Masters of Scale
725 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3.7K ratingsAward-winning business advice from Silicon Valley and beyond. Iconic CEOs, from Nike to Netflix, Starbucks to Slack, share the strategies that helped them grow from startups into global brands — and to weather crisis when it strikes.
On each episode of our classic format, founding host Reid Hoffman — LinkedIn cofounder, Greylock partner and legendary Silicon Valley investor — and a stellar lineup of guest hosts prove unconventional theories about how businesses scale. Guests share their stories of entrepreneurship, leadership, strategy, management, fundraising. You’ll hear the human journey, too — failures, setbacks, learnings.
From our Rapid Response format, you can expect real-time wisdom from business leaders in fast-changing situations. Hosted by Bob Safian, past editor-in-chief of Fast Company, these episodes tackle crisis response, rebuilding, diversity & inclusion, leadership change and much more.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
133. Ron Howard: Evolve your vision
August 15, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBHow do you stay true to your vision for your company amid constant, unpredictable change? And how do you stay true to a singular vision, while also letting it evolve? These are questions every leader needs to consider as they rally people, resources and opportunities to make their vision a reality. Celebrated filmmaker Ron Howard has a remarkable ability to maintain his vision of creating captivating and deeply human stories — while strengthening how he delivers this vision by inco...
How great cultures are built and rebuilt, w/Eric Schmidt, Angela Ahrendts, & Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi
August 08, 2023 09:00 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBEric Schmidt, Angela Ahrendts, and Dara Khosrowshahi — three legendary culture-setters — sit down with host Bob Safian to discuss how they’ve built and rebuilt great cultures at Apple, Uber, Google and more. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, the conversation delivers surprising stories, and counterintuitive lessons on authenticity, making mistakes, and how to build a unique culture that’s right for your business. Read a transcript of this episode: https...
Leading in an age of burnout, w/Arianna Huffington & Padmasree Warrior
August 01, 2023 09:00 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBHow do you nurture human talent in today’s AI-obsessed, pressure-cooker business climate? Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive and Huffington Post, and Padmasree Warrior, founder of Fable and former chief strategy officer at Cisco, offer actionable advice on avoiding burnout—for yourself and your teams. Arianna and Padma explain how productivity and positive business outcomes are directly linked to employees’ health and wellbeing. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San...
96. Focus on the scale that your customers can’t see, w/Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford
July 25, 2023 09:00 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBToo often, companies only focus on the type of scale that’s visible: massive campuses, thousands of workers, offices around the globe. But as Land O’Lakes proves, there are less conspicuous ways to scale – ways that supply your business with structural integrity. This is something CEO Beth Ford knows well. She’s strategically scaled Land O’Lakes – often beneath the surface of what the average consumer sees. As she puts it: “We have to treat our business like the ecosystem it is." Ca...
Prepare for where AI is headed next, w/Reid Hoffman & Bob Safian
July 18, 2023 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBNeed to Know: AI’s risks and opportunities; why Reid launched his own AI chatbot; and what Elon Musk and Sam Altman aren’t telling you. Reid Hoffman joins Bob Safian to explore how leaders everywhere should prepare for the AI revolution. Plus, Reid shares the inspiration and strategy behind co-founding his company, Inflection AI. If you’re unsure how to begin a period of experimentation and AI rollout, Reid and Bob have you covered. Read a transcript of this episode: https://maste...
Re-skill for AI, w/PwC’s Tim Ryan
July 13, 2023 09:00 - 20 minutes - 19 MBRapid Response with Bob Safian: How do you re-skill a 65,000-strong workforce to prepare for the AI revolution? PwC recently invested $1 billion into AI, hoping to unleash never-before-seen potential for employees and clients. US chief Tim Ryan explains why and how the money will be spent, plus shares what he’s advising fellow CEOs about which industries are most poised for change from AI and how leaders everywhere can address both opportunities and anxieties around AI. Read a tran...
132. Build your culture like a product, w/HubSpot's Dharmesh Shah
July 11, 2023 09:00 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBYour company's culture is the bedrock of everything you do. So you can't afford to just let your culture emerge — you need to build it with the deliberate approach of a product designer. Then you need to bring that culture to life by winning buy-in from your team. This is exactly what Dharmesh Shah did at HubSpot — as laid out in the famed HubSpot Culture Code. This living document continues to inspire founders and business leaders to adopt a product design approach to building the...
4 secrets to building your network
July 06, 2023 09:00 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBHuman beings are social creatures, with a critical need to connect with others. This drive gives shape and meaning to our personal and professional lives. For entrepreneurs and business leaders, the path to success relies on strong, human-centered networks. In this special episode, we revisit the Masters of Scale Summit to hear from leaders, including our very own Reid Hoffman, who share inside stories on how to build — and nurture — professional and personal networks. Learn how to ...
Prioritize principles in crisis, w/Upwork’s Hayden Brown and Merck’s Ken Frazier
June 29, 2023 09:00 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBNavigate today’s uncertain climate with a steadfast resolve. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, former Merck CEO Ken Frazier and Upwork CEO Hayden Brown talk with host Bob Safian about how leaders should trust their values when faced with social, political, and economic challenges. Brown shares how leading through the chaos of the pandemic brought new opportunities to increase diversity and productivity. Frazier details Merck’s reactionary strategy to the...
131. Better metrics for better culture, part 2, with Kapor Capital’s Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein
June 27, 2023 09:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBIn part 2 of this episode with veteran founders and investors Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein, we get into the data of building human-centered cultures. In part one, we heard how Mitch and Freada went all-in on investing their values, committing 100% of new investments in “gap-closing” companies that aim to improve society, even as they aim for scale and liquidity as well. Now, Mitch and Freada can share how that’s played out in practice, with both positive examples … and some ...
How to inject AI into your core business, w/Smart Eye’s Rana el Kaliouby
June 22, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBRapid Response with Bob Safian: Should you begin incorporating AI now or wait to see how it shakes-out for early adopters? AI pioneer Rana el Kaliouby urges business leaders to embrace their exploration mindset in order to accelerate faster. El Kaliouby takes us inside her own AI shop, Smart Eye, where she serves as deputy CEO, to share their process for adapting to the latest technology. An expert on emotional AI and its ethical boundaries, El Kaliouby argues that to succeed in the...
130. Better metrics for better culture, part 1, with Kapor Capital’s Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein
June 20, 2023 09:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBCan you build with conscience and still succeed? Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein certainly think so. As tech industry veteran founders and investors, Mitch and Freada have long embraced non-traditional metrics that put humans at the center. Mitch co-founded Lotus, the 1980s software giant, and hired Freada to help make the company “the most progressive employer in the U.S.” And years later, their early-stage VC firm, Kapor Capital, aligns their portfolio with their values, inve...
To be first to the future, be stubbornly nimble
June 15, 2023 09:00 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBHow do you balance saving capital versus taking advantage of current opportunities? How do investors and founders evaluate risk differently? And how do you embrace disruptive new technology without sending the message that you’re replacing humans with robots? Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian answer these questions and more, all posed in a special live Strategy Session by entrepreneurs across many industries and stages of scale. Plus Reid shares how playing games can revolutionize the way...
Tyler Perry and Netflix's Ted Sarandos: Amplify the untapped audience
June 13, 2023 09:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBTo achieve true cultural impact, follow authentic storytelling and spot untapped consumer needs. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, filmmaker and entrepreneur Tyler Perry and Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos talk with host Reid Hoffman about redefining culture, evaluating the playing field, and ignoring conventional wisdom. Sarandos explains how scaling the personal touch of curation and taking risks evolved Netflix into a streaming juggernaut. Perry shares ...
Make AI your co-pilot, w/Microsoft VP of Design & AI, John Maeda
June 08, 2023 09:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBRapid Response with Bob Safian: Can you truly take advantage of AI before speaking its language? Microsoft’s VP of Design and AI, Dr. John Maeda discusses AI’s common misconceptions and its misunderstood opportunities. A veteran of AI development, John shares valuable insights for entrepreneurs about how to engage with the new technology — from overcoming trepidation to making AI work harder for you — and AI’s potential to help leaders make better decisions. Read a transcript of th...
129. Jimmy Iovine: Harness fear to drive innovation, part 2
June 06, 2023 09:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBWith guest host Angela Ahrendts (Burberry, Apple). To innovate, you need to build an instinct to smash through barriers — especially the ones that terrify you. Music industry legend Jimmy Iovine has done this throughout his career working with legendary artists like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Dr. Dre, working in innovative tech like Beats Electronics and Apple Music, as well as in his groundbreaking work educating the next generation of creatives. In the final installment ...
128. Jimmy Iovine: Harness fear to drive innovation, part 1
May 31, 2023 09:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBWith guest host Angela Ahrendts (Burberry, Apple). To innovate, you need to build an instinct to smash through barriers — especially the ones that terrify you. Music industry legend Jimmy Iovine has done this throughout his career working with legendary artists like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Dr. Dre, working in innovative tech like Beats Electronics and Apple Music, as well as in his groundbreaking work educating the next generation of creatives. In part one of this two-p...
Using failure as a launchpad, w/MoviePass’s Stacy Spikes
May 23, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBRapid Response with Bob Safian: After an infamous fall, MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes is back to try again, applying hard-earned lessons and a revamped model to meet the same goal: make theater-going a habit for a new generation. As a passionate Black entrepreneur, Stacy shares the hidden powers of being an outsider and how anyone can re-take control of their narrative to spark a new and exciting chapter. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/ Subscri...
How the word "no" inspires change, w/Princess Reema
May 16, 2023 09:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBTo change the status quo, we need to lean into whatever advantages we have. Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has privileges that many do not: She is a member of the royal family and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States. But she is also a woman in a traditional culture who has encountered many obstacles — as an entrepreneur, a CEO, and in government. Princess Reema has deftly maneuvered to help expand women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, in ways few predicted. ...
How great leaders respond in a crisis, w/Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky
May 09, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBAfter guiding the company through a near-death experience, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky talks with Rapid Response host Bob Safian about what he learned and how responding to a crisis both reveals your character and teaches you what’s most important. Recorded live on stage at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/ Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Poli...
Lessons from the demise of BuzzFeed News, w/CEO Jonah Peretti
May 04, 2023 09:00 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBRapid Response with Bob Safian: If the most prestigious aspect of your business isn’t paying dividends, should you leave it in the past? BuzzFeed’s co-founder and CEO, Jonah Peretti discusses the surprising decision to shutter the Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed News, and how the company seeks to re-anchor toward the bright future of media. In his third appearance on Rapid Response, Peretti shares lessons about redefining the tool of social media, leading a private versus public bus...
ALL-STAR EP: Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi — Bringing a culture back from the brink
May 02, 2023 09:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBEarly-stage startups are a lot like pirate ships — they need a buccaneering spirit to survive. But every startup needs to shed its pirate nature at some point, and evolve into something more akin to a navy — no less heroic, but more disciplined. Dara Khosrowshahi, as Uber CEO, took on the most extreme pirate-to-navy transition in startup history. Though Uber blitzscaled to become the most valuable startup in the world, it was also notorious for its toxic culture — and Dara turned th...
ALL-STAR EP: Taskrabbit’s Stacy Brown-Philpot — Keep humans in the equation
April 25, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBYou may think that to scale you need to cut humans out of the equation. The opposite is true. You can harness the power of the “human cloud” to solve almost any problem — as long as you keep the word “human” in the equation. That’s what former TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot champions for this community of people who work with each other, teach each other, and continually learn from each other. "All-Star Episodes" are part of a special series designed to center some of the most ...
ALL-STAR EP: Shark Tank and FUBU’s Daymond John — How to partner like a shark
April 18, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBHow do you create authentic partnerships to build scale? Daymond John, founder of FUBU and one of the original “sharks” on ABC’s Shark Tank, shares lessons from FUBU’s earliest days in Queens, where he partnered with bouncers, bodegas, his neighbor LL Cool J, and his earliest collaborator and investor (his mom) to turn a great idea into a billion-dollar urbanwear brand. "All-Star Episodes" are part of a special series designed to center some of the most timely — and timeless — busi...
ALL-STAR EP: Google's Eric Schmidt — Innovation is managed chaos
April 11, 2023 09:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBGoogle doesn’t tell its employees how to innovate; it manages their inventive chaos. Their secret? Mix free-flowing ideas with disciplined decision-making. In this week's All-Star Episode, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt shares his strategies to manage chaos. CEO of Google from 2001-2015, and now the co-founder of Schmidt Futures, Schmidt reveals the hidden secret in Google’s famous “20% time” policy, their approach to hiring smart creatives, and the parallels between leading Googl...
ALL-STAR EP: Burberry & Apple’s Angela Ahrendts — How to unite a team
April 04, 2023 09:00 - 32 minutes - 29.3 MBThe Apple logo. The iconic Burberry check. These images inspire loyalty of customers and employees alike. But it takes more than a beloved brand to power a company and motivate a team. No one knows this better than Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of retail at Apple, and the former CEO of Burberry. Angela has spent most of her career learning how to imbue those logos with meaning — and support them with down-to-earth, everyday, human connection. Why? Because to unite a team — especially ...
ALL-STAR EP: Spotify’s Daniel Ek — How to build trust fast
March 28, 2023 09:00 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBNormally, trust = consistency + time. But when you're scaling fast, you have to find shortcuts to trust, with your partners and your users. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek knows a thing or two about this. When he founded Spotify, he did what few disruptors ever do: He worked with the industry he was trying to reinvent. How did Ek build a relationship with a music industry wary of piracy? He found shortcuts to trust. And not just with the music industry, but users to. With cameo appearances fr...
Rapid Response: Live with urgency, w/Bozoma Saint John, former Netflix CMO
March 16, 2023 09:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBBeing authentic defines strong leadership. Bozoma Saint John has continually challenged expectations, moving purposefully across multiple roles, from Uber’s chief brand officer to Netflix’s CMO, from Pepsico to Apple, from working for celebrated director Spike Lee to working for iconic Hollywood talent agent Ari Emmanuel. The wall between the personal and professional is artificial, Boz argues, and a barrier to leading what she calls The Urgent Life in a new book. The best leaders t...
62. The 4 core principles of crisis management, w/Ellen Kullman (DuPont, Carbon)
March 14, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBTo survive a crisis, you have to double down on who you already are as a company. This is something Ellen Kullman knows, having led DuPont through the 2008-2009 financial crisis, and taken the CEO role at 3D-printing unicorn Carbon only weeks before Covid hit. Through her years as a leader, Ellen has developed four crisis principles that allowed her to lead teams and thrive through pandemic, economic meltdown, and beyond. The key? Practicing the principles in calmer times, before cr...
Rapid Response: Compassion in the face of crisis, w/Mercy Corps CEO Tjada McKenna
March 09, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes - 20 MBHow do you stay focused and committed to putting out a fire while new fires ignite elsewhere? Mercy Corps CEO, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna returns to Rapid Response to discuss the expansive relief effort in Turkey and Syria since the earthquake, leading a grieving team, and how the org’s support strategy in Ukraine must pivot as the country enters its second year of war. Tjada also shares insights about the greater role businesses can play in societal improvement, and why altruism doesn’t ...
Rapid Response: Embrace tension, w/former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty
March 02, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBHard challenges demand that we embrace tension. Former CEO of IBM Ginni Rometty argues that, right now, business has a responsibility to deploy what her new book calls Good Power — from putting skills first in hiring, as a way to close systemic opportunity gaps, to thoughtfully erecting guardrails around new technology. As an early pioneer in the AI space with IBM’s Watson, Ginni acknowledges the risk that disruptive technology can have on society. She offers her insider perspective...
127. Dare to make unexpected moves, w/David Droga of Droga5 and Accenture Song
February 28, 2023 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBWhat drove the meteoric rise of David Droga’s trailblazing agency Droga5? A series of daring, unexpected leaps — tactics he’s now applying at mega-scale as head of Accenture Song. Conventional wisdom tells you to ‘climb the ladder’ of success linearly — as an individual or a company. But David’s unexpected moves — leaning into creative partnerships and controversial programs — accelerated his path to scale. David tells us: “I’m more scared of repetition than I am of failure.” Read ...
Rapid Response: Finding windows of opportunity, w/Delta CEO Ed Bastian
February 23, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MBWith deserted airports, vaccine and mask mandates, and pandemic-prompted staff departures behind it, Delta Air Lines is once again soaring, recently sharing $563 million in profits with its employees. CEO Ed Bastian, in his third appearance on Rapid Response, talks about capitalizing on the big decisions made amid Covid darkness — from airport renovations to investing in free Wifi — and the opportunities and challenges of adding 25,000 new employees over the past year. Sharing insig...
46. Make it epic, w/will.i.am
February 21, 2023 10:00 - 42 minutes - 39 MBWhat can entrepreneurs learn from a genre-crossing, multi-platinum musician? How to take a big opportunity — and leverage it into something epic. From his earliest days as a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am learned from mentors how to not only identify big opportunities but compound them. From the Super Bowl to the first iTunes commercial; from the founding of Beats and his tech company i.am+ to a song beamed back from Mars, his ability to bring stakeholders togethe...
Rapid Response: Kickstart your users from passive to passionate, w/Kickstarter’s Everette Taylor
February 16, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBTo breathe fresh life into an established platform, Kickstarter’s new 33-year-old CEO Everette Taylor is shaking things up – and he’s unapologetic if it makes people uncomfortable. From bold new product lines to bold statements, Taylor is working to kickstart Kickstarter’s existing community while aggressively pursuing new users. Marketing is product and product is marketing, he says. “I want to build a juggernaut.” Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/ Su...
Need to Know: ChatGPT and AI’s inflection point, w/Reid & Bob
February 14, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBReid Hoffman and Bob Safian sit down once more to discuss how today’s hot-button stories are impacting business. And right now, there's no hotter topic than ChatGPT and the race to bring transformative AI tools into the mainstream. So in this special AI deep-dive, Reid and Bob discuss how ChatGPT has reignited the search engine wars, how we can expect AI to transform our work and leisure, ways to see through the hype, and how business leaders should get the jump on the AI inflection...
Rapid Response: Betting on the Super Bowl, w/FanDuel CEO Amy Howe
February 09, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBSports gambling is on track to grow into a $40 billion industry in the U.S., with FanDuel the lead player. CEO Amy Howe explains why the Super Bowl is so important to the company’s aspirations, even as it expands into wider gaming options and broader sports leagues. Leveraging its first-mover advantage, FanDuel is seeking to build an iconic brand around responsible gaming. With so much on the line, Super Bowl week is as make-or-break for Howe as it is for the two teams on the field....
Strategy Session: How to balance innovation with your core business? How to help others tell the story of your product? How to sell an audacious vision to risk-averse stakeholders?
February 07, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBHow do you keep innovating while also making sure your core business stays on point? How do you turn your employees into impassioned storytellers? And how do you get even the most risk-averse stakeholders to get on board with your trailblazing new approach? Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian answer these questions and more, all posed live by entrepreneurs across many industries and stages of scale. Plus Reid reminds us the importance of staying grounded in our humanity amid the spate of bi...
Rapid Response: Turning point for a climate-crisis solution, w/Climeworks' Christoph Gebald
February 03, 2023 19:03 - 27 minutes - 25 MBThe carbon-capture industry notched a breakthrough in early 2023, when Climeworks became the first company to be third-party certified for taking carbon out of the air and mineralizing it underground. Climeworks co-founder and co-CEO Christoph Gebald is now racing to scale this new potential, from Iceland to Oman to the United States, by convincing investors, corporate partners, and governments to support a new pillar in the quest for net-zero goals. Christoph points to both serendi...
126. When to seek advice and when to ignore it, w/LearnVest & Inspired Capital’s Alexa von Tobel
January 31, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBSmart entrepreneurs know one of the secrets to scale is leveraging wisdom from others. (In fact, that’s the mission of this show!) But not all advice is right for you right now — and some can even be disastrous. As the founder of the proto-fintech platform LearnVest, Alexa von Tobel scaled her business by seeking advice from mentors and friends … and then, taking only the advice that served her mission. Following Alexa’s story, you’ll learn how to become a good advice detective, wit...
Rapid Response: Stay versatile, w/Lululemon Athletica CEO Calvin McDonald
January 26, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBWhile many retail businesses have struggled to cope with a wave of disruptions — from pandemic to supply chains to inflation — Lululemon has continued to scale, even when retail sales elsewhere dipped. CEO Calvin McDonald shares how mid-term strategic planning, control over inventory, and a culture that climbs mountains together has fueled agility and versatility. When it comes to brand-building and community building, Calvin says, it’s critical to lean into listening, so you can am...
6 leadership traps and how to avoid them
January 24, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 40 MBFor entrepreneurs and business leaders, the path to success is littered with traps. In this special episode of Masters of Scale, we go into the trenches with leaders from Google, Uber, LinkedIn, and more for inside stories on how to identify, decode, and surmount unexpected pitfalls — from organizational jams to overcommunication, from bloated meetings to bungled succession planning. Learn how to get out of, and avoid, these traps, for yourself and the entire organization. Read a t...
Rapid Response: Finding untapped value in multicultural consumers, w/Blavity CEO and AfroTech founder Morgan DeBaun
January 19, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBWhile media companies from CNN to Buzzfeed have faced layoffs, one digital network focused on Black millennials has continued to forge ahead. Morgan DeBaun, CEO of Blavity, which reaches some 100 million users through brands like Travel Noire and Afrotech, has defied the odds — repeatedly. Morgan’s experience offers lessons about financial discipline and focused patience, as well as the untapped value in multicultural consumers. An adviser to big companies like American Airlines and...
8. Netflix’s Reed Hastings: Why culture matters
January 18, 2023 05:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBAs Reed Hastings steps down from his co-CEO role at Netflix, we return to the leadership lessons he shared in his original Masters of Scale episode. This episode is all about how you need a strong culture to build a company that will scale beyond the early start-up days. And strong company cultures only emerge when every employee feels they own the culture from day 1. Here's how Reed Hastings and his team at Netflix did it – and made their culture deck famous in the process. Cameo a...
87. J.J. Abrams: Make room for magic
January 17, 2023 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBYou can’t predict your next a-ha moment. but you can create favorable circumstances for serendipity to happen – for you, and for your team. No one knows this better than J.J. Abrams, director, producer, screenwriter, and co-founder and co-CEO of Bad Robot Productions, which has been behind some of the most successful TV series and films of the last 20 years, from Lost to Star Trek to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. J.J. explains how creativity and collaboration are things you cultivat...
Rapid Response: How to cultivate a new industry, w/Upside Foods CEO Uma Valeti, MD
January 12, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBWhen the FDA blessed Upside Foods’ grown-from-cells chicken as safe to eat, it was a coming-of-age moment for cultivated meat. Upside founder and CEO Uma Valeti, MD, shares his journey of convincing skeptics, landing investors from Bill Gates to food giants Tyson and Cargill, and building a collaborative partnership with the FDA and USDA. Plus, his lessons on leadership from a career in cardiology and what it will take to convert consumers to a never-before-seen product. Read a tr...
125. Cisco's John Chambers: The essential playbooks — and when to use them
January 10, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBAll great teams need to improvise under pressure, but underpinning this should be a set of tried-and-tested playbooks that let you orchestrate and replicate winning strategies. Cisco's John Chambers created a library of living playbooks — covering culture, acquisitions, crises, and more — to astounding effect as he took Cisco from a small tech supplier to the most valuable company on the planet. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to the Masters...
49. Ray Dalio: How to embrace conflict
January 05, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MBWant to improve any idea? Find someone who disagrees with it. This is something legendary investor Ray Dalio knows. But there’s a difference between constructive and destructive conflict — and Dalio is a master at spotting the difference. In constructive conflict, a team has a shared goal, whether or not they have differing opinions. And this is the key to success. Cameo appearances: Steve Horgan (USA Field Hockey Director of Umpiring), Daniel Amen (psychiatrist, founder of Amen Cli...
5 ways to keep your brand relevant
January 03, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBBranding is at the heart of any organization’s identity, product, and mission. It's the narrative you weave throughout your scale journey. That’s why brand relevance isn't a nice-to-have — it's a need to have. This special episode of Masters of Scale shares key branding lessons from Nike, Disney, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and more. Applying these insights can amplify your momentum, whether your brand is just starting out or firmly established. By refreshing your bra...
Rapid Response: Loneliness at work, w/Noreena Hertz, author of The Lonely Century
December 29, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBThis is the loneliest century, says economist Noreena Hertz. Even before the pandemic forced us to stay home, loneliness was snaking its way through our lives, affecting everything from how we vote to how we work. Professor at University College London and author of the book, The Lonely Century, Noreena has some sage advice for businesses: about how less loneliness fuels more productivity, the bottom-line advantages of in-person connection over virtual interactions, and why values l...