June sure was busting out all over!

McGrath | Thought Sparks

Rita

Introduction

If that reference sounds obscure, it’s from an old Rogers & Hammerstein musical that I was taken to as a child and every June, I simply cannot get it out of my head. It’s a pretty good metaphor for June of 2024 for me as well.

Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

If it’s the 25th, I must be ... where? (I\II)

Novartis is sponsoring a state-of-the-art project on culture – I’m delighted to be part of it. It’s called the C-Lab, for Culture Leadership Advisory Board. The group is fascinating – a combination of internal Novartis leaders and subject matter experts such as Amy Edmondson, Lisa Bodell, Darren Shand (recently of the New Zealand All-Blacks), Linda Hill, Vyla Rollins, Sanyin Siang and Jean-Francoise Manzoni.

We’re looking at ways in which Novartis’ four key cultural values – of being inspired, curious and unbossed with a rock-solid basis in integrity – can move the company forward. We got together in real life in Basel in June. First week of bursting! Aren’t we a good-looking research community?

If it’s the 25th, I must be ... where? (II\II)

The second week of June brought another session of Leading Strategic Growth and Change, my Executive Education course at Columbia Business School. 26 industry leaders convened to work through their organizations’ strategic roadblocks. We had a slate of fascinating guest speakers, including my Columbia colleagues Jerry Kim and Adina Sterling, my partners in Valize Ron Boire and Kes Sampanthar and Erik Olesund of the New York Times. Topics included: how to channel office politics for forces of good, how leaders can focus on personal transformation to effect organizational transformation, and how we can reconsider AI as augmented intelligence. If any of this piques your interest, there’s still time to sign up for the fall session, running from October 14 to 18!

In Case You Missed It

I hosted John Addison for a LinkedIn Live discussion. He formerly served as co-CEO of the financial services company Primerica, leading the company through the 2009 financial crisis and a knockout IPO. John is a remarkable leader – as he would say “real leadership” involves being yourself, being on the lookout for the well-being of your people and helping to make everyone’s day a little better than it would have been if you weren’t around.

Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

Thought Sparks

Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

In my session “The Permissionless Organization Has Arrived” for the Coaching.com Virtual Summit, we discussed how leaders can foster intrapreneurship in their organizations, how coaches can enable the permissionless mindset, and how to build culture beyond serendipitous bonding.

In the News

Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

How does this whole “permissionless organization” thing work in real life? Ask the teams at Amazon and CHI Overhead Doors.

McGrath | Thought Sparks

Tool of the Month: Impact Network

With flatter organizational structures and roles characterized by shorter tenures, leaders face the dual challenge of fewer development opportunities and the constant need for rapid adaptation. It's a dynamic environment that demands agility, resilience, and a robust support system. The only issue? Most organizations lack the infrastructure to develop their leaders to meet these challenges.

Rita

Valize Advisory

Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

At Valize, we have recently reinvigorated our Advisory offerings. The traditional consulting model is ripe for disruption, especially considering the looming AI inflection point. Increasingly, we’re seeing firms need management advising that goes beyond billable hours, and actually drives continued strategic change.

Upcoming Events

Join me for my Friday Fireside Chats, which are live discussions with experts across industries. They are newly hosted on LinkedIn Live, so please join the conversation and submit questions and comments!

On August 16, I’ll be joined by Emma Seppälä, the author of "Sovereign: Reclaim your freedom, energy and power in a time of distraction, uncertainty, and chaos,” to discuss how social connection helps us maximize our potential.

One last thing....

Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

With the year officially half over (sorry to bring that up), may I politely ask, beyond AI, how are all those innovation projects you launched with great enthusiasm last January getting on? What I’ve seen is a lot of redirection of energy toward AI (not that that’s bad) but the disturbance of other important programs that may have a role to play in your future. If you’re interested in getting a sense for the state of the state of innovation in your organization is, you may want to tap into our Innovation Maturity Scale at Valize.

Warmly,

Rita

https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/