HBR IdeaCast
by Harvard Business Review
Latest episode
What Customers Really Value—and Why Leaders Keep Getting It Wrong
What Customers Really Value—and Why Leaders Keep Getting It Wrong
About this podcast
A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 249 episodes
- What Customers Really Value—and Why Leaders Keep Getting It Wrong · 28 min · Episode 1104Good leaders believe they understand customer priorities. They invest heavily in data, direct conversations, and really knowing their industry. But according to Vikas Mittal, a…
- The Topics We Avoid at Work—and How to Start Talking About Them · 31 min · Episode 1103Money, politics, family responsibilities, age, ambition, and fear: Some of the topics that matter most to employees are the ones they feel least comfortable discussing at work…
- Staying Principled in a Time of Uncertainty · 32 min · Episode 1102How do you lead through a crisis, build an innovative company, and prepare an organization for long-term success? For Kenneth Chenault, former CEO of American Express and current…
- When You Feel Envy, Turn It Into Something Productive · 29 min · Episode 1101Envy can damage workplace relationships, fuel unhealthy competition, and leave employees feeling stuck. But it can also reveal what people want from their careers—and offer…
- Why Great Teams Don’t Need to Like Each Other · 32 min · Episode 1100What makes a great team? It might have less to do with whether colleagues like one another and more to do with whether they’re aligned on a shared purpose. Organizational…
- How AI Is Changing Strategy: Rethinking What Your Business Is Designed to Do · 33 min · Episode 1099AI is advancing so quickly that companies can’t afford to treat it as simply another productivity tool; it is fundamentally reshaping strategy. In this final episode of our…
- Optimism Is Now an Essential Leadership Skill · 29 min · Episode 1099Optimism isn’t about ignoring problems or pretending everything will work out. It’s about acknowledging challenges while believing that your actions can still make a difference…
- How AI Is Changing Innovation: Why Speed Alone Isn’t a Strategy · 28 min · Episode 1098AI is making it faster and cheaper than ever to turn ideas into prototypes, products, and businesses—but that abundance creates new challenges for leaders. In episode 3 of a…
- What Retail Legend Ron Johnson Learned from Apple’s Success and JCPenney’s Failure · 33 min · Episode 1098How do you know when to trust your previous experience in a transformation environment, and how do you know when to listen, observe, and adapt? Ron Johnson helped create the…
- How AI Is Changing Communication: Weighing Efficiency with Efficacy · 34 min · Episode 1097AI is rapidly changing how top leaders communicate with employees, customers, boards, and each other. In episode 2 of a special four-part series on how AI is changing leadership…
- What New CEOs Get Wrong About the Job · 30 min · Episode 1097Becoming CEO can look like the culmination of a career. But the skills that help someone rise to the top job aren't necessarily the ones that make them successful once they get…
- How AI Is Changing Talent, Not Just Tasks: Rethinking Where Human Judgment Matters Most · 32 min · Episode 1096The decisions leaders must make about AI today go far beyond what platforms to invest in: AI is changing organizational culture and leadership for good. In episode 1 of a special…
- What It Takes to Make Progress When the Future Feels Out of Control · 25 min · Episode 1096When the future feels increasingly out of our control, how can leaders and organizations make progress? University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the…
- A Leading Restaurateur on What It Takes to Scale a Winning Culture · 32 min · Episode 1095When a company is small, maintaining a strong culture can feel relatively easy. But as organizations grow, layers of management, geographic distance, and pressure for efficiency…
- Are Great Leaders Truly Great—or Just Lucky? · 25 min · Episode 1094How much does a leader actually matter to an organization’s success? We tend to credit CEOs, founders, and other powerful figures with shaping the institutions they lead, but…
- How People Without Formal Power Gain Influence · 21 min · Episode 1093In today’s increasingly decentralized workplaces, leaders often need to get things done without having direct authority over the people they depend on. So how can you influence…
- Living and Working in the Age of Longevity · 29 min · Episode 1092People are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. But many of our assumptions about executive careers—from climbing the corporate ladder to retiring at 65—haven't…
- The Innovation Strategy Most Companies Miss · 31 min · Episode 1091Companies often build products for wealthy markets first and then try to adapt them for the rest of the world. But according to Dartmouth Tuck professor Vijay Govindarajan and…
- Why Great Turnarounds Start with Culture, Not Strategy · 33 min · Episode 1090In an era of constant disruption, successful turnarounds require more than a new strategy—they demand a new culture. Dan Schulman, former CEO of PayPal, came out of retirement to…
- Introducing The Founder Mindset: Tim Ferriss on Experiments, Risk, and Freedom · 33 min · Episode 1089What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur in today's uncertain world? How do you balance risk, decision-making, and curiosity? We’re sharing an episode from The Founder…
- What Makes Chinese Companies So Competitive? · 26 min · Episode 1089To compete in business anywhere today, leaders at all levels need to learn about the culture and mindset that sets Chinese businesses apart. Stanford research fellow Dan Wang…
- Leadership Summit 2026: Inspiring Grit and Growth Amid Unprecedented Change · 29 min · Episode 1088Most leaders are asking the same question about AI: Will it make their teams more productive—or slowly erode the very skills they're trying to build? In this special episode, as…
- Why Great Leaders Need More Than Good Judgment · 29 min · Episode 1088What if the key to success in today's business world wasn't about making difficult decisions quickly—but about broadening the scope through which you make decisions? Leaders…
- Leadership Summit 2026: AT&T CEO John Stankey on Developing Technology and Talent in the AI Era · 31 min · Episode 1087How do you reinvigorate a legacy company without losing what made it great? In this special episode, as part of the recent HBR Leadership Summit 2026, AT&T CEO John Stankey…
- The New Rules for Becoming an Enterprise Leader · 31 min · Episode 1087What does it take to succeed in an enterprise-level leadership role today? Michael Watkins, professor at IMD and author of the book The First 90 Days, says that the leap from…
- Leadership Summit 2026: Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón on Leading with Focus in Turbulent Times · 29 min · Episode 1086How do you take a young, purpose-led company to the next level? In this special episode, as part of the recent HBR Leadership Summit 2026, The Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón…
- How Leaders Can Use AI to Solve Real Business Problems · 27 min · Episode 1086Many organizations are investing heavily in AI, but too few are asking the most important question: What problem are we actually trying to solve? Journalist and author Josh…
- Leadership Summit 2026: Mattel’s CEO on Driving Consumer Engagement and Cultural Impact · 28 min · Episode 1085How do you reinvent an 80-year-old company without losing what made it successful in the first place? In this special episode, as part of the recent HBR Leadership Summit 2026…
- How Top World Cup, NBA, and NFL Coaches Make Better Decisions Under Pressure · 31 min · Episode 1085When the stakes are high and the clock is ticking, how do great leaders make the right call? Sports performance consultant Alan McCall and sports scientist Johann Bilsborough say…
- Creating Products with Curiosity, Humility, and Play · 28 min · Episode 1084Most leaders know they need to innovate, but many take a strong instinct and hold too tightly to an idea, rather than testing, experimenting, and playing to find the best…
- The Right Way to Manage Rule Breakers · 21 min · Episode 1083Most leaders assume that when employees break rules, punishment is the answer. But according to researcher Michael Gill, associate professor at the University of Oxford Saïd…
- We All Hate Meetings—Here’s How to Make Them Work · 26 min · Episode 1082Meetings are one of the biggest drains on time, energy, and morale at work, yet most managers are never actually taught how to run them well. Paul English, cofounder of Kayak…
- Reinventing an Organization to Do More with Less · 28 min · Episode 1081What does it take to manage a complex global institution when change is constant and resources are scarce? For Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at the UN Refugee…
- What Leads Companies to Betray Their Own Principles · 29 min · Episode 1080Why do so many organizations lose their way as they grow? Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author, says that corruption inside companies rarely begins with bad people or dramatic…
- How to Break Free of Negative Thought Spirals · 30 min · Episode 1079Why do we replay cryptic emails, small workplace slights, and past business decisions over and over in our heads? Science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa has looked deep into…
- The Leadership Skills That Make Transformation Stick · 31 min · Episode 1078Why do so many organizational change efforts stall or flat out fail? Julia Dhar, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group, says the problem often isn’t strategy…
- New Skills to Navigate Continuous Change · 31 min · Episode 1077What if the biggest barrier to change isn’t resistance—but the way we’ve been taught to lead? Nilofer Merchant, an author and leadership expert, says a number of habits are…
- Why Your Team Won’t Speak Up (And How to Fix It) · 32 min · Episode 1076Many senior leaders say they want an organization filled with psychological safety and candor, but they often act in ways that are counterproductive to that goal. Charles Duhigg…
- What Sets Superteams Apart from the Rest · 25 min · Episode 1075A small percentage of teams perform exceptionally well and have fun while doing it. And the secret to their success isn't innate talent. It's the way they work together. Ron…
- To Gain Customer—and Employee—Loyalty, Go Beyond Good Enough · 30 min · Episode 1074Companies that spend their energy on incremental improvements to products, services, and even employee experience might just be spinning their wheels. Author Marcus Buckingham…
- The Case for Designing Work Around Circadian Rhythms · 26 min · Episode 1073Are you a morning type, a night owl, or somewhere in between? And what about the people on your team? When do they feel most energized and productive? Stefan Volk, professor of…
- Strategy Summit 2026: Who’s Going to Succeed with AI? · 30 min · Episode 1072Artificial intelligence is advancing quickly, but its real impact on productivity, jobs, and competitive advantage is still uncertain. In this four-part special series, we'll…
- Building a Sustainability Strategy Around Customers · 32 min · Episode 1072For sustainability to be a core part of your business model, you might need to rethink how and why you incorporate sustainable policies and products. That's according to IMD…
- Strategy Summit 2026: Inventive Strategy and the ‘Unbossed’ Organization · 25 min · Episode 1075As AI takes hold of the business world, is long-term competitive advantage a thing of the past? In this four-part special series, we'll share conversations from the recent HBR…
- Learn to Disagree More Effectively · 31 min · Episode 1071Disagreement is essential to better decisions—but most of us either avoid it or handle it poorly. Julia Minson is a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of…
- The Shifting Relationship Between Business and the U.S. Government · 22 min · Episode 1070As the Trump administration continues to reshape the U.S. and global business landscape, many have been left wondering why CEOs and other business leaders aren't vocalizing their…
- Strategy Summit 2026: Why AI Transformation Needs a Human Touch · 31 min · Episode 1069AI needs to be central to any organization's strategy today, but many are still not implementing the technology in the most effective ways. In this four-part special series…
- The Hidden Causes of AI Workslop—and How to Fix Them · 29 min · Episode 1069As organizations and their employees ramp up their generative AI experimentation, leaders are facing a new problem: the rise of AI-generated "workslop," which seems okay on the…
- The New Leadership Structures that Unblock Innovation · 31 min · Episode 1068The ability of an organization to innovate over and over again, for the long term, depends on leadership structure, culture, and systems. That's according to Harvard Business…
- Assuming the Best About Others is Hard—But Necessary · 29 min · Episode 1067Are you guilty of bracing for the worst when it comes to your clients, colleagues, and bosses? Amer Kaissi, professor at Trinity University, explains why bringing that negative…
