Lead From the Heart

    Most leaders say they want a high-performing team. Far know how to build one. Ron Friedman, author of Superteams: The Science and Secrets of High-Performing Teams, joins us to explain what separates the two, and why the answer has less to do with talent than with the conditions people work in. Friedman opens his book with a question: Why do so many leaders ignore what research tells us about how people do their best work? His own research on superteams points to a truly profound conclusion. The teams that perform at the highest level are also the ones where people have very high well-being. In our conversation, we look at how superteams collaborate, and why the best of them guard individual focus as carefully as they build connection. We take on meetings, which a recent MIT study found get in the way of important work for 70% of employees and strike 92% as unproductive. Friedman explains what superteam leaders do differently. We also discuss how a leader’s own habits after hours shape the people who work for them. Then there’s time. Harvard Business School psychologist Ashley Whillans has shown that feeling we have enough time shapes nearly every part of our lives. In a workplace that expects people to be always on, that may be one of the most overlooked drivers of both well-being and performance. Along the way, Friedman makes the case for having chili cook-offs, talent shows, and paper airplane competitions, the kind of activities some leaders dismiss as a distraction from real work. He also describes who belongs on a superteam, and the culture of generosity, trust, and psychological safety that lets people compete and succeed together without rivalry. Taken together, this conversation is a powerful confirmation of why leaders and companies must make employee well-being a key performance indicator. If organizations want high-performing teams, this is the way to get there. Whether you lead five people or five thousand, you will come away with research-backed ideas you can put to use right away. The post Ron Friedman: Why Superteams Have High Well-Being appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    As leaders, we often believe our greatest limitations come from a gap in our skills, knowledge or experience. Pam Manfredo Curtis argues that something we may never have considered likely has even greater influence than any of these. In her work as an executive coach and author of The Origin of a Leader: Transforming Family Patterns Into Leadership Power, she holds that roughly 80 percent of how we act, think and present ourselves in the world was shaped in our childhood – by our parents, siblings, people closest to us, and the significant events we experienced. The point is most of us carry those influences into our work without knowing it – and without ever having reflected on whether the beliefs, behavior and strategies we cultivated during our childhood continue to serve us well today. Coincidentally, these ideas are the foundation for “Know Thyself” and “Know Thy Values,” the first two chapters of Mark’s book, The Power of Employee Well-Being. When leaders actively explore all of the influences that shaped them and come to deeply understand how their values and behaviors were formed, they gain the freedom to act in ways they intentionally choose instead of in ways they were influenced to act long ago. In this conversation, Pam explains what it means to dive into a leader’s backstory and how to identify the “supporting cast” of childhood figures who may still be driving management decisions and interpersonal habits today. She describes three kinds of upbringing she sees in her clients (they grew up in homes of stability, complexity and/or trauma) and what happens to a team’s psychological safety and well-being when someone unknowingly leads from the emotional age of an unresolved trauma. We also discuss why “inner child” work became a mocked pop-psychology meme, and how she reaches skeptical executives who instinctively resist it. The conversation goes back to the beginning: what convinced Pam, both personally and professionally, that childhood shapes leadership so profoundly that she built a career and a book around it. It moves through real examples of the behaviors she’s seen show up in the executives she’s coached — patterns that trace directly back to how they were raised — and what it actually takes to notice and change them. The lens turns inward on both sides of the mic, with real pieces of upbringing on the table, not just theory. This is really a deep-dive into self-work that is at the core of becoming a self-aware and highly effective leader, and intentionally gets into the practical questions that matter most: how long does this kind of self-examination realistically take, what percentage of leaders have actually done it, and what happens to the people around a leader — their teams, their families — when they finally do. It doesn’t shy away from the harder edges either, including what this work looks like for someone whose childhood was genuinely painful, and whether it’s something you can do alone or whether it requires another person to see what you can’t see in yourself. It’s a powerful conversation in support of your own self-exploration. The post Pam Manfredo Curtis: Your Leadership Style Has a Backstory appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    For decades, companies have searched for CEOs capable of transforming organizations through their vision, confidence, and force of will. But what if we’ve been looking for the wrong kind of leader? Constantine Alexandrakis is the CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates and the author of The Catalyst CEO. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with many of the world’s largest organizations, giving him a front-row seat to how CEOs are selected, how executive teams function, and why some organizations successfully transform while others struggle. In this conversation, we explore why the era of the “hero CEO” may be coming to an end and what leaders at every level can learn from organizations that create shared ownership, encourage healthy debate, and value the contributions of people throughout the organization. Drawing on research with more than 1,000 senior leaders around the world, Alexandrakis argues that lasting transformation doesn’t happen because one exceptional leader has all the answers. It happens when leaders create an environment where people at every level contribute their ideas, challenge assumptions, and share responsibility for success. Our conversation also examines some of today’s biggest leadership challenges: creating cultures where employees genuinely feel safe speaking up, building executive teams capable of leading transformation, ensuring organizational values become lived behaviors rather than words on a wall, and listening to employees in ways that lead to meaningful action. One of the most compelling themes to emerge from our discussion is that organizational transformation is, at its core, a human endeavor. Strategy matters, but strategy succeeds only when leaders earn trust, create shared purpose, and empower people throughout the organization to contribute. When leaders value every voice, encourage constructive disagreement, and build environments where people feel heard and respected, organizations become more resilient, more innovative, and better places to work. While The Catalyst CEO is written for CEOs, the lessons extend far beyond the executive suite. Every leader has the opportunity to become a catalyst by creating the conditions for others to succeed. If you’re interested in building healthier cultures, improving employee well-being, and leading teams that are better equipped to navigate change, this conversation offers practical insights into why the future of leadership depends less on having all the answers and more on helping others discover theirs. The post Constantine Alexandrakis: Why Leadership Is No Longer a Solo Act appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    Paula Goldman has been thinking about the role AI should play in our workplaces long before the current boom. As Salesforce’s first Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer, she has spent years helping one of the world’s largest technology companies determine how powerful technologies can be developed and deployed in ways that earn trust and serve people. Her work has included building ethical frameworks, establishing safeguards, engaging employees and stakeholders, and helping make ethical decision-making part of how technology gets built—not something added after the fact. Goldman argues that ethics is not a checklist; it is a mindset and a culture in which people throughout an organization take responsibility for the consequences of what they create. Now, as AI moves rapidly toward autonomous agents capable of taking action, Goldman is focused on a bigger question: How do we make AI work for people rather than simply make people work differently for AI? Her new book, Manage the Machine: How to Harness Human-AI Collaboration at Work, explores that question. Rather than viewing the future as a contest between humans and machines, Goldman envisions a workplace that is “human elevated”—one in which AI takes on more of what machines do well while people contribute more of what makes human judgment valuable. That requires leaders to rethink jobs rather than simply automate existing tasks. It means deciding where AI belongs, where human judgment must remain central, and how employees can develop the skills to work effectively with increasingly capable machines. Goldman has argued that the old idea of keeping a “human in the loop” is no longer sufficient as AI becomes more autonomous. The better model is “human at the helm”: people remain accountable for determining how AI is used, interpreting its output and making consequential decisions. The conversation also explores what happens when technology begins to resemble a colleague, why humans so readily attribute intelligence and agency to machines, and what leaders need to understand about creativity, discernment and common sense that cannot simply be automated. Most importantly, Goldman challenges leaders to look beyond the immediate promise of productivity. If AI is going to transform work, the critical investment is not only in the technology. It is in people—their skills, AI fluency, judgment and ability to know when a machine should be trusted and when it should not. For leaders trying to navigate AI without losing sight of the people who make their organizations work, Goldman offers a compelling argument: the future of work should not be about replacing human beings with machines, but about using AI to elevate what people are uniquely capable of doing. The post Paula Goldman: Why “Human at the Helm” Must Replace “Human in the Loop” appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    Sherry Turkle is one of the most influential voices in the study of how humans relate to technology, and this conversation with her covers new ground on that subject. Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, and a licensed clinical psychologist. For nearly five decades, beginning with the earliest days of personal computing, she has studied the psychological and social consequences of the machines people build and the relationships people form with them. Her earlier books, including The Second Self, Alone Together, and Reclaiming Conversation, have shaped how a generation of researchers, technologists, and leaders think about digital life — and Alone Together, published over fifteen years ago, anticipated with striking accuracy a future in which people would come to see robots and machines as companions worthy of real emotional investment. That future has arrived. Turkle’s newest book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, examines what happens when AI chatbots move beyond productivity tools and begin positioning themselves as friends, romantic partners, and therapists — always available, endlessly patient, and asking nothing in return. Her concern is not that these systems are unconvincing, but that they are convincing enough: that people are beginning to accept the performance of empathy as a substitute for empathy itself, with consequences for solitude, intimacy, and the capacity for genuine human connection. The conversation traces Turkle’s intellectual journey from her early predictions to the present moment, explores what is fundamentally different about AI compared to the technologies she has studied before, and presses into the distinction between authentic care and its convincing imitation. It moves into the workplace, examining what happens to human agency, purpose, and mastery when AI absorbs more of the thinking and communicating people once did themselves — and what is at stake when the relationship between a manager and the people who report to them, long understood as one of the most powerful drivers of well-being, becomes a task AI is asked to perform rather than a bond a human being chooses to show up for. The discussion also turns a critical eye toward the technology industry itself, questioning predictions from prominent tech leaders about AI companionship and probing the well-documented pattern of executives who limit their own children’s exposure to the very technologies they build. It closes with a forward-looking question: what must be protected, deliberately and urgently, to ensure AI serves humanity rather than the reverse. The post Sherry Turkle: What AI Can’t Give Us at Work appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    What happens when the machines we build begin to reshape the way we think about ourselves? For centuries, every major technological revolution has forced humanity to confront the same fundamental question: As our tools become more powerful, what remains uniquely human? Financial Times journalist, Sarah O’Connor has spent years exploring that question. In her remarkable book, We Are Not Machines, she examines how technology has transformed the world of work—from the agricultural revolution to the Industrial Revolution, the rise of computing, and now the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence. Through reporting from factories, workplaces, warehouses, and organizations on the front lines of technological change, she explores not only what technology can do, but what it means for the people who use it. Her central argument is both timely and profound: The greatest danger may not be that machines become more like humans, but that humans begin to see themselves through the lens of machines. In an era where organizations can measure more, automate more, and optimize more than ever before, leaders face a critical choice. Will technology be used to make work more human—or will it reduce people to data points, productivity metrics, and interchangeable parts? This conversation explores the lessons Sarah learned while researching the future of work, including what she discovered inside one of Amazon’s most advanced fulfillment centers, where humans and sophisticated robotics work side by side. It also examines the growing debate about artificial intelligence and whether predictions that AI will replace vast numbers of white-collar jobs reflect reality—or misunderstand the complexity of human contribution. As AI becomes increasingly capable, Sarah challenges leaders to consider a deeper question: What qualities make human beings valuable when machines can perform more tasks than ever before? Creativity, judgment, empathy, relationships, curiosity, and purpose may become not less important, but more essential. The conversation also explores who should decide how AI is introduced into organizations and what responsibility leaders have to ensure technology strengthens rather than undermines employee well-being. The future of work will not be determined by technology alone. It will be shaped by the choices leaders make about the kind of workplaces they want to create. The post Sarah O’Connor: Keeping Work Human in the Age of AI appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    Paul Osterman is Professor Emeritus of Human Resources and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and one of the most important scholars examining how the structure of work is profoundly changing in organizations today. His research focuses on a growing and often overlooked shift in employment: the rise of “disposable workers.” Osterman estimates that roughly 35% of today’s workforce now falls into this category in some form. While public attention often centers on gig work — Uber drivers, DoorDash couriers, and freelance labor — his work shows that this is only a small part of the story. In fact, gig workers make up just around 2% of the workforce, and many use that work as supplemental income rather than their primary employment. The deeper transformation, Osterman argues, is happening inside traditional organizations. Increasingly, companies are redesigning jobs and employment relationships in order to greatly reduce the compensation and benefits they offer. This doesn’t just apply to custodial or cafeteria workers, it includes adjunct professors who earn substantially less money than their peers and have zero chance of every earning tenure. It applies to attorneys in elite firms who are precluded from ever becoming a partner — and contract or contingent workers embedded within major companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. These workers often perform similar functions to full-time employees but remain structurally separated from the organizations they serve. Osterman’s work highlights a fundamental shift in how companies think about labor. Rather than hiring employee as long-term investments, organizations are increasingly guided by a hierarchy of choices: automate work where possible, outsource when automation is not feasible, rely on contractors when outsourcing is more efficient, and hire full-time employees only as a last resort. On the surface, this approach is often justified in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and competitiveness. It allows firms to scale labor up and down in response to market demands and reduce the fixed costs associated with permanent employment. But Osterman’s research raises deeper questions about the broader consequences of this model — not only for workers, but for organizations themselves. What happens to trust, commitment, and organizational culture when a growing share of the workforce is structurally temporary or peripheral? What are the psychological and social effects on individuals who are fully inside organizations in terms of output, but not fully included in terms of opportunity, training, stability, or belonging? These are not abstract concerns. They go to the heart of how modern work is experienced — and whether the current trajectory of employment is sustainable in the long run. In this conversation, Osterman explores the economic logic driving these changes, the historical evolution of employer-employee relationships, and the implications of accelerating automation and AI. He also examines whether these trends are an inevitable outcome of capitalism, or whether alternative models of work are still possible — ones that balance flexibility with dignity, and efficiency with long-term human investment. The post Paul Osterman: The Rise Of The Disposable Worker appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    In an era marked by rising depression, loneliness, distractibility, burnout and overall declining well-being, many leaders are searching for more effective ways to support their own flourishing and that of their teams. In this compelling conversation, Cortland Dahl, PhD, shares truly transformative insights from his new book, Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving, co-authored with renowned neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson. Dahl serves as a Contemplative Scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With a unique background that includes nearly a decade living in Himalayan monasteries and Tibetan refugee communities, years of solitary retreat, fluency in Tibetan, and the translation of classical meditation texts, he brings rare depth to the intersection of ancient contemplative wisdom and cutting-edge neuroscience. Together with Davidson, Dahl has helped develop the Healthy Minds Framework — a practical, research-backed model showing that humans are literally born with an innate capacity to flourish. The book reveals that genuine well-being arises not from mindfulness alone, but through the cultivation of four interconnected skills: Awareness, Connection, Insight, and Purpose. These trainable practices, grounded in both brain science and timeless wisdom, can be developed in just a few minutes a day and have been shown to rewire the brain for greater resilience, kindness, and meaning — even amid life’s inevitable challenges. This episode dives deep into each of the four skills, exploring simple, everyday ways individuals can build them, while also addressing the critical question of how workplace leaders can intentionally model and cultivate these qualities to elevate employee well-being and create healthier, more connected organizational cultures. Dahl shares why mastering all four skills together produces results far more powerful than any single practice, and how flourishing can become contagious within teams. If you care about leading with heart, reducing burnout, strengthening human connection, and helping people thrive rather than merely survive, this conversation offers both hope and practical guidance. Tune in to discover how ancient truths and modern science can transform the way we work and live. The post Cortland Dahl: Born to Flourish – The Four Skills That Unlock a Life of Well-Being appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    What if one of the greatest threats to employee well-being isn’t workload, stress or even burnout— but the growing feeling that people simply do not matter where they work? That is the premise behind The Power of Mattering by Zach Mercurio, and the foundation of this compelling conversation about leadership, human significance, and the emotional realities of modern work. At a time when nearly 60% of employees say their job is negatively affecting their mental health, Zach argues that organizations are overlooking one of the most fundamental human needs: feeling valued by others and knowing we add value to others. In other words, people need to know they matter. The discussion explores why loneliness at work is less about physical isolation and more about feeling unseen, unheard, and ultimately insignificant — and why treating people as interchangeable or disposable quietly undermines emotional well-being, trust, commitment, and performance. Throughout the conversation, Mercurio argues that cultures where people feel noticed, affirmed, and needed are the very cultures where people thrive and organizations perform at their best. The interview also examines how many workplaces unintentionally create what could be called a “crisis of disposability,” where employees increasingly feel replaceable rather than essential. Many of the solutions Mercurio discusses will feel familiar to longtime listeners of the podcast because themes like belonging, emotional connection, recognition, empathy, and genuinely caring for people have been central to these conversations from the very beginning — and are core ideas presented in Lead From The Heart and The Power of Employee Well-Being. But this episode goes deeper into the specific concept of mattering itself — what it means, why it affects mental health so profoundly, and how leaders can intentionally create environments where people feel significant. Grounded in research yet deeply human, this conversation ultimately asks leaders to reconsider what their role truly is. Perhaps leadership is not primarily about managing performance at all. Perhaps it is about making people feel they’re essential — because when human beings feel that they matter, healthier cultures and better results naturally follow. The post Zach Mercurio: Why People Need to Feel They Matter at Work appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

    What if the way most companies are run today—chasing short-term profits, cutting corners, exploiting customers, and ignoring employee well-being—is actually the opposite of what creates lasting organizational success? Eric Ries, author of the bestselling The Lean Startup and in his new book, Incorruptible, has spent decades studying how organizations can thrive over the long term while genuinely improving the lives of employees, customers, and communities. In Incorruptible, he argues that the most enduring, high-performing companies are guided by a mission that advances human flourishing and a principled ethos that shapes every decision and action. These organizations resist shortcuts, prioritize employee well-being, and refuse to squeeze customers—proving that ethics and excellence are inseparable. Eric brings these ideas to life with vivid examples. He examines 3M, where a strong corporate ethos fueled groundbreaking innovation like Post-it Notes, and shows what happens when organizations like them abandon their guiding principles. He highlights Sol Price’s Price Club, a discount retailer which built extraordinary success by treating employees and customers with care, and how that culture carried forward when Price Club merged with Costco, where Jim Sinegal continued the same principles at an even larger scale. The conversation dives into why so few companies pursue this “road less traveled,” the perils of short-term thinking, and how leaders, boards, and investors can embrace principled, long-term leadership. Eric also shares actionable insights for individual leaders who want to build an incorruptible culture within their own teams—even when systems often reward the opposite. For anyone who cares about creating workplaces where employees thrive, where all people are treated with respect and dignity, and where long-term success doesn’t come at the expense of human well-being, this episode is packed with insights and practical lessons. Listen now to discover how incorruptible organizations are built, why they matter, and what it takes to lead with principles, purpose, and care in a world that too often values the opposite. The post Eric Ries: Why Most Companies Are Built to Fail appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.