In this episode of Bizcast, Ciamac Moallemi, the William von Mueffling Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, takes us through the basics of the new technology, shares the opportunities and disadvantages it offers, and discusses how CBS is preparing students to be at the forefront of this emerging field.

In this episode of Bizcast, Ciamac Moallemi, the William von Mueffling Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, takes us through the basics of the new technology, shares the opportunities and disadvantages it offers, and discusses how CBS is preparing students to be at the forefront of this emerging field.

Understanding and Unleashing the Power of Blockchain

Director of the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia Business School Lara Hejtmanek ’99 discusses how the School supports students and alumni in their entrepreneurial journeys: from startup idea to launch and beyond.

Director of the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia Business School Lara Hejtmanek ’99 discusses how the School supports students and alumni in their entrepreneurial journeys: from startup idea to launch and beyond.

Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation at CBS

Listen to a fascinating discussion between Columbia Business School Professors Oded Netzer, Christopher Frank and Paul Magnone as they delve into the ideas and practical applications detailed in their new book Decisions Over Decimals.

Listen to a fascinating discussion between Columbia Business School Professors Oded Netzer, Christopher Frank and Paul Magnone as they delve into the ideas and practical applications detailed in their new book Decisions Over Decimals.

How Can Leaders Use Data to Make Better Decisions?

Bruce Usher

Columbia Business School’s Bruce Usher discusses his new book, which outlines the risks and opportunities for investors from climate change, and how current students and alumni are addressing major environmental challenges.

Columbia Business School’s Bruce Usher discusses his new book, which outlines the risks and opportunities for investors from climate change, and how current students and alumni are addressing major environmental challenges.

Investing in the Era of Climate Change: A conversation with Professor Bruce Usher

Dean Costis Maglaras

Costis Maglaras

Welcome to the first episode of a special season of Columbia Bizcast dedicated to Columbia Business School’s new home in Manhattanville! In this episode, we’ll take a private tour of the Manhattanville campus with Dean Costis Maglaras. Dean Maglaras shares with us why a new campus is essential for preparing the next generation of business leaders, how spaces within Henry R. Kravis Hall and David Geffen Hall are built to foster connectivity and collaboration among students, faculty, alumni, and the larger business community, as well as his vision for the future of business education. Find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast archive.

Welcome to the first episode of a special season of Columbia Bizcast dedicated to Columbia Business School’s new home in Manhattanville! In this episode, we’ll take a private tour of the Manhattanville campus with Dean Costis Maglaras. Dean Maglaras shares with us why a new campus is essential for preparing the next generation of business leaders, how spaces within Henry R. Kravis Hall and David Geffen Hall are built to foster connectivity and collaboration among students, faculty, alumni, and the larger business community, as well as his vision for the future of business education. Find us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/columbia_biz/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/columbia_biz?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cbs/id1300709821?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/5sYUIoJ7v5Pmn4WPFP8SWB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/columbia-business-school/why-cbs-columbia-business-school?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast <a href="https://leading.gsb.columbia.edu/bizcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">archive</a>.

Welcome to Manhattanville – A conversation with Dean Costis Maglaras

Vasiliki Petrou

Vasiliki Petrou founded and now leads the Unilever Prestige division; this last year has offered that division invaluable knowledge and expertise. In this week’s episode, she reviews some of what she’s learned about her already-strong commitment to running a mission-driven brand portfolio. She discusses the nature of prestige retail marketing; the future of brick and mortar; and her team’s unwavering commitment to purpose, for customers and employees alike. And intriguingly, she talks about the effect of having a creative in the C-suite. Petrou is a Columbia Business School graduate, class of 1993. Find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast archive.

Vasiliki Petrou founded and now leads the Unilever Prestige division; this last year has offered that division invaluable knowledge and expertise. In this week’s episode, she reviews some of what she’s learned about her already-strong commitment to running a mission-driven brand portfolio. She discusses the nature of prestige retail marketing; the future of brick and mortar; and her team’s unwavering commitment to purpose, for customers and employees alike. And intriguingly, she talks about the effect of having a creative in the C-suite. Petrou is a Columbia Business School graduate, class of 1993. Find us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/columbia_biz/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/columbia_biz?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cbs/id1300709821?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/5sYUIoJ7v5Pmn4WPFP8SWB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/columbia-business-school/why-cbs-columbia-business-school?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast <a href="https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/columbia-bizcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">archive</a>.

Mission, Purpose, and Moon-Shooting with Vasiliki Petrou, Group CEO of Unilever Prestige

Like every other industry, the field of impact investing underwent significant change over the last year. This episode investigates some of the new possibilities that this change has opened. Maggie Loo, CBS class of ’05 and Bridges Fund Management partner, discusses how the definition of “returns” may need to be reevaluated, how environmental regulations will transform corporate decision making, and how larger businesses can leverage small changes to produce significant effect.  Find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on  iTunes, Spotify,  Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast  archive.

Like every other industry, the field of impact investing underwent significant change over the last year. This episode investigates some of the new possibilities that this change has opened. Maggie Loo, CBS class of ’05 and Bridges Fund Management partner, discusses how the definition of “returns” may need to be reevaluated, how environmental regulations will transform corporate decision making, and how larger businesses can leverage small changes to produce significant effect. Find us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/columbia_biz/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/columbia_biz?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cbs/id1300709821?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>, <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/5sYUIoJ7v5Pmn4WPFP8SWB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/columbia-business-school/why-cbs-columbia-business-school?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast <a href="https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/columbia-bizcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> archive</a>.

Impact Investing and the Future of Flexible Capital

What happened? What went wrong? Those are simple questions to ask when a company experiences difficulty. In Professor Kathryn Harrigan’s Turnaround Management class, students examine case studies to uncover the often complex reasons why a firm got in trouble and to help plot a way back. On this episode of Bizcast, Harrigan, the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Business Leadership, tells us the story of the decisions made by two very different firms – J. Crew, the famous purveyors of preppy clothes, and Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor – as they coped with shifts in their fortunes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to discussing the strategies companies take to recover, Harrigan also explains how the class instills a sense of responsibility that future leaders should feel toward their companies. Find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on  iTunes, Spotify,  Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast  archive.

What happened? What went wrong? Those are simple questions to ask when a company experiences difficulty. In Professor Kathryn Harrigan’s Turnaround Management class, students examine case studies to uncover the often complex reasons why a firm got in trouble and to help plot a way back. On this episode of Bizcast, Harrigan, the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Business Leadership, tells us the story of the decisions made by two very different firms – J. Crew, the famous purveyors of preppy clothes, and Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor – as they coped with shifts in their fortunes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to discussing the strategies companies take to recover, Harrigan also explains how the class instills a sense of responsibility that future leaders should feel toward their companies. Find us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/columbia_biz/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/columbia_biz?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast on <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cbs/id1300709821?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>, <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/5sYUIoJ7v5Pmn4WPFP8SWB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/columbia-business-school/why-cbs-columbia-business-school?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up on old episodes in the Bizcast <a href="https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/columbia-bizcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> archive</a>.

Turnaround: A Tale of Two Pandemic Case Studies

We start our new season of Bizcast with a conversation about the challenges of entrepreneurship. Class of 2021 members Pritika Gupta, Gareth Pembroke, and Samuel Hong are co-presidents of the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), a community of students who offer each other support on their entrepreneurial journeys and a network that will continue after graduation.  CEO also plans a number of professional development opportunities and in the coming weeks the group will  host a panel discussion on the future of healthcare startups.  After explaining the benefits of the group, the students tell us what it’s like to study entrepreneurship at CBS as well as the lessons they’ve learned from previous successes and failures they encountered with their own entrepreneurial ventures before enrolling at the School. You can email us at bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu. Or find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast wherever you get your podcasts.

We start our new season of Bizcast with a conversation about the challenges of entrepreneurship. Class of 2021 members Pritika Gupta, Gareth Pembroke, and Samuel Hong are co-presidents of the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), a community of students who offer each other support on their entrepreneurial journeys and a network that will continue after graduation.  CEO also plans a number of professional development opportunities and in the coming weeks the group will  host a panel discussion on the future of healthcare startups.  After explaining the benefits of the group, the students tell us what it’s like to study entrepreneurship at CBS as well as the lessons they’ve learned from previous successes and failures they encountered with their own entrepreneurial ventures before enrolling at the School. You can email us at <a href="mailto:bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu">bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu</a>. Or find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast wherever you get your podcasts.

What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You?

What is it like for a journalist to cover the final days of a political campaign, right before an election? Bizcast visits with two MBA students who have had this experience first-hand. Alexis Levinson ’21, a former reporter for Buzzfeed, and Knight-Bagehot Fellow Hannah Levintova ’21, who writes for Mother Jones, give us their perspective on the differences between covering local and national politics; trustworthy ways to stay informed; and whether voters should believe the latest polls. Levinson and Levintova also share their views on the future of the media business and why they felt pursuing a MBA would enhance and focus their respective career paths. Comments? Suggestions? Email us at bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu. Or find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast wherever you get your podcasts.

What is it like for a journalist to cover the final days of a political campaign, right before an election? Bizcast visits with two MBA students who have had this experience first-hand. Alexis Levinson ’21, a former reporter for Buzzfeed, and Knight-Bagehot Fellow Hannah Levintova ’21, who writes for Mother Jones, give us their perspective on the differences between covering local and national politics; trustworthy ways to stay informed; and whether voters should believe the latest polls. Levinson and Levintova also share their views on the future of the media business and why they felt pursuing a MBA would enhance and focus their respective career paths. Comments? Suggestions? Email us at bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu. Or find us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are @columbia_biz. Subscribe to Bizcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Inspiring and Exhausting: Reporting on Political Campaigns

Hear what drives the innovators, leaders, and thinkers of Columbia Business School in this podcast hosted by Fahad Ahmed ’17.

Wow! Fahad is such a great conversationalist. Keep up the good work!!

Host for the win

Manuel’s episode was so interesting! Thanks for sharing.

Iluméxico!

Columbia Bizcast

Faheem Ahmed

Like many of his classmates, Dr. Faheem Ahmed started the spring semester, primed to put the finishing touches on his MBA. But after COVID-19 began to spread, he relocated to his home in London to complete his degree remotely and work on the frontline of the crisis. In this special episode of Bizcast, Ahmed -- who has a medical degree from King’s College London and a master’s degree in health systems management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine -- gives us his perspective on the UK response to the pandemic. Ahmed also discusses his  recent article in The Lancet, co-authored with Professor Joseph Stiglitz, which explains how COVID-19 is exacerbating social inequality around the world, especially among those with low incomes and black and ethnic minority communities. Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: bit.ly/BizcastSurvey

Like many of his classmates, Dr. Faheem Ahmed started the spring semester, primed to put the finishing touches on his MBA. But after COVID-19 began to spread, he relocated to his home in London to complete his degree remotely and work on the frontline of the crisis. In this special episode of Bizcast, Ahmed -- who has a medical degree from King’s College London and a master’s degree in health systems management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine -- gives us his perspective on the UK response to the pandemic. Ahmed also discusses his <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30085-2/fulltext" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> recent article in The Lancet</a>, co-authored with Professor Joseph Stiglitz, which explains how COVID-19 is exacerbating social inequality around the world, especially among those with low incomes and black and ethnic minority communities. Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: <a href="http://bit.ly/BizcastSurvey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BizcastSurvey</a>

Setting Policy for What Comes After COVID-19: Dr. Faheem Ahmed ‘20

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the already volatile world of brands with a tough new challenge: How does a brand stay viable, but ensure that it is sensitive to the new financial and societal realities of the “new normal?” On this episode of Bizcast, marketing Professor Elizabeth Friedman and Matthew Quint, the director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership, offer insights on ways companies communicate both that they are open for business, and that they care about the well-being of their customers and employees. Friedman and Quint discuss how heightened emotions affect the way brands are perceived, the importance of setting the right tone, and the opportunities for innovation amid the crisis. Bizcast listeners! Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: bit.ly/BizcastSurvey   Subscribe to Bizcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the already volatile world of brands with a tough new challenge: How does a brand stay viable, but ensure that it is sensitive to the new financial and societal realities of the “new normal?” On this episode of Bizcast, marketing Professor Elizabeth Friedman and Matthew Quint, the director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership, offer insights on ways companies communicate both that they are open for business, and that they care about the well-being of their customers and employees. Friedman and Quint discuss how heightened emotions affect the way brands are perceived, the importance of setting the right tone, and the opportunities for innovation amid the crisis. Bizcast listeners! Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: <a href="https://bit.ly/BizcastSurvey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BizcastSurvey</a>  Subscribe to Bizcast on <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cbs/id1300709821?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/5sYUIoJ7v5Pmn4WPFP8SWB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/columbia-business-school/why-cbs-columbia-business-school?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts.

How the New Normal is Changing Brand Communications

Professor Hitendra Wadhwa’s Personal Leadership &amp; Success is Columbia Business School’s most popular leadership elective. It’s easy to see why. Blending his cultural heritage and experiences in business, psychology, mathematics, with Eastern mystical traditions, Wadhwa investigates how business leaders – and everyone – can best reach their potential.

Professor Hitendra Wadhwa — Part I: The Importance of Self-Mastery in Leadership

On this edition of Bizcast, we welcome the new dean of Columbia Business School, Costis Maglaras, to the podcast. In our conversation, Dean Maglaras shares his vision for the School, the opportunity to innovate the curriculum, and the transformational potential of the School’s move to Manhattanville in two years. Maglaras also talks about his plans for enrichment and other learning opportunities for alumni to help them keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving work environment. Join us on Maglaras’ journey from his native Athens via London and Palo Alto to the Columbia campus.

On this edition of Bizcast, we welcome the new dean of Columbia Business School, Costis Maglaras, to the podcast. In our conversation, Dean Maglaras shares his vision for the School, the opportunity to innovate the curriculum, and the transformational potential of the School’s move to Manhattanville in two years. Maglaras also talks about his plans for enrichment and other learning opportunities for alumni to help them keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving work environment. Join us on Maglaras’ journey from his native Athens via London and Palo Alto to the Columbia campus.

Dean Costis Maglaras: Leading CBS Into Its Next Era

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business world and the daily lives of millions have undergone massive disruptions in a short amount of time. The reality of this new normal is what Professor Rita McGrath would define as an inflection point – an external change that causes the underlying assumptions of a business to adjust dramatically in response.  On this episode of Bizcast, McGrath, the author of Seeing Around Corners: How To Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, explains different scenarios that could help firms cope -- and eventually thrive. You can hear her speak about leadership practices that help businesses thrive on this prior episode. How is your business weathering these big changes, and planning for the future? Let us know by emailing us at bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu. Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: bit.ly/BizcastSurvey

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business world and the daily lives of millions have undergone massive disruptions in a short amount of time. The reality of this new normal is what Professor Rita McGrath would define as an inflection point – an external change that causes the underlying assumptions of a business to adjust dramatically in response. On this episode of Bizcast, McGrath, the author of Seeing Around Corners: How To Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, explains different scenarios that could help firms cope -- and eventually thrive. You can hear her speak about leadership practices that help businesses thrive on this prior episode. How is your business weathering these big changes, and planning for the future? Let us know by emailing us at bizcast@gsb.columbia.edu. Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: <a href="http://bit.ly/BizcastSurvey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BizcastSurvey</a>

Inflection Points in the New World of Business

Glenn Hubbard

“Whatever the big social problem is, I’d like to believe that business people are leading that charge and not just waiting for politics,” Hubbard says in his second appearance on the podcast. With the US government recently emerging from a record-long shutdown, Dean Glenn Hubbard can sound as exasperated as the next person with what he describes as a “feckless” political system. Which is why resilient business leaders are all the more necessary in today’s economic environment, Hubbard says in this episode of Columbia Bizcast. “Whether the issue of the day is climate change, the way we deal with training programs for the less skilled, or whatever the big social problem is, I’d like to believe that business people are leading that charge and not just waiting for politics,” says the Columbia Business School dean. In the podcast’s third season, Hubbard talks about what he’ll miss most about being dean after he steps down on June 30 and why he’s so optimistic about the future for today’s MBAs, despite the political morass. No stranger to Washington, D.C., the dean also gives his take on today’s divided government. “To me, the whole issue of a shutdown is crazy,” says Hubbard, who served as deputy assistant secretary in the Treasury Department under George H. W. Bush and as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to George W. Bush. “Obviously, in any negotiation, neither side gets 100 percent of what it wants, rarely in life does that happen, but to me this is a failure of government and both major political parties.”

Dean Glenn Hubbard: The Need for Resilient Business Leaders

Bruce Craven

Leadership lessons from Jon Snow, Ned Stark, and Professor Bruce Craven. Professor Craven's book, Win or Die: Leadership Secrets from Game of Thrones, offers a trove of leadership lessons for managing groups and implementing change. In this episode of Columbia Bizcast, Bruce Craven, a professor in the Business School’s Executive Education program and director of the School’s Advanced Management Program, addresses the leadership takeaways from this mega-hit series.

Professor Bruce Craven: Leadership Secrets from Game of Thrones

Ethan Brown

For Ethan Brown ’08, the journey to disrupting the meat industry began with his childhood, which he split between an urban life in Washington, DC and his family’s Holstein cattle farm in rural Maryland. The connection to animals and the food system informed his innovative idea. After a successful career in clean technology, Brown began to feel disconnected from his upbringing. “It started to really manifest itself when I had to make choices for my own children,” Brown says. “I can remember being on the Jersey Turnpike and stopping to get something to eat with [my children] at Subway. I was ordering a ham sandwich or something for the kids. And here we had these pigs we kept as pets — and the whole thing just got to be ‘Wait, my life is not making sense to me.’ I needed to make a change.” After that epiphany, Brown founded Beyond Meat, a company that produces 100-percent plant-based products with the taste and texture of meat. Brown’s vision for the future of protein is one which improves human health, reduces the environmental strains caused by meat production, and addresses animal welfare concerns. The success of Beyond Meat — now found in more than 20,000 stores nationwide, always in the meat aisle rather than the “alternative” protein case — relies on “relentless innovation.” “We want to innovate so fast that when people try to replicate they’re chasing ghosts,” says Brown. Brown fosters this innovation by letting go of ego and surrounding himself with experts, something he learned from the Oracle of Omaha himself. “I try as hard as I can to surround myself with people who I think are better than I am at what they're doing,” he says. “And that's a tried and true axiom. It really makes sense. And that comes back to Columbia. What does Buffett say about great businesses? It’s management.”

Ethan Brown ’08: How Relentless Innovation Created Beyond Meat

Sheena Iyengar

Sheena S. Iyengar is the S. T. Lee Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. Professor Iyengar has taught courses in leadership and entrepreneurial creativity. Her research addresses the implications of offering people, whether they be employees or consumers, choices. In this episode, Fahad Ahmed '17 meets with Professor Iyengar to discuss how "choice" became such an important part of her life, as well as the tips and tools she feels a person can use to maximize the power of choice.

Professor Sheena Iyengar: The Power of Choice

Rita McGrath

Developing a successful organizational strategy isn’t easy, especially in an unpredictable business climate. Navigating a shifting landscape requires leaders to abandon pre-conceived notions and think differently, according to Rita Gunther McGrath, a professor in the Business School’s Executive Education program. A globally recognized expert on innovation and growth strategy, McGrath argues that to maintain a competitive advantage in times of change, organizations must protect their key resource — personnel. “One of the few sources of advantage left is going to be that core group of people who carry the culture, who carry the norms, who are the secret sauce of the place,” McGrath says in this episode of Columbia Bizcast, which highlights the critical importance for leaders to create a culture where all employees feel safe. “All leaders need to create psychological safety, need to communicate up and down the organization, need to be able to see what’s going on out there, need to be able to hear uncomfortable information and not lash out at the person bringing it and so forth,” says McGrath. “If you think about it, organizations would benefit by that style of leadership becoming more prevalent.”

Professor Rita McGrath: The End of Competitive Advantage

Michael Mauskapf

What makes an idea go viral, a song become a hit, or a startup turn into a stock-listed powerhouse? It often happens, according to Assistant Professor Michael Mauskapf, because of an optimal mix of oldness and newness. Be it a Billboard No. 1 or a blockbuster business idea, the concept catches on because it’s similar enough to be recognizable but different enough to be edgy. “If your goal is commercial success and widespread adoption, you don’t want to be radically different,” Mauskapf says in this episode of Columbia Bizcast, which delves into his widely cited research paper into what makes pop music popular. Featured in the Economist, New York Post, and Quartz, along with Ideas at Work, the paper dissects the sonic attributes of six decades of songs from the Billboard Hot 100 to answer the question, “What makes a hit?” “There’s a trade-off between being similar and being different,” says Mauskapf, who is himself an orchestral trumpeter with dual doctorates in management and musicology; he teaches the MBA course Foundations of Entrepreneurship, an overview of the concepts and skills needed for both entrepreneurs and those who want to act entrepreneurially. “Novel is a necessary but not sufficient condition for being innovative.”

Professor Michael Mauskapf: What Makes Popular Culture Popular?

In part two, Professor Hitendra Wadhwa and Fahad Ahmed '17 discuss the the five pillars of personal leadership.

Professor Hitendra Wadhwa — Part II: The Five Pillars of Personal Leadership

Growing up in a low-income household in Orange County had a big impact on the life work of Kesha Cash '10; she recalls using food stamps to buy groceries and scavenging for spare change from the couch cushions to make ends meet. Fast-forward to Columbia Business School, where she concentrated on social impact investing: upon graduating, she founded the minority-focused initiative Jalia Ventures, and then in 2013 she founded the lower-income-focused Impact America Fund, where she is currently the general partner. “I’m glad I attended business school as an older student, applying with a very clear vision in mind as to why I wanted to attend business school and what I wanted to get out of it,” she says. In this episode, Cash talks about finding her identity (6:44), leaving Wall Street (19:05), earning an MBA (25:45), starting Impact America Fund (32:20), and investing in lower-income communities (43:00). It’s all part of her mission today to transform the economic livelihoods of marginalized communities in America. “I really do feel like my purpose here is to figure out how to give more people access to upward mobility,” says Cash, who was named by Essence magazine in 2017 as one of 50 Black Women Founders to Watch.

Kesha Cash '10: Playing the Hand You're Dealt - The Road to Launching Impact America Fund

First, we speak with Eat Offbeat, the New York-based catering company founded by Wissam Kahi ’04 and his sister Manal Kahi, SIPA ’15. Eat Offbeat hires refugees and trains them to prepare cuisine from their native countries. Next, we check in with April Tam Smith ’10 who, in addition to her day job on Wall Street, opened P.S. Kitchen. This Times Square vegan restaurant donates 100 percent of its profits to organizations that support sustainability, and provides jobs to recent immigrants and the previously incarcerated. Last, we end with some life lessons/business advice from Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown, ’08, who talks about the benefit of listening to your heart and being patient with what it tells you.

First, we speak with Eat Offbeat, the New York-based catering company founded by Wissam Kahi ’04 and his sister Manal Kahi, SIPA ’15. Eat Offbeat hires refugees and trains them to prepare cuisine from their native countries. Next, we check in with April Tam Smith ’10 who, in addition to her day job on Wall Street, opened P.S. Kitchen. This Times Square vegan restaurant donates 100 percent of its profits to organizations that support sustainability, and provides jobs to recent immigrants and the previously incarcerated. Last, we end with some life lessons/business advice from Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown, ’08, who talks about the benefit of listening to your heart and being patient with what it tells you.

A Feast of Social Change

Matt Wilson

In a graduation-themed episode, Matt Wilson ’18 discusses his journey to and through Columbia Business School: as a New Jersey kid who loved the creative freedom of punk rock to working in counter-terrorism and homeland security after 9/11, and then finding his path in Business School by going off script. “There is no template for how your career and how your life is supposed to go,” Wilson says. “There is no specific set of steps that anyone has in mind when they look at you... I think that the biggest takeaway I’ve had is that there is no rule book. There’s no way you must pursue your career. There's no way you must pursue your life — and frankly, often your life should take huge precedent over your career. I think a lot of times we forget that.” At CBS Wilson served as the Student Government’s VP for Careers. After graduation, he’s heading back to consulting – armed with insights gleaned from CBS. “The ability to be vulnerable, to be humble, and to take the time to look inside and figure out what it is that truly drives me, that’s the thing I’ve come to value more than anything,” he says.

Matt Wilson ’18: Make Bold Choices — Reflections of a Graduating Student

Lee Georgs

In our second episode featuring the School’s UK-based graduates, we visit with Lee Georgs ’03, the Chief Operating Officer of Corporate for the investment consultancy Redington and co-President of the London alumni club. Georgs has held positions with some of the world’s most prestigious investment banks, including Citibank, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse. Her career path has not been a straight line. Since graduating from Columbia, Georgs moved from New York to Hong Kong to London, while taking some breaks from work along the way. She tells us how those periods away from the office changed her perspective -- and created new opportunities. Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: bit.ly/BizcastSurvey

In our second episode featuring the School’s UK-based graduates, we visit with Lee Georgs ’03, the Chief Operating Officer of Corporate for the investment consultancy Redington and co-President of the London alumni club. Georgs has held positions with some of the world’s most prestigious investment banks, including Citibank, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse. Her career path has not been a straight line. Since graduating from Columbia, Georgs moved from New York to Hong Kong to London, while taking some breaks from work along the way. She tells us how those periods away from the office changed her perspective -- and created new opportunities. Is there anything you would like to tell us about your experience listening to Bizcast? Please fill out our audience survey at: <a href="http://bit.ly/BizcastSurvey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BizcastSurvey</a>

Work Breaks Don't Signal Career Brakes: Lee Georgs '03

Stephanie Palmeri

When Stephanie Palmeri graduated from Columbia Business School in 2011, she took a leap of faith. With no job and two suitcases, she left New York City for Silicon Valley, crashing on the couches of fellow CBS grads. “As someone who didn't have a network [in the Valley]…it was scary, but I did it,” Palmeri says. Palmeri, now a partner at Uncork Capital (formerly SoftTech VC), sat down with Why CBS host Fahad Ahmed ’17 during the School’s Women’s Business Leadership in Tech: From Talk to Action conference in February, where she was a panelist.

Stephanie Palmeri ’11: Taking Chances, the Power of Connections, and Tips from the Startup Industry

On this episode of Bizcast, we revisit our conversation with Impact America Fund founder Kesha Cash ’10. Named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People for 2018, Kesha told us about a point in her career when she needed to reconcile that she was “living two lives.”   Cash grew up in a low-income family, first in rural South Carolina, then in Orange County, California. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in applied mathematics, Cash embarked on a career in financial services that took her to Wall Street boardrooms and aboard private jets. Through it all, Cash never forgot her early life experiences, which inspired her to enroll in the Business School, where she cultivated her passion for impact investing and social responsibility. In 2013, Cash launched the Impact America Fund, which makes investments in companies run by entrepreneurs from low and moderate income communities of color. 

On this episode of Bizcast, we revisit our conversation with Impact America Fund founder Kesha Cash ’10. Named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People for 2018, Kesha told us about a point in her career when she needed to reconcile that she was “living two lives.”   Cash grew up in a low-income family, first in rural South Carolina, then in Orange County, California. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in applied mathematics, Cash embarked on a career in financial services that took her to Wall Street boardrooms and aboard private jets. Through it all, Cash never forgot her early life experiences, which inspired her to enroll in the Business School, where she cultivated her passion for impact investing and social responsibility. In 2013, Cash launched the Impact America Fund, which makes investments in companies run by entrepreneurs from low and moderate income communities of color.

Kesha Cash ’10: Investing in Underserved Communities

Sandra Matz

Professor Sandra Matz explores how companies can turn customer’s personal data into a value proposition. As a Management Professor, Matz studies human behavior at the intersection of big data and social psychology. Her research has shown how just one click on Facebook can help marketers create psychological profiles and how money can buy us happiness. While Facebook has reported that “malicious actors” have taken advantage of search tools on its platform, making it possible for them to collect information on most of its users worldwide, Matz points out that the massive amounts of data companies collect can also lead to positive results. “I think it would be a real shame if we were to just ban those technologies all together,” she tells Columbia Bizcast podcast host Fahad Ahmed ’17. “There are so many opportunities that we have to use that technology in a way that helps people. But if we don't have that discussion, if people don't even know what's happening, we can't have the debate around what is it that we want to use it for.” Companies, Matz says, should look to their customers for insight on how best to use their data to create value. “If companies really start thinking about their customer, instead of their product – I think there’s so much value in that,” Matz says. “If you really put the customer at the center of everything, not only will you be able to make your product a lot better, but you’ll also kind of see which are the things, using data, that customers might value, and what are the things that customers might not necessarily want you to do.”

Professor Sandra Matz: Creating Value Through Big Data

Dan Brillman

Brooke Jones-Chinetti

In honor of Veterans Day, Bizcast is revisiting conversations we had with three CBS alumni, all former service members. All three are working to support veterans in their transition to civilian life. EMBA graduate Brooke Jones-Chinetti ’18 served in the Army for nearly ten years, which included a tour of duty in Iraq. After her commitment, Jones-Chinetti worked for JPMorgan Chase’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs. This inspired her to found Your Sequel, a networking organization designed to help female ex-service members make connections in the business world. Air Force pilot Dan Brillman ’12 and Army veteran Taylor Justice ’14 heard countless stories from their cohort about how complicated it was to access clinical and non-clinical social services. This led to their launching Unite Us, a centralized software platform that streamlines the connection between people and healthcare and other social service providers. As part of our salute to all veterans, here are Brooke, Dan, and Taylor telling their stories of life in the military, at Columbia Business School, and at their start-ups.

In honor of Veterans Day, Bizcast is revisiting conversations we had with three CBS alumni, all former service members. All three are working to support veterans in their transition to civilian life. EMBA graduate Brooke Jones-Chinetti ’18 served in the Army for nearly ten years, which included a tour of duty in Iraq. After her commitment, Jones-Chinetti worked for JPMorgan Chase’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs. This inspired her to found Your Sequel, a networking organization designed to help female ex-service members make connections in the business world. Air Force pilot Dan Brillman ’12 and Army veteran Taylor Justice ’14 heard countless stories from their cohort about how complicated it was to access clinical and non-clinical social services. This led to their launching Unite Us, a centralized software platform that streamlines the connection between people and healthcare and other social service providers. As part of our salute to all veterans, here are Brooke, Dan, and Taylor telling their stories of life in the military, at Columbia Business School, and at their start-ups.

From the Military to CBS: a Veterans Day episode with Brooke Jones-Chinetti ’18, Dan Brillman ’12, and Taylor Justice ’14

The best podcast episodes on Startups. For anyone working in a startup, or anyone interested in the incredible stories behind how people built companies like Instagram, and Facebook. Offering both practical advice and insights, as well as the stories for how many of the biggest startups got to where they are today. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

OwlTail

Best Startups Podcasts

The best podcast episodes on non-current politics. Covering topics such as universal basic income, democracy, poverty & justice and more. For anyone interested in learning more about politics that affect that world, not just now, but in the longer term. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!