Pfeffer on Power

Ep 25 – Dana Carney, Professor & Director of the Institute for Personality and Social Research at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
EPISODE 25 – Dana Carney, Professor & Director of the Institute for Personality and Social Research at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business
SHOW NOTES:
Dana Carney, a world-leading expert on body language, is a professor at the Haas School at UC Berkeley who also runs the Institute of Personality and Social Research. She shares the most up-to-date tips on the strategic use of body language and facial gestures to persuade other people about your power or an issue.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
Why people respond to others based on how they look
The data shows that taller and good-looking people make more money
The why and how people look and come across through gestures
The 43 cues that have nothing to do with power
The 9 cues that have everything to do with power
How to differentiate between who has power and who does not
What, in addition to access to and control over resources, creates power
What to be careful of if you’re taller or bigger
Non-selfish, pro-social reasons for mastering your body language
Myths and facts around eye contact
Why Anna Wintour wears sunglasses to fashion shows
The visual dominance ratio
Behavioral nudge action planning
Physiognomic cues that influence power
Why body language, how people look, and the gestures they make are so important
Nonverbal communication within the animal kingdom
GUEST BIO:
Dana R. Carney is a Professor and the Director of the Institute for Personality and Social Research at the University of California, Berkeley in the Haas School of Business. She is also an affiliate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Cognitive Sciences. Carney is one of the world’s leading experts on nonverbal behavior. 
Professor Carney’s fresh, modern approach to nonverbal behavior has made her the go-to figure in this space, serving as a consultant for corporate seminars, and academic gatherings. From Blackrock Advisors to the Los Alamos National Lab, Carney has consulted private equity, tech firms, and small businesses alike, in addition to speaking at many academic conferences and at most major Universities in the U.S. and beyond. Carney’s catchy and informative videos on nonverbal behavior have skyrocketed her account practically overnight, @danarosecarney, to 64K followers over a half a million total likes. She has been featured in Men’s Health, Time Magazine, Forbes India, Reader’s Digest, Quartz, World Bank Blogs, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Muse and many more (NYT, WSJ, etc.).
Prior to serving on the faculty at UC Berkeley, Carney was an Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard in the Psychology Department working with esteemed colleagues such as Mahzarin Banaji (implicit bias expert and author of the bestselling book Blindspot) and Wendy Berry Mendes. She received her PhD in Experimental Psychology from Northeastern University (working with the world’s expert on the link between nonverbal communication and power, Judith A. Hall) and her master's degree at California State University (working with the world’s experts on the link between nonverbal communication and each anxiety and social skills, Jinni A. Harrigan and Ronald E. Riggio, respectively). She received her B.A. from the University of San Francisco (working with one-half of the team of Maureen O’Sullivan and Paul Ekman—the world’s leading experts for over 60 years on the nonverbal cues associated with and accurate detection of deception).
Professor Carney is currently in the final stages of writing a popular book on nonverbal behavior. Nonverbal communication is, at once, much more complex and much more interesting than the media would have the public believe.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danarosecarney
 
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Ep 24 – Tosin Joel, Founder, GTBOOL

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
EPISODE 24 – Tosin Joel, Founder, GTBOOL
SHOW NOTES:
Meet Tosin Joel, a leader of businesses, organizations and cross-functional leadership teams who, using the 7 Rules of Power, creates centers of change for herself and others around her. A Nigerian-born woman who was the first in her city to attend university, Joel has learned how to leverage her differences and become successful in the oil industry and beyond.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
How her growing, education, and first jobs impacted her career at Eni
How she applies the 7 Rules of Power to overcome challenges
Why knowing she wants to be a center of change shapes her decisions
How she went from being an outlier to having a seat at the table
Ways to differentiate a career to set a precedent
Ways of managing pressure
The value in leveraging human capitol
Turning obstacles into opportunities
The birth of her nonprofit company GTBOOL (and what it stands for)
Her passion for creating awareness and connecting people
The power of networking and keys to her success
Mission, purpose, and legacy goals
Where her self-confidence, boldness, and willingness to ask come from
Her goals around creating opportunities for others
Balancing her professional and personal lives
Practical relationship advice
GUEST BIO:
Tosin Joel partners with executive teams, and boards to transform organizations and drive step changes in performance. As a Senior Program Manager at Amazon, she reinvents operational efficiency to maximize value capture, and leads business process optimization for competitive advantages. She was Project Head and Geodata Country representative for the Italian multinational giant Eni. She helped the energy operator to maximize the production efficiency of their assets to boost value and reduce costs. With both consulting and operating experience, she is able to help executives see the potential in their operations. Step by step, she led companies through transformational initiatives that result in a stronger operational and financial profile. Tosin worked with major oil-and-gas independents in Europe, Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Joel is the founder of GTBOOL (www.gtbool.com), a networking organization centered on personal growth and sponsorship of high talent professionals in big corporates and mentorship of startups.
She has been named amongst 100 most Influential People of African Descent and has served on the board as country director. Tosin is an alum of MIT Sloan and Stanford LEAD, where she built unique networks to create global impact projects.
She facilitated Silicon Valley design thinking club entrepreneurs.
Post Stanford LEAD, She has climbed several corporate ladders, established a unique brand, and receives numerous invites to speak during international conferences. She has also won many awards, including MIT Sloan Alum Volunteer Award, Best International Humanitarians, International contribution award for Women in tech, Humanity 100, Intellectual contribution awards for leadership and contributions.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tosinjoel
 
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Ep 23 – Michael Gruen, Co-Founder & CSO, DominateX

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
EPISODE 23 – Michael Gruen, Co-Founder & CSO, DominateX
SHOW NOTES:
Meet the amazing and insightful Michael Gruen, a prodigy and social influencer who has started companies by breaking the rules, not getting in his own way, and only following what he knows to be true. His questioning of the status quo and not taking anything for granted are just two of the traits this free thinker employs to create a compelling level of success for himself and those he advises.
In this episode, discover:
Michael’s career trajectory and his influence on the internet
Why he doesn’t believe anything as it is stated to him
How the link between power and money works
Reasons to not fear polarizing responses
The value in making yourself a scarce asset
What patience, persistence, and providing value create
The flywheel effect
His secret to getting into exclusive rooms
The differences between egotists and narcissists in relation to business
The surprising statement he told Donald Trump in the Oval Office
Advice on how to become powerful
What he sees as a harmful problem in society
The uniquely powerful style of his emails
The number of winners in a good negotiation
The principles of generosity, gratitude, loyalty, and appreciation
His philosophy on removing judgments and receiving feedback
Why knowing your flaws and having no ego are superpowers
GUEST BIO:
Michael Gruen is a dynamic and accomplished Gen Z entrepreneur, investor, and media personality who has significantly impacted various industries in his young career. His drive, creativity, and innovative vision have made him a rising star in entrepreneurship and investment.
Gruen's journey began at a young age. He enrolled in college at 14 and quickly developed a passion for finance and entrepreneurship. He co-founded Frax, the world's first fractional stablecoin and crypto native consumer price index. The Frax Protocol introduced the concept of a cryptocurrency partially backed by collateral. It stabilized algorithmically to create highly scalable, decentralized money in place of fixed-supply digital assets like BTC. As a co-founder, Gruen played a pivotal role in the development and growth of Frax, which quickly became one of the most popular stablecoins in the world with a peak market cap of $2.9B. He was responsible for developing Frax's vision and strategy and overseeing the company's day-to-day operations.
In addition to his work with Frax, Gruen has a proven track record of success in various industries, including finance, sports management, and entertainment media production. He co-founded and served on the board of directors for several successful companies, including Sway House, TalentX Entertainment, TalentX Gaming, Ani Energy, CrossCheck Studios, and Animal Capital, a venture capital fund. His work with these companies has helped him develop a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and business.
Gruen has also been recognized for his contributions to the entertainment industry. He was the first to secure an overall deal at a major studio for an influencer, Josh Richards, at CrossCheck Studios. He procured a comprehensive agreement for Nickelodeon star Jace Norman at ViacomCBS, working directly with Brian Robbins, now CEO of Paramount. In addition, he has played an integral role in transforming Creator Edge Media into a premier talent management agency for top influencers, helping them build long-term partnerships with some of the world's biggest brands.
Leading publications, including Forbes, Business Insider, and Variety, have recognized Gruen's impressive achievements. He was named a member of Forbes' 30 Under 30 class of 2022 and has been featured as one of the top 29 up-and-comers changing the world of venture capital, one of the 24 power players transforming the music industry through TikTok, and one of the 19 talent representatives helping creators turn social-media fame into diversified businesses by Business Insider.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Gruen is committed to positively impacting the world. He has given some of his company's profits to charity. He has also given a lot of his time and money to help with education and to help young people.
With his entrepreneurial spirit, innovative vision, and commitment to creating a better world, Michael Gruen is a trailblazer and thought leader in entrepreneurship and investment.
 
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Ep 22 – Dafina Toncheva, General Partner, USVP

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
Ep 22 – Dafina Toncheva, General Partner, USVP
SHOW NOTES:
Dafina Toncheva, General Partner at USVP, discusses how she’s strategically used the Rules of Power concepts to manage her career. From a small town in Bulgaria to now being a major figure in Silicon Valley, she has succeeded in an industry that has not traditionally welcomed women. Join us and learn how the principles of power apply to women and men, and how to use those principles of power to navigate an extraordinarily successful career for yourself.
You'll learn from Dafina:
Where she’s from, how she got to the U.S., and her career trajectory
What political forces led her to desire to look for opportunities abroad
How she ultimately ended up at Harvard and the only way she knew to get there
Her path between college and her current career
The lens she used to decide to join USVP in 2012
The use of power in her career to make the most impact
The importance of aligning your success goals with the company’s goals
How she navigated in a less-than-welcoming business environment
How she has stood up for herself and put the Rules of Power into action
The importance of developing constructive professional relationships with board members
A surprising take on what is as important as the investments that are made
How managing the narrative of the firm is incredibly important
GUEST BIO:
Dafina Toncheva (dafina@usvp.com), a general partner at USVP, invests in emerging technologies in the enterprise space with focus on Enterprise SaaS applications and security. She has led investments in and joined the boards of Luma Health, Arkose Labs, Raken, Percepto, Carrot Fertility, Nfinite, Sepio Systems, Trust Lab and Surgical Safety Technologies. Dafina served on the board of Prevoty, a leader in application security, who was acquired by Imperva where USVP was the lead investor and largest shareholder.
Prior to joining USVP, Dafina was a principal investor with Tugboat Ventures. Before that, she spent two years at Venrock helping to expand the firm’s investments in SaaS, virtualization, security, infrastructure and enterprise applications. Dafina led the first institutional investment round in Cloudflare (NYSE: NET). Her other investments included Aria Systems, Kenna Security (acquired by Cisco) and Matrixx Software. Before becoming an investor, Dafina held positions in development and product management at Microsoft focusing on authentication systems, digital signatures and business workflow. She has co-authored several key patents.
Dafina holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS in Computer Science, magna cum laude, with special focus on cryptography, efficient algorithms and database systems from Harvard University.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dafinat/
 
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Ep 21 – Nick Binkley, Singer-Songwriter, Former Banking Executive

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
Ep 21 – Nick Binkley, Singer-Songwriter, Former Banking Executive
SHOW NOTES:
My old friend and very successful financial executive, Nick Binkley, talks about his career in finance, rising to the position of vice chair of Security Pacific Bank, and then vice chair of the Bank of America, and then a partner in a very successful venture capital firm. Nick has a lot of lessons around the 7 Rules of Power for all of us to pay attention to.
In this episode you’ll learn:
How Nick went from a guitar-playing Peace Corps volunteer and campaign manager to a banker
What he saw in the Tunisian economy that sparked his desire to become an international banker
How visualizing where he wanted to be and breaking the rules facilitated his career change
The way playing the game allowed him to develop a new approach to statement analysis called the Binkley Tree
What accelerated his career in the ten years he went from a vice president to a vice chair and member of the board of directors at Bank of America
The power of changing the narrative about yourself
A unique presentation opportunity that furthered his career
Brand building in humorous, thoughtful, effective ways, and with the creation of an international magazine
The importance of having family members and a broad base of people who appreciate your skills
The rule of power that most resonates with him
A story of how success excuses everything
The one sin Jeff sees students commit in their beliefs during difficult circumstances
How his songwriting and music interests have helped in his career, personally and professionally
GUEST BIO:
Nick Binkley (born Nicholas Burns Binkley October 31, 1945) is a former banking executive with a lifelong interest in foreign affairs. He is also a singer-songwriter, recording artist and film producer.
He was educated at Colorado College (BA in Political Science) and the Universite d’Aix-Marseille (France) and received his graduate degree (MA in International Studies) from the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Binkley attained the position of Vice Chairman of Bank of America Corp and served on its board of directors and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He later formed Forrest Binkley & Brown which successfully made venture and private equity investments across a range of enterprises.
Following retirement from the world of finance, he became identified with the title of his first album, Pin Stripe Brain, released in 1995. A troubadour striving for East-West peace, Binkley’s song “Novi Mir” (Russian for “New World” or “New Peace”), his film FREE TO ROCK and subsequent albums, Let The Boy Jam, 100 Parts of Heart, and Stardust Angels Ghosts remain emblematic of a life that spanned the worlds of finance, music and international politics.
https://www.nickbinkleymusic.com
 
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Ep 20 – Tadia James, Managing Partner, Aligned Generation

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
EPISODE 20 –  Tadia James, Managing Partner, Aligned Generation
SHOW NOTES:
Tadia James is the Managing Partner at Aligned Generation. Tadia shares the rules of power which have helped her excel in the financial industry, where women or people of color manage less than 2% of global assets. 
In this episode, you will learn:
How Tadia has consciously built her career
How her jobs at JPMorgan and Gingerbread Capital led her to start her own company
The three pillars Aligned Generation advises and develops startups within
How her story speaks to issues of women and underrepresented minorities
What she focused on to gain visibility when she was often the youngest and only woman and person of color in the room
How she gets out of her own way and shows up in ways that convey power
The discipline necessary to help achieve goals
The things done to acquire visibility while at Stanford Business School
Being clear on using time intentionally
The considerations of time and opportunity costs in attending graduate school
Advice to students regarding making use of opportunities available on campus
Why she started her own firm
The joy of helping founders, entrepreneurs, and capital investors
What the process of ‘gassing’ herself up before public appearances looks like
Special note: In this episode Ms. James is referring to Amy Cuddy's TED Talk, "Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are." This talk was given at TEDGlobal in 2012. https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are/c
GUEST BIO: 
Tadia JamesBridge-Builder, VC Investor, and Strategist, Tadia is the Managing Partner at ALIGNED GENERATION, a strategic consulting agency on a mission to accelerate and scale the impact of investors and startups building a more equitable and balanced society. 
Current Focus: Addressing the racial wealth gap. 
Tadia started her career in finance at the JP Morgan Corporate & Investment Bank in various positions including: Sales Strategy, Product Management, and Cybersecurity Threat Intelligence. She also taught financial literacy to inner-city youth in NYC at the DREAM Organization for 5 years where she led the development of the DREAM Scholarship Fund. Tadia went on to become an early employee at Gingerbread Capital, a family office venture capital fund that invests in female founders and female fund managers at the seed stage and beyond. 
An avid tech investor and startup advisor, Tadia is known for her ability to bring big visions to life through disciplined business execution and strong partnerships. Featured in “Forbes” and “31 under 31: The Future of Venture Capital”, she has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Florida and an MBA from Stanford.
Website: https://www.alignedgeneration.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadiajamesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TADIAJAMES/
 
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Ep 19 – Andrew Yang, Entrepreneur & Author. Humanity Forward

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
EPISODE 19 – Andrew Yang, Entrepreneur & Author. Humanity Forward
SHOW NOTES:
My guest today is Andrew Yang, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and a 2021 candidate for mayor of New York City. Named by President Obama as a Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship, he is the founder of Humanity Forward, Venture for America, and the Forward Party. Yang’s New York Times bestselling book The War on Normal People helped introduce the idea of universal basic income into the political mainstream. Andrew shares how through practice, he learned to embody particular rules of power to make effective changes in the world.
In this episode, you will learn about:
The non-profits he started to improve the operation of America’s electoral system
A brief overview of his career and entrepreneurial background
Why he was an accidental presidential candidate
What the Forward Party stands for
How his background as an Asian American inhibited him from embracing specific rules of power
The importance of building a personal brand with a strong social media presence
Learning new behaviors to promote himself, which in turn benefits his causes
Why apologizing is not always the right thing to do
How he re-framed networking to become something enjoyable and rewarding
The idea of acting and speaking with power
The romantic motivation he had to put himself into the public sphere
The athleticism of public speaking
Coaching and practice to become stronger, better, and more comfortable
Taking the world as it is and maximizing your ability to do good things within it
GUEST BIO:
Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, non-profit leader, and former 2020 presidential candidate.
After working as a lawyer and executive at several early-stage technology companies, Andrew eventually became CEO of an education company that became #1 in the country. He then started a national entrepreneurship non-profit, Venture for America, which worked to empower thousands of young entrepreneurs to bring their dynamism to communities across the country, from New Orleans and Baltimore to Denver and Detroit.
Andrew was named a Presidential Ambassador of Entrepreneurship by the White House under the Obama administration and a Champion of Change for his work with Venture for America. Initially dubbed a "longer than long shot" candidate by the New York Times in 2018, Andrew became a top-tier contender for the presidency, raising nearly $40 million in grassroots funding.
With a vision to rewrite the rules of the United States economy through a “Freedom Dividend” of $1,000 a month for every American adult, Andrew became one of the most exciting stories in the 2020 race. Andrew's nationwide support, known as the “Yang Gang,” propelled him to seven Democratic primary debates, outlasting six senators, four governors, three members of Congress, two mayors, and one secretary.
Following this unexpected run for president, Andrew formed the non-profit Humanity Forward, successfully lobbying Congress for direct cash relief for struggling American families during the pandemic while simultaneously distributing over $8 million directly to struggling families.
From his presidential and New York mayoral runs, Andrew has seen first-hand what’s preventing our country from getting things done, and he is now directing his energies towards fixing the machinery of our stagnant democracy. With Forward - Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, Andrew lays out the case for a variety of democracy reform measures that can unclog the pipes of our system and realign the incentives of legislators with the wellbeing of the American people.
 
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Ep 18 – Gary Loveman, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books: JeffreyPfeffer.com
Episode 18 –  Gary Loveman, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO
SHOW NOTES:
Meet Gary Loveman, the former CEO of Caesars, the large casino company, and a former senior executive at Aetna, and now running Well, a health-related startup. Gary made the remarkable transition from being a professor to running a company. He is extraordinarily thoughtful on issues of power and influence, coming in as an outsider and being exceptionally successful.
In this episode you’ll learn about:
How Gary came from outside into an industry dominated by insiders
The techniques used to get people on his side and overcome their resistance
Why critical relationships have to work, and how to make them work
The value in making unwanted news tolerable for each person affected by it
The humility, transparency, and feedback involved in collectively reaching goals
Your duty to shareholders, colleagues, employees, and customers to cultivate working relationships
Being strategic and thoughtful as you interact with other people
Overriding certain feelings to present yourself as the leader your organization needs to see
What’s required to be an effective leader of people who have limited access to you
Compelling stories around Gary’s determination to tell the truth under all circumstances
The idea of reputation and sustaining credibility
The meaning behind his famous maxim, “If you want to be liked, get a dog.”
His lesson in the forced curve grading distribution at Harvard Business School
GUEST BIO
In 2019, Gary Loveman, Ph.D., co-founded Well, a member engagement platform built to enable every individual to achieve their best health. Well's digital platform combines the member's health history with clinical algorithms, artificial intelligence, and dynamic incentives to guide every member towards improved health and lower costs. Well's platform is supported by a team of expert healthcare professionals, and provides member support across the spectrum of healthcare needs including behavioral health, chronic condition management, health coaching and wellness, benefits and system navigation, pharmacy and telemedicine.
Dr. Loveman is also Senior Lecturer in the Department of Finance at Harvard Business School. He previously taught Service Management in the M.B.A. and executive education programs at the School from 1989-1998. He was named the first recipient of the School’s Apgar Award for excellence and innovation in teaching. Loveman was awarded the B.A. in economics from Wesleyan University, and the Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was an Alfred Sloan Doctoral Dissertation Fellow.
Dr. Loveman left HBS in 1998 and became Chairman, CEO and President of Caesars Entertainment Corporation. During his seventeen year tenure, Dr. Loveman oversaw a period of growth that included several major acquisitions making Caesars the largest and most diversified company in the gaming industry. In 2008, Caesars went private in a $30.7B transaction led by Apollo and TPG. He pioneered the use of cutting-edge technology and data analytics to deliver differentiated customer service and guest loyalty. Dr. Loveman also led the development of Wellness Rewards, Caesars’ widely recognized, incentive-based health and wellness program for the company’s 70,000 employees and their families. He was voted “Best CEO in the Hospitality Industry” for four consecutive years by the Institutional Investor magazine, was inducted into both the Hospitality and Gaming Halls of Fame and is the subject of case studies at HBS and Stanford Business School.
Dr. Loveman joined Aetna in October 2015, serving as President of Consumer Health and Service, Aetna’s health services business through January 2018. The Consumer Health and Services organization was responsible for helping Aetna members achieve their best health and for fostering innovative collaborations with health care providers to improve the overall quality, cost and experience for Aetna members. Dr. Loveman led the company’s population health management and consumer engagement strategies, health and clinical services, care management, digital consumer health products, analytics and data science, pharmacy and marketing areas.
From 2012-2015, Dr. Loveman chaired the Business Roundtable’s Health & Retirement Committee, which focuses on improving the quality and affordability of the nation’s health and retirement systems. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Board of Directors of the Boston Celtics, where he is a member of the ownership group. Loveman serves on the Board of several private health care companies and served previously on the Visiting Committee of the M.I.T. Department of Economics and the boards of FedEx, Tapestry and Ventas, Inc.
Among Dr. Loveman’s publications include five articles in the Harvard Business Review, two books (with co-authors) and more than 30 HBS case studies.
 
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Ep 17 – Robin Lumsden, Founder & Managing Partner, Lumsden & Partners

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books:JeffreyPfeffer.com
Episode 17 – Robin Lumsden, Founder & Managing Partner, Lumsden & Partners
Today, we meet Dr. Robert Lumsden, who has gone from a tennis player to the Special Forces, to law, to business, and now to owning a sports franchise. He is always paying attention to building his brand, getting out of his comfort zone, and thinking about what he can do for other people to build the relationships that will, in turn, make him successful.
Topics discussed:
The principles of 7 Rules of Power he uses to build his career
The jobs Robin held before attending Stanford, beginning at age seven
What it is like to be an adversary for some of the most famous lawyers in the U.S.
Three of his most significant deals and why he didn’t get a Porsche in one of them
Why he came to GSB and what he learned there
Why his goal at GSB was to know the successful professors and business people
How he got into Condoleezza Rice and Eric Schmidt’s classes
How he used his time at Stanford to build his brand in Austria
His motive behind building a fantastic media presence
The importance of delivering considerable value to your peers
Overcoming certain cultural barriers
The varying roles of showing up authentically
Using specific times of day to your advantage
The power of getting out of your own way
Where mentors can lead you
The power of pictures
What’s next in Robin’s career
 
GUEST BIO
Dr. Robin L. Lumsden MSx (Stanford) MA Economics (Stanford) LL.M. (Berkeley)
Robin is the founder and managing partner of M&A law firm Lumsden & Partners, one of the most successful boutique law firms in Austria, founded in recent years. Robin, who is a member of the bar in Austria, New York and Washington D.C. spent more than 15 years as a corporate lawyer and advised clients such as Volkswagen on its €3.9 billion acquisition of Porsche and General Electric on its sale of its plastics division to Sabic for US $11.6 billion.
Whilst conducting his studies at Stanford (MSx & MA in economics) he worked on a digital asset fund with Sebastian Schwarzenegger, invested in blockchain and crypto businesses. He sits on various boards of trusts of high-net-worth individuals. He further was an advisor to Palantir & personally to its CEO Alex Karp, GE, Google and the Schwarzenegger family. Robin is also an officer with the Austrian Special Forces (equivalent to the Navy Seals). His military experience has shaped his character and made him appreciate teamwork.
Previously, as a junior Robin was a professional tennis athlete, playing inter alia at Wimbledon. Recently, Robin acquired the majority of the American Football Franchise, “Vienna Vikings” in Austria, a team that won the EuroBowl (equivalent to the Super Bowl in Europe) in 2022 against Hamburg.
www.lumsden.at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_0cwys_EMM
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Ep 16 – Dr. Laura Esserman, Professor of Surgery and Radiology UCSF, Director of the UCSF Breast Care Clinic

Learn more about Jeffrey Pfeffer and where you can buy or listen to his books:JeffreyPfeffer.com
Episode 16 – Dr. Laura Esserman, Professor of Surgery and Radiology UCSF, Director of the UCSF Breast Care Clinic
Dr. Laura Esserman is a leading figure in the transformation of American medicine. Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, Laura is dedicated to increasing the speed at which we learn about new cancer drugs and treatments. She discusses her transformation into becoming a more effective version of herself through storytelling and cultivating empathy with opponents.
Join us and learn about:
Adjustments in her behavior that make her extraordinarily effective
The importance of knowing what you want to accomplish over being likable
Realizing to become successful, she needed to get out of her way
The listening and give-and-take skills that enable effectiveness
Allowing the space for people to think differently than yourself
Finding common ground to accomplish shared goals
How fear of criticism can impede problem-solving
Patient-centered care with a ‘no risk, no change’ philosophy
Going to the mat and doing things for others
The principles she lives on
Her lesson with running a mammogram van in San Francisco
How empathy and understanding aid negotiations
Using the press and publicity to make change happen
Why storytelling is paramount for learning
Her goal of bringing personalized medicine to trials and patients
The unique skills she brings to her patients that will surprise you
GUEST BIO
Dr. Laura Esserman is Professor of Surgery and Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and director of the UCSF Breast Care Clinic. Her work in breast cancer spans the spectrum from basic science to public policy issues, and the impact of both on the delivery of clinical care. Dr. Esserman is recognized as a thought leader in cancer screening and over-diagnosis, as well as innovative clinical trial design. She led the creation of the University of California-wide Athena Breast Health Network, a learning system designed to integrate clinical care and research as it follows 150,000 women from screening through treatment and outcomes. The Athena Network launched the PCORI-funded Wisdom Study, which tests a personalized approach to breast cancer screening in 100,000 women. She is also a leader of the innovative I-SPY TRIAL model, designed to accelerate the identification and approval of effective new agents for women with high-risk breast cancers.  In 2020, she got FDA approval for an I-SPY COVID trial, designed to rapidly screen and confirm high-impact treatments to reduce mortality and time on ventilators.
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