logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
39m 2s

How to bring a business back to life (w/...

TED
About this episode

The resurrection of Barnes & Noble is one of the most remarkable turnaround stories of the modern business era. Chief revival architect and CEO James Daunt joins Anne and Frances to discuss the unconventional leadership strategies that helped him navigate through the pandemic and keep bookstores alive in the age of Amazon and e-books. They explore James’s non-hierarchical approach to team building, dive into the challenges he faced on his mission to revitalize the company, and discover the principle at the heart of his strategy: being nice.


Follow

Hosts: Anne Morriss (@annemorriss | LinkedIn: @anne-morriss), Frances Frei (@francesxfrei | LinkedIn: @francesfrei)

Guest: James Daunt (Instagram | LinkedIn | Website) 


Links

https://anneandfrances.com/

https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/management/james-daunt/


Subscribe to TED 

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts


For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Nov 17
Fixations: Farmer’s Dog, Waymo, switchers, and manila folders
<p>In this brand-new Fixations segment, Anne and Frances reveal the companies and tools they’ve been fixated on recently—and the lessons we can learn from what they’re getting right. Frances tells the story of how The Farmer’s Dog saved dinnertime for her pets and champions Black ... Show More
32m 19s
Nov 10
Why AI is our ultimate test and greatest invitation | from TED Tech
Technologist Tristan Harris has an urgent question: What if the way we’re deploying the world’s most powerful technology — artificial intelligence — isn’t inevitable, but a choice? In this eye-opening talk, he calls on us to learn from the mistakes of social media’s catastrophic ... Show More
19 m
Nov 3
Quick Fixes: How to step into leadership, improve your organization, and regain lost support
In this Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances work to solve three callers’ tricky work problems in under 30 minutes. One listener seeks advice on stepping into a leadership role for the first time, the next struggles with feeling powerless in a middle management position, and a f ... Show More
35m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
LinkedIn’s Untapped Business Potential - With Michelle J. Raymond | Episode 328
In this insightful episode of The Futur, Chris Do welcomes Michelle J. Raymond, a LinkedIn strategist and B2B specialist, to discuss maximizing LinkedIn for business growth. Michelle shares her journey from sales in the chemical industry to becoming a LinkedIn expert, emphasizing ... Show More
1h 3m
Jun 2025
From ChatGPT to Instagram to Uber: The quiet architect behind the world’s most popular products | Peter Deng
Peter Deng has led product teams at OpenAI, Instagram, Uber, Facebook, Airtable, and Oculus and helped build products used by billions—including Facebook’s News Feed, the standalone Messenger app, Instagram filters, Uber Reserve, ChatGPT, and more. Currently he’s investing in ear ... Show More
1h 55m
Sep 24
Temasek CEO: Investing for the Future, Navigating Geopolitics and Building Trust
What drives Temasek's long-term investment philosophy? In this episode of In Good Company, Nicolai Tangen sits down in Singapore with Dilhan Pillay, CEO of Temasek, to explore the philosophy and strategy behind one of the world's most influential investment companies. Dilhan shar ... Show More
43m 11s
Feb 2025
Season 2 Finale: Top 8 Q&As with Harvard Business School Faculty
In The Parlor Room's season two finale, host Chris Linnane shares his favorite questions and answers from his conversations with Harvard Business School faculty, including Christina Wallace, Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Amy Edmondson, Sunil Gupta, V.G. Narayanan, Nancy Koehn, and Anthon ... Show More
21m 58s
Jul 2025
196 - How the Ex‑CEO of 7‑Eleven and Blockbuster Rebuilt Two Giants From the Ground Up
<p>Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” and start leading with confidence today!</p> <p>👉 Download Now -<a href='https://bit.ly/10-foolproof-ceo-strategies ... Show More
47m 47s
Jun 2025
WorkLife: Office Hours with Adam: Bridging generational divides
<p>Office hours are in session. In today’s episode, Adam follows up on last week’s analysis of generational stereotyping by fielding questions from three guests who are experiencing age-related challenges at work. Together, they discuss the misuse and impact of psychological safe ... Show More
32m 51s
Jul 2024
Rerun: Morgan Stanley Chair and CEO: Succession, culture, stress, and leadership
<p>Rerun:</p><p>James Gorman, one of the most successful CEOs in the world of banking, is stepping down as CEO and shares unique insights into the world of banking, investing, and leadership. He also shares how he reviews talent, and the immense stress and pressure that come with ... Show More
46m 50s
Sep 2024
Kinnevik CEO and Chair: Long-term mindset, Innovation and Dealing with failures
<p>In this episode, Nicolai is joined by Georgi Ganev, CEO, and James Anderson, Chair, of the Swedish investment company Kinnevik. Founded in 1936, Kinnevik has a rich history of driving growth and innovation across various industries, such as telecommunications, e-commerce, and ... Show More
46m 23s
Mar 2025
Notion’s lost years, its near collapse during Covid, staying small to move fast, the joy and suffering of building horizontal, more | Ivan Zhao (CEO and co-founder)
<p><strong>Ivan Zhao</strong> is the co-founder and CEO of Notion. Ivan shares the untold story of Notion, from nearly running out of database space during Covid to finding product-market fit after several “lost years,” and the hard-won lessons along the way.</p><p>—</p><p><stron ... Show More
1h 12m
Sep 2024
Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Profiles
On this week’s episode of Get Hired, LinkedIn Editor Andrew Seaman sits down with LinkedIn Career Expert Catherine Fisher to discuss strategies for making your LinkedIn profile pop. Catherine walks through each element of the profile — from the header and profile photos to the “A ... Show More
23m 18s