Explore every episode of the podcast Lancefield on the Line
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Niko and David: The power of strategy in everyday life
10 Dec 2025
00:56:32
What if the most powerful strategy you ever create isn’t for a business, but for your own life?
In this conversation, I turn the microphone on myself as strategist and author Niko Canner interviews me about how to bring strategic thinking into everyday choices.
We explore why busyness can be the enemy of purpose and how small, deliberate moves made moment by moment unlock greater agency and performance. I share how a personal family crisis forced me to reclaim control of my time, energy and focus, and how those lessons now shape the way I coach leaders and design my own days.
You’ll hear how to connect long-term aspirations with the micro-moments that define each day, creating a strategy that is both intentional and flexible. Niko and I also examine how individual strategic habits ripple out to transform teams and entire organisations.
Listen in if you’re ready to stop living on autopilot and start making wiser choices at work, at home and everywhere in between.
“All progress begins with dissonance.” — Niko Canner
You’ll hear about
· Strategy beyond the boardroom
· Daily choices that drive performance
· Coaching story of reclaiming the day
· Mindfulness, agency and coherent moves
· Setting life-long strategic aspirations
· Turning crisis into intentional living
· Five-chapter arc of strategic change
· Acting strategically in any moment
About Niko:
Niko founded Incandescent in 2013. He serves as a thought partner to leaders of large enterprises on strategy, organization and innovation; advising founders on the development of their ventures; and partnering with foundations and non-profits engaged in systems change.
Previously Niko co-founded the consulting firm Katzenbach Partners, Senior Partner at Booz & Company following the sale of Katzenbach to Booz in 2009 and a member of the Management Committee of Bridgewater Associates.
Niko chairs the boards of Skreens, a SaaS cloud-based visual engine that enables users to build personalized experiences on any display, and Catchafire, a platform for skills-based volunteering.
What does it take to push yourself to the absolute limit and keep going for a cause bigger than yourself?
Imagine you’re cycling 3,000 miles in 12 days on no more than 2 hours sleep a day. You feel exhausted, with nothing left to give, but important decisions need to be made to achieve your goal.
This was the reality for my guest in this episode, Kurt Matzler, one of the world’s most cited strategy professors and an elite ultra-endurance cyclist who has completed the Race Across America, often described as the toughest race in the world.
We dive into how Kurt blends his expertise in strategy with the demands of ultra-cycling: from meticulous planning and team building to the mental resilience needed to ride for 22 hours a day across deserts and mountain ranges.
It’s a conversation that will inspire you to think bigger, plan smarter, and persist longer. And perhaps, to take on a challenge you once thought impossible.
“Be willing to do everything that is needed to achieve your big goal” – Kurt Matzler
You’ll hear about:
Race Across America: the world’s longest bike race
The role of purpose in endurance challenges
Balancing training with work and family
Building mental toughness before the race
The power of delegating decisions to a team
Lessons from setbacks and resilience
Creating a high-performance support crew
Why strategy means saying no
Turning big goals into smaller milestones
The impact Kurt wants to have on the world
About Kurt Matzler:
Kurt is professor of Strategic Management at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. According to Brightline Initiative he is one of the best strategic thinkers in the world. He is academic director of the Executive MBA program at MCI in Innsbruck and partner of IMP, an international consulting firm, the winner of the hidden champions in consulting in the field of disruption in Germany. Kurt is author of more than 300 academic papers and several books. He is co-author of the German edition of the Innovator’s dilemma, one of the six most important management books overall (Economist). He is author of The High Performance Mindset (2023, among the 10 best business books of 2023, Forbes), co-author of "Open Strategy" (MIT Press, 2021, according to the Strategy+Business Magazine the best strategy book of 2021) and "Digital Disruption" (2016).
With more than 35,000 citations in Google Scholar and an H-Index of 82, Kurt belongs to the top 20 strategy researchers in Europe and to the top 50 in the world. He is included in the John Ioannidis Stanford University’s database of the world’s top 2% of scientists in all disciplines. He is a passionate cyclist and a solo finisher of the Race Across America 2022 and 2025, Race Around Austria, Northcape4000 and Ultracycling World Champion 2024 (Master class). With his participation in RAAM, his Rotary team raised more than USD 4,500,000 to eradicate Polio.
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)
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Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation
For more details about me:
● Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
● About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
● Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
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Sandra Matz: The truth about your digital footprint
08 Jul 2025
00:38:32
Do you know what your digital footprint is?
We all know that overusing digital devices isn't good for us. But do we know the full extent of what we leave behind when we use our phones or laptops?
In this episode I am joined by Professor Sandra Matz to discuss the digital footprints we leave for companies and other individuals to use. Sandra talks about the misuse of digital footprints and the actions we can take to take back control of it.
We also explore what can be done to create regulation change in regard to the use of our data. A quite shocking but essential episode for all of us as we leave our digital trail in the world.
“Don’t stop at what’s legal. Think about what’s ethical.”– Sandra Matz
You'll hear about:
· Digital footprints encompassing both explicit identity claims and behavioural residue.
· How people are often unaware of the extent of their digital footprints.
· Ways machine learning can provide insights into mental health and behaviour.
· How data can be used ethically to improve individual well-being.
· Why data considerations must be ethical as well as legal.
· Federated learning can protect user data while still providing insights.
· Regulation being necessary to protect personal data.
· Why collective action is essential for meaningful change in data regulations.
About Sandra Matz:
As a computational social scientist with a background in psychology and computer science, Professor Sandra Matz studies human behaviour by uncovering the hidden relationships between our digital lives and our psychology. Her goal is to make data relatable, and help individuals and businesses make better and more ethical decisions.
Over the last 10 years, she has published over 50 academic papers in the world’s leading peer review journals, and her work has been frequently covered by many of the major news outlets. She lives in New York with her husband Moran Cerf and her son Ben Cerf.
• Profile: https://sandramatz.com/
• The book ‘Mindmasters’: https://www.mindmasters.ai/
Being competent, solid, committed isn't enough in extraordinary times - of ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty. Impact players do far more than these typical contributors. They:
1. Do the job that’s needed 2. Step up, step back 3. Finish stronger 4. Ask and adjust 5. Make work light
They have a healthy disregard for rules, although are savvy enough on how to garner support. Focusing their attention on what truly matters means they don't need to over-work. And they find ways to solve complex problems whilst others get flustered or ask for help. They're open to guidance, happy to share the limelight, and committed to serving others. They're remarkable people.
Liz Wiseman has studied these impact players from a wide range of organisations, understanding their mindests, habits, and practices. She shares the highlights of the book she's written on the subject, along with some fascinating stories of inspirational people.
Sign up to my Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
If you're not subscribed already and do subscribe to my youtube channel where you can watch the conversation. :
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn Twitter Personal website, which includes more examples of my work, the services I offer and testimonials from clients.
Ron Carucci: lead with the power of truth, justice and purpose
12 Jan 2022
00:39:52
Summary:
Look around you in the worlds of business and politics. Think of leaders and organisations you admire. Or those that disappoint you. How honest are they in their intentions, and actions? How purposeful are they?
In his book 'To Be Honest: Lead with the power of purpose, truth, and justice' Ron Carucci argues that these three elements are fundamental to an organisation's performance and positioning. He tackles how to eliminate the cultural conditions that prompt otherwise honest people to distort the truth and behave unfairly.
He shows that "When these factors are absent or ineffective, the organizational conditions compel employees to choose dishonesty and self-interest. But when done well, the organization is 16 times more likely to have people tell the truth, behave fairly and serve a greater good."
The book is based on fifteen years of research, and more than 3,000 interviews, mined for insights using IBM Watson. And it's packed full of riveting and remarkable stories from the world of business and beyond, including FARC terrorists in Columbia, the cave rescue in Thailand, the leadership of New Zealand during the pandemic, restorative justice from tribal rituals in the Congo, and how two companies – Patagonia and DuPont – took different approaches when they realized their products were poisoning people.
More on Ron:
Ron has a thirty-year track record helping executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization, and leadership — from start-ups to Fortune 10s, non-profits to heads-of-state, turn-arounds to new markets and strategies, overhauling leadership and culture to re-designing for growth. With experience in more than 25 countries on 4 continents, he helps organizations articulate strategies that lead to accelerated growth, and then designs programs to execute those strategies.
Sign up to my Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
If you're not subscribed already and do subscribe to my youtube channel where you can watch the conversation. :
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn Twitter Personal website, which includes more examples of my work, the services I offer and testimonials from clients.
Christian Stadler and Julia Hautz: Opening Up Strategy
08 Dec 2021
00:40:25
For too long, strategy has been conceived and designed behind closed doors, at the top table. For leaders to invite others to contribute is often seen as a sign of weakness, diminishing the leaders’ stature, authority, and control. However, the reality is that leaders often find it difficult to develop imaginative ideas on their own, shackled as they are by their conventional wisdom and groupthink. It's no wonder that many fail.
Opening up the strategy process through contests, crowdsourcing, communities generates better ideas, more realistic plans, and more effective execution than a traditional, closed approach. We shouldn’t confuse an open strategy process with a free-for-all. There are important nuances of when, how and by how much to open-up the process. Leaders must act forcefully (sometimes unilaterally) to frame the strategic question, choose whom to involve, establish the rules and incentives of engagement, select the platform for participation, and, ultimately, take the decisions.
Professors Christian Stadler and Julia Hautz, two of the four authors of the book ‘Open Strategy: Mastering Disruption outside the C-suite’, describe how to do open strategy skilfully and why it matters.
Sign up to my Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
If you're not subscribed already and do subscribe to my youtube channel where you can watch the conversation. :
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn Twitter Personal website, which includes more examples of my work, the services I offer and testimonials from clients.
Ruth Gotian: What we can learn from the super successful
02 Dec 2021
00:31:36
Think of your favourite role model, superstar, elite professional. It may be somebody who’s won a Nobel Prize, won an Olympic gold, or flown to the moon. What can you, we, learn from them? Surely they’re out of league, in a different stratosphere, literally in some cases? Not so, we can actually learn a lot. They share similar mindsets and practices that helped get them there.
When you hear the four elements you might think they’re common sense. And they are. But doing them, all of them, consistently, day in day out takes real dedication, and skill.
My guest, Dr. Ruth Gotian, has been studying these superstars for decades now, and has been taking her own medicine, becoming a recognised expert speaker, coach, educator, and now author of the book ‘Success Factor: developing the mindset and skillset for peak business performance’.
This episode is packed full of tips, lessons and anecdotes from Ruth. She’s an inspirational professional and person.
Sign up to my Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
If you're not subscribed already and do subscribe to my youtube channel where you can watch the conversation.
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn Twitter Personal website, which includes more examples of my work, the services I offer and testimonials from clients.
Paolo Gallo: Leading with clarity, care and coherence
01 Dec 2021
00:42:04
What do inspirational leaders do? How do they think? And how do they look after themselves?
They certainly have to be able to learn, and reinvent themselves. Build trust with others. They have to see the bigger picture whilst mastering the fine detail of their business. They have to be clear on what they stand for, and and take care of themselves so that they can perform at their best at critical moments.
The model of top-down, command-and-control leadership - still prevalent in many large organisations - doesn't work for employees, and stakeholders who want more empowerment, flexibility and care.
These are the themes I explore with Paolo Gallo, the author of the book the Compass and the Radar, an executive coach, speaker and Adjunct Professor.
Sign up to my Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
If you're not subscribed already and do subscribe to my youtube channel where you can watch the conversation. :
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn Twitter Personal website, which includes more examples of my work, the services I offer and testimonials from clients.
Amii Barnard-Bahn: How to enhance your promotability
24 Nov 2021
00:38:12
What does it take to promote yourself in the best possible way? And how do you do it in a non-obnoxious way?
Work on your self-awareness - explore your values, preferences and motivations. Get some insightful feedback (not forgetting your peers) on how you show up and understand what's valued by people who matter. Develop your executive presence, and your voice on topics that matter. And supercharge your strategic thinking.
These are the elements of the Promotability approach pioneered by Amii-Barnard Bahn.
Sign up to my Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
If you're not subscribed already and do subscribe to my youtube channel where you can watch the conversation. :
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn Twitter Personal website, which includes more examples of my work, the services I offer and testimonials from clients.
Margaret Heffernan: How to navigate a complex world to map the future
17 Nov 2021
00:42:00
In complex times we've come to expect the future to be predictable, as strange as that sounds. Seduced by an algorithm or the prediction of a confident economist we think less, become more anxious, and lose some of our creativity and imagination. We become passive and gullible, relying on simplifications or false determinism.
My guest in this episode is Margaret Heffernan, six-time book author, mentor and former CEO of three companies as well as a BBC producer. She argues that we must get comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity about the future, especially when facing complexity. And we need to be prepared to experiment, explore, and question.
To shape better futures for ourselves and the coming generations will require leaders to have a backbone — to care — and to have the courage to experiment, not rely slavishly on lessons from the past or promises for the future.
Her book 'Unchartered: how to map the future together' (including a synopsis).
Resources from me:
My review of Margaret's book for Strategy+Business.
Sign up to my newsletter Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox: http://bit.ly/36WRpri
If you're not subscribed already and would like to join this youtube channel you can do so here: http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn. https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP Twitter: https://bit.ly/36XavNI Personal website: http://bit.ly/3jA0MlN
Dan Cable: how to be exceptional through empowerment
08 Nov 2021
00:41:20
Summary:
If you’re an ambitious person, you’ll be working out what it takes to be exceptional at work (and everywhere). You’ll know that working super hard helps, but won’t be enough – and might eventually burn you out. Getting candid feedback on what you need to change is critical. It goes hand in hand with compassion, funnily enough.
You’ll want to strive for something far better than you have, in order to work out how far your strengths take you. Only that way you’ll know how to fill the gaps. Finding moments – for yourself and those around you – that activate the parts of your brain (your seeking systems) helps. And you’ll want a hand in shaping your career, team, organisation; after all, it’s pretty debilitating to be told what to do, or to copy somebody else’s work.
In this conversation Prof. Dan Cable shares his research on how to inspire exceptional performance at work.
More on Dan:
You can find out more about Dan here: https://dan-cable.com/
His latest book is called 'Exceptional': https://dan-cable.com/books/
He hosts a podcast called 'Squeezing the Orange from Social Science' with Akin Omobitan https://squeezingtheorange.podbean.com/
Resources from me:
Sign up to my newsletter Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox: http://bit.ly/36WRpri
If you're not subscribed already and would like to join this youtube channel you can do so here: http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn. https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP Twitter: https://bit.ly/36XavNI Personal website: http://bit.ly/3jA0MlN
Highlights of my work
Every Leader Has Flaws. Don’t Let Yours Derail Your Strategy (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/09/every-leader-has-flaws-dont-let-yours-derail-your-strategy
5 strategies to infuse diversity & inclusion into your organisation (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/05/5-strategies-to-infuse-di-into-your-organization
4 actions transformational leaders can take (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/05/4-actions-transformational-leaders-take
Four building blocks of transformation (S+B): https://www.strategy-business.com/article/The-Four-Building-Blocks-of-Transformation?gko=5a1aa
How to be a visionary leader and still have a personal life (HBR): https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-to-be-a-visionary-leader-and-still-have-a-personal-life
How to practise strategy in an uncertain world (Strategy+Business): http://bit.ly/2OaojhB
10 principles of strategic leadership (S+B): http://bit.ly/3q14kQm
How to reinvent your organisation in the middle of a crisis (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/02/how-to-reinvent-your-organization-in-the-middle-of-a-crisis
How to convince people that a crisis is also an opportunity (Forbes): https://www.forbes.com/sites/lbsbusinessstrategyreview/2020/04/28/how-to-convince-people-that-a-crisis-is-also-an-opportunity/?sh=441e32b830f8
Josie Thomson: how to manage your mind to make smart decisions
03 Nov 2021
00:39:42
How do you make difficult decisions under pressure? How do you avoid being "triggered" by some bad behaviour, choice words or a surprising event? These are important questions for any executive, professional or entrepreneur, daily.
Managing your mind is critical. In practice, this means developing greater conscious of what you're thinking, what you're paying attention to, how you're feeling. Tapping into your inner voice - and an imaginary third party (you in the future, or a person you respect) - in order to work out the best course of action. My guest, Josie Thomson, master coach, author and speaker, talks about how to tap into your Wise Advocate.
And she describes what it takes to coach somebody effectively - deep care, listening, attention and using your intuition as to what you observe, feel and sense in the moment.
This is a wide-ranging, deep conversation about the human condition - our frailties, strengths, potential - and how we can nurture it, informed by a greater appreciation, understanding and application of neuroscience. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For details about Josie see: https://josiethomson.com/
Her book (with Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and Art Kleiner): The Wise Advocate: The Inner Voice of Strategic Leadership: https://josiethomson.com/product/the-wise-advocate-the-inner-voice-of-strategic-leadership/
Take Josie's resilience test: https://josiethomson.com/quiz/
Sign up to my newsletter Flashes+Sparks for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox: http://bit.ly/36WRpri
If you're not subscribed already and would like to join this youtube channel you can do so here: http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k
You can also find me here:
LinkedIn. https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP Twitter: https://bit.ly/36XavNI Personal website: http://bit.ly/3jA0MlN
Highlights of my work
Every Leader Has Flaws. Don’t Let Yours Derail Your Strategy (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/09/every-leader-has-flaws-dont-let-yours-derail-your-strategy
5 strategies to infuse diversity & inclusion into your organisation (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/05/5-strategies-to-infuse-di-into-your-organization
4 actions transformational leaders can take (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/05/4-actions-transformational-leaders-take
Four building blocks of transformation (S+B): https://www.strategy-business.com/article/The-Four-Building-Blocks-of-Transformation?gko=5a1aa
How to be a visionary leader and still have a personal life (HBR): https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-to-be-a-visionary-leader-and-still-have-a-personal-life
How to practise strategy in an uncertain world (Strategy+Business): http://bit.ly/2OaojhB
10 principles of strategic leadership (S+B): http://bit.ly/3q14kQm
How to reinvent your organisation in the middle of a crisis (HBR): https://hbr.org/2021/02/how-to-reinvent-your-organization-in-the-middle-of-a-crisis
How to convince people that a crisis is also an opportunity (Forbes): https://www.forbes.com/sites/lbsbusinessstrategyreview/2020/04/28/how-to-convince-people-that-a-crisis-is-also-an-opportunity/?sh=441e32b830f8
David Schonthal: How to overcome the resistance to your ideas
27 Oct 2021
00:36:03
We spend a lot of our professional days trying to sell ideas to colleagues or clients, don't we? We may not like the idea of selling but that's exactly what we're doing. It might for support for an initiative or investment in a project - from a Board, Exco, or external investor.
We'd like to think that do it well - describing its features, explaining how it works and selling the benefits. No doubt with conviction, emotion too. But sometimes the answer is 'no'. Perhaps it wasn't compelling enough so we try harder. Often the real problem is that we haven't invested enough time in understanding their resistance.
My guest, Prof. David Schonthal argues that innovators neglect the the psychological frictions that oppose change. And though they are rarely considered, overcoming these frictions is essential for bringing new ideas into the world.
Rohit Bhargava: How to develop your non-obvious thinking
24 Jun 2025
00:38:17
Is your way of thinking limiting fresh ideas in your organisation?
That dominant way of thinking you’re so used to could be doing more damage than good. Perhaps it’s time to find another way to enable innovation and growth amongst your team.
In this episode I am joined by Rohit Bhargava, the man behind non-obvious thinking. Rohit tells us what non-obvious thinking is, and why it matters. He also gives you practical ways to develop it and how to use it to your own advantage.
Rohit advocates for a world filled with open-minded individuals who can see beyond the obvious and challenge the status quo.
Now that sounds like a world and a work place we should all aspire to.
“What would the world be like if the opposite was true?”– Rohit
You'll hear about:
Why non-obvious thinking is essential in a world of conventional ideas.
How fresh perspectives can lead to innovation and growth.
The SIFT framework and how it helps in developing non-obvious thinking.
Creating space being crucial for generating new ideas.
Leading with empathy allows for understanding diverse perspectives.
The ways AI can be used with non-obvious thinking.
Engaging with out of the ordinary topics can spark new insights.
About Rohit Bhargava:
Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking in the world. He is the 3-time WSJ bestselling author of ten books on marketing, innovation, diversity and trends including his #1 bestseller Non-Obvious Megatrends. Rohit has been invited as a “non-boring” keynote speaker to event in 32 countries. He writes a monthly column for Inc magazine on non-obvious ideas. On a personal note, he loves the Olympics, actively hates cauliflower and is a proud dad of boys.
Rita McGrath: Getting out to the edges to develop strategy
20 Oct 2021
00:30:20
What does it take for a leader to think strategically? You’d hope you didn’t need to ask this question as it should be a core capability. It’s often not as they focus on workplace culture or commercial tactics, both of which are important too. But it’s critical to a clear view as to where the organisation needs to move towards, whom it should serve and how, and how to win you. That way you can build the capabilities, identify the resources and systems you need, and evolve your culture.
In this interview Rita McGrath, a professor at Columbia Business School, tells me that strategy is more important than ever given the complexity and uncertainty we face. But its practice needs to change, away from the closed, top-down approach that characterises many traditional organisations. She talks eloquently about the importance of leaders getting out to the edges of their organisation to spot inflection points and pick up weak signals of change. She also highlights some fascinating practice at Microsoft and Klockner, focusing on how they encourage new and different voices to share their perspectives on where to take the business.
For more details about Rita and her work check out her excellent website: https://www.ritamcgrath.com/
Her latest book 'Seeing around Corners: how to spot inflection points in business before they happen': https://www.ritamcgrath.com/books/
Her weekly Thought Sparks: https://www.ritamcgrath.com/sparks/ and podcast: https://www.ritamcgrath.com/podcast/
Peter Fisk: How to recode yourself to leap forward
12 Oct 2021
00:38:00
An inspirational leader often creates a leap forward in the positioning, performance and profile of the organisation. They’ve been bold enough to look at a situation with new lenses - customer, outsider, new employee. They look for stimulus in the margins, listening carefully to new voices and those who are at the margins. And then they have the courage to take the leap forward. That means letting go of the past – activities, mindset, even people - and identifying the limiting assumptions you make about the business or the space you compete in.
So what do you need to do to "recode yourself" to make this leap forward?
Peter Fisk (https://www.peterfisk.com/), the speaker, author, advisor and professor talks about this and more in this stimulating discussion.
Francesca Gino: How to encourage curiosity and rebel talent
06 Oct 2021
00:36:55
How do you respond to a world that feels more complex, and uncertain? Put your head in the sand, do the same, peddle faster, hoping it goes away? As silly as that sounds, many executives and professionals do this even while they talk eloquently about their context.
A better approach is to double down on your curiosity. At work this means being more curious about the needs and expectations of your customers, the dynamics of the workplace, the wider system you operate in and your own ways of thinking.
There are obvious things you can do: ask more questions, seek out new people to spend time with, learn new skills, spend time in new places (virtual or physical). It means being able to handle the feeling of being uncomfortable and out of your depth. It also means opening your mind to new possibilities, overcoming your limiting assumptions.
Curiosity is the topic I discuss with my guest Francesca Gino, Professor at Harvard Business School. I've long admired her work. I selected her superb book Rebel Talent in my review of the best Strategy Books in 2018 for Strategy+Business.
Links to further resources
Francesca Gino is an award-winning researcher who focuses on why people make the decisions they do at work, and how leaders and employees have more productive, creative and fulfilling lives. She is a Professor at Harvard Business School and the author, most recently, of “Rebel Talent: Why it Pays to Break the Rules in Work and Life.”
James Bryce: Becoming a more articulate, confident speaker at work and in life
27 Sep 2021
00:36:21
In a job interview, a presentation at work, or a difficult conversation with your team leader; are you getting your message across? Communication skills are not just for public speaking. They are how you express yourself anywhere, to anyone.
How can you speak clearly, confidently, yet still as your authentic self? That's the topic of my conversation with James Bryce, CEO and Founder of Speech Intelligence. James coaches leaders to improve how they communicate. He's also developed an AI-powered app - Speech Intelligence - that provides feedback - you talk for 1-2 minutes, receive a score and personalised feedback, and try again! Find out more here: https://www.speechintelligence.com/
1:48 His personal journey in developing speech intelligence 3:23 An overview of the Speech Intelligence Service 5:01 The level of self-consciousness about speech intelligence 9:22 How we recognise great practice 12:15 Gaps in how we practice speech 15:03 Suggestions for improvement 17:33 Importance of discipline 19:48 Famous people who do this well 21:46 How the pandemic has changed the way we speak 25:45 The most important complementors to speech that distinguish exemplary leaders 28:18 Hygiene factors that are important before you get to speech. 31:03 How to prepare for a difficult situation 35:15 More details about Speech Intelligence
My resources:
Sign up to one of my courses (https://bit.ly/3QHvlYm).
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
Roger Martin: Strategy is about imagination, choices and capabilities
22 Sep 2021
00:42:13
How well do you make choices? It could be about your career, the focus of your job, your life more broadly. Or it could be about the focus and direction of the organisation
Too often we avoid making real choices, continuing with what we have because it feels safe, and comfortable to do so. Or we make a choice without considering all of the options?
Choices are at the heart of strategy. Choices about where to play, how to win, and how to build the capabilities and resources required to get you there. Imagination plays an important role - you have to ask what do you want to become before figuring out what you need to believe, and do, to get there.
Strategy is separate from a plan. And it doesn't require heavy analysis or long powerpoint decks.
My guest in this conversation, Roger Martin, is one of the world's leading strategy thinkers and adviser to CEOs, talks eloquently about how to do strategy effectively, and counters many of the popular myths.
More about Roger:
Roger Martin is CEO Advisor and Author on the frontiers of strategy and culture. In 2017, Roger was named the world’s #1 management thinker by Thinkers50, a biannual ranking of the most influential global business thinkers. His newest book is When More is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency (Harvard Business Review Press, 2020).
Roger has published an excellent series of articles on strategy in Medium.
My resources:
Sign up to one of my courses (https://bit.ly/3QHvlYm).
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
Do you struggle to move the dial on your organisation’s culture?
Perhaps, the answer to your problems lies in the use of a tool that breaks from traditional methods to measure culture: AI.
In this episode I am joined by Charlie Sull, a pioneer in the use of AI to understand, measure and evolve culture in organisations. Charlie shares culture measurement methods you can use with AI, that use employee language to provide concrete, measurable insights.
Charlie emphasises the importance of top-down prioritisation to facilitate cultural change, and gives interesting data led insights into the impact of remote work on culture.
This episode is for leaders at all stages of their career that are looking to transform culture, supercharge performance in your team, and use pioneering techniques to do so.
“Cultural measurement tells you how to fix things.” – Charlie
You'll hear about:
Why culture is a critical ingredient in any organisation's performance.
How AI can effectively measure and evolve organisational culture.
Traditional cultural measurement methods being outdated and ineffective.
Remote work can have varying impacts on organisational culture.
Caring about employees is fundamental to a strong culture.
The fact top leadership buy-in is essential for cultural transformation.
There is often a disconnect between espoused values and actual culture.
Cultural change can happen more quickly than traditionally thought.
About Charlie Sull:
Charlie Sull is a globally recognized expert in corporate culture and AI. He is the co-creator of the most-read series in MIT Sloan Management Review history, Measuring Culture, with a readership of millions. His work has been featured on Brené Brown, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, TIME, and many other leading media outlets.
Charlie is the co-founder of CultureX, where he helped develop a new kind of artificial intelligence to measure and improve culture. At CultureX, he works with the top teams of many of the world’s leading firms, like AB InBev, HSBC, and H-E-B, and helps them improve their cultures using artificial intelligence.
Graham Kenny: How to use AI to beat the competition
27 May 2025
00:47:04
Can AI improve your company’s strategy?
A question that is more and more prescient in the modern world of today.
In this episode I am joined by Graham Kenny, a prolific author, consultant and professor in all things strategy. In recent years he has also been experimenting with how far AI can help organisations design and implement winning strategies.
Graham discusses the transformative role of AI in strategy formulation and execution. He emphasises the importance of stakeholder perspectives in defining strategy and shares an excitement for AI in being a fundamental part of this.
We also explore how AI can enhance the execution strategy, specifically by developing sharper KPIs and using digital twins.
AI is a tool that can help you win against the competition, are you using it to its full potential?
“If people aren’t using AI for strategic analysis, they are missing the boat.” – Graham
You'll hear about:
● How AI can significantly improve strategic thinking and execution.
● Understanding stakeholders is crucial for effective strategy.
● How AI serves as a powerful tool for analysis in strategic planning.
● Digital twins simulating organisational changes before implementation.
About Graham Kenny:
Graham Kenny is an internationally recognised expert in strategy and performance measurement. He writes regularly for the Harvard Business Review with over 50 articles, has written more than 70 articles for international journals and has authored six books.
He is passionate about helping boards, executives and managers lead successful organisations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He has also enjoyed a successful academic career having been a Professor of Management in universities in the US and Canada.
Klaus Kleinfeld: How to lead at work and thrive in life
13 May 2025
00:37:47
Has your job become all-consuming as a leader in your organisation?
Whether it’s organisational transformation, doing big M&A deals or handling a crisis, your health and relationships can be the things most impacted.
In this episode I am joined by Klaus Kleinfeld, former CEO of Siemens, and author of "Leading to Thrive." He emphasizes the importance of energy management for sustainable success, highlighting four energy sources: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Leaders need to balance both work and personal life to thrive in their roles, while maintaining their well-being. Klaus explores how to do this through dual mastery of the inner and outer game of leadership.
This conversation challenges orthodoxy and sets out a manifesto for aspiring and experienced leaders alike.
“Too many leaders ignore themselves for too long. Then they burn out.” – Klaus
You'll hear about:
● Making sure leadership isn’t all-consuming and impacting your health.
● How mastering the inner game involves managing energy and mindset.
● Trust and conflict management being vital for high-performing teams.
● Diversity should be tied to performance, not just a goal.
● Effective leadership cascades practices throughout the organization.
About Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld:
Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld is the only leader to have successfully served as CEO of two Fortune 500 giants on different continents: Alcoa in the US and Siemens in Germany. With a nearly forty-year career spanning multiple industries, from established businesses to tech startups, he has advised US presidents and global leaders across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
As the founder of K2Elevation, he invests in North American and European tech and biotech firms. Actively engaged in private sector, public affairs, and cultural boards, Dr. Kleinfeld, a dual US and European citizen, enjoys work, life, and family near New York.
David Lancefield: Reflecting on 100 episodes of Lancefield on the Line
29 Apr 2025
01:11:43
So here we are, 100 episodes of Lancefield on the Line.
To celebrate I am taking the opportunity to reflect on my journey as a podcast host, sharing insights gained from interviewing a diverse range of brilliant guests. I discuss what I have learned it takes to be a good podcast guest and host, as well as key areas we have covered in strategy, leadership and self-development.
For the first time I also have questions fired back at me by some of my esteemed guests over the 100 episodes, where I offer further reflections on leadership and personal growth.
Thank you to everyone involved in the last 100 episodes, the guests, the audience, my friends, supporters.
I do hope you enjoy this episode.
“The art of conversation is alive and kicking.” – David
You'll hear about:
· The Lancefield on the Line stats
· What it takes to be a great podcast guest
· What it takes to be a great podcast host
· 4 big themes from 100 episodes
· Amy Gallo: Difficult conversations leaders are avoiding
· Josie Thomson: Leadership blind spots
· Tony Martignetti: Surprises in the evolution of the podcast
· Dina Denham Smith: What being a father of disabled child has taught me
· Dan Pontefract: The most challenging podcast interview
· Steven Rogelberg: The guest I'd most like to interview
· Scott D. Anthony: The connections between topics.
· Scott D. Anthony: What my guests miss
· Scott D. Anthony: My power question
· Michael Bungay Stanier: My hardest strategy and leadership lesson
· Paolo Gallo: Three takeaways from 100 episodes
· Melody Wilding: How my leadership philosophy has changed over 100 episodes
· Costas Markides: Why CEOs don't do what they know they should do
· The most surprising, moving, intimidating episodes
· The bloopers and mistakes
About David Lancefield:
David is the founder of Strategy Shift. He’s worked with more than 50 CEOs and hundreds of others C-Suite executives to design bold strategies, supercharge their leadership, and transform their culture in 20 countries. He’s a contributor to Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Review, and Strategy+Business, and a guest lecturer at the London Business School. He is a former senior partner in Strategy&, PwC.
They should see it, get it, and tell us they appreciate it. But they don’t.
Managing upwards could be the solution you need. It will help you perform at your best, and importantly, progress your career.
My guest in this episode Melody Wilding, author of Managing Up, shares her research and experience on how to do this skilfully. She emphasises the need for employees to align with their bosses, understand different management styles, and communicate effectively.
Melody gives insights into how you can convey information deftly, and navigate difficult conversations, such as how to get that raise that you’re after.
This episode is packed full of tips about situations you'll find yourself in every day. So get ready to take notes.
“Managing up is not about sucking up” – Melody
You'll hear about:
Why managing upwards is essential for career progression
How understanding your boss's priorities can enhance your work alignment.
Building a support network is crucial for effective upward management.
The best ways to handle compensation discussions.
About Melody:
Melody Wilding is the bestselling author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work and Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge (March 2025).
As an award-winning executive coach, for more than a decade she’s helped top performers at the world’s most successful companies — including Google, JP Morgan, and Verizon — to find their professional power position, the sweet spot where confidence and influence meet.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and dozens of other respected publications. She’s a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and MSNBC.
Success can be exhilarating, exhausting, even emotional.
But even if you have it, you get a niggling feeling you could achieve more.
In this episode I am joined by Laura Gassner Otting, author of Wonderhell. We talk about the complexities of success, fulfilment, and personal growth.
Laura shares the importance of recognising the emotional challenges that accompany success, and how to navigate them effectively. She discusses the significance of aligning personal goals with values, and the importance of recognising this as a practice for all areas of life not just your work.
Whether you’re riding high, full of self-doubt or wanting to get back to your A-game, there is a lot to learn from Laura.
“Fix the goal, don’t fix you” - Laura
You'll hear about:
How to use your emotions as catalysts for growth
Why you need to align goals with personal values
Fulfilment and the roles balance and success play to achieve it
Reinvention as a lifelong process not just in your work
About Laura Gassner:
Laura’s secret superpower is seeing your greatness and reflecting it back on you, so that you can get “unstuck” — and achieve extraordinary results. A regular contributor to Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, Harvard Business Review, and Oprah Daily, Laura is the Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of three books, Wonderhell, Limitless, and Mission-Driven. Laura’s 30-year resume is defined by her entrepreneurial edge. She served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, helping shape AmeriCorps; left a leadership role at respected national search firm to expand a tech start-up; and founded, ran, and sold her own global search firm, partnering with the full gamut of mission driven corporate and nonprofit executives.
Laura is turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She’s an instigator, motivator, and provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like. Just ask her enduringly patient husband, two almost-grown sons, and two troublesome pups with whom she lives outside of Boston, MA.
Alex MH Smith: How to take complexity out of strategy
19 Mar 2025
00:47:22
Strategy is a word that invokes many emotions.
There are those that fear it, those excited by it, and those apathetic to it.
To help me on my quest to develop millions of strategic people I am joined by Alex MH Smith, author of No Bullsh*t Strategy.
Alex talks with clarity on what strategy should mean to companies and how to approach it. He shares the ways in which people get strategy wrong, and the emotional weight the term has.
Alex believes humility is the key to strategic thinking and growth. He also gives insights into what your strategy should include and the significance of good faith disagreement in strategic discussions.
Alex’s brutally honest, refreshingly clear insights will change the way you think about strategy forever.
“The higher your level of gaze, the more strategic you are” – Alex
You'll hear about:
Why most businesses don’t actually have a strategy
The two fundamental problems every company faces—and how to fix them
Why extreme humility is the secret weapon of great strategists
The biggest mistake leaders make when trying to "be strategic"
How to communicate strategy so that everyone in your company actually gets it
About Alex Smith:
Alex is an author and speaker who believes that strategy is the most important skill in business. Unfortunately, it’s also the most misunderstood skill in business - meaning the vast majority of leaders don’t have this power at their fingertips. His work is focused on changing that - by making strategy simple, digestible, and fun so everyone can use it. Whether it’s through his social media following, his best selling book No Bullshit Strategy, or his DIY strategy program The Strategy Shortcut System, everything Alex does is about helping you make the key choices that are going to 50x your results - with no additional effort.
Be honest, how much time do you spend looking at screens?
It’s probably more than you’d care to admit. The bigger question is, what is all that screen time doing to your brain?
In this episode I am joined by Richard Cytowic, author of Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age. We discuss the impact of screen addiction on the brain and body.
Astonishingly, Richard explains that our brains have not evolved since the Stone Age. They also have fixed energy bandwidths that make multitasking inefficient, which leads to overwhelm and a dulled ability to communicate.
Richard emphasises the importance of self-awareness for overcoming our addiction to screens, and the power of silence to help our brains to regulate themselves.
If you are looking to boost productivity in your workplace this discussion is not to be missed.
“Self-awareness is key to managing screen time” – Richard
You'll hear about:
· What's going on in our brains? · How does energy relate to neuroplasticity? · What does the screen do to the brain? · The lack of screen regulations · How to start a healthier relationship with screens · The power of silence · Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable · The role and power of dream diaries · Richard's advice for CEOs · What does Richard's best day look like? · The impact Richard wants to have on the world
About Richard Cytowic:
Richard E. Cytowic, a pioneering researcher in synesthesia, is Professor of Neurology at George Washington University. He is the author of Synesthesia, The Man Who Tasted Shapes, The Neurological Side of Neuropsychology, and, with David M. Eagleman, the Montaigne Medal–winner Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia, all published by the MIT Press.
A good boss can inspire you and be a catalyst for your career, whilst bad bosses limit your potential, putting the brakes on your trajectory.
In this conversation with Mita Mallick, author of The Devil Emails at Midnight, we explore the behaviours that make bosses bad, and the lessons we can take to become better leaders. Mita shares raw, funny and moving stories from her career, showing how toxic dynamics shape us, and how inclusion and vulnerability can transform workplaces.
We discuss why kindness is still seen as weakness, the warning signs that you might be slipping into bad boss territory, and how to handle life’s toughest moments, such as grief, while still leading with integrity.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re bringing out the best in your people, or if you’re stuck with a boss who doesn’t, this episode will give you the tools and courage to flip the script.
“Hurt people hurt people.” – Mita Mallick
You'll hear about:
· Personal stories of bad bosses
· Why kindness is seen as weakness
· Warning signs you’re a bad boss
· Nature versus nurture in leadership
· How grief affects leadership behaviour
· The myth of bossless organisations
· Coaching instead of micromanaging
· Options when stuck with a bad boss
About Mita Mallick:
Mita Mallick is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She’s on a mission to fix what’s broken in our workplaces. She’s a corporate change maker with a track record of transforming businesses and has had an extensive career as a marketing and human resources executive.
Mallick is a highly sought-after speaker who has advised Fortune 500 companies and start-ups alike. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice and was named to the Thinkers 50 Radar List. She’s a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Adweek, and Entrepreneur. Mallick has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Forbes, Axios, Essence, Cosmopolitan Magazine and Business Insider.
Which makes this episode discussing the often unrecognised role of carers in society and the workplace a very personal one.
I am joined by Charlie Beswick, the author of Our Altered Life. Charlie is a mother and carer to her beautiful son, Charlie, and we discuss her hard-earned wisdom on the topic of carers in the workplace.
We share our personal experiences as carers, and talk about the superpowers carers bring to businesses, through their resilience, problem solving, pragmatism, empathy, negotiation skills, and plenty more.
As the hidden army of the workforce there is plenty to uncover here on how organisations can better support carers and how being curious and supportive to all will enable carers to thrive in the workplace.
“My values are forged through the fires of the caring journey” - Charlie
You'll hear about:
· What does it mean to be a carer? · How many people are carers? · The challenges for carers at work · Companies giving proper support to carers · Carer's transferable skills to the workplace · How to channel all your strengths as a carer · How Charlie rises above other's preconceptions · Having to let people go as a carer · What can organisations do to support carers? · What is Charlie's biggest superpower? · The impact Charlie wants to have on the world
About Charlie Beswick:
Charlie Beswick is mum to 19-year-old twins, Oliver and Harry who was born with a rare craniofacial syndrome and is autistic.
She is the author of the best-selling book Our Altered Life, a brutally honest account of how she came to terms with a life she never expected. She is also an award-winning blogger and her family's story has been featured internationally on Sky TV and national press.
As part of Our Altered Life, Charlie has, to date, educated over 8000 children and young people on visible differences and behaviours typically associated with autism. She has also founded S.E.N.D Gin and Cheese CIC to provide parental mental health support before, during and long after their children's diagnosis of disability or additional needs. She is a passionate advocate for employed parent carers and supports organisations to care for the carers in their workplace and improve employee experience, performance and retention as a result. She has been a teacher for 20 years in both primary and secondary settings and is a keen lover of gin and cheese!
Are you finding out how the people around you really think and feel?
Being able to do so will enable deeper relationships both at work and home.
In this episode I am joined by Topaz Adizis, the creator of The Skin Deep, a powerful platform of curated conversations between partners, friends, relatives and strangers.
We explore what it takes to create space for vulnerability in relationships. Topaz explains that to achieve this you need to express your intention clearly and ask questions that stimulate reactions. He also shares how to sit with the discomfort of your feelings when you're in these vulnerable moments.
This is a masterclass in connecting with the humanity between us and I do hope you enjoy it.
“If we’re all going to stick in the mind we’re going to lose” - Topaz Adizes
You'll hear about:
· Creating conditions for deeper conversations · Setting the scene for conversation · The barriers to better conversations · What do fantastic questions look like? · How to follow through to deep listening · Moving on from great discomfort · The biggest shift Topaz has made · The impact Topaz wants to have on the world · What does Topaz's best day look like?
About Topaz Adizes:
Topaz Adizes is an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect. He is an Edmund Hillary fellow and Sundance/Skoll stories of change fellow. His works have been selected to Cannes, Sundance, IDFA, and SXSW; featured in New Yorker magazine, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times; and have garnered an Emmy for new approaches to documentary and Two World Press photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary. He is currently the founder and executive director of the experience design studio The Skin Deep. Topaz studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford University. He speaks four languages, and currently lives in Uruguay with his wife and two children.
This is the view of many, but understanding and harnessing our emotions, and the emotions of others around us can be incredibly powerful.
In this episode I am joined by Dina Denham Smith, to argue the case for a skilful use of emotions at work. Dina is the co-author of Emotionally Charged, where she explores how to lead with the strategic use of emotions.
We address common myths about emotions in the workplace and how you can prepare for and recover from emotionally charged events. Dina also discusses the importance of a nuanced approach to using your emotions as a leader, and how self-compassion towards yourself can lead to unlocking self-compassion in others.
Dina provides lots of nuggets of wisdom in this masterclass on emotions.
“Emotions are data, and to ignore this information is to your peril and performance detriment.” – Dina Smith
You'll hear about:
Understanding the application of emotions in business
Dina's thoughts on not showing emotions
How to use emotions skilfully
Preparing for emotionally charged events
Recovering from emotionally charged events
Dealing with over-emotional situations
Having a nuanced approach to emotions
How to be strategic with your emotions
The biggest change Dina has made to her practice
What does Dina's best day look like?
The impact Dina wants to have on the world
About Dina Denham:
Dina is a seasoned leader and executive coach with a 25-year proven track record in helping people and teams excel. Dina’s clients include senior leaders and teams at premier brands such as Adobe, PwC, Gilead, Gap, Sephora, Goldman Sachs, Google, and Netflix; high-growth companies like Dropbox, DocuSign, and Stripe; and PE-backed start-ups shaping the world. Dina has written over 60 articles on leadership and career success for the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes and is frequently featured in international media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Business Insider, and the BBC. She is the lead author of Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work (Oxford Press).
An East Coast transplant, Dina now lives in the SF Bay Area with her husband, kids, and two spoiled pups. Outside of work, she is a competitive equestrian, avid skier and reader, foodie, and travel enthusiast.
As a leader you play a crucial role in creating and sustaining a healthy culture.
My guest in this episode, Tobias Sturesson, is the author of "You Can Culture" and co-founder of Heart Management. He outlines four critical habits leaders need to build a thriving culture: get humble, get clear, get listening, and get integrity.
He stresses the importance of aligning culture with the organisations mission and having a responsible impact by instilling integrity. He also explores the key things leaders can do to make or break workplace cultures.
Finally, Tobias bravely shares what it took to break free from life in a cult, and the personal journey of overcoming complicity in it.
“What are you not willing to compromise in your pursuit of success?” – Tobias Sturesson
You'll hear about:
· What are the signs of a healthy culture? · Knowing when things become unhealthy · How to define your values · Delivering in commercial pressure environments · Develop better habits that improve culture · Creating culture change in 12 months · Balancing humble and looking underconfident · Instilling integrity with the best of you · Making or breaking an organisation · Tobias on recovering from living in a cult · The impact Tobias wants to have on the world
About Tobias Sturesson:
Having grown up in a religious cult and later confronted its toxic culture, Tobias Sturesson became a leading advocate for the critical role of cultural health in both business success and human flourishing, striving for a world free from destructive cultures. He is the author of the international bestseller You Can Culture, co-founder of the culture change agency Heart Management, and host of the highly ranked Leading Transformational Change podcast.
It’s everywhere we look. Be it directed at institutions, especially those in politics, geopolitical conflicts, business opposing communities, or different aspects of society.
That’s why in this episode I am joined by Professor Karthik Ramanna, an expert and author on the age of outrage. We explore the impacts outrage has on organisations and the individual, as well as how leaders can respond to it in their context.
Karthik shares his experience of working with business and political leaders from across very significant divides, such as Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, India and Pakistan and many more. He gives insight into how to approach challenging situations to turn down the temperature and make sense of the moment.
Karthik imparts a lot of wisdom on the art of de-escalation that you can use in your organisation too.
“You’re going to be part of the problem, whether you like it or not” – Karthik Ramanna
You'll hear about:
How Karthik gets a handle on outrage
Who CEOs need to be in the outrage context
Who to reach out to during big shifts
How to focus on the catalytic actors
Balancing different versions of yourself
Creating thoughtful considered dialogue
What do you do in heated moments?
What does Karthik do when outraged?
The impact Karthik wants to have on the world
About Karthik Ramanna:
Karthik Ramanna is Professor of Business and Public Policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and a fellow at St. John’s College. He teaches a popular course at Oxford on managing organisations in polarised times, which led to his 2024 book The Age of Outrage.
An expert on business-government relations, sustainable capitalism, and corporate reporting and auditing, Professor Ramanna studies how organisations and leaders build trust with stakeholders. His scholarship has won numerous awards, including the Journal of Accounting and Economics Best Paper Prize, the Harvard Business Review McKinsey Award for “groundbreaking management thinking,” and three times the international Case Centre’s prizes for “outstanding case-writing,” dubbed by the Financial Times as “the business school Oscars.”
We all go through hardships in our personal and professional lives that inform who we are. How we react to these big moments is often put down to our resilience.
But what if we looked at resilience differently?
In this episode I am joined by coach and author Luis Velasquez, who discusses how to reframe your perception of resilience. He suggests that rather than being a reaction to those shock moments, resilience is something we should nurture day in day out.
He talks about how we can make better choices when reacting to difficult situations. As well as how to reframe what is possible and step into the discomfort. He also shares how he has done this through real hardships and challenges in his own life.
There is huge potential for growth when we commit to better understanding ourselves and what resilience means to us.
“The minute you have options, you have the power of choice” – Luis Velasquez
You'll hear about:
· We need to work on resilience day to day · Working with those who resist · How to create clarity of thought · Reframe your relationship with fear · Finding out what truly matters to you · How to nurture the right relationships · Setting the right standards · How to maintain compassion for people · What is Luis' superpower? · What does Luis’ best day look like?
About Luis Velasquez:
Silicon Valley executive coach and Stanford University Graduate School of Business facilitator Luis Velasquez epitomizes resilience. He sharpens the acumen of leaders worldwide, guiding them to turn challenges into opportunities. His strategic thinking is regularly published by the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company and is spotlighted in Dorie Clark's "The Long Game."
Luis is not only an advocate for resilience but a living testament to it. He was born and raised in poverty in a country riddled by civil war. He's an ultra-marathoner and lronman triathlete, having tackled the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. He is also a brain tumour survivor, showcasing unparalleled commitment, persistence, and optimism.
Knowing how AI can supercharge your work, and your business must be a priority for any C-suite executive. But there are also risks leaders must consider to be able to make informed decisions.
So where do you start?
My guest in this episode, Professor David De Cremer, is an author and business school Dean. He believes leaders need AI savviness and shares his thoughts on the mindsets needed to use AI in the board room and wider organisation.
He also discusses problems leaders can face around knowing when not to use AI, and the fact you don’t need to know everything about it for it to succeed.
To get the best out of AI humans need to collaborate with it rather than use it simply as a cost cutting tool. This episode is a must listen for anyone looking to do just that and enhance their leadership in a world powered by AI.
“The biggest risk today in business is not using AI” – David De Cremer
You'll hear about:
· Why is David interested in AI specifically? · How revolutionary is AI? · How leaders can overcome the fear of AI · Humans and AI will have to collaborate · Countering the risks of AI · Knowing when not to use AI · The role of AI in board meetings · How far could AI go being a board member? · David's biggest shift since using AI · The impact David wants to have on the world · What does David's best day look like?
About David De Cremer:
David De Cremer is the Dunton Family Dean of the D’Amore-McKim School of Business and a professor of management and technology at Northeastern University. He is the founder of the Centre on AI Technology for Humankind (AiTH) in Singapore, a member of EY’s advisory board for global AI and an honorary fellow at Cambridge University and St. Edmunds College. He is the author of the best-sellers “Leadership by Algorithm: who leads and who follows in the AI era”, and “The AI-savvy leader: 9 ways to take back control and make AI work.”
His scholarly work has been written about in the Financial Times, the Economist, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and many other outlets, earning him accolades as a Thinkers50 thought leader, a World Top 30 management guru and speaker, and inclusion in the World top 2% scientist.
It's a term that's widely misunderstood. But leading people using disruptive change can reinvent your organisation.
In this episode I am joined by prolific author, advisor and teacher Scott D. Anthony. We talk about what it takes to search out weak signals of change and how to wonder intentionally as you do. We also talk about how to experiment by testing growth hypotheses.
Scott explains how to trust your leadership judgment when making difficult and complex decisions when restructuring an organisation. He also guides us through disruptive innovation, including ecosystems, and harnessing the full potential of AI.
“You have to learn experimentally” – Scott D. Anthony
You'll hear about:
· What does Scott mean by disruptive change? · Getting over inertia and fear · How to experiment · The mindset of accelerating or disposing · Informed judgements for decision making · Re-structuring & re-inventing organisations · AI's potential for disruptive change · Leading people to integrated solutions · The impact of open collaborative systems · The quick fire round · The impact Scott wants to have on the world · What does Scott's best day look like?
About Scott D. Anthony:
Scott D. Anthony is an internationally recognized expert and dynamic keynote speaker on topics related to navigating disruptive change. An advisor, executive, innovator, teacher, writer, and speaker, Anthony is a consummate optimist that is passionate about spreading ideas that help individuals and organizations thrive in today’s world of never-ending change.
He is a Clinical Professor of Strategy at the prestigious Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and a Senior Advisor and Managing Partner Emeritus at Innosight, where his leadership significantly contributed to the firm's growth and success.
As an author, he has penned numerous influential books and articles, providing thought leadership in innovation and strategic thinking. His forthcoming book, "DECODED: How Disruptive Innovators Combine Magic, Methods, and a Bit of Madness to Change the World," promises to be a seminal work in understanding how disruptive innovators shape our world.
What does it take to perform at your best in critical moments?
It’s what differentiates the great from the good. Being at the top of your game requires years of courage, skill, and discipline. This is why some falter whilst others shine.
In this episode I am joined by the multi-award-winning trumpet soloist, Alison Balsom. She shares what it takes to get to, and sustain, the highest levels of performance. These are concepts and practises that leaders in all fields would do well to apply.
Alison talks about how she chooses the right repertoires to play and people to work with. She also discusses the importance of finding your own interpretation of a piece and what it’s like to perform with the conductors and musicians.
Music plays a huge role in all our lives, whether we know it or not.
This conversation is for anyone looking to perform at the highest of levels and pushing the frontiers of their craft.
“It’s certainly a high wire act” – Alison Balsom
You'll hear about:
● Alison's process for finding the right work ● How to know when the project is right for you ● Building relationships in orchestras ● What helps Alison to excel? ● How do you know you've impacted people? ● Alison's mindset minutes before taking the stage ● You are not better in rehearsal ● Has Alison had moments of self-doubt? ● How Alison nurtures and looks after herself ● The impact Alison wants to have on the world
About Alison Balsom:
Alison has performed as a solo trumpeter worldwide with many of the greatest conductors and orchestras of our time, including Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as The Balsom Ensemble, a handpicked group of leading Baroque soloists.
Balsom has commissioned much music, and had hundreds of works written for her, including by composers such as Betsy Jolas, Dobrinka Tabakova, James MacMillan, and Thea Musgrave.
She has been awarded an OBE for Services to Music, and has dedicated her career to broadening the artistic horizons of the trumpet.
What does it take to master innovation in companies?
It takes a lot of grit, skill, savviness and convincing.
My guest in this episode, Jayshree Seth, has been leading the way in innovation in 3M for more than 30 years. So listen for a window into the world of innovation at one of the most successful companies and innovators out there.
We talk about what it takes to make innovation really work using her three C's: constraints, context, and commitment. She explains what it takes to convince people to change. Also distilling how to identify the problems that really matter to customers.
Jayshree also shares some of her personal journey and the mindset she has used throughout her career to progress and overcome barriers.
“The biggest asset for bringing innovation to life is soft skills” – Jayshree Seth
You'll hear about:
Does it matter about having hard constraints?
Context and innovation
What commitment really works?
Focusing on the problems that matter
The mosaic building process
Bringing people on the innovation journey
The merits of self-management
Jayshree on the 15%
Staying vibrant and fresh
How Jayshree has overcome barriers
What does Jayshree's best day look like?
About Jayshree Seth:
Jayshree is the Corporate Scientist & first ever Chief Science Advocate at 3M. She has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York and holds 80 patents for a variety of innovations. She uses her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to communicate the importance and benefits of science in everyday life
She is a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from her alma mater REC Trichy India. She is the author of the books, The Heart of Science – Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints, & Imprints, and The Heart of Science – Engineering Fine Print.
Neri Karra Sillaman: What immigrant entrepreneurs can teach us
29 Oct 2025
00:40:23
Immigrant entrepreneurs have an outsized impact in business and society.
80% of billion dollar startups have founders or senior executives who are first or second generation immigrants. So, what can we learn from them?
In this episode I am joined by Neri Karra Sillaman, author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs. Neri’s research shows that immigrant entrepreneurs have a unique ability to reframe failure. Something she has done herself as a refugee turned entrepreneur.
Neri shares how constraints can be turned into an advantage for entrepreneurs as they look to blend their home and new cultures in the services and products they create.
She underscores the importance of quality, community, and a focus on impact rather than personal gain. Lessons many leaders could learn to improve their organisations.
“Immigrant entrepreneurs don’t hear “no” the way that you do” – Neri Karra Sillaman
You'll hear about:
• How immigrant entrepreneurs reframe failure as fuel for growth.
• The role of community in building resilience and drive.
• Why a clear, long-term vision sustains entrepreneurial momentum.
• Why integrity and quality matter more than rapid scale.
• The personal sacrifices behind building a meaningful business.
• How cross-cultural identity becomes a strategic advantage.
• The mindset shifts needed for true business longevity.
About Neri Karra Sillaman:
Neri Karra Sillaman is an author, advisor, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on business longevity, innovation, and impact. She is the author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, recognized as one of Thinkers50’s Top 10 Best New Management Books in 2025. Neri was also named to the Thinkers50 Radar List as one of the 30 management thinkers shaping the future of work.
As the founder of her luxury leather goods brand, a company established more than 25 years ago, she combines entrepreneurial experience with research-driven insight. Neri is an Entrepreneurship Expert at the University of Oxford and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.
As a child refugee, she draws on her journey of resilience and adaptation to advise leaders on purpose, culture, and long-term success.
We need to cut through the myths and misconceptions to get to the true nature of it. To make people shine we need to understand how to navigate how work gets done, how people think and behave, and how decisions are made.
In this episode I am joined by Liz Kislik, a management consultant and coach, who brings refreshing clarity to the subject. She cautions that the work is hard, but we can use the power of language to express what we really want. She establishes the importance of stopping to think, to breathe, to get in control of our bodies, especially in difficult situations.
She also shares why conflict is a natural part of the workplace and how we should look for self -determination and empowerment, not only of ourselves, but the teams we lead.
“Conflict is a feature of humans” – Liz Kislik
You'll hear about:
· How important is conflict at work? · Being on the right side of conflict · Showing respect takes real skill · Outside influences on the professional self · Calling out character types · How do you develop self-awareness? · How do you make politics work for you? · The learnings Liz has had · The impact Liz wants to have on the world · What does Liz's best day look like?
About Liz Kislik:
Liz Kislik is a management consultant and executive coach, and a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and Forbes. Her TEDx “Why There’s So Much Conflict at Work and What You Can Do to Fix It” has received more than half-a-million views. She specializes in developing high performing leaders and workforces, and for 30 years has helped family-run businesses, national nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies like American Express, Girl Scouts, Staples, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Highlights for Children solve their thorniest problems.
As a leader how well do you craft stories that influence people to change?
Storytelling is one of the most critical skills a leader needs, but is so often done badly. Failing to have the desired impact. Done well it convinces people to listen, commit and change.
My guest in this episode, Neil Bearden, is a master in crafting and using stories to help meet an objective. Neal’s outlook on storytelling is influenced by his experience as a former professor, and the idea that to be truly authentic and intentional we just need to be real to ourselves.
Neil shares his views on what a good story involves, looks, and feels like. Also, what it takes to be an interesting person that people want to listen to. Something all leaders need in order to up their game in influencing change in their organisations.
“What drives changes in my life is boredom” – Neil Bearden
You'll hear about:
· The importance of good storytelling · Making contingent judgements · Syntax, semantics and styles of storytelling · Getting to seamless authentic delivery · Knowing someone is serious about improving · What helps people to be real · Neil's thoughts going through transitions · How is Neil to be with during transitions? · Life is a random series of transitions · Living life both scientifically and real
About Neil Bearden:
Neil is the co-founder of Plot Wolf, which helps people think, speak, and act with clarity. He was a Decision Science professor at INSEAD for 15 years, where he taught Statistics, Behavioural Economics, and created the school’s award-winning Storytelling course. He’s published in Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times, and taught the Business Storytelling course for The Guardian. He’s helped people from Amazon, Apollo, BCG, Google, McKinsey, Sequoia.
Do you know somebody with autism, ADHD, a development delay or Tourette's?
If you do, how well are they doing at work or indeed are they at work?
Leaders have a responsibility to ensure conditions are flexible and enabling in their organisation or the job market to people with all aspects of neurodiversity.
My guest in this episode, Ludmila Praslova, makes a convincing case for the benefits of more inclusion and belonging for all. Describing the damage caused by feeling excluded, leading to anxiety and for some people to take their own life.
It doesn't have to be this way. It shouldn't be this way. So, listen and learn from Ludmila on this important topic.
“Match someone well to a job and they can do it without any adjustments” – Ludmila Praslova
You'll hear about:
· What neurodiversity means in practice · How prevalent is neurodiversity? · Neurodivergent people's workplace experience · Why neurodivergent people are bullied more · The response of HR leaders to neurodivergence · Matching and crafting · Creating the conditions for people to share · The challenge of dealing with diversity · Where to start to make change? · Misconceptions about neurodivergence · The impact Ludmila wants to have on the world · What does Ludmila's best day look like?
About Ludmila Praslova:
Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is Professor of Psychology and the founding Director of Graduate Programs in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California. Prior to her academic career, she built and led successful intercultural relations programs in global organizations.
Her current consulting is focused on supporting organisations in creating systemic inclusion informed by an understanding of neurodiversity. Her other areas of expertise include organizational culture assessment and change. She is a member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2024, a cohort of 30 up-and-coming thinkers whose ideas are predicted to shape management in the coming years.
Be honest with yourself, how would you rate your meetings?
More importantly how would those attending rate them?
Too often executives and professionals have schedules full of them. They even see meetings as a sign of their status, their importance. Yet they still hate the thought of them.
My guest in this episode, Steven Rogelberg, is a world-renowned authority and academic on the topic. He's pioneered some fascinating research, and he's found great ways to distil it into practice.
He shares practical advice you will immediately be able to use in your next meeting to get the most out of them. From framing agendas with questions to making sure the right people are there. My personal belief is that mastery of meetings is available to everyone if you learn, do the hard work, practice, seek out feedback, and try and try again.
“Leaders have to ultimately recognise that they are a steward of others' time.” – Steven Rogelberg
You'll hear about:
· What are meetings actually here to do? · How to set meetings up for success · Ensuring people come with positivity · How to get it going at its best · Getting rid of group think · Recovering from conflict in meetings · Avoiding default timings of meetings · Getting people to follow through · The impact Steve wants to have in the world
About Steven Rogelberg:
Steven G. Rogelberg is Chancellor's Professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has over 150 publications addressing issues such as team effectiveness, leadership, engagement, health and employee well-being, meetings at work, and organizational research methods. His book, The Surprising Science of Meetings, was named by The Washington Post as one of the 10 books to watch for in 2019. His latest book ‘Art & Science of 1:1 meetings’ unleashes the true potential of these transformative interactions.
Are you able to execute the vision you have for your life?
For many creating a vision is hard enough, to then take action to get closer to it can seem near impossible. But if you knew how to develop your vision from the inside out you would see that it is indeed possible.
In this episode I am joined by Caterina Kostoula, a vision coach and author. She shares what it takes to develop your vision and how to move towards it. She also shares her own obstacles she has had to overcome to achieve the vision she has for herself.
We also delve into how to nurture your sense of purpose, your grounding, your inner voice to help guide you. Far from being woo woo, this is essential if you want to lead a great life, including work, and leave a positive impact in the world around you.
“Vision is the navigational system that guides you through a fulfilling life” – Caterina Kostoula
You'll hear about:
· Caterina’s definition of vision · Knowing where to start · Getting rid of mental blocks · Life working in harmony · Internal vs external validation · Caterina’s advice for those feeling under pressure · What does Caterina struggle with? · What impact doe Caterina want to have on the world? · What does Caterina’s best day look like?
About Caterina Kostoula:
Caterina is the founder of The Leaderpath®. She is an executive coach and was previously a Global Business Leader at Google, who is now a client themselves. She also coaches leaders from Amazon, INSEAD, Vodafone, and many startups around the world.
Caterina now heads The Leaderpath®, along with a handpicked team of Leaderpath coaches, providing executive one-to-one coaching, team coaching, live programs, and courses helping business leaders choose their own path to success.
She holds an INSEAD MBA and an Executive Coaching MSc from Hult Ashridge Business School. She is accredited as a Senior Practitioner by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
Sharing moments talking about what truly matters in life. No performance, no script, just being part of a community.
My guest in this episode, Tony Martignetti's mission is to help people create these connections in work and life. Allowing people to feel part of the bigger picture and do their best work.
Tony shares how to create those moments, emphasising the importance of curiosity and compassion. This can sometimes be difficult, so he gives insights into how best to manage them. As well as how you can open up and share something of yourself skilfully.
This is an episode packed full of lessons to help you understand yourself and those around you even more.
“The beauty is in the pauses and time to just listen more” – Tony Martignetti
You'll hear about:
Campfires and community
Creating a safe environment for sharing
How to share skilfully
How open should you be?
Creating greater connection and community in teams
Getting to the real objective
Giving everyone space to talk
What would Tony tell his younger self?
What impact does Tony want to have on the world?
What does Tony’s best day look like?
About Tony Martignetti:
Tony is a leadership advisor, best-selling author, podcast host, speaker, entrepreneur, idea generator, people connector, and a curious adventurer. He bring together over 30 years of business and leadership experience and extreme curiosity to elevate leaders and equip them with the tools to navigate through change and unlock their true potential.
Before becoming the founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Inspired Purpose Partners, he was a finance and strategy executive with experience working with some of the world’s leading life sciences companies.
What can leadership learn from nature? And from fishing in particular?
From operating in demanding, choppy waters with lives on the line to the individualised attention each catch needs, there are a great many similarities according to my guest in this episode, Oleg Konovalov.
As you’ll hear it’s not just fishing but nature itself that can teach us about leadership. Oleg shares the lessons he has learned from his time as a fisherman that he now brings into his coaching practices.
We talk about the mindset leaders need to have as they seek to create better futures and make important decisions day in, day out. He also discusses how he avoids taking on passengers and what he learned from falling in icy waters.
“Leadership is about an ability to think and act for a better future” – Oleg Konovalov.
You'll hear about:
Words related to leadership
Myths about leadership
Nature as a leadership coach
How do you keep a clear head?
How being a master fisherman helps with mindset
How to avoid hiring passengers
Revealing Strengths: The Role of a Leader
Developing a servant based approach to leadership
Oleg's experience falling into icy waters
The impact Oleg wants to have in the world
What helps Oleg do his best work?
About Oleg Konovalov:
Oleg is a global thought leader, author, business educator, consultant, and C-suite coach. He is named among the top eight global experts in leadership and shortlisted for the Distinguished Award in Leadership by Thinkers50. He is on Global Gurus Top 30 in Leadership, is the #1 Global Leading Coach (Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50 Award), and has been named one of the Global 100 Inspirational Leaders 2022, along with Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey.
Having been named ‘the da Vinci of Visionary Leadership’ by many leading authorities of our time, Oleg is considered #1 in the world in the field of vision and visionary leadership.
He is the author of The Fisherman’s Path to Leadership, The Vision Code, Leaderology, and other books.
Imagine holding a meeting but you don’t know how to respond to a situation. The way you react to your anxieties can negatively impact the outcome you want to achieve. It doesn’t have to be this way; you can be prepared.
In this episode I am joined by Matt Abrahams, an expert in communication. He says there are ways of preparing yourself and then responding, which is achieved through changing your mindset and having structures to follow.
He discusses the common moments we get caught off guard at work and how we can prepare for them. He also shares ways that you can become a better listener, and his methods to talk smarter in the moment.
It's about getting out of your head and finding ways to connect with the other person.
“You actually have to prepare to be spontaneous” – Matt Abrahams
You'll hear about:
Moments we get caught off guard at work
How to be able to apply Matt’s methods
How do you listen properly and attentively
Dealing with difficult situations
The power of storytelling in these moments
Matt’s recommendations to perfectionists
Matt’s top tip for dealing with difficult situations
What Matt’s best day looks like
The impact Matt wants to have on the world
About Matt Abrahams
Matt is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organisational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. Outside of the classroom, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as Nobel Prize, TED, and World Economic Forum presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast.
What impact do the biases you hold have on your work?
Living and working in a more critical manner allows you to be more informed and less impacted by bias. This can have positive impacts on your work and those around you, just by challenging yourself to think differently.
In this episode I am joined by Alex Edmans, author of May Contain Lies. He shares his deep knowledge of bias and how to think smarter and more critically. He discusses how he uses this within personal aspects of his life too.
Are you confusing correlation with causation? A statement with a fact? Evidence with proof?
This episode is full of practical advice you can use in your projects or meetings. Or even when listening to the news, to become more aware of what could be misinformation.
“Misinformation affects our professional and personal lives” – Alex Edmans
You'll hear about:
Which are the most harmful biases?
How pervasive are biases?
Does Alex make gut decisions still?
Business and the ladder of inference
Using these ideas in practice
Is doing less better?
Looking at specifics vs broad data
How to challenge people with ill-informed views
How to inspire more debate and dissent
Managing himself with other’s critical thinking
What Alex's best days look like
About Alex Edmans
Alex is Professor of Finance at London Business School. He has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talks “The Pie-Growing Mindset” and “The Social Responsibility of Business” with a combined 2.8 million views. He is a non-executive director of the Investor Forum, on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Responsible Investing, and on Royal London Asset Management’s Responsible Investment Advisory Committee.
He has won 25 teaching awards at Wharton and LBS and was named Professor of the Year by Poets & Quants in 2021.
Asking questions can be more than a way to elicit an answer. They allow us to form connections. Used in the right way they are a powerful tool for us to learn from each other.
In this episode I am joined by philosopher, Dr Pia Lauritzen, who spends her life researching the art and science of question-making. This is becoming even more important as more organisations are opening up their approach to innovation, strategy and transformation, inviting people to share their perspectives.
We discuss ways of asking better questions, and getting the balance right between asking questions and sharing knowledge. We also delve into why you need to find out what people care about to be able to connect through questions.
“Questions are probably the most powerful way of being in the world” – Pia Lauritzen
You'll hear about:
What is the power of questions?
What does it take to break down barriers?
How do you connect around questions?
The balance between questions and knowledge
Finding out what people care about
Tools to help with questioning
AI and questioning
Coaching people to ask better questions
How Pia has improved her questioning
The impact Pia wants to have on the world
About Pia Lauritzen:
Pia Lauritzen is a Danish philosopher and tech entrepreneur. She holds a PhD in philosophy and is the inventor and founder of Qvest and Question Jam. She has published five books (Questions is upcoming on Johns Hopkins University Press in November 2023), and her regular column for strategy+business is read by more than 20,000 decision makers worldwide.
Pim de Morree: How to build self-managing organisations
15 Oct 2025
00:37:45
Given the chance, how would you design an organisation from scratch?
I bet it wouldn't look close to what we see in many established organisations. You’d want more autonomy, greater transparency and less bureaucracy. Well, what if that were possible?
In this episode I am joined by Pim de Morree, Co-founder of Corporate Rebels, to explore self-managed organisations. Pim shares insights from his experience creating environments where employees thrive, and organisations excel, with not a manager in sight.
Pim's expertise offers a masterclass in rethinking traditional management and embracing a future where work is both meaningful and impactful for all involved.
So, are you ready to revolutionise how you lead and run your organisation?
“Decentralised decision-making fosters innovation and agility in modern workplaces” – Pim de Morree
You'll hear about:
● How self-managed organisations prioritise autonomy.
● The ways employees take ownership and lead without traditional hierarchical constraints.
● Why self-managed organisations see higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.
● Full transparency and accountability are critical.
● How decision-making distributed across teams can foster innovation and agility.
● The cultural shifts required to transition to a self-managed organisation.
About Pim de Morree:
Pim de Morree, co-founder of Corporate Rebels and Krisos, embarked on an entrepreneurial journey after leaving a frustrating corporate job. His passion for reimagining the workplace drove him to travel worldwide, studying pioneering organisations. He shares his insights on the Corporate Rebels blog, in books, and through their global platform for self-managing organisations.
At Krisos, an impact fund, Pim and the team acquire traditional companies and transform them into forces for good. The award-winning firm is recognized for its innovative approach in combining self-management with alternative ownership structures, creating better jobs, more equality, and a systemic change in the role of business in society.