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Thought Sparks

Thought Sparks

By: Rita Gunther-McGrath
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Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern.Rita Gunther-McGrath Economics
Episodes
  • Unlocking Human Potential with Rita McGrath and Chris Shipley and Scott Barry Kaufman

    Unlocking Human Potential with Rita McGrath and Chris Shipley and Scott Barry Kaufman
    Jun 23 2026
    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with fellow Silicon Guild Members Chris Shipley and Scott Barry Kaufman, editors of the upcoming essay collection “Leading for Tomorrow: Unlocking Human Potential in the Era of Continuous Change and Endless Possibility” which equips leaders with the skills needed for effective leadership in the modern era. 0:00 - Intro & Welcome 0:45 - About the Book "Leading for Tomorrow" (July 8th release) 1:07 - The Origin Story: Silicon Guild & Thinkers50 Collaboration 3:13 - Overview of the Book's 5 Core Themes 5:26 - Mindset Shift towards Collaboration & Adaptability 6:24 - Purpose & Organizational Values 6:45 - Learning as a Core Competence 7:37 - The Epochal Transition: From Physical to Digital World 8:33 - AI as Accelerant, Not the Cause of Change 9:16 - What the Book Teaches Us to Do in Uncertain Times 9:52 - Surprises During the Editing Process 11:15 - Advice for Young People Entering the Workforce 17:46 - The Decline of Traditional Corporate Employment 21:13 - From Transactional to Relational Value Creation 24:27 - Fear of Change & Experiencing Disruption as Loss 25:34 - The Information-to-Illumination Reframe (Sanyin Siang) 27:50 - Whitney Johnson: "When the Ground Gives Way" (Chilean Miners Story) 30:43 - Brian Solis: The AIQ Mindset 31:43 - Chip Conley on Wisdom as a Leadership Value 32:40 - The Importance of Empathy in Leadership 33:50 - Defining True Empathy (vs. Just Being Nice) 36:51 - What Leaders Actually Owe Their Teams 39:44 - What Readers Will Discover in the Book 40:22 - Coherence Among the World's Top Business Thinkers 43:13 - Wrap-Up & How to Pre-Order "Leading for Tomorrow" Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719 https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/ https://x.com/rgmcgrath https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram. https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/ Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/ Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.
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    44 mins
  • Leadership and Transformation with Rita McGrath and Sharmla Chetty

    Leadership and Transformation with Rita McGrath and Sharmla Chetty
    Jun 16 2026
    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Sharmla Chetty, CEO of Duke Corporate Education and expert on human-centered leadership, AI, and workforce transformation. 0:00 Introduction 0:57 Sharmla's Story: Growing Up Under Apartheid 3:30 Systems Change: From Personal to Global 10:27 Overton Windows & Tipping Points 12:51 The Global Economy: Uneven Worlds & Emerging Markets 16:22 A Once-in-a-Century Inflection Point (Carlota Perez's Framework) 21:41 The End of Competitive Moats: Strategy in the Age of AI 23:16 Strategic Centering: Five Ways to Define Your Company 26:18 Purpose, Ecosystems & the Role of Government 27:59 Trust as the New Currency 28:34 Remote Work, Human Connection & Social Capital 38:15 The Future of Education: New Models 45:37 Executive Education Reimagined: Duke CE's Approach 41:21 Do We Still Need Degrees? 47:05 The Care Economy & Kindness as a Capability 58:42 Distributed Leadership & Navigating Complexity 59:28 A Human-Centered Economy: Closing Reflections Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719 https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/ https://x.com/rgmcgrath https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram. https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/ Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/ Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Rethinking Education with Rita McGrath and MacKenzie Price

    Rethinking Education with Rita McGrath and MacKenzie Price
    Jun 9 2026
    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with MacKenzie Price, co-founder of Alpha Schools, about the limitations of the traditional education system, and what other educational models are possible. 0:00 – Intro teaser: raising adaptable young people and the future of learning 1:37 – Mackenzie's backstory: her own memories of schooling 3:17 – The "I don't want to go to school tomorrow" moment 4:36 – The root problem: one teacher, many different learners 6:16 – The Alpha Schools vision: academics + life skills + passions 6:56 – Alpha School's results and student growth 7:37 – The industrial-era origins of the school system 9:07 – Moving into a new era: information abundance and problem-solving 11:03 – The skill of learning how to learn 12:03 – Why base knowledge still matters in the age of AI + what the traditional model got wrong 16:05 – The 2 Hour School Day 23:01 – The foundation problem: algebra before multiplication tables 24:33 – Results for kids at all levels — 20th to 95th percentile 28:00 – Why ed tech alone doesn't work, and the role of motivation 28:57 – The distinction between Guides and teachers 33:37 – Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation and screen time 42:26 – Teaching kids to use tools (including tech) for good 43:07 – Education at an inflection point: the question of scale and accessibility 45:12– Selection effects criticism — and the response 47:36 – Relationships with charter and public schools 52:38 – The relationship to failure the traditional system gets wrong 58:27 – Shout-outs, self-reflection, and accountability — even at age 5 1:00:25 – Where Alpha Schools is headed: expansion, summer programs, new models 1:01:52 – Closing thoughts and thank you Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719 https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/ https://x.com/rgmcgrath https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram. https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/ Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/ Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
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