The Insightful Leader (Kellogg School of Management)

On this episode of The Insightful Leader podcast, two seasoned entrepreneurs share wisdom from the trenches.

For leaders, deciding how much trust to place in the people you manage can be tricky. Give them too much leeway, and they might take advantage of you—but don’t give them enough, and they may not feel safe to take risks. So how much does a more trusting CEO really spur innovation? And how should you determine if more trust is what your organization really needs? Prof. Kieu-Trang Nguyen describes a new study that takes a clever approach to analyzing trust at the top.

Most of us think of Valentine’s Day as the “day of love.” But for the people in charge of getting roses out of the field and into the hands of consumers—from growers, to shippers, to flower shops—it's actually a high-stakes day of commerce. On this episode of the Kellogg Insight podcast, Martin Lariviere explains what the humble rose can teach us about a working supply chain, and the many ways it can go awry.

In this episode of The Insightful Leader, we consider the benefits and drawbacks of keeping a very close eye on employees.

In this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear how leaders can help their teams—and themselves—turn ambitious goals into reality.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: From climate change to neuroscience, this new approach is reshaping how we study complicated systems.

There are cons—but a lot of pros, too. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we’ll explore what it’s like to work at a family business when you’re not a family member.

For better or worse, generative AI is here to stay. On this episode of The Insightful Leader: What could it mean for you and your team?

In the fifth and final episode of our series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we look at how to measure your brand’s health–and what you should do if you don’t like what you learn.

Kellogg professors Julie Hennessy, Jennifer Cutler, Jim Lecinski, and Tim Calkins will explain how to use tools like Twitter to understand how customers feel about your brand, and what happened when Old Spice and Lego started to target surprising new audiences. Finally, we’ll learn how Kellogg professors feel about Insight’s new brand.

In episode 1 of our 5-episode series, “Insight Unpacked: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives,” we investigate how hospital systems got so big—and what that means for our health and our pocketbooks.

On this episode, we talk to Kellogg professors Craig Garthwaite and David Dranove, and Wharton School professor Robert Lawton Burns. Dranove and Burns co-wrote the book Big Med: Megaproviders and the High Cost of Health Care in America. 

Visit the episode page for supplementary materials.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: a consumer anthropologist takes us behind the scenes as she interviews a “pet parent.”

A great response to this question can open doors. On this episode of The Insightful Leader: we’ve got tips for fine-tuning your answer.

If you’ve ever had to give a presentation at work, then you know: It seems like there are a million things to worry about. In this episode of the Kellogg Insight podcast, Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing and author of "How to Wash a Chicken: Mastering the Business Presentation," shares five tips that will let you conquer the business presentation.

Waiters get mistreated. Call center operators get screamed at. Salespeople have to smile at difficult clients. But why do those tense moments sometimes escalate to sabotage? Kellogg Professor Cynthia Wang shares what she discovered—and what companies can do about it.

Please take our listener survey: kell.gg/podsurvey

On this episode of the Insightful Leader: giving negative feedback is not easy, but such critiques can be meaningful for both parties if you use the right roadmap.

In episode 3 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we discuss the associations you want customers to make with your brand, and how to use design to make it happen.

On this episode, Kellogg professor Bobby Calder looks at how great brands define themselves, how stale brands revitalize themselves, and why you should use all your senses when creating a brand image. Channel your inner artist, because it’s design time! We discuss clever multimedia campaigns and explore how soundmarks and audio branding can open the door to new brand associations.

There’s a classic rule in economics that says more transparency and communication always leads to better outcomes. But research from Prof. Robert Bray suggests that there are important exceptions to this trusty rule. When does it make more sense to keep your cards close to the vest?

Individual actions won’t be enough to slow global warming. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, learn how companies—and the people who lead them—need to get involved.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: how understanding consumer mindsets can help you make the sale.

Generative AI is like “a hammer looking for a nail.” On this episode of The Insightful Leader: we have to decide what the nail should be.

Plus: insecure employees and a flagging culture. On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” more from our conversation with Professor Harry Kraemer.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader podcast: you asked and our faculty answered. We dig into a mailbox of listener questions on leadership and management.

The good news is you may already have the skills you need. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we’ll learn about doubling down on that expertise to help your team through a crisis.

At some point in our careers, we all question if we’re truly on the right path. But how do you know for sure? On this episode, Nicholas Pearce, a clinical professor at Kellogg and author of "The Purpose Path," explains how to find your calling, and summon the courage to make it a reality. 

After a short break, Kellogg Insight’s podcast is now back with a new look—and a new name.

When we think people are different from us, how do we treat them? The answer to that question can sometimes be a matter of life or death. On this episode of the Kellogg Insight podcast, we hear from Prof. Nour Kteily about his research on social categorization. 

The implosion of the crypto exchange has sent the industry reeling. We dig into what happened and whether cryptocurrency, as a concept, can weather the storm.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we learn why it’s not always as simple as handing out a performance bonus.

Tips from an expert negotiator on how to ask without fear.

"Don't be afraid to have an edge about you." Craig Wortmann, a professor of innovation and entrepreneurship and three-time CEO, explains how to hone the skills you’ll need to ask for what you want at work—and challenges you to embrace the tension that comes with being bold.

Luxury is dominated by older brands. So what happens when newer entrants try to break through? In the second of two bonus episodes, we show what can go right—and wrong.

How can thinking like a designer help you create better products, better services, and better solutions? On this episode, Kellogg Clinical Associate Professor David Schonthal, a senior director at IDEO, shares the three simple steps that can let anybody harness their inner designer and get results.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Are companies as socially responsible as they claim? And how much should investors care?

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we provide a blueprint for making strong (and honest) arguments with data.

Prof. Adam Pah explains why it’s getting harder to get good data, why too much data can sabotage your algorithm, and how companies are now using AI to address customers’ pain points.

For more tips on using AI and analytics in business, download our new ebook: kell.gg/book

On this episode: Why showing vulnerability can actually be a boon for leaders.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: When Boston Public Schools looked to algorithms to solve equity issues and save money, it ran into a roadblock—the complicated lives of parents and students.

In episode 1 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we reveal the key questions you should answer before you start to craft your brand. Because if you can’t articulate your brand’s value to yourself, you won’t stand a chance of convincing customers.

On this episode, Kellogg professors Tim Calkins and Alice Tybout discuss brand purpose, point of difference, and the McDonald’s McLean burger.

Visit the episode page for supplementary materials.

Machines are taking on more and more new responsibilities in the workplace. But are some jobs better left to humans? Prof. Adam Waytz, author of The Power of Human, offers three guidelines for how managers can play to the unique strengths of both people and technology.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: how to talk so that your team (and boss) will listen.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” Professor Harry Kraemer discusses how to lead your former peers and build trust with your team.

Introducing Insight Unpacked, Season 2: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives

If you lived in the nineteenth century, and you got sick, it was bad news. Simple urinary tract infections were deadly. Appendicitis killed you. And Syphilis might leave you without a nose.

Thanks to modern medicine, this is pretty unimaginable today. And if you live in the United States, you know that we pay handsomely for the privilege. But why do we pay more than any other country?

Welcome to Insight Unpacked—the series where our faculty break down a complex business topic. And boy do we have one for you this season: American healthcare and its web of misaligned incentives.

And we’re gonna get really familiar with the things that motivate this system’s biggest players. Those players? Hospital systems, doctors, health-insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and patients.

So subscribe to Insight Unpacked, or check your feed at The Insightful Leader. Episodes drop on Mondays starting June 24. 

It can be tempting for leaders to swoop in to solve problems. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear from a U.S. Army colonel about why doing so is a disservice.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Opaque algorithms on platforms like LinkedIn, Uber, and TaskRabbit have more power than ever. It’s starting to impact livelihoods. 

Please take our quick listener survey: https://kell.gg/survey

Creativity is invaluable. Yet when trying to generate ideas, we often censor ourselves for fear of being seen as foolish. So could overcoming this fear make us more creative? Professor Leigh Thompson tests that theory with a unique series of experiments.

What will we pay for the next groundbreaking drug? In episode 4 of our 5-episode series, “Insight Unpacked: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives,” we explore the trade-off at the heart of pharmaceutical innovation.

On this episode, we hear from Kellogg faculty members Amanda Starc and Craig Garthwaite, as well as Boston University School of Law’s Kevin Outterson. 

Visit the episode page for supplementary materials. 

New research from Prof. Nicola Bianchi goes inside the black box of management training. What he finds could help companies get more bang for their buck.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, get practical advice for detecting your blind spots—and pushing past them.

Zoom doesn't have to be a drag. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we discuss some rules of the road.

What’s the best way to offer your employees and colleagues constructive criticism? Prof. Ellen Taaffe shares tips for how to give (and receive) better feedback, and what you can do if you’re not getting any feedback at all.

What does it mean when the leadership role you have accepted comes with an expiration date? On this episode, Kathleen Hagerty, the outgoing interim dean of the Kellogg School, reflects on the leadership lessons she learned in her year at the helm of a leading business school.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: what the data say about successful entrepreneurs and the types of policies that best support them.

In the final episode of our 5-episode series, “Insight Unpacked: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives,” we travel overseas, and through our own backyard, in search of a way forward.

On this episode, we hear from Kellogg faculty members Craig Garthwaite, Amanda Starc, and David Dranove. We also talk to Murray Ross, vice president of Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Policy and Government Relations. 

Visit the episode page for supplementary materials. 

We rely on doctors to keep us healthy. In episode 2 of our 5-episode series, “Insight Unpacked: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives,” we learn at what cost.

On this episode, we talk to Kellogg professors Craig Garthwaite, David Dranove, and clinical associate professor Paul Campbell about the role doctors play in the expense and complexity of the American healthcare system. 

Visit the episode page for supplementary materials. 

In the second episode of our two-part series, former NSA director Mike Rogers discusses what to do if your defensive tactics have failed and your network is exposed.

This week, an episode from the archives: It’s not enough to be good at your job. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, learn how to develop the gravitas that commands attention and respect.

Silicon Valley Bank spectacularly collapsed—and a new analysis suggests that its precarious situation is not as much of an outlier as we’d hope. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we learn what went wrong and what should happen next.

So opulent! So exclusive! In the first of two bonus episodes, we explore everything that helps brands like Ferrari and Manolo Blahnik scream luxury.

The stakes have never been higher. Learn more on this episode of The Insightful Leader.

When we stop compartmentalizing our home and work selves, we tend to act more ethically, research finds.

Since the 1990s, taxes, debt, and regulations have hamstrung the Italian economy. On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Could America be next?

Kellogg Insight offers advice for entrepreneurs on the importance of defining their startup's identity as early in their journey as possible. We hear from Rick Desai, an adjunct professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Kellogg and founder of the brand identity firm Listen. Then we discuss with Ben Jones, a professor of strategy at Kellogg, his groundbreaking new research on the ages of successful entrepreneurs.

It’s not like applying for a job. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, an expert demystifies the process.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear how leaders can work with their “quiet-quitters” and rebuild morale.

On our first episode of Ask Insight, we learn that changing the status quo will take self-reflection and time.

Three ways to help your employees arrive at their own answers to difficult questions.

In this episode of the Kellogg Insight podcast, we take a fresh look at how the Supreme Court really makes decisions. First, Tonja Jacobi, a professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, explains what oral arguments can tell us about how the Court is planning to vote. Then we hear from Jörg Spenkuch, an associate professor of managerial economics and decision-making at Kellogg, whose research questions whether justices are really as impartial as they think.

In episode 4 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” professor Mohan Sawhney discusses the importance of transmedia brand storytelling–and how to do it right.

Every brand has a story to tell. But consumers only have so much time, energy, and attention. You will need to find a story that cuts through our collective “story fatigue” and find creative ways to deploy it.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: You can’t always control what happens at work. But reframing setbacks, and instituting some serious calendar discipline, can go a long way toward reducing stress.

In 2001, Harry Kraemer faced a full-blown leadership crisis. At the time, he was CEO of healthcare company Baxter International. When one of his company's products was linked to patient deaths worldwide, it was up to Kraemer to decide how to respond. On this episode of the Kellogg Insight podcast, Kraemer discusses how to make hard choices that align with your internal compass.

Some employees moved out of state. Others don't want to be in the office. And not everyone is vaccinated. On this episode of The Insightful Leader: What happens now?

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Carbon’s Ellen Kullman, former CEO of DuPont, on having the right people around to hold up a mirror.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: How to identify leadership talent—and how to advance the careers of employees who aren’t looking to manage others.

Please take our listener survey: kell.gg/podsurvey

In this episode of The Insightful Leader, a former CEO explains how to organize your life around what really matters—instead of trying to do it all.

Strong leadership is about more than being the smartest person in the room. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we offer tips to become more aware of yourself and those around you.

In episode 3 of our 5-episode series, “Insight Unpacked: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives,” we explain how insurance companies became everybody’s favorite villain.

On this episode, we talk to Kellogg faculty members Craig Garthwaite, David Dranove, and Paul Campbell, alongside Wharton School professor Robert Lawton Burns.

Visit the episode page for supplementary materials.

These days, more and more work is happening in teams. However, it’s often difficult to see who on the team did what. So how do we allocate blame when a team project goes wrong? Research from Profs. Benjamin Jones and Brian Uzzi finds that we often point the finger at the wrong individuals—and suggests ways that leaders can guard against this bias.

In this best-of podcast, Kellogg Insight offers advice on advancing your career. We hear from Adnan Rukieh, a director of career services at Kellogg, about getting recruited, as well as faculty members Steven Franconeri, Carter Cast and Michelle Buck, who all discuss ways to hone your skills and put your best foot forward as you climb the professional ladder.

Dilemmas are rarely black-and-white. Here's what fictional characters can teach us about today’s real-world quandaries.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: the end of “Zero Covid,” escalating geopolitical tensions, and China’s potentially irreplaceable role in the global supply chain.

Talking politics in this polarized climate is a dicey proposition. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, an expert in the psychology of persuasion offers tips on how to approach the topic constructively.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: a blueprint for making strong (and honest) arguments with data.

On this episode: You're going to have to do more than sell it.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader podcast: what happens when everyone uses the same generative AI tools?

COVID conspiracies have a powerful psychological allure. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we explore how to combat them.

In episode 2 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we dig into the importance of finding the right name for your brand. With apologies to Shakespeare, a rose by any other name wouldn’t smell as sweet.

On this episode, Kellogg professors Paul Earle and Tim Calkins offer advice on where you might look for naming inspiration, what great names convey, and when you should go with something fun and funky versus simple and straightforward. Plus: an NFL franchise with a bad name, a podcast with a great name, and the single naming rule that trumps them all.

It’s not enough to be good at your job. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, learn how to develop the gravitas that commands attention and respect.

Prof. Megan Kashner describes three ways that leaders in the private sector can help solve the biggest problems facing society today.

Be yourself! No, not like that. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we help you navigate the competing advice about how much to share and hold back.

Book links: 

The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier that Locks Successful Women in Place.

Embrace the Power of You: Owning Your Identity at Work

Advertising Strategy

Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology

Creative Brief Blueprint

With major incentives starting to kick in, here's how the legislation is poised to affect the economy.

In the first episode of our two-part series, former NSA director Mike Rogers shares strategies for protecting your organization from a cyberattack.

Plus: more leadership advice in this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight” series.

Tip: It’s not over when the Zoom call ends. Learn more on this episode of The Insightful Leader.

Business leaders can’t rely solely on data scientists to get the job done. Learn more on this episode of The Insightful Leader.

Curious about using AI at work? On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear from one professor who found a fascinating, low-stakes way to bring AI into his workplace: the classroom.