Outside In with Charles Trevail

For more than 100 years, Mercedes-Benz has been one of the most innovative and valuable brands ever created. But as the global automotive industry shifts towards an electric future, Dimitris Psillakis, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, says the company has a new goal: to become the most desirable electric luxury vehicle brand in the world. The automaker will shift its focus entirely to electric vehicles in 2025 and be prepared to sell only electric vehicles by 2030. But the transformation to electric has its hurdles. Namely, competition from both legacy automotive companies and newer, tech-driven entrants into the space, as nearly every automaker aspries to lead the transition to all-electric within the next decade. Dimitris joins the podcast to share the vision behind Mercedes-Benz’s electrification strategy and how the company is approaching the challenge of transitioning to electric from two angles: product performance and customer experience.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• What will it take to inspire luxury auto buyers -- especially those in the United States -- to make the switch to electric vehicles

• How Mercedes-Benz plans to differentiate its premium luxury brand amongst competitors

• The value of the dealership experience, and how the customer-dealer relationship is evolving -- both in-person and online

• The digitalization of Mercedes-Benz and why the car of tomorrow is a “smart car” powered by software and connectivity

Companies love to tout their purpose. They come up with a grandiose purpose statement, include it in their advertising, and paint it across their walls. But, when you look closely, there’s a lot of confusion about what purpose really means and what value it actually serves. Is a company’s purpose only about profit? Or, is it anything but profit? Perhaps purpose and profit should work in harmony to create a win-win? “The word ‘purpose’ has been hijacked,” says Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati. He recently conducted extensive field research, interviewing leaders of some of the world’s most successful organizations to fundamentally understand what it means to operate from a place of purpose -- or a reason for being. The culmination of his research is his latest book, Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies. Ranjay joins the podcast to explain what it means to be a “deep purpose” company. He describes what we can learn from leaders who get purpose right -- and use it as a North Star to guide and elevate an organization's people, productivity, and potential.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• Why business (and life) without tradeoffs is an illusion

• How purpose provides clarity on how to prioritize tradeoffs as well as the ability to make demands of company’s stakeholders

• How leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella create a sense of purpose within their company to inform culture, organizational design, and people strategy

• The opportunity for companies to help their employees (especially younger ones) discover coherence and connection between their purpose in life, career, and job -- the “Holy Grail” of fulfillment

• Why great companies look inside before they look outside -- aiming to get a clear understanding of “who I am and why I’m here”

• How NFL coach Pete Carroll unlocks “human potential,” and why all company leaders should strive to do the same with their employees

Amid the verdant rolling hills of central Kentucky, in the heart of Appalachian coal country, you’ll find 60 acres of a massive, glass-encased structure. Inside, you’ll find row after row of tomatoes. The bounty -- sold in grocery retailers like Kroger, Publix, and Walmart -- is grown and harvested to precision using data, AI, and robotics by an AgTech company called AppHarvest. But this isn’t your garden-variety greenhouse. It’s essentially a 60-acre robot — a high-tech, data-driven indoor farm. Inside is a tightly controlled environment that uses 90% less water than open-field agriculture and only rainwater to produce crop yields up to 30 times that of traditional farming. “The facility itself is really living while the plants are living,” explains Jonathan Webb, AppHarvest’s CEO. “We're collecting data all through the facility to optimize for the plant.” Webb joins the podcast to talk about the environmental consequences of what we eat and what’s at stake for the future of agriculture, as the current system depletes our soil and climate change threatens our global food supply. He also takes us inside how AppHarvest is harnessing the best of nature supported with technology to create sustainable agriculture and working to increase food security -- one data-driven tomato at a time – and soon to include salad greens and berries.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• The story behind AppHarvest and its mission to redefine agriculture for a more sustainable, equitable, and healthy future for all

• How traditional farming often exploits farm workers across the world, and why we all should demand these essential workers get paid a living wage

• Why the environmental and tech communities should be investing in the economic potential of Appalachian coal country and reskilling its workforce

• The role of consumer demand and activism in helping to make AppHarvest a more mainstream, recognized brand in the produce aisle

• From LED lights that automatically turn on when it’s cloudy to ensuring that the perfect amount of water gets directly into the roots, how AppHarvest harnesses data and technology to optimize plant growth -- 365 days a year

• What’s on the horizon for AppHarvest in the years ahead

In 2005, fashionistas across America were raving about something called the “Morning After Bag” (or, the M.A.B. for those in the know). On fashion and celeb blogs, “It Girls” of the moment, like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, were photographed out and about with the M.A.B. draped casually on their arms. Over on an online chat board called The Purse Forum, Rebecca Minkoff, the bag’s designer, was doing something that, up until then, fashion designers would never dare do: talk directly with and listen to customers (“my girls,” as she calls them) about her designs. This was the beginning of Rebecca Minkoff the lifestyle brand, which is now sold all over the world and includes accessories, clothing, jewelry, and, of course, handbags. Rebecca Minkoff, co-founder of the eponymous brand and author of Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success, joins the podcast to talk about how she launched an “accessible luxury” fashion brand around milestone moments in women’s lives; how her brand’s success is built on trial, error, and innovation; and what’s ahead for fashion in a world on the precipice of entering the metaverse.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• The story of how a cut-up, remixed “I ❤️ NY” t-shirt helped launch Rebecca Minkoff’s design career in September 2001…and the hustle and hard work she put in afterwards to build her brand

• How technology, NFTs, and the metaverse are impacting the fashion industry

• Why breaking the once-sacred rules of fashion industry engagement has been a business necessity -- and boon -- for Minkoff

• Why “finding your generals” and “letting go” are key for successful leadership

• How the Female Founder Collective, co-founded by Minkoff, is helping to support female entrepreneurs ad advance women-owned businesses

• Advice for young creatives, innovators, and entrepreneurs who are just starting their careers and are hungry to succeed

When Corie Barry took over as CEO of Best Buy in the summer of 2019, she -- nor any of us -- could have foreseen what would soon come next. Now, nearly two years into leading one of the world’s largest consumer electronics retailers through a global pandemic, Corie says the experience has only reinforced her leadership philosophy: “I am here to create the conditions for other amazing leaders to be successful.” Corie joins the podcast to give an inside look at how she became CEO of Best Buy and what she’s learned about the role along the way. She also talks about how Best Buy’s purpose of “enriching lives through technology” has come into sharp focus, driving and uniting the organization in innovative ways -- and leading to exciting changes in how the company serves both its customers and its employees now and in the future.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• How a Midwestern work ethic, artist parents, and a drive to make the world a better place helped shape Corie into the leader she is today

• Why retailers can’t force customer behavior, but rather need to “get out of the way” and focus on delivering a frictionless experience

• The value of communication in any large organization with so many stakeholders in times of “stacked crises”

• How tailoring employee benefits for working parents and caregivers creates a “scaffolding” that helps them succeed at work and in life

• The reason and strategy behind why Best Buy is entering the health space

• How sustainability and being a part of the circular consumer electronics economy is a competitive advantage for a retailer like Best Buy

• Advice for young people aspiring to one day become a CEO

The world of work is experiencing a seismic shift. After the stress and trauma of a global pandemic, people are questioning how, where, and why they work. That’s led to what many are calling The Great Resignation. People around the world are looking for new career opportunities as they begin to take stock of all aspects of their lives in order to find greater meaning and purpose. With 800 million global members and 50 million companies represented on its platform, LinkedIn is watching this shift happen in real time. In many ways, the platform and its users are humanizing work, and pushing companies to follow. Mel Selcher, LinkedIn’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, joins the podcast to discuss how companies are rethinking their working models, their culture, and their values -- and what all business leaders should be doing to prepare for the future of work.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• The growing influence marketers and brand leaders have on a company’s ability to recruit and retain talent

• How LinkedIn users are opening up to show their true selves and celebrate their vulnerabilities and, sometimes, failures on the platform

• The early trends and data LinkedIn is seeing about changing jobs according to generation (e.g. Gen Z workers versus Baby Boomers)

• How Gen Z is redefining what it means to be a professional and why companies need to rethink their cultures and values to align with them

• The shift inside of companies to market towards talent and customers equally and why there shouldn’t be a separate consumer-facing brand and the employee-facing brand

• Advice for companies as they navigate the tricky boundaries between personal and professional conversation

• Advice for CEOs and others on how to engage, connect, and use LinkedIn to improve their leadership

As humans, we crave travel. It connects us to each other and the world around us. Or, as Rafat Ali, founder and CEO of Skift, a leading travel media company, puts it, “Travel as a human need is the default human condition.” But during the pandemic, that need went unfulfilled. Our ability to fly on an airplane, hop in an Uber, or stay in a hotel was drastically limited, if not put on pause. Now, travel is coming back...but just a little bit different. And that raises new questions for both the industry and travelers. Rafat joins the podcast to discuss how the pandemic has both accelerated existing trends and forced a break from the norms of the past -- and what the future of travel means for the world.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• How Skift takes an “outside in” approach to understanding changing travel behaviors and connects the dots to what it means for the travel industry

• Lessons from the 2021 Skift Global Forum, and predictions from the CEOs of Airbnb, Hilton, and Uber about the future of travel

• Why embracing flexibility for their customers and pivoting their core business (i.e., becoming cargo carriers) helped airlines survive the pandemic (along with big government subsidies)

• How airports are redesigning their experience through the customers’ lens -- from elevated food options to biometrics and “contactless” check-ins

• Why we’re seeing a boom in domestic travel and how travelers’ rediscovery of the outdoors and local areas is helping small businesses thrive

• How the hotel guest experience has changed as a result of the pandemic (and why your room might not get serviced daily ever again)

• Google’s new sustainability scores, sustainable aviation fuel, and ways in which the travel and hospitality industries are approaching “sustainability”

In 1998, Michael E. Mann and two of his colleagues published the “hockey stick” graph that would revolutionize and galvanize climate activism. It showed the exponential acceleration of global warming since 1900 and that human reliance on carbon-based fuels was making the planet hotter and the climate consequently more unstable. Mann is now a Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State and has authored several books, including his latest, The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet, a finalist for the 2021 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. He joins the podcast to talk about why, after decades of inaction, we’re at an existential crossroads: keep doing nothing and watch the planet warm to levels that create catastrophic climate change, or take the necessary steps right now to decarbonize our economy and end our dependence on fossil fuels.

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Listen to this episode to learn:

• How a spate of inactivists and bad actors have deceived, distracted, and delayed meaningful climate action -- and that fighting against this PR and messaging campaign is the battleground of our “new climate war”

• Why mainstream messaging that focuses on personal responsibility (i.e., eat less meat, cut back on air travel, lower your carbon footprint) deflects from what’s really causing climate change and the big, systematic changes needed to stop it

• The vital leadership role companies must play in fighting climate change -- but why corporate greenwashing initiatives and individual “net zero” commitments, while well-intentioned, are not enough

• How the financial industry has in many ways been more progressive than most governments in taking meaningful action against climate change

• How words like “adaptation” and “resilience” and promises of “technological innovation” are really just forms of distraction and climate inaction

• Why Mann is “cautiously optimistic” about our ability to avoid catastrophic climate change

Most of us understand the role insurance plays in managing risks in our personal lives. But some insurance companies play a larger role in protecting us from the economic consequences of the global risks that threaten society. Floods. Fires. Pandemics. Cyberattacks. Climate change. Risks that are making the world more dangerous -- and that are accelerating at an alarming pace. Oliver Bäte, CEO of Allianz, the world’s largest insurance company and asset management firm, joins us for a frank, in-depth discussion about why it’s critical to make investments in risk-prevention measures and infrastructure, and hold governments and business leaders accountable. He also discusses the role insurers, asset owners, and asset managers play in mobilizing resources and lending their expertise to secure our future.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• The risks of over-investing in consumer spending and under-investing in making infrastructure resilient

• Why, as events like floods and fires become more destructive and occur at a higher frequency, the economic cost through insurance can (at some point) become unbearable for consumers

• How Allianz has worked with the United Nations to establish pathways to get to net-zero emissions through initiatives like the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance

• Steps Allianz took to respond to the global threat of Covid-19 in the earliest days of the pandemic

• How increased government spending due to the pandemic could create dire economic and social consequences for future generations

• Advice for leaders on how to stay more personally connected to customers and the outside world -- especially in times of crisis

At the beginning of 2021, Mary Barra, Chair and CEO at General Motors, set an ambitious goal for the legendary automaker: end tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035 and focus on the transition to an all-electric vehicle (EV) future. With the manufacturing capabilities, trained workforce, and the brands people know and love, she believes that GM is uniquely positioned to lead the EV transformation. But Barra is also a realist. She acknowledges that there are factors outside of GM’s control that will impact its long-term vision, one of the biggest being infrastructure. Barra joins the podcast to talk about GM’s goal to lead the industry into an all-electric future. She also discusses the changes happening within the company, including the technology inside its vehicles, the GM brand, the company’s “work appropriately” culture, and the evolution of its identity from a 20th-century car company to a 21st-century tech company.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• The factors that will influence customers’ decisions to purchase electric vehicles

• Why utility vehicles like Hummer EV can attract new customer groups who might have dismissed EVs in the past

• How GM’s famous “dress appropriately” dress code -- simplified by Barra when she was formerly the company’s VP of HR -- inspired the company’s new “work appropriately” post-pandemic philosophy

• Why culture change starts with values and behaviors -- and holding everyone accountable (including CEOs!)

• GM’s vision to “create a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion”

• Barra’s advice on leadership and why women should never be afraid to speak up and have a point of view