The Leadership Spark

Bernie Jaworski holds the Drucker Chair at Claremont's Drucker School and recently wrote “The Soul of Strategy”. Inspired by Peter Drucker's principle that organizations exist to create customers, Bernie critiques traditional strategy frameworks for neglecting customer centricity. He explores how companies lose customer focus as they scale, how AI accelerates insights generation, and why...

George Kohlrieser is a renowned IMD Leadership professor and former hostage negotiator. In this episode he shares compelling stories from his career, illustrating how principles from hostage negotiation, such as emotional bonding, managing grief, and honest communication, can transform leadership. The conversation explores the psychology behind high-performance leadership, the importance of secure...

Summary: In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews Harvard professor Rakesh Khurana. Together they discuss about leadership, humility, and organizational culture. Drawing on personal stories and academic insights, Khurana explores the role of serendipity, the importance of adaptive and humble leadership, and the challenges facing modern institutions. He reflects on bureau...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews famous psychologist and author Robert Holden, known for "The Happiness Project." They explore redefining success beyond money and status, emphasizing clarity, authenticity, and love. Robert shares insights on positive psychology, the importance of inner wisdom, and how leadership is an attitude rooted in respect and conn...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain discussed with Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill about her new book "Genius at Scale", and her research on innovation and leadership. Hill emphasizes that innovation is a collective effort, requiring leaders to foster environments of collaboration, experimentation, and learning. She introduces the roles of Architect, Bri...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Ludovic Subran, Group Chief Investment Officer at Allianz and Senior Fellow at Harvard University, shares insights on leadership, economics, and innovation. He discusses the power of storytelling in economics, the transformative potential of AI and alternative data, and Europe’s evolving global role. Ludovic emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, th...

In this Leadership Spark Podcast episode, Sylvain welcomes back Harvard professor Ranjay Gulati to discuss his new book, Courage: How to Be Bold. They explore the difference between risk and uncertainty, and how courage means acting purposefully despite fear. Ranjay shares multiple stories of everyday and extraordinary courage, from disaster response to personal challenges. The episode highlights...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews Roch Parayre, founder and CEO of Strategique. Drawing on his global experience in executive education and consulting, Roch discusses scenario planning, innovation, and strategic leadership. He explains how scenario planning helps organizations prepare for multiple possible futures, emphasizing adaptability over prediction. The con...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews Peter Salzer, an accomplished CEO, chairman, and private equity partner. Peter shares insights from his 30-year leadership journey across multiple industries, discussing his shift from corporate roles to private equity with a focus on operational value creation. He emphasizes the importance of clarity, inclusive leadership, and “r...

In this episode, Steve Sargent, a seasoned Global CEO with over 20 years at GE and current non-executive director, shares his leadership learning and philosophy. He discusses the importance of structured time management, continuous learning, and emotional intelligence in effective leadership. Steve reflects on the influence of leaders who have impacted him, the value of making people feel apprecia...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews Nick Binedell, an academic originally from Zimbabwe and founding director of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in South Africa. Nick shares how his multicultural upbringing shaped his worldview and curiosity, discusses his transition from corporate leadership to academia, and recounts the founding of GIBS. He offers...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews Julian Birkinshaw, Dean and Professor at the Ivey Business School in Canada, and co-author of "Resurgent." They discuss how established companies are better positioned to navigate the digital transformation than new market entrants. Burkinshaw shares lessons from companies like Disney, GE, Pearson and Nokia and explores...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews INSEAD professor Subramanian Rangan about the intersection of economic performance and societal progress. Rangan discusses his book, "Core Assumptions in Business Theory," and highlights how businesses can integrate profit, people, and planet through practical examples like the Linden Group’s True Value Method. The conve...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain converses with Robert Wreschniock, CEO of the Tatin Institute for Strategy Activation. They delve into Robert's book, "The Strategy Activation Canvas," focusing on bridging the gap between strategy formulation and implementation. Robert emphasizes the importance of mutual understanding and visual communication of strategy with...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark podcast, Sylvain converses with Barbara Kellerman, a renowned professor of public leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. They discuss particularly her book “Leadership: Essential selections” and explore the intricate dynamics between leaders and followers, emphasizing the importance of context. Barbara introduces her leader-follower-context triad, critiques t...

In this episode of the Leadership Sparks podcast, Sylvain engages with Oliver Burkeman, a renowned journalist and author, to explore our relation to time and productivity. Burkeman discusses the inherent limitations of traditional productivity methods and emphasizes the importance of making conscious choices about how to allocate time and attention. The conversation highlights the value of embraci...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain Newton converses with Mike Useem, director of the Center of Leadership and Change Management at Wharton Business School. They discuss leadership principles from Useem’s book "The Leader's Checklist," emphasizing practical experience and informed intuition. They highlight key leadership traits like prioritizing common interests...

In this episode of "The Leadership Spark," host Sylvain converses with Emilio Galli-Zugaro, co-author of the book "The Listening Leader", founder of the Orvieto Academy in Munich and chairman of Methodos in Milan. The discussion delves into leadership, communication, and trust in the corporate world. Emilio emphasizes the importance of engaging employees as credible sources of...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain engages with Gay Hendricks, a renowned author and psychologist, to discuss his book "The Big Leap" and the concept of the "upper limit." Gay Hendricks shares personal anecdotes, including a transformative moment in his life that led to profound self-awareness. He explains how individuals often sabotage their own success a...

In this episode of the Leadership Podcast, Sylvain engages with Bernie, an expert in management and leadership, who holds the Drucker Chair in Management and Liberal Arts at the Drucker School in Claremont, California. Bernie discusses his book, "Creating the Organization of the Future," which integrates the teachings of Peter Drucker and Confucius. The conversation centers on essential...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain interviews Jacques Neatby, a partner at MindLab, executive team advisor, author, and professor of leadership. The discussion delves into the dynamics of senior leadership teams, focusing on alignment, decision-making processes and the role of psychological safety. Key insights include the importance of power dynamics, the need for more struc...

In this episode of the Leadership Spark Podcast, Sylvain engages with Andy Stefanovich, a renowned speaker, best-selling author, and founding partner of “Life”, a consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia. Andy shares insights on leadership, innovation, and creativity, emphasizing the importance of seeking inspiration in unconventional places. He discusses how leaders can foster an environment that en...

In this Leadership Spark podcast episode, host Sylvain Newton interviews Leandro Herrero, CEO of the Chalfont Project and author of "Viral Change". Together they discuss innovative approaches to change management. Herrero critiques traditional top-down methods, advocating for a behavior-focused, organic strategy. He emphasizes the importance of identifying and engaging highly connected i...

In this podcast episode of the Leadership Spark, host Sylvain Newton interviews Jean-Claude Larréché, an emeritus professor at INSEAD Business School and founder of StratX. They discuss Jean-Claude's journey from mathematics to leadership, emphasizing the importance of balancing hard and soft skills. The conversation explores Leadership from the perspective of the Commercial function and part...

In this podcast episode of the Leadership Spark, host Sylvain Newton interviews Hitendra Wadhwa, author of "Inner Mastery and Outer Impact." They discuss the integration of intuition and inner core strengths in leadership. Hitendra, a professor at Columbia Business School and founder of the Mentora Institute, emphasizes harmonizing rational and intuitive approaches. He shares multiple ex...