What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
I'm thrilled for this show for so many reasons. Today's guest has spent his career challenging how we think about people at work, what drives performance, what builds great teams and what actually helps people thrive. Marcus Buckingham is a New York Times bestselling author and a friend and one of the original pioneers of the strength movement. And now in his new book, Design Love In, he takes that thinking even further, arguing that love, when designed intentionally into how we lead and operate, is one of the most powerful forces in business.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders, managers, and individuals who want to better understand what drives high performance and how to build roles and teams around what people naturally do best.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…We've been taught to focus on improving our weaknesses but that approach is fundamentally flawed. In this conversation, Marcus explains why excellence comes from doubling down on strengths, not fixing what's broken. He shares how organizations can unlock performance by designing roles around what people love to do, why engagement surveys often miss the mark, and how leaders can create environments where individuals thrive by doing more of what energizes them.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
People grow most when they invest in what they naturally do best.

High performance comes from aligning work with what energizes individuals.

Traditional feedback and engagement systems often overlook individual strengths.

Great leaders focus on outcomes while allowing flexibility in how work gets done.

 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…Marcus' reminder that excellence isn't built by fixing weaknesses but by understanding and using your strengths every day. It's a simple shift, but it completely changes how we think about performance.
 
Running Time: 40:16
 
Subscribe on iTunes
  
Find Tiffani Online:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
  
Find Marcus Online:
LinkedIn
Buckingham Institute
 
Marcus' Book: Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
This week's guest is someone whose work has shaped how millions of people think about their work, their strengths, and their lives. Tom Rath is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books, including Strengths Finder 2.0, have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and transformed how organizations develop talent. For more than two decades, Tom has studied what helps people thrive at work and in life from strengths and wellbeing to leadership and meaning. His latest book, What's the Point? explores one of the most important questions we can ask: how do we turn purpose into something we actually live every day? 
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…anyone who wants to do more meaningful work, lead with intention, and better align their strengths with how they show up every day.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…80% of us go through our lives not doing what we're best at and that disconnect has a massive impact on our energy, engagement, and overall well-being. In this conversation, Tom challenges the idea that success comes from fixing weaknesses and instead makes the case for investing in what you naturally do best. He breaks down how leaders can create environments where people thrive, why well-being and performance are more connected than most organizations realize, and how small, intentional shifts can help you get more out of your work and your life.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Your greatest opportunity for growth comes from investing in your natural strengths, not fixing every weakness.

Well-being is directly tied to performance, decision-making, and long-term success.

People do their best work when they feel energized, not just productive.

Leaders play a critical role in helping others discover and use what they do best.

 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…Tom's reminder that doing your best work isn't about pushing harder, it's about aligning what you do every day with what naturally gives you energy and purpose.
 
Running Time: 28:55
 
Subscribe on iTunes
  
Find Tiffani Online:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
  
Find Tom Online:
LinkedIn
Website
 
Tom's Book: What's the Point? Turning Purpose Into Your Daily Superpower

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.
 
This week, I'm super excited to have Jon McNeill on the show. Jon's resume reads like a playbook. He was appointed by Elon Musk as president of Tesla after an introduction from Meta's Sheryl Sandberg. During his tenure, he helped scale revenue from $2 billion to $20 billion in 30 months. He later served as CEO of Lyft doubling revenue and leading the company's IPO. Today he co-founds and scales companies at DVx Ventures where he has launched 12 ventures and delivered 6x return to investors. His leadership experience spans every stage of growth, founder, CEO, board member at GM, Lululemon, and CrossFit. He also collaborated with historian Walter Isaacson to write The Algorithm, the first book written by any of Elon's direct reports.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders, executives, and founders who want to scale innovation and speed without burning out their teams. If you've ever wondered how Tesla moved faster than traditional companies or how to build high-performing teams under extreme pressure, this episode will change how you think about leadership at scale.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…hypergrowth doesn't happen by chance. Jon shares the leadership principles and operating systems that allowed Tesla to scale quickly and consistently. In this conversation, he explains why innovation isn't just about smart ideas but about simplifying processes, removing friction, and giving teams the clarity and focus to execute at high intensity. He also shares why great leaders know where to get involved and where to step back, and how to build cultures where people feel empowered to solve big problems.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Hypergrowth succeeds when leaders simplify processes and remove unnecessary friction.

High-performing teams operate like "special forces," focused on the right problems during core hours.

Leaders scale by knowing which decisions require their involvement and which they can delegate.

Speed and performance don't come from working more hours, they come from working smarter.



WHAT I LOVE MOST…Jon's reminder that breakthrough results come from designing the system, not burning out people. His story shows that you can move fast, scale big, and innovate without sacrificing clarity, focus, or humanity.
 
Running Time: 38:59
 
Subscribe on iTunes
  
Find Tiffani Online:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
  
Find Jon Online:
LinkedIn
 
Jon's Book: The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and SpaceX

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, we discuss what makes a great strategist.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders, strategists, and executives who want to strengthen their strategic thinking and better understand what separates great strategists from good planners.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…great strategy doesn't come from intellectual brilliance alone. Roger says the best strategists develop a mindset rooted in humility, curiosity, and practice. In this episode, Roger makes the case that great strategy starts with a deep understanding of customers and evolves through experimentation in complex systems.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Strategy should begin with a deep understanding of customers and their needs.

Overreliance on data analytics can limit creativity and strategic thinking.

Data should inform judgment, not replace it.

Great strategists invent the future rather than simply extrapolating from the past.

 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…Roger's reminder that strategy is a skill anybody can learn. Even leaders like A. G. Lafley became great strategists through years of experimentation and learning. It's a powerful reminder that anyone can get better at strategy with practice.
 
Running Time: 25:51
Subscribe on iTunes 
  
Find Tiffani Online:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
  
Find Roger Online:
LinkedIn
Website
 
Show Summary on Substack

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
This week, I have the pleasure of welcoming Claude Silver to the show. She is on a mission to revolutionize leadership talent and workplace culture. She is the world's first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX and partners with CEO Gary Vaynerchuk to drive their success. Claude has earned Campaign's U.S. Female Frontier Award and Adweek's Changing the Game Award. She is also the author of the new book, Be Yourself at Work. 
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders who want to build high-performing teams without sacrificing humanity. 
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…in this conversation, Claude shares why she believes AI should enhance human potential and not replace it. She explains why burnout is often a leadership system's problem rather than a personal failure. And she challenges managers to create cultures where people feel safe enough to speak up, honest enough to name their imposters, and supported enough to grow.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
AI should enhance human capability while preserving meaningful human connection.
Emotional fluency allows leaders to choose their response instead of reacting impulsively.
Energy management matters more than time management in preventing burnout.
Psychological safety creates the conditions for belonging and high performance.
Leaders scale culture by modeling self-awareness and vulnerability first.
 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…Claude reframes leadership as something deeply personal before it's organizational. You can't build belonging for others if you haven't built awareness in yourself. Her reminder that "you are the CEO of you" feels especially powerful in a world that's moving faster than ever.
 
Running Time: 26:15
 
Subscribe on iTunes
  
Find Tiffani Online:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
  
Find Claude Online:
Website
LinkedIn
 
Claude's Book: Be Yourself at Work: The Groundbreaking Power of Showing Up, Standing Out, and Leading from the Heart