Thought Sparks

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Jennifer Moss, the Chief Research and Strategy Officer at the Global Wellbeing Group and the author of Why Are We Here? Creating A Work Culture Everyone Wants. She's an expert on what causes burnout, and what leaders can do to build workplace cultures centered on hope, purpose, and community. 

0:00 Intro  

0:17 Welcome & Introduction to Jennifer Moss’s Work 

1:52 What Prompted the Book  

2:37 The Great Resignation & Mortality Salience  

15:03 Burnout: Still Getting Worse  

15:03 The Purpose Gap Between Leaders and Frontline Workers  

16:48 CEO vs. Frontline Experience  

19:37 Hope as a Foundation  

26:13 Learned Helplessness & Building Hope Skills  

26:39 Purpose: What It Really Means  

28:39 Rituals, Friendships & Belonging at Work  

32:10 Building Community (Bowling Alone, Dunbar's Number)  

36:28 Business Challenges: Compassion, Freedom & Openness  

40:42 Why AI Hasn't Moved the Needle Yet  

45:30 GDP & Measuring What Matters  

49:57 Fertility Rates & Hope as Economic Strategy  

51:45 The Lost Wallet Experiment: People Are Good  

56:00 Reflections Since “The Burnout Epidemic” Book  

58:47 What's Next for Jennifer Moss  

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719 

https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q 

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In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Nilofer Merchant, co-founder of The Intangible Labs, and author of the new book Our Best Work: Break Free from the 24 Invisible Norms that Limit Us. 

00:28: Context for the Book 

3:56: The Birdcage and Why We’re Stuck 

5:39: The Steve Jobs Moment: Power Voice and Being Unheard 

8:58: The Trillion-Dollar Problem and Untapped Human Potential 

11:16: The 24 Practices for Better Work 

13:38: Fix the Room, Not Her: Rethinking Voice and Inclusion 

17:45: Franklin Leonard and Power, Networks, and Reorienting Toward Purpose 

25:08: Nilofer's Story: Arranged Marriage, Apple, and the Path Not Planned 

31:09: Fighting for the Emperor's Pleasure: Power and Gender in the MBA Classroom 

36:08: The Origin of Intangible Labs 

40:01: Who Made Adam Smith’s Dinner? And Rethinking How We Measure Value 

43:57: Small Teams, Ecosystems, and the Future of Organizations 

46:41: The Big Picture Vision of Reimagining Work 

51:18: Intangible Labs, Early Adopters, and Spreading Goodness 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719 

https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q 

Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/ 

https://x.com/rgmcgrath 

https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social 

Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath 

https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/ 

Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   

https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/ 

Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Michael Lurie, Chief Catalyst at Bayer and expert in leading large-scale transformations. 

00:00 Introductions & Context 

1:37 The Challenge — Walking Into Bayer 

5:07 How the Rollout Began, Using Two Tracks 

8:37 The Five Principles of Dynamic Shared Ownership 

10:39 Principle 1: Focus on Mission and Outcomes 

11:05 Principle 2: Collaborate on a Network of Self-Managing Teams 

11:51 Principle 3: Create Value as Entrepreneurial Businesses 

13:00 Principle 4: Explore, Execute, and Evolve in Rapid Cycles 

13:38 Principle 5: Show Up in Creative Mindset 

14:45 The VACC Leadership Model 

15:52 Performance Results — The Evidence 

19:37 Applying DSO to Manufacturing and The Precision Question 

24:12 Overcoming Skepticism and Resistance 

32:46 Reimagining Budgeting Towards Dynamic Resource Flow 

41:44 Professional Homes — Reimagining Talent and Compensation 

49:01 How Strategy Changes in the DSO Model 

57:49 Lessons Learned and Surprises on the Journey 

1:01:36 Closing 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719 

https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q 

Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/ 

https://x.com/rgmcgrath 

https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social 

Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath 

https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/ 

Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   

https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/ 

Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com. 

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Monica Nassif, an entrepreneur and founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, as well as author of “I Bottled My Mother: The Mrs. Meyer’s Story: Grit, Grime, and Growing a Business”. 

[0:14] Monica Nassif: Entrepreneur, Career Changer, and Creator of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day 

[0:36] Monica's Background, From Nursing to Marketing 

[2:42] The Eureka Moment: Reinventing Cleaning Products 

[5:28] The Real Mrs. Meyer: How Monica’s Mother Inspired a Brand 

[7:44] Savings, A Second Mortgage, and Credit Cards: When Entrepreneurs Go All In 

[11:14] The Founding of Caldrea  

[13:22] “Sawing Off The Branch” and Launching Mrs. Meyer's  

[16:26] Building Mrs. Meyer's Retail Presence 

[18:14] Growth Strategy and Lessons from Williams-Sonoma and Target 

[28:12] Being an Entrepreneurial Working Mother 

[35:37] The Decision to Sell 

[39:21] The Acquisition Process: Vetting PE Firms and Choosing SC Johnson 

[42:24] Life after the Sale 

[44:15] The Book I Bottled My Mother — Part Love Letter to Monica's Mom, Part Startup Manual 

[46:33] Lessons for Entrepreneurs 

[52:38] On Resourcefulness: “Creativity Lies in Your Hands" 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  

Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  

Connect with Rita on TikTok.  

Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   

Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Teresa Amabile, Edsel Bryant Ford Professor, Emerita, at Harvard Business School, and co-author of the book Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You, which draws on over 100 case studies of individuals’ experiences with retirement.  

0:33: From “The Progress Principle” to “Retiring” — The Origin of the Research 

11:13: Preparing for Retirement and What to Think About Before You Take the Step 

15:16: The Research Methodology 

20:07: The Four Tasks of Retiring 

20:24: Task One: Making the Decision 

26:17: Task Two: Detaching from Work 

29:29: Task Three: Exploring and Experimenting 

38:42: Task Four: Consolidating a Retirement Life 

41:12: Identity in Retirement — Bridging and Building Anew 

51:33: What Companies Should Do 

57:18: What Does Work Mean Now, And Teresa’s Own Retirement 

59:53: Where to Learn More 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?  

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify. 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. 

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Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com 

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Vivienne Ming, theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert, named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017, and author of the new book “Robot-Proof: When Machines Have all the Answers, Build Better People”. 

00:45: Introductions 

3:44: Vivienne's Personal Background – From the Farm to the Academy 

13:45: Vivienne's Work Today – From Hiring Science to the Human Trust 

18:30: What Actually Predicts Long-Term Life Success 

23:04: How AI Is Changing Teams, Trust, and Cognition 

28:01: The Core Distinction Between Well-Posed vs. Ill-Posed Problems  

32:38: Deprofessionalization and the "Right" Questions About AI and Jobs 

36:52: Three Types of Human-AI Collaborators : Automators, Validators, and Cyborgs 

43:59: The Utopia/Dystopia Debate and What's Actually Worth Worrying About 

51:29: Teaching in the Age of AI and The Case for Productive Friction 

1:00:13: What You Still Need to Learn And Why Human Qualities Are Developable 

1:05:44: Closing and Where to Learn More 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?  

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify. 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. 

Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. 

Connect with Rita on TikTok. 

Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.  

Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com 

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Dave Whorton, Founder & CEO at Tugboat Institute, and co-author of Another Way: Building Companies That Last…and Last…and Last alongside Bo Burlingham, which gives practical advice and explanations of Evergreen companies: focused on long-term stability and steady growth, and leadership beyond personal wealth generation. 

00:56: The HP Origin Story and Learning to See a Different Way 

3:58: From Reluctant Venture Capitalist to the Evergreen Discovery 

9:59: The Tugboat Metaphor 

10:51: The Book's Approach to Learning in Real Time 

14:44: Financial Transparency, Jack Stack, and the Great Game of Silicon Valley Business 

18:01: The Wealth Trap and What Evergreen Leaders Model Instead 

22:15: How Evergreen Leaders Approach Boards 

25:30: People First: The First of the Seven P's 

30:22: Perseverance and the Debt Question 

30:45: Customer Intimacy Over Competition-Watching 

37:10: Why Aren’t More Companies Like This?  

40:02: The Scale and Diversity of the Evergreen World 

49:00: Weighing up Venture and Evergreen 

52:45: AI, Careers, and the Changing Unit of Value Creation 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?  

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify. 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. 

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Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com 

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Johan Roos, Global Chief Academic Officer at Hult International Business School, co-creator of LEGO Serious Play, and author of Human Magic: Leading with Wisdom in an Age of Algorithms. 

00:30: Introductions — A Long Friendship and a New  Book 

6:00: The Genesis of Human Magic — The Central Question 

10:34: The History Behind the Idea, From 2012 to ChatGPT 

17:58: The Five Cs: The Core of Human Magic 

22:42: Algorithmic Citizenship vs. Professional Citizenship 

28:24: The Junior Talent Problem and Unintended  Consequences 

35:50: AI in Business Schools and Lessons from Hult Business School 

40:04: The Future of Business Schools and the MBA 

44:08: Rethinking the Role of the Professor 

50:35: What Human Magic Hopes to Accomplish 

53:45: Science Fiction, Warning Signs, and "Your Choice" 

55:06:What's Next for Johan Roos 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?  

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify. 

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Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com 

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Deborah Perry Piscione, co-author of the book “EMPLOYMENT IS DEAD: How Disruptive Technologies are Revolutionizing the Way we Work” and co-founder and Chief Future Officer of the Work3 Institute. 

0:22: Welcome and Introduction to “Employment is Dead” 

1:39: The Core Thesis: Why Employment as We Know It Is Ending 

6:18 The Destruction of Jobs: AI, Humanoids, and Physical Work 

14:18: Carlota Perez’s Theory of Economic Transitions 

17:54: The Work3 Institute: Advising Organizations Through the Shift 

20:32: Education: What K–12 and Universities Must Become 

27:23 Alpha Schools and New Models for Learning 

31:00 Economics, Purpose, and the Meaning Crisis 

37:40 Humanoids, AI Relationships, and Human Identity 

42:49 Optimism, Pessimism, and Where We Stand 

50:11 What Leaders and Organizations Should Do Now 

52:15 Where to Learn More 

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?  

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify. 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. 

Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. 

Connect with Rita on TikTok. 

Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.  

Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com 

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, welcomes Sangeet Paul Choudary– expert on platform economics and network effects, and the recipient of the 2025 Thinkers50 Strategy Award – to discuss his new book Reshuffle. 

0:00 - Intro & Teaser  

0:31 - Welcome & Guest Introduction (Sangeet Choudary, author of "Reshuffle")  

1:49 - The Maginot Line Analogy: Why We're Solving the Wrong Problem with AI  

4:07 - AI's Automation Lens vs. the Coordination Lens  

5:02 - AI's Real Impact: Changing How the Economy Connects  

7:15 - What Inspired the Book "Reshuffle"  

9:40 - The Shipping Container Analogy: Lessons for AI  

11:21 - From Port Automation to Systemic Transformation  

13:04 - How AI Makes Tacit & Unstructured Knowledge Usable  

15:35 - AI's Impact on Jobs & Roles: What Really Disappears  

17:51 - Coordination as AI's Magical Property  

18:27 - What AI Means for Strategy  

19:08 - From Operational Uncertainty to Structural Uncertainty  

19:51 - Industry Boundaries Are Collapsing  

21:46 - The New Way to Win: Reshaping the Playing Field  

26:51 - The TikTok Example: Intelligence-First vs. Social Graph  

29:34 - Shein & AI-Driven Fast Fashion  

33:45 - Sephora: AI as a Consumer Decision-Making Assistant  

36:13 - Solution Providers vs. Tool Providers (Two Strategic Roles)  

41:55 - What Will Happen to Consulting?  

44:22 - New Business Models: Rentable, Recombinable & Scalable (Mr. Beast Burgers)  

48:30 - Sangeet's Next Book: "Unfair Advantage"  

51:01 - The Dynamics of Transition: From Petroleum Age to Digital  

53:00 - Apple's Masterclass in Value Migration (iPod → iPhone)  

57:37 - Closing Remarks & Farewell 

New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every Tuesday at 11am Eastern.  

Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?  

Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify. 

Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. 

Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. 

Connect with Rita on TikTok. 

Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.  

Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com