HBR IdeaCast

Kira Hudson Banks, Ph. D., is an Assistant Professor in the department of psychology at Saint Louis University, and a principal at consulting firm the Mouse and the Elephant. We spoke with her about why managers shouldn't wait for a controversy to start talking about race.

Job interviews can feel more like a stylized ritual than a normal conversation. Esquire writer and journalist Cal Fussman, who's interviewed scores of people from Mikhail Gorbachev to Jeff Bezos to Dr. Dre, gives us his advice, from how to build trust with a subject to getting an honest answer to a tough question.

Amy Bernstein, editor of HBR, offers executive summaries of the major features.

Paul Leinwand, co-author of the book "Strategy That Works," explains how successful companies solve this thorny problem.

Lorne Michaels, Bill Walsh, Alice Waters–all have had a disproportionate impact in their respective industries through their knack for collecting and inspiring great talent. We hear how they do it from Sydney Finkelstein, the Steven Roth Professor of Management in Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business and the author of "Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Manage the Flow of Talent".

Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman have administered thousands of 360-degree assessments through their consulting firm, Zenger/Folkman. This has given them a wealth of information about who benefits from criticism, and how to deliver it.

Emma Seppälä, Stanford researcher and author of "The Happiness Track," explains the proven benefits of a positive outlook; simple ways to increase your sense of well-being; and why it's not about being ecstatic or excited all the time.

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor at University College London and Columbia University and CEO of Hogan Assessments, explains how the fad for strengths-based coaching may actually be weakening us.

Tara Mohr, author of Playing Big, explains how to deal with self-doubt (or help someone else manage theirs).

Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of "No One Understands You and What to Do About It" and "9 Things Successful People Do Differently," explains how to actually stick to your resolutions this year.'

Denise Lee Yohn, author of "Extraordinary Experiences" and "What Great Brands Do," explains what we can learn from retail and restaurant brands

Amy Bernstein, editor of HBR, offers executive summaries of the major features.

In every issue, we feature a conversation with someone who's been wildly successful outside the traditional business world. This time, it's an astrophysicist.

Bill George, Harvard Business School professor and author of "Discover Your True North," gives advice to both new and experienced leaders.

Pierre Nanterme discusses the forces changing consulting, and other knowledge-intensive industries.

Amy Gallo, author of the "HBR Guide to Managing Conflict at Work," explains the options.

Amy Bernstein, editor of HBR, offers executive summaries of the major features.

The renowned American journalist talks with HBR senior editor Dan McGinn.

Evan Loomis and Evan Baehr, coauthors of "Get Backed," on how to win someone over with PowerPoint.

Gareth Jones, author of "Why Should Anyone Work Here?", explains the things managers know, but struggle to do.

Norman Winarsky, coauthor of "If You Really Want to Change the World," on ventures that scale.

Clay Shirky talks about Xiaomi, the subject of his new book, "Little Rice."

Sally Osberg, president and CEO of the Skoll Foundation and author of "Getting Beyond Better" with Roger Martin.

Amy Bernstein, editor of HBR, offers executive summaries of the major features.

Whitney Johnson, author of "Disrupt Yourself," on taking the big risks we secretly want to.