Strategic Minds

How do you identify and seize opportunities for disruption? In this episode, Rich sits down with Jed Ayres, CEO of ControlUp, a company that helps IT resolve issues faster, prevent tickets, and reduce spending. Jed is widely recognized for the transformational impact he is making on the end user computing industry.  He and Rich discuss innovation, creative thinking and the importance of storytelli...

How can you leverage the principles of physics to grow your business? In this episode, Rich sits down with Bob Rogers, CEO of Oii.ai and a PhD in physics who studied supermassive black holes. They discuss how Bob’s background as a scientist informs how he thinks about business, how to know when to pivot in a startup, and how cross-pollinating ideas from different domains leads to innovation for cu...

How do you find creative and original ideas? When you do, how do you continue to find them consistently over a long period of time? How do you transform them into strategies that create competitive advantage?    In this episode, Rich sits down with Bradley Hartmann, CEO of Bradley Hartmann & Co. Bradley has consistently put unique products into the construction industry, innovating within a mo...

How does a leader evolve the business and their role for future time horizons? In this episode, Rich sits down with Assaf Resnick, CEO of BigPanda. Assaf’s journey is anything but conventional—transitioning from venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital to founding a successful software company. He shares invaluable insights on fostering a first-team culture, maintaining differentiation in a competiti...

What does it take to lead organizations through change and innovation? In this episode, Rich sits down with Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). With over 30 years of experience in association management, Christie has also served as President and CEO of the Association Forum of Chicagoland and Executive Director of the Academy of General Dentistry. She shares insi...

How do you identify and develop the ideas that generate a multi-billion-dollar business using strategic thinking? In this episode, Rich sits down with Bill Harris, former CEO of TurboTax, PayPal and Intuit, and current founder of Evergreen Money. Bill is a prolific founder and “ideas guy” who has spent 30 years building and leading companies at the intersection of investing, tax and technology. Bi...

How does a winning Olympic coach approach strategy?  In this episode, Rich sits down with Hugh McCutcheon, the Assistant Athletics Director and Sport Development Coach at the University of Minnesota. Hugh coached the US Men’s Volleyball team to the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic games, then coached the US Women’s volleyball team to the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic games. He shares his thoughts...

Are you tactical or strategic?   Research shows that this distinction is the difference between failure and a Kevlar competitive advantage.   In a world where bad strategy is the leading cause of bankruptcy – and only one out of every four leaders is truly strategic – strategic fitness is the meta-skill of elite executives.   Welcome to Strategic Minds, the podcast that explores how some of the gr...