What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

How Great Teams Make Decisions with Ricardo Valerdi

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

My guest this week is Dr. Ricardo Valerdi. Ricardo has studied decision-making in some of very unique environments, from SpaceX and the U.S. Army to Major League Baseball and the NCAA. Ricardo is an engineer and a sports scientist professor at the University of Arizona, social entrepreneur, and author of the new book, The Five Tooled Team. His work challenges the idea that great decisions come from one brilliant leader and instead asks us to think about decision-making as a team capacity, something that can actually be designed, practiced and improved.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders, managers, and teams looking to make better decisions, build stronger decision-making processes, and create space for diverse perspectives.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…we often think great decisions come down to having the smartest person, the most data, or the best technology in the room. Ricardo makes the case that it's really about having a good process and creating space for people to challenge assumptions, bring different perspectives, and ask better questions. In this conversation, he explains why leaders need to know which decisions deserve deep analysis and which ones can simply be made and adjusted along the way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Great decisions can still lead to bad outcomes. It's best to focus on the quality of the decision-making process.
• The smartest person in the room can sometimes make a team less curious and less willing to challenge assumptions.
• Most decisions are reversible, so they don't need the same time and energy as truly irreversible decisions.
• Strong teams align around the "why" while giving people flexibility in how they get there.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…better decision-making isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions, listening to people who see things differently, and being willing to say, "I may be wrong."

Running Time: 28:20

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The Five-Tool Team: Bringing Out the Best in People to Make Better Decisions

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I am looking back to a conversation I had with Alain Hunkins. Alain is a sought-after speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. He is the author of the gound-breaking book about leadership, Cracking The Leadership Code. Over his twenty-year career, he has led over 2,000 groups in 25 countries himself. Alain's clients include Wal-Mart, Pfizer, Citigroup, General Electric, State Farm Insurance, IBM, General Motors, and Microsoft. He has designed and facilitated seminars on numerous leadership topics, including teambuilding, conflict management, communication, peak performance, innovation, engagement, and change. Alain serves on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education and has published over 400 articles on leadership.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders both new and old, aspiring and current! Anyone who wants to shorten the leadership learning curve and accelerate their growth.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…why do people choose to do what they do? Where is the disconnect between intention and actual performance? Are we truly self-aware? Alain breaks down how we can crack the leadership code and how we can learn from great leaders as well as mediocre ones to get the best results! Alain is all about shortening the learning curve and accelerating your growth. He analyzes the principles and what he terms "shadow principles," to help you get there too.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…this conversation is as relevant in 2026 as it was a few years back. Alain's leadership lessons are evergreen!

Running time: 29:07

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Alain's Book: Cracking the Leadership Code

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

My guest this week is Kipp Bodnar, CMO of HubSpot, where he spent more than 15 years helping scale the company from startup to a global customer platform. He is also the host of Marketing Against The Grain. He also released a new book with Kieran Flanagan, Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow. where the authors explore how AI is changing the ways customers discover, evaluate, and ultimately choose.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…marketers, CMOs, and business leaders looking to rethink their growth strategy and adapt to AI.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…AI is making it easier to create and distribute content at scale, but it's also raising the bar for what actually makes a brand stand out. Kipp explains why marketers need to move beyond chasing website traffic and instead focus on depth, faster learning, customer understanding, and distinctive ideas. Kipp argues that the future of marketing isn't about producing more but about knowing what matters and doing it exceptionally well.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Website traffic is no longer a reliable indicator of demand or revenue growth.

• AI makes depth, focus, and faster learning critical sources of competitive advantage.

• Great personalization requires strong customer data and a clear point of view.

• The brands that stand out will earn attention through distinctive ideas, not simply by generating more content.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…AI may change how marketing gets done, but it doesn't change what makes great marketing great. The advantage belongs to the marketers who understand their customers, have something distinctive to say, and know how to turn great ideas into action.

Running Time: 29:15

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Kipp's Book: Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow.

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

Every once in a while, I get to sit across from someone who didn't just participate in an industry, but helped change what we expect from it. Ron Johnson is one of those people and I'm excited to have him as my guest. At Target, he helped bring great design to the mass market. At Apple, working alongside Steve Jobs, he created the Apple Store and helped reimagine a store as something much bigger than a place to buy things. He also has been the CEO of JCPenney and founder of Enjoy Technology. He has a new book out, Shop Different.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders looking to challenge conventional thinking, create differentiated experiences, and turn bold ideas into lasting business impact.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…great businesses are about more than selling a product. Ron shares what he learned at Target, JCPenney, Apple about creating experiences that make people want to come back. He also talks about why leaders need both conviction and an open mind, and why the right people and culture are so important when you're trying to do something new.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Conviction matters, but leaders need to stay close to customer feedback and remain open to changing course.

• The best customer experiences start with a clear vision and an employee experience designed to support it.

• Differentiation isn't simply about being different, it's about creating something meaningfully better.

• Transforming a business requires the courage to think beyond what has worked in the past.

• The strongest brands create experiences that go beyond transactions and give people a reason to come back.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…the best innovations don't always start with a goal of changing the world. They start with someone willing to think differently, do the work, and create something people genuinely value.

Running Time: 28:05

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Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm excited to welcome Caroline Webb to the show this week. She is an economist, executive coach, former McKinsey partner and senior advisor to the firm, and the best-selling author of How to Have a Good Day. She's also been recognized by Thinkers 50 as one of the world's top executive coaches. Her new book, Leadership Intelligence, draws on psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to tackle 21 of the everyday challenges leaders face.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders and managers looking to lead more effectively under pressure, communicate with greater intention, and turn good leadership knowledge into better everyday behavior.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…knowing what good leadership looks like is one thing; practicing it when you're tired, stressed, or under pressure is another. Caroline explains how stress affects our ability to think and respond well, and shares practical ways leaders can pause, ask better questions, give clear feedback, and stay connected to what matters.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Stress and fatigue can make good leadership much harder to access in the moment.

• Small habits can help leaders respond thoughtfully instead of reacting.

• Better questions create space for people to share concerns and different perspectives.

• Clear, specific feedback is a form of kindness, not a lack of empathy.

• Taking a pause can lead to better decisions and better leadership.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…great leadership isn't about being perfect. It's about building the habits that help you respond with intention when it would be much easier to react.

Running Time: 25:35

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Caroline's Book:

Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I'm reflecting on a conversation I had with Molly Bloom. Molly is an inspirational keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of Molly's Game, a memoir which was adapted into an award-winning film of the same name by Aaron Sorkin. Molly began her career as a world-class skier. While training as a pre-teen she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and had to undergo surgery that doctors said would end her athletic career. A year later, fully recovered, she was back on the slopes and went on to join the U.S. Ski Team. But, her Olympic dreams would go unrealized and this would lead her to what she thought would be a year sabbatical in LA. She was finishing her degree in Political Science at the University of Colorado – Boulder and was in the process of applying to top tier Law Schools, when her assistant job turned her into an accidental entrepreneur running one of the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker games in the world, pulling in as much as $4 million per year. What happened next is where her story truly begins!

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…everyone! Everybody and anybody will find Molly's story fascinating and intriguing.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…Molly shares her story of inspiration, intrigue, and events straight out of a Hollywood movie! She recounts her journey from Olympic-hopeful and college student, to LA waitress, to building and operating the largest and most notorious private poker game in the world. Molly's story is one of innovation, inspiration, ambition, redemption, and entrepreneurship.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…I love what Molly has to say about owning your name, and really being seen and heard. I also love how clear she is on finding what you stand for, and getting clear on what you are and are not willing to do.

Running time: 33:10

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Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm excited to welcome Scott M. Curran to the show this week. Scott is a social impact lawyer, advisor, educator, founder and CEO of Beyond Advisors and former general counsel of the Clinton Foundation, where he advised a global nonprofit operating in more than 40 countries. His new book, Better Good, asks a deceptively simple question: instead of always trying to do more good, how can we get better at the good we're already doing?

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone looking to create meaningful impact without feeling like they have to do more, give more, or solve everything.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…doing good isn't about doing more, it's about doing better. Scott shares how small, intentional actions can create meaningful impact, why businesses benefit from aligning with their values, and how each of us can focus our time and energy where we can make the biggest difference.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Small actions can create meaningful collective impact.

• Doing good can be good for business, too.

• Your "not-to-do" list matters as much as your to-do list.

• Focus your time on what aligns with your strengths and values.

• Momentum grows when people take action together.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Scott's reminder that we don't need more money, time, or influence to make a difference. Sometimes, doing better simply starts with being more intentional about how we use what we already have

Running Time: 25:51

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Better Good: A Simple System for Creating Lasting Impact

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I'm joined by Karina Mangu-Ward, organizational design expert and author of Teams That Meet The Moment. Karina has worked with organizations ranging from PepsiCo and Chanel to Planned Parenthood and the Sundance Institute. Her work challenges a fundamental assumption about performance: that the individual is the unit we should be trying to optimize. I'm excited to share this conversation with her.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders looking to build stronger and more effective teams.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…organizations often try to solve performance problems by focusing on individuals: hiring a superstar, coaching an underperformer, or replacing someone on the team. But Karina argues that the real issue is often the system surrounding those individuals. She explains why teams, rather than individuals, are the true unit of value creation and how shared language, clear decision rights, and better teaming practices can help organizations move faster and learn more effectively. In this conversation, we also explore what happens when AI agents become part of the team and why automating a broken process can simply make the problem bigger.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Teams, not individuals, are the true unit of performance.

• Consensus isn't always the goal; decisions need clarity and momentum.

• Clear decision rights can make teams faster and more effective.

• AI amplifies the need for strong processes, roles, and collaboration.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…this conversation challenges the instinct to always look at the individual when something isn't working. Sometimes the most important thing to fix isn't the person, it's the way the team is designed to work together. And as AI changes how work gets done, that lesson is only becoming more important.

Running Time: 26:55

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Teams That Meet the Moment: 9 Practices for Unlocking Performance and Growth in Uncertain Times

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm excited to welcome Bruce Cleveland to the show. He's a venture investor, former senior executive at Oracle. Siebel, Apple, and C3 AI, founder of Traction Gap Partners and author of the book, Market Engineering. Over the course of his career, he's helped build and invest in companies that have grown into billion dollar businesses. And his latest work argues that markets don't simply emerge, they are intentionally built.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…founders, CEOs, marketers, product leaders, and entrepreneurs who want to understand how to intentionally create demand, shape markets, and become a category leader.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…building a great product is no longer enough to guarantee success. The companies that become market leaders today don't simply engineer products, they engineer markets by intentionally shaping how customers think about a problem and its solution. Bruce explains that through category design, positioning, messaging, storytelling, and thought leadership, organizations can create demand before they ever scale demand generation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Great product engineering is table stakes. Lasting market leadership comes from intentionally engineering demand.

• Creating or redefining a category helps companies compete on their own terms instead of someone else's.

• CEOs, not marketers, must own market engineering because they control the resources needed to build awareness and shape perception.

• As AI makes product development faster and more accessible, differentiation will increasingly come from positioning, storytelling, and creating a market customers recognize and value.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Bruce challenges one of the most common assumptions in business: that the best product wins. He makes a compelling case that the real winners are the companies that teach the market how to think before anyone else does.

Running Time: 29:29

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Market Engineering: Because Markets Don't Build Themselves

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. I'm thrilled to welcome you back to a series I did with my dear friend, Roger Martin. He's the author of the amazing book, Playing to Win. In this episode, Roger and I dive into Beyond Network Economics.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…business leaders, marketers, founders, and anyone looking to build deeper customer loyalty by creating experiences people want to be part of.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…for years, businesses have focused on network effects: adding more customers to create more value. Roger argues that's no longer enough. Instead, the companies pulling ahead are creating "worlds" that customers genuinely want to belong to, where the relationships between customers become just as valuable as the product itself. Through examples like TikTok, Hermès, Nike, Starbucks, and Ford, Roger explains why building community may be the next evolution of strategy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Network effects helped build today's biggest technology companies but they aren't an unbeatable competitive advantage.

• The strongest brands create communities where customers want to interact with one another.

• Companies that disrupt or ignore their customer communities risk damaging long-term loyalty.

• Strategy should focus on creating experiences and relationships, not simply acquiring more users.

• Brands that successfully shape a world around their customers create advantages that competitors struggle to replicate.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Roger challenges the idea that customers are simply individuals to acquire. Instead, he reminds us that the strongest businesses create communities people genuinely want to belong to. That's a much more durable competitive advantage.

Running Time: 29:10

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