Partnering Leadership

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Brian Ahearn, keynote speaker, trainer, coach, consultant, and author of  Influence People: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, and The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness. Brian Ahearn goes through the principles of influence, reciprocity, consistency, social proof, authority, likin...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Jeanine Turner, a professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches at the Communication, Culture and Technology Program and the McDonough School of Business. Jeanine Turner is also the author of Being Present: Commanding Attention at Work (and at Home) by Managing Your Social Presence. Jeanine Turner shares her research and...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Michael Roderick, founder, and C.E.O. of Small Pond Enterprises and host of the Access to Anyone Podcast. Michael Roderick shares practices and frameworks on connecting with others more effectively and becoming a referrable brand. Michael also shared that organizations can use the same lessons to make their brands stand out. Fina...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Diane Tipton, Chief Executive Officer and President at Self Storage Zone and Board Member at the Girl Scouts of the USA. Diane shares her humble beginnings in Georgia and how challenges shaped her into who she has become. Diane also talked about her work in accounting and why she decided to start a company. Finally, Diane Tipton...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Chip Walker, head of Strategy at StrawberryFrog Movement, Brand Business and Cultural Strategist, and co-author of Activate Brand Purpose: How to Harness the Power of Movements to Transform Your Company. Chip Walker talks about brand purpose and its importance in guiding organizations. Chip Walker also shares actionable ideas on...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares his perspectives and research about the need for kindness and how it can impact teams and organizations. Mahan also highlighted effective ways of showing kindness while initiating a ripple effect in our organizations and the community.  Some highlights: -Pre and post-pandemic effects on kindness -How showing kindness can be contagious...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Deidre Paknad, co-founder and CEO of WorkBoard and founder of Results Foundry. Deidre Paknad shared her journey leading to her success as the founder of three start-ups. Deidre also talked about her founding of Workboard and how the organization supports its clients to execute their strategy faster by effective implementation of...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Harold Pettigrew, CEO at Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif), Presidential Appointee at the CDFI Fund, and an Aspen Finance Fellow. First, Harold Pettigrew talked about his upbringing in Washington D.C. and the experiences that helped him find his voice. Harold also shared his experience serving in city government i...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Erika Andersen. Erika is the founding partner of Proteus International, which is a coaching consulting and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. She and her colleagues at Proteus focus on helping leaders prepare and stay prepared to face whatever the future might bring. Driven by this mission, Erika shares in the conver...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Stephanie Linnartz, President of Marriott International, Inc., the world's largest hospitality company. Stephanie Linnartz shares the role her upbringing played in her seeking a career at Marriott and how she rose through the ranks in the organization. Stephanie also shares the devastating impact of the pandemic alongside lo...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor James Heskett. Professor Heskett is UPS Foundation Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Business School. James Heskett has authored/co-authored nine books, including one with fellow Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter on Corporate Culture and Performance. In this conversation, Mahan and James Heskett talk about P...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lisa Wise, Chief Rooster, Chief Nester and Owner of Nest DC. Lisa Wise shares the origin story behind founding the company and how they bake purpose into everything they do.  Lisa Wise also talks about her commitment to the community and how she was able to keep focused on purpose through the pandemic.  Finally, Lisa Wise talks a...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Marquet. David served as the commander of the US Navy nuclear submarine, USS Santa Fe. When he took over, he changed the command-and-control leadership style and empowered his crew to turn the lowest-performing sub into the best performer in the fleet. David Marquet shared leadership lessons from this experience, which he a...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares why professionals are spending more time in meetings than ever before and what leaders of organizations and teams can do to combat overscheduling of meetings and meeting overwhelm. Mahan goes through a three-step process that can get you started to a more manageable number of meetings and more productive collaboration. Some highlights...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Cynthia Owyoung, the vice-president of inclusion, equity, and belonging at Robinhood. Cynthia is also the Founder of Breaking Glass Forums, which aims to elevate diverse talent and inclusive organizations. In addition, she has established and led diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for over 15 years as an executive at or...

In this episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Gorodetski. David is the co-founder and CEO of Sage Communications. David Gorodetski shares pivotal moments that led to his co-founding of Sage Communications. David also talks about the leadership challenges caused by the pandemic and how the crisis has helped him become a better leader. Finally, David Gorodets...

In this episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor Ranjay Gulati. Ranjay Gulati's work bridges strategy, organizational design, and leadership. In this conversation, Professor Gulati, who until recently chaired Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program, spoke about principles shared in his most recent book, Deep Purpose: The Heart and S...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Ernie Jarvis. Ernie is a fifth-generation Washingtonian and has established himself as a significant presence in the Greater Washington DC DMV region through his active involvement in the community and commitment to giving back. Ernie Jarvis has been a trailblazer on many fronts, including commercial real estate. In the conversat...

In today's episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan speaks with Whitney Johnson. Whitney is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a tech-enabled talent development company. She also co-founded Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen,  is the host of the Disrupt Yourself podcast, and is the author of the book Smart Growth: How To Grow Your People To Grow Your Company. Whitney Johnson talk...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Diane Hoskins. Diane Hoskins serves as co-CEO and chair of the board of directors for Gensler. As an MIT-trained architect and an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, Diane's career has touched architecture, design, real estate, and business. She has broad responsibility for running the company, which spans over 6,000+ empl...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Rob Cross. Rob is the co-founder and chief research scientist at the Connected Commons business consortium. He is also the Edward A. Madden Professor of global leadership at Babson College. Rob Cross has been researching the underlying networks of influential organizations and the collaborative processes of top achievers for more...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Edward D. Hess. Ed Hess is a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at the Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia. Ed Hess is the author of 13 books, including Learn or Die,   Humility is The New Smart, and his latest Hyper learning: How to adapt to the Speed of Change . In the conversation, Professor E...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Actor-Comedian Maz Jobrani. In addition to his comedy specials, Maz Jobrani has appeared on many of television's most popular shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Better Off Ted, and Shameless. He is also a regular on Stephen Colbert's late show, and he starred as the title character in the award-...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares his thoughts and research on the importance of providing regular feedback in the work environment. Mahan shares why many leaders avoid giving feedback and how to incorporate it into frequent interactions. Finally, Mahan shares tips on how to provide better and more productive feedback.   Some highlights: - The thin line between feedba...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with LaTonya Wilkins. LaTonya Wilkins is the founder of The Change Coaches. She works with C-suite/executive leaders and their teams where human connection and cultural change happen: below the surface. LaTonya Wilkins is also the author of Leading Below The Surface: How To Build Real and Psychologically Safe Relationships With People...