Show Notes
We are joined by Bethany McLean on CSI Chat to talk about the learnings from Enron, the 2008 financial crisis and her most recent book, "The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed about Who America Protects and Who it Leaves Behind". Bethany is a well-known journalist who published in 2001 the now famous article in Fortune, "Is Enron Overpriced". Bethany is the author of several books, cohost of the podcast "Capitalisn't" and a special correspondent at Insider and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. During our "Chat" with Bethany, we talk about a number of topics including:
We go back in a time machine to March 2001 when she first wrote "Is Enron Overpriced"? What was Bethany thinking at the time? What conversations did she have with the Enron executive team? After 20+ years since her article and the Enron collapse, have we learned anything? Is history due to repeat itself? Why did she decide to write a book on the financial crisis of 2008 entitled "All the Devils are Here"? Was the 2008 financial crisis preventable? Her most recent book, "The Big Fail", goes through the learnings of the COVID 19 pandemic. What did we do well during the pandemic? What were the areas that we could have done better? Are we prepared for the next global pandemic.
It is a fascinating conversation with Bethany and I hope everyone enjoys it.
More from CSI Chat
We are joined on CSI Chat by Professor Ron Adner to talk about "Disruption". Ron is a Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and the author of two terrific books on disruption, The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss and Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World. During our "CSI Chat" with Ron, we discuss: - How do companies recognize that they are being disrupted before it is too late? Why is it so important to understand all of the elements of a business unit's "value architecture" so that you can respond accordingly. How did "Tom Tom" GPS respond when their "in-car" GPS was being replaced with phones? How did Lexmark respond when companies were moving away from printing? Ron provides some colour on these terrific case studies. - Kodak - the story of Kodak and their collapse is misunderstood. Kodak's business model was, "Capture", "Produce", "View" and "Share" and the reality is that they managed to get most of these elements right in the "Digital Age" (including inventing the digital camera). Which element did Kodak fail at and what can we learn? Ron explains. - Microsoft - Microsoft is a great example of a company who reinvented themselves under current CEO Satya Nadella. What did Satya Nadella do differently as compared to the previous CEO Steve Ballmer? Ron explains why Microsoft is a great example of the importance of leadership during times of disruption. I hope everyone enjoys our "CSI Chat" with Ron Adner!
We are joined on CSI Chat by pricing expert and AI investor, Madhavan Ramanujam. Madhavan is currently a GP at 49 Palms Ventures and previously he was a Managing Partner at Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global pricing strategy firm. Madhavan is also the author of two terrific books on pricing, Monetizing Innovation and Scaling Innovation. During our "Chat" with Madhavan, we touch on a number of areas: - The current "lay of the land" of Artificial Intelligence and what it means for technology companies. What are the key characteristics of tech companies who will thrive in this new environment? - The importance of pricing new products in the AI age. What are the key elements of pricing AI related products in order to drive both customer adoption and revenue growth? - What are some great examples of companies who have priced products extremely well (such as Apple) and companies who have managed disruption (Microsoft). What can we learn from both of these companies? I hope everyone enjoys the " CSI Chat" with Madhavan!
We are joined by Scott Anthony who is a professor of strategy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where his research and teaching focus on the adaptive challenges of disruptive change. Scott is also the author of the terrific book, "Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations that Shaped our Modern World". We have a terrific "CSI Chat" with Scott whereby we discuss the concept of "Disruption" and touch on: - A few specific case studies from his book, including Bethlehem Steel (a company that was disrupted) and Apple (a company that was the disruptor). What can we learn from both of these examples? - What are the core characteristics of leaders and a workforce that can withstand disruption? - Generative AI and its impact as a "Disruptive Technology". I hope everyone enjoys the "CSI Chat" with Scott!
We are joined by Anthony Scilipoti, the President and CEO of Veritas Investment Research. Veritas Investment Research is Canada's leading independent equity research firm and is staffed entirely by CPAs. We spend some time talking to Anthony about a variety of topics, including:
We are joined by Mike Abrashoff, a NY Times Best Selling Author, Leadership and Teamwork Expert and the former captain of USS Benfold. Mike is the author of the best-selling book, "It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy". At 36, he was selected to be Commander of USS Benfold and was the most junior commanding officer in the Pacific fleet. The challenges of this underachieving destroyer were staggering, with low morale and the highest turnover rate in the Navy. Few thought the ship could improve. Yet 12 months later it was ranked #1 in performance -- using the same crew. How did Mike do it? By replacing command and control leadership with commitment and cohesion. The lesson was clear: Leadership matters and culture is everything. Since leaving the Navy, Mike has worked with over 1200 organizations instilling leadership initiatives at every level – achieving phenomenal change in unexpected places. We talk to Mike about how we can apply these leadership strategies in the business world!