The Business Canon

Episode 60: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Change

What is the most effective way to create change in an organization? This episode stages a Debate between two fundamentally different models of transformation. One host, drawing on the principle-centered, top-down leadership model of Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits, argues that true change must start with the character and vision of the leader. The other host, channeling the iterative, bottom-up methodology of Eric Ries's The Lean Startup, argues that change is an emergent process of experimentation and learning that comes from the front lines. The debate explores the core tension between visionary leadership and emergent strategy.

Episode 61: Blue Ocean Strategy (Part 1): Value Innovation

We begin our multi-part series on W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne's Blue Ocean Strategy with a deep dive into its central, game-changing concept: value innovation. Our hosts unpack the idea that the most successful companies do not try to out-compete their rivals; they make them irrelevant. The conversation explores how value innovation is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost, a move that breaks the traditional value-cost trade-off. We analyze how this creates a leap in value for both the company and its customers, opening up a new and uncontested market space, or a "blue ocean."

Episode 62: The Strategy Canvas: A Tool for Unlocking New Markets

How can you visualize and reinvent your industry's strategy? In this practical Brief, we distill the most powerful analytical tool from Blue Ocean Strategy. Our hosts quickly explain how to use the "strategy canvas," a diagnostic tool that maps out the current competitive landscape of an industry. You will learn how to plot the factors that companies in your industry compete on and how to use the "Four Actions Framework" (Eliminate, Reduce, Raise, Create) to fundamentally reconstruct buyer value and create a new curve. In just a few minutes, you’ll have a powerful visual tool for breaking free from the competition.

Episode 63: Are Blue Oceans a Myth? A Critical Look at the Examples

The promise of creating an uncontested "blue ocean" is seductive, but how realistic and repeatable is this strategy? In this Critique episode, we re-examine the classic case studies from Blue Ocean Strategy, such as Cirque du Soleil and Yellow Tail wines. Our hosts question whether these successes were truly the result of a systematic, analytical process, as the book suggests, or were they the product of unique creative genius and fortunate timing? We offer a constructive critique of the framework's predictive power and analyze the immense, often-understated risks of trying to create a market that does not yet exist.

Episode 64: Grit vs. Genius: The Duckworth/Gladwell Debate

What is the secret to extraordinary achievement? This episode stages a Debate between two of the most popular modern theories of success. One host, championing the research of Angela Duckworth in Grit, argues that the key ingredient is passion and perseverance—a tenacious, long-term commitment to a single goal. The other host, drawing on the stories in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, argues that success is less about individual grit and more about the hidden advantages of culture, opportunity, and accumulated practice (the "10,000-Hour Rule"). The debate explores the tension between our internal character and our external circumstances in the quest for greatness.

Episode 65: Influence (Part 1): Reciprocity & Commitment

We begin our multi-part series on Robert Cialdini's foundational work, Influence, by exploring two of the most powerful weapons of persuasion. In this first episode, our hosts do a deep dive into the principles of Reciprocity and Commitment & Consistency. The conversation unpacks the deep-seated human obligation to give back what we have received, and our obsessive desire to be consistent with what we have already said or done. We analyze the classic psychological experiments and real-world examples that reveal how these automatic triggers can be used to gain compliance, both for good and for ill.

Episode 66: The Power of Social Proof

When we are uncertain, we look to others to guide our decisions. In this concise and powerful Brief, we distill one of the most important principles from Robert Cialdini's Influence: Social Proof. Our hosts quickly explain why we view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it. You will learn how this mental shortcut is used in everything from testimonials and laugh tracks to tip jars and online reviews. In just a few minutes, you’ll have a clear understanding of one of the most fundamental forces that shapes our behavior as social creatures.

Episode 67: Is Robert Cialdini the Most Dangerous Man in Business?

Robert Cialdini's Influence is an essential guide to the psychology of persuasion, but it can also be read as a user's manual for manipulation. In this moral Critique, we analyze the ethical implications of Cialdini's work. Our hosts question whether, by laying out the triggers for automatic compliance so clearly, the book has armed a generation of marketers and salespeople with tools that are too powerful to be used ethically. We explore the rise of "dark patterns" in digital design and the fine line between an honest application of psychological principles and a cynical exploitation of human cognitive biases.

Episode 68: Persuasion vs. Trust

What is the more powerful and sustainable path to business success: mastering the techniques of persuasion, or building a foundation of unwavering trust? This episode presents a Debate between two different business philosophies. One host, drawing on the psychological triggers in Robert Cialdini's Influence, argues that understanding and using the principles of persuasion is the most effective way to move people to action. The other host, channeling the ideas of Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, argues that all success is built on a foundation of vulnerability-based trust. They believe that any reliance on persuasive "techniques" can ultimately undermine the genuine relationships that are essential for long-term success.

Episode 69: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Part 1): The Absence of Trust

We begin our multi-part series on Patrick Lencioni's classic, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by focusing on the foundational dysfunction from which all others grow: the absence of trust. Our hosts do a deep dive into what Lencioni means by "vulnerability-based trust"—the ability of team members to be completely open and honest with one another, without fear of reprisal. The conversation explores why this is so difficult to achieve and the specific behaviors a leader must model to build it. This episode is a guide to the essential and often-uncomfortable work of building the psychological safety that is the bedrock of any high-performing team.