In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Mohammad Anwar, founder and CEO of Softway and co-author of the book Love as a Change Strategy. Together, they take on one of the most misunderstood ideas in leadership: whether love has any place in driving performance, innovation, and…
Negotiation and sales are often treated as tactical skills. Something leaders do at the end of the process, armed with tricks, pressure, and leverage. In this conversation, Todd Caponi makes the case that this mindset is outdated—and increasingly damaging for leaders operating in a world of transparency, information abundance, and…
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, futurists Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio join the conversation to explore the ideas behind their new book, The Age of Chaos: A Sense-Making Guide to a BANI World That Doesn’t Make Sense. Both guests bring decades of deep foresight work, scenario planning, and leadership…
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Louisa Loran, a seasoned executive advisor whose career spans legacy brands, global industrial giants, and one of the world’s most influential technology companies. Louisa brings a rare perspective shaped by leadership roles at Diageo, Maersk, and Google—giving her a…
Unwavering Teams: Building Trust & Reducing Friction with Eric Termuende | Partnering Leadership In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Eric Termuende, leadership thinker, speaker, and author of Rethink Work: Finding & Keeping the Right Talent, to discuss how leaders can reduce friction, build trust, and…
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Les Csorba — senior partner at Heidrick & Struggles and author of Aware: The Power of Seeing Yourself Clearly. Drawing on decades advising CEOs, boards, and leadership teams, Les makes a compelling case that self-awareness is not a soft skill…
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Alan Gregerman, innovation advisor and author of The Wisdom of Ignorance: Why Not Knowing Can Be the Key to Innovation in an Uncertain World. Gregerman has spent his career helping organizations rethink what expertise is, how innovation really happens,…
✅Quick Leadership in a Distracted World: The New Rules of Leading Teams with Selena Rezvani In this episode, leadership expert Selena Rezvani breaks down outdated management assumptions, hidden power dynamics, and practical ways to build true psychological safety at work. She explains how to move beyond overwork culture, lead today’s…
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Sangeet Paul Choudary, one of the world’s leading thinkers on digital strategy, platforms, and the future of value creation. Sangeet is the author of the acclaimed new book Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Transforms the Knowledge Economy, a work…
✅ Why Every Leader Must Rethink Innovation | With Rich Braden & Tessa Forshaw Innovation isn’t just for the “creative few”—it’s a skill every leader already has. In this powerful episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden, co-authors of Innovation-ish, to unpack what real…
✅How Leaders Can Thrive in an Exponential World | Insights from Dr. Mark van Rijmenam Discover how leaders can stay ahead in a world shaped by exponential change. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli interviews futurist and strategist Dr. Mark van Rijmenam, who explains how emerging technologies—AI, robotics,…
✅From Silos to Shared Strength: Relationships That Multiply Result with Jim Ferrell What if the biggest leadership blind spot isn’t about people, but the space between them? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Jim Ferrell, leadership thinker and author of You and We: The Relational…
Beyond the Hype: How Data, Skills, and Humanity Drive AI’s Real Impact with Benjamin Tasker In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Benjamin Tasker, an AI learning strategist who has applied artificial intelligence to solve real-world challenges in healthcare and education. From predicting cancer risks in…
What happens when the playbook for leadership no longer applies? In this thought-provoking conversation, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by futurist Steve Fisher and behavioral scientist Ja-Nae Duane, co-authors of Super Shifts: Transforming How We Live, Learn, and Work in the Age of Intelligence. With decades of experience in executive foresight,…
Building Collaborative Teams with Vanessa Druskat | Mahan Tavakoli on Emotional Intelligence Most executives still chase superstar hires, assuming great individuals will automatically form great teams. In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Dr. Vanessa Druskat brings research depth and field-tested experience to make a different case. She is the author of…
A CEO for All Seasons: Carolyn Dewar on What Great Leaders Do Differently What makes a great CEO today won’t be enough tomorrow. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Carolyn Dewar, McKinsey Senior Partner and coauthor of A CEO for All Seasons—a practical, research-backed roadmap for…
David Gardner on Rule Breaker Investing, Long-Term Thinking & Leadership | Mahan Tavakoli Join Mahan Tavakoli as he sits down with David Gardner—legendary investor, co-founder of The Motley Fool, and author of Rule Breaker Investing. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, discover how David’s extraordinary track record, including Amazon, Tesla,…
In this compelling episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by one of the most sought-after advisors to Fortune 100 CEOs and boards—Ram Charan. Named “the most influential consultant alive” by Fortune, Charan draws on decades of boardroom experience and over 30 books—Execution, What the CEO Wants You to…
✅From Turn the Ship Around to Rethinking Decisions: David Marquet on Leading with Distance, Not Ego In this thought-provoking conversation, former nuclear submarine commander and bestselling author David Marquet returns to the Partnering Leadership podcast to discuss the core ideas behind his new book: Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to…
What if the “panic habits” leaders default to are the very things burning out their best people? In this Partnering Leadership episode, Mita Mallick—author of The Devil Emails at Midnight—joins Mahan to unpack practical ways senior leaders can replace performative urgency with clear operating rules that people can trust. You…
✅Data as a Leadership Superpower: How to Fuel Strategy, Innovation, and AI with Justin Evans Discover how data can transform leadership in today’s AI-driven world. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Justin Evans, author of The Little Book of Data and former executive at Microsoft,…
In this compelling episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by David Espindola, a futurist and strategic advisor with deep expertise in technology, AI, and leadership. As the author of The Exponential Era and Soulful, Espindola brings a unique lens to the conversation—one that blends exponential technology insight with…
Embracing Infinite Possibilities in Leadership | Dr. Bernard A. Harris | Partnering Leadership with Mahan Tavakoli In this powerful episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Dr. Bernard A. Harris — a trailblazer, the first African American to walk in space, a successful physician, NASA astronaut, CEO, and venture…
Section CEO Greg Shove on Leading Through AI: Rethinking Business Models-Talent and Strategy In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Greg Shove, CEO of Section and a serial entrepreneur with a deep track record of leading transformative growth. Shove’s leadership journey includes multiple successful pivots, and…