Podcast · 80 episodes
HBR IdeaCast, page 3
by Harvard Business Review · English
A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.
All episodes, page 3
Where McKinsey—and Consulting—Go From HereBob Sternfeld (McKinsey’s global managing partner) discusses how AI is reshaping consulting—client value, McKinsey’s internal workforce (human + AI agents), and talent selection—plus McKinsey’s…6 Jan 2026 · 31 min · 19 chapters
How to Manage—and Motivate—Gen ZHow to manage and motivate Gen Z (born 1997–2012) by avoiding stereotypes and focusing on connection, coaching, and clear expectations.30 Dec 2025 · 32 min · 18 chapters
What Leaders Can Learn from a Formula 1 TurnaroundZach Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, discusses how McLaren’s F1 turnaround was driven by culture, leadership alignment, and data/AI—plus how to balance sport integrity with entertainment and how to…23 Dec 2025 · 26 min · 13 chapters
Why Great Leaders Focus on the DetailsScott Cook argues that effective leaders must balance big-picture strategy with hands-on attention to “how” work gets executed—so strategy doesn’t fail.16 Dec 2025 · 29 min · 10 chapters
Future of Business: Mars CEO on How Business Can Be a Force for GoodMars CEO Paul Weihraue discusses how business can be a force for good, defending corporate social responsibility amid climate and political backlash, and explaining how sustainability is…11 Dec 2025 · 29 min · 18 chapters
Moving Beyond the Slow, Hierarchical OrganizationHow to modernize rigid, hierarchical organizations into “octopus organizations” with distributed intelligence, autonomy, and alignment focused on customer needs; includes anti-patterns and leadership…9 Dec 2025 · 34 min · 18 chapters
Future of Business: Moderna’s Founder on Innovation That Breaks ThroughBreakthrough innovation across industries, using “from the future back to the present” thinking, and applying AI/“polyintelligence” plus Darwinian-style variation-selection-iteration to create new…4 Dec 2025 · 29 min · 12 chapters
Could Your Company Benefit from Fastvertising?The episode explains fastvertising: creating ads within hours or a day to react to an ongoing cultural moment, so the brand “winks” at what people care about now and becomes part of the conversation.2 Dec 2025 · 28 min · 11 chapters
Purpose-Driven Leadership in an Era of PolarizationPurpose-driven leadership amid disruption and polarization; how leaders should act with empathy, fairness, authenticity, and hope; managing discomfort and backlash; implications for democracy and…25 Nov 2025 · 31 min · 15 chapters
Future of Business: Walmart’s CEO on AI, Jobs, and Managing Rapid ChangeWalmart CEO Doug McMillan discusses leading through perpetual transformation—especially AI—while preserving Walmart’s purpose (“save money, live better”), managing tariffs and supply-chain shocks,…20 Nov 2025 · 31 min · 18 chapters
Why Business Leaders Need Political Diplomacy Skills NowCorporate diplomacy for business leaders amid shifting geopolitics—geopolitics has moved from “tailwind” (new markets) to “headwind” (protectionism, national security, uneven market access).18 Nov 2025 · 27 min · 15 chapters
Future of Business: Standard Bank’s CEO on Driving Sustainable Growth and Shared ProsperitySim Shabalala, CEO of Standard Bank, discusses sustainable growth and shared prosperity in Africa, and how the bank uses AI and digital transformation while protecting trust, compliance, and human…13 Nov 2025 · 26 min · 12 chapters
Brené Brown on Being a Steady Leader in Tumultuous TimesWhat steady, values-based leadership looks like amid volatility, distrust, and “scarcity mode,” using sports and systems-theory metaphors; includes guidance for slowing down, creating feedback loops,…11 Nov 2025 · 31 min · 15 chapters
Arthur C. Brooks on How Leaders Can Be HappierArthur C. Brooks explains why leaders and workers struggle with happiness, argues happiness is not an emotion or destination, and offers workplace protocols to improve well-being and performance.6 Nov 2025 · 35 min · 18 chapters
Wikipedia Cofounder Jimmy Wales on How to Build TrustBuilding trust in organizations and online information systems, using Wikipedia as the model; also how AI search and LLMs affect information trust.4 Nov 2025 · 31 min · 15 chapters
What’s Holding You Back from Being a Great Leader?How “hidden blockers” (limiting beliefs) hold leaders back, and a three-step method to uncover, unpack, and reframe them to change leadership behavior.28 Oct 2025 · 32 min · 17 chapters
20 Years of Freakonomics: How It Changed BusinessThe 20-year legacy of Freakonomics (Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner) and how it changed economics, business thinking, and public interest in counterintuitive, data-driven explanations.21 Oct 2025 · 28 min · 12 chapters
Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John on What It Takes for People, Products, and Brands to Break ThroughHow people and brands break through in a crowded media/ads landscape—via staying current, consistent presence on platforms, authentic personal branding, leadership practices, creative collaboration,…14 Oct 2025 · 36 min · 20 chapters
The Trouble with Tech Companies (and Their Strategies)“Inshittification” explains how tech platforms degrade over time after users are locked in, enabling firms to extract more value from advertisers, sellers, and workers.7 Oct 2025 · 27 min · 10 chapters
How to Lead with Courage in Chaotic TimesHow leaders can act with courage during uncertainty (rapid tech change, economic/political/health/environmental volatility).30 Sep 2025 · 32 min · 18 chapters
Steven Pinker on Speculation Bubbles, Super Bowl Ads, and What Leaders Need to Know About Group PsychologySteven Pinker explains “common knowledge” (that everyone knows that everyone knows) as the basis for coordination in leadership, markets, negotiation, media/polarization, and even political control.23 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 10 chapters
Supercharging Innovation with “Flash Teams”“Flash teams” for faster, cheaper innovation—temporary groups assembled quickly from experts everywhere (via internet labor markets and AI-assisted coordination) to build prototypes or solve problems…16 Sep 2025 · 31 min · 12 chapters
When Fake News Targets Your CompanyHow companies should respond to willful fake news that targets their reputation and goes viral, including when to ignore, remove, fact-check, or communicate.9 Sep 2025 · 19 min · 7 chapters
Why It’s So Hard to Delegate — and How to ImproveDelegation is hard for leaders who are high performers, because they (1) aren’t sure what to keep vs.2 Sep 2025 · 31 min · 17 chapters