In this compelling episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by one of the most sought-after advisors to Fortune 100 CEOs and boards—Ram Charan. Named “the most influential consultant alive” by Fortune, Charan draws on decades of boardroom experience and over 30 books—Execution, What the CEO Wants You to Know, The Amazon Management System, and more—to offer a timely and provocative leadership lens.

As the global environment becomes permanently uncertain, Charan urges leaders to stop relying on outdated models of strategy and execution. Instead, he argues, CEOs must build adaptive systems—grounded in real-time data, rapid decision-making, and leadership accountability. And if you're still thinking of AI as a support tool rather than a core business model, you may already be falling behind.

Throughout the conversation, Charan shares why execution—not strategy decks—is the true differentiator of high-performing organizations. He explains how to identify and elevate the top 2% of talent that drive exponential value. And he doesn’t shy away from calling out boards that repeatedly miss critical cues in CEO succession and pivot capability.

This episode is essential listening for CEOs, senior executives, and board leaders who want a sharper edge in today’s environment. If you’re ready to rethink how your organization operates—and leads—in real time, Ram Charan offers a clear-eyed, actionable framework that cuts through the noise.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Hear why Ram Charan believes uncertainty is now the default—and what that means for how leaders must think and act.
  
  
• Learn why strategy without execution is useless, and what it takes to lead execution at the pace of change.
  
  
• Discover how AI is becoming a business model, not just a technology platform—and what CEOs must do to embrace this shift.
  
  
• You'll learn how to identify and invest in your top 2% of talent—those who drive outsized returns in an AI-powered world.
  
  
• Hear how to build real-time execution systems that outperform lagging, traditional performance reviews.
  
  
• Explore why CEO succession often fails—and what boards consistently overlook in evaluating pivot capability.
  
  
• Gain insight into why fast feedback loops and live dashboards are now essential for senior teams and boards alike.
  
  
• Hear how Ram Charan thinks about amplifying imagination through AI, and why efficiency alone isn’t enough.
  
  
• Understand the behaviors that distinguish leaders who “get it” when it comes to execution, talent, and transformation.
  
  

Connect with Ram Charan

Ram Charan Website

Ram Charan LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

In this thought-provoking conversation, former nuclear submarine commander and bestselling author David Marquet returns to the Partnering Leadership podcast to discuss the core ideas behind his new book: Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions. Known globally for Turn the Ship Around, Marquet once again challenges traditional leadership assumptions—this time taking aim at a problem many leaders don’t realize they have: they’re too close to their decisions.

Drawing from cognitive psychology, real-world leadership failures, and hard-earned lessons from the military to the boardroom, Marquet introduces a powerful framework he calls “distancing.” At its core: the idea that our best decisions often require us to stop thinking like ourselves. Whether it's asking, “What would my replacement do?” or considering how a future version of yourself might evaluate today’s choice, Marquet offers tactical ways leaders can gain clarity, reduce bias, and improve judgment under pressure.

Host Mahan Tavakoli guides the conversation toward the real-world application of these ideas, especially for senior executives navigating complexity, volatility, and the weight of past decisions. Marquet’s insights are sharp, often counterintuitive, and supported by both research and field-tested leadership practices.

Rather than offering platitudes or yet another leadership model, this conversation digs into the cognitive traps leaders fall into—and how to build the mental discipline to lead with more perspective and fewer blind spots. If you’re responsible for high-stakes decisions, leading through uncertainty, or shaping organizational strategy, this episode delivers the kind of clarity that shifts how you think about thinking.

Actionable Takeaways

• You’ll learn why “being present” isn’t always good advice—and how it can narrow your thinking at the worst possible time
  
  
  
• Hear how one shift in language (“What would you do if you were me?”) led to better decisions from Marquet’s submarine crew—and how it applies to leadership teams today
  
  
  
• Discover why ego isn’t about arrogance—it’s about how your brain rewrites reality to protect your self-image
  
  
  
• Learn the three dimensions of strategic distancing—and how each one can improve executive judgment under pressure
  
  
  
• Hear how asking “What would my replacement do?” helped Intel’s Andy Grove overcome years of legacy inertia
  
  
  
• Find out why most retrospectives fall flat—and how to reframe them so people tell the truth without getting defensive
  
  
  
• Learn how stress shortens your mental lens—and what leaders can do to create space (not just speed) in decision-making
  
  
  
• Explore why decision hygiene matters more in volatile times—and what most leaders get wrong about intuition
  
  
  
• You’ll learn why leadership isn’t a conceptual exercise—and why Marquet compares it to learning a new language
  
  
  
• Hear the low-stakes practice Marquet recommends for building real-world empowerment habits—starting at your next restaurant meal
  
  
  

Connect with David Marquet

David Marquet Website

David Marquet LinkedIn

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website

What if the “panic habits” leaders default to are the very things burning out their best people? In this Partnering Leadership episode, Mita Mallick—author of The Devil Emails at Midnight—joins Mahan to unpack practical ways senior leaders can replace performative urgency with clear operating rules that people can trust. You will hear why bad bosses are made, not born, and how pressure from markets, role models, and personal crises can turn ordinary leaders into micromanagers.

Mita gets specific about power dynamics. A 4:30 a.m. email from the CEO trains teams to jump, even when the intent is “no rush.” She explains how to set explicit after-hours rules and model them yourself. The goal is to stop the 4 a.m. back-and-forth and restore predictable rhythms for high-stakes work.

Calendars signal culture. Mita argues for a deliberate meeting cleanse, real breaks, and protected one-on-ones. You will hear why “we are not AI agents,” why canceling a meeting can be the kindest move you make this week, and how simple touch points create loyalty.

Leaders also get a playbook for honest feedback. Mita shares how to create safety, why alumni calls six to twelve months after someone leaves yield the most actionable insight, and how a short journaling habit helps you see patterns in your own behavior before they damage trust.

Finally, Mita challenges a core assumption: most work is not life or death. Treating it that way creates burnout. She closes with a frank read on the broken employee–employer contract and a likely shift toward more consultant-style work, which makes clarity, expectations, and operating rules even more important for CEOs and boards.

• You will learn how to set a clear after-hours rule that stops the 4 a.m. reply spiral, including what “urgent” actually means in your context.
  
  
  
• Hear how to replace micromanagement with outcomes and guardrails when life outside work feels out of control.
  
  
  
• You will learn why your calendar is your culture, and how a simple meeting cleanse reveals time for deep work and real one-on-ones.
  
  
  
• Hear how to protect one-on-ones without turning them into therapy. Mita shares a practical cadence and a simple check-in script that builds connection.
  
  
  
• You will learn a low-cost feedback system: invite coaching, thank in the moment, follow up with changes, and never hunt “who said what.”
  
  
  
• Hear how to get clearer truth with alumni calls six to twelve months after exit interviews, when the emotion is gone and facts are usable.
  
  
  
• You will learn to write simple hybrid rules that reduce proximity bias and make global teams feel fair and seen.
  
  
  
• Hear how to reset leader expectations about urgency and burnout, starting with this line: “Most of our work is not life or death.”
  
  
  
• You will learn why culture becomes the worst behavior you tolerate and how to intervene when disengagement starts to spiral.
  
  
  
• Hear how to prepare for a future with looser roles and project-based deployment, and why clarity and operating rules will be your retention edge.
  
  
  

Mita Mallick LinkedIn

The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses

Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:

Mahan Tavakoli Website

Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn

Partnering Leadership Website