Thought Sparks

Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • 4.8 (5)
  • Business
  • Biweekly

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern.

  1. 1d ago

    Julia Dhar on The Behavioral Science of Successful Change  

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C Suite strategist, business founder and best selling author, sits down with Julia Dhar, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Founder of the BCG Behavioral Science Lab. Julia is the co-author of How Change Really Works: Seven Science-Based Principles for Transforming Your Organization alongside Kristy R. Ellmer and Philip Jameson.    00:00 Why organizational change so often fails 00:23 Introducing Julia Dhar and How Change Really Works 01:27 Julia’s journey into behavioral science and change 05:58 The progress principle: Helping people stick with change 09:25 The politics of change and “sleeping dogs” 10:07 Using stories and symbols to inspire action 11:59 Chobani’s origin story: Small actions, powerful signals 15:07 The change gap between executives and employees 19:46 Make room for innovation by removing unnecessary work 23:32 Why effective leaders stay close to the work 26:43 Best Buy: Learning from the front lines 28:25 “Roger Ready”: Making high standards concrete 30:33 Brunello Cucinelli: Connecting people to the work 32:13 The false alignment trap—and how to get real agreement 37:14 Discovery-driven planning and consistent processes 39:21 Building the capacity for successful change    Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    Julia Dhar on The Behavioral Science of Successful Change  

  2. Nov 3

    Why Employee Ownership Works with Corey Rosen

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C Suite strategist, business founder and best selling author, sits down with Corey Rosen, the founder of the National Center for Employee Ownership, a nonprofit that conducts research on the effects of employee ownership, employee ownership law and practice, and open-book management and employee involvement.  0:00 Intro 0:19 Welcome & Introducing Corey Rosen 1:11 Origins of Employee Ownership in the 1970s 2:01 Louis Kelso & The Capitalist Manifesto 3:39 The ESOP Concept: Borrowing to Buy Ownership 7:20 How ESOPs Work in Practice 9:20 ESOPs for Business Transitions & Stock Options 10:58 Research on ESOP Performance 16:01 Causation vs. Correlation: Do ESOPs Drive Performance? 18:11 Why ESOPs Perform Better: Retention & Involvement 22:26 Jack Stack & Open Book Management at SRC 23:31 Private Equity & Employee Ownership (Pete Stavros/KKR) 27:49 Profits Without Prosperity: The Policy Problem 30:31 Carlota Perez: Economic Cycles & Turning Points 33:08 The Social Crisis & Rethinking Ownership 38:44 Policy Gaps: Awareness, Financing & Legislation 45:47 Mark Cuban's Equity Proposal 48:11 Broadening Ownership to Preserve Democracy 51:10 Advice for Young People & Career Guidance 53:36 Closing Remarks        Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    Why Employee Ownership Works with Corey Rosen

  3. Oct 27

    The Gift of Struggle: Bobby Herrera on Turning Hardship Into Leadership 

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C Suite strategist, business founder and best selling author, welcomes Bobby Herrera, co-founder and president of the Populus Group and author of The Gift of Struggle.      0:00:  Welcome to Thought Sparks  0:18: The Bus Story  3:21: Family Background & The Bracero Program  6:33: Growing Up & Military Service  8:44: Keeping Your Word: The Wedding Story  13:11: The Demotion: Owning Your Part  19:04: Building Populus Group  25:39: Culture: Climbers & Common Language  30:11: Selecting, Welcoming, and Developing Talent  34:55: The Kind Truth & Hard Conversations  38:39: The Era of Slow: Less But Better  43:10: Staying True to Your Values  48:55:  Closing & Reflections      Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    The Gift of Struggle: Bobby Herrera on Turning Hardship Into Leadership 

  4. Oct 20

    The Improbable Professor: Don Hambrick on Setbacks, Strategy, and Second Chances 

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C Suite strategist, business founder and best selling author, welcomes Don Hambrick, Evan Pugh Professor and the Smeal Chaired Professor of Management at Pennsylvania State University and author of The Improbable Professor.     0:00  Introduction & Welcome  0:29  Welcoming Don Hambrick  2:00  Does the Academy of Management Really Matter?  4:30  Don's Landmark Research: CEO Hubris, Tenure & Strategy  10:08  Learning the Craft of Teaching at Columbia  11:29  Writing The Improbable Professor  15:43  Don's Early Life & Parents  19:56  Family Relationships & Discovering His Daughter  24:48  The Path to Becoming a Professor  28:10  The Evolution of Strategy as a Field  35:30  Porter's Five Forces & Industry Analysis  39:09  The Value of a PhD  44:20  The Future of Business Schools  52:06  Reflections on the Book & Resilience  54:00  Closing & The Concorde Story    Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    The Improbable Professor: Don Hambrick on Setbacks, Strategy, and Second Chances 

  5. Oct 13

    Why Data Alone Won't Change Your Organization with Sebastian Wernicke

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C Suite strategist, business founder and best selling author, sits down with Sebastian Wernicke, author of “Data Inspired: Building an Organizational Culture of Inquiry for Lasting Transformation” and expert in data science, machine learning and AI.    0:00 Introduction & Welcome 1:08 Sebastian's Journey into Data 2:54 The Frustration That Inspired the Book 5:09 Data: Keeping Organizations the Same? 6:26 The Slow Elevator Story 8:38 Purpose First, Data Second 9:25 Understanding the Real Problem 12:12 Building a Culture of Inquiry 15:33 Data Driven or Data Frustrated 18:23 Data as Compression of Reality 19:54 Three Myths About Data 26:09 Complex Decisions: Bezos on Anecdotes vs. Data 28:41 Three Kinds of Indicators 30:34 Experimentation & Leading Indicators 31:49 Economics Consulting in Practice 37:24 Strategy as Problem-Solving 39:42 AI Strategy & Token Maxing 42:29 Measuring What Can't Be Measured 46:18 The Data Inspired Manifesto 48:54 Book Reception Across Fields 52:27 Bad Metrics & Short-Termism 55:18 Creating Space for Thinking 57:15 Closing Thoughts      Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    Why Data Alone Won't Change Your Organization with Sebastian Wernicke

  6. Oct 6

    Speak Memorably: Bill McGowan on the Art of Captivating Any Audience

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C Suite strategist, business founder and best selling author, sits down with Bill McGowan, founder and CEO of Clarity Media Group and a  two-time Emmy Award-winning correspondent. Bill’s second book is Speak, Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience,written alongside co-author Juliana Silva.   0:00 Cold Open: The Playing Not to Lose Mentality  0:23 Welcome & Introducing Bill McGowan  1:20 From TV News to Communication Coaching  5:32 The Magnificent Seven: Verbal Devices  10:00 Creative Labels: Toothbrush Test, Goldilocks & Pottery Barn  12:14 The Conformity Zone: Why Executives Sound the Same  15:37 Hooking Your Audience & The Cost of Poor Communication  20:34 Coaching Skeptical Executives  24:16 Structuring a Great Speech (No Jokes)  25:27 Lessons from Stand Up Comedians  29:38 Novartis Super Bowl Ad & The Power of Levity  35:55 Making Complex Problems Simple: The Ozone Layer  37:58 Contextualizing Data for Real People  40:38 Leaders, Symbolism & Plain Talk  45:44 Conveying Bad News (BP & Goldman Sachs)  48:32 Knowing Your Audience & Speech Prep Tips  52:26 “Being Authentic” Needs Discernment  54:41 Where to Find Bill & Closing      Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    Speak Memorably: Bill McGowan on the Art of Captivating Any Audience

  7. Sep 29

    Mastering the Craft of Leadership with Rick Goings

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Rick Goings, founder of The Rick Goings Institute for Management and Executive Leadership at Rollins College. Formerly, Rick held several senior executive roles at Avon Products and served as Chairman & CEO of Tupperware Brands.     0:00  Introduction  0:25  Meet Rick Goings  1:21  The Rollins College Institute  2:58  Rick's Journey: Navy to Entrepreneur  6:31  First Company & Fortunate Pet  7:56  Avon and Tupperware  8:30  Women: Hiding in Plain Sight  9:46  Transforming Tupperware  12:29  Empowering Women in Patriarchal Societies  13:56  Warrior Training in Indonesia  17:31  Leadership as a Craft  19:59  The Institute & Rod Adkins  27:34  Google's Project Oxygen  29:33  The Bruce Springsteen Story  34:26  Peer Learning at the Institute  35:40  Three Focus Areas: Foresight, Vitality, Civic Leadership  37:41  Shareholder vs Stakeholder Value  41:59  The Vatican & Stakeholder Value  43:37  The Great Transition in Capitalism  45:27  "Add Value" – A Daily Mindset  50:35  The Future of Business Schools  52:45  The Halo Effect & AI Simulations  58:10  Forging Leaders  1:02:10  Conclusion      Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    Mastering the Craft of Leadership with Rick Goings

  8. Sep 22

    Plastic, Pollution & Power: Beth Gardiner on Who's Really to Blame

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Beth Gardiner, journalist with bylines in National Geographic, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, and Scientific American; and author of the new book Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet.   0:00  Intro & Welcome  1:06  How the Book Idea Came About  6:50  The Fossil Fuel Industry's Pivot to Plastic  10:06  The History & Growth of Plastic Production  12:30  Recycling as a PR Tool  17:55  Keep America Beautiful & the Crying Indian  21:38  How Plastic Crept Into Our Lives  25:07  The Economics of Cheap Plastic  29:19  Diane Wilson vs. Formosa Plastics  35:48  The Recycling Symbol & Its Misuse  38:55  Lawsuits & Corporate Accountability  44:16  Fast Fashion & Plastic in Clothing  46:13  Cancer Alley & Fence-Line Communities  50:36  The Ozone Layer Parallel & Policy Solutions  54:10  Extended Producer Responsibility  57:21  Closing & Wrap Up        Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books, and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

See All (167)

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern.

Information

  • Creator
    Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • Show Website
    Thought Sparks

You Might Also Like