Play To Potential Podcast

GUEST Ravi Venkatesan has been on the podcast about 5 years back. In that conversation we spoke about his journey and his transition from Cummins to Microsoft to Board Roles. In this conversation, we dive into his recently published book - What the Heck Do I Do with My Life.  Some of the topics we cover include the notion of a punctuated equilibrium and the implication on how we adapt, being intentional about life, cultivating an abundance mindset (irrespective of how much we have), different forms of capital that we can work with, specialisation versus generalisation (do you want to be a bird or a frog) and what we can learn from the phenomenon of stotting in the animal kingdom (and the link with personal branding).   Published in March 2022. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nuances of the context and then armed wi

GUEST Ayse is an accomplished Industrial Designer and has worked with Brands like Herman Miller, IKEA, Amazon and Toyota. She is the author of Design the Life You Love and gives lectures on Design the Work You Love to corporations. She was on the Fast Company’s list of Most Creative People in 2017 and on the Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 people that are likely to shape the future of organizations. Her work can also be found in the Permanent Collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Today, she gives talks, lead workshops, and teach masterclasses at companies to help leaders and their teams design their work and life, using 5 foundational principles of optimism, empathy, holistic thinking, collaboration and an open mind.  In this conversation, we explore various themes around how we can use Design principles to design the life that we love. You can follow her thinking by subscribing to her newsletter at https://www.aysebirsel.com/newsletter Published in February 2022. HOST Deepak Jayara

GUEST Dorie Clark is an American author and executive education professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She has recently published her 4th book - The Long Game - How to be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World. Her previous books include Reinventing You (2013), Stand Out (2015), Entrepreneurial You (2017).  She completed her Master in Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, and has had a career in Journalism and as a Political Speech Writer before creating a niche around helping people reinvent themselves and create compelling personal brands. She has been on the Thinkers 50 list in 2019 and 2021. She was also recently named the #1 Communication Coach in the World by the Marshall Goldsmith Coaching Leading Global Coaches Awards. Published in Jan 2022. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nua

GUEST Rajiv Vij is a life and executive coach, author and speaker. He works with senior leaders of several Fortune 500 companies and other large organisations across Asia and India and has been a coach to industry leaders. He also voluntarily coaches a number of founders and leaders of social-sector organisations. He is the author of Discovering Your Sweet Spot: A Soul-searching Guide for Creating the Life You Really Want. Prior to finding his calling and starting his coaching practice in 2006, he served as Managing Director, Asia for Franklin Templeton. Published in December 2021. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nuances of the context and then armed with the mutual trust and understanding of the context, strives to be of value as a (behind the scenes and discreet) Coach / Sounding Board for their journeys. LinkedI

GUEST Harsh Mariwala is Founder and Chairman of Marico, an FMCG giant well known for brands like Parachute and Saffola. He has recently Co-Authored the book - Harsh Realities (Published by Penguin Random House) along with Management Guru, Ram Charan. The book is a story of how Harsh broke away from the shackles of family-run Bombay Oil Industries Ltd, which was a commodities business to set up a professionally run Marico including all the trials and tribulations along the way.  Some of the themes we covered included how he tactfully separated from his family business, how he broke away from the shackles of mediocre talent that often haunt SMEs, his evolution along the way as a leader, his transition to a Professional CEO and how he has managed to assemble a set of advisors in his Board and otherwise to guide him on his journey. Published in Dec 2021. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potenti

GUEST Sukhinder Singh Cassidy is one of Google’s and Silicon Valley’s most respected leaders. She has worked at various tech and media companies including Google, Amazon, NewsCorp, Yodle and Polyvore. At one stage she was heading Latin America and Asia Pacific in Google in 2008. She is credited with building Google’s presence across 103 countries in LATAM and APAC. She has recently authored the book – Choosing Possibility where she speaks about embracing micro-risks as a process to unlock growth and professional fulfilment. Some of the themes we spoke about included the notion of the myth of a single choice, Embracing risk as a discovering process, her experiences with her Coach David Lesser with whom she engaged for over a decade, her take on Bill Campbell. She also shares candidly what went wrong when she transitioned from Google to Accel to Polyvore as an external CEO. She speaks about some of the challenges in getting senior leadership transitions right in a Scale up. She also spoke about the notion of

GUEST Lloyd Reeb is a successful real estate developer and owner of retirement housing who made a mid-life transition, looking for greater meaning, joy and impact in his second half. He has had the privilege of investing 20 years helping leaders plan their second half. He helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teach, coach and connect successful men and women in pursuit of significance. Lloyd has taken the Halftime message around the world: speaking, teaching and coaching individuals through the journey. In our conversation we spoke about a range of themes including being a Chief Life Officer, Deploying Time, Talent and Treasures for Social Impact, Keeping the Centre of Gravity low, Maintaining a Margin and much more. This conversation is packed with insights for anyone who is looking to make a thoughtful transition from Success to Significance.  Published in Oct 2021. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and

GUEST Harish Bhat is the Brand Custodian of Tata Sons. He has had a ~35 year career at the Tata Group and has held several leadership roles including COO - Watches and Accessories Business at Titan, MD & CEO of Tata Consumer Products, Chairman of the Board at Tata Coffee Limited and more.  He is the Author of four books. "#Tata Stories", 40 timeless tales to inspire you. "An extreme love of coffee", an exciting novel about coffee and magic. "Tata Log", inspiring stories from the contemporary history of the Tata Group. "The Curious Marketer", a free-flowing exploration of curiosity in marketing. He also writes frequently in several leading publications including The Mint and The Hindu Business Line.  In this conversation, we spoke about his journey, some of his key choices and his perspectives on storytelling and building culture through it. Then we dove into some of the stories and lessons from his book.  Published in Oct 2021.  HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Lead

GUEST Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a secondary appointment at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. Her research explores ways that insights from economics and psychology can be harnessed to change consequential behaviors for good, such as savings, exercise, vaccination take-up and discrimination. She has also recently authored the Book - How to Change - The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.  In 2018, she began hosting Charles Schwab’s popular podcast “Choiceology with Katy Milkman”, which explores key lessons from behavioral economics about decision making.  Published in September 2021.  HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nuances of the context and then armed with the mutual trust and understanding of the cont

GUEST Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School.  Amy has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #3 in 2019. She studies teaming, psychological safety, and organizational learning, and her articles have been published numerous academic and management outlets Her most recent book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (Wiley, 2019), offers a practical guide for organizations serious about success in the modern economy.  She has been studying Psychological Safety for ~15 years way before it became popular in the blogosphere after Charles Duhigg wrote his piece for the New Yorker about Project Aristotle and Google’s lessons from its quest to build a perfect team in 2016.  In our conversation, we speak about the various nuances involved in the way we think about Psychological Safety and how it pla

GUEST Over the last year and a quarter, since March 2020, a lot of us have been thrown into this work from anywhere world without any prior preparation. It is like being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool without any prior training. We have had to figure out our own response to the evolving situation. While there has been no shortage of wisdom and webinars, I have been looking for a research backed view to learn from. In that context, I am excited to bring the next conversation with Darleen DeRosa (Consultant at SpencerStuart's Stamford office) and author of Leading at a Distance: Practical Lessons for Virtual Success, that she has co-authored with her colleague Jim Citrin, who leads SpencerStuart's North American CEO practice and is a core member of the firm's Board practice. SpencerStuart is one of the world's leading Leadership Advisory Services firms. Darleen has been studying Remote Work since 2008 long before COVID struck.  Given a lot of the listeners to this podcast are leaders in India or

GUEST For many of us, the last time we learned a new skill was during childhood. We live in an age which reveres expertise but looks down on the beginner. Upon entering adulthood and middle age, we begin to shy away from trying new things, instead preferring to stay nestled firmly in our comfort zones. Beginners asks the question: why are children the only ones allowed to experience the inherent fun of facing daily challenges? And could we benefit from embracing new skills, even if we're initially hopeless? Bestselling author Tom Vanderbilt sets out to find the answer, tasking himself with acquiring several new skills under the tutelage of professionals, including drawing, juggling, surfing and much more. Witty and often surprisingly profound, Beginners is an uplifting exploration of the science of brain plasticity and how we can learn how to learn anew. Published in July 2021 HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them

GUEST Dan Cable is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. Dan’s research and teaching focus on employee engagement, change, organizational culture, leadership mindset, and the linkage between brands and employee behaviors. Dan was selected for the 2018 Thinkers50 Radar List, The Academy of Management has twice honored Dan with “Best article” awards, and The Academy of Management Perspectives ranked Dan in the “Top 25 most influential management scholars.” In our conversation, we spoke about his journey including a cancer diagnosis which led him to examine his life and make pivotal choices. We go deep into his book “Exceptional” where he speaks about how we all can unlock our “best self” by using the highlights reel, a concept that we are familiar with in the realm of sports. Gathering and reflecting on our highlights reel could open up new possibilities that can help us play to our potential.  Published in June 2021. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works

GUEST Sally Helgesen, cited in Forbes as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership, is an internationally best-selling author, speaker and leadership coach. Sally’s most recent book, How Women Rise, co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith, examines the behaviors most likely to get in the way of successful women. It became the top-seller in its field within a week of publication and rights have been sold in 15 languages. Previous books include The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership, hailed as the classic in its field and continuously in print since 1990, and The Female Vision: Women’s Real Power at Work, which explores how women’s strategic insights can strengthen their careers. The Web of Inclusion: A New Architecture for Building Great Organizations, was cited in The Wall Street Journal as one of the best books on leadership of all time and is credited with bringing the language of inclusion into business. In addition to delivering leadership workshops and keynotes for companies around the w

GUEST Dr. Jennifer (Jen) Goldman Wetzler is a leading expert on Conflict and Organizational psychology. For two decades, she has advised senior leaders at global corporations in a wide range of industries as well as at large non-profit and governmental institutions. She is the author of Optimal Outcomes - Free yourself from conflict at Work, at Home and in life.  Earlier in her career, she was Director of Negotiation Programs at Mediation Works Incorporated, and a facilitator at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. A former counterterrorism research fellow with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, she received her B.A. with honors from Tufts University and holds a Ph.D. in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.  When I reflect on my journey, I feel I often default to a conflict-avoiding approach which I find to be frequently counter-productive in situations. Jen speaks about the various defaults each one of us gravitate towards and how that leads us to being stuck in co

GUEST Bill Carr is the Co-Author (along with Colin Bryar) of the recently published book Working Backwards - Insights, Stories and Secrets from Inside Amazon.  In Working Backwards, these two long-serving Amazon executives reveal and codify the principles and practices that drive the success of one of the most extraordinary companies the world has ever known. With twenty-seven years of Amazon experience between them, much of it in the early 2000s―a period of unmatched innovation that brought products and services including Kindle, Amazon Prime, Amazon Studios, and Amazon Web Services to life. The book offers unprecedented access to the Amazon way as it was refined, articulated, and proven to be repeatable, scalable, and adaptable. The book demonstrates that success on Amazon’s scale is not achieved by the genius of any single leader, but rather through commitment to and execution of a set of well-defined, rigorously-executed principles and practices. In our conversation, we first spoke about some of the di

GUEST Sanjeev Aggarwal and Hari TN have seen the "scale-up movie” in different contexts. Sanjeev was the Founder CEO of Daksh that he eventually sold to IBM. He is now an investor at Helion Ventures and Fundamentum Partnership. The have recently co-authored the book - From Pony to Unicorn - Scaling a Start-up sustainably. From Pony to Unicorn lucidly describes the X-to-10X journey that every start-up aspiring to become a unicorn has to go through. The book effortlessly narrates the fundamental principles behind scaling. Peppered with anecdotes, insights and practical wisdom, the book is a treasure trove of lessons derived from the authors' rich personal experiences in both building and guiding several start-ups that went on to attain the 'unicorn' status and became public-listed companies. In the conversation, we speak about how Founders should think about scaling up, the three different rhythms of an organization that is scaling up, how organizations should think about transitioning senior leaders, being d

GUEST Bruce Feiler is an American writer and television personality. He is the author of 15 books, including Council of Dads, a book that describes how he responded to a diagnosis of a rare cancer by asking a group of men to be present in the lives of his young daughters. His latest work explores the power of life stories. Drawing on interviews with Americans in all 50 states, he offers strategies for coping with life's unsettling times in his new book, Life Is In The Transitions, published in May 2020. Informed by the sifting and coding of life story interviews across America, Feiler examines what gives our lives meaning. Adam Grant called the book, one of "The 20 New Leadership Books for 2020”.  In our conversation we speak about the notion of anytime life transition, how resilience might be the wrong attribute to have during transitions, the three phases in a transition, the power of stories in navigating transitions and much more. In a world where the rate of transitions we all will go through is increa

GUEST Ramesh is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, and a leader in the Pharmaceutical and Organization practices. He is the Global Dean of the Bower Forum, McKinsey's program for CEO learning. He is a member of McKinsey's Global Social Responsibility Council, and sits on a few non-profit Boards in the Education sector in India. He also has been through the unimaginable trauma of losing two young children to cancer. I was keen to speak to him to get his perspectives on leadership given his experiences at McKinsey and how we can all deal with lifequakes when they hit us given what he has been through on the personal front. We speak about how CEOs should discern their mandate when they take charge, how they should focus on not just doing but being, how he has reinvented several times over within McKinsey, How he has architected a Personal Board of Advisors and how that replenishes him, how he and his wife have dealt with the twin shocks that they have experienced and more.  Published in Feb 2021. HO

GUEST Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi is the president and CEO of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2020, Priyadarshi released his book "Running Toward Mystery: The Adventure of an Unconventional Life”. In the book, he speaks about his walking away from his school at the age of 10 based on some dreams he had been having from the age of 6. He speaks about the various twists and turns in his journey that has now brought him to MIT.  In 2009, Priyadarshi founded the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT to design and disseminate innovative programs on teaching secular ethics and human values. The Center for Ethics has 6 Nobel Peace Laureates as its founding members and its programs run in 5 countries while poised for a global reach. Published in January 2021. HOST Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full po