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 Rob Siegel, Lecturer in Management at Stanford University , a venture investor, a former operator, and author of The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross-Pressures That Make or Break Today’s Companies.

1:10: Teaching Systems Leadership with GE CEO Jeff Immelt 2:10: “Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?”: Lessons in Strategy from Janis Joplin

4:57: Playing for the Long Term and the Short Term, How Leaders Deal with Cross Pressures

8:11: The Benefits of Bureaucracy: Insights from Rita’s Forthcoming Book

9:50: Globalization 1.0 and Globalization 2.0

13:09: A Plea For Serious Leadership, Not Cage Match Challenges

15:40: “Leadership is about Everybody but You”: Kathy Mazzarella’s Leadership at Graybar

18:25: Moving from Megalithic Companies to Constellations of Capability

20:03: Purpose, and the False Choice Between Being Ambitious and Being Kind

24:30: Investing in Your People: Lessons from the Rise and Fall of GE’s Crotonville

29:48: Traffic Lights vs. Traffic Circles: Designing Sensing Systems

33:39: Developing AI as a Thought Partner

37:58: How Leaders Can Accept that Change is Difficult

42:00: Capitalism's Current Transition: Climate and the Economy 47:02: Bright Spots in Education

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. 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