Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, and one of the world’s foremost thinkers on organizational behavior. Best known for her pioneering work on psychological safety, Amy’s research has transformed how leaders build trust, foster learning, and create high-performing teams. Her books—including The Fearless Organization and Right Kind of Wrong—have become must-reads for anyone serious about culture and innovation.

In this episode, Amy and Subbu dive deep into the science of failing well, teaming in a hybrid world, and why psychological safety isn’t about being nice but about being brave. We explore the roots of her work, lessons from early setbacks, and what it takes to build resilient, learning-focused organizations in an age of AI, burnout, and constant change.

In this episode, we cover:

• Amy’s unconventional journey—from working with Buckminster Fuller to redefining team learning
• The surprising discovery that launched psychological safety research
• Common myths about psychological safety
• How hybrid and remote work are reshaping interpersonal risk-taking
• The difference between errors and failures, and why most organizations confuse the two
• What “intelligent failure” looks like, and how to cultivate it
• Why team-based learning is the underappreciated engine of innovation
• The link between psychological safety and burnout—and what leaders can do about it
• A systems-thinking lens for navigating consistent, variable, and novel work contexts
• Amy’s next big question: Given the larger societal and technological changes around us, how do we make work work for everybody?

Ankur Mehra is a creator economist, bestselling author of Pixels to Profits, and one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices on the creator economy. With a diverse career spanning the armed forces, big tech, and media, Ankur brings a rare blend of structure, strategy, and storytelling to the world of digital creators. He has worked with platforms like Facebook and Instagram, built media partnerships with cultural icons like Rajinikanth, and today champions the rise of creator-led ecosystems.

In this episode, Ankur and I unpack how the creator economy is not just disrupting media—it’s reshaping leadership, organizations, and the future of work. We explore what it means for CEOs, CHROs, and employees to embrace their voice, create content with purpose, and build communities—not just audiences.

In this episode, we cover:

• Ankur’s journey from lieutenant in the Indian Army to creator economy evangelist
• The media moment that changed how he saw purpose at work
• Why creators are the new media, and what that means for influence and trust
• How CEOs and CHROs can lead with content and culture through employee-generated content (EGC)
• The 5C and 3R frameworks that decode the complexity of content creation
• Mental health, originality, and fighting FOMO in a content-saturated world
• A thought-provoking glimpse into the decentralized, creator-led future of the internet

Gurucharan Singh Gandhi (Guru) is the CHRO of Vodafone Idea Limited and has held leadership roles at Madura, Aditya Birla Capital, Max Life Insurance, and more. He’s the author of Kabir in Corporates and Careerathon, and a passionate marathon runner who brings a poetic clarity to life and work.

In this episode Guru and I explore how careers are best viewed as long-distance runs rather than short-term races. Guru shares his unconventional, adjacency-led career path and the life lessons that came from embracing change, nurturing endurance, and respecting the track—whether in work or while running a marathon.

In this episode, we cover:

• Guru’s zigzag yet intentional career journey across sales, L&D, and HR
• Why personal evolution is the real foundation for career growth
• The metaphor of running – from hydrating well to forgetting the last race – and how it mirrors modern careers
• Learning to recognize your own “drivers” and how not to get trapped by comparison
• How resilience, reflection, and mentorship help you navigate downturns
• What forgetting the last race teaches us about transitions and adaptability
• A provocative take on the future of work – and why the question should be “whose future of work?”

Whether you're early in your career, rethinking your path, or just looking for a fresh take on leadership and growth, this episode is a thoughtful listen packed with insights.

Dave Ulrich is ranked #1 management guru by Business Week, named one of the Top 10 Creative People in Business by Fast Company, a Top 5 Executive Coach by Forbes, and consistently featured on the Thinkers50 list of the world’s most influential business thinkers. Dave has written over 30 books, shaped the field of HR as we know it, and continues to inspire with his unwavering passion for ideas with impact.

In this episode, Subbu and Dave discuss Dave's illustrious career spanning over 4 decades, how he keeps going even today, the evolving definition of culture, how culture impacts customer value, the importance of hope, and a whole lot more.

Key topics discussed:

• How Dave got interested in the field of organizational behavior and theory
• Dave's OCD - Organization Compulsive Behavior
• What keeps Dave going even today
• Why does culture matter?
• How the definition of culture has evolved over the years
• A bold new definition of culture
• Why culture transformation efforts may fail
• Rituals turn personal habits into realized values and guiding principles
• When rituals can become powerful in an organizational context
• A lesson from Dave's mentor: the late CK Prahlad
• Employee experience v/s team performance
• The need to look seriously at mental health in a work setting
• The 5 waves of employee experience
• HR is on the cusp of transformation, thanks to AI
• Word-ball game!
• The future of work and the emphasis on culture
• How stay relevant in the world of AI
• Honoring Dave's legacy

Aruna Gopakumar is the founder of leadership consulting firm Navgati and The School Of You. Aruna is also co-author of the book 'And How Do you Feel About That’. She has spent over two decades helping leaders navigate complexity, build emotional intelligence, and create meaningful impact. She is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and also an expert in the area of Transactional Analysis.

In this episode, Subbu and Aruna discuss a whole host of topics, including why it's time we shifted the narrative around mental health at the workplace.

Key topics:

• Aruna's very unique career arc spanning engineering, MBA and psychotherapy!
• The motto - Build and they will come!
• The journey to becoming an author
• Stories of personal transformation
• Shifting the narrative on mental health at work
• Aruna's new venture - The School Of You
• Down the rabbit hole with Alice in Wonderland
• Thoughts on the future of work

Tessa West is a Professor of Psychology at New York University and a leading expert in the science of interpersonal communication. This is the second time that Professor West has come on this show – to listen to our first conversation, check out episode 12 of this podcast. In this episode, we dive deep into her latest book – Job Therapy, How Do You Find Work That Works For You

Key topics covered -

• Our psychological relationship with jobs and careers
• Can a job fundamentally change a person?
• Why we need to hear tough feedback
• Take the daily stress test
• How to do some psychological self-digging
• Uncovering the 5 types of 'career-goers'
• In your quest for compensation, don't forget status
• How status differs from power
• What to do when you feel like an underappreciated star
• Dealing with the newcomer hump
• Your skills are great, but are they helpful?
• The big reveal!
• Why leaders need to think about the psychological well-being of their teams
• Head or heart, where do you start?

Deepak Jayaraman's mission is to help people play to potential. He strives to do it through his advisory work as a coach and sounding board, as a podcaster and as an author. As an advisor, Deepak works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. Deepak has been curating the Play to Potential Podcast since Dec 2016.

In this episode, Subbu and Deepak discuss Deepak's unconventional career path, navigating the 'messy' midlife, the paradox of self-awareness, discovering our values and a whole lot more.

Key topics covered:

• Why Deepak chose an unconventional career path
• Lessons from long distance running
• Getting to Work-life harmony
• What inspired Deepak to write his book - Play To Potential
• Type 1 v/s Type 2 personalities
• How to navigate the 'messy middle' of life
• Why it's OK to let go of the trapeze
• The paradox of self-awareness
• Cultivating internal and external self-awareness
• Three ways to discovering our values and principles
• The FLAVOUR Model of leadership
• "Where to play" is the most strategic question
• 6 inspiring stories of people living a FLAVOUR-ful life
• Crafting a FLAVOUR-ful work culture
• The word-ball game
• Midlife is the time for opportunities
• Being fluid about our identities

James is the founder of Behavioral science practice firm More Than Now. He’s an expert in bringing behavioral science into organizations, and is changing the workplace one experiment at a time. Priya is a co-conspirator behavioural scientist and works closely with James at More Than Now. She is a London School of Economics and Harvard University graduate, and is particularly interested in the field of wellbeing.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• How James Elfer founded More Than Now
• How Priya got hooked to behavioural science thanks to Danny Kahneman's work
• The power of experimental research within organizations
• The problem with organizational decision making processes
• Solving organizational problems and contributing back to science
• Will your inclusive leadership program work? Test it first
• Redefining our approach to developing leaders
• Marrying goal-setting with the Fresh Start Effect
• Boosting psychological safety across the organization
• Behavioral science to boost talent attraction
• Rethinking unconscious bias training
• Behavioral science jokes!