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, welcomes Don Hambrick, Evan Pugh Professor and the Smeal Chaired Professor of Management at Pennsylvania State University and author of The Improbable Professor.  
 
0:00 
Introduction & Welcome 
0:29 
Welcoming Don Hambrick 
2:00 
Does the Academy of Management Really Matter? 
4:30 
Don's Landmark Research: CEO Hubris, Tenure & Strategy 
10:08 
Learning the Craft of Teaching at Columbia 
11:29 
Writing The Improbable Professor 
15:43 
Don's Early Life & Parents 
19:56 
Family Relationships & Discovering His Daughter 
24:48 
The Path to Becoming a Professor 
28:10 
The Evolution of Strategy as a Field 
35:30 
Porter's Five Forces & Industry Analysis 
39:09 
The Value of a PhD 
44:20 
The Future of Business Schools 
52:06 
Reflections on the Book & Resilience 
54:00 
Closing & The Concorde Story 
 
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, sits down with Sebastian Wernicke, author of “Data Inspired: Building an Organizational Culture of Inquiry for Lasting Transformation” and expert in data science, machine learning and AI. 
 
0:00 Introduction & Welcome 
1:08 Sebastian's Journey into Data 
2:54 The Frustration That Inspired the Book 
5:09 Data: Keeping Organizations the Same? 
6:26 The Slow Elevator Story 
8:38 Purpose First, Data Second 
9:25 Understanding the Real Problem 
12:12 Building a Culture of Inquiry 
15:33 Data Driven or Data Frustrated 
18:23 Data as Compression of Reality 
19:54 Three Myths About Data 
26:09 Complex Decisions: Bezos on Anecdotes vs. Data 
28:41 Three Kinds of Indicators 
30:34 Experimentation & Leading Indicators 
31:49 Economics Consulting in Practice 
37:24 Strategy as Problem-Solving 
39:42 AI Strategy & Token Maxing 
42:29 Measuring What Can't Be Measured 
46:18 The Data Inspired Manifesto 
48:54 Book Reception Across Fields 
52:27 Bad Metrics & Short-Termism 
55:18 Creating Space for Thinking 
57:15 Closing Thoughts 
 
 
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, sits down with Bill McGowan, founder and CEO of Clarity Media Group and a  two-time Emmy Award-winning correspondent. Bill’s second book is Speak, Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience,written alongside co-author Juliana Silva.  

0:00 Cold Open: The Playing Not to Lose Mentality 
0:23 Welcome & Introducing Bill McGowan 
1:20 From TV News to Communication Coaching 
5:32 The Magnificent Seven: Verbal Devices 
10:00 Creative Labels: Toothbrush Test, Goldilocks & Pottery Barn 
12:14 The Conformity Zone: Why Executives Sound the Same 
15:37 Hooking Your Audience & The Cost of Poor Communication 
20:34 Coaching Skeptical Executives 
24:16 Structuring a Great Speech (No Jokes) 
25:27 Lessons from Stand Up Comedians 
29:38 Novartis Super Bowl Ad & The Power of Levity 
35:55 Making Complex Problems Simple: The Ozone Layer 
37:58 Contextualizing Data for Real People 
40:38 Leaders, Symbolism & Plain Talk 
45:44 Conveying Bad News (BP & Goldman Sachs) 
48:32 Knowing Your Audience & Speech Prep Tips 
52:26 “Being Authentic” Needs Discernment 
54:41 Where to Find Bill & Closing 
 
 
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, sits down with Rick Goings, founder of The Rick Goings Institute for Management and Executive Leadership at Rollins College. Formerly, Rick held several senior executive roles at Avon Products and served as Chairman & CEO of Tupperware Brands.  
 
0:00 
Introduction 
0:25 
Meet Rick Goings 
1:21 
The Rollins College Institute 
2:58 
Rick's Journey: Navy to Entrepreneur 
6:31 
First Company & Fortunate Pet 
7:56 
Avon and Tupperware 
8:30 
Women: Hiding in Plain Sight 
9:46 
Transforming Tupperware 
12:29 
Empowering Women in Patriarchal Societies 
13:56 
Warrior Training in Indonesia 
17:31 
Leadership as a Craft 
19:59 
The Institute & Rod Adkins 
27:34 
Google's Project Oxygen 
29:33 
The Bruce Springsteen Story 
34:26 
Peer Learning at the Institute 
35:40 
Three Focus Areas: Foresight, Vitality, Civic Leadership 
37:41 
Shareholder vs Stakeholder Value 
41:59 
The Vatican & Stakeholder Value 
43:37 
The Great Transition in Capitalism 
45:27 
"Add Value" – A Daily Mindset 
50:35 
The Future of Business Schools 
52:45 
The Halo Effect & AI Simulations 
58:10 
Forging Leaders 
1:02:10 
Conclusion 
 
 
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, sits down with Beth Gardiner, journalist with bylines in National Geographic, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, and Scientific American; and author of the new book Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet.  
0:00 
Intro & Welcome 
1:06 
How the Book Idea Came About 
6:50 
The Fossil Fuel Industry's Pivot to Plastic 
10:06 
The History & Growth of Plastic Production 
12:30 
Recycling as a PR Tool 
17:55 
Keep America Beautiful & the Crying Indian 
21:38 
How Plastic Crept Into Our Lives 
25:07 
The Economics of Cheap Plastic 
29:19 
Diane Wilson vs. Formosa Plastics 
35:48 
The Recycling Symbol & Its Misuse 
38:55 
Lawsuits & Corporate Accountability 
44:16 
Fast Fashion & Plastic in Clothing 
46:13 
Cancer Alley & Fence-Line Communities 
50:36 
The Ozone Layer Parallel & Policy Solutions 
54:10 
Extended Producer Responsibility 
57:21 
Closing & Wrap Up 
 
 
 
 
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.