Radio Free Leader

Paul Zak is the founding Director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and Professor of Economics, Psychology and Management at Claremont Graduate University. Pauls’s two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rain forest of Papua New Guinea.  All this in a quest to understand the neuroscience of human connection, human happiness, and effective teamwork. His academic lab and companies he has started develop and deploy neuroscience technologies to solve real problems faced by real people. His latest book, Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies, uses neuroscience to measure and manage organizational cultures to inspire teamwork and accelerate business outcomes. In this interview, we discuss the key role trust building plays in enhances performance.

Josh Seiden is a designer who has spent most of his career working on the design of complex software applications and integrating design into the product development process. Over the course of 25 years working in technology Josh has developed specialities that include Lean UX, interaction design, service design, and user experience design in agile software development environments. Josh is the co-author of two books, both in collaboration with his writing partner, Jeff Gothelf. Eric Ries called their most recent book, "Sense & Respond," "A crucial framework for the modern world of business.” In this interview, we talk about the role of leaders in engaging customers in ongoing dialogue that shapes new, competitive products and services.

Heidi K. Gardner, PhD, is a Distinguished Fellow in the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School.  Her research focuses on leadership and collaboration in professional service firms. Gardner has lived and worked on four continents, including positions with McKinsey & Co. and Procter & Gamble, and as a Fulbright Scholar. She holds a BA in Japanese Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), a masters degree from the London School of Economics (with honors), and a second masters and doctorate in organizational behavior from London Business School. In this interview, we discuss how leaders (and all successful professionals) win by breaking down silos.

Jennifer earned her PhD in Social and Developmental Psychology at Brandeis University, and has been on the faculty of many top business schools including the Wharton School, Yale School of Management and NYU's Stern School of Business. She published the paper, “The Bias Against Creativity,” which went viral and was downloaded over 65,000 times—receiving more than 100 media mentions. Her book “Creative Change” reveals the answer she found to the question of why people desire but reject creativity. In this interview, we discuss the basic assumptions about how we recognize creative ideas, creative leaders, and the very fabric of how we structure organizations for innovation.

0804 | How to Create Meaning with Scott Mautz by David Burkus

Soren Kaplan is the author of the best-selling and award-winning book "Leapfrogging," an affiliated professor at the Center for Effective Organizations at USC's Marshall School of Business, a contributing writer for Fast Company, a leading keynote speaker, and the founder of InnovationPoint. In this interview, we discuss how to create a culture of innovation, and how you can use that culture to create a competitive advantage.

Laura Gassner Otting has spent the last 20 years working to strengthen organizations that weave our social and civic fabric. Through "Limitless Possibility," Laura collaborates with entrepreneurs and investors to push past the doubt and indecision that consign great ideas to limbo. In this interview, we discuss her catalytic perspective informed by decades of navigating change across the start-up, nonprofit, political, and philanthropic landscapes.

Brad Szollose is the foremost expert on cross-generational leadership development strategies and the award-winning author of "Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia." Brad is a former C-level executive of a publicly traded company that he co-founded which went from entrepreneurial start-up to IPO in less than three years. In this interview, we discuss the new generation of business leaders, and how to help them maximize their cross-generational corporate culture, management expectations, productivity, and sales growth in The Information Age.

Justin Brady is the founder of the Creativity Cultivator podcast, a in-demand designer, and a consultant/speaker to companies large and small who want to help their people enhance their creative potential. In this interview, we discuss failure, in particular what the current "failure culture" misses and when are the right and wrong times to celebrate failure.

Sally Hogshead is an American author, professional speaker, chief executive officer of Fascinate, Inc and a former advertising executive. She is the author of Fascinate and How the World Sees You. Over the past decade, Hogshead has studied the science of fascination and what persuades and captivates people. In this interview, we discuss how individuals and leaders benefit from knowing what is so fascinating about them and how to put it to work.