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

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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, 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?

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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, 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?

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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, welcomes Christian Marcolli, a performance psychologist who works with elite athletes and executives on how to achieve and sustain high performance, and the author of “Winning Match: Leadership for Game Changers”

00:27 Introductions and Novartis’ Culture Leadership Advisory Board

2:19: From Professional Soccer Player to Psychology PhD Candidate

8:37: Working with Roger Federer

10:05: Creating Frameworks that Nurture Talent

12:55: The 4 Traits of a Potential Game Changer

14:32: The Role of Generosity in Leadership

17:03: Leadership Sparring: How Leaders Get Feedback as Organizations Flatten

23:35: The Five Practices for Performance Improvement

29:42: Examples from NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang and Airbnb’s Brian Cheskey

33:36: Case Study in Performance Improvement

36:59: How Leaders Foster the Development of Potential

38:49: The Hidden Talents That Leaders Miss

42:20: Examples from Elite Athletes: How Mindset Boosts Performance

47:33: How to Find a Leadership Sparring Partner

48:59: Why Peer-to-Peer Leadership Support is Indispensable

52:03: Takeaways to Implement Right Away

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence.

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

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 Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University College London and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, and the author of Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead).

00:00 Introductions

01:06 Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?

02:54"Don't Be Yourself”: Why This Book, Now

05:21 Authenticity Versus Leadership, and Being the Leader the Situation Calls For

06:59 The Visibility of Authenticity

09:18 Power and Self Censorship from Jeff Pfeffer

11:04: The Four Mantras of Authenticity

11:30: Mantra 1: “Honesty”

14:18 Mantra 2: “Don’t Worry About What People Think”

15:45 Skill Building and Self Awareness, from Matt Beane

18:27 Mantra 3: “Always be True to Your Values”

21:42 The Overton Window and How Norms Shift

24:03: Herminia Ibarra’s Critique of the Authenticity Paradox

26:44 Mantra 4: “Bring Your Whole Self to Work”

27:57 Diversity and Belonging at Work

30:22 How Employee Engagement Fits Into the Authenticity Picture

32:27 How DEI Interventions Utilize Authenticity

34:36 The Return to Office: Why Senior Leadership Might Prefer In-Person Work

35:38: Chip Conley’s Learning to Love Midlife

36:37: Tech Bros, Solopreneurs, and Authenticity to an Extreme

38:27 Practical Alternatives: Your Right For Self Expression Versus Your Obligation to Others

41:22 The Self Complexity Framework and Office Politics

44:41 How to Interview: Honesty versus Employability

48:32 Gen Z: Developing Grit and Learning from Feedback

55:28 AI Paranoia and Adaptation

58:42: Gen AI as “Intellectual Fast Food”

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence.

New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other 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

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 José Marcilla, President of Latin America and Canada (LACan) Region at Novartis, and author of “Unlimited Leadership”.

00:46: Why this Book, and The Crisis of Good Leadership

3:04: Jose’s Journey and Career Path

5:16: Burnout, and the Need for Leaders to Focus on What They Can Control

8:06: Humanism in Leadership: The “Hardware” and “Software” that Leaders Need

10:38: Explaining Tough Decisions to Your People

13:42: Novartis’ Transformation Strategy: The Intersection of Technological and Biomedical Revolutions

16:00: Building an Inspired, Curious, and Unbossed Culture at Novartis

18:01: Clarity and Simplicity in Corporate Strategy

19:50: The Next Best You: Are You Changing as Fast As The World Is?

22:59: Staying Grounded as a Senior Leader

25:40: Setting the Tone Around Innovation and Failure

28:16: How Leaders Can Repair Eroded Trust in 3 Ways

32:37: Amy Edmondson’s 3 Types of Failures

34:59: Leaders as Coaches: How Coaching Training Changed Jose’s Leadership

37:40: The Delayering Question: Bureaucracy Eats Culture for Breakfast

43:19: What Leaders Need to Unlearn

45:15: Advice for Gen Z: Going from a “Tetris” Mindset to a “Roblox” Mindset

50:27: The Importance of Mentorship

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence.

New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other 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

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 Steven Goldbach and Geoff Tuff, authors of Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift. They explore how leaders can align their organizations amid the “drift” that can accompany large transformations and other contexts of uncertainty.

8:52: Early Research: Beyond the “70-20-10" Innovation Portfolio

13:32: Strategy, Budgeting, Governance, and Career Advancement: Forces in Opposition

16:05: Detonate, Provoke, Hone: From Blowing Up the Playbook to Operationalizing a New One

20:46: The Difference Between Honing and Sharpening, from Chef Flannery Colton

25:41: Treat Change as the Normal Thing, Not the Weird Thing

27:36: What are Management Systems?: The Critical Fifth Box of the Choice Cascade

35:03: The Role of Visionary CEOs

38:00: A Guide to Human Behavioral Change, and Patience

42:40: Transformation and Innovation at Deloitte

48:00: Case Studies in Collaboration from Sony and the Mayo Clinic

51:49: Diseconomies of Scale, and the Risks of Being Too Big to Hone

59:00: Single-Person-Unicorns, and How Units of Value Creation Change

1:01:05: “We Don’t Have Eight Planets to Burn”: The Sustainability Question

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence.

New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other 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

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 Sylvia Acevedo, a trailblazer with experience spanning NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to executive roles at Apple, Dell, and IBM, and serving as the CEO of the Girl Scouts.

1:56: The Trailblazer’s Playbook: From a Dirt Road Town to NASA and the C-Suite

4:33: Sylvia’s Origins: A Girl Scouts Model Rocket and Lessons in Failure

8:31: Breaking Big Goals into Smaller Pieces

11:25: “Don’t Leave a Cookie Sale Until You Hear No 3 Times”: Lessons in Tenacity from the Girl Scouts

14:01: “Girls Like You Don’t Go to College”: Becoming One of the First Hispanics to Earn a Graduate Engineering Degree from Stanford

18:06: Innovating Above and Beyond at IBM

21:23: A Mental Checklist to Reach the C-Suite

30:50: Building Back Better after Failure at Autodesk

33:58: “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”: The Link Between Personal and Professional Growth

36:58: Family Tragedy, and Sylvia’s Transition from Technology to Education

39:05: The Power of Influence in Changing Opinion

42:09: Leading the Girl Scouts: Empowering Girls in Civics, Technology, and Entrepreneurship

46:11: Historically Women’s Colleges and the Girl Scouts: The Role of Single-Gender Spaces

48:49: Leadership in Chip Manufacturing

53:07: The Story of Sylvia’s Name, and Bilingual Systems Thinking

54:46: The Power of Taking Even Small Actions

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence.

New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other 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