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Many people are skeptical that companies set out to achieve a higher purpose other than profit and serve any group other than shareholders. But John Mackey, founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market, has always pushed back against this notion. In 2013, he co-wrote the best-selling book, “Conscious Capitalism,” which laid out a philosophy that businesses should be guided by the value and good they can contribute to the world, not solely the profits they generate. His new book, “Conscious Leadership,” applies this thinking to leadership and building purpose-driven cultures. Mackey joins the podcast to explain how leaders can become more awake and intentional (that is, more conscious) -- creating greater value for companies and their employees, the customers they serve, and the communities they live in. Listen to this episode to learn: • How to lead with love and create cultures in which people can flourish and maximize their potential -- and how it’s done at Whole Foods Market • What Mackey told Milton Friedman he got wrong about the purpose of a business • Why applying a “win-win-win” framework to your thinking can open up creativity and innovation and reveal higher purpose • Why appreciation is the “gateway” to love -- and companies could use a lot more of it these days • How to apply the Jungian psychological concept of “the shadow” to business and leadership • How an animal rights activist opened Mackey’s eyes to what needed to be changed at Whole Foods Market

Humanity is facing an existential threat. The destruction of ecosystems and rainforests, the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, rising carbon emissions and sea levels -- these wounds to our planet have dire consequences that affect us all. Since 1971, Greenpeace has been bringing attention to these threats through peaceful, direct action and standing up to the people and companies who are destroying the planet -- while risking arrest and harsh penalty. “You have to stand up for what you believe in and hope that people will support you and that ultimately you will prevail,” says John Sauven, the Executive Director at Greenpeace UK. He’s worked in various roles at Greenpeace for nearly 30 years and has been an instrumental figure in the organization’s success. John joins the podcast to talk about Greenpeace’s mission and fierce independence; the interconnectedness between Covid-19, racial justice, and climate; and how governments, companies, and consumers each have a critical role to play in the fight against climate change. Listen to this episode to learn: • The current state of the environment and why we’re leaving “the Garden of Eden” • Why no matter what climate deniers believe or say, market forces are already driving us away from fossil fuels towards cheaper renewable sources of energy • Why confronting the animal agriculture industry is the next chapter in the fight to save the rainforest and biodiverse ecosystems • How Greenpeace stands up to multinational corporations like Unilever and BP, while also working with some companies to create positive change • Lessons the climate change movement can learn from the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic • How the younger generation is leading, organizing, and acting on climate issues

**Our 100th Episode** Early in his career, Chris Capossela got an inside look into Microsoft that few, if any, 20-somethings get. As a speechwriter for Bill Gates, Chris traveled the world and learned about the company and its leadership through the perspective of the CEO. Today, he’s Microsoft’s CMO, working under the leadership of Satya Nadella. After a 30-year tenure at Microsoft, Chris believes the last six years have been an “awesome transformation” for the company, as it’s shifted from a know-it-all culture to a learn-it-all culture. He joins the podcast to talk about how Microsoft discovered its new purpose and how the company is helping enterprise and small business customers recover from the pandemic crisis, and, for some, enter a new phase of reimagining their business for a post-Covid world. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • How, at Microsoft, it’s all about culture and mission -- and the brand is embedded in that mission • Why there is no simple path to cultural reinvention • Why marketers should avoid layering too many high-level frameworks over their mission and brand • The importance of having a growth mindset inside an organization • Why Microsoft has changed its physical retail strategy, as more of its products are cloud-based and purchases are made digitally • Why everything you read about Bill Gates’ humility and curiosity is true

During the years Tiffani Bova was advising startups and Fortune 500 companies, she kept coming up against the same questions: how do we accelerate growth? And, more importantly, how do we recover from slow, flat, or even negative growth? The answers to these questions were complex, and they inspired Bova to write the best-selling book, Growth IQ, which details the ten paths to growth that any company can take. Today, Bova is the global customer growth and innovation evangelist at Salesforce and host of the business podcast, What’s Next! She joins us to talk about how companies can put the systems, people, and processes in place to spot the signs of what she calls a “growth stall” early -- and the many ways companies across industries can take a customer-led, rather than a product-led, path to growth. Listen to this podcast to learn: • Why focusing squarely on the competition can be paralyzing for companies - and what they should be focusing on instead • How McDonald’s recovered from a growth stall by streamlining the menu, re-organizing the kitchen, and listening to customers who were asking for all day breakfast • How partnerships -- even the most unlikely ones -- are an important and powerful source of growth • The unintended consequences of proclaiming that you are customer-led, but not actually acting on it • Why “the fastest way to get a customer to love your brand is to get employees to love their job” For more information: www.tiffanibova.com

Ninety-five years ago, an economist named Paul "Doc" Smelser was working for Procter & Gamble when he set out to answer a simple question: What percentage of Ivory soap were people using to wash their face and hands vs. for washing dishes? The journey to answering that question was the catalyst for what is today known as consumer insights and market research. Today, 5 billion consumers around the world use P&G products everyday. Trusted brands like Gillette razors. Crest toothpaste. Tide detergent. And, of course, Ivory soap. Now, as COVID-19 has forced the world to stay home, these household staple brands have become an even more trusted and central part of our lives. Kirti Singh is the Chief Analytics & Insights Officer at P&G where he leads a consumer insights department, which has been named as one of the world’s most innovative client-side research teams. Kirti joins us to talk about the philosophy and purpose behind P&G’s insights team, and how advancements in technology and research methodologies have transformed how they understand human behavior, emotion, and consumption. Listen to this episode to learn: • How the pandemic has changed P&G’s consumer research methods and accelerated virtual engagement • How P&G uses consumer insights to discover growth opportunities, keep a consumer focus within the business and its brands, and activate growth drivers • How advancements in data analytics, machine learning, behavioral sciences, and other methodologies have transformed P&G’s research capabilities • Why Tide Pods are an example of “constructive disruption” • How the economic downturn will affect consumers’ choices and likely move them towards brands that are trustworthy, reliable, and provide value • Why being a successful insights leader requires curiosity, a growth mindset, and continuous reinvention

It seems impossible: replace the animal-based meat industry with plant-based alternatives by 2035. But that’s what Impossible Foods believes it will do. Why such an audacious mission? Because the animal agriculture industry is depleting the world's natural resources and releasing harmful greenhouse gases into our environment. The key to the fulfilling Impossible’s mission isn’t targeting vegetarians or vegans, but hardcore meat-eaters. Give them everything they crave about meat...just make it plant-based. Impossible Foods CFO David Lee joins the podcast to talk about how the company is taking a product- and market-based approach to solving the climate crisis; and the company's rapid growth in the U.S. and globally, partnering with chains like Burger King and Starbucks, and expanding into grocery retailers like Trader Joe’s and Walmart. Listen to this podcast to learn: • Why the plant-based food industry is poised for multi-billion dollar growth over the next decade • How the animal agriculture industry is contributing to the climate crisis, and why plant-based meat is the solution • The molecule called “heme” that makes meat taste like meat, and how Impossible was able to recreate it in its cravable plant-based meats • The difference in marketing to meat-eaters at a restaurant vs. in the grocery aisle • How support from celebrity chef David Chang and Katy Perry’s “Impossible” Met Gala burger-gown raised awareness and helped create a loyal following

America was founded on principles of justice and equality. Yet, it has never lived up to these ideals in regards to how citizens of color are treated. The same can be said for many U.S. businesses, which, despite investing billions in ‘diversity and inclusion’ training programs, have also failed to truly diversify their workforces and leadership teams. Pamela Newkirk is an award-winning journalist, an NYU professor of journalism, and author of the critically-acclaimed book Diversity, Inc., which examines the efforts over the last 50 years to diversify the American workforce. She joins the podcast to talk about corporate America’s diversity problem, and why she believes we’re living in a “moment of reckoning” where we might be finally ready to confront the reality of racism and start fostering genuinely diverse workplaces. Listen to this podcast to learn: • A brief history of systemic racism in America, and why the nation is becoming “post-White,” which makes race more of an issue than ever • Why the everyday decisions made in our racially homogeneous worlds perpetuate the system of racism and injustice and denies opportunity to non-white people • Reasons why the most progressive industries like entertainment, academia, and fashion are the least diverse • How, after a 2000 landmark class-action discrimination lawsuit against Coca Cola, the company embarked on one of the most successful diversity transformations ever seen in corporate America • The delusion of the colorblind or post-race mindset that many progressives fell into after the election of Barack Obama • The reasons why diversity programs and mandatory anti-bias training in companies often do more harm than good • Why progress comes not from having more strategies for change, but rather the will to change

The importance of this moment isn’t lost on Scott Uzzell, the CEO of Converse. “How do I bring the unique experiences of being a Black man in America to help people around me, other executives, society, the consumers that care about and love our brand...to make us better?” Uzzell also recognizes that, as the CEO of a global brand, he has a responsibility to listen and learn from others from diverse backgrounds with different perspectives -- and then, take bold action to create a more diverse and inclusive culture inside Converse and fight injustice and inequality outside of it. Uzzell joins the podcast to talk about what this moment means for him, what he’s learned while leading his company through unprecedented change, and why he thinks we’re about to see way more progress than we've seen before. Listen to this podcast to learn: • Why the urgency of this moment demands that all CEOs “get off the couch” and do something • What Uzzell learned about being “color brave” from Mellody Hobson, Vice Chair of the Board of Starbucks • Why companies must confront and address tough political and racial issues • How influencers help shape the Converse brand in local markets and inspire product innovation • Why the original basketball sneaker is returning to the NBA -- and aligning with creatively-driven athletes like Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr. • The effects Covid-19 has had on the business and why Uzzell is optimistic about the future

For decades, market research was considered an “auditing function” -- a department inside the business that looks backwards at an ad campaign or a product, and identifies all the reasons why it performed either well or poorly. But as organic growth became more important to a company’s success, market research transformed into a forward-looking insights function. “You can't have organic growth unless you understand your customers,” says Ravi Dhar, professor at Yale School of Management and Director of Yale’s Center for Customer Insights. He joins the podcast to talk about the evolution and role of insights and how to fix the tension that exists between insights departments and the C-suite. Listen to this podcast to learn: • The four stages of insights, based on Ravi’s research with Boston Consulting Group • Why insights leaders should be in the room when strategic decisions are being made • Changes in consumer behavior during the pandemic, and which new behaviors might persist • The effects that two concepts -- “out of sight, out of mind” and “absence makes the heart grow fonder” -- could have on consumer demand after the pandemic subsides • The inherent risk in looking to “consumers as scientists” • Why insights require a collaboration of analytics, anthropology, and psychology • The skills you need to become a successful insights professional now and in the future For more information: https://som.yale.edu/faculty/ravi-dhar

Nicholas Thompson once wrote that WIRED’s purview is the future and that “the only way to think creatively about the future is with something like optimism.” But it’s hard to think optimistically right now. Our old ways of living have been fundamentally altered -- and may never return. Nicholas joins the podcast to talk about the profound changes we’re all living through and the broad implications this pandemic will have for society, businesses, technology, governments, and our environment. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • Reasons to feel optimistic about our future (and challenges that will need to be solved) • People’s perceptions of and attitudes towards Big Tech during this crisis • The perilous state of data privacy when our health is on the line • Are we experiencing a “work from home bubble” and overestimating the value of remote work? • Whether the environmental movement may lose momentum in the years ahead • How technologies like AI and blockchain may help build stronger governments and smarter policy • Why coronavirus has been bad for (poorly run) democracies For more info: www.nickthompson.com

Mathew Sweezey is a marketing futurist for Salesforce. Based on his research, he discovered that June 24, 2009, was a tipping point for media and marketing. That’s the day consumers officially overtook brands and businesses as the dominant media creators. Since then, an infinite and uncontrollable stream of noise -- tweets, Facebook updates, texts, blog posts, Amazon reviews -- has been the foundation of the new media environment. It has inspired new consumer behaviors and forced marketers to play by new rules. Matt joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Context Marketing Revolution: How to Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media, and why brands can no longer simply force messaging into the marketplace and expect that will be enough to persuade people to buy. Instead, brands must now market with context in mind and co-create with the very people who create and consume. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • What is contextual marketing and how does it differ from what has worked in the past? • How brands have shifted to a new business model of “market, sell, build, market” • Mercedes vs. Tesla: two starkly different approaches to marketing • How high-performing brands like Oreo have co-created with the marketplace to establish demand for new products before they launch • How LEGO designed around the context of people’s holiday shopping pains in order to boost online sales • The downside of A/B testing • How companies like Room and Board use AI to create “headless commerce” • What’s next in marketing as AI, video, and voice take center stage For more information: mathewsweezey.com

In luxury, “cookie cutter” doesn’t cut it. And for a luxury hotel brand, it has to strike a delicate balance between delivering a guest experience that’s both consistent and one-of-a-kind. Bill Walshe, CEO at Viceroy Hotel Group, says that consistency shouldn’t stifle the things that guests remember: spontaneity, authenticity, individuality, and creativity. He calls his philosophy “consistent individuality.” Viceroy Hotel Group maintains 15 properties around the world, from St. Lucia to Los Cabos to Beverly Hills and beyond, with another 8 soon to enter the brand’s portfolio. Each maintains its own distinct sense of location and destination while also sharing Viceroy’s brand essence. Walshe joins the podcast to give his take on what luxury means in the service industry today, and how Viceroy designs its experience around changing guest preferences, new technologies, brand partnerships, and shared values. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • Why hotels aren’t just service providers; they’re content providers with Instagrammable moments in mind • From celebrity chefs to spin studios, how the right brand partnerships and alliances add value to the guest experience and future-proof the business • Why guests want to stay at hotels where they feel they're making a positive impact on the world through a “contribution without compromise” • Why Viceroy decided to open the first-ever hotel designed around celebrating female achievement and empowerment (Hotel Zena in Washington, DC) • Is luxury’s assumed exclusivity a “historically passé” notion?

When Google embarked on an extensive study to understand what makes for a high-performing team, it was Amy Edmondson’s research on “psychological safety” that became the foundation of the company’s findings. Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor and organizational behavior expert, joins the podcast to talk about her latest book, The Fearless Organization. She says that “psychological safety describes a climate at work where one believes that you can freely speak up with any idea, concern, question, even mistakes.” It’s “a sense of permission for candor.” She explains the benefits of creating psychological safety in the workplace and why it’s essential for learning, innovation, and growth in the knowledge economy. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • Do better teams make fewer mistakes, or are they more willing to talk about them? • Why “problems are gems” and how leaders can use mistakes to improve performance • Why customer truths don’t always tend to make it up the corporate hierarchy • Differences between the “comfort zone” and the “anxiety zone” at work, and why the latter is more dangerous • Misconceptions about what psychological safety is (and what it isn’t) • Actions we can all take to create greater psychological safety at work and in our personal lives

In 2013, Steve Blank, adjunct professor at Stanford University, and one of three co-founders of the Lean Startup Movement, wrote a front-cover article for Harvard Business Review entitled, “Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything.” It was a call to action for large companies to embrace the lean startup methodology of innovation. But after spending the past seven years working with large companies, Blank now believes his initial thesis was wrong. Large companies are not bigger versions of startups anymore so than startups are smaller versions of large companies. Applying lean startup methods in large companies creates “innovation theater” and not real innovation. Blank joins the podcast to talk about his next big idea for business: the Innovation Doctrine. He describes the fundamental changes large organizations need to make to their thinking, leadership, and structure to innovate faster than competitors and the perpetual disruption happening around them. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • The core differences between startups and big companies • The origins of the Customer Development Method and a brief overview of the Lean Startup Movement • The key aspects of the Innovation Doctrine and how it aligns with current business methodologies • Why companies need rule books to draw innovation from the “frozen middle” • Why a dysfunctional upbringing can be an asset for entrepreneurs or anyone operating in a chaotic environment • Life and work lessons Steve learned from serving in the Vietnam War

The demand for sports betting has existed for decades in the United States, but it has traditionally been confined to the black market and Nevada, the only state where sports betting is legal. That all changed on May 14, 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), effectively legalizing sports betting in the United States – as long as a state government allows for it. The removal of regulations have opened up a new market (and created a huge opportunity) for online gaming companies like DraftKings. Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings, joins the podcast to talk about the evolution of his company and why a deep understanding of customers is the key to leading in the new era of legalized sports betting. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • How DraftKings is managing its transformation from a daily fantasy sports provider to a sports betting and online gaming company • How the culture, regulations, and attitudes around sports betting have changed in the United States • Why the most impactful insights emerge from a combination of listening to customers and data analysis • How legalizing a market that was once in the shadows helps create more transparency and responsible practices • The business value of “not being fully prepared,” and why entrepreneurs should expect to waste their first marketing dollars • What lies ahead for DraftKings and the industry

Our cultural obsession with flying cars has been well-documented: the 1927 film Metropolis, the 1960s cartoon The Jetsons, the 1980s Back to the Future movies. But flying cars have always been a sci-fi fantasy, not a reality. That may be changing sooner than we realize. At CES 2020, Uber and Hyundai announced the first air taxi, the all-electric S-A1. According to Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate, this is just the beginning. He joins the podcast to talk about the vision of Uber Elevate, how Uber is integrating air travel into our end-to-end mobility experience, and using partners, data, and people to make flying taxis a reality. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • How Uber is working to build the “operating system for cities” through partnership-driven strategy and a deep understanding of urban mobility • How both human insight and data analysis are informing the design, operation, and “inside out” passenger experience • Why local community engagement is so important to understanding and addressing the concerns of those affected (e.g., citizens, policy makers, and governments) • How Uber Copter and VR simulations have served as a rich testing ground for passenger feedback • The environmental, safety, and consumer cost challenges -- and how is Uber addressing them • When will we really be able to hop in an air taxi?

Leadership is not a role. It’s a process. A process of exercising influence in order to bring about a desired outcome. So says Bernie Banks. He’s the Associate Dean for Leadership Development and a Clinical Professor of Management at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He served as a U.S. Army Officer for more than 30 years, retiring from the Army as a Brigadier General in 2016 after having successfully led West Point’s Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership. Banks joins the podcast to explain his eight core leadership principles and draws parallels between effective leadership in the military and in business. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • Why leaders can’t default to exerting formal authority and a “do it because I said so” approach • Why leadership is about establishing credibility, building empathy, earning trust, and aligning interests • The West Point Honor Code and what business could gain from following it • Charisma doesn’t guarantee great leadership (though, it can help) • Reasons why we distrust our leaders the decline in trust in institutions and our growing distrust in leadership • Why companies should accept that different leaders may be required at different phases of an organization’s growth • Why disciplined execution is perhaps the most important leadership principle of all

The Cluetrain Manifesto, published at the turn of 21st century, was one of the most prophetic and important books written about the internet. It was a call to arms -- and a warning for businesses -- that the internet is a place where human beings want to connect with one another, not be marketed to. One of the co-authors of the Manifesto, David Weinberger, is now a senior researcher at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. His most recent book is Everyday Chaos. He joins the podcast to talk about machine learning and how it helps us make better predictions and why it reveals how profoundly complex and chaotic our world is. Listen to this episode to learn: • What the Cluetrain Manifesto got right -- and wrong -- about the internet, 20 years on • What machine learning is and how it’s a radically new way of thinking about how the world works and our place in it • The danger of algorithmic bias when left unchecked • Why making decisions without knowing “why” is actually a good thing • The benefits of following a “Minimum Viable Strategy” and using “unanticipation” to navigate and capitalize on uncertainty • Why Milton Friedman gave cover to the worst impulses of business (and the hope that the Business Roundtable will give cover to the far better ones) For more information: www.everydaychaosbook.com

All around us, risk is increasing along with growing instability and volatility. Cyber crime, climate change, and social division are just some of the major threats we face. Thomas Buberl, CEO of AXA, one of the world’s largest insurance and financial services companies, says that the company’s success hinges on helping customers reduce their risk to threats. In an industry that has historically leveraged risk to its own advantage, Buberl believes it’s time for a new approach: move from payer to partner. Building a partnership with customers, he says, helps them to live better (and less risky) lives. For a Fortune 50 company like AXA, which serves more than 100 million customers in 63 countries, how exactly does that happen? Buberl joins the podcast to explain how his role and the company mission is changing in “the golden age of insurance.” Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • Real-world applications of moving from payer to partner • How the consequences of issues like climate change and societal division affect the risk in our lives • Why Buberl became a founding member of the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative, and the purpose behind the organization • The shifting purpose of CEOs (should they focus on “excitement”?) • Why “iconic moves” can make a brand promise tangible and visible • Strategies and advice for how business leaders can stay close to global employees

Founded in 1847, the American Medical Association has a long history of advocating for physicians and advancing medicine in the United States. Today, more than 250,000 physicians are AMA members, all hailing from a cross-section of medical specialties. Todd Unger, the AMA’s Chief Experience Officer and SVP of Physician Engagement, is leading a massive digital transformation to expand the AMA’s membership and support its mission. Unger joins the podcast to talk about the ways the AMA is changing how it interacts with its members -- adopting a new content strategy and creating a more human brand. Listen to this podcast episode to learn: • What is the AMA, who is its audience, and what is its mission • How the AMA is transitioning from a “membership” experience to a “subscription-based” experience • How a lunch with a physician changed sparked Unger’s “ah ha” moment • How the House of Delegates shapes the AMA’s unifying voice • The problem of burnout and other obstacles physicians face in getting to patient outcomes • Lessons from building a member experience infrastructure from the ground up