Author: Kris Safarova
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Silicon Valley’s CEO Whisperer, Rich Hagberg, on Why Most Startup Founders Fail
Rich Hagberg, often referred to as “Silicon Valley’s CEO Whisperer, psychologist and co-author of Founders Keepers, has advised over 1,000 executives and founders. In this conversation, he outlines why most startup leaders fail, and what the data reveals about those who succeed. Some key insights include: “Founders, overwhelmingly, are visionary evangelists… but they’re not particularly…
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Founder and CEO of GK Training, Michael Chad Hoeppner, on Communicating Effectively to Live a Better Life
Michael Chad Hoeppner, CEO of GK Training and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, brings a deeply practical lens to one of the most undervalued professional skills: spoken communication. With roots in professional acting and over two decades coaching executives, Hoeppner challenges conventional wisdom, arguing that most communication advice is either vague (“slow down”) or…
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Yale’s James Kimmel, Jr. on the Science of Revenge
James Kimmel, Jr., lawyer, Yale psychiatry lecturer, and author of The Science of Revenge, joins us in the Strategy Skills podcast to explore the neuroscience and behavioral dynamics of revenge. Drawing on law, psychiatry, and over two decades of research, Kimmel offers a sobering view: revenge is not a form of justice, it’s a “pleasure-seeking…
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Powerhouse CMOs Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly on Global Branding: Insights from Brand Global, Adapt Local
In this episode, global brand experts Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly discuss how international brands must evolve to stay relevant in an era marked by cultural shifts, technological acceleration, and rising consumer expectations. Drawing on their leadership experience at companies like Nike, Louis Vuitton, HubSpot, and Zappi, they highlight the urgency of embedding trust,…
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Don’t invite saboteurs into your life
Don’t invite saboteurs into your life One of the reasons I stay motivated to work so hard on so many books, programs, AI tools, and other major initiatives, including our investment firm, is to see feedback from our clients and readers on the difference it makes in their lives. It brightens my day to see…
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The sales you don’t want
Are you focusing on the right kind of sales to grow your consulting practice? In this article, we wanted to share an answer to one of the questions about sales in consulting. Question: Should the goal be to double our sales or increase our sales by 50% or even 10%. What is the right percentage? We…
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Award-winning Author Leslie Grandy on How to Achieve Creative Velocity in the Age of GenAI
Leslie Grandy, a seasoned executive with leadership roles at Apple, Amazon, Best Buy, and T-Mobile, discusses the underestimated nature of creative capability—and how leaders can systematically cultivate it. Drawing from her early career in the film industry and later product leadership across Fortune 50 companies, she presents a grounded, practical perspective on how creativity functions…
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Harvard’s Bill George on Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace
In this wide-ranging and direct conversation, Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and Harvard Business School professor, offers a disciplined framework for leading in conditions of persistent volatility. Drawing from decades of leadership experience and research, George emphasizes that leadership today is no longer about managing processes, it is about confronting ambiguity, enabling experimentation, and sustaining…
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American Economist and Professor, Steve Hanke, on Rewriting the Rules of Our Financial System
Central banks in major economies have repeatedly misread inflation trends by relying on models that omit a fundamental economic lever: the money supply. In this episode, economist Steve Hanke offers a detailed critique of prevailing post-Keynesian frameworks and the policy missteps that have followed. Drawing on historical and current data, Hanke underscores the predictive power…