Thought Sparks

Hosted by Rita Gunther-McGrath

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145

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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.

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June 16, 2026Episode 241 hr 2 min

Leadership and Transformation with Rita McGrath and Sharmla Chetty

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, speaks with Sharmla Chetty, CEO of Duke Corporate Education and expert on human-centered leadership, AI, and workforce transformation. 0:00 Introduction 0:57 Sharmla's Story: Growing Up Under Apartheid 3:30 Systems Change: From Personal to Global 10:27 Overton Windows & Tipping Points 12:51 The Global Economy: Uneven Worlds & Emerging Markets 16:22 A Once-in-a-Century Inflection Point (Carlota Perez's Framework) 21:41 The End of Competitive Moats: Strategy in the Age of AI 23:16 Strategic Centering: Five Ways to Define Your Company 26:18 Purpose, Ecosystems & the Role of Government 27:59 Trust as the New Currency 28:34 Remote Work, Human Connection & Social Capital 38:15 The Future of Education: New Models 45:37 Executive Education Reimagined: Duke CE's Approach 41:21 Do We Still Need Degrees? 47:05 The Care Economy & Kindness as a Capability 58:42 Distributed Leadership & Navigating Complexity 59:28 A Human-Centered Economy: Closing Reflections Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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.

June 9, 2026Episode 231 hr 2 min

Rethinking Education with Rita McGrath and MacKenzie Price

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, speaks with MacKenzie Price, co-founder of Alpha Schools, about the limitations of the traditional education system, and what other educational models are possible. 0:00 – Intro teaser: raising adaptable young people and the future of learning 1:37 – Mackenzie's backstory: her own memories of schooling 3:17 – The "I don't want to go to school tomorrow" moment 4:36 – The root problem: one teacher, many different learners 6:16 – The Alpha Schools vision: academics + life skills + passions 6:56 – Alpha School's results and student growth 7:37 – The industrial-era origins of the school system 9:07 – Moving into a new era: information abundance and problem-solving 11:03 – The skill of learning how to learn 12:03 – Why base knowledge still matters in the age of AI + what the traditional model got wrong 16:05 – The 2 Hour School Day 23:01 – The foundation problem: algebra before multiplication tables 24:33 – Results for kids at all levels — 20th to 95th percentile 28:00 – Why ed tech alone doesn't work, and the role of motivation 28:57 – The distinction between Guides and teachers 33:37 – Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation and screen time 42:26 – Teaching kids to use tools (including tech) for good 43:07 – Education at an inflection point: the question of scale and accessibility 45:12– Selection effects criticism — and the response 47:36 – Relationships with charter and public schools 52:38 – The relationship to failure the traditional system gets wrong 58:27 – Shout-outs, self-reflection, and accountability — even at age 5 1:00:25 – Where Alpha Schools is headed: expansion, summer programs, new models 1:01:52 – Closing thoughts and thank you Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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.

June 2, 2026Episode 221 hr 0 min

Getting Positioning Right with Rita McGrath and April Dunford

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, speaks with April Dunford, expert on brand and product positioning, and author of Obviously Awesome, recently rereleased in its second edition, and Sales Pitch. Their conversation covers how good positioning unlocks value and helps to clarify organizational purpose. 0:19 – Welcoming April Dunford 1:59 – The Classic Positioning Statement and What Leaders Get Wrong 5:18 – April's Journey: Tech Exec → Consultant → World-Class Positioning Expert 6:24 – Software vs. Consumer Goods Positioning 13:00 – April's Definition of Positioning 14:45 – The Five Components of Positioning 16:44 – The Investment Banking CRM Story 20:07 – Discovering the 'Reason to Call' 28:11 – Misreading Who the Competition Really Is 29:03 – 'If You Didn't Exist, What Would a Customer Do?' 31:04 – Horizon Competitors: The Vibe Coding Debate 35:17 – 'We Can Only Sell What's on the Truck' 36:01 – AI Excitement vs. Where Customers Actually Are 38:25 – Telltale Signs Your Positioning Is Off 45:27 – The Positioning Workshop 49:13 – What Changed in the New Edition of Obviously Awesome 54:46 – Strategic Centering and Positioning 56:58 – IBM Software Group: Positioning Thousands of Products 59:51 – Where to Find April Dunford Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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.

May 26, 2026Episode 211 hr 3 min

Leading Incorruptible Organizations with Rita McGrath and Eric Ries

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 Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, to talk about his new book Incorruptible. They discuss what organizations beyond corruption look like, touching on financial gravity and fiduciary duty, and how we might move beyond making shareholder primacy to more holistic views of creating and assessing value. 0:00 Introduction & Eric Ries's New Book “Incorruptible” 2:11 The Legend of Sol Price & the Origin of Modern Retail 3:31 Shareholder Primacy vs. Fiduciary Duty to Customers 7:00 How FedMart Was Destroyed & the Birth of Costco 11:16 Financial Gravity as The Invisible Force Corrupting Companies 14:13 The Mechanics of Financial Gravity in Organizations 21:45 Redefining Corruption: Making Money Without Creating Value 23:46 Measuring Human Flourishing Instead of Just Profit 33:38 The Role of Government & Carlota Perez's Economic Waves 39:07 Mission-Controlled Companies and The Incorruptible Blueprint 44:48 Corporate Charters, Shareholder Primacy & the Public Benefit Corp 53:42 The Vectura Case Study: Value Destruction in the Name of Profit 1:00:23 Shareholder Primacy Is Already Over, and Other Reasons for Optimism Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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.

May 19, 2026Episode 201 hr 2 min

Beating Burnout and Building Culture with Rita McGrath and Jennifer Moss

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, speaks with Jennifer Moss, the Chief Research and Strategy Officer at the Global Wellbeing Group and the author of Why Are We Here? Creating A Work Culture Everyone Wants. She's an expert on what causes burnout, and what leaders can do to build workplace cultures centered on hope, purpose, and community. 0:00 Intro 0:17 Welcome & Introduction to Jennifer Moss’s Work 1:52 What Prompted the Book 2:37 The Great Resignation & Mortality Salience 15:03 Burnout: Still Getting Worse 15:03 The Purpose Gap Between Leaders and Frontline Workers 16:48 CEO vs. Frontline Experience 19:37 Hope as a Foundation 26:13 Learned Helplessness & Building Hope Skills 26:39 Purpose: What It Really Means 28:39 Rituals, Friendships & Belonging at Work 32:10 Building Community (Bowling Alone, Dunbar's Number) 36:28 Business Challenges: Compassion, Freedom & Openness 40:42 Why AI Hasn't Moved the Needle Yet 45:30 GDP & Measuring What Matters 49:57 Fertility Rates & Hope as Economic Strategy 51:45 The Lost Wallet Experiment: People Are Good 56:00 Reflections Since “The Burnout Epidemic” Book 58:47 What's Next for Jennifer Moss Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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/

May 12, 2026Episode 1959 min

Reimagining Work with Rita McGrath and Nilofer Merchant

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, speaks with Nilofer Merchant, co-founder of The Intangible Labs, and author of the new book Our Best Work: Break Free from the 24 Invisible Norms that Limit Us. 00:28: Context for the Book 3:56: The Birdcage and Why We’re Stuck 5:39: The Steve Jobs Moment: Power Voice and Being Unheard 8:58: The Trillion-Dollar Problem and Untapped Human Potential 11:16: The 24 Practices for Better Work 13:38: Fix the Room, Not Her: Rethinking Voice and Inclusion 17:45: Franklin Leonard and Power, Networks, and Reorienting Toward Purpose 25:08: Nilofer's Story: Arranged Marriage, Apple, and the Path Not Planned 31:09: Fighting for the Emperor's Pleasure: Power and Gender in the MBA Classroom 36:08: The Origin of Intangible Labs 40:01: Who Made Adam Smith’s Dinner? And Rethinking How We Measure Value 43:57: Small Teams, Ecosystems, and the Future of Organizations 46:41: The Big Picture Vision of Reimagining Work 51:18: Intangible Labs, Early Adopters, and Spreading Goodness Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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.

May 5, 2026Episode 181 hr 2 min

Catalyzing Organizational Change with Rita McGrath and Michael Lurie

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, speaks with Michael Lurie, Chief Catalyst at Bayer and expert in leading large-scale transformations. 00:00 Introductions & Context 1:37 The Challenge — Walking Into Bayer 5:07 How the Rollout Began, Using Two Tracks 8:37 The Five Principles of Dynamic Shared Ownership 10:39 Principle 1: Focus on Mission and Outcomes 11:05 Principle 2: Collaborate on a Network of Self-Managing Teams 11:51 Principle 3: Create Value as Entrepreneurial Businesses 13:00 Principle 4: Explore, Execute, and Evolve in Rapid Cycles 13:38 Principle 5: Show Up in Creative Mindset 14:45 The VACC Leadership Model 15:52 Performance Results — The Evidence 19:37 Applying DSO to Manufacturing and The Precision Question 24:12 Overcoming Skepticism and Resistance 32:46 Reimagining Budgeting Towards Dynamic Resource Flow 41:44 Professional Homes — Reimagining Talent and Compensation 49:01 How Strategy Changes in the DSO Model 57:49 Lessons Learned and Surprises on the Journey 1:01:36 Closing Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? 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.

April 28, 2026Episode 1759 min

Building Beloved Brands with Rita McGrath and Monica Nassif

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, speaks with Monica Nassif, an entrepreneur and founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, as well as author of “I Bottled My Mother: The Mrs. Meyer’s Story: Grit, Grime, and Growing a Business”. [0:14] Monica Nassif: Entrepreneur, Career Changer, and Creator of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day [0:36] Monica's Background, From Nursing to Marketing [2:42] The Eureka Moment: Reinventing Cleaning Products [5:28] The Real Mrs. Meyer: How Monica’s Mother Inspired a Brand [7:44] Savings, A Second Mortgage, and Credit Cards: When Entrepreneurs Go All In [11:14] The Founding of Caldrea [13:22] “Sawing Off The Branch” and Launching Mrs. Meyer's [16:26] Building Mrs. Meyer's Retail Presence [18:14] Growth Strategy and Lessons from Williams-Sonoma and Target [28:12] Being an Entrepreneurial Working Mother [35:37] The Decision to Sell [39:21] The Acquisition Process: Vetting PE Firms and Choosing SC Johnson [42:24] Life after the Sale [44:15] The Book I Bottled My Mother — Part Love Letter to Monica's Mom, Part Startup Manual [46:33] Lessons for Entrepreneurs [52:38] On Resourcefulness: “Creativity Lies in Your Hands" Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. Connect with Rita on TikTok. Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

April 21, 2026Episode 161 hr 2 min

The Science of Retiring Well with Rita McGrath and Teresa Amabile

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 Teresa Amabile, Edsel Bryant Ford Professor, Emerita, at Harvard Business School, and co-author of the book Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You, which draws on over 100 case studies of individuals’ experiences with retirement. 0:33: From “The Progress Principle” to “Retiring” — The Origin of the Research 11:13: Preparing for Retirement and What to Think About Before You Take the Step 15:16: The Research Methodology 20:07: The Four Tasks of Retiring 20:24: Task One: Making the Decision 26:17: Task Two: Detaching from Work 29:29: Task Three: Exploring and Experimenting 38:42: Task Four: Consolidating a Retirement Life 41:12: Identity in Retirement — Bridging and Building Anew 51:33: What Companies Should Do 57:18: What Does Work Mean Now, And Teresa’s Own Retirement 59:53: Where to Learn More Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. Connect with Rita on TikTok. Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

April 14, 2026Episode 151 hr 9 min

Maximizing Human Capacity with Rita McGrath and Vivienne Ming

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, speaks with Vivienne Ming, theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert, named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017, and author of the new book “Robot-Proof: When Machines Have all the Answers, Build Better People”. 00:45: Introductions 3:44: Vivienne's Personal Background – From the Farm to the Academy 13:45: Vivienne's Work Today – From Hiring Science to the Human Trust 18:30: What Actually Predicts Long-Term Life Success 23:04: How AI Is Changing Teams, Trust, and Cognition 28:01: The Core Distinction Between Well-Posed vs. Ill-Posed Problems 32:38: Deprofessionalization and the "Right" Questions About AI and Jobs 36:52: Three Types of Human-AI Collaborators : Automators, Validators, and Cyborgs 43:59: The Utopia/Dystopia Debate and What's Actually Worth Worrying About 51:29: Teaching in the Age of AI and The Case for Productive Friction 1:00:13: What You Still Need to Learn And Why Human Qualities Are Developable 1:05:44: Closing and Where to Learn More Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. Connect with Rita on TikTok. Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com