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Partnering LeadershipAuthor: Mahan Tavakoli
Partnering Leadership is a top global podcast designed to help CEOs and senior leaders navigate the complexities of leadership, strategy, culture, and innovation. Hosted by Mahan Tavakolia seasoned leadership advisor with over 25 years of experience and recognized as a top thought leader in managementthe podcast brings you real-world insights and practical advice to drive meaningful results.Mahans experience as a trusted advisor shapes each discussion, driving deeper insights that challenge conventional thinking and uncover innovative approaches. Drawing from his extensive advisory background, Mahan dives into candid conversations with purpose-driven CEOs and global thought leaders, exploring how they overcame their biggest challenges and achieved transformative success. Each episode provides actionable strategies, real-world examples, and proven approaches to help you navigate change, align teams, and drive lasting impact.Hear directly from top experts such as Ram Charan, Ken Blanchard, John Kotter, Stephen M.R. Covey, Hal Elrod, Carmine Gallo, Daniel Burrus, Garry Ridge, Jacob Morgan, Emily Field, Jonah Berger, Barbara Kellerman, Rich Diviney, Andrea Sampson, Ajay Agrawal, Dave Ulrich, Jerry Colonna, Renee Cummings, Brian Johnson, Warren Berger, Gustavo Razzetti, Azeem Azhar, David McRaney, Tim Clark, Jim Detert, Gary Bolles, Greg Satell, Robert Wolcott, Alden Mills, Minter Dial, Greg Wooldridge, Pete Steinberg, Joseph Fuller, Paul Roetzer, Whitney Johnson, Ron Adner, Bob Johansen, Leidy Klotz, Paul Smith, Louis Rosenberg, Rob Sadow, Dan Turchin, Steve Robinson, Park Howell, Mark Crowley, Maz Jobrani, LaTonya Wilkins, Rob Cross, Aiden McCullen, Eduardo Briceno, Jan Rutherford, Stephen Wunker, Charlene Li, Jon Levy, Anu Gupta, John Rossman, David Marquet, Tamsen Webster, Jack Phillips, Vanessa Bohns, Patrick McGinnis, Hakeem Oluseyi, Ed Hess, and Carolyn Dewar as well as renowned leaders like David Rubenstein, Jean Case, Tony Pierce, Linda Rabbitt, Paul Daugherty, Language: en-us Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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447 The Octopus Organization: Why Traditional Leadership Breaks in a Complex World with Phil Le-Brun & Jana Werner
Tuesday, 21 April, 2026
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli sits down with Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner, co-authors of The Octopus Organization. Drawing on decades of leadership experience across global organizations, they challenge one of the most deeply embedded assumptions in business: that organizations can still be run like machines.At the heart of the conversation is a stark contrast between what they call “tinman” organizations and “octopus” organizations. Tinman organizations are built for efficiency, predictability, and control. They worked in a more stable world. But today’s environment is fundamentally different. It’s complex, fast-moving, and increasingly shaped by exponential technologies like AI. And in that world, the very structures that once drove performance are now holding organizations back.Le-Brun and Werner don’t stay at the level of theory. They go deep into the patterns that keep leaders stuck, from false alignment at the top to the subtle ways leaders unintentionally kill ownership in their teams. They introduce the idea of “anti-patterns” and hold up a mirror to behaviors that feel normal but quietly undermine adaptability, speed, and innovation.The discussion also pushes into what it actually takes to lead differently. Not slogans, but practical shifts. Moving from control to agency. From certainty to curiosity. From managing activity to enabling value creation. And critically, how leaders can begin making that shift without launching another top-down transformation that ultimately fails.For senior leaders navigating AI, constant disruption, and increasing complexity, this conversation cuts through the noise. It offers a clear lens to diagnose what’s not working and a grounded path to start building organizations that can actually adapt and thrive.Actionable TakeawaysYou’ll learn why most leadership teams believe they’re aligned, yet create fragmentation and conflict across the organization.Hear how well-intentioned leaders unintentionally train their teams to avoid ownership and default to permission-seeking.You’ll discover the “anti-patterns” that quietly undermine transformation efforts, even in organizations that think they’re evolving.Hear why focusing on efficiency alone, especially with AI, may actually accelerate the wrong outcomes.You’ll learn how to spot whether your organization is still operating like a machine in a world that demands adaptability.Hear how leading organizations are shifting from control-based models to systems that enable distributed decision-making.You’ll discover why most change initiatives fail before they begin and what leaders do differently to create real momentum.Hear how to rethink failure, experimentation, and learning in a way that drives progress rather than fear.You’ll learn where to start if your organization is far from this model and why small, local changes often outperform large transformation plans.Connect with Jana Werner and Phil Le-BrunThe Octopus Organization WebsiteJana Werner LinkedInPhil Le-Brun LinkedInConnect with Mahan Tavakoli:Mahan Tavakoli Website Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn Partnering Leadership Website
