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

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 Cheryl McKissack Daniel, the fifth-generation leader of McKissack & McKissack, the nation’s oldest Black-owned design and construction services firm. Her book, “The Black Family Who Built America”, traces her family’s narrative from enslavement to building iconic American buildings, such as the National Civil Rights Museum, and Barclays Arena. Cheryl shares her insights and strategies for success in a white male-dominated industry.

00:06 Why This Book Now: Telling True Stories of the American Past

3:34: Origins: From Enslavement to Becoming the First Black Licensed Architects in America

6:47: Breaking Into the “Old Boys’ Club”

15:28: The Barclays Center Arena: The McKissacks’ Role in Revitalizing Downtown Brooklyn

19:37: The Value of Sharing the Whole Story: What Business Books and Memoirs Leave Out

21:04: The Next Generation and Effective Succession Planning

22:30: Advice for Young Black Women Considering Design and Construction

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

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 Neri Karra Sillaman, founder of Moda Métiers, expert in sustainable fashion, strategy, and entrepreneurship, and winner of the Thinkers50 2025 Radar Award. She’s also the author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs.

1:32: Introductions, and Why Study Immigrant Entrepreneurship

3:23: Neri’s Journey: From a Refugee Camp to Luxury Entrepreneurship

10:19: Starting a Family Leather Goods Business

15:04: The 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs

15:28: Being a Bridge Across Cultures

15:47: Vision: Believing in Your Crazy Idea, and Yourself

17:45: Homophilic Ties: Forging Connections Based on Your Identity

20:46: The Chobani Story, and the Power of Co-Building A Business

22:00: What Immigrant Entrepreneurs Understand About Instability and Unequal Access

25:08: “Frying In Your Own Oil”: Lessons in Self-Sufficiency from Neri’s Grandfather

26:56: What American Entrepreneurship Curricula Leave Out

28:19: “What Have You Done With Your One Precious Life?”: Rethinking Business Longevity

32:09: Immigrant Entrepreneurship: Borne out of Necessity

34:34: The Role of Luck: Recognizing It and Turning it into an Advantage

39:05: Chobani’s IPO, and What Hamdi Ulukaya Got Right

40:13: What We Lose When We Demonize Immigrants

44:35: Immigrants’ Role in Creating New Wealth

50:36: How We Misunderstand Failure: Lessons from Amy Edmondson

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