Partnering Leadership

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Jason Gulya, a higher education AI Strategist, to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and organizations. As someone who initially resisted the idea of becoming a teacher, Jason's journey is a testament to the power of adaptability and embracing change.

Jason shares how his unique upbringing, with three brot...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with JJ (Projjal) Ghatak, a seasoned technology executive who has held key roles at companies like Uber and is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of OnLoop, a habit-forming, genAI-powered goals and feedback platform for high functioning teams. Projjal Ghatak shares his unique insights on building mission-driven cultures, fostering collaboration, and leveraging technol...

In this engaging episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, host Mahan Tavakoli engages in an insightful conversation with Paul Daugherty, the group chief executive of technology and chief technology officer at Accenture. During the episode, Paul Daugherty emphasizes the criticality of adopting a technology-focused mindset and embracing constant reinvention and agility in the face of evolving technologies. He highlights the impo...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Rubenstein, co-founder & co-chairman of Carlyle Group & President of the Economic Club of Washington DC.  In the conversation David Rubenstein shares his journey from working at the White House to starting one of the largest private equity investment firms globally. He also talks about his leadership lessons, philanthropy, Peer-to-Peer interviewing f...

In this captivating episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Greg Wooldridge, the only person to have led the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy's renowned flight demonstration squadron, three times. With his unparalleled experience and unique insights, Greg Wooldridge shares valuable lessons on leadership, team dynamics, and the pursuit of excellence that is applicable not only in the cockpit but also in the bo...

In this episode of the Partnering Leadership podcast, Mahan Tavakoli interviews Daniel Burrus, a world-renowned futurist, strategist, and author of The Anticipatory Organization: Turn Disruption and Change into Opportunity and Advantage.

In the conversation, Daniel Burrus shares his powerful framework for anticipating the future and shaping strategies accordingly, emphasizing the importance of identifying hard and soft trends t...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Brad Zimmerman, a seasoned business consultant and coauthor of The Great Engagement: How CEOs Create Exceptional Cultures. With over thirty years of experience guiding businesses to success, Brad brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insights to the table.

Throughout the conversation, Brad and Mahan delve into the critical importance of employee engage...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Professor Ajay Agrawal, the Geoffrey Taber Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Ajay Agrawal is also the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a not-for-profit program for early-stage, science-based companies, and coauthor of two outstanding books ...

This episode of Partnering Leadership features Mahan Tavakoli in an interview on the Uncommodified podcast with host Tim Windsor. They explore AI's impact on leadership in an increasingly fast-changing world.  

Mahan and Tim have an insightful dialogue around evolving leadership approaches for exponential times driven by technological advances like AI. They discuss the pitfalls of certainty and why leaders can no longer rely on...

As the pace of digital change accelerates, how should leaders guide their organizations to stay ahead of disruption? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, author John Rossman makes the case that betting big on transformation is essential, though risky.

Drawing on his experience spearheading Amazon's bold expansions, Rossman argues that the coming era of "hyper-digital" will necessitate even bolder moves...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews philosopher, CEO, and bestselling author Brian Johnson on activating your organization's heroic potential. Having spent over half his career as a founder and business leader, Brian shares powerful insights on perseverance and excellence drawn from ancient wisdom and modern science.  

In the conversation, Brian offers key lessons from his newest book, "...

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are more vital than ever for organizations today. But how can leaders move beyond good intentions to drive real impact? In this engaging episode, inclusion strategist Risha Grant, author of Be Better than Your BS: How Radical Acceptance Empowers Authenticity and Creates a Workplace Culture of Inclusion, offers paradigm-shifting insights for leaders seeking to foster authentic belonging in their team...

What if AI could free up bandwidth, spark creativity, and boost productivity for executives and teams? Jordan Wilson, Founder of Everyday AI and host of the Everyday AI podcast, joins Mahan Tavakoli, sharing pragmatic tips so leaders can harness cutting-edge generative AI. Jordan advises an agile, sprint-based approach to rapidly experiment rather than get stuck in opaque long-term AI projects that often trigger resistance. He reco...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with H.H. Leonards.  H.H. Leonards is the founder and chair of the O Street Museum Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., and the Mansion on O Street, where Mrs. Rosa Parks called her home-away-from-home for the last decade of her life. H.H. Leonards is also the author of the book Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership.  Rosa Parks was a civil...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews strategic thinking expert Rich Horwath, author of six books on strategy, including his latest Strategic: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence. 

Rich shares his decades of expertise, shining a light on common pitfalls that executives and leadership teams face as they approach strategic planning. He then outlines his prac...

In this Partnering Leadership conversation, Michael Thatcher shares insights from his extensive leadership experience spanning the nonprofit and technology sectors. As the CEO of Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the U.S., he provides an inside look at leading this influential organization through a period of rapid growth and digital transformation. 

Touching on topics from building trust with boards to measuring n...

In this Partnering Leadership episode, host Mahan Tavakoli speaks with clarity expert Steve Woodruff about the importance of clear communication for leaders. As the torrent of digital information competes for our attention, Steve emphasizes how leaders must craft focused messages that cut through the noise. 

Drawing from decades of consulting experience, Steve shares the core principles from his book "The Point" on tr...

In this Partnering Leadership episode, host Mahan Tavakoli has an expansive dialogue on leadership and the future of work with serial entrepreneur and tech optimist Andy Tryba. As a 19x founder and CEO, Andy currently leads private equity firm Ionic Partners and two of its high-growth acquisitions, Gigster and Sparkrock. 

Andy previously built and led software juggernaut Think3, acquiring and optimizing 12 SaaS companies. He al...

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Marquet. David served as the commander of the US Navy nuclear submarine, USS Santa Fe. When he took over, he changed the command-and-control leadership style and empowered his crew to turn the lowest-performing sub into the best performer in the fleet. David Marquet shared leadership lessons from this experience, which he also wrote in his bestselling book T...