Episode notes
How much does a leader actually matter to an organization’s success? We tend to credit CEOs, founders, and other powerful figures with shaping the institutions they lead, but historian Jared Diamond argues that we often underestimate the role of timing, circumstance, industry, and plain luck. Diamond explains his “Hamlet test,” which asks whether someone else could have achieved the same outcome or whether the leader was uniquely qualified to do it, and how it applies to many business leaders. He also explains why some leaders are able to seize a fleeting moment of opportunity, why founders…
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HBR IdeaCast
Harvard Business Review · Business · English
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E1097 · 22 Sep 2026 · 30 min
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17 Sep 2026 · 32 min
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E1096 · 15 Sep 2026 · 25 min
What It Takes to Make Progress When the Future Feels Out of Control
When the future feels increasingly out of our control, how can leaders and organizations make progress? University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the study of optimism, resilience, and human flourishing, argues that the answer is agency: the belief that we can influence outcomes and create positive change. He defines agency as a combination of three capabilities: efficacy—the belief that you can achieve a goal now; optimism—the belief that you can achieve it in the future; and imagination—the ability to envision possibilities that don't yet exist. And he explains…
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E1095 · 8 Sep 2026 · 32 min
A Leading Restaurateur on What It Takes to Scale a Winning Culture
When a company is small, maintaining a strong culture can feel relatively easy. But as organizations grow, layers of management, geographic distance, and pressure for efficiency can make it much harder to preserve what made the company special in the first place. Restaurateur Danny Meyer has spent decades figuring out how to do just that. He founded Union Square Cafe and built Union Square Hospitality Group, then helped scale Shake Shack from a single location in New York City into a global restaurant chain. Along the way, he’s learned that culture isn’t what happens when the CEO is in the…
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E1093 · 25 Aug 2026 · 21 min
How People Without Formal Power Gain Influence
In today’s increasingly decentralized workplaces, leaders often need to get things done without having direct authority over the people they depend on. So how can you influence colleagues, clients, vendors, and even senior executives without simply telling them what to do? Pamela Meyer, founder and CEO of Calibrate, says the answer is learning to read the room—and understanding the informal networks, emotional dynamics, and hidden sources of power that shape decisions. She explains five paths to indirect influence: becoming an influence spotter, a backchanneler, a precision mover, a…
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E1092 · 18 Aug 2026 · 29 min
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E1091 · 11 Aug 2026 · 31 min
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E1090 · 4 Aug 2026 · 33 min
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30 Jul 2026 · 33 min
Introducing The Founder Mindset: Tim Ferriss on Experiments, Risk, and Freedom
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