Episodes

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Jim Dyke, a partner in the law firm of McGuireWoods LLP. Jim Dyke served as Virginia’s Secretary of Education under former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder,...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Doug Dennerline, the president and CEO of BetterWorks, a performance enablement solution company that aligns workforces to the organization's top priorities...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, neuroscientist and former Washington DC council member and chair of the committee on economic development, recounts stories of her father, Dr. Charles Drew, ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talks with Dan Pontefract, CEO, and Founder of Pontefract Group and author of four books including his most recent book Lead, Care, Win: How to Become a Leader Who Matt...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lidia Soto-Harmon, CEO of Girl Scouts of National Capital Region, and Chair and a trustee of the Migration Policy Institute. Lidia Soto-Harmon shares her in...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Kon Apostolopoulos, founder and CEO of Fresh Biz Solutions and the co-author of 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis . Kon Apostolopoulos shares how leaders can lea...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Rynthia Rost, former GEICO Vice-President for Public Affairs, and the current executive advisor to IBM International Foundation. Rynthia Rost talks about t...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talks about how leaders can set an example for those they lead through their behaviors. Mahan shares examples of leadership behaviors that aren’t aligned with values a...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Michael Rogers, Former Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). Prior to his appointment at COG, Mr. Rogers enjoyed...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with John Chappelear, president and founder of Changing the Focus and author of the Daily Six, Six Simple Steps to Find the Perfect Balance between Success and S...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Doug Wheeler, Former President of Washington Performing Arts. Doug shares leadership lessons learned as he engaged the community with the organization’s mis...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Robert Rosenberg, CEO of Dunkin Donuts for 35 years and author of the book “Around the Corner to Around the World: A Dozen Lessons I Learned Running Dunkin'...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Kathy Hollinger, President, and CEO of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), who has been recognized as one of the Most Influential Min...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, Founder & Chief Reinvention Officer at Reinvention Academy and author of the book, How to Thrive in Chaos. Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva sh...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Dr. Irma Beccera, the seventh president of Marymount University, talks about her journey becoming a higher education leader, her research in knowledge management, how to see setbacks ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talks about Persian New Year, Nowruz, and its relevance to renewal, rethinking, reimagining, and reinventing which is needed by all, most especially now. The episode e...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Rutstein, former general counsel at Giant Food. David shares inspiring stories in his journey, what an ‘Ethical Will’ is, his 10 principles for leader...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Jim Kerr, Founder of Indispensable Consulting and Author of the book INDISPENSABLE: Build and Lead A Company Customers Can’t Live Without, and shares his th...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talks with Cary Hatch, CEO of MDB Communications. Cary Hatch discusses what it took for her to succeed as a female business owner and how difficulties can build up resi...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talks with Jonathan Littman, co-author of The Entrepreneurs Faces: How Makers, Visionaries and Outsiders Succeed , and several other best-selling books. Jonathan Littma...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Howard Stone, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Prince George's Community College. Howard shares the source of his passion for education, love for Leaders...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Dr. Michelle McQuaid, a best-selling author, workplace wellbeing teacher, and playful change activator. Michelle McQuaid talks about how positive psychology...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Linda Rabbitt, the founder and chairman of Rand Construction, who is recognized as Washingtonian of the Year, and is in Washington's Business Hall of Fame. ...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talks about the importance of leading with love and why genuine love is critical to leadership and a core essence of leading as a partner-leader. Some highlights: Mahan...