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Thought Sparks

Thought Sparks

By: Rita Gunther-McGrath
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Summary

 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
  • Reimagining Work with Rita McGrath and Nilofer Merchant

    Reimagining Work with Rita McGrath and Nilofer Merchant
    May 12 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 Nilofer Merchant, co-founder of The Intangible Labs, and author of the new book Our Best Work: Break Free from the 24 Invisible Norms that Limit Us. 00:28: Context for the Book 3:56: The Birdcage and Why We’re Stuck 5:39: The Steve Jobs Moment: Power Voice and Being Unheard 8:58: The Trillion-Dollar Problem and Untapped Human Potential 11:16: The 24 Practices for Better Work 13:38: Fix the Room, Not Her: Rethinking Voice and Inclusion 17:45: Franklin Leonard and Power, Networks, and Reorienting Toward Purpose 25:08: Nilofer's Story: Arranged Marriage, Apple, and the Path Not Planned 31:09: Fighting for the Emperor's Pleasure: Power and Gender in the MBA Classroom 36:08: The Origin of Intangible Labs 40:01: Who Made Adam Smith’s Dinner? And Rethinking How We Measure Value 43:57: Small Teams, Ecosystems, and the Future of Organizations 46:41: The Big Picture Vision of Reimagining Work 51:18: Intangible Labs, Early Adopters, and Spreading Goodness 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
  • Catalyzing Organizational Change with Rita McGrath and Michael Lurie

    Catalyzing Organizational Change with Rita McGrath and Michael Lurie
    May 5 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 Michael Lurie, Chief Catalyst at Bayer and expert in leading large-scale transformations. 00:00 Introductions & Context 1:37 The Challenge — Walking Into Bayer 5:07 How the Rollout Began, Using Two Tracks 8:37 The Five Principles of Dynamic Shared Ownership 10:39 Principle 1: Focus on Mission and Outcomes 11:05 Principle 2: Collaborate on a Network of Self-Managing Teams 11:51 Principle 3: Create Value as Entrepreneurial Businesses 13:00 Principle 4: Explore, Execute, and Evolve in Rapid Cycles 13:38 Principle 5: Show Up in Creative Mindset 14:45 The VACC Leadership Model 15:52 Performance Results — The Evidence 19:37 Applying DSO to Manufacturing and The Precision Question 24:12 Overcoming Skepticism and Resistance 32:46 Reimagining Budgeting Towards Dynamic Resource Flow 41:44 Professional Homes — Reimagining Talent and Compensation 49:01 How Strategy Changes in the DSO Model 57:49 Lessons Learned and Surprises on the Journey 1:01:36 Closing 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
  • Building Beloved Brands with Rita McGrath and Monica Nassif

    Building Beloved Brands with Rita McGrath and Monica Nassif
    Apr 28 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 Monica Nassif, an entrepreneur and founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, as well as author of “I Bottled My Mother: The Mrs. Meyer’s Story: Grit, Grime, and Growing a Business”.

    [0:14] Monica Nassif: Entrepreneur, Career Changer, and Creator of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day

    [0:36] Monica's Background, From Nursing to Marketing

    [2:42] The Eureka Moment: Reinventing Cleaning Products

    [5:28] The Real Mrs. Meyer: How Monica’s Mother Inspired a Brand

    [7:44] Savings, A Second Mortgage, and Credit Cards: When Entrepreneurs Go All In

    [11:14] The Founding of Caldrea

    [13:22] “Sawing Off The Branch” and Launching Mrs. Meyer's

    [16:26] Building Mrs. Meyer's Retail Presence

    [18:14] Growth Strategy and Lessons from Williams-Sonoma and Target

    [28:12] Being an Entrepreneurial Working Mother

    [35:37] The Decision to Sell

    [39:21] The Acquisition Process: Vetting PE Firms and Choosing SC Johnson

    [42:24] Life after the Sale

    [44:15] The Book I Bottled My Mother — Part Love Letter to Monica's Mom, Part Startup Manual

    [46:33] Lessons for Entrepreneurs

    [52:38] On Resourcefulness: “Creativity Lies in Your Hands"

    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.

    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.

    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.

    Connect with Rita on TikTok.

    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.

    Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
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