Protests in the streets, against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic with political upheaval the world over. What kind of leadership should we look to under such complex and highly uncertain conditions? I'm grateful to be speaking with Chris Fussell of the McChrystal group, who together with Stan McChrystal, transformed the culture in the Joint Special Operations Command to distributed, not hierarchical, leadership with a network form of governance. What Chris learned in highly deadly military situations are essential insights for all of us today.

Clive Thompson's recent book "Coders" takes us into the minds and hearts of the people that are actually creating the digital world we all live in.  From the first piece of code many learned to love - "hello, world" to the sophisticated interactions behind artificial intelligence, Thompson gives us a fascinating fly on the wall perspective.  In this #FridayFiresideChat​, he explains why coders hate to be interrupted, why they sometimes don't even eat and why grappling with inhuman amounts of frustration comes with the job.  Have a listen - you'll find it really interesting.

It's pretty clear that we need a whole new playbook for strategy, and Erich Joachimsthaler has just published a thought-provoking new book on this very topic. While strategy used to be thought of as the property of a firm, the winners today are building what he calls "interaction fields" where value comes from the velocity of transactions partners can create between customers and suppliers and other value-system members. In this thought-provoking #FridayFiresideChat​, the two of us draw the contours of what an entirely new way of thinking about strategy looks like.

Gisbert Rühl, the CEO of German metals distributor Klöckner is one of my corporate heroes.  He and his company have digitized a very old legacy business, changed their business model and created new growth in an incredibly difficult traditional business.  In this recording of our Friday Fireside chat, we discuss why he felt digital transformation was an imperative, how Yammer became a tool for breaking through the bureaucracy and how he got the right balance between the legacy core businesses and the new businesses the company is pursuing. It was an inspiring conversation and I learned a lot!

Jennefer Witter, public relations expert, CEO and one of the “10 most successful black CEOS and entrepreneurs” by Madame Noire Magazine enjoy a spirited conversation in this #FridayFiresideChat​.   She describes her professional journey - from a financially strapped upbringing to a scholarship at Fordham to the challenging world of public relations to creating her own company.  We talk about the importance of networking, diversifying  your portfolio, and lessons learned through the experience of setbacks.  We also cover resources for those wishing to learn more about racism and social injustice and some practical things you can do.  Have a listen!

The original Gotham Girl herself, Joanne Wilson, and I get into a great conversation!  You can listen in while we talk about her varied interests, how NYC will come back, the insanity that has been venture capital in this past decade, how women can re-imagine their careers and so much more.  One of my favorite quips she reported was to her husband, well known venture capitalist Fred Wilson, "How did you get to be Fred Wilson? I was supposed to be Fred Wilson!"

Globally recognized leadership scholar Linda Hill is the author of well regarded business books "Being the Boss" and "Collective Genius." She's been interviewing leaders about how they are navigating the COVID-19 crisis and will share her insights with us.

Even in the midst of a pandemic, we have to be thoughtful about our next career moves, what kinds of support we'll need to take our next step and what being ambitious - especially for women - really means. Join me and Shellye Archambeau, author of the forthcoming book "Unapologetically Ambitious" in what I know will be an empowering and informative conversation.

MOSTRA MENOIn this #fridayfiresidechat​ @Sally Helgesen recounts aspects of @Francis Hesselbein's leadership style.  Showing junior people how to handle a tricky call from the @NewYorkTimes, trusting associates to resolve differences on their own, avoiding becoming an #advicemonster​, all part of the #webofinclusion​ that women leaders have historically created.

Roger Martin, one of the world’s most highly acclaimed thinkers, is an unsurpassed master at navigating intellectual polarities. His new book, “When More Is Not Better” explains how our systems designed to drive economic optimization are ultimately highly dangerous – and what we should be doing instead. We’ll be talking about the book, about Roger’s approach to developing strategies (hint: don’t spend a lot of money before spending some imagination) and whatever else he’d like to discuss.