Partnering Leadership
Partnering Leadership is a top global podcast designed to help CEOs and senior leaders navigate the complexities of leadership, strategy, culture, and innovation. Hosted by Mahan Tavakoli—a seasoned leadership advisor with over 25 years of experience and recognized as a top thought leader in management—the podcast brings you real-world insights and practical advice to drive meaningful results.
Mahan’s experience as a trusted advisor shapes each discussion, driving deeper insights that challenge conventional thinking and uncover innovative approaches. Drawing from his extensive advisory background, Mahan dives into candid conversations with purpose-driven CEOs and global thought leaders, exploring how they overcame their biggest challenges and achieved transformative success. Each episode provides actionable strategies, real-world examples, and proven approaches to help you navigate change, align teams, and drive lasting impact.
Hear directly from top experts such as Ram Charan, Ken Blanchard, John Kotter, Stephen M.R. Covey, Hal Elrod, Carmine Gallo, Daniel Burrus, Garry Ridge, Jacob Morgan, Emily Field, Jonah Berger, Barbara Kellerman, Rich Diviney, Andrea Sampson, Ajay Agrawal, Dave Ulrich, Jerry Colonna, Renee Cummings, Brian Johnson, Warren Berger, Gustavo Razzetti, Azeem Azhar, David McRaney, Tim Clark, Jim Detert, Gary Bolles, Greg Satell, Robert Wolcott, Alden Mills, Minter Dial, Greg Wooldridge, Pete Steinberg, Joseph Fuller, Paul Roetzer, Whitney Johnson, Ron Adner, Bob Johansen, Leidy Klotz, Paul Smith, Louis Rosenberg, Rob Sadow, Dan Turchin, Steve Robinson, Park Howell, Mark Crowley, Maz Jobrani, LaTonya Wilkins, Rob Cross, Aiden McCullen, Eduardo Briceno, Jan Rutherford, Stephen Wunker, Charlene Li, Jon Levy, Anu Gupta, John Rossman, David Marquet, Tamsen Webster, Jack Phillips, Vanessa Bohns, Patrick McGinnis, Hakeem Oluseyi, Ed Hess, and Carolyn Dewar as well as renowned leaders like David Rubenstein, Jean Case, Tony Pierce, Linda Rabbitt, Paul Daugherty, Richard Bynum, John Veihmeyer, Howard Ross, Bill Novelli, Tien Wong, Stephanie Linnartz, Chuck Robb, Doug Dennerline, Charlene Drew Jarvis, Robert Rosenberg, Diane Hoskins, Deidre Paknad, David Gardner, and Marty Rodgers, and many more!
Their insights, paired with Mahan's expertise, equip you to tackle complex challenges, foster a high-performance culture, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving world.
Listen today to gain the tools, perspectives, and proven strategies that can transform your leadership journey.
Available on all major podcast platforms or visit https://partneringleadership.com.
Episodes
460 episodes
459 The Hidden Work Behind Successful AI with Fern Halper
Many organizations have an AI strategy. Far fewer have built the organizational foundations needed for AI to create lasting business value.Generative AI has made it easier than ever to experiment with AI. Yet many leaders are discovering...
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458 Why Your Team Is Busy, Exhausted, and Still Not Moving the Needle with Liane Davey
Why do so many teams work harder than ever but still struggle to make meaningful progress?In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with organizational psychologist and bestselling author Liane Davey, author of ...
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457 The Hidden Cost of the Conversations Your Team Isn’t Having with Gustavo Razzetti
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Gustavo Razzetti, workplace culture strategist, founder of Fearless Culture, and author of Forward Talk: The Bold New Method for Getting Teams Unstuck. Gustavo shares why many...
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456 Different is Better Than Better: The Mrs. Meyer’s Playbook on Category Reinvention with Monica Nassif
What does it take to see opportunity where everyone else sees a commodity? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Monica Nassif, founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and author of I Bottled My Mother: Grit, Grime,...
455 Thursday Refresh: David Gardner on Rule Breaker Investing, Long-Term Thinking, and Leadership That Lasts
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with David Gardner—legendary investor, co-founder of The Motley Fool, and author of Rule Breaker Investing. Over the past three decades, David has not only beaten...
454 The Hidden Cost of "Good" Leadership with David Grossman
David Grossman joins Mahan Tavakoli on this episode of Partnering Leadership to explore one of the most uncomfortable truths in leadership today: the biggest threat to organizations is often not bad leadership. It is “good enough” leadership th...
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453 [BEST OF] Leading in a BANI World: Making Sense of Chaos with Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, futurists Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio join the conversation to explore the ideas behind their new book, The Age of Chaos: A Sense-Making Guide to a BANI World That Doesn’t Make Sense
452 [BEST OF] Sangeet Paul Choudary on How AI Is Reshaping the Knowledge Economy, And What Leaders Need to Do Now
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Sangeet Paul Choudary, one of the world’s leading thinkers on digital strategy, platforms, and the future of value creation. Sangeet is the author of the acclaimed...
451 Why Great Companies Fall Behind: AI, Legacy Thinking, and Organizational Change with Marcus East
Marcus East has spent his career inside some of the world’s most recognized organizations, including Apple, Google, IBM, National Geographic, and Marks & Spencer. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, he joins Mahan Tavakoli to discuss ...
450 Thursday Refresh: Carolyn Dewar on What Great Leaders Do Differently—From Bold Beginnings to Graceful Exits
What makes a great CEO today won’t be enough tomorrow. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Carolyn Dewar, McKinsey Senior Partner and coauthor of A CEO for All Seasons—a practical, research-bac...
449 Executive Presence Isn’t What You Think: How Leaders Actually Build Influence and Impact with Alexa Chilcutt & Carl DuPont
Executive presence is one of those concepts every leader knows matters, yet very few can clearly define or develop. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Alexa Chilcutt and Carl DuPont, co-authors of <...
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448 Leaders Are Human Too: How to Talk About Mental Health Without Undermining Your Authority with Melissa Doman
What does it really cost to lead when you’re expected to have all the answers, show no cracks, and carry the weight of everyone around you?In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Melissa Doman—org...
447 The Octopus Organization: Why Traditional Leadership Breaks in a Complex World with Phil Le-Brun & Jana Werner
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner, co-authors of The Octopus Organization. Drawing on decades of leadership experience across global organizations, they challe...
446 How Leaders Decide What Matters as AI Reshapes Value and Uncertainty Grows, Mahan Tavakoli interviewed by Vimi Appadoo & Akilesh Deerpalsingh
This episode offers a different lens on leadership in a time of accelerating change.In this conversation, Mahan Tavakoli is interviewed by Vimi Appadoo and Akilesh Deerpalsingh, senior leaders working closely with CEOs and executive team...
445 The Hidden Cost of Change: What Leaders Miss About Loss and Resistance with Amy Jacobson
Most leaders don’t struggle with strategy. They struggle with how people respond to it.In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Amy Jacobson, author of The Emotional Intelligence Advantage: Mastering Ch...
444 Thursday Refresh: Mita Mallick on The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses
What if the “panic habits” leaders default to are the very things burning out their best people? In this Partnering Leadership episode, Mita Mallick—author of The Devil Emails at Midnight—joins Mahan to unpack practical ways senior lea...
443 What Secret Service Interrogators Know About Trust That Most Leaders Miss with Brad Beeler
Trust sits at the center of every meaningful leadership conversation. Yet many leaders struggle to create the conditions where people feel comfortable sharing what they really think. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli spea...
442 The Soul of Strategy: Why Healing Our Leadership is the Next Frontier of Capitalism with Raj Sisodia
In this compelling conversation, Raj Sisodia — co-founder of Conscious Capitalism and bestselling author of Firms of Endearment — joins the podcast to discuss his newest work, Healing Leaders. Widely recognized as one of the m...
441 The AI Ultimatum: What Leaders Must Decide Now with Steve Brown
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Steve Brown, a leading AI futurist and former executive at organizations including Intel and DeepMind. Brown brings a rare combination of technical depth and leade...
440 The Four Forces of Growth: How to Stop Fixing Problems and Start Scaling Again with Kevin Lawrence
Growth stalls in organizations far more often than leaders expect. Not because ambition fades, or talent disappears, but because focus drifts. In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Kevin Lawrence, a lo...
439 Thursday Refresh: Alfredo De Massis on Designing What Lasts: How Great Leaders Reimagine Ownership, Innovation, and Legacy
What does it take to build something that lasts—not just for years, but across generations? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Alfredo De Massis, a globally recognized expert on family enterprise and ...
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438 Hope Is the Strategy: What It Means to Lead When You Don’t Have All the Answers with Jen Fisher
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Jen Fisher, one of the most influential voices shaping how leaders think about work, wellbeing, and human sustainability. Jen is the former Chief Wellbeing Officer at Deloitt...
437 If AI Keeps Getting Smarter, What’s the Leader’s Real Job Now and Where Human Judgment Still Matters with Andrea Iorio
As AI accelerates, many leadership conversations focus on tools, efficiency, and productivity. This episode of Partnering Leadership takes a different approach. Host Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Andrea Iorio, a global AI thought leader,...
436 Closing the Courage Gap: How Leaders Act Bravely in Uncertain Times with Margie Warrell
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli is joined by Margie Warrell, a global leadership advisor and the author of The Courage Gap. The conversation goes beyond familiar ideas about confidence and resilience to explore what cou...
435 Love as a Change Strategy: Why Most Change Efforts Fail and What Builds Real Commitment with Mohammad F. Anwar
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Mohammad Anwar, founder and CEO of Softway and co-author of the book Love as a Change Strategy. Together, they take on one of the most misunderstood ideas in leade...
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