Shareholder returns aren't the only barometer of CEO success anymore, or else Jeff Bezos would be on top. In recent years, sustainability and diversity have gained importance—and in those areas, European CEOs are lapping their American competitors. Adi Ignatius, editor in chief of the Harvard Business Review, joins us to discuss the metrics for CEO success a ... Show More
Oct 16
Michelle Buteau: "Words Have Power"
Today on The Gist, guest host Charlie introduces Mike Pesca's conversation with comedian Michelle Buteau on Funny You Should Mention. Buteau discusses making history with her special, A Buteau-ful Mind, at Radio City Music Hall, balancing self-deprecation with sharp observational ... Show More
48m 54s
Oct 14
Michele Tafoya: "I'm a Big Freedom of Speech Person"
Today on The Gist, guest host Charlie revisits Mike Pesca's 2022 conversation with veteran sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya. Tafoya discusses stepping away from Sunday Night Football to speak openly on politics, her podcast Sideline Sanity, and the challenges conservative voices ... Show More
41m 23s
Oct 12
John Fetterman: "It's Been a Long, Strange Trip"
Today on The Gist, guest host Charlie looks back at Mike Pesca's 2021 conversation with Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, recorded when he was lieutenant governor, to discuss criminal justice reform, gun laws, and immigration. Then, journalist Mark Raimondi joins the show to d ... Show More
39m 10s
May 2023
What Top Performing CEOs Really Do
Popular stereotypes of successful CEOs as charismatic white men with Ivy League degrees, who never falter under pressure, are misleading. Elena Botelho, who co-leads the CEO Genome Project and advises top leaders, says actual success in the C-suite has more to do with being decis ... Show More
31m 23s
Jul 2025
Trump’s chilling effect on big business, with Harvard Business Review’s Adi Ignatius
After 16 years as Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review, Adi Ignatius is handing the role over to a new leader, and he joins Rapid Response for a more-than-an-exit interview. A longtime friend and colleague of host Bob Safian, Ignatius shares some of the most critical lesson ... Show More
38m 5s
Apr 2023
The case for stepping back when talking about the economy
Talking about the economy nowadays is a miserable affair — inflation, inequality, and other topics dominate an increasingly negative discussion. But over the longer term, the U.S. economy has actually outperformed when compared to nearly every other advanced economy, a recent iss ... Show More
8m 14s