Episodes

In this captivating episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Greg Wooldridge, the only person to have led the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy's renowned flight demonstration squadron, three times. With his unparalleled experience and unique insights, Greg Wooldridge shares valuable lessons on leadership, team dynamics, and the pursuit of excellence that is applicable not only in the cockpit but also in the boardroom. Throughout the conversation, Greg Wooldridge discusses the co...

In this episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, Mahan Tavakoli interviews Daniel Burrus, a world-renowned futurist, strategist, and author of The Anticipatory Organization: Turn Disruption and Change into Opportunity and Advantage. In the conversation, Daniel Burrus shares his powerful framework for anticipating the future and shaping strategies accordingly, emphasizing the importance of identifying hard and soft trends to gain certainty in an uncertain world. Throughout the conversation, ...

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 or...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor Ajay Agrawal, the Geoffrey Taber Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Ajay Agrawal is also the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a not-for-profit program for early-stage, science-based companies, and coauthor of two outstanding books on Artificial Intelligence: Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics ...

This episode of Partnering Leadership features Mahan Tavakoli in an interview on the Uncommodified podcast with host Tim Windsor. They explore AI's impact on leadership in an increasingly fast-changing world. Mahan and Tim have an insightful dialogue around evolving leadership approaches for exponential times driven by technological advances like AI. They discuss the pitfalls of certainty and why leaders can no longer rely on having all the answers today to be successful. Instead, they examine w...

As the pace of digital change accelerates, how should leaders guide their organizations to stay ahead of disruption? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, author John Rossman makes the case that betting big on transformation is essential, though risky. Drawing on his experience spearheading Amazon's bold expansions, Rossman argues that the coming era of "hyper-digital" will necessitate even bolder moves than we've seen. In the conversation, John Rossman lays out a playbook for leading change...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews philosopher, CEO, and bestselling author Brian Johnson on activating your organization's heroic potential. Having spent over half his career as a founder and business leader, Brian shares powerful insights on perseverance and excellence drawn from ancient wisdom and modern science. In the conversation, Brian offers key lessons from his newest book, "Arete: Activate Your Heroic Potential," for overcoming adversity and leadin...

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are more vital than ever for organizations today. But how can leaders move beyond good intentions to drive real impact? In this engaging episode, inclusion strategist Risha Grant, author of Be Better than Your BS: How Radical Acceptance Empowers Authenticity and Creates a Workplace Culture of Inclusion, offers paradigm-shifting insights for leaders seeking to foster authentic belonging in their teams. Drawing on over two decades of experience guiding executives, ...

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 episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with H.H. Leonards. H.H. Leonards is the founder and chair of the O Street Museum Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., and the Mansion on O Street, where Mrs. Rosa Parks called her home-away-from-home for the last decade of her life. H.H. Leonards is also the author of the book Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership. Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomer...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews strategic thinking expert Rich Horwath, author of six books on strategy, including his latest Strategic: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence. Rich shares his decades of expertise, shining a light on common pitfalls that executives and leadership teams face as they approach strategic planning. He then outlines his practical 3A framework – Acumen, Allocation, Action – that leaders at...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Michael Thatcher shares insights from his extensive leadership experience spanning the nonprofit and technology sectors. As the CEO of Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the U.S., he provides an inside look at leading this influential organization through a period of rapid growth and digital transformation. Touching on topics from building trust with boards to measuring nonprofit impact, Michael Thatcher offers thoughtful perspectives ...

In this Partnering Leadership episode, host Mahan Tavakoli speaks with clarity expert Steve Woodruff about the importance of clear communication for leaders. As the torrent of digital information competes for our attention, Steve emphasizes how leaders must craft focused messages that cut through the noise. Drawing from decades of consulting experience, Steve shares the core principles from his book "The Point" on transmitting ideas effectively amidst the modern barrage of disruption. He outline...

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, Cros...

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...

Hal Elrod, the international bestselling author of The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life, which has been translated into 37 languages and has sold over 2.5 million copies, brings his unique perspectives on establishing daily practices that foster personal growth and leadership excellence based on his recently updated and expanded edition of The Miracle Morning. Drawing on personal experiences overcoming adversity, including life-threatening events, Hal ...

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 episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Leidy Klotz, a professor at the University of Virginia appointed in the Schools of Engineering, Architecture, and Business and author of the book Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less. Leidy Klotz shares some of the reasons why we typically look to add rather than consider subtraction when looking to solve problems and improve systems. Leidy Klotz also discusses how subtraction can benefit leaders of organizations and managers...

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 co...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli talked with Dr. Timothy Clark, the founder and CEO of LeaderFactor and author of Four Stages of Psychological Safety . Dr. Clark has broken down the different stages to ensure psychological safety in teams. Dr. Timothy Clark shares how teams can build on the understanding of each stages in order to boost psychological safety in the workplace. Some highlights: -Dr. Timothy Clark on why leaders cannot be neutral -The skills that leaders nee...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli explores the concept of agility with his guest, Joshua Kerievsky, CEO of Industrial Logic and author of Joy of Agility: How to Solve Problems and Succeed Sooner. They discuss why agility is far more than speed and how leaders can hone the mindset and skillset of agility. Joshua Kerievsky provides a crisp definition of agility and shares why it highlights how agility is crucial in all aspects of business and life. He also shares balanced wa...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Jim McCormick, bestselling author of The First Time Manager, shares his decades of management wisdom perfected through diverse leadership roles. In addition to covering fundamentals vital for first-time managers, Jim's book provides essential insights for veteran leaders on managing well, covering critical practices like delegation, transparency, accountability, and confronting underperformance. Jim also details how mindsets and risk filters shape outc...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Steven Sasson who invented the digital camera while working at Kodak, earning him The National Medal of Technology and Innovation award. Steven Sasson shares the story of how digital photography came to be, the many inventions that made it more accessible to eventually take the place of film photography. Steven Sasson also talks about the support for the invention at Kodak and the many cultural and leadership challenges that g...

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 m...