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.
Partnering Leadership
390 Beyond Engagement: What Great Leaders Actually Do Differently to Earn Commitment with Dave Garrison, Author, The Buy-In Advantage
What if your employees appear engaged, but aren’t truly committed? In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Dave Garrison, an experienced CEO, board member, and author of The Buy-In Advantage: Why Employees Stop Caring and How Great Leaders Inspire Commitment. Drawing on his work with companies like Ameritrade and his experience advising leaders across sectors, Dave explains why engagement metrics are often misleading—and how leaders can create the conditions for real buy-in.
The conversation begins by examining the gap between how leaders think about motivation and how people actually commit to meaningful work. Dave offers a compelling distinction between surface-level engagement and genuine buy-in, the kind that drives ownership, initiative, and sustained performance. He challenges the assumptions behind many well-intended leadership practices and makes the case for a more human, purpose-driven approach.
Together, Mahan and Dave explore how leadership habits—especially those rooted in control or speed—can unintentionally suppress the very commitment leaders are trying to cultivate. Dave shares practical ways to shift the dynamic: asking catalytic questions, reframing roles, and creating environments where people feel seen, heard, and responsible for the outcomes they help shape.
This is not a conversation about perks or communication plans. It’s about understanding the deeper dynamics of commitment in today’s evolving workplace—and how great leaders create clarity, connection, and accountability. Whether you’re leading a boardroom, a leadership team, or a transformation effort, this episode will reframe how you think about performance, trust, and the leadership behaviors that unlock both.
Actionable Takeaways
- You’ll learn why engagement scores can mislead leaders—and what they fail to measure about actual commitment.
- Hear how high-performing leaders create emotional buy-in that drives discretionary effort, not just attendance.
- Discover why most organizations leave their team’s passion and ownership “in the parking lot,” and how to bring it into Monday morning meetings.
- Learn what questions to ask that help people feel valued, challenge assumptions, and inspire initiative.
- Hear how the most effective leaders reframe their role from directive to catalytic—without sacrificing speed or results.
- Understand why buy-in starts before the hire and how purpose and values can shape more successful recruiting.
- Explore how to lead through uncertainty as a Chief Reassurance Officer, and why clarity and repetition matter more than inspiration.
- Learn how to avoid the common leadership trap of solving problems too quickly—and what to do instead to spark commitment.
Connect with Dave Garrison
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