Bill George is one of the most influential leadership thinkers of our time. A former CEO of Medtronic and long-time Harvard Business School professor, he’s served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, and the Mayo Clinic. His books including True North and True North: Emerging Leader Edition—have shaped how thousands of leaders approach purpose, values, and character. When performance pressure rises, it’s easy for leaders to drift from their values chasing quarterly metrics, external validation, and “style” over substance. Bill argues the opposite: sustainable performance springs from purpose, self-awareness, and a culture people believe in. We explore how to stay grounded as expectations, visibility, and success scale. You’ll learn how authentic leaders make the hard calls without becoming “nice at the expense of necessary,” choose metrics that drive meaning (not gaming), and build teams that keep you honest, learning, and aligned. In this episode we cover: •Authentic leadership: what it is and isn’t •Purpose-first strategy •The Medtronic metric: measuring outcomes people feel, not just inputs •Making tough people &amp; portfolio decisions without losing your values •Building your leadership circle for honest feedback &amp; growth •Short-term vs. long-term: preventing KPI gaming and hollow wins Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction to Outthinkers Podcast 00:35 Bill George on Medtronic&apos;s Impact 01:40 Bill George&apos;s Leadership Journey 05:00 Defining Strategy and Purpose 10:32 Authentic Leadership Explained 12:45 Challenges and Examples of Leadership 16:04 Personal Growth and Leadership 20:53 Developing Self-Awareness as a Leader 22:15 Facing Crucibles: Overcoming Tough Times 23:47 Exercises for Self-Discovery 25:33 The Power of Small Groups 27:32 Long-Standing Support Systems 29:28 Assessing Leadership Values 33:01 Effective Metrics for Leadership 39:56 Engaging with Bill George Additional Resources •Bill George — Website: https://www.billgeorge.org •LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwgeorge/ •Book: True North: Emerging Leader Edition •Book: True North •Kaihan Krippendorff: https://www.outthinker.com Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

<description>&lt;p&gt;Bill George is one of the most influential leadership thinkers of our time. A former CEO of Medtronic and long-time Harvard Business School professor, he’s served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, and the Mayo Clinic. His books including True North and True North: Emerging Leader Edition—have shaped how thousands of leaders approach purpose, values, and character.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;When performance pressure rises, it’s easy for leaders to drift from their values chasing quarterly metrics, external validation, and “style” over substance. Bill argues the opposite: sustainable performance springs from purpose, self-awareness, and a culture people believe in. We explore how to stay grounded as expectations, visibility, and success scale.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;You’ll learn how authentic leaders make the hard calls without becoming “nice at the expense of necessary,” choose metrics that drive meaning (not gaming), and build teams that keep you honest, learning, and aligned.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In this episode we cover:&lt;br/&gt;•Authentic leadership: what it is and isn’t&lt;br/&gt;•Purpose-first strategy&lt;br/&gt;•The Medtronic metric: measuring outcomes people feel, not just inputs&lt;br/&gt;•Making tough people &amp;amp; portfolio decisions without losing your values&lt;br/&gt;•Building your leadership circle for honest feedback &amp;amp; growth&lt;br/&gt;•Short-term vs. long-term: preventing KPI gaming and hollow wins&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Episode Timeline&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;00:00 Introduction to Outthinkers Podcast&lt;br/&gt;00:35 Bill George on Medtronic&amp;apos;s Impact&lt;br/&gt;01:40 Bill George&amp;apos;s Leadership Journey&lt;br/&gt;05:00 Defining Strategy and Purpose&lt;br/&gt;10:32 Authentic Leadership Explained&lt;br/&gt;12:45 Challenges and Examples of Leadership&lt;br/&gt;16:04 Personal Growth and Leadership&lt;br/&gt;20:53 Developing Self-Awareness as a Leader&lt;br/&gt;22:15 Facing Crucibles: Overcoming Tough Times&lt;br/&gt;23:47 Exercises for Self-Discovery&lt;br/&gt;25:33 The Power of Small Groups&lt;br/&gt;27:32 Long-Standing Support Systems&lt;br/&gt;29:28 Assessing Leadership Values&lt;br/&gt;33:01 Effective Metrics for Leadership&lt;br/&gt;39:56 Engaging with Bill George&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Additional Resources&lt;br/&gt;•Bill George — Website: https://www.billgeorge.org&lt;br/&gt;•LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwgeorge/&lt;br/&gt;•Book: True North: Emerging Leader Edition&lt;br/&gt;•Book: True North&lt;br/&gt;•Kaihan Krippendorff: https://www.outthinker.com&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Bill George is one of the most influential leadership thinkers of our time. A former CEO of Medtronic and long-time Harvard Business School professor, he’s served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, and the Mayo Clinic. His books including True North and True North: Emerging Leader Edition—have shaped how thousands of leaders approach purpose, values, and character.  When performance pressure rises, it’s easy for leaders to drift from their values chasing quarterly metrics, ...

#156 — Bill George: Authentic Leadership, Purpose & Performance

Meet Jon Levy — behavioral scientist and author of Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius and the NYT/WSJ bestseller You’re Invited. Jon has spent years studying human behavior and leadership mechanics, advising companies on how to build teams that actually perform—beyond leadership myths and buzzwords.We often hire “A-players,” roll out values, and assume great leadership traits will carry us. Then reality hits: strategy doesn’t execute itself—teams do. Jon explains why the smallest unit of performance is the team, why stacking stars backfires, and how culture and language shape what people actually do. If you’re trying to align leaders who don’t buy the data, this one’s for you.You’ll learn how to engineer collective intelligence—the practical habits, roles, and rituals that raise a team’s game, how to recruit and empower “glue players,” and how to make strategy felt when spreadsheets won’t persuade. <h1>In this episode we cover:</h1> <ul><li>Culture as operating system: the sayings, status cues, and rituals that drive behavior (Apple’s “surprise and delight,” LEGO’s “fireside”).</li><li>Bursty communication: why teams should “work together, then work apart” to boost problem-solving.</li><li>Glue players: high-EQ, team-first multipliers (and why too many stars tank performance).</li><li>Make the implicit explicit: roles, skills, and “player cards” that speed decisions.</li><li>Trust, not traits: honesty, competence, benevolence—and dealing with the dark tetrad at work.</li><li>When data won’t convince: crafting a narrative that makes people feel the better future.</li></ul> <h1>Episode Timeline</h1> 00:00 Introduction 00:36 Coming Up...01:47 Unpacking Team Intelligence with John Levy02:47 Insights on Leadership and Team Dynamics05:13 The Role of Culture in Organizations13:49 The Impact of Language on Behavior16:54 The Concept of Glue Players18:14 The Key to Predicting Success in Basketball19:02 Characteristics of Glue Players21:25 The Importance of Team Dynamics23:49 The Antwerp Diamond Heist: A Lesson in Teamwork27:52 Making Implicit Knowledge Explicit29:36 The Dark Side of Team Dynamics31:29 Understanding Trust in Teams34:06 The Role of Emotion in Strategy35:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts <h1>Additional Resources</h1> <ul><li>Jon Levy — Website: https://www.jonlevy.com</li><li>Book: https://www.jonlevy.com/team-intelligence</li><li>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlevytlb</li></ul>Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

<description>&lt;p&gt;Meet Jon Levy — behavioral scientist and author of Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius and the NYT/WSJ bestseller You’re Invited. Jon has spent years studying human behavior and leadership mechanics, advising companies on how to build teams that actually perform—beyond leadership myths and buzzwords.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We often hire “A-players,” roll out values, and assume great leadership traits will carry us. Then reality hits: strategy doesn’t execute itself—teams do. Jon explains why the smallest unit of performance is the team, why stacking stars backfires, and how culture and language shape what people actually do. If you’re trying to align leaders who don’t buy the data, this one’s for you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll learn how to engineer collective intelligence—the practical habits, roles, and rituals that raise a team’s game, how to recruit and empower “glue players,” and how to make strategy &lt;em&gt;felt&lt;/em&gt; when spreadsheets won’t persuade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;b&gt;In this episode we cover:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Culture as operating system:&lt;/b&gt; the sayings, status cues, and rituals that drive behavior (Apple’s “surprise and delight,” LEGO’s “fireside”).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bursty communication:&lt;/b&gt; why teams should “work together, then work apart” to boost problem-solving.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Glue players:&lt;/b&gt; high-EQ, team-first multipliers (and why too many stars tank performance).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Make the implicit explicit:&lt;/b&gt; roles, skills, and “player cards” that speed decisions.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Trust, not traits:&lt;/b&gt; honesty, competence, benevolence—and dealing with the dark tetrad at work.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;When data won’t convince:&lt;/b&gt; crafting a narrative that makes people feel the better future.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;b&gt;Episode Timeline&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:00 Introduction &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:36 Coming Up...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;01:47 Unpacking Team Intelligence with John Levy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;02:47 Insights on Leadership and Team Dynamics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;05:13 The Role of Culture in Organizations&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;13:49 The Impact of Language on Behavior&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;16:54 The Concept of Glue Players&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;18:14 The Key to Predicting Success in Basketball&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;19:02 Characteristics of Glue Players&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;21:25 The Importance of Team Dynamics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;23:49 The Antwerp Diamond Heist: A Lesson in Teamwork&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;27:52 Making Implicit Knowledge Explicit&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;29:36 The Dark Side of Team Dynamics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;31:29 Understanding Trust in Teams&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;34:06 The Role of Emotion in Strategy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;35:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;b&gt;Additional Resources&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Jon Levy — Website: https://www.jonlevy.com&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Book: https://www.jonlevy.com/team-intelligence&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlevytlb&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Meet Jon Levy — behavioral scientist and author of Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius and the NYT/WSJ bestseller You’re Invited. Jon has spent years studying human behavior and leadership mechanics, advising companies on how to build teams that actually perform—beyond leadership myths and buzzwords. We often hire “A-players,” roll out values, and assume great leadership traits will carry us. Then reality hits: strategy doesn’t execute itself—teams do. Jon explai...

#155 — Jon Levy: Team Intelligence, Glue Players, and the Culture That Executes Strategy

Christina Farr is an investor, startup advisor, and former health-tech journalist. She’s the author of The Storyteller’s Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive and the creator of the Second Opinion newsletter, where she decodes healthcare and technology for leaders.Most leaders try to move markets with features, roadmaps, and metrics. But the winners often move them with narrative—stories that rally investors, customers, and teams to build the future with them. Christina unpacks how great storytellers create belief that becomes momentum. You’ll learn a simple framework to make your strategy legible and compelling, how to pick the right plot for your message, and practical ways to craft origin stories, pitch decks, and CEO communications that persuade. In this episode we cover: <ul><li>The SOAP framework: Surprise, Openness, Authenticity, Pathos</li><li>Seven classic plots for business (from David vs. Goliath to Rebirth) and when to use each</li><li>Case studies: PillPack vs. incumbents; Apple’s comeback; Microsoft’s reinvention; WeWork’s cautionary tale</li><li>Fundraising and sales: decks that move capital and customers</li><li>Leading in tense moments: speaking to charged issues without fracturing culture</li></ul> Episode Timeline:00:00 – Highlight from today’s episode01:05 – Introducing Christina + the power of narrative in business03:05 – “If you really know me…”04:20 – What is strategy? Story as prognostication07:10 – Why story beats data alone in pitches, sales, and retention10:55 – The SOAP framework (Surprise, Openness, Authenticity, Pathos)18:40 – Engineering surprise; calibrating vulnerability22:00 – Seven plots leaders can borrow (with modern brand examples)28:45 – Case study: PillPack’s David vs. Goliath playbook32:40 – Rebirths and tragedies: Apple, Microsoft, WeWork36:10 – Origin stories that travel (and ones that don’t)38:10 – CEO comms on divisive topics, without breaking culture39:20 – Where to learn more from Christina Additional Resources: <ul><li>Book: The Storyteller’s Advantage — Christina Farr (Basic Venture) -https://basic-venture.com/titles/christina-farr/the-storytellers-advantage/9781541704299/</li><li>Newsletter: Second Opinion - https://secondopinion.media/</li><li>Christina Farr on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/</li></ul>Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

<description>&lt;p&gt;Christina Farr is an investor, startup advisor, and former health-tech journalist. She’s the author of &lt;em&gt;The Storyteller’s Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive&lt;/em&gt; and the creator of the &lt;em&gt;Second Opinion&lt;/em&gt; newsletter, where she decodes healthcare and technology for leaders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most leaders try to move markets with features, roadmaps, and metrics. But the winners often move them with narrative—stories that rally investors, customers, and teams to build the future with them. Christina unpacks how great storytellers create belief that becomes momentum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll learn a simple framework to make your strategy legible and compelling, how to pick the right plot for your message, and practical ways to craft origin stories, pitch decks, and CEO communications that persuade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;In this episode we cover:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The SOAP framework: Surprise, Openness, Authenticity, Pathos&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Seven classic plots for business (from David vs. Goliath to Rebirth) and when to use each&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Case studies: PillPack vs. incumbents; Apple’s comeback; Microsoft’s reinvention; WeWork’s cautionary tale&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fundraising and sales: decks that move capital and customers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Leading in tense moments: speaking to charged issues without fracturing culture&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Episode Timeline:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:00 – Highlight from today’s episode&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;01:05 – Introducing Christina + the power of narrative in business&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;03:05 – “If you really know me…”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;04:20 – What is strategy? Story as prognostication&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;07:10 – Why story beats data alone in pitches, sales, and retention&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;10:55 – The SOAP framework (Surprise, Openness, Authenticity, Pathos)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;18:40 – Engineering surprise; calibrating vulnerability&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;22:00 – Seven plots leaders can borrow (with modern brand examples)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;28:45 – Case study: PillPack’s David vs. Goliath playbook&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;32:40 – Rebirths and tragedies: Apple, Microsoft, WeWork&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;36:10 – Origin stories that travel (and ones that don’t)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;38:10 – CEO comms on divisive topics, without breaking culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;39:20 – Where to learn more from Christina&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Additional Resources:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Book: &lt;em&gt;The Storyteller’s Advantage&lt;/em&gt; — Christina Farr (Basic Venture) -https://basic-venture.com/titles/christina-farr/the-storytellers-advantage/9781541704299/&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Newsletter: &lt;em&gt;Second Opinion - &lt;/em&gt;https://secondopinion.media/&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Christina Farr on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Christina Farr is an investor, startup advisor, and former health-tech journalist. She’s the author of The Storyteller’s Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive and the creator of the Second Opinion newsletter, where she decodes healthcare and technology for leaders. Most leaders try to move markets with features, roadmaps, and metrics. But the winners often move them with narrative—stories that rally investors, customers, and teams to build the future with them. Christina u...

#154 — Christina Farr: The Storyteller’s Advantage for Strategy and Growth

In this special in-person conversation recorded at Adobe’s global headquarters, host Kaihan Krippendorff sits down with Malte Bernholz, Vice President of Strategy and Incubation at Adobe.Malte brings a unique lens, combining years of experience in consulting and technology leadership, to unpack what might be the most significant technological shift of our lifetime. Together, Kaihan and Malte explore:<ul><li>The macro forces and creative trends redefining industries in the age of AI</li><li>Why this moment rivals—and perhaps surpasses—the dot-com boom in its impact</li><li>How AI is both lowering the floor of creativity, making it easier for anyone to create, and raising the ceiling, expanding what’s possible for professionals</li><li>How personalization at scale is transforming customer experiences</li><li>And what this means for the future of brands, creativity, and human originality</li></ul>It’s a conversation about courage, imagination, and leadership at the edge of technological change.And for the first time, you can watch this conversation as well as listen—check out the video version on Outthinker.com or YouTube.Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this special in-person conversation recorded at &lt;b&gt;Adobe’s global headquarters&lt;/b&gt;, host &lt;b&gt;Kaihan Krippendorff&lt;/b&gt; sits down with &lt;b&gt;Malte Bernholz&lt;/b&gt;, Vice President of Strategy and Incubation at Adobe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Malte brings a unique lens, combining years of experience in consulting and technology leadership, to unpack what might be the most significant technological shift of our lifetime. Together, Kaihan and Malte explore:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;b&gt;macro forces and creative trends&lt;/b&gt; redefining industries in the age of AI&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why this moment rivals—and perhaps surpasses—the dot-com boom in its impact&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How AI is both &lt;b&gt;lowering the floor&lt;/b&gt; of creativity, making it easier for anyone to create, and &lt;b&gt;raising the ceiling&lt;/b&gt;, expanding what’s possible for professionals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How personalization at scale is transforming customer experiences&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;And what this means for the future of &lt;b&gt;brands, creativity, and human originality&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s a conversation about courage, imagination, and leadership at the edge of technological change.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And for the first time, you can &lt;b&gt;watch this conversation&lt;/b&gt; as well as listen—check out the video version on &lt;em&gt;Outthinker.com&lt;/em&gt; or YouTube.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast&lt;/p&gt;</description>

In this special in-person conversation recorded at Adobe’s global headquarters, host Kaihan Krippendorff sits down with Malte Bernholz, Vice President of Strategy and Incubation at Adobe. Malte brings a unique lens, combining years of experience in consulting and technology leadership, to unpack what might be the most significant technological shift of our lifetime. Together, Kaihan and Malte explore: The macro forces and creative trends redefining industries in the age of AIWhy this moment r...

#153 – Malte Bernholz of Adobe (Part 1): AI & The Creative Future 

Mark Crowley is a longtime financial services leader who led consistently top-performing teams over a 25-year career. He’s the author of Lead From the Heart and the newly released The Power of Employee Well-being, a frequent contributor to Fast Company, and host of the Lead From the Heart podcast. In 2013, Mark was the first to publicize Gallup’s finding that only 30% of U.S. employees were engaged—helping ignite a decade-long debate about what truly drives performance. In this conversation, we explore why feelings and emotions—not dashboards—drive behavior, how the heart–brain connection shapes decisions at work, and why belonging outperforms “boss quality” as a predictor of retention. Mark connects lived leadership to research—from Oxford’s wellbeing–productivity link to HeartMath’s work on coherence—and shows how caring (not coddling) creates the conditions for sustained results. Whether you lead a business unit, a project team, or a transformation office, this episode will reframe how you raise performance by raising wellbeing—with specific, near-term moves any leader can make this week. In this episode we cover: <ul><li>Why traditional engagement efforts flatline—and why wellbeing is the more powerful lever for performance</li><li>The Oxford evidence: how self-reported wellbeing maps directly to productivity in real work</li><li>Belonging &gt; boss quality as a driver of retention—and how leaders actually build it</li><li>Caring vs. being nice: creating psychological and emotional safety without lowering the bar</li><li>A practical definition of strategy: know where you’re going, plan with rigor, pivot fast when reality disagrees</li></ul> Episode Timeline:00:00 – Introduction01:10 – Guest introduction and the case for feelings over dashboards03:05 – “If you really know me…” and how Mark learned to lead from the heart06:45 – Managing differently: proof from 25 years of top-performing teams09:30 – Mark’s definition of strategy: plan hard, pivot faster12:20 – Why wellbeing (not satisfaction) sets the stage for peak performance15:10 – What wellbeing actually is—and why managers determine most of it18:05 – Up to 95% of behavior is emotion-driven: implications for leaders20:30 – Engagement stalled; the Oxford call-center study on wellbeing → productivity25:40 – Caring vs. nice; HeartMath and the science of coherence31:00 – Selecting and developing leaders who elevate others (not just individual stars)36:10 – Belonging as the #1 driver of retention—and how to create it39:20 – Where to start: know yourself, clarify values, design team-first systems42:15 – Reward the team first (then individuals) to eliminate zero-sum competition44:10 – How to keep learning from Mark + close Additional Resources: <ul><li>Website: https://markccrowley.com</li><li>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markccrowley</li><li>Books: Lead From the Heart; The Power of Employee Wellbeing</li><li>Podcast: Lead From the Heart</li></ul> Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

<description>&lt;p&gt;Mark Crowley is a longtime financial services leader who led consistently top-performing teams over a 25-year career. He’s the author of Lead From the Heart and the newly released The Power of Employee Well-being, a frequent contributor to &lt;em&gt;Fast Company&lt;/em&gt;, and host of the &lt;em&gt;Lead From the Heart&lt;/em&gt; podcast. In 2013, Mark was the first to publicize Gallup’s finding that only 30% of U.S. employees were engaged—helping ignite a decade-long debate about what truly drives performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this conversation, we explore why feelings and emotions—not dashboards—drive behavior, how the heart–brain connection shapes decisions at work, and why belonging outperforms “boss quality” as a predictor of retention. Mark connects lived leadership to research—from Oxford’s wellbeing–productivity link to HeartMath’s work on coherence—and shows how caring (not coddling) creates the conditions for sustained results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you lead a business unit, a project team, or a transformation office, this episode will reframe how you raise performance by raising wellbeing—with specific, near-term moves any leader can make this week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode we cover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why traditional engagement efforts flatline—and why wellbeing is the more powerful lever for performance&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Oxford evidence: how self-reported wellbeing maps directly to productivity in real work&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Belonging &amp;gt; boss quality as a driver of retention—and how leaders actually build it&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Caring vs. being nice: creating psychological and emotional safety without lowering the bar&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A practical definition of strategy: know where you’re going, plan with rigor, pivot fast when reality disagrees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Episode Timeline:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:00 – Introduction&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;01:10 – Guest introduction and the case for feelings over dashboards&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;03:05 – “If you really know me…” and how Mark learned to lead from the heart&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;06:45 – Managing differently: proof from 25 years of top-performing teams&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;09:30 – Mark’s definition of strategy: plan hard, pivot faster&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;12:20 – Why wellbeing (not satisfaction) sets the stage for peak performance&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;15:10 – What wellbeing actually is—and why managers determine most of it&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;18:05 – Up to 95% of behavior is emotion-driven: implications for leaders&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;20:30 – Engagement stalled; the Oxford call-center study on wellbeing → productivity&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;25:40 – Caring vs. nice; HeartMath and the science of coherence&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;31:00 – Selecting and developing leaders who elevate others (not just individual stars)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;36:10 – Belonging as the #1 driver of retention—and how to create it&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;39:20 – Where to start: know yourself, clarify values, design team-first systems&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;42:15 – Reward the team first (then individuals) to eliminate zero-sum competition&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;44:10 – How to keep learning from Mark + close&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additional Resources:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Website: https://markccrowley.com&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markccrowley&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Books: Lead From the Heart; The Power of Employee Wellbeing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Podcast: &lt;em&gt;Lead From the Heart&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Mark Crowley is a longtime financial services leader who led consistently top-performing teams over a 25-year career. He’s the author of Lead From the Heart and the newly released The Power of Employee Well-being, a frequent contributor to Fast Company, and host of the Lead From the Heart podcast. In 2013, Mark was the first to publicize Gallup’s finding that only 30% of U.S. employees were engaged—helping ignite a decade-long debate about what truly drives performance.   In this conversation...

#152 — Mark Crowley: Lead From The Heart, Build Belonging, And Boost Performance

The Outthinkers podcast is a growth strategy podcast hosted by Kaihan Krippendorff. Each week, Kaihan talks with forward-looking strategists and innovators that are challenging the status quo, leading the future of business, and shaping our world. Chief strategy officers and executives can learn more and join the Outthinker community at https://outthinkernetwork.com/.&nbsp;

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