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, speaks with Rob Siegel, Lecturer in Management at Stanford University , a venture investor, a former operator, and author of The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross-Pressures That Make or Break Today’s Companies.
1:10: Teaching Systems Leadership with GE CEO Jeff Immelt 2:10: “Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?”: Lessons in Strategy from Janis Joplin
4:57: Playing for the Long Term and the Short Term, How Leaders Deal with Cross Pressures
8:11: The Benefits of Bureaucracy: Insights from Rita’s Forthcoming Book
9:50: Globalization 1.0 and Globalization 2.0
13:09: A Plea For Serious Leadership, Not Cage Match Challenges
15:40: “Leadership is about Everybody but You”: Kathy Mazzarella’s Leadership at Graybar
18:25: Moving from Megalithic Companies to Constellations of Capability
20:03: Purpose, and the False Choice Between Being Ambitious and Being Kind
24:30: Investing in Your People: Lessons from the Rise and Fall of GE’s Crotonville
29:48: Traffic Lights vs. Traffic Circles: Designing Sensing Systems
33:39: Developing AI as a Thought Partner
37:58: How Leaders Can Accept that Change is Difficult
42:00: Capitalism's Current Transition: Climate and the Economy 47:02: Bright Spots in Education

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, speaks with Cheryl McKissack Daniel, the fifth-generation leader of McKissack & McKissack, the nation’s oldest Black-owned design and construction services firm. Her book, “The Black Family Who Built America”, traces her family’s narrative from enslavement to building iconic American buildings, such as the National Civil Rights Museum, and Barclays Arena. Cheryl shares her insights and strategies for success in a white male-dominated industry. 
00:06 Why This Book Now: Telling True Stories of the American Past 
3:34: Origins: From Enslavement to Becoming the First Black Licensed Architects in America 
6:47: Breaking Into the “Old Boys’ Club” 
15:28: The Barclays Center Arena: The McKissacks’ Role in Revitalizing Downtown Brooklyn 
19:37: The Value of Sharing the Whole Story: What Business Books and Memoirs Leave Out 
21:04: The Next Generation and Effective Succession Planning 
22:30: Advice for Young Black Women Considering Design and Construction 
 
 
 
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, speaks with Neri Karra Sillaman, founder of Moda Métiers, expert in sustainable fashion, strategy, and entrepreneurship, and winner of the Thinkers50 2025 Radar Award. She’s also the author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs.
1:32: Introductions, and Why Study Immigrant Entrepreneurship
3:23: Neri’s Journey: From a Refugee Camp to Luxury Entrepreneurship
10:19: Starting a Family Leather Goods Business 
15:04: The 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs 
15:28: Being a Bridge Across Cultures
15:47: Vision: Believing in Your Crazy Idea, and Yourself
17:45: Homophilic Ties: Forging Connections Based on Your Identity
20:46: The Chobani Story, and the Power of Co-Building A Business
22:00: What Immigrant Entrepreneurs Understand About Instability and Unequal Access
25:08: “Frying In Your Own Oil”: Lessons in Self-Sufficiency  from Neri’s Grandfather
26:56: What American Entrepreneurship Curricula Leave Out
28:19: “What Have You Done With Your One Precious Life?”: Rethinking Business Longevity
32:09: Immigrant Entrepreneurship: Borne out of Necessity 
34:34: The Role of Luck: Recognizing It and Turning it into an Advantage
39:05: Chobani’s IPO, and What Hamdi Ulukaya Got Right
40:13: What We Lose When We Demonize Immigrants
44:35: Immigrants’ Role in Creating New Wealth
50:36: How We Misunderstand Failure: Lessons from Amy Edmondson
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, speaks with Michael Gervais, a leading performance psychologist and author of the book “The First Rule of Mastery”.
1:14: Free Surfing and Competitive Surfing as an Introduction to Performance Psychology 
4:52: The 3 Components of Performance - Training Your Body, Your Technical Skills, and Your Mind
6:03: Allodoxphobia and The Real Fear of Others’ Opinions
7:15: Going from Theory to Applicable Advice
8:17: Unmask, Assess, Redefine - The Book’s 3 Steps to Improving Performance
10:21: Practicing Self-Discovery Through Mindfulness, Journaling, and Conversations
12:20: Mental Systems: Your Brain as the Hardware, Your Mind as the Software
13:42: “Putting Your Own Life Vest On First”, and Supporting Yourself to Support Others
15:33: How the Lack of Social Belonging Impacts Performance
17:40: “Listening Hard” and Practicing Simple Curiosity as Tools for Connection
22:05: Honest Relationships, in Board Rooms and Locker Rooms
25:43: Bringing Coaching Mindsets Into Organizations
26:56: The Importance of Timeliness in Feedback
30:08: Psychological Safety as a Foreground for Improving Performance
32:16: Coaches’ Role as the “Chief Repeating Officer"
34:33: Michael’s Superbowl Experience with the Seattle Seahawks
42:58: The Epidemic of Disengagement, and How Modern Stressors Affect Us
46:44: The Trap of Mechanistic Models of Organizations
48:32: Going Beyond Mental Health to Training Mental Skills
50:08: Taking Courageous Decisions

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, speaks with Chesney Snow, Lecturer of Music Theater & Theater at Princeton University, Drama Desk winner, beatboxing pioneer, composer, lyricist, and more. He's created community engaged arts performances centering anti-violence and community building throughout the country, and in this conversation, shares his insights on how art changes lives and forges connections. 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. 00:11: Introductions and “Performing the Peace” at Princeton University’s Keller Center3:47: Chesney’s Early Life 6:52: “This Sandwich Isn’t Sexy” and Focusing on the Stories YOU Want To Tell9:54: “Honor and Heal”, and How to Create Work That Improves Lives11:29: Art and Technology’s Roles in Nurturing Human Connection15:20: Data-Led Approaches to Supporting First Responders’ Mental Health 21:58: Renting an Apartment from Richard Bright: Coming Up on Broadway26:46: The Power of Creative Economy, and Williamsburg’s Transformation28:11: Beatboxing as a Fine Art and as Speech Therapy32:02: MTV Unplugged in Poland, and the Value of Ownership of Music38:05: Improving Wellbeing with Technology40:05: McCarter Theatre and Teaching at Princeton University46:54: A Typical Engagement: Connecting Teaching Artists and Drama Therapists with Law Enforcement Officers, People in Foster Care, and Veterans49:29: The Impact of Art Therapies on De-Escalation41:49: Emphasizing the “Human” in Humanities 55:33: The Value of “Real” Theater in the AI Age59:32: Conclusions, and What’s Coming NextWant to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?