Videos

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Harold Pettigrew, CEO at Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif), Presidential Appointee at the CDFI Fund, and an Aspen Finance Fellow. First, Harold Pettigrew talked about his upbringing in Washington D.C., and the experiences that helped him find his voice.…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Diane Tipton, Chief Executive Officer and President at Self Storage Zone and Board Member at the Girl Scouts of the USA. Diane shares her humble beginnings in Georgia and how challenges shaped her into who she has become. Diane also…

How to Activate Your Brand Purpose and Transform Your Organization by Harnessing the Power of Movements In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Chip Walker, head of Strategy at StrawberryFrog Movement, Brand Business and Cultural Strategist, and co-author of Activate Brand Purpose: How to Harness the Power…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Gary Bolles, chair for the Future of Work for Singularity University, co-founder of eParachute.com, and author of The Next Rules of Work. Gary Bolles shares how his father’s career advice book What Color Is Your Parachute impacted his early life…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli shares thoughts on how to lead with more confident humility. Mahan also goes through five mindsets and practices of leading with confidence and humility. Finally, Mahan Tavakoli shares why we need to celebrate confident humility in leadership and the necessity of this…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Robert Dilenschneider, founder of The Dilenschneider Group and strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies. Robert Dilenschneider talks about the most effective way to use public relations to benefit organizations. Robert also shared the importance of engaging the community and how…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Tara Thiagarajan, Founder, and Chief Scientist at Sapien Labs. Tara Thiagarajan shares studies and insights on mental well-being, its key indicators, and how it influences people and communities. Tara Thiagarajan also highlighted the biggest factors contributing to mental well-being and…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Susan McPherson, Founder, and CEO of McPherson Strategies, Serial Connector, Communications Expert, and Author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships. Susan McPherson shares the power of building authentic relationships and…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lisa Gable, Former US Ambassador, UN delegate, CEO, and author of Turnaround: How to Change Course When Things Are Going South. In the conversation, Lisa Gable shares how leaders can get their teams and organizations back on track based on…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Stephanie Linnartz, President of Marriott International, Inc., the world's largest hospitality company. Stephanie Linnartz shares the role her upbringing played in her seeking a career at Marriott and how she rose through the ranks in the organization. Stephanie also shares…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor James Heskett. Professor Heskett is UPS Foundation Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Business School. James Heskett has authored/co-authored nine books, including one with fellow Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter on Corporate Culture and Performance. In this conversation, Mahan…

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…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Susan Lacz, principal, and chief executive officer of Ridgewells Catering, shared her leadership journey with Mahan Tavakoli. Susan Lacz spoke about how she has managed the obstacles in her life and has built a successful business that needs to continue changing and adapting through…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Susie Wise, founder and former director of the K12 Lab Network at the Stanford d.school. Dr. Susie Wise is a co-creator of Liberatory Design and author of Design for Belonging. Susie Wise shares the crucial role leaders play in creating…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks about the impact of selfie culture on leadership. Mahan shares thoughts on selfie leadership, servant leadership, and partnering leaders' fundamental mindset and behaviors. From storytelling to the pictures on social media, how we think about leadership impacts attitudes and behaviors. Some…

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…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lisa Wise, Chief Rooster, Chief Nester and Owner of Nest DC. Lisa Wise shares the origin story behind founding the company and how they bake purpose into everything they do. Lisa Wise also talks about her commitment to the community…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Kapil Kane, Director of Innovation at Intel China and co-founder of GrowthX- an award-winning corporate innovation accelerator. Kapil Kane shares lessons from his experience at the intersection of technology and innovation working for Apple and Intel. Kapil Kane also shared…

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…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Ron Adner, professor, keynote speaker, advisor, and author of Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World and The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See That Others Miss. Ron Adner talks about his research…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, astrophysicist, STEM educator, multi-patented inventor, keynote speaker, and author of A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars. In the conversation, Hakeem Oluseyi shares his journey of overcoming adversities and becoming a leading…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Stephen M.R. Covey. Stephen M.R. Covey is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of The Speed Of Trust, former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, and author of Trust And Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Chuck Robb, Virginia's 64th governor from 1982 to 1986 and U.S. senator from 1989–to 2001. Governor Chuck Robb is also the author of In the Arena: A Memoir of Love War and Politics. In the conversation, Governor Chuck Robb shares…

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Ralf Specht, author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System. After two decades with McCann Erickson, Ralf Specht became a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover. Under his…