AI & Future Of Work Episodes

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with JJ (Projjal) Ghatak, a seasoned technology executive who has held key roles at companies like Uber and is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of OnLoop, a habit-forming, genAI-powered goals and feedback platform for high functioning teams. Projjal Ghatak shares his unique insights on building mission-driven cultures, fostering collaboration, and leveraging technology to empower managers and drive organizational success. Drawin...

In this engaging episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, host Mahan Tavakoli engages in an insightful conversation with Paul Daugherty, the group chief executive of technology and chief technology officer at Accenture. During the episode, Paul Daugherty emphasizes the criticality of adopting a technology-focused mindset and embracing constant reinvention and agility in the face of evolving technologies. He highlights the importance of organizations becoming learning organizations equipped ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Brad Zimmerman, a seasoned business consultant and coauthor of The Great Engagement: How CEOs Create Exceptional Cultures. With over thirty years of experience guiding businesses to success, Brad brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insights to the table. Throughout the conversation, Brad and Mahan delve into the critical importance of employee engagement and how leaders can effectively align individual purpose with o...

What if AI could free up bandwidth, spark creativity, and boost productivity for executives and teams? Jordan Wilson, Founder of Everyday AI and host of the Everyday AI podcast, joins Mahan Tavakoli, sharing pragmatic tips so leaders can harness cutting-edge generative AI. Jordan advises an agile, sprint-based approach to rapidly experiment rather than get stuck in opaque long-term AI projects that often trigger resistance. He recommends executives audit workflows to systematically evaluate wher...

In this Partnering Leadership episode, host Mahan Tavakoli has an expansive dialogue on leadership and the future of work with serial entrepreneur and tech optimist Andy Tryba. As a 19x founder and CEO, Andy currently leads private equity firm Ionic Partners and two of its high-growth acquisitions, Gigster and Sparkrock. Andy previously built and led software juggernaut Think3, acquiring and optimizing 12 SaaS companies. He also founded one of the world's largest online talent marketplaces, Cro...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Marquet. David served as the commander of the US Navy nuclear submarine, USS Santa Fe. When he took over, he changed the command-and-control leadership style and empowered his crew to turn the lowest-performing sub into the best performer in the fleet. David Marquet shared leadership lessons from this experience, which he also wrote in his bestselling book Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leade...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Warren Berger. Warren is the author of multiple books on innovation and the power of questioning in leadership and everyday life. The conversation focused on Warren Berger's books A More Beautiful Question and The Book of Beautiful Questions. Warren shared thoughts on his study of the world's foremost innovators and creative thinkers, revealing what he has learned. Warren Berger also shared his insights into the natural tendenc...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Conor Grennan, Dean of Students at NYU Stern and co-host of the AI Applied Podcast. Conor shares insider perspectives on where generative AI is headed and how organizations, teams, and professionals can fully tap the opportunities it provides. You’ll learn about the vital role change management plays in integrating generative AI across your company, how to prioritize AI fluency, govern usage responsibly, and stay on top of c...

The AI revolution promises to reshape business in the years ahead. Are you ready to lead your organization into this intelligence era? In this compelling episode, David DeWolf, President and Chief Executive Officer of Knownwell, shares invaluable insights to help leaders navigate the AI transformation. Having deeply researched AI's potential while launching his latest venture, David sees both tremendous opportunity and some real perils if AI is not stewarded responsibly. You'll hear David bust ...

Leaders today face a barrage of daily decisions that shape careers and brands. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, veteran business leader Richard Moran makes the case that our constant minor choices represent pivotal moments. Drawing on decades of experience as a CEO, college president, venture capitalist, and corporate consultant, he explains why small decisions about “extra” tasks or meetings signal commitment. You’ll learn why Richard Moran believes accountability is a cure for organiz...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley. Ken is the founder of the Ken Blanchard Companies and has co-authored more than 65 books on leadership, including all-time classics such as The One Minute Manager and Who Moved My Cheese, each with over 20 million copies sold. In this conversation, Ken Blanchard is joined by Randy Conley, Vice President of global professional services for the Ken Blanchard Companies. The discussion focuses on the...

Are you strategic enough to survive the digital future? In this Partnering Leadership episode, global strategy expert Michael Lenox, UVA Professor and author of Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation shares indispensable insights to help leaders craft agile strategies in the age of AI. Drawing from decades of research and firsthand experience steering his own business school’s digital transformation, Mike Lenox reveals how to spot exponential change before it disrupts you,...

This episode of Partnering Leadership features Mahan Tavakoli being interviewed on AI and its potential impact by David Gardner on the Rule Breaker Investing podcast. In the conversation, David and Mahan talk about the growing influence of artificial intelligence; they explore where we are on the AI exponential growth curve, how organizations can leverage AI strategically and operationally, and share predictions for AI's transformative impact and how individuals and organizations can take advant...

Middle managers often get a bad rap, seen as roadblocks to change and innovation. But Emily Field flips this narrative on its head. As a McKinsey partner, Emily saw firsthand how empowering middle managers unlocks an organization’s potential. In this insightful interview, Emily Field, McKinsey & Company partner and coauthor of Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work, debunks the middle manager myth. Hear why managers, not senior execs, hold the keys to the future of...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Peter Scott, Futurist & Founder of Next Wave Institute and author of Artificial Intelligence and You: What AI Means for Your Life, Your Work, and Your World. In the conversation, Peter Scott shares his insights on the impact of AI on our lives and organizations, emphasizing the need for leaders to understand and navigate this technological disruption. He challenges leaders to reflect on their reactions to AI and encourages them...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Eric Lamarre, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and co-author of the book Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI. Eric Lamarre shares his fascinating journey from engineering and oceanography to becoming an expert in data, analytics, and AI as a consultant for McKinsey. He discusses the importance of digital transformations in organizations and the pitfalls many companies face in achieving...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Seth Early, CEO & Founder at Earley Information Science and Award Winning Author of The AI-Powered Enterprise. In the discussion, Seth Earley, an expert in knowledge strategy and artificial intelligence, emphasizes the crucial role of understanding processes and use cases in successfully integrating AI tools within organizations. Seth Earley goes on to highlight why there is a need for organizations to build libraries of use ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli engages in a thought-provoking discussion with John Smart, a globally renowned futurist, foresight consultant, and successful entrepreneur. As the author of Introduction to Foresight, Executive Edition: Personal, Team, and Organizational Adaptiveness, John Smart shares valuable insights on the criticality of foresight and adaptiveness in the face of exponential change. Delving deeper, he explores the importance of building practical skills...

In this engaging episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, host Mahan Tavakoli engages in an insightful conversation with Paul Daugherty, the group chief executive of technology and chief technology officer at Accenture. During the episode, Paul Daugherty emphasizes the criticality of adopting a technology-focused mindset and embracing constant reinvention and agility in the face of evolving technologies. He highlights the importance of organizations becoming learning organizations equipped ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Renee Cummings, Data Science Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia. In the conversation, Professor Renee Cummings, a criminologist and AI ethicist discusses the importance of bringing responsible, ethical thinking to deploying AI technology. She stresses the need for due process, recognizing the various forms of bias, ethical use and transparency in deployment, and good governance and oversight. Renee Cummings als...

Partnering Leadership conversation between Mahan Tavakoli and Tom Taulli focuses on applying artificial intelligence (AI) in leading teams and organizations. Tom Taulli is a technology investor, advisor, and author of Artificial Intelligence Basics and a brand new book, Generative AI: How ChatGPT and Other AI Tools Will Revolutionize Business. Mahan begins the conversation by talking about the five critical areas for organizational leaders to consider concerning AI: strategic applications, opera...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lily Zheng, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategist and Consultant. Lily Zheng is also the author of DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right. In the conversation, Lily Zheng talked about their upbringing, education, and how it influenced their perspective on race and inequality. Next, Lily Zheng shared why they advocate for a systemic approach to tackling DEI, including outcome-oriented m...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Paul Roetzer, Founder & CEO of the Marketing AI Institute and Co-Author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing, and the Future of Business. After sharing his origin story, Paul shares why he became fascinated with AI in 2011 as a marketing agency owner. Next, Paul Roetzer explains how his curiosity led him to look deeper into AI, investigate it further, and speak to marketers about its potential, eventually leading...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Edward D. Hess. Ed Hess is a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at the Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia. Ed Hess is the author of 15 books, including OWN YOUR WORK JOURNEY: The Path to Meaningful Work and Happiness in the Age of Smart Technology and Radical Change. In the conversation, Ed Hess shares why the rapid speed of technological change drastically differs from the previous eras and...