HBR IdeaCast
About
Available on
Community
1043 episodes
AI needs to be central to any organization's strategy today, but many are still not implementing the technology in the most effective ways. In this four-part special series, we'll share conversations from the recent HBR Strategy Summit to help you get ahead. In this episode, HBR editor in chief Amy Bernstein speaks with Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, a digital transformation company. Vaz explains that many enterprise-wide AI initiatives fail because incentives, talent strategies and a sense of trust aren't considered thoroughly enough. He shares lessons from his front row seat to AI transformations in the last few years, and how he thinks you can create real operational value at scale.
As organizations and their employees ramp up their generative AI experimentation, leaders are facing a new problem: the rise of AI-generated "workslop," which seems okay on the surface but doesn't actually pass muster and, when passed on to colleagues, ultimately hurts team efficiency, performance, trust and morale. Kate Niederhoffer, chief scientist at BetterUp, and Jeff Hancock, professor of communication at Stanford, say that while it's tempting to blame individuals for this kind of misuse of ChatGPT and other tools, management is more often that not contributing to the workslop epidemic by putting pressure on employees to produce more and to use AI when possible without offering clear training or guidelines. Niederhoffer and Hancock offer advice on how to stem the tide of workslop. They are coauthors of the HBR articles "AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity" and "Why People Create AI “Workslop”—and How to Stop It."
The ability of an organization to innovate over and over again, for the long term, depends on leadership structure, culture, and systems. That's according to Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, who has spent years researching the true drivers of innovation, taking lessons from the world's most successful companies. She explains why today's leaders need to shift from the focus on decision-making and producing to creating the conditions for collaboration, experimentation, and smart decision-making across teams, silos, and wider ecosystems. She shares examples from Mastercard, Pixar, and more and outlines some newly defined ways of looking at leadership roles: as Architects, Bridgers, and Catalysts. Hill's new book is Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation.
Are you guilty of bracing for the worst when it comes to your clients, colleagues, and bosses? Amer Kaissi, professor at Trinity University, explains why bringing that negative mindset to work will quietly undermine your team, organization, and career. He wants leaders to instead adopt a "positive intent mindset," which means giving everyone -- even people who disappoint you or with whom you vehemently disagree -- the benefit of the doubt. He shares five key capabilities we can all build to improve trust and performance without sacrificing accountability. Kaissi's book is called The Positive Intent Mindset: Exceptional Leadership Through Trust and Accountability.
What if the AI you integrate into your organization isn't just about efficiency or creating digital assistants, but completely changes how you work? Longtime digital trend watcher Don Tapscott says the next wave of artificial intelligence is all about identic AI - where personalized agents don't just complete tasks, but understand your judgment and values and take actions on your behalf. He explains the technologies for this that already exist amid the rise of agents and bots, what it means for leaders and organizations, and the pitfalls to look out for. Tapscott is author of You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI.
themselves to become better? While the experience economy remains important, Strategic Horizons cofounder B. Joseph Pine II argues that it's not enough to acquire and retain customers in today's competitive environment. He sees the next wave in business as one focused on offering outcomes to customers - and that might even mean only getting paid when customers succeed. He shares how this model might actually reduce risk, what it means in a world of AI and mass personalization, and ways that companies can truly deliver on their promises. Pine is author of the book The Transformation Economy: Guiding Customers to Achieve Their Aspirations.
Difficult change is an inevitable part of life, but few of us have the skills and mindset to handle it well. That can trickle into our work and careers, but there are lessons from psychology that can help us be more resilient. Dr. Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, shares concepts that can help you react, reframe, and adapt in life or work. She offers evidence-based strategies for leaders navigating personal, organizational, and technological upheaval—from burnout and culture shifts to AI-driven transformation. Shankar is author of the book The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans.
What does it take to stay agile and compete effectively in today's business world? Smart leaders are entirely reorienting their organizations around project-based work, says Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, CEO of Projects & Company. This requires learning how to better prioritize, fund, and staff these initiatives; measure and incentivize success; and quickly end projects that aren't working so resources can be diverted to ones that are. He explains why executives must radically rethink how they and others spend time, how work gets done, and the eventual pay-off of this kind of reorg. Nieto-Rodriguez wrote the book Powered by Projects and the HBR article "The Project Driven Organization."
Over the years, investor Ray Dalio built his hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, into one of the largest in the world. He's done that in part by understanding the history of economic cycles and macroeconomic trends. He's also made shrewd investing and management decisions and stands by his values. He shares where he sees the U.S. today in terms of economic power and the progress that leaders of all kinds need to make to better the situation, as well as his personal views on how to lead well. Dalio is the author of How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle.
Professional search firms play a big role in discovering and choosing leaders for senior roles. That’s why anyone with C-suite ambitions needs to understand the recruiting process and what these evaluators are looking for. Mark Thompson, chairman of the Chief Executive Alliance, and Byron Loflin, global head of board advisory at Nasdaq, explain the ins and outs of recruitment, how to develop your narrative and navigate formal assessments and reference checks, and the best ways to build ongoing relationships. Thompson and Loflin are authors of the HBR article "How to Stand Out to C Suite Recruiters" and the book CEO Ready: What You Need to Know to Earn the Job and Keep the Job.
How does an organization with 100 years of history stay relevant, adaptable, and forward-looking? Bob Sternfels, who runs McKinsey & Company as the Global Managing Partner, has led the company through a wave of recent challenges while trying to plan the road ahead for the consulting industry leader. He explains the balance he's aiming to strike between AI agents and human employees, how he's handled moments of scrutiny, and the ways in which he's been working to build trust both internally and externally.
How different is the newest generation in the workforce, really? While stereotypes abound — some of them unfair — it’s important to understand what the young adults of Gen Z have in common and how they differ from Millennials, Gen X and Boomers. Tim Elmore is a leadership coach and author who says that this generation in particular craves connection with their colleagues, meaningful work, and assurances that they’re seen as people not commodities. He explains how organizational leaders can adapt to the needs of these workers while still maintaining high standards, providing feedback, and building grit and resilience. Elmore wrote the book "The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace."
What does it take to rebuild a legendary brand, lead through failure, and win on the world’s most competitive stage? Zac Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, which competes in Formula 1 racing, explains how he helped guide the company through a rough chapter of its history, powering through financial strain and declining performance to change the company culture and get it back on the winning track. As part of the HBR Executive Live series, he spoke with host Adi Ignatius about staying sharp in a cutthroat industry, leveraging data and AI to get ahead, and how to lead an organization that is equal parts competition and collaboration.
Senior executives are often told to focus on big-picture strategy while delegating the specifics of execution. But, according to Scott Cook, cofounder and former CEO of Intuit, smart leaders also spend time on the details of how the organization gets work done at every level, including the front lines. Working with Harvard Business School professor Nitin Nohria, he studied companies from Toyota to Amazon to better understand why hands-on leadership, from the CEO down, works and how to do it without micromanaging. They are coauthors of the HBR article "The Surprising Success of Hands-On Leaders."
What does it look like for a business in 2025 to build a strategy around sustainability? In this Future of Business series, IdeaCast hosts Alison Beard and Adi Ignatius sat down with four leading CEOs to understand where global business is going. In this episode, host Adi Ignatius speaks with Poul Weihrauch, CEO of Mars, about how he manages the family-owned consumer packaged goods company. They discuss balancing short-term performance with long-term goals, resilience, and the business case for sustainability-driven innovation.
Most companies say they want to be more innovative, agile, and customer-centric. But in reality, many still operate like 20th-century factories: hierarchical, risk-averse, and slow. Jana Werner, executive in residence of enterprise strategy at Amazon Web Services, argues that organizations should instead think of an octopus: an organism that manages complexity, can work in many different modes with some autonomy, but all moving in concert toward a common goal. Werner says the future belongs to companies that distribute decision-making, empower teams at the edge, and treat innovation as everyone’s job, and explains steps you can take as a leader to make this cultural shift. She's the coauthor along with Phil Le-Brun of the HBR article "Become an Octopus Organization" and the book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation.
What are CEOs across industries doing to build resilience and strong cultures in an age of uncertainty? In this Future of Business series, IdeaCast hosts Alison Beard and Adi Ignatius sat down with four leading CEOs to understand where global business is going. In this episode, host Alison Beard speaks with Noubar Afeyan, the CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Chairman of Moderna. Afeyan shares the organizational models and practices that work best to produce innovation, the difference between managing risk and managing uncertainty, and what separates true breakthrough innovation from everyday, incremental improvements.
It's harder than ever for companies to get their marketing messages in front of the right customers. One increasingly popular -- but also risky -- tactic is fastvertising, the rapid development of ads that tap into a cultural moment, aiming to increase brand relevance and awareness. Harvard Business School associate professor Ayelet Israeli shares pitch-perfect examples, including those from her coauthor, the actor Ryan Reynolds, and his marketing firm Maximum Effort. She explains the importance of timing, describes the talent, culture, and processes you need to succeed, and outlines how to extend the impact of these ads. Ayelet, along with Leonard Schlesinger, Matt Higgins, and Ryan Reynolds, wrote the HBR article "Marketing at the Speed of Culture."
Even in difficult times, leadership must be about empathy, authenticity, fairness and service. That's according to Darren Walker, the outgoing CEO of the Ford Foundation, a nonprofit with an endowment of billions of dollars and a charge to reduce poverty and injustice. Drawing on his own upbringing in rural Texas to his time at the helm of one of the world’s largest philanthropies, Walker explains how inequality erodes hope, why discomfort is essential for meaningful change, and how leaders can build the courage to speak honestly.
In uncertain times, leaders at all levels can learn from what the world's best CEOs are doing to protect themselves and forge a path ahead. In this Future of Business series, IdeaCast hosts Alison Beard and Adi Ignatius sat down with four leading CEOs who manage across different industries and geographies to understand where global business is going. In this episode, host Adi Ignatius speaks with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who since announced he'll be retiring in early 2026. They discuss how the world's largest company makes it through global disruption and supply chain shocks, their ongoing digital transformation including the implementation of AI, and how McMillon aims to stay close to the original purpose of the company.
Geopolitics are no longer a tailwind for businesses today, opening markets and boosting global trade. Instead, argues ESSEC Business School associate professor Srividya Jandhyala, rising national security concerns and protectionist economic policies have created a headwind for many organizations, and that's changing how executives need to operate. She explains what’s changed in the global balance of power, how it's affecting even small to medium-sized companies and unexpected industries —from shrimp farming to fast fashion -- and why leaders need new talent and risk management strategies to adapt. Jandhyala is the author of the book The Great Disruption.
In uncertain times, leaders at all levels can learn from what the world's leading CEOs are doing to protect their companies from risk and forge a path forward. In this Future of Business series, IdeaCast hosts Alison Beard and Adi Ignatius interview four chief executives from different industries and geographies to better understand where global business is going. In this episode, Alison speaks with Sim Tshabalala, the CEO of Standard Bank. He explains how his childhood in apartheid South Africa informed his decision to go into finance, why purpose drives the company's approach to everything from strategy to customer service, and the role he believes businesses like his must play in promoting sustainable growth.
Leadership takes daring and steadfastness even in the best of times. In eras of shaky political, economic, and social stability, researcher and author Brené Brown argues it is more important than ever to stay true to your values, make thoughtful decisions, and avoid succumbing to external pressures. The podcast host and University of Houston research professor shares what she's learned in her latest studies and explains how to avoid reactivity as an organizational leader navigating a distrusting and disconnected world. Brown is author of Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit.
It isn't always easy to feel like you can have it all: career, family, hobbies and inner peace. Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks studies happiness and says it is a direction, not a destination. Brooks believes happiness is especially important for leaders, as the higher you climb the more stressful the job can get - and the wider impact you can have on others. Live in conversation at Harvard Business School's Klarman Hall, he speaks with IdeaCast host and HBR editor at large Adi Ignatius about the importance of empathy and having a greater purpose in your life, not just in your career. Brooks is author of the book The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life.
When Wikipedia was founded in 2001, the idea that people around the world could come together to create an accurate online encyclopedia covering virtually any topic seemed far-fetched. But today many people see the website as a trusted source of well-curated and -cited information. That's because of careful decisions that its leaders made about how to operate. Cofounder Jimmy Wales explains how introducing a simple purpose, insisting on certain rules of engagement, and other strategies helped the organization to build trust with contributors and users -- and maintain it even in a world bombarded by misinformation. Wales is the author of The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last.
When you hit a roadblock in your career, it's easy to blame external factors like the economy, the organization, or your boss. But leaders are just as often stymied by their own beliefs about how they need to show up and operate at work, shares executive coach Muriel Wilkins. Through decades of work counseling high-powered executives, she's uncovered the seven main ways that people limit their own success and has advice on how to overcome those mental blocks. Wilkins is author of the HBR article "The Hidden Beliefs That Hold Leaders Back" and the book Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential.
When it first came out in 2005, Freakonomics unearthed the hidden side to everything, helping bring behavioral economics to the forefront of popular culture. But it also has had lasting impacts on how leaders understand problems, how advertisers understand consumers, and how we all understand the workplace. Coauthor Stephen Dubner explains the difficulty of bringing complex economic concepts to the masses, what's surprised him about the hidden side of everything, and what he sees as the impact of his work. Dubner is coauthor of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explains the Hidden Side of Everything and host of the Freakonomics podcast.
In a crowded media and marketing environment, it can be hard to catch the attention and imagination of consumers. Two people paying close attention to what's working now are Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and seasoned marketing executive Bozoma Saint John, and they've just launched a reality show called "On Brand" to showcase the work that creatives and companies do to sell their ideas, products, and services. Fallon and Saint John share what their different career paths have taught them about personal branding, working collaboratively, managing teams, and how to navigate the changing media landscape.
Cory Doctorow, author and digital rights advocate, argues that big tech companies from Facebook to Google and beyond have evolved - or devolved - in a disappointing way. He says that many large tech companies begin with a good product, but that over time they prioritize first business customers, and then ultimately shareholders and profits over end users. That creates a decline in service quality, and Doctorow explains why that's bad for customers, companies, and the broader economy and society. Doctorow wrote the new book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.
Courage involves taking bold action despite uncertainty and fear. In a volatile business environment, it's hard to be brave. But Ranjay Gulati, a professor at Harvard Business School, says that there are strategies any of us can use to get improve our ability to make smart bets on the future. He's studied dozens of leaders across industries and explains how they embolden themselves and their organizations by building a positive narrative around the mission, cultivating self-confidence, stepping their way into a better understanding of the situation, finding connection, and staying calm. Gulati wrote the HBR article "Now is the Time for Courage" and the book How To Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage.
