Radio Free Leader

Michael E. Raynor is a Director at Deloitte Services LP and the Innovation Theme Leader in the firm’s Eminence function. In addition, Raynor is an advisor to senior executives in many of the world’s leading corporations across a wide range of industries. He is the co-author (with Mumtaz Ahmed) of The Three Rules: How Exceptional Companies Think. In this interview, we discuss why companies need to pursue better before cheaper, revenue before cost, and…well…nothing else really.

Eric Lowitt is a globally recognized expert in the fields of competitive strategy, growth, and sustainability. He is the author of The Collaboration Economy: How to Meet Business, Social, and Environmental Needs and Gain Competitive Advantage. In this interview, we discuss the shift toward collaboration, how to meet social and environmental needs profitably and we invent a new phrase: “SUSTAINABLE sustainable competitive advantage.”

Adam Grant is the youngest tenured professor and single highest-rated teacher at The Wharton School. He is a former record-setting advertising director, junior Olympic springboard diver, and professional magician. He is the author of Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. In this episode, Adam and I discuss why nice guys don’t finish last, why it’s so hard to identify potential talent, and how to get seats on a private jet.

Michael Roberto is the Trustee Professor of Management at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He has served on the faculty at Harvard Business School and as a visiting professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business. He is the author of the newly updated Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes For An Answer. In this interview, we discuss how great leaders balance consensus and conflict in making the best decisions, and how history sometimes precedes the research on great leaders.

Heidi Grant Halvorson is Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia Business School. She is co-author (with E. Tory Higgins) of Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence. In this interview, we talk about the two different motivational focuses people can have on the world, how it affects their behavior, and how mastering these two perspectives can make you a better teammate, leader and even spouse.

Sometimes adding to the number of people on a team can actually subtract from the quality of the teams output. This isn’t a rare occurrence, it’s a well researched phenomenon. In this episode, we review the research on social loafing and share three options for counteracting the negative effect of more people.

Alexander Osterwalder is an entrepreneur, speaker, and business model innovator. In their book, Business Model Generation, he and Professor Yves Pigneur revealed the Business Model Canvas, a practical tool to visualize, challenge and re-invent business models. In this interview, we talk about the need for visual business tools, business model strategy, and why good leaders build a portfolio of business models in their organizations.

Strategy is a heavy topic. Either it requires a seemingly infinite time commitment, or it is easily mistaken for an organizational vision or (perhaps worse) a short-term operational plan. If you’re trying to build a solid strategy, then there are a number of resources you can draw from. No matter what tools you use, ultimately you’re strategy has to answer two questions, brilliantly posed by Roger Martin and A.G. Lafley: “Where will we play?” and “How will we win?”

Dr. Keith Sawyer is the author of the new book Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity.

He is one of the world’s leading scientific experts on creativity and innovation. In his first job after graduating from MIT, he designed videogames for Atari. He then worked for 6 years as a management consultant in Boston and New York, advising large corporations on the strategic use of information technology. He’s been a jazz pianist for over 30 years, and performed with several improv theater groups in Chicago, as part of his research into jazz and improvisational theater. He currently serves as a professor of education, psychology, and business at Washington University in St. Louis. In this interview, we talk about the innovation process, the research on personal creativity and the entrepreneurial pivot.

Francesca Gino is Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiation, Organizations, & Markets Unit at the Harvard Business School. Her research focuses on judgment and decision making, social influence, and ethics and creativity. Her studies have been featured onCNN and NPR, as well as in leading print publications including Economist, Financial Times, New York Times, Newsweek, Scientific American, and Psychology Today.

She is the author of the new book Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed, and How We Can Stick to the Plan.