Lead From the Heart

    In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Urs Koenig, author of “ Radical Humility: Be A Badass Leader And A Good Human ,” to explore leadership through a lens of selflessness and authenticity. Drawing from his experience as a peacekeeping mission commander in Kosovo, Urs shares surprising insights on leading in high-stakes environments, revealing how humility shaped his ap...

    Is Bree Groff delusional or naive to believe work should be a source of fun and joy? Having read her bestseller, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously)  a nd interviewed her, we’re certain she’s spot-on—and voicing what many of us have long felt: work shouldn’t be a grind that erodes our happiness or well-being. Bree’s expertise stems from a dynamic career in organizational tra...

    As a statistician by trade, Cambridge University Emeritus Professor, Sir David Spiegelhalter might seem to be a huge outlier for our leadership podcast. At the beginning of our conversation he even acknowledges feeling this way. But his new book,  The Art of Uncertainty , was named an Amazon Best Book of 2025, a nd his investigations aimed at reducing uncertainty in life: about what...

    Ever wonder what 75 days a year glued to your phone is costing you?  That staggering figure—based on a 2024 study showing Americans spend an average of 5 hours and 16 minutes daily on their smartphones—reveals how deeply our devices dominate our lives.  Enter Richard Simon and his provocative bestseller, Unplug: How to Break Up with Your Phone and Reclaim Your Life. It’s not just a g...

    We’re thrilled to welcome back Margaret Heffernan to the podcast , a guest whose erudition and insight left us in awe last time! Margaret is one of the most remarkable people we’ve had on the show—an entrepreneur, former CEO, acclaimed author, and thought leader whose uncommon education and thirst for knowledge imbue her work with extraordinary depth. Her TED Talk, “Why it’s ti...

    Imagine you’re a leader who’s achieved great success, yet something suddenly feels off: roadblocks appear, your team seems less responsive and productive—and you’re not progressing as hoped. What’s holding you back? Martin Dubin, a clinical psychologist and author of, Blindspotting: How To See What’s Holding You Back As A Leader (being released next week) says career and leadership s...

    We’re thrilled to welcome Shigehiro Oishi, renowned psychologist and University of Chicago professor, whose groundbreaking research on well-being has reshaped how we understand a fulfilling life. As the author of Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life , Oishi introduces a transformative framework that adds “psychological...

    For over 40 years, Gary Shapiro has been CEO of the Consumer Technology Association – the organization which runs CES, the world’s largest and most influential technology trade show held every year in Las Vegas. CES long ago became the global stage where innovations like the iPhone, self-driving cars, and AI breakthroughs have been introduced to the world for the first time. In his s...

    Wes Adams, co-author of Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee , joins the podcast and shares profound insights from his extensive, multi-year research, on an essential yet often ignored leadership prerogative: ensuring employees feel they’re connected to a shared purpose, empowered to make a difference – and pushed to grow. As a positive psychology...

    What makes a leader truly successful? To find out, we sat down with Claudius Hildebrand, author of the bestselling The Life Cycle of a CEO: The Myths and Truths of How Leaders Succeed . His core insight? Leadership isn’t a trophy you win or a title you hold—it’s a dynamic, ever-evolving journey that demands growth, grit, and constant reinvention. Whether you’re a team lead, a mid-lev...

  Melody Wilding, Professor of Human Behavior at Hunter College in New York City, and renowned for her expertise in workplace dynamics, has just published, “Managing Up: How To Get What You Need From The People In Charge.” It’s received outstanding reviews, is already a bestseller – and has become an indispensable guide for building effective relationships with bosses and even pee...

    Version 1.0.0 Renowned social psychologist and Columbia Business School professor Adam Galinsky, has dedicated his academic career to understanding the intricacies of leadership and human behavior. His latest book,  “Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others,”  offers a compelling exploration of what it takes to be an inspiring leader. Adam is clear that...

    Ever wondered what truly drives peak performance at work? As research is now proving, the surprising secret lies in employee well-being. In this captivating episode, we’re joined by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, the Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre & an editor of the World Happiness Report. His...

    For our inaugural episode of our new season, we are thrilled to feature two truly extraordinary guests. It also marks a milestone for us as it’s the very first time we’ve recorded an episode where both the host and guests were together in the same room — in this case, at a recording studio at Chevron’s Northern California offices. In this special episode, you’...

    We’re thrilled to have Ethan Kross accept our invitation to join us for a second time, & to discuss his highly anticipated new book, Shift: Managing Your Emotions-So They Don’t Manage You . (Publishes February 2025). If you’re a regular listener to our show, you’ll recall Ethan’s previous appearance when we discussed his bestselling book,  Chatter: The Voice in Our He...

  The Financial Times  just named Columbia University professor Michael Morriss’ new book, Tribal: How The Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together , one of the “Best Business Books of the Year” (2024). When we hear the word “tribalism,” it often carries a negative connotation. It gets blamed for everything from political polarization to workplace discrim...

      We live in a world where early achievements are celebrated, but what if some of your greatest successes were to come later in life? On this truly provocative episode, we sit down with the brilliant Henry Oliver, author of “Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life.” Our conversation is packed with uncommon insights that will challenge...

    Mitch Warner is the Managing Partner of the Arbinger Institute, an organization renowned for its groundbreaking work in leadership & organizational transformation. The Arbinger Institute has just released the fourth edition of its classic book,   “ Leadership and Self-Deception: The Secret to Transforming Relationships and Unleashing Results.” First published in 2000, “Leadership...

    In this episode, we delve into the pervasive issue of burnout & dissatisfaction in modern work cultures & explore how rethinking workplace operations can enhance employee well-being. Our guest, Brigid Schulte, author of the bestseller “Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life,” provides uncommonly researched perspectives on this topic. Brigid cri...

    We have the distinct honor of hosting a true visionary in human resources and organizational culture, Laszlo Bock. His name is synonymous with innovation, empathy, and transformative leadership. His journey is a testament to leading with both the mind and the heart, a philosophy that has revolutionized the workplaces he has touched. Laszlo earned a BA from Pomona College and an MBA f...

    The idea of balancing the rational aspects of leadership with the intelligence of the heart and the wisdom of the soul is suddenly emerging as a legitimate best practice in organizations. At last, were moving away from traditional thinking — & knee-jerk assumptions — that caring about employees & giving them more power & agency, is a very bad way to drive perf...

  One of the most common questions on the minds of workplace managers today is, “How can I most successfully manage the new generation of people entering the workforce?” This is a crucial question, as not only are the dynamics of the workplace rapidly changing – the generation of workers aged 18 to 25 really does have unique needs needing our support. Dr. David Yeager, a renowned developmenta...

  In the post-COVID era we now live in, warnings about our lack of social connection – largely the result of habits we developed during the pandemic, and the new normal of working remotely – have become far more frequent. But what’s the real harm in having fewer in-person interactions with other people – especially with work colleagues? Many of us think we’re doing just fine spending time wit...

    Research shows that people consistently overestimate their ability to make accurate inferences about what other people are thinking & feeling in any given moment. In actuality, our success in “reading” other people proves to be no better than a coin flip! But because we’re all so solidly convinced that we’re uniquely skilled at deducing what’s going...

  Matt Beane is a researcher & professor in the Technology Management Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara – & the author of the new bestseller, “The Skill Code: How To Save Human Ability In An Age Of Intelligent Machines.” In his book, Beane delves into the critical challenge of maintaining valuable skills in a world increasingly filled with AI & robots – &...