The Insightful Leader

By Kellogg School of Management

Business

What's The Insightful Leader about?

Expert advice and cutting-edge discoveries from one of the world’s leading business schools.

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The Insightful Leader episodes:

04.15.2024
What’s It Take to Get on a Board, Anyway?
It’s not like applying for a job. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, an expert demystifies the process.
04.01.2024
AI Is a Tool. How Do We Want to Use It?
Generative AI is like “a hammer looking for a nail.” On this episode of The Insightful Leader: we have to decide what the nail should be.
03.18.2024
Need to Make a Point? Tell a Good Story.
Plus: more leadership advice in this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight” series.
03.04.2024
Need Product Inspiration? Meet Your Customer in the Wild.
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: a consumer anthropologist takes us behind the scenes as she interviews a “pet parent.”
02.19.2024
Can Complexity Science Help Us Understand Organizations?
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: From climate change to neuroscience, this new approach is reshaping how we study complicated systems.
02.05.2024
The Complicated Promise of ESG
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Are companies as socially responsible as they claim? And how much should investors care?
01.17.2024
How Should You Present Yourself at Work?
Be yourself! No, not like that. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we help you navigate the competing advice about how much to share and hold back. Book links: The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier that Locks...
12.21.2023
Get Inside Your Customer’s Mind
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: how understanding consumer mindsets can help you make the sale.
11.20.2023
Podcast: Using AI Comes with a Tradeoff. Now Multiply That by 8 Billion.
On this episode of The Insightful Leader podcast: what happens when everyone uses the same generative AI tools?
11.06.2023
Avoiding the Likeability Trap at Work
Plus: insecure employees and a flagging culture. On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” more from our conversation with Professor Harry Kraemer.
10.20.2023
You’re the Boss! Now What?
On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” Professor Harry Kraemer discusses how to lead your former peers and build trust with your team.
09.25.2023
Insight Unpacked BONUS | Why Canada Goose Soared and Shinola Sputtered
Luxury is dominated by older brands. So what happens when newer entrants try to break through? In the second of two bonus episodes, we show what can go right—and wrong.
09.18.2023
Insight Unpacked BONUS | So You Want to Be a Luxury Brand
So opulent! So exclusive! In the first of two bonus episodes, we explore everything that helps brands like Ferrari and Manolo Blahnik scream luxury.
08.28.2023
The Case for Admitting (Some) Flaws at Work
On this episode: Why showing vulnerability can actually be a boon for leaders.
08.14.2023
Platforms Are Experimenting on Their Users…a Lot. Is That Okay?
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Opaque algorithms on platforms like LinkedIn, Uber, and TaskRabbit have more power than ever. It’s starting to impact livelihoods. Please take our quick listener survey: https://kell.gg/survey
06.12.2023
How to Prepare for Your New Algorithmic Coworker
For better or worse, generative AI is here to stay. On this episode of The Insightful Leader: What could it mean for you and your team?
05.22.2023
How to Discuss Performance Issues
Please take our listener survey: kell.gg/podsurvey On this episode of the Insightful Leader: giving negative feedback is not easy, but such critiques can be meaningful for both parties if you use the right roadmap.
05.01.2023
How to Tell Compelling Stories with Data Visualizations [rerun]
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: a blueprint for making strong (and honest) arguments with data.
04.17.2023
How to Discuss Politics When You Disagree
Talking politics in this polarized climate is a dicey proposition. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, an expert in the psychology of persuasion offers tips on how to approach the topic constructively.
04.03.2023
Is There a Right Way to Monitor Worker Productivity?
In this episode of The Insightful Leader, we consider the benefits and drawbacks of keeping a very close eye on employees.
03.16.2023
“It’s Hard to Regulate U.S. Banks!”
Silicon Valley Bank spectacularly collapsed—and a new analysis suggests that its precarious situation is not as much of an outlier as we’d hope. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we learn what went wrong and what should happen next.
03.06.2023
Workers Are Stressed Out. Here’s How Leaders Can Help.
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: You can’t always control what happens at work. But reframing setbacks, and instituting some serious calendar discipline, can go a long way toward reducing stress.
02.13.2023
How Last Fall’s Climate Bill Is Creating Opportunities for Businesses
With major incentives starting to kick in, here's how the legislation is poised to affect the economy.
01.30.2023
How Letting Teams Fail Can Help Them Succeed
It can be tempting for leaders to swoop in to solve problems. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear from a U.S. Army colonel about why doing so is a disservice.
01.16.2023
What to Expect When Joining a Family-Owned Business
There are cons—but a lot of pros, too. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we’ll explore what it’s like to work at a family business when you’re not a family member.
01.03.2023
Does Your Life Reflect What You Value?
Please take our listener survey: kell.gg/podsurvey In this episode of The Insightful Leader, a former CEO explains how to organize your life around what really matters—instead of trying to do it all.
12.23.2022
China’s Economy Is in Flux. Here’s What American Businesses Need to Know.
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: the end of “Zero Covid,” escalating geopolitical tensions, and China’s potentially irreplaceable role in the global supply chain.
12.05.2022
How to Engage a Disengaged Employee
On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear how leaders can work with their “quiet-quitters” and rebuild morale.
11.18.2022
What the FTX Meltdown Means for the Future of Crypto
The implosion of the crypto exchange has sent the industry reeling. We dig into what happened and whether cryptocurrency, as a concept, can weather the storm.
09.12.2022
Insight Unpacked S1E5 | Is Your Brand Working?
In the fifth and final episode of our series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we look at how to measure your brand’s health–and what you should do if you don’t like what you learn. Kellogg professors Julie Hennessy,...
09.05.2022
Insight Unpacked S1E4 | How Will You Tell Your Brand’s Story?
In episode 4 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” professor Mohan Sawhney discusses the importance of transmedia brand storytelling–and how to do it right. Every brand has a story to tell. But consumers only have...
08.29.2022
Insight Unpacked S1E3 | What Should Your Brand Look (and Sound and Smell) Like?
In episode 3 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we discuss the associations you want customers to make with your brand, and how to use design to make it happen. On this episode, Kellogg professor...
08.22.2022
Insight Unpacked S1E2 | What Should You Name Your Brand?
In episode 2 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we dig into the importance of finding the right name for your brand. With apologies to Shakespeare, a rose by any other name wouldn’t smell as...
08.15.2022
Insight Unpacked S1E1 | Why Does Your Brand Need to Exist?
In episode 1 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we reveal the key questions you should answer before you start to craft your brand. Because if you can’t articulate your brand’s value to yourself, you...
07.06.2022
Ask Insight | How Can Entrepreneurs Develop a Stellar Sales Pitch?
On this episode of The Insightful Leader podcast, two seasoned entrepreneurs share wisdom from the trenches.
06.29.2022
Ask Insight | Managing Up, Managing Across, and Retaining Your Best Employees
On this episode of The Insightful Leader podcast: you asked and our faculty answered. We dig into a mailbox of listener questions on leadership and management.
06.14.2022
What One School District’s Fiasco Says About the Strengths and Limits of AI
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: When Boston Public Schools looked to algorithms to solve equity issues and save money, it ran into a roadblock—the complicated lives of parents and students.
05.23.2022
Executive Presence—Do You Have It?
This week, an episode from the archives: It’s not enough to be good at your job. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, learn how to develop the gravitas that commands attention and respect.
05.02.2022
What People Get Wrong about Setting Goals
In this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear how leaders can help their teams—and themselves—turn ambitious goals into reality.
05.01.2022
What People Get Wrong about Setting Goals
In this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear how leaders can help their teams—and themselves—turn ambitious goals into reality.
04.12.2022
Ask Insight | What Should DEI Work Actually Look Like?
On our first episode of Ask Insight, we learn that changing the status quo will take self-reflection and time.
03.21.2022
How to Design Incentives That Motivate Employees
On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we learn why it’s not always as simple as handing out a performance bonus.
03.07.2022
Podcast: Cybersecurity, Part 2 | How to Respond to a Breach
In the second episode of our two-part series, former NSA director Mike Rogers discusses what to do if your defensive tactics have failed and your network is exposed.
03.07.2022
Cybersecurity, Part 2 | How to Respond to a Breach
In the second episode of our two-part series, former NSA director Mike Rogers discusses what to do if your defensive tactics have failed and your network is exposed.
02.28.2022
Cybersecurity, Part 1 | How to Avoid Becoming a Target
In the first episode of our two-part series, former NSA director Mike Rogers shares strategies for protecting your organization from a cyberattack.
02.08.2022
PODCAST: How to Lead a Great Virtual Meeting
Zoom doesn't have to be a drag. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we discuss some rules of the road.
02.08.2022
How to Lead a Great Virtual Meeting
Zoom doesn't have to be a drag. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we discuss some rules of the road.
01.17.2022
Are You Promoting the Right People to Management?
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: How to identify leadership talent—and how to advance the careers of employees who aren’t looking to manage others.
12.27.2021
How to Lead During Difficult Times
The good news is you may already have the skills you need. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we’ll learn about doubling down on that expertise to help your team through a crisis.
12.13.2021
Why You Need a Working Knowledge of AI
Business leaders can’t rely solely on data scientists to get the job done. Learn more on this episode of The Insightful Leader.

What's The Insightful Leader about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Insightful Leader episodes:

What’s It Take to Get on a Board, Anyway?

AI Is a Tool. How Do We Want to Use It?

Need to Make a Point? Tell a Good Story.

Need Product Inspiration? Meet Your Customer in the Wild.

Can Complexity Science Help Us Understand Organizations?

The Complicated Promise of ESG

How Should You Present Yourself at Work?

Get Inside Your Customer’s Mind

Podcast: Using AI Comes with a Tradeoff. Now Multiply That by 8 Billion.

Avoiding the Likeability Trap at Work

You’re the Boss! Now What?

Insight Unpacked BONUS | Why Canada Goose Soared and Shinola Sputtered

Insight Unpacked BONUS | So You Want to Be a Luxury Brand

The Case for Admitting (Some) Flaws at Work

Platforms Are Experimenting on Their Users…a Lot. Is That Okay?

How to Prepare for Your New Algorithmic Coworker

How to Discuss Performance Issues

How to Tell Compelling Stories with Data Visualizations [rerun]

How to Discuss Politics When You Disagree

Is There a Right Way to Monitor Worker Productivity?

“It’s Hard to Regulate U.S. Banks!”

Workers Are Stressed Out. Here’s How Leaders Can Help.

How Last Fall’s Climate Bill Is Creating Opportunities for Businesses

How Letting Teams Fail Can Help Them Succeed

What to Expect When Joining a Family-Owned Business

Does Your Life Reflect What You Value?

China’s Economy Is in Flux. Here’s What American Businesses Need to Know.

How to Engage a Disengaged Employee

What the FTX Meltdown Means for the Future of Crypto

Insight Unpacked S1E5 | Is Your Brand Working?

Insight Unpacked S1E4 | How Will You Tell Your Brand’s Story?

Insight Unpacked S1E3 | What Should Your Brand Look (and Sound and Smell) Like?

Insight Unpacked S1E2 | What Should You Name Your Brand?

Insight Unpacked S1E1 | Why Does Your Brand Need to Exist?

Ask Insight | How Can Entrepreneurs Develop a Stellar Sales Pitch?

Ask Insight | Managing Up, Managing Across, and Retaining Your Best Employees

What One School District’s Fiasco Says About the Strengths and Limits of AI

Executive Presence—Do You Have It?

What People Get Wrong about Setting Goals

What People Get Wrong about Setting Goals

Ask Insight | What Should DEI Work Actually Look Like?

How to Design Incentives That Motivate Employees

Podcast: Cybersecurity, Part 2 | How to Respond to a Breach

Cybersecurity, Part 2 | How to Respond to a Breach

Cybersecurity, Part 1 | How to Avoid Becoming a Target

PODCAST: How to Lead a Great Virtual Meeting

How to Lead a Great Virtual Meeting

Are You Promoting the Right People to Management?

How to Lead During Difficult Times

Why You Need a Working Knowledge of AI