Episodes

  • Employment Is Changing Forever

    Employment Is Changing Forever
    Jan 28 2025
    As organizations and workers face a new wave of technological change, Deborah Perry Piscione argues that we're at a pivot point where old models of employment will be replaced by entirely new ones. Get ready for GenAI-assisted, decentralized, sometimes autonomous workforces, and “jobs” that span gigs, companies, industries, geographies, and the metaverse. Piscione describes this new reality and how mindset shifts and upskilling can help us prepare. She's the coauthor, along with Josh Drean, of the book Employment is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies are Revolutionizing the Way We Work.
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    30 mins
  • To Fix Broken Work Systems, You Need to Reset

    To Fix Broken Work Systems, You Need to Reset
    Jan 21 2025
    If you've ever tried to change things at work, you know the headwinds you face. Teams and processes are often trapped in longstanding, ineffective patterns that are hard to budge. Dan Heath, senior fellow at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, explains proven techniques to reset. Those include making the problem visible, jolting incremental progress to start gaining traction, and motivating teams into a new direction. He shares real-life examples of how leaders and teams broke through seemingly intractable work situations. Heath is the author of the new book Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working.
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    31 mins
  • How to Get Better at Saying No

    How to Get Better at Saying No
    Jan 14 2025
    Our families, schools, and workplaces often train us to comply: taking on additional work when asked, agreeing with the group's consensus, and going along to get along with our bosses and colleagues. So, even when we're told to "think different" and "embrace conflict," we often hold ourselves back. But when individuals learn to say no more often, it can have huge benefits for their careers and organizations, says Dr. Sunita Sah. A psychologist and professor at Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business, she shares a research-backed framework for evaluating whether to comply or defy at work and offers advice on how to do both more effectively. Sah is author of the book Defy: The Power of No In a World That Demands Yes.
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    28 mins
  • Dealing with Perfectionism

    Dealing with Perfectionism
    Jan 7 2025
    High standards, attention to detail, and self-control are invaluable qualities at work. They’re also aspects of perfectionism, something to which many high achievers credit much of their success. But Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, says being your own worst critic can also lead to constant dissatisfaction at work and alienation from coworkers. Her new book is How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists. Drawing on her own research, clinical work, and personal experience as a perfectionist, she explains where perfectionism comes from and how it affects teams. Hendriksen shares how not to be so hard on yourself—while still keeping your high standards.
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    27 mins
  • How To Enhance Your Leadership with “Personal Power”

    How To Enhance Your Leadership with “Personal Power”
    Dec 31 2024
    We all know the stereotypes of leaders who use charisma, manipulation, domineering behavior, or their status in the hierarchy to exert control. But there is another type of leader whose power isn’t necessarily related to their position on the org chart. Chris Lipp has spent years studying people who’ve developed this “personal power” that is rooted in their internal values. Lipp is a professor at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, an executive coach, and the author of the new book The Science of Personal Power. He’s investigated where this second type of power comes from, how it can enhance our lives, and how to tap into it using some simple strategies and tools.
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    26 mins
  • Best of IdeaCast: To Build Stronger Teams, Ask Better Questions

    Best of IdeaCast: To Build Stronger Teams, Ask Better Questions
    Dec 24 2024
    Asking questions is a powerful way to build trust, exchange ideas, and unlock value in organizations. And it is a skill that can be honed to make work conversations more productive, say Leslie K. John and Alison Wood Brooks, professors at Harvard Business School. In this classic episode, they join former host Sarah Green Carmichael to talk through insights from behavioral science research. They share techniques to adjust the frame, tone, and type of questions to improve results—whether you’re looking to get information, find solutions, or just get someone to like you. Brooks and John wrote the article “The Surprising Power of Questions” in the May–June 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review.
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    23 mins
  • The Case for Selling Products that Adapt

    The Case for Selling Products that Adapt
    Dec 17 2024
    Many companies make money by selling goods that need to be constantly replaced; think fast fashion, or tech devices that come out in new versions each year. But according to Vijay Govindarajan, professor at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, smart organizations are increasingly eschewing that strategy for one focused on products that grow with the consumer through creative design or software updates. He shares several examples and explains how this approach can deliver more value for the buyer – and for the business – over the long term. Govindarajan is the coauthor of the HBR article "Design Products That Won't Become Obsolete."
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    25 mins
  • A Hollywood Producer’s Formula for Taking Bigger Risks

    A Hollywood Producer’s Formula for Taking Bigger Risks
    Dec 10 2024
    Hollywood is known for huge personalities and behemoth production studios taking big swings. But critics worry that the movie industry is playing it way too safe recently — by churning out remakes and fleshing out franchises, rather than dreaming up new things. And the same can be said of many established businesses in other industries. Larry Kasanoff, a movie producer and former studio head, has lessons from his career taking passionate risks to make groundbreaking movies like Platoon, Dirty Dancing, and Mortal Kombat. He breaks down his framework for innovation in three parts: Create, Ask, and Play. Kasanoff is the author of A Touch of the Madness: How to Be More Innovative in Work and Life . . . by Being a Little Crazy.
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    28 mins