2023 has been the year of AI, so for this episode of The Thinking Leader, we look back on Bryce’s conversation with Chris Butler, Lead Product Manager at Google, in a thought-provoking discussion about all things AI.   The discussion centers on intricate aspects such as strategy, team dynamics, and infrastructure, while placing importance on eliminating unnecessary processes and focusing on simplicity. Chris speaks on the significance of working assumptions in business, and sheds light on...

In this rebroadcast of the 50th episode celebration, Producer James interviews Bryce about some of the most memorable conversations and valuable lessons from the podcast's first 50 episodes.   Bryce talks about his background as a journalist and how the experience provided him with valuable insights into the inner workings of businesses and industries. He also discusses the decision to leave journalism and how podcasting has allowed him to continue his curiosity and learning through...

With COP28 coming to a close this week, we throw back to Episode 33 of The Thinking Leader where Bryce spoke with Michael Kleeman about what the human race has built is sub-optimal. This conversation feels more important than ever given the potential of the decisions being made about the fate of the planet in Dubai this week.   Bryce and Michael discuss dealing with problems in complex systems. The main problem facing the human race is the fact we have built sub-optimal systems and...

This week we throw back to Episode 3 of The Thinking Leader to Bryce’s conversation with Barry O’Reilly.   In this episode, Bryce talks to Barry O’Reilly about the need for leaders to “unlearn” things that are no longer valid or no longer serve them and explains how major corporations have used his unlearning process to achieve greater success.   Barry is a business advisor, entrepreneur, and author of the book Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results. He is also...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Marcus Dimbleby talks with Nana Abban about why Agile transformations are often failing in organizations. They discuss how applying Agile practices without first addressing organizational culture and critical thinking is putting the cart before the horse. Nana explains his approach of focusing on transparency, alignment, engagement and other factors to improve flow before implementing specific methodologies. He also emphasizes developing an "Ubuntu"...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with Dr. Dan Dworkis, Chief Medical Officer at Mission Critical Team Institute, about swarm teams in mission critical environments like hospitals.    They discuss how teams are formed in emergency situations, bringing together whoever is available to respond to critical issues immediately. However, Dr. Dworkis notes that while swarm teams are effective at responding to crises, hospitals often fail to debrief...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman talks with Pete Dulcamara about unleashing human potential through humanity-centric innovation.   They discuss how focusing on the biggest needs of humanity, 21st century business models, and exponential technologies can solve major problems in an economically sustainable way. Pete talks about creating businesses with purpose to help a billion people and improve lives. Bryce and Pete also discuss the importance of changing perspectives...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman talks with Rich Horwath, a New York Times bestselling author on strategic thinking, and strategy workshop facilitator and coach helping executive teams develop their strategic capabilities.   They discuss developing strategic thinking skills and moving strategic planning from an annual event to an everyday practice. Rich shares how practicing key skills like situational awareness, asking good questions, and domain jumping can help people...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Marcus Dimbleby talks with Susan Abishara about enabling effective organizational agility and transformation.   They discuss how adopting agile practices without understanding the true problems the organization aims to solve often leads to failure. Susan explains how assessing organizational "fitness" and targeting specific areas for improvement, such as developing a clear vision or measuring the right outcomes, can help organizations apply agile...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk about affinity bias and how surrounding yourself with similar people can lead to groupthink and lack of diverse perspectives.   They discuss how affinity bias, or the tendency to hire and surround oneself with like-minded people, can fuel groupthink and prevent organizations from benefiting from a diversity of thoughts and backgrounds. Bryce and Marcus provide examples of how bringing in outsiders and people with...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with Gavin McMahon of fassforward Consulting about the interrelation between leadership, storytelling and effective communication.   Gavin provides historical military examples of the importance of message discipline and explores how understanding different learning styles can help leaders engage employees. Alan Mulally's turnaround of Ford through values-based storytelling is also examined. You’ll learn...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk about the cognitive bias known as the bandwagon effect.   They discuss how individuals and organizations tend to jump on trends or adopt new initiatives simply because others are doing so, without critically examining whether it actually makes sense for their situation. Bryce and Marcus provide examples of how consultants are able to sell the same proposals to multiple clients by just rebranding them, and how...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with John May, Solutions Architect at Atlassian.    They discuss decision making as a practice, the importance of strategic thinking at all levels of an organization, and how to effectively scale agile transformations. John shares his experience with agile transformations over the past two decades and how the focus has evolved from teams to connecting strategy and execution across the enterprise. The group...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with James about the growth of their Red Team Thinking company over the past 14 months.   They discuss how they have trained almost 500 red team coaches and are now training over 100 of them to become certified Red Team Trainers. Bryce and Marcus also cover their plans to launch a level 4 program to train Red Team leaders, expand their staff, and hold their first Red Team Thinking retreat in December.   In this...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with the show’s producer Sam about teaching critical thinking skills to future generations.   Sam opens up the discussion about a recent episode of the show highlighting the growing demand for critical thinking in the workplace, and how skills like Red Team Thinking could be incorporated into education to prepare young people for an increasingly complex world. Bryce & Marcus debate how to engage parents in...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk about leadership lessons that can be learned from observing how the Ukrainian military has adapted to using new weapons systems donated from other countries.   They discuss how impressed US military officers have been with how quickly Ukrainians have been able to become operationally capable with equipment they have never seen or used before, such as British Challenger tanks. Bryce and Marcus also debate how...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, we highlight some of the most insightful moments and stories from Bryce and Marcus.   One doesn’t become a Red Team Thinker overnight, and nobody better demonstrates that than our two hosts. This episode features times they got it right, things that have gone wrong, and most importantly moments they stopped to think. We’ve picked out our favorite stories, techniques and tools the guys have discussed in their reflections on their Red Team...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk about the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023.    They analyze the top in-demand skills for today and skills that are rising in importance for 2027. Analytical and critical thinking remain the most important skills showing that focus must remain on developing your cognitive abilities. Leadership is evolving from a skill to an outcome of cultivating resilience, flexibility and other competencies to...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with Dr. Willy Donaldson, author of 'Simple Complexity' and Professor of Management at Christopher Newport University.   They discuss the importance of systems thinking for navigating today's complex business world. Dr. Donaldson shares insights on how viewing problems through a systems lens can provide leaders with a deeper understanding.   Key Takeaways: What is systems thinking and why does it matter for...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus  Dimbleby discuss the Red Team Coaching course and the impact it has had on their participants.   They explore the differences between traditional coaching courses and the Red Team Coaching course, and relay reviews from leaders who have taken both. They go over some of the revelations their course has enabled, and explain a few of the techniques they use to achieve those revelations.   Marcus shares insight into how the Red...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus  Dimbleby engage in a conversation with Moran Cerf, a professor of neuroscience and business at Columbia University. He helps implement decision-science and neuroscience in critical choices.    Moran speaks on his entry into the field of decision-making and his insights into flawed protocols based on outdated assumptions about human decision-making. He highlights the necessity of having a trusted friend in your decision-making...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman and Marcus Dimbleby talk with Rita McGrath, the author of several books, about how to take advantage of inflection points in your business.    McGrath shares fascinating insights on the importance of picking up on weak signals and being candid about the world's realities. Marcus explains the difference between wartime and peacetime leaders, and the significance of bringing people along on the leadership journey. McGrath stresses that...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, Bryce Hoffman engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Chris Butler, Lead Product Manager at Google, shedding light on Google's core machine learning infrastructure.    The discussion centers on intricate aspects such as strategy, team dynamics, and infrastructure, while placing importance on eliminating unnecessary processes and focusing on simplicity. Chris speaks on the significance of working assumptions in business, based on his learnings...

In this episode of The Thinking Leader, we replay some of the most powerful moments from our recent guests.   Bryce and Marcus always have fascinating conversations with their guests, so this episode features a smorgasbord of information, and highlights some of the most valuable pieces of advice they have received for being a great leader.   In this episode: The Power of being Brutally Honest from Richard James Is Ego Needed to be a Good Leader? From Christie Garcia How We Can Adapt to...