Thought Sparks

Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • 4.8 (5)
  • Business
  • Updated 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. 22h ago

    Developing a Marketing Mindset with Rita McGrath and Rory Sutherland

    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 Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of the Ogilvy & Mather group of companies and expert in behavioral science and creativity.   Their conversation took place in person at the Ogilvy offices in London.     0:00 The Marketing Mindset  0:29 Welcome & Introducing Rory Sutherland  1:10 Rory's Path into Advertising  2:11 Direct Marketing & A/B Testing Origins  3:01 Edwardian Era Newspaper Experiments  4:18 Testing Creative vs. Price  7:23 Discovering Behavioral Science  10:08 Marketing as a Way of Thinking  11:05 Uber & the Psychology of Innovation  12:23 Marketing & Innovation: Two Sides of a Coin  13:45 The Austrian School of Economics  14:46 The Swiss Watch Industry  17:21 Public vs. Private Advertising  18:50 What Are You Really Competing With? (Zippo)  22:16 Quarter-Inch Holes & Hidden Value  24:10 Trade-offs in Innovation  27:27 Austrian Economics & Value Creation  28:47 Baumol's Cost Disease & Non-Transactional Value  31:23 Universities as Luxury Goods  34:32 Ogilvy Adapting to Digital Change  37:48 The Marketing Mindset for All Businesses  40:02 Symbolism Matters: NASCAR Tickets & Corporate Perks  41:47 Risk & Reward in Organizations  42:54 The BT A/B Test: Channels Affect Purchases  47:33 Marketing Genius: James Watt's Horsepower  50:11 Marketing as Value Creation  51:18 The Citibank Demo: Finding the Real Sell  53:50 Kano Theory: Delighters & the DoubleTree Cookie  55:48 Reverse Benchmarking  58:05 The State of Advertising Today  59:27 Book Recommendations & Risk Aversion  1:03:45 Marketing Metrics & Digital Platforms      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.

    Developing a Marketing Mindset with Rita McGrath and Rory Sutherland

  2. Aug 11

    Leading with Humanity with Rita McGrath and Kevin Nolan

    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, hosts Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances, who talks through Haier’s acquisition of GE Appliances, and his advice for leaders facing massive transformations.     0:00 - Intro: Can you choose between growth and profitability? 0:27 - Meet Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances 1:40 - GE's long history of wanting to divest the appliances division 2:47 - The Haier acquisition — and the surprise of who bought them 5:55 - First meetings with Haier: "salad management" and philosophy over business 8:37 - "We don't plan to learn. We plan to win." — The GE mindset 10:14 - Culture shock: Haier kept asking, "What do YOU want to do?" 16:55 - The concept of "leading goals" — goals you don't know how to achieve 19:25 - Kevin becomes CEO: setting the bold goal of #1 in 5 years (from #5) 25:12 - Introducing FirstBuild: GE's open, consumer-driven innovation engine 34:06 - The nugget ice story — and why engineers don't understand customer needs 39:37 - FirstBuild's secret sauce: it must be self-funding (zero-cost innovation) 44:40 - From #5 to #1 in 5 years — with no acquisitions and no new people 48:51 - CEO humility: going to the factory floor unannounced 59:15 - Final advice: rely on the people closest to the work      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.

    Leading with Humanity with Rita McGrath and Kevin Nolan

  3. Aug 4

    Lessons from Three Decades at Columbia Business School

    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 Klepper, Academic Director in Executive Education at Columbia Business School, to celebrate Bill’s retirement and reflect on his expertise in executive learning, strategic leadership and corporate governance. Their conversation took place at Columbia Business School, following a session of Rita McGrath's Executive Education course Leading Strategic Growth and Change.     00:00 Introduction 01:03 Meet Bill Klepper 02:03 The Origin of The CEO's Boss 06:25 Why Board Governance Matters 06:58 The Lifeline Exercise 08:06 Bill's Lifeline: Early Values 12:29 Path to Public Office 15:06 The 9/11 Story 18:31 Learning Styles Framework 24:08 The Integrative Leadership Model 30:39 Legacy and Wisdom 32:38 Strategic Centering 33:15 Audience Q&A 38:18 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.

    Lessons from Three Decades at Columbia Business School

  4. Jul 28

    How Organizations Can Win with AI with Rita McGrath and Charlene Li

    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 Charlene Li, author of author of Groundswell, Open Leadership, and The Disruption Mindset, and a new book, written with Katia Walsh: Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success.    0:00 - Introduction & Meet Charlene Li   1:35 - Charlene's Upbringing in Detroit   4:14 - Introducing Winning with AI   7:34 - Strategy First, Not "What Do We Do About AI"   8:56 - Three Ways AI Creates Value   12:43 - The AI Hesitancy Gap: FOMO vs. FOGI   13:40 - Why a 90-Day Blueprint   18:53 - The Grief and Rage Behind AI Disruption   24:52 - Why AI Pilots Fail   28:43 - Building an AI Investment Portfolio   31:46 - Trust, Honesty, and Fairness in Leadership   39:04 - How AI Gave Charlene Her Voice   41:24 - Speed as the New Competitive Moat   44:22 - Goldilocks Governance   49:01 - Lessons from Burning Man's Mudpocalypse   53:04 - Becoming Superhuman with AI      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.

    How Organizations Can Win with AI with Rita McGrath and Charlene Li

  5. Jul 21

    Achieving Real Business Growth with Rita McGrath and Victor Grizzle

    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 Victor Grizzle, CEO and Executive Chairman of Armstrong Industries, to speak candidly about the massive transformation he led at Armstrong, inspired by McGrath’s work on growth outliers.        0:00 Introduction  0:46 Victor Grizzle's Career Journey to Armstrong  5:31 The Growth Outliers Research  7:23 Separating the Flooring and Ceilings Businesses  10:42 Finding a Burning Platform for Growth  14:37 Divesting the International Business  17:03 Driving a Growth Mindset Shift  25:46 Building an Innovation Engine  30:46 Embracing Intelligent Failure  35:07 Balancing Stability with Entrepreneurial Acquisitions  42:41 Advice for the Next Generation  48:39 Culture, Teamwork, and Consistency  50:42 Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Armstrong      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.

    Achieving Real Business Growth with Rita McGrath and Victor Grizzle

  6. Jul 14

    Understanding the New Longevity with Rita McGrath and Michael Clinton

    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 Michael Clinton, former president and publishing director and current special advisor to the CEO of Hearst Magazines, author of “Longevity Nation”, “ROAR Into The Second Half of Your Life.”, and expert on the business and personal effects of the New Longevity.  0:00 — Intro   0:19 — Meet Michael Clinton & Longevity Nation   1:29 — Michael's backstory in publishing at Hearst   2:43 — How Roar into the Second Half was born   3:49 — Retirement is a false construct   5:40 — Reimagineers: rewriting the second half of our lives  11:20 — Do companies take longevity seriously?   13:20 — Innovative work models (Flex 58, Singapore)   15:12 — Reconciling ageism vs. the 50+ economy   20:07 — Medicine, tech, and AI convergence   24:55 — The 60-year career   32:38 — Self-efficacy and the confidence edge   48:21 — Entrepreneurship in midlife   50:05 — Women leading the longevity movement   57:04 — The five core longevity hacks  1:00:07 – Conclusion and where to learn more        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.

  7. Jul 7

    Longterm Strategic Thinking with Rita McGrath and Roger Dennis

    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 Roger Dennis, advisor on long term thinking and foresight and cultural transformation specialist.     00:00 Introduction   00:22 Welcome Roger Dennis   01:03 How Roger became a futurist   03:05 "Getting above strategy" explained   05:18 Current geopolitical risks & top trends to watch   07:13 Three things leaders need: capabilities, process, routines   09:44 Historical precedents for today's volatility   11:31 Example: tolls on the Strait of Hormuz/Malacca   12:35 Reversion to the mean, or a new normal?   14:19 The "Layer Player" framework   18:28 Second-order consequences & policy paradoxes   23:26 Acting under uncertainty: the Netflix story   26:15 Why you need real experts, not guesswork   28:03 The 2015 pandemic report nobody wanted   29:53 New Zealand's COVID Tracer App success story   33:08 The mindset of realistic optimism   41:58 How the music industry refused to adapt 43:38 Industries still "hanging on" today   45:02 Agentic AI and the ROI problem   46:57 From mass production to personalization   50:11 Where to learn more: The Paradox of Preparedness   55:02 Key takeaway for leaders       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.

    Longterm Strategic Thinking with Rita McGrath and Roger Dennis

  8. Jun 30

    Building Strategy for the Future with Rita McGrath and Jonathan Brill

    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 Jonathan Brill, business futurist and co-author of AI and the Octopus Organization: Building the Superintelligent Firm.       1:56: Explaining the Octopus Metaphor  3:25: AI-Enabled Bottom-Up Innovation  8:01: The Economic Shift: From Physical to Digital  9:05: Where Leaders Should Start with AI  14:27: Three Questions to Ask Your AI Every Month  19:10 Reading Signals Before Disruption Hits  20:37: Netflix, Blockbuster & Kodak: Lessons in Timing  24:08: HP vs. Xerox: Operational Flexibility Wins  25:24: Operational Advantage Is the New Competitive Advantage  30:16: The Danger of Organizational Myths  31:45: Why Leaders Must Be at the Edge  32:12: You Can't Outrun 32x: Rethinking Speed  34:24: The Dual Responsibility of Leaders  36:51: US Navy Case Study: Unleashing Innovation  43:25: The Emotion Chapter: Leading Through Disruption  44:29: The L-U-C-K Framework: 4 Traits of Leaders Who Thrive  48:19: Rethinking the CEO Role: Jensen Huang & NVIDIA  51:32: Psychological Safety & Execution Before Strategy  54:43: The Future of Organizations: Middle Management & Beyond  58:06: Wrap-Up & How to Connect          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.

    Building Strategy for the Future with Rita McGrath and Jonathan Brill
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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
    155
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • Show Website
    Thought Sparks

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