Partnering Leadership Mahan Tavakoli

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lee Benson, Founder of Execute to Win (ETW) and author of Your Most Important Number: Increase Collaboration, Achieve Your Strategy, and Execute to Win. In the conversation, Lee Benson shares his origin story, from his early days as a musician to his rise as a successful CEO, and the inspiration that led him to start ETW. Lee then breaks down the concept of value creation, showing its three forms and how focusing on it can significantly improve an organization's culture and results. Next, using clear examples, Lee Benson explains how companies can set up operating systems that bring teams together and keep everyone focused on creating value. Wrapping up the episode, Lee Benson shares practical advice on overcoming obstacles and setting up effective value-creation systems in all types of organizations. 



Some Highlights:
- From Rock and Roll to Aerospace: Lee Benson's Unconventional Journey
- Shaping Value Creation: How Lee Benson's Upbringing Impacted His Perspective
- Turning the Tide: Leading an Underperforming Organization to Success
- Aligned Decision-Making: Its Crucial Role in Organizations and How to Master It
- The Need for Transparency: Lee Benson's Insights on Openness in Business
- Unveiling the MIND Methodology: How to Leverage a Team's Most Important Number
- Driving Success: How Leaders Can Encourage the Right Behaviors in Their Teams
- Alignment and Value Creation: Understanding their Powerful Interplay
- Performance Improvement Strategies: Practical Tips to Enhance Organizational Performance
- The Twin Pillars of Leadership: The Vital Importance of Clarity and Accountability



Connect with Lee Benson: 


Mind Methodology Website 
Execute to Win Website 
Lee Benson on LinkedIn 
Your Most Important Number: Increase Collaboration, Achieve your Strategy, and Execute to Win on Amazon 



Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
Mahan Tavakoli Website
Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn


Partnering Leadership Website

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 of Artificial Intelligence and Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence. In the conversation, Professor Agrawal shared the origin of his passion for studying the intersection of technology and economics and the increasing importance of artificial intelligence for organizations as a decision-making tool that brings down the cost of prediction. Ajay Agrawal then explained why this shift would significantly impact individuals, organizations, and industries as machines enable better predictions while humans focus on the judgment required for decision-making. Finally, Ajay Agrawal shared examples of the transformative impact of the reduction in the cost of prediction and how leaders can help guide their organizations through the significant changes ahead.



Some highlights:
- Three people that helped shape Ajay Agrawal's career path
- Why looking at AI from an economic perspective clarifies its potential to transform organizations and industries
- Ajay Agrawal on the role of predictions in artificial intelligence 
- The importance of human judgment in decision making
- How AI decision-making will redefine roles in the workplace
- The disruptive economics of artificial intelligence 
- How generative AI such as ChatGPT works and what causes mistakes and misstatements
- Ajay Agrawal on the importance of upskilling professionals 
- How organizations can redesign their structures and processes to take into account the new predictive world
- The impact of AI on systems-level change
- How organizations can leverage AI for business success
- Why we're on the brink of a set of transformations that none of us have seen in our lifetimes
- How AI can help create a better future



Connect with Professor Ajay Agrawal:
Ajay Agrawal website 
Ajay Agrawal at Rotman School of Management 
Ajay Agrawal on LinkedIn 
Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence on Amazon 
Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence on Amazon 



Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
Mahan Tavakoli Website
Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn


Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Lily Zheng, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategist and Consultant. Lily Zheng is also the author of DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right. In the conversation, Lily Zheng talked about their upbringing, education, and how it influenced their perspective on race and inequality. Next, Lily Zheng shared why they advocate for a systemic approach to tackling DEI, including outcome-oriented measurements and accountability. Lily Zheng also talked about meritocracy and why complex problems require complex solutions. Finally, Lily Zheng shared examples of how leaders can think about and act on DEI with an outcome orientation benefiting the organization and its team members. 


 
Some Highlights:
- The origin of Lily Zheng's sense of responsibility and gratitude
- Why do so many diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives fail
- How to increase the likelihood of success of DEI initiatives 
- Lily Zheng on why trying to change hearts and minds is not effective
- The importance of creating inclusive environments and how to do it well
- Why making the business case for diversity can be counterproductive
- How to measure DEI efforts with accountability 
- What most leaders get wrong about meritocracy in the workplace 


Also Mentioned:
Partnering Leadership Conversation with Jack Philips on Show the Value of What You Do: Measuring and Achieving Success in Any Endeavor





Connect with Lily Zheng
Lily Zheng's Website 
Lily Zheng on LinkedIn 
DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right on Amazon 



Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
Mahan Tavakoli Website
Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn


Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Paul Roetzer, Founder & CEO of the Marketing AI Institute and Co-Author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing, and the Future of Business. After sharing his origin story, Paul shares why he became fascinated with AI in 2011 as a marketing agency owner. Next, Paul Roetzer explains how his curiosity led him to look deeper into AI, investigate it further, and speak to marketers about its potential, eventually leading him to found the Marketing AI Institute. Then Paul Roetzer shares his perspectives on where AI can be most helpful in content creation and how he believes that will impact organizations. Additionally, he shares thoughts on the potential concerns and opportunities that business and political leaders need to address as AI use proliferates. Finally, Paul Roetzer shares ideas on how organizations can experiment with AI to stay ahead of the curve and fully take advantage of opportunities.


  
Some Highlights:
- AI's impact on content creation and marketing and AI's role as an indispensable writing assistant 
- The impact of AI-driven advancements on the workforce and various aspects of the job market
- Why professionals must come to terms with the reality of potential job losses in specific sectors
- Opportunity for new career paths that will eventually emerge as AI becomes more prevalent in various industries
- The significance of responsible AI and maintaining focus on its impact within organizations
- Implications of Bloomberg's groundbreaking generative AI tool and what it means for other organizations
- Why organizations need to focus on responsible application of AI across all business functions
- The importance of experimenting with AI tools and the concerns around copyright limitations
- How marketing firms can differentiate their services in a world of AI-generated content
- Why organizations need to pilot quick-win AI projects 
- Paul Roetzer on how to think about an AI roadmap for your organization
- How professionals and leaders can stay ahead of AI developments 
- The importance of political and business leaders addressing the impact



Connect with Paul Roetzer:
Marketing AI Institute Website 
The Marketing AI Show Podcast 
Paul Roetzer on LinkedIn 
Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing, and the Future of Business on Amazon 



Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
Mahan Tavakoli Website
Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn


Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with John Kotter, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, co-founder of a management consulting firm Kotter International and a pioneer in organizational change. John Kotter is the author of 22 books on change, including his most recent book, Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile times. John Kotter talks about the struggles leaders and teams face when it comes to change and how to transform organizations to adapt to change effectively and rapidly.
 
Some highlights:
-John Kotter on the role of human nature on our resistance to change
-The essential components for initiating change in the organization
-Understanding the Survive and Thrive mode and how it impacts our ability to change
-The power of Guiding Coalition to help bring expertise, energy, and perspective across the organization
-The difference between management and leadership



Also mentioned in this episode:
Kelly King, Chairman, and CEO of Truist Financial



Book by John Kotter:
Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile Times
 
Connect with John Kotter:
John Kotter - Kotter International Inc
John Kotter on LinkedIn
John Kotter on Facebook
John Kotter on Twitter
 
Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
Mahan Tavakoli Website
Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn


Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli first shares some of his perspectives on the transformation organizations and leaders will face due to advancements in artificial intelligence. Then Mahan welcomes Tom Taulli, AI author, investor, and advisor, to discuss the letter asking for a pause on the development of generative AI, the potential disruptive impact of generative AI, and the potential of AI agents built on top of Open AI's Chat GPT. They also discussed the need for serious conversations around AI ethics and the need for responsible AI. Next, Tom Taulli talked about the potential of generative AI, such as Chat GPT, for automation, customer service, and cybersecurity. He mentioned the concept of hallucination, where the AI can give false answers that seem convincing, and the importance of setting up prompts to get better responses. He also mentioned using generative AI for coding, image creation, and summarizing information. Mahan and Tom further discussed the implications of AI chat agents and voice cloning technology, including the potential for AI to deceive people and the need for regulation to protect privacy. Finally, Tom Taulli addressed some potential uses of AI in the workplace and what professionals need to do to stay ahead of the many changes resulting from AI applications in the workplace. 



Some Highlights:
- Generative AI and its Potential Disruptions
- Implications of the letter asking for a six months pause on the development of advanced generative AI
- AI agents such as AutoGPT, BabyAGI, and their potential uses 
- Applications of generative AI in marketing, customer service, image creation, and cybersecurity
- Rise of chat agents and potential social consequences 
- Implications of voice and video cloning technologies
- The necessity for human input in AI systems
- How and why professionals can develop new competencies as a result of advancements in artificial intelligence 



Connect with Tom Taulli:
Tom Taulli Website 
Tom Taulli on LinkedIn 



Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
Mahan Tavakoli Website
Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn


Partnering Leadership Website