is broken” moment changed Jim’s approach to teaching. The importance of “selective incompetence.” How instructional coaching positions the teacher as a partner. The key principles of partnership, and the difference between “dialogical coaching” and “facilitative coaching.” RESOURCES Visit Jim’s website at instructionalcoaching.com. Read his blog at radicallearners.com.

Marshall Goldsmith has been acclaimed by many organizations and institutions as one of the great thinkers and coaches in business and in HR. His 2007 book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There was a New York Times bestseller and the Wall Street Journal’s number one business book in 2007, and Marshall’s recent book Succession looks like it will have the same level of success. I’m constantly struck by his generosity of spirit as well as his wisdom, and Marshall demonstrates both in this interview.

If we’re going to get through this, we need to manage conflict as best we can. That’s why it’s so important to listen to Liane Davey. She is an organizational psychologist who advises leaders on both strategy and team effectiveness. In our conversation we talk about why we’re biologically wired to avoid conflict (see, it isn’t just me!); the price we pay for accumulating “conflict debt”; the delusion of “picking your battles”; when sweating palms can be helpful; and how to best harness the power of validation and reciprocity.

Chris Ducker is a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author. He's also launched and grown three businesses that house over 400 full-time employees, internationally. In this interview, Chris explains the connection between being a Youpreneur and who you are, how you're working, how you want to work, and who you want to work with.

Rita was a twenty-five year old veteran at Southwest Airlines, a two-time recipient of The President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement, and in her final role at Southwest Airlines she served as director of The University for People. SWA is of course a beacon in the world of Great Work and Rita shares insights from her time there in this interview. Meantime, she continues to be heavily involved with the American Society of Training and Development, while heading her own consultancy, QVF Partners, a consulting firm committed to helping organizations create people-focused cultures. Rita is also author of Destination Profit, which makes a strong correlation between the power of employee engagement and organizations becoming more profitable.

Few people have an established model of resilience, based on empirical evidence and tested in both the business and academic worlds. Dr Taryn Marie Stejskal is the unicorn. In this episode we get into what’s wrong with bouncing back; the five practices of resilient people; the distinction between choice and control; how Kevin Bacon may have shot himself in the foot; why the mindset “everything happens for a reason” drives us both crazy … and just what it means to over-egg a pudding.