Meet Ginni:

Fifty years ago, Ginni Rometty’s father walked out of her life, leaving behind her mother and her younger siblings to fend for themselves. As Ginni watched her mom slowly move up in the workforce, she learned the difference between access and aptitude - a lesson she has taken with her through her incredible career.

Three years ago, Ginni retired as IBM's president, chairman, and CEO. Today, she co-chairs OneTen foundation, an organization that aims to close the opportunity gap for Black talent and others who do not have a four-year degree. At one point in her life, she was the most powerful person at one of the world’s largest companies. At another, she was almost powerless. That life story has made her think deeply about the dynamics in the world around her. She has even written a book about them called Good Power, which takes the reader through who has clout, who needs it, and perhaps most importantly, how to do the most good with it. 

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Ginni about what “good power” looks like in action, the power of a good attitude, listening with the intent to learn and the value in finding what you are in service of.

Timestamps:

[:30] You define who you are 

[3:30] Good power

[8:00] Attitude

[13:40] Being prepared gave me confidence

[17:10] Appealing to the heart and mind

Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World, by Ginni Rometty

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong, by Eric Barker

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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It once wasn’t uncommon to hear a boss tell their employees “just get it done. I don’t care how.” However, in the last decade, organizations have evolved. Now, we often hear leaders priding themselves on encouraging their employees to speak up. 

But, what if leaders created environments and cultures in which it didn’t take an act of courage for employees to speak their minds?  In this episode, we explore how leaders can create a framework and playbook for moral leadership at their organizations that allows employees to out-behave and consequently out-perform the competition. 

Meet Dov:

Dov Seidman is the founder and chairman of LRN, an ethics compliance training firm, as well as the founder and chairman of The HOW Institute for Society, which is dedicated to infusing ethics into corporate culture. He is also the author of the bestselling book “HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything.”

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Dov about the framework for moral leadership and why organizations benefit from building a do-it-right culture. 

Timestamps:

[1:05] Business is Human Endeavor

[6:00] Employees Want Moral Leadership

[10:30] Your Reputation Precedes You

[14:20] Showing up 

Resources Referenced:

HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything, by Dov Seidman

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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Meet Bozoma:

Bozoma Saint John is no stranger to loss. In college, she lost her boyfriend; later in life she dealt with the loss of a premature baby and most recently, she lost her husband to cancer. Through these experiences, Bozoma has learned the importance of actively looking for joy, whether that be in the workplace or in life.

She is a Hall of Fame-inducted marketer, entrepreneur, and author of The Urgent Life and has held leadership roles at some of the most defining companies of our generation, such as Netflix, Uber and Apple. 

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Bozoma about how she builds teams that embrace peoples’ differences, her approach to marketing household names, and how she actively finds joy even in the darkest of times.

Timestamps:

[0:30] How differences make better executives

[5:10] The key to marketing household names

[11:00] Joy is an action

[16:00] Finding excitement to help you through your days

Resources Referenced:

The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Bozoma Saint John

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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Mentor-mentee relationships can be extremely beneficial. For a mentee, having someone more senior advocating on your behalf can accelerate your career forward. For a mentor, building a connection with someone junior can ensure your stamp on the company doesn’t retire when you do. While figuring out how to build this relationship can be tricky, Integral Ad Sciences CEO Lisa Utzschneider has become an expert in the craft.

Meet Lisa:

Lisa Utzschneider has held high leadership positions across the tech industry, such as Yahoo, Amazon and Microsoft. As an East Coaster at companies that were predominantly based in the West Coast, Lisa got used to not only being the only female voice, but also being the only person joining the meeting remotely. Through her experiences, she learned the importance of having someone with a seat at the table willing to advocate for you.

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Lisa about the value of mentor-mentee relationships, how to initiate building this bond and how to ensure everyone gets the most out of it. 

Time Stamps:

1:43 The mentor-mentee relationship

3:54 Being mindful of your team makeup

8:26 Check your ego at the door

12:22 Getting a the seat at the table

14:45 Lead with a recommendation or idea

Choice is the foundation of self-determination. But, what if too much choice leads to the inability to act or move forward? The most successful leaders are the ones who prioritize their time, minimizing the number of choices they make on a daily basis.

Meet Sheena:

After losing her vision as a teenager, Sheena Iyengar became very accustomed to hearing the phrase “it’s not possible.” Due to her own circumstances, she became fascinated with the concept of choice.

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Sheena, an author and Columbia Business Professor, about what can happen when people have too much choice, and how the best leaders approach the art of choosing.

Timestamps:

[4:29] Three to Five Most Important Choices

[7:22] Choice Explosion in the Marketplace

[9:45] Self-determination

[14:57] Choice ≠ Importance

Resources Referenced:

The Art of Choosing, by Sheena Iyengar 

Think Bigger: How to Innovate, by Sheena Iyengar

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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Meet Yusra Mardini: 

When the Syrian civil war broke out, Yusra Mardini and her sister fled. Eventually finding refuge in Germany, Yusra reignited her passion for swimming, joining the newly formed Olympic Refugee Team. Now, she’s at the helm of the Yusra Mardini Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing access to sports and education for refugee communities around the world.  

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Yusra about how she navigates challenges, leads by example and builds organizations that last. 

Notable Timestamps 

2:40 Olympics  

5:20 Leading for others 

9:40 Having your leadership tested 

13:45 Building organizations that last 

Resources Referenced  

• Epstein, D. J. (2019). Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. New York, Riverhead Books. 

Follow @GMukunda on Twitter or email us at [email protected]  

For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:  

Nasdaq.com/world-reimagined-podcast  

Innovation always requires some level of risk. For leaders, this means taking the right risks and knowing when to walk away. How do leaders make decisions when the outcome is uncertain?  How do they create a culture that promotes innovation and enables risk taking?

In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Annie Duke, Cognitive Scientist, Decision Strategist, and Author of Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, and Paul Misener, the VP of Global Innovation Policy and Communication at Amazon about the process of decision-making and innovation in uncertain conditions.

Resources:

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts, by Annie Duke

Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, by Annie Duke

“If we are not failing ever, we are not trying hard enough; we are not being innovative enough.” — Paul Misener, VP of Global Innovation Policy and Communications at Amazon

“There's a time-accuracy trade-off when we're making decisions. The more time we take, usually, the more accuracy we're going to accrue. The less time we take, the less accuracy we're going to accrue.” — Annie Duke, Author of Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, Decision Strategist and Former Professional Poker Player

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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Great leaders recognize that it takes more than talent to build a winning team. The culture and cohesion of a team can make or break it. It’s up to leaders to cultivate an environment that empowers people and promotes growth and opportunity.

 In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Daniel Coyle, Award-Winning New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, The Culture Code and more and Vlatko Andonovski, Head Coach of the U.S. women’s national team, about the secrets of creating a world-class team.

 “Performance in business is actually a learning contest." - Daniel Coyle, Award-Winning New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, The Culture Code and more

“I think that’s what drives me, the challenge to do something that has never been done before.” - Vlatko Andonovski, Head Coach of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team

Resources:

Books by Daniel Coyle

Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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In this bonus feature, World Reimagined is turning the table on its host, Gautam Mukunda. Interviewed by his good friend, General Stan McChrystal, Gautam discusses the inspiration behind his newest book, Picking Presidents, shares what leadership means to him, and reveals who his ultimate hero is. Gautam also gets a second chance at answering the presidential history question that ended his reign on the TV show Jeopardy! many years ago.

Resources:

The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme, by John Keegan

Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World, by Gautam Mukunda

Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay

“If you want to solve a problem about leadership, the presidency is uniquely fertile ground.” — Gautam Mukunda, Author of Picking Presidents & Host of The World Reimagined Podcast

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For more information on this episode’s guest please visit:

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Today’s changing world faces continuous social, economic, and environmental challenges—from disease to natural disaster to war. The leaders stepping up to solve these issues possess deep ambition, vision, and skills to bring their ideas to life. In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda speaks with Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley and Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry and Esther Duflo, Ph.D., Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT and Nobel Prize Winner in Economic Sciences. Together, they discuss how great leaders can pioneer breakthroughs and effectively enact change—from discovery to implementation. Resources:  Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo “There are so many things I kind of wish I had known early in my career, but the big ones for me are, first and foremost, that each person is an individual and has their own sets of passions, strengths, weaknesses, desires.” – Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley “Try to avoid micromanaging people. You get much more done if you can trust someone to run with it.” - Esther Duflo, Ph.D., Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT  Follow @GMukunda on Twitter or email us at [email protected]   For more information on this episode’s guest please visit: Nasdaq.com/world-reimagined-podcast