L. David Marquet, former nuclear submarine commander and author of Leadership Is Language, shares a precise, operational approach to leadership, one that replaces command-and-control with a language designed for clarity, ownership, and adaptability. Drawing on his experience turning the USS Santa Fe from one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet to one of the best, David shows how seemingly small shifts in language can radically improve decision-making, learning speed, and execution.

David rejects the traditional leader–follower model in favor of a leader–leader framework, where decision rights are pushed “to the people closest to the information.” He explains how questions, statements, and the timing of communication directly shape whether teams think critically or default to compliance.

“What we say and when we say it changes what people do. Language is a leadership technology.”

• Replace Permission with Intent
  Moving from “Can I…?” to “I intend to…” changes accountability and ownership:
  “When people tell me what they intend to do, they’re already owning the decision.”
  
  

• Protect Redwork and Bluework
  David distinguishes between redwork (doing) and bluework (thinking/planning) and stresses keeping them separate:
  “Mixing them degrades both. You want focused doing and focused thinking.”
  
  

• Sequence for Thinking, Not Speed
  Meetings often reward quick answers over thoughtful ones. Asking the most junior person to speak first helps reduce conformity bias.
  
  

• Use Language to Invite Dissent
  Adding uncertainty—“I’m not sure, but…”—creates psychological safety and surfaces crucial information that might otherwise stay hidden.
  
  

• Leaders Design Systems, Not Just Give Answers
  The leader’s job is to build communication structures that distribute thinking and enable faster adaptation in changing conditions.
  
  

This episode is a practical blueprint for leaders who want to operationalize empowerment without losing control. By deliberately changing how they speak and listen, executives can create teams that are more resilient, accountable, and high-performing.

Get David’s new book here: https://shorturl.at/sv6QO

Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions

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Sarah Elk, Senior Partner at Bain & Company and global leader of its operating model work, brings a clear, pragmatic lens to why so many large-scale change efforts fail to stick. Drawing on decades of advising multinational organizations, she diagnoses the structural and behavioral traps that cause transformations to stall, and shares the disciplines that make change durable.

Elk emphasizes that transformation is not a one-off program but an enduring capability that must be “led from the top and embedded in the culture.” She cautions against outsourcing responsibility to a program office:

“If the CEO is not leading it and the leadership team isn’t engaged in the change, you might get something done, but it will erode quickly.”

Key Insights from the Conversation:

Clarity on Non-Negotiables

Many failed transformations lack a shared definition of the “non-negotiables” in the new operating model. Without them, execution becomes fragmented.

“You have to be crystal clear on what’s standard and what’s flexible.”

Outcomes Over Activity

Successful change efforts anchor to measurable business results, not just activity metrics or generic benchmarks.

“It’s not about hitting 80 percent of a checklist. It’s about whether you’ve moved the needle on the outcomes you care about.”

Leadership Alignment Is a Continuous Process

Alignment isn’t built in a single offsite; it requires ongoing dialogue, joint problem-solving, and confronting decisions that challenge entrenched interests.

“You need the leadership team acting as one—every week, every month—not just at the kickoff.”

Manage Change Fatigue

Overloading the organization erodes momentum. Sequencing initiatives and celebrating visible early wins tied to strategy helps sustain energy.

“People get tired. You have to show progress and give them space to breathe.”

Governance, Incentives, and Talent Must Evolve Together

Elk warns that without parallel changes to systems and structures, “behavior will revert to what it was before.”

The discussion reframes transformation from a high-profile event into a muscle organizations must build and maintain. For executives seeking change that endures beyond the initial push, Elk offers a blueprint grounded in operational rigor, leadership accountability, and cultural realism.

Get Sarah’s book here: https://shorturl.at/Tyotz

Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos

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John Horn, professor of economics at Washington University's Olin Business School and former McKinsey strategist, shares a disciplined framework for understanding competitive behavior by applying game theory and structured simulations. In this episode, he explains how companies can elevate competitor analysis from basic intelligence gathering to actionable strategic insight.

Horn begins by debunking the common misconception that many competitors behave irrationally. As he puts it:

“Every single time a client said the competitor is irrational, I could ask them... two, three questions which would explain... why the company was being rational in what they were doing.”

He outlines a four-step framework leaders can use to model likely competitive behavior:

1. Observe what competitors say and do, including press releases, earnings calls, and other public data.
   
   

2. Assess their assets, resources, and capabilities, and imagine what you'd do in their position.
   
   

3. Identify the decision-maker and their background to infer how they think:
   
   

“If you grew up as a marketer and you became a CEO, you’re going to look at the world from a marketing perspective.”

1. Make a short-term prediction, write it down, and revisit it:
   
   

“It becomes a virtuous cycle of getting a better insight into how that competitor thinks.”

Horn emphasizes that many firms fall short because they stop at step one or lack mechanisms to feed deeper insights into decision-making. He also stresses the role of empathy—not sympathy—in strategy:

“I do have to empathize, understand why they’re making the choices they make.”

War gaming, in Horn's view, is a powerful simulation tool, not theater.

“It’s a chance to practice business choices in a risk-free way... and just a much more realistic discussion.”

For entrepreneurs or under-resourced teams, Horn offers a lighter-weight version called "War Gaming Lite," which enables rapid, structured thinking about competitive responses using only internal knowledge and role-playing.

He also discusses how human biases, short-term incentives, and lack of time make both your firm and your rivals more predictable than you might think:

“People really are predictable... It’s not rocket science—it’s about being disciplined.”

Whether you're a startup founder or a Fortune 500 executive, this episode offers practical steps to improve your strategic foresight and competitive positioning, grounded in empathy, behavioral realism, and iterative prediction.

Get John’s book here: https://shorturl.at/6DOyh

Inside the Competitor's Mindset: How to Predict Their Next Move and Position Yourself for Success.

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For this episode, let's revisit one of Strategy Skills classics, where we interviewed Kate Smaje, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Global Leader of McKinsey Digital.

In this episode, Kate offers a clear-eyed and disciplined perspective on what it takes for organizations to succeed in digital transformation. Drawing from deep client work across industries, she outlines a practical, results-focused view of how digital can be embedded into the operating core, not treated as a parallel initiative or buzzword.

Kate Smaje challenges conventional narratives around innovation, urging leaders to look beyond technology adoption and focus instead on talent systems, cultural alignment, and strategic clarity. “We often start with a conversation about tech, but the value comes from the way you bring it all together,” she says.

“If you think digital is the job of the digital team, you’ve missed the point. It’s about how the whole organization behaves.”

• Digital Transformation Must Be CEO-Led and Enterprise-Wide
  Smaje emphasizes that meaningful transformation requires the involvement of the full organization, not just IT or digital teams.
  
  “Digital is everyone’s job. The companies who really succeed have a CEO and leadership team who are actively engaged.”
  
  
  

• Shift Metrics from Volume to Value
  She critiques outdated performance metrics:
  
  “If you’re just measuring lines of code or hours worked or features shipped, you’re not measuring outcomes.”
  
  
  

• Technology Without Architecture Is Just Chaos
  Many companies overemphasize agile practices but underinvest in foundational tech and data coherence.
  
  “You can’t run 300 agile teams and not have an architecture that supports it. It’s like having everyone run at speed but in different directions.”
  
  
  

• Product Ownership and Cross-Functional Clarity Are Essential
  Successful organizations empower teams with clear product mandates while maintaining enterprise-wide alignment.
  
  “The product owner model is about creating real accountability, with multidisciplinary teams who have the context to make decisions.”
  
  
  

• Leadership Behavior Drives Cultural Change
  Where leaders focus their time is a key signal:
  
  “One of the biggest indicators of success is how leadership spends its calendar.”
  
  
  

This conversation is essential listening for senior executives who want to move beyond surface-level digital initiatives and embed durable capabilities that support both innovation and performance. Smaje leaves no doubt: digital excellence is not a side project—it’s a leadership discipline.

Get Kate’s book here: https://shorturl.at/hxqk6

REWIRED: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI. Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, Rodney Zemmel.

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For this episode, let's revisit one of Strategy Skills classics, where we discuss when a consultant must dissent and how it should be done.

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Rachelle Robinett, founder of Pharmakon Supernatural and educator in holistic health, offers a clear, science-aware framework for supporting energy, focus, and stress regulation, without defaulting to pharmaceuticals or overstimulation. In this episode, she explores how plant-based medicine, nutrition, and daily practices can be woven into practical, long-term routines that support resilience and cognitive clarity.

Robinett challenges the assumption that performance must rely on synthetic energy or end in burnout. Drawing from her work at the intersection of herbalism and evidence-based wellness, she shares actionable strategies for optimizing physiological readiness through balance, not intensity.

“I’m really interested in how we can live well without needing to biohack or rely on pharmaceuticals or stimulants or even supplementation all the time.”

Key insights from the conversation include:

Stimulants Borrow, Not Create Energy

Robinett explains that caffeine and similar compounds don’t give us energy; they “just turn off the signals of fatigue.” Instead, she emphasizes rhythm management, aligning with circadian patterns and energy cycles:

“You don’t have to be on all the time. And if we try to be, the crash will always come.”

Herbs Should Be Matched to Mechanism, Not Trend

She encourages listeners to move beyond marketing labels like “adaptogen,” noting that compounds like rhodiola (stimulating) and reishi (sedating) serve very different roles.

“Match your plants to your goals... It’s kind of like caffeine; if you don’t need it, don’t take it.”

Sugar Is Energizing, But Often Disruptive

Robinett discusses how sugar can be paired with fiber, fat, or protein to reduce its volatility:

“Sugar is biologically energizing… but we tend to use it in ways that give us a spike and then a crash.”

Daily Practices Outperform Sporadic Interventions

Light exposure, meal timing, and breathwork help regulate the autonomic nervous system more effectively than isolated hacks:

“What we do daily matters more than what we do occasionally… so many people don’t understand how profoundly their breathing patterns are affecting their state.”

Recovery Is an Active Recalibration

Robinett distinguishes between activities that feel restful and those that actually reset the stress response system:

“Sometimes the things we think are relaxing are not—Netflix, alcohol, even yoga. True recovery is shifting the nervous system.”

This conversation reframes wellness not as indulgence or optimization, but as physiological literacy—a disciplined, systems-level approach to mental clarity and endurance. For professionals seeking alternatives to overstimulation, Robinett offers a sustainable path toward long-term resilience and regulated energy.

Get Rachelle’s book here: https://shorturl.at/q7TDb

Naturally: The Herbalist's Guide to Health and Transformation

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Vanessa Druskat, organizational psychologist and professor at the University of New Hampshire, discusses team emotional intelligence (EI) as a predictor of sustained performance. Building on her foundational work with Daniel Goleman, Druskat focuses not on individual EQ, but on the group-level norms and practices that distinguish effective teams, particularly in complex, high-stakes environments.

Druskat identifies three core team norms essential to cultivating group EI: mutual trust, constructive expression of emotions, and norms that support individual and group self-awareness. These are not “soft” ideals; they function as operational levers for managing conflict, decision-making quality, and adaptability.

Key takeaways include:

High-performing teams are not those without conflict, but those with processes for metabolizing conflict. Druskat emphasizes the role of emotional expression norms in allowing task-related disagreement while mitigating interpersonal friction.

Leaders significantly influence team EI by modeling openness and emotional competence, but sustained performance requires that these behaviors be embedded in team norms, not reliant on individual charisma or authority.

Team emotional intelligence predicts effectiveness beyond technical competence, especially when teams must adapt to ambiguity, pressure, or interdependence. Druskat cites multiple studies where team EI predicted performance outcomes more reliably than IQ or experience.

Psychological safety is necessary but not sufficient. Teams with high EI create an environment where members not only feel safe but are also expected to monitor and manage the group’s emotional climate.

Organizations often undermine team EI unintentionally, through forced competition, misaligned incentives, or ignoring the emotional fallout of change. Druskat suggests that senior leaders regularly audit not just team outcomes, but the emotional processes behind them.

This episode reframes emotional intelligence not as a personal trait but as an institutional capability with measurable consequences for execution, resilience, and organizational learning. The discussion is particularly relevant for senior professionals seeking to institutionalize performance through culture rather than control.

Get Vanessa’s book here: https://shorturl.at/u5KOs

The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest

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Margaret Moore, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and former biotech CEO, brings decades of experience at the intersection of science, strategy, and human development to this conversation. In this episode, she unpacks The Science of Leadership, the forthcoming book she co-authored after reviewing hundreds of meta-analyses and large-scale studies, ultimately synthesizing leadership science into a framework of nine essential capacities.

Moore emphasizes the role of conscious leadership, defined as the ability to “see things clearly” by quieting internal “ego noise”, the arousal, impatience, and worry that cloud judgment. She highlights the emerging concept of the quiet ego, noting that “you’re still impactful... but with a way of being quiet about it that people can absorb more easily.”

Challenging conventional strength-based approaches, Moore advocates for psychological wholeness, encouraging leaders to access underused capacities—such as empathy, creativity, and intuition—to become more balanced and mature decision-makers: “You’ll be surprised that you have it there… You actually, if you pause, can access [it], like playing or being an orchestra conductor.”

She also discusses how intuition, often misunderstood as abstract, is a skill that can be developed through stillness, reflection, and experience: “Creativity is flow, and flow is when you let go of control… It’s the opposite of our main mode.”

The conversation underscores the importance of strategic adaptability. Drawing on research, Moore shares that while humility doesn't improve a leader’s own performance, “other people’s performance is improved if you’re humble. So you don’t do it for yourself, you do it for them.” But she also cautions: in crises, “humility is not what people want. They want strong leaders out in front, in charge.”

Finally, Moore distinguishes between empathy and compassionate leadership, where compassion is “respect and understanding… with action,” and can be both more sustainable and effective in driving accountability.

For leaders ready to evolve beyond performance and toward genuine transformation, this conversation offers a research-grounded framework and an invitation to reflect: “In the moment, there’s always the potential. If you’re just awake, you will feel it. And you can act on it.”

Get Margaret’s book here: https://shorturl.at/tuRKR

The Science of Leadership: Nine Ways to Expand Your Impact

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