S4e01 How To Be Bold with Ranjay Gulati

S4e02 Unrelenting Curiosity with Tiger Tyagarajan

In this episode of the Mindful Leadership Podcast, Shahana Banerjee sits down with Tiger Tyagarajan, the former CEO of Genpact, to explore the transformative power of curiosity in leadership. Tiger shares his journey from a risk head at GE Capital to leading a global technology powerhouse, emphasizing a "treasure hunt" approach to learning from everyone around him. The conversation delves into the importance of building a legacy through leader-creation, the value of the scientific method in business, and why curiosity and trust remain the most vital human skills in an AI-driven world.    Key Takeaways  - The Treasure Hunt for Knowledge: Instead of seeking a single mentor, treat learning as a constant quest to gather insights and "clues" from every person and situation you encounter.  - Don't Shut Down Ideas Prematurely: Even if you believe an idea is wrong, allowing it to "bloom" can build trust and help others reach the right conclusion through their own discovery.  - Falling in Love with Problems: True innovation and joy in business come from falling in love with the problem before falling in love with a solution.  - The Leader's True Legacy: A leader’s success should be measured by the strength of the institution and the success of the leaders they left behind years after their departure. - Destabilization Breeds Innovation: Intentionally moving top talent to different teams creates the healthy instability necessary for new ideas to flourish.  - The Power of Expressing Ignorance: Admitting what you don't know breaks down hierarchies and encourages experts within a team to share their knowledge more freely.  - Curiosity as a Competitive Advantage: In an AI world that exploits existing patterns, human curiosity is the essential tool for exploring new breakthroughs.  About Tiger Tyagarajan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tigertyagarajan/]: Tiger spent 30+ years of his career as a C-suite leader driving digital and business transformation in the global enterprise space. He played a pivotal role in pioneering a new global business services model and founded and built a division of General Electric (GE Capital International Services) that became Genpact. He spent the first 15 years of his career with Unilever in sales and marketing leadership roles and then at Citibank and GE Capital in risk, operations and business leadership roles in financial services. After serving as Genpact’s President and Chief Executive Officer from 2011 to 2024, he transitioned to his successor and now serves as a Senior Advisor. He is also on the boards of Jabil, a global manufacturing solutions provider; MathCo, a data, analytics and AI solutions provider for CPG, Retail and Life Science companies; Inetum, a French HQ Tech Services firm, HealthEdge,a digital healthcare software company. Tiger is a Senior Advisor to Avalt, Bain Capital, BCG, Brighton Park Capital, Bridge Green, Innospark, Aqqrue (Agentic Finance) and HTEC, mostly focused on digital technology, Gen AI, AI/ML and SAAS business investments. In addition, he is the Chair of the Advisory Board of ABSL, a global nonprofit network representing the business services sector. About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shahana Banerjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahanabanerjee/]: Shahana is a Strategic Advisor, Certified Executive Coach and member of the elite Forbes Coaches Council. She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io [https://justhuman.io]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about her executive coaching services at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/coaching/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/coaching/] About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Just Human⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]: Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]⁠⁠

S4e01 How To Be Bold with Ranjay Gulati

LAUNCHING SEASON 4 with Ranjay Gulati, eminent scholar and Professor of Business Administration at Harvard University, and best selling and award winning author of Deep Purpose and How to be Bold, recognized by Thinkers 50. CAN YOU SPOT REAL COURAGE? Try this 👇 🤔 Which of these symbolizes courage to you? 🔺Rushing into a burning building to save lives or 🔺Publishing a book and opening yourself up to global judgement and criticism  🔺Serving as a medic and saving lives in a war zone or 🔺Being vulnerable at work. Letting your team see the real you 🔺Bungee jumping, sky diving, parasailing  or 🔺Being a whistleblower  You are smart. You know the answer. Each of these instances takes extraordinary courage. 🤔The thing about courage though… 1. We primarily think of physical courage as THE defining form of courage  2. We set an unrealistic threshold of what is courageous  3. We reserve our adulation and recognition for the highest forms of physical courage, while unintentionally undervaluing the everyday courage that ultimately changes the world 🤔Why is that a problem? 👉 It makes courage inaccessible to most 👉 It undervalues the very daily acts of courage that go on to shape the mega acts of courage we ultimately applaud That’s why I love Ranjay’s book. It demystifies courage and makes it accessible to all. It is also practical as it helps you explore your own sources of courage. His epiphany, as I hope is true for you too is “I too can be courageous” This wisdom packed episode with Ranjay is the perfect launch for our Season 4 of The Mindful Leadership Podcast ‼️ 🔥 In this episode we dig into what happens when DEEP PURPOSE meets INDOMITABLE COURAGE, why leaders and organizations anchor around their purpose, how they create impact through meaningful action and so much more. You will be glued till the end, I promise‼️ About Ranjay Gulati [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjay-gulati/]: Ranjay Gulati is the Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration and a distinguished organizational sociologist. He is the author of several books including Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies (HarperCollins, 2022) and How to Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage (Harper Business, 2025). His pathbreaking research, which focuses on unlocking organizational potential and unleashing human potential, has shown how winning companies—those that prosper both in good times and bad—drive growth and prosperity. At the same time, his research has inspired individuals to unlock possibilities by aligning their own personal purpose with that of their organizations. The Economist, the Financial Times, and the Economist Intelligence Unit have listed him as among the top handful of business school scholars whose work is most relevant to management practice. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his scholarly research and teaching, including recognition by Thinkers50 as a top management scholar and the CK Prahalad Award for Scholarly Impact on Practice in 2024. Professor Gulati holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and two children. About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shahana Banerjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahanabanerjee/]: Shahana is a Strategic Advisor, Certified Executive Coach and member of the elite Forbes Coaches Council. She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/about/contact/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Learn more about our executive coaching services at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/coaching/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/coaching/] About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Just Human⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]: Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]⁠⁠

S3e04 Building Better Leaders with Jonathan Kirschner

This episode is a mega dose of inspiration with Jonathan Kirschner, Founder & CEO of AIIR Consulting [http://www.aiirconsulting.com/] and AIIR analytics, a kindred spirit, fellow podcaster, coach, hockey champ and psychology buff. He is on a mission to make the world a bit better through leadership excellence.  In this episode, we dig into the power of value based leadership, why leaders lose their way and so much more: ✅ How he overcame a ‘learning disability’ and went from “the kid least likely to be CEO” to building a company that helps thousands of leaders grow ✅ How his personal challenge became a goal, … and the goal became his Purpose ✅ How his art teacher’s unique blend of support and challenge shaped his leadership  ✅ His WHY for founding AIIR in grad school  ✅ Case : This leaders’ career is stalling. He just doesn’t know it yet. He tries harder and harder, but nothing is working… Is it his skills, his values or his cognitive schema? A truly insightful story. ✅ Case : This leader brings an overwhelming sense of urgency and depth of expertise to engineer a transformation. But he fails. Why? What did he need to do differently? Another insightful story. ✅ What is one question that can help a leader who has lost their way, but doesn’t know it yet? ✅ A leadership lesson he learnt the hard way ✅ His impact ✅ A very fun Rapid Fire‼️ Think Jonathan is the one who brought the 🔥 ‼️ You won’t want to miss this‼️ About Jonathan Kirschner [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathankirschner/]: Jonathan Kirschner, Psy.D. Jonathan Kirschner is the Founder and CEO of AIIR Consulting, a global business psychology firm, and AIIR Analytics, a leadership assessment and analytics organization. Both companies help organizations outperform through exceptional leadership. Jonathan developed the AIIR® coaching methodology, numerous assessment tools, and AIIR's Coaching Zone® technology platform. In addition to his role as CEO, he is an executive coach for CEOs, author, and he regularly speaks, researches, podcasts, and writes on the topic of leadership. Jonathan holds a BA in Psychology and Religion from NYU and a Doctorate in Clinical and Business Psychology from Widener University. About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shahana Banerjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahanabanerjee/]: Shahana is a Strategic Advisor, Certified Executive Coach and member of the elite Forbes Coaches Council. She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/about/contact/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Learn more about our executive coaching services at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/coaching/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/coaching/] About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Just Human⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]: Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]⁠⁠

S3e03 Joy at Work with Alex Liu

THE BEST LEADERS ARE FORGED IN FIRE. Alex’s story of being an outsider - son of a peasant, an immigrant in the segregated south, a rugby player often tackled by guys twice his size, often underestimated … to studying at Yale and Harvard, joining iconic consulting firm Kearney and later serving as their Chairman and CEO for 6 years, is nothing short of astounding ‼️  He thrives on doing the impossible‼️ You will walk away inspired, I certainly did‼️ No wonder he is a Global Diversity List [https://www.globaldiversitylist.org/senior-executives] CEO winner and previously named a global Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine. He was selected in 2023 as the #1 consulting firm CEO by Consulting Report. He served on the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and is often featured in Harvard Business Review [https://hbr.org/2019/07/making-joy-a-priority-at-work], CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times [https://www.ft.com/content/552ba358-bc23-11e8-8274-55b72926558f].  He is the author of Joy Works. Phew‼️ In this episode, we dig into value based leadership, purpose, ikigai, and so much more. ✅ How his father’s journey inspired and forged the kind of leader he chooses to be ✅ What he learnt from going after high stakes - high risk assignments  ✅ What it took to lead Kearney and support global clients through Covid, global socio-political unrest and wars, and economic chaos ✅ Why he is such an avid advocate for Joy@Work ✅ How he has found his own Ikigai, and why he is asking you to settle for nothing less ✅ How he makes purpose and value based decisions at crossroads and crises, and empowers his people to do the same ✅ A VERY fun rapid fire with a surprising revelation‼️ You won’t want to miss this‼️ About Alex Liu [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexliu7/]: Alex Liu is chairman emeritus and partner at Kearney, the global management consultancy.  Alex is a Global Diversity List [https://www.globaldiversitylist.org/senior-executives] CEO winner and previously named a global Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine.  He was selected in 2023 as the #1 consulting firm CEO by Consulting Report. He served on the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and is often featured in Harvard Business Review [https://hbr.org/2019/07/making-joy-a-priority-at-work], CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times [https://www.ft.com/content/552ba358-bc23-11e8-8274-55b72926558f].  He speaks regularly on the importance of Culture and Purpose, hosting a popular podcast, Joy@Work [https://www.kearney.com/joyatwork] and authoring Joy Works: Empowering Teams in the New Era of Work. An expert in the technology and communications sector and a graduate of Yale and Harvard Business School, he has previously been CEO of a technology start-up and board member of various public and private entities. About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shahana Banerjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahanabanerjee/]: Shahana is a Certified Executive Coach and part of the elite Forbes Coaches Council.She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/about/contact/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Learn more about our executive coaching services at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/coaching/⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/coaching/] About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Just Human⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]: Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]⁠⁠

S3e02 Say it Skillfully with Molly Tschang

We are deconstructing IMPACTFUL COMMUNICATION ‼️ ✅ When it works … 🤔 When it doesn’t … 😱 When we think it works, but it actually doesn’t … 😰 When we don’t say anything, but communicate too much…, and   🚫 When it breaks down completely … We all want to show up, speak up, be authentic, share our ideas, but too often we don’t know how. Thankfully, Molly is here to help‼️ About ⁠Molly Tschang [linkedin.com/in/mollytschang⁠]⁠: Molly Tschang is the founder and CEO of Abella Consulting and Say It Skillfully®Inc. She empowers senior leadership teams to Win as One—committing to each other’s success and building the chemistry needed to lead powerfully together. With deep experience in over 80 mergers and acquisitions, Molly has guided executives through the complex human side of transformational change and growth. Through her platform, Say It Skillfully, she equips individuals at all levels with the skills to communicate confidently, foster trust, and create cultures where people feel valued and perform at their best. She is also the coauthor—with legendary CEO coach Marshall Goldsmith—of the bestselling new release: Say It Skillfully – Speak Up. Make Your Words Matter. Win Together. While most communication and personal development books preach playing the game so you win, Say It Skillfully shows you how to change the game—so performance improves and everyone wins. 🔗 Learn more: sayitskillfully.com [https://www.sayitskillfully.com/] About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shahana Banerjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahanabanerjee/]: Shahana is a Certified Executive Coach and part of the elite Forbes Coaches Council.She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/about/contact/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Learn more about our executive coaching services at ⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/coaching/⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/coaching/] About ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Just Human⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]: Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://justhuman.io/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://justhuman.io/]⁠⁠