World's Greatest Business Thinkers

Is modern marketing broken, and are you missing the fundamental frameworks that are relevant today? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague welcomes back Mark Ritson, founder of the Mini MBA, to unpack why marketing has regressed despite unprecedented access to data, tools, and talent. Mark breaks down the misconceptions and differences behind "strategies with long and short impact," why the 95/5 rule should guide budget allocation, and how most CMOs are dangerously undertrained. He exposes the pitfalls of discounting, the power of friction in brand positioning, and the realities of growth that many leaders overlook. Packed with frameworks, brutal truths, and practical direction, this conversation equips marketers to build sustainable, profitable brands in a noisy landscape. What You Will Learn: Why advertising effectiveness has declined 10% over three decades despite AI and data abundance The critical difference between "Long and Short impact" and what brands actually need  How the 95/5 Rule reshapes budget allocation The profitability vs. revenue trap that derails most businesses Why price discounting is almost always a losing move, and how to reframe pricing  How to build distinctiveness into brand positioning through productive friction  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here. Mark Ritson Bio: Mark Ritson is a PhD marketer, celebrated professor, and founder of the Mini MBA. Over 25 years he taught at London Business School, MIT, Melbourne Business School, and Minnesota, earning multiple top-teaching awards. A former in-house consultant to LVMH, he has advised brands from Subaru to Sephora. His pricing research was cited during a Nobel Prize speech, and his prolific journalism has earned seven PPA Columnist of the Year awards. Now based in Tasmania, he focuses on the Mini MBA, writes for major publications, and continues skewering marketing nonsense with trademark wit. Quotes: "I think it's slightly worse than it was thirty years ago; we're certainly not improving. For all the talk of data and AI and everything else, when you see the occasional longitudinal data point, advertising is less effective than it used to be. We've slipped a little, not too much, but we certainly haven't made a lot of progress." "Retailers are selling the same stuff to the same people at the same time in the same place. Their obsession with price is because over the road, there's a competitor with 80% the same stock in the same places, going after the same customers. Price becomes this golden lever, and it's just something I never thought of before until I actually went in and started seeing it from the retail point of view." "All of the campaigns which are extraordinarily good at long-term brand building are also, with almost without exception, really good at immediately selling product. Long delivers short. You run a great TV campaign, it's gonna instantly start shifting product the next day as well as creating long-term changes in memory structures that might last for years." "There are 19 times more consumers outside the market than inside it. You want to spend 60-70% of your budget on the 95% so you're ready for when they come in later. The key lesson is it's usually too late to go after the 5% when they come into market, you need salience established beforehand." Episode Resources: Mark Ritson on LinkedIn MiniMBA Website  Nick Hague on LinkedIn World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Conflict isn't the enemy; it's the path to stronger relationships.  In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague sits down with Amy Gallo, Global Speaker, Author, and Contributing Editor at Harvard Business Review, to explore how to handle even the most difficult colleagues. Amy reveals the eight archetypes of toxic coworkers, why emotional regulation outperforms empathy, and how psychological safety fuels high-performing teams. Discover practical tools to navigate tension, transform workplace dynamics, and turn conflict into connection. Whether you manage teams or work within one, this conversation will reshape how you see disagreement and yourself. What You Will Learn: Why emotional regulation trumps empathy in conflict resolution The eight archetypes of difficult coworkers and how to neutralize each one How to maintain trust and collaboration in remote and hybrid environments Why 82% of new managers fail without formal training The psychological safety framework that distinguishes healthy cultures from toxic ones How to reframe difficult conversations as relationship investments, not relationship threats The practical tactic for managing passive-aggressive behavior without escalation  Why getting sleep before a difficult conversation matters more than resolving it How to identify if you're the difficult person in the conflict The strategic value of buying coffee for the colleague who irritates you  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.   Amy Gallo Bio: Amy Gallo is an author, global speaker, and expert on workplace dynamics who helps professionals turn conflict into a force for good. She writes and speaks on communication, feedback, and gender dynamics, and is the author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People). A former co-host of HBR's award-winning Women at Work podcast, Amy has spoken at SXSW, the World Economic Forum, Google, Adobe, and more. Learn more at amyegallo.com. Quotes: "I really value the evidence and the research that shows what works and what doesn't. I also acknowledge that sometimes what works in research does not work in practice, in real life. But making that bridge is really what's important to me in everything I do." "Do I feel like I can speak up here? Do I feel like I can give feedback? For the most part, do you feel like you can speak up and say what's on your mind and offer new ideas and push back? To me, that's the most important thing when you're trying to determine the difference between a toxic culture and a healthy one." "I used to think the most important thing in dealing with conflict was empathy, but I've actually really come to believe it's emotional regulation. The more we can handle our own negative emotions and make good choices despite them, the more these conversations and relationships will grow stronger and the more resilient we will feel." "Promoting someone who doesn't have the skills to do the job and you're not gonna give them those skills creates a good amount of insecurity on their part. The research shows the exact opposite of what we assume—the more senior they get, the more insecure people feel. We are creating this gap, not just in skill, but also in confidence."   Episode Resources: Amy Gallo on LinkedIn Amy Gallo Website  Nick Hague on LinkedIn World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

What if innovation wasn't about having more resources, but about unleashing the creativity you already possess? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague sits down with Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney, to share actionable strategies for fostering innovation in any organization. From sending Buzz Lightyear to space to transforming slum lighting with water bottles, Duncan reveals practical tools, playful mindsets, and techniques like "Yes And" and "What If" to break conventional thinking. Leaders at any level will gain insights to unlock creativity, drive collaboration, and generate breakthrough ideas. What You Will Learn: How to overcome the "river of thinking" that limits creativity  The "Yes And" framework for building collaborative ideas instead of shutting them down with "No, Because" Encouraging playfulness and nurturing a creative thinking environment  The "What If" tool for breaking rules and generating breakthrough ideas How to use the "Stargazer" framework to select the most promising innovative ideas Why intuition and empathy will become increasingly valuable skills in an AI-dominated future The power of asking "Why" five times to uncover true consumer insights and innovation opportunities How to create effective innovation processes without massive resources or budgets If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.   Duncan Wardle Bio: Duncan Wardle is the former Head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, where he led groundbreaking initiatives across Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Disney Parks. Today, he serves as an independent innovation consultant, helping organisations embed creativity and strategic innovation, and regularly contributes to Fast Company and Harvard Business Review. He teaches innovation masterclasses at Notre Dame, Stanford, and Yale, delivers inspirational keynotes worldwide, and runs workshops that combine creative ideation with actionable strategies, empowering teams to generate breakthrough ideas and measurable results.   Quotes: "Here's the problem - when you ask a room full of adults, 'hands up who's creative,' less than 3% of them put their hands up. I wanted to create a toolkit that had three principles: take the intimidation out of innovation and make it accessible to normal, hardworking, busy people, and make creativity tangible for people uncomfortable with ambiguity. Far more important, make it fun, give people tools they choose to use when you and I are not around." "When that door is shut, you're only working with your conscious brain. Do you know what percentage of your brain is conscious - 13% conscious, 87% subconscious. But when the door is shut, you don't have access to it." "Stop being scared. Stop chasing quarterly results - you could iterate up to 2020, but you don't get to iterate in the post-pandemic world, you innovate or you die. The challenge is this: innovation is hard, and nobody's made it tangible, easy, and fun." "Two very simple words from the world of improv that have the power to turn a small idea into a big one really quickly. You can always take a big idea and value engineer it down, but it's very hard to take a small one and turn it around the other way. Far more importantly, it transfers the power of my idea, which never goes anywhere inside an organization, to our idea and accelerates its opportunity to get done."   Episode Resources: Duncan Wardle on LinkedIn Ideate with Duncan Wardle Website  Nick Hague on LinkedIn World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Short Summary: What if your company could change the world and deliver exceptional profits? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague speaks with Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony's Chocolonely, about how purpose-led leadership can drive both impact and growth. Drawing from his journey leading Innocent Drinks and now Tony's global mission to end exploitation in the chocolate industry, Douglas reveals how transparency, ethical sourcing, and long-term thinking create lasting value. Listeners will learn practical strategies for scaling a mission-driven business, building an authentic culture, and proving that doing good and doing well truly go hand in hand.   Long Summary: What if your company could change the world and deliver exceptional profits? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague speaks with Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony's Chocolonely, about how purpose-led leadership can drive both impact and growth. Drawing from his journey leading Innocent Drinks and now Tony's global mission to end exploitation in the chocolate industry, Douglas reveals how transparency, ethical sourcing, and long-term thinking create lasting value. Listeners will learn practical strategies for scaling a mission-driven business, building an authentic culture, and proving that doing good and doing well truly go hand in hand. What You Will Learn: How to scale a mission-driven business without compromising core values The "Mission First" framework for making tough business decisions while maintaining ethical standards Why transparency in supply chain issues leads to faster industry-wide improvements How to build successful B2B partnerships that amplify social impact beyond the brand The data-driven approach to measuring and proving social impact Why investing in farmers and sustainable practices creates long-term resilience How to foster a mission-driven culture that attracts and retains top talent The Better Business Act principle for balancing profit, people, and planet   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.   Douglas Lamont Bio Douglas Lamont is the CEO of Tony's Chocolonely, leading the company's mission to eradicate exploitation in the cocoa industry while scaling a thriving global brand. Formerly CEO of Innocent Drinks, he helped grow the business to over €500 million in turnover. With a background in corporate finance and entrepreneurship, Lamont blends profit with purpose. As co-chair of the Better Business Act, he champions legislation that balances people, planet, and profit, making him a leading voice in purpose-driven, ethical business leadership.   Quotes: "It was intoxicating. It was a melting pot of talented people inspired by the founder's vision of a different type of company with a vision about culture, sustainability, and winning. I always say Harvard's the second-best business school I went to because Innocent Drinks was the first." "In creativity and innovation, you've really gotta take away the fear of failure. When I look at some of the big companies, there's so much pressure - they put 20 million of marketing on day one, and it's gotta hit these thresholds otherwise it's a failure. At Tony's, what I try to do is create space where the bets you're taking aren't that big." "The job of a scale-up leadership team is to find the balance between how much structure and process you put in whilst continuing to allow the entrepreneurial gene to flow inside the business. You're not putting in process and structure because you like it or want control - you're doing it to allow you to keep moving at the same pace. If you don't do that, the old model breaks down really quickly." "I think it starts at the recruitment stage - you've gotta be really clear that people you hire care about your mission. You then have to show to those employees who care about what you're trying to do that you really mean it. Every presentation, my first slide every single time is our mission, our vision, and our values - that's the bedrock on which we built the company."   Episode Resources: Douglas Lamont on LinkedIn Tony's Chocolonely Website Nick Hague on LinkedIn World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Today I'm joined by Scott Anthony, Senior Advisor at Innosight and Professor at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, for a thought provoking discussion on how epic disruptions shape industries and societies.