Building Bridges

Good writing is not complicated. As one guest notes, “it’s about injecting personality, making it engage and entertaining for your audience. But most importantly, it's about structure. … How is one paragraph leading to the next, how are they connected? The worst kind of writing, and we all see it all the time, is just rambling. It's not at all clear. People get lost and the idea gets lost.”

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about the value of effective business writing.

In this episode, Jeff Bradford, Laura Brown, and Ryan Craig join us again to discuss:

How writing and critical thinking go hand-in-hand—and why practice makes perfect.

Why employers are often reluctant to teach remedial writing skills.

The characteristics of good writing: storytelling, personality, metaphors, and symbols.

Websites and other hacks that professionals can use to improve the quality of their writing.

Jeff Bradford leads a PR and advertising agency, The Bradford Group. A former journalist, he wrote a 2019 Forbes article entitled, “Why Writing Ability Is The Most Important Skill In Business (And How To Acquire It)”.

Laura Brown is a writer and writing coach, and the author of two bestselling books: “How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide,” and “The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need.”

Ryan Craig is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of University Ventures, and the author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” and “A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College.”

As one of our guests asserts, “it's very, very difficult to get to the top in any organization without being able to communicate in writing.”

But how to become a better writer? Consider these two suggestions from another guest: “One is just simply read more and read better stuff. And secondly, write a lot. The more you write, the better you're going to get.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation about the value of effective business writing.

In this episode, Jeff Bradford, Laura Brown, and Ryan Craig join us to discuss:

Why schools don’t prepare students to write well.

How business writing is more interactive than many other forms of writing.

The characteristics of poor writing: verbose, full of jargon, and failing to consider for the reader’s needs.

Why professionals rarely receive feedback on their writing—and how executives model often bad habits.

Jeff Bradford leads a PR and advertising agency, The Bradford Group. A former journalist, he wrote a 2019 Forbes article entitled, “Why Writing Ability Is The Most Important Skill In Business (And How To Acquire It)”.

Laura Brown is a writer and writing coach, and the author of two bestselling books: “How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide,” and “The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need.”

Ryan Craig is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of University Ventures, and the author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” and “A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College.”

Fictional 1980s corporate raider Gordon Gekko famously proclaimed that “Greed is good,” seeking to justify why one of the seven deadly sins is, in fact, ethically virtuous.

Leaders should think deeply about the ethical dimensions of their actions. However, too many fail to recognize the moral complexity inherent in their decisions. As one guest argues, “Just like some people are tone-deaf, and they can’t carry a tune, some are ethics-deaf.”

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about why it’s so hard to be an ethical leader. Joanne Ciulla, Eugene Soltes, and Ann Tenbrunsel join us again to discuss:

- Avoiding zero-sum ethical trade-offs

- The ethics of price gouging and lying

- Why some people justify their actions even as ethical failures escalate

- Ethical decision making in an era of advanced technologies

- Humility and the relationship between ethics and effectiveness

Joanne Ciulla is a professor at Rutgers Business School and Director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership. A pioneer in the field of leadership ethics, she the author or co-author of numerous books and received a lifetime achievement award last year from the Society for Business Ethics.

Eugene Soltes is an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where his research focuses on corporate misconduct and fraud. The author of Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal, Eugene was the recipient of the Charles M. Williams Award for outstanding teaching.

Ann Tenbrunsel is a professor of Business Ethics in the College of Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame, where she focuses on the psychology of ethical decision making. Ann is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six books on this topic—including Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right and What to Do about It.

Warren Buffett has described integrity as “a reputational advantage that others will weigh in subsequent dealings.” His partner, Charlie Munger, agrees, noting that “You’ll make more money in the end with good ethics than bad.”

So, why are many leaders often tempted to take ethical short-cuts—or worse?

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore why it’s so hard to be an ethical leader.

In this episode, Joanne Ciulla, Eugene Soltes, and Ann Tenbrunsel join us to discuss:

- Why it’s hard to define ethics—and why some people will break their ethical code before they break the law

- Ethical failures, including blind spots, ethical fading, and language euphemisms

- How success can impair a leader’s view of ethical behavior

- Working rules: the difference between formal and informal language, codes, and policies

Joanne Ciulla is a professor at Rutgers Business School and Director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership. A pioneer in the field of leadership ethics, she the author or co-author of numerous books and received a lifetime achievement award last year from the Society for Business Ethics.

Eugene Soltes is an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where his research focuses on corporate misconduct and fraud. The author of Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal, Eugene was the recipient of the Charles M. Williams Award for outstanding teaching.

Ann Tenbrunsel is a professor of Business Ethics in the College of Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame, where she focuses on the psychology of ethical decision making. Ann is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six books on this topic—including Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right and What to Do about It. 

One of our guests argues that, “cash has historically been seen as a friend of the poor, [because] banks have never been seen as friends of the poor. Banks historically have been seen as institutions of elite control. They've been seen as run by social elites in the interests of social elites.” But much is changing.

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about the future of money. In this episode, Paul Avery, Dave Birch, and Brett Scott join us to discuss:

- Cryptocurrency as a commodity

- The inevitability of digital money

- Why the US is slow to abandon cash

- Innovation to reduce the power of the banking sector

- Digital currency as a geopolitical issue

Paul Avery is a financial journalist, editor, and public speaker. He is the editor of New Money Review.

Dave Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services. The author of many books, newest is The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony.

Brett Scott is a journalist, campaigner, former broker, and the author of The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money.

As one of our guests observed, we’re soon “going to have lots of different kinds of money. And the technological limitation of the past— which is, I only had five slots in my wallet, and I couldn't carry around 30 million different currencies— is about to vanish. My mobile phone is perfectly capable of managing 30 million different currencies.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore how money—and the monetary system—is evolving.

In this episode, Paul Amery, Dave Birch, and Brett Scott join us to discuss:

- Money as a form of memory—or a system of accounting

- Why the current monetary system may be ripe for change

- The evolution of money—and the role of states and the banking sector

- Impact of digital technologies on innovation and the future of money

Paul Avery is a financial journalist, editor, and public speaker. He is the editor of New Money Review.

Dave Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services. The author of many books, newest is The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony.

Brett Scott is a journalist, campaigner, former broker, and the author of The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money.

According to one corporate director, “there are two places [in the United States]—the boardroom and the Supreme Court— where a lot of people go on them and think it's for a lifetime.” But this mindset is starting to change.

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about the evolution of corporate governance as climate change and other societal challenges become more acute. In this episode, George Anderson, Amy Borrus, and Megan Shattuck join us to discuss:

- Corporate governance outside the United States

- How turnover can help boards to achieve greater diversity

- The role of corporate leaders might play in shaping public policy

- Factors that boards are considering when selecting new directors

George Anderson is a Consultant at Spencer Stuart, where he advises boards and conducts director searches. He also leads the firm’s Board Effectiveness Services in North America.

Amy Borrus is deputy director of the Council of Institutional Investors, where she plays a lead role in developing the Council’s strategy and policies on corporate governance, along with outreach to stakeholders and policymakers.

Megan Shattuck is the President of Talent Advisory practice at Teneo where she counsels clients on a wide range of matters including board effectiveness and board succession planning.

As one of our guests observed, corporate governance “used to be a sleepy backwater. Now, it's on the front pages of the papers all the time.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore how corporate boards are evolving to address new challenges.

In this episode, George Anderson, Amy Borrus, and Megan Shattuck join us to discuss:

- The purpose and design of corporate governance practices

- Board and management responsibility toward stakeholders

- Corporate governance evolution

- Challenges of the current governance model

George Anderson is a Consultant at Spencer Stuart, where he advises boards and conducts director searches. He also leads the firm’s Board Effectiveness Services in North America.

Amy Borrus is deputy director of the Council of Institutional Investors, where she plays a lead role in developing the Council’s strategy and policies on corporate governance, along with outreach to stakeholders and policymakers.

Megan Shattuck is the President of Talent Advisory practice at Teneo where she counsels clients on a wide range of matters including board effectiveness and board succession planning.

As comedian Robin Williams once observed, “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore why some ideas gain traction, while others fail to catch on.

In this episode, Ethan Beute, Mark Bonchek, Dara Treseder, and Sangram Vajre join us to discuss:

- Ideas as personal truth

- Influence of digital technologies

- Aligning ideas and culture

- The role of idea champions

Ethan Beute is Chief Evangelist of BombBomb. He is co-author of Rehumanize Your Business, and host of the Customer Experience Podcast.

Mark Bonchek is Founder and Chief Epiphany Officer of Shift Thinking. He is also on the faculty of Singularity University.

Dara Treseder is Chief Marketing Officer at Carbon. She previously led marketing and growth efforts at GE, Apple, and Goldman Sachs.

Sangram Vajre is Chief Evangelist and Co-Founder at Terminus. He is host of the FlipMyFunnel Podcast and author of two books about Account-Based Marketing.

Victor Hugo once wrote that “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore why some ideas gain traction, while others fail to catch on.

In this episode, Ethan Beute, Mark Bonchek, Dara Treseder, and Sangram Vajre join us to discuss:

- Characteristics of ideas that take hold

- Value of storytelling and community to spread ideas

- Ideas as products

- Incremental vs. exponential adoption curves

Ethan Beute is Chief Evangelist of BombBomb. He is co-author of Rehumanize Your Business, and host of the Customer Experience Podcast.

Mark Bonchek is Founder and Chief Epiphany Officer of Shift Thinking. He is also on the faculty of Singularity University.

Dara Treseder is Chief Marketing Officer at Carbon. She previously led marketing and growth efforts at GE, Apple, and Goldman Sachs.

Sangram Vajre is Chief Evangelist and Co-Founder at Terminus. He is host of the FlipMyFunnel Podcast and author of two books about Account-Based Marketing.