The Non-Obvious Show

How To Work With (Almost) Anyone: featuring Michael Bungay Stanier, the award-winning author of The Coaching Habits, as well as teacher and speaker who has sold over 1.5 million books, shares solutions to this question in his book How to Work With (Almosn) Anyone.   In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Michael Bungay Stanier discuss topics inspired by the book, including keystone conversations, how...

Why do most projects fail? Bent Flyvberg and Dan Gardner explore this question and the pattern of failed megaprojects in their book How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between. Bent Flyvbjerg is the first BT Professor and inaugural Chair of Major Programme Management at the University...

How often do you think about your pockets? Hannah Carlson, an author and lecturer in dress history and material culture at the Rhode Island School of Design, explores this question and the history of pockets in her book Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close. In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Hannah Carlson discuss topics inspired by the book, including the evolution of pockets...

How will you tell your life story and are you thinking about it right now? James R. Hagerty, an obituary writer, author, and previous reporter, editor, and bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune, explores these questions and shares tips for writing obituaries in his book Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer's Guide to Telling Your Story .  In this episode, Rohit B...

What is afrofuturism and how can we develop a powerful view of the future for African Americans through a cultural lens? Dr. Kevin Strait, the Museum Curator of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, explores these questions and the exhibition in DC as one of the editors for the book Afrofuturism .  In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Dr. Kevin Strait discuss topics inspired...

How do we bring more culture into the work that we do? Marcus Collins, an award-winning marketer, cultural translator, professor, and author, explores this question and how culture is the most powerful vehicle for influencing behavior in his book For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be.  In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Dr. Marcus Collins discuss topics...

How do you become coachable in order to transform your life and career? Jacquelyn Lane and Scott Osman are two renowned coaching experts who co-authored the book "Becoming Coachable: Unleashing the Power of Executive Coaching to Transform Your Leadership and Life" with the world's top executive coach - Marshall Goldsmith. Jacquelyn Lane is the president of the 100 Coaches Agency, with her work and...

How do you deal with difficult people to create better harmony at work? Amy Gallo is a workplace expert, speaker, and contributing editor at Harvard Business Review. Her work specializes in effective communication, interpersonal dynamics, gender, difficult conversations, and feedback. Her bestselling book, "Getting Along," delves into the challenges of working with difficult people and gives insig...

Zoe Chance teaches the most popular course at the Yale School of Management, called "Mastering Influence and Persuasion," yet she describes herself as being shy and uninfluential in her youth. Her impressive career includes stints in sales, leading marketing for the Barbie brand, and teaching thousands of people how to tap into their own inner charisma and make influence their superpower. In this...

World leading expert on employee and customer experience, Joey Coleman is the Chief Experience Composer at Design Symphony - a customer experience branding firm that helps organizations like NASA and Zappos retain their customers and employees, turning them into their biggest fans. In his latest book, "Never Lose an Employee Again", Joey digs into how any business owner, manager, or employee can b...

What does it take to unlearn history in order to build a more just future for everyone? Dolly Chugh is an award-winning psychologist and professor of social psychology and management at the New York University Stern School of Business. Dolly's research focuses on "bounded ethicality," which she describes as the "psychology of good people." In her latest book, "A More Just Future," Dolly explores o...

How do we demystify data and measurement? Neil Hoyne has centered his career around championing the universal accessibility of data-driven actionable insights. As Google's Chief Measurement Strategy and Global Head of Customer Analytics, he pioneers strategies for customer lifetime value, marketing attribution, dynamic pricing, content personalization, and truly democratized data. His bestselling...

How do you fight workplace gender bias? What happens when a "band" of top female executives gather together to share their hard earned knowledge about how to succeed in the boardroom (or any other room) by conquering the gender biases that are so often faced by executives from minority groups. Angelique Bellmer Krembs, Katie Lacey, Lori Marcus, Cie Nicholson, & Mitzi Short wrote You Should Smile M...

Is the future analog? David Sax is an award-winning journalist and keynote speaker, specializing in dissecting the intersection of business and culture. His latest book, The Future Is Analog , is a manifesto for a more human future. One in which we innovate for the good of social and cultural lives, and build a future that first and foremost serves us as humans. In this episode, David Sax dives in...

How do you make the changes your business needs? Popular small business marketing expert and radio show host Barry J. Moltz has discovered the formula to get business owners unstuck. He focuses on marketing and sales, leadership and management, cash flow and money, the customer experience and productivity. His award-winning book, ChangeMasters, exposes the true reasons why so many small business o...

How do we create a more inclusive world through design? Ellen Lupton, Kaleena Sales, and Valentine Vergara are part of a diverse group of creators who wrote Extra Bold – a Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers . This groundbreaking design guide for anyone who works in (or loves) design about how to rethink the assumptions and traditional mindsets that someti...

Can humor help you find better ideas? "Marketoonist" Tom Fishburne is an international keynote speaker and marketer specializing in cartoons, digital transformation, and the future of work. His book, Your Ad Ignored Here , depicts the modern marketing life, capturing 15 years of marketing, business, and doodling, while giving voice to the challenges and opportunities faced by people working in bus...

How have women shaped the exercise industry? Danielle Friedman is an award-winning journalist and the author of. Her book Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World explores the untold history of women's exercise culture while debunking myths and reveals how this physical strength has transformed into other forms of power. In this episode, Danielle Friedman explores t...

How do you get people talking about race? Imagine taking a year off to travel to every state in America, sleep on the couches of strangers and tap random people on the shoulder to start a dialog about race. If that's hard enough to picture, now consider doing it while you're still a teenager. This unique journey inspired my next guests Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo to create a new curriculum for rac...

How do you talk to a racist? Dr. David Wiley Campt, aka The Dialogue Guy, is a renowned speaker, master facilitator, and author. He has over 25 years of experience working as an anti-racism trainer and founded The Dialogue Company and the White Ally Toolkit. His latest book, How to Talk to Racists, educates anti-racism allies on engaging in transformative discourse about race and other polarizing...

What is the truth behind college admissions? New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo has written about higher education for over two years, including regular contributions to The Atlantic, New York Times, and the Washington Post. When not writing, he is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University, and co-hosts the Future U podcast. In this episod...

What are the secrets to brand transformation? Brand guru Emmanuel Probst is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Assemblage , the Global Lead of Brand Growth & Thought Leadership at Ipsos, and teaches Consumer Market Research at UCLA. In this episode, Emmanuel Probst reveals the secrets of building an enduring brand, what mistakes marketers often make when trying to grow their brand loyal...

How do you support female leaders? Corporate inclusion visionary, Deepa Purushothaman encourages companies and individuals to challenge the status quo of ambition, success and power through her seasoned advisory approach to leadership. Her internationally acclaimed book  The First, The Few, The Only  is a deeply personal call to action for women of color to redefine power in corporate America. In...

What does your digital body language convey? Erica Dhawan is an award winning keynote speaker and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Digital Body Language . As the founder and CEO of Cotential, Erica has helped leaders and teams leverage twenty-first-century collaboration skills globally, helping them innovate faster and further, together. In this episode, Erica Dhawan digs into how gen...

How do you get people to support you? Suneel Gupta is a bestselling author, renowned speaker, Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, and host of a global documentary series called Business Class on Amazon Prime. Once seen as the "face of failure" in the New York Times, Suneel understands that the road to success is not always smooth, has learned from his mistakes, and went on to become a foundin...