What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

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 dissect the difference between strategy and planning. 
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders who want to sharpen their thinking and make better strategic choices. If you're responsible for direction, decisions, or results, this conversation will challenge how you think about strategy.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…in this episode, Roger makes the case that real strategy is about making choices and accepting the trade-offs that come with them. He explains why too many organizations avoid hard decisions, how that avoidance weakens execution, and what it actually takes to build a coherent, winning strategy. 
 
Key Takeaways:
Strategy requires making clear, deliberate choices about where to play and how to win.

Avoiding trade-offs leads to diluted focus and mediocre results.

A strong strategy aligns resources, decisions, and behaviors around a single direction.

Leaders must be willing to say no in order to build something truly differentiated.

Execution improves dramatically when strategic choices are clearly understood.

 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…Roger's insistence that strategy isn't complicated but it's uncomfortable. The real challenge isn't intelligence or frameworks; it's the willingness to commit to choices and live with the consequences. That reframes leadership in such a practical, grounded way.
 
Running Time: 25:39
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Show Summary on Substack

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, and together, we're exploring the true meaning of strategy and how it's often misunderstood or misapplied in business today.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…CEOs, strategy leaders, and executives who want a clearer, more disciplined way to think about strategy. If you've ever questioned whether your strategy is actually driving customer behavior, this episode is for you.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…in this conversation, Roger revisits the most common ways organizations misunderstand strategy and explains why those misunderstandings persist. He walks through what real strategy requires, why execution often fails even when teams are aligned, and how leaders can move beyond planning frameworks to make decisions that actually lead to winning.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS…
Strategy succeeds only when choices reinforce one another and point toward a clear outcome.

Many organizations confuse strategy with planning, which leads to activity without impact.

Customer behavior is the ultimate test of whether a strategy is working.

Poor strategic outcomes are often the result of incomplete or misaligned choices.

Strong strategy requires leaders to be explicit about what they will and will not do.



 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…I love how Roger cuts through the noise and insists that strategy isn't mysterious, it's just demanding. His clarity around choice, discipline, and customer behavior challenges leaders to stop hiding behind complexity and start owning the real decisions required to win.
 
Running Time: 26:59
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Find Roger Online:
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Show Summary on Substack

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
This week, I'm excited to welcome Serin Silva to the show. She is a strategic advisor to women founders, CEOs, and leadership teams. She led integration communications for eight acquisitions in a single year at a billion-dollar telecom, helping bring Oracle's first CRM and human capital management platforms to market. She launched the original MSNBC digital brand for Microsoft, and drove strategy for an early food delivery robot long before it was cool. She led five restructures and turnarounds for mid-sized companies, doubled revenue for mid-market tech firms, and delivered 150% business increase in eight months by forcing the right business and mindset pivots, which is why I wanted her to join today. 
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…anyone feeling exhausted by trying to "push" alignment instead of creating it.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…drawing from her experience leading impressive acquisitions and product launches, Serin explains how leaders can shift from managing "by spreadsheet" to leading with human understanding. She discusses why high achievers often burn themselves out, how asking better questions changes outcomes, and what it really takes to guide people through change without losing momentum or yourself.
 
Key Takeaways:
Leading change works best when leaders prioritize emotional alignment, not just operational efficiency.
Asking better questions requires discipline, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge assumptions respectfully.
Most resistance at work is emotional, even when it shows up as rational debate.
Removing emotion from decision-making frameworks can unlock stalled progress and clarity.
 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…Serin's honesty about learning to temper her fire without losing it. Her insight that growth often comes from separating self-worth from outcomes is a powerful reminder for driven leaders who care deeply about their work.
 
Running Time: 29:20
 
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Find Serin Online:
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Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. 
 
This week I have the honor of welcoming Ashley Herd to the show. She is a former Chief People Officer and General Counsel who has trained over a quarter of a million managers through LinkedIn Learning and live corporate trainings. Ashley built Manager Method after leading HR in legal teams at McKinsey, Yum! Brands and Modern Luxury. She has a new book out called The Manager Method.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…new managers, experienced leaders, and anyone responsible for developing people who wants a more practical, human way to manage performance. If you've ever struggled with giving feedback, felt unsure how much autonomy to give your team, or questioned whether traditional performance reviews actually work, this episode will feel especially relevant.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…most managers aren't failing because they don't care,  they're failing because they were never taught how to manage. In this episode, Ashley breaks down why so many well-intentioned leaders fall into patterns like avoiding feedback, overcorrecting, or defaulting to vague autonomy. She introduces a more structured, honest approach to management. We talk about why people actually want feedback, how AI is changing (and exposing) broken performance processes, and what managers can do differently to help their teams thrive.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS…
Most managers are promoted for performance rather than trained for leadership, creating gaps in expectations and feedback.

Autonomy without structure often leaves employees feeling uncertain rather than empowered.

Avoiding feedback is usually driven by good intentions, but it ultimately limits growth and trust.

Consistent, direct feedback helps people feel respected, supported, and clear about where they stand.

 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…I loved Ashley's honest take on how good intentions often lead managers astray. Her insight that people don't need perfection but rather clarity reframes feedback as an act of respect, not criticism. It's a powerful reminder that strong management isn't about control or charisma, but about creating the conditions where people know where they stand and how to grow.
 
Running Time: 28:57
 
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Find Ashley Online:
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Ashley's Book: The Manager Method: A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results

Making Better Strategic Choices with Roger Martin
 
I'm thrilled to announce a new show with my dear friend, Roger Martin, author of the amazing book, Playing to Win. In this 12-part series, we'll explore the true meaning of strategy and how it's often misunderstood or misapplied in business today.
 
THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders and strategists who are tired of strategy being confused with planning and want a clearer, more practical way to think about how real strategic choices drive results.
 
TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…strategy isn't a list of priorities or a collection of initiatives—it's an integrated set of choices that work together to drive customer behavior. In this conversation, Roger Martin explains why so many organizations misunderstand strategy, how that misunderstanding shows up in day-to-day decision-making, and what it really takes to close the gap between what leaders hope will happen and what actually does. Drawing on decades of experience, Roger challenges conventional strategy thinking and lays the groundwork for a more disciplined, choice-driven approach to winning.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS…
Strategy only works when choices reinforce one another, not when they exist as disconnected initiatives.

The hardest—and most important—part of strategy is influencing customer behavior, not internal activity.

Many companies mistake planning exercises for strategy, which leads to disappointing results.

 
WHAT I LOVE MOST…I love how clearly Roger reframes strategy as a set of deliberate, reinforcing choices. It's a powerful reminder that winning isn't about doing more things, it's about making better, more integrated choices.
 
Running Time: 21:22
 
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Find Tiffani Online:
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Find Roger Online:
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Website
 
Show Summary on Substack