Partnering Leadership

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Welcome to the Summer Leadership Reset on Partnering Leadership.

We have more access to ideas than ever before.

More books. More podcasts. More articles. More insights.

The challenge isn’t finding more information. It’s spending enough time with the ideas that can change how we think, decide, and lead.

I have seen this in my own life. The books and conversations that have influenced me most aren’t the ones I rushed through and moved on from. They are the ones I returned to, wrestled with, and understood differently as my own experiences changed.

After more than 450 Partnering Leadership conversations with CEOs, researchers, authors, and leadership thinkers, there are a few I continue coming back to because the ideas become more valuable the more we sit with them.

Throughout July and August, I’ll be sharing 10 of those conversations.

They explore some of the questions I see leaders wrestling with most: adapting to change, building trust, making better decisions, rethinking work, using AI wisely, and creating organizations ready for what comes next.

Whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these conversations, I hope they help you find an insight you can apply and a question worth thinking about long after the episode ends.

—Mahan

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Many organizations have an AI strategy. Far fewer have built the organizational foundations needed for AI to create lasting business value.

Generative AI has made it easier than ever to experiment with AI. Yet many leaders are discovering that deploying AI tools and creating meaningful business value are two very different things.

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Fern Halper, internationally recognized AI and data strategist, founder of the AI Foundations Group, and author of Data Makes the World Go Round: The Data, Tech, and Trust Behind AI Success. Drawing on decades of experience in data, analytics, and AI, Fern explains why successful AI initiatives begin long before an organization deploys its first model.

Together, they explore why some organizations move beyond AI experimentation while others struggle to scale their efforts. Rather than focusing on the latest tools or technologies, the conversation examines the leadership, organizational, and data foundations that determine whether AI becomes a source of lasting business value or another initiative that falls short of expectations.

Whether you're shaping your organization's AI strategy, leading a transformation effort, or trying to separate today's AI hype from long-term reality, this conversation offers practical insights for building an organization that is prepared not just to adopt AI, but to create sustained value from it.

Actionable Takeaways

• You'll learn why an AI strategy should begin with a business problem rather than a technology initiative.
• Hear how organizations can avoid the "value ceiling" that prevents many AI efforts from delivering transformational business value.
• You'll discover why trusted, governed, and connected data has become one of the biggest differentiators in successful AI adoption.
• Hear how leaders can identify AI use cases that create measurable business impact instead of isolated productivity gains.
• You'll learn why governance is becoming an enabler of innovation rather than a barrier to it.
• Hear how leading organizations are responding to the rapid rise of shadow AI across every department.
• You'll discover why AI literacy is becoming an essential leadership capability for executives and boards.
• Hear why successful AI adoption depends as much on leadership, organizational readiness, and change management as it does on technology.

Connect with Fern Halper

Fern Halper Website 

AI Foundations Group

Fern Halper LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website

Why do so many teams work harder than ever but still struggle to make meaningful progress?

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with organizational psychologist and bestselling author Liane Davey, author of Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work, about why leaders need to rethink how they approach priorities, productivity, and performance.

Liane explains why the biggest challenge facing many organizations is not simply the amount of work people have to do. It is the invisible thought load created by competing demands, constant interruptions, emotional strain, and unclear priorities. Drawing on her work with leadership teams, she shares why many organizations are operating at full throttle but losing altitude because they keep adding effort instead of reducing drag.

In the conversation, Liane discusses why leaders often confuse activity and output with meaningful progress. She explores how organizations unintentionally reward busyness, why constant responsiveness can pull people away from their highest-value work, and how leaders can help teams focus on outcomes rather than simply doing more.

Liane also explores the impact of AI on leadership and the future of work. While AI can reduce some workload, she explains why it can also increase thought load by creating more information, more decisions, and more complexity. Her insights challenge leaders to think differently about human capacity, emotional energy, and creating the conditions where people can do their best work.

Actionable Takeaways

• You’ll learn why teams can be working harder than ever and still fail to achieve the outcomes that matter most.
• Hear why Liane Davey believes leaders need to move beyond measuring activity and productivity to focus on true effectiveness.
• Discover how rewarding constant responsiveness can unintentionally reinforce distraction and prevent people from doing their most important work.
• You’ll learn the difference between workload and thought load and why the hidden mental burden on teams impacts performance, creativity, and collaboration.
• Hear why productivity can become a trap when organizations create more outputs without questioning whether those outputs create value.
• Discover why emotions are not separate from performance and how leaders can help teams process emotions before they create unnecessary friction.
• You’ll learn why a lack of conflict can be a warning sign and how healthy tension helps teams make better decisions.
• Hear how leaders can uncover the unseen work that drains people’s capacity and address the sources of overload.
• Discover how AI can reduce workload while increasing thought load, requiring leaders to rethink how people and technology work together.
• Learn why managing focus, energy, and human capacity will become even more important as organizations face greater complexity and faster change.

Connect with Liane Davey

Liane Davey Website

Thoughtload Website

Liane Davey LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website 

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn 

Partnering Leadership Website