For many people, the word “networking” sends chills down their spines. Luckily, David Burkus’ Friend of a Friend is not a networking advice book—instead, it examines the complexity of the networks that already exist in the world, the social science that underpins them, and how to better understand them. We were delighted to host Burkus on the podcast for a lively discussion about how networks work—how they skew our perception of the world, how we can seek out alternative perspectives, and how...

For many years, we have discussed brand and culture as two separate things. Brand represents the reputation and perception of an organization, while culture refers to the way that people experience working at an organization. However, in our increasingly digital, and therefore transparent world, the alignment between brand and culture is becoming a competitive advantage. We were delighted to host Denise Lee Yohn, author of Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest...

Change is perhaps the only constant we can count on. Whether you call it “disruption” or prefer, as author Carolyn Swora does, to use the more positive word, “evolution,” it’s no secret that we live in a world that demands adaptability. And yet, most organizations are structured based on outdated hierarchies, rigid decision making processes, and an industrial-era emphasis on process and productivity. We were delighted to host Carolyn Swora on the podcast for an in-depth discussion of her book...

Full disclosure: here at Actionable, we are huge fans of Roger Martin’s work. Not only has he been named the #1 management thinker by Thinkers50, but his work has helped to frame many of our internal project and strategy discussions. We are delighted to host Roger for a conversation about his latest book, Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking. Roger shared his thoughts on the origins and evolution of his work, the power of narrative for making complex ideas more...

Phil Jones noticed that in large groups of people, particularly in commercial scenarios, with all things being equal (skill, capabilities, resources), some people are just way more successful. He realized that the key differentiator was that top performers knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and how to make it count. These “magic words” of influence are the basis of his new book, Exactly What to Say—where he unpacks some of the verbal cues that we can all directly apply to our...

In her previous books, Nilofer Merchant has taught us how to "create business solutions through collaborative strategy" (The New How) and has shared the 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era. Now she's back with a new tome, The Power of Onlyness, and such luminaries as Susan Cain, Amy Cuddy, and Dan Pink are already singing its praises. Its premise is this: the Internet has been the great leveler, demolishing hierarchies and giving all of us, regardless of our status, a platform to...

We're delighted to welcome Mike Figliuolo, author and founder and managing director of thoughtLEADERS, on The 21st Century Workplace Podcast. With his first book, One Piece of Paper, Figliuolo helped us craft a simple and robust leadership philosophy. With his sophomore effort, Lead Inside the Box, co-authored by Victor Prince, Figliulo shifts his focus to "how smart leaders guide their teams to exceptional results". During our chat we dive into many areas, including: What it was like...

In her new book, Hunch, Bernadette Jiwa explores the creative dearth that our distracted society is creating. She examines “innovation icons” like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk for the common trends they share. But then, and this is the exciting bit, Bernadette shows example after example of “ordinary geniuses”—people like you and me —who are creating their own breakthrough innovation, leveraging a simple set of practical tools that we can all benefit from. In this episode of The 21st Century...

with Robert Cialdini

Jonathan Raymond

with Dave Gray

with Jenny Blake

with Neil Pasricha

with Patrick Lencioni

with Dan Pontefract

with Michael Bungay Stanier

with David Burkus

with Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant.

with Dr. Robert Holmes

with Ted Wright

with Patrick Thean

with Chuck Blakeman

with Bo Burlingham