Get every Mural summary from the M&M Show

In partnership with Branding & Culture expert Martin Lindstrom and Leadership Coach Marshall Goldsmith, we’ll be sharing highlights from their all-new series — The M&M Show — where they and guests talk about all things leadership, learning, coaching, and collaboration. Welcome to the MURAL Summary — a recap of the key takeaways from each episode!

Finding humor in collaboration

In this episode, Jennifer Aaker, Social Psycologist & Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Naomi Bagdonas, Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Executive Coach, sat down with Martin and Marshall to discuss corporate culture and workplace happiness.

The reigns were passed over to the guests for a MURAL Summary. Breaking down humor styles, Naomi shared that expressive and subtle (how you tend to use your humor out in the world) can be on the y-axis (top to bottom). On the x-axis from left to right, we have affiliative and aggressive (who you tend to target most naturally). Starting in an upper right quadrant and moving clockwise, we have:

• The Stand-up: bold, irreverent, natural entertainers and thick-skinned
• The Sniper: edgy, sarcastic, masters of the unexpected “dig” 
• The Sweetheart: earnest, understated, emotionally attuned and cognizant of the crowd
• The Magnet: expressive charismatic, outgoing gigglers and not afraid to be silly
  

Each of these styles have their own strengths and weaknesses in the workplace environment, especially when considering collaboration.

View the full episode below — and check out our free plan to get started with MURAL today. 

Surprises in customer trends

Martin and Marshall were joined in this episode by Dr. Jonah Berger, world-renowned expert on Change and Influence, and Scott Galloway, voted #1 Business School Professor/ New York Times best-selling author to talk about surprising trends.

Starting out with a grid, Martian described two axises. On one, we have ownership to the left and memories to the right. On the other, intimacy at the top and distance at the bottom.

These axises lay the foundation for the journey of identifying trends. Starting in the lower-left we have H2H. Human-to-human (H2H) is a replacement for B2B or B2C. We are all driven at work and at home by things we are actively in charge of or tasked with. Ultimately we swing to the top right with purpose, the deep sense of holding and knowing something close to ourselves that we are willing and able to share with others.

To dive into more parts of this MURAL Summary, watch the full episode below. 

Disruption and necessary change

Martin and Marshall speak with Sanyin Siang, Thinkers50 #1 Most Influential Coach, and Whitney Johnson, LinkedIn Top Voice 2020 and host of Disrupt Yourself,  in this episode of The M&M Show about disruption.

The group began to talk about the s-curve of innovation; when do we begin to innovate and adopt ideas. This model can be applied to disruption as well, and the science of growth.

When we talk about disruption, everything is focused around confidence. 

On one hand, we have the idea of competence. With competence, you have access to a growing knowledge of a new field and an increasing ability to make sense of relevant information. Overall, there is a desire to hone a craft and skill. This is where mistakes might happen as leaders try to develop new skills swiftly.

On the other hand, we have mastery. With mastery, you may experience a loss of excitement due to constant growth and comfort from increased competency sets in. Complacency and routine may lead you too much into a routine path. This is where leaders of the world might trap themselves in a plateau.

Confidence is that sweet spot between the two where you experience steady growth with the information you have, but aren’t so stuck in a routine. With the correct tools at your disposal and the foresight of what traditionally comes “next,” disruption can occur. This is smart growth.

See the full episode below to learn more from the team.

Defining moments of success

In this episode, the duo speak with Margaret Heffernan, Prof. of Practice at University of Bath, and Sophie Scott, Prof. of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, about creating moments of success through two different angles. 

Taking a cue from a “chicken cage” scenario, propping up goals that are so far ahead of your team doesn’t necessarily incentivize achievement. Instead, by bringing goals closer and defining milestones along the way, a team is able to celebrate those successes and feel encouraged to proceed. It all comes down to trust.

Diversity allows for more voices at the table, which can spurn conflict. But through that conflict, trust can start to be formed via respectful debate. This results in innovation as design thinking ultimately bubbles up in those conversations.

Alternatively, laughter can be a starting point for success as it brings a sense of shared confidence. That sense of belonging helps to build an engaging and safe space for your team, which establishes trust. Once trust is created amongst peers, courage is found and alignment can be achieved. 

Get all the details from the full episode below and learn more about how you can engage your own team with a free MURAL plan today.

The transformations of corporations

Martin and Marshall speak with Tom Peters, coauthor of ‘In Search of Excellence’ and leader of the ‘Management Guru Industry’, and Susan David, TED Speaker and author of ‘Emotional Agility’, in regards to the shifting changes a ‘classic corporation’ needs to make in our modern world. 

Covering everything from work stress to hiring practices, the group ultimately reached the following four steps in this episode’s MURAL Summary:

1. Show up. Being human within your organization is a must. Listen through discovery and feedback sessions, be interactive and engaging, and lead with empathy.
2. Step out. Recognize that the ‘old ways’ of doing business and learning are just that. Rid yourself of habits steeped in the past and learn to work together asynchronously. 
3. Walk your why. Identify your core values and adhere to them. Making adjustments along the way is to be expected, but help your teams navigate through them.
4. Move on. Set goals in addition to milestone check-ins. The complexity of navigating work can be improved by establishing clear expectations and cadences.
   

To hear the entire conversation — as well as surprise guest Alan Mulally’s ( Ford Motor Company, Boeing) thoughts — check out the episode in full below.

Disruption and opportunities

In this episode, Martin and Marshall cover the topic of disruption with both guests taking a different perspective. Max Hawkins, software consultant and nomadic artist, and Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice, joined the hosting duo to talk about transformation, focus, and options in our lives. 

It’s become very easy for days to blend together. Disruption is one way to introduce choice and perspective into our working sessions and day-to-day interactions. The MURAL Summary that Martin culminated the conversation with proposed that:

The disappearance of randomness and perspective combined with our general alignment to routine results in a loss of purpose. And without that sense of purpose, common sense begins to fade. 

Opening ourselves to creativity, visual thinking, and collaboration ensures that our purpose and feeling of worth continues to grow and evolve. Opportunity remains ever present. 

To dig into the profound details of randomness, disruption, and transformation, watch the full episode below.

Adopting company culture to change

Martin and Marshall tackle the idea of culture — and how the pandemic has shifted the perception of it.  Dave Ulrich, Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and Morten Hansen, Management Professor at University of California, Berkeley, joined in the conversation and shared their own unique perspectives of culture in a changing world.

Work used to be a place; it was an office building you went to, had meetings in, and eventually left to return home. That is by-and-large no longer the case, but boundaries still need to be set. And those boundaries are tied to culture. Consider a hybrid work model; it’s not new, but new at the scale it needs to be implemented. 

Culture is developed through social bonding — and it cannot be sustained on webcam conferences alone. Innovations in engagement need to occur, helping foster scale and continuous building of company culture. A model shared in this installment’s MURAL Summary explains:

Experts need to lead experts through coaching and example. There also needs to be an asynchronous approach to work, allowing leaders and team members the ability to learn the inner workings of other teams’ processes. 

By combining coaching and learning, organizations need to layer in value and purpose to develop truly cross-functional synergy across teams. 
As informal interactions become less frequent, leaders need to inspire their workforce about their purpose. To learn how you can start working more collaboratively today, explore MURAL today with our free forever plan. And to hear more, watch the full episode below.

Consideration in planning and communication

Martin and Marshall invited Thomas Ranese, Uber’s VP of Global Marketing and Social Impact, and Chris Brogan, strategist and brand advisor, to discuss the importance of planning and communication — in general and in case operations go awry. 

The key theme starts with listening to not only your audience, but your teams and coworkers internally, as well. Our day-to-day work depends more and more on the ability to be Agile, working in tandem with others asynchronously, and over-communicating.  

Martin and the group began developing steps for addressing organizational hiccups. Below are just a few that came out of the MURAL Summary.

• Social listening: Have your ears "on the ground" to truly hear and understand the perception of you, your team, and your brand.
• Situation review: It’s not about what you say, but rather what you don’t say. If there are gaps or questions no one in the greater group is addressing, it’s likely worth talking about them.
• Assigned task force: Work as cross-functionally as you can to streamline processes and come to thoughtful decisions quickly. 
• Go above & beyond: Set expectations and meet them. The mantra of "under promise, over deliver" may be cliche, but it can help reach milestones in your workshops internally and externally.
• Dial up internal updates: Look inward to your organization’s culture, always. Value transparency and exercise over communication so your team knows what is coming and what is happening. 

To hear more, watch the full episode below. 

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Visionary leadership in a hybrid world

In this episode, the pair invited Sasja Beslik, Head of Sustainable Finance Development at Bank J. Safra Sarasin Ltd., and Erica Dhawan, author and entrepreneur, to discuss how leadership has changed (and continues to do so) in our hybrid world. 

The way we work needs a refresh. The group covered four key skills to focus on based on Erica’s model of digital body language:

• Value visibly. Regardless of role, consider every employee’s and teammate’s inbox, time, and schedule. Offer asynchronous opportunities for people to contribute and learn. 
• Communicate carefully. The frequency in which we talk to one another has to be higher and more engaging. It’s critical to make what was once implicit, explicit.
• Collaborate confidently. The traditional way meetings have been conducted needs a redesign with a culture of engagement in mind. 
• Trust totally.Tying back to emotion, we need to assume good intent and offer more forums for open discussion.

To hear more, watch the full episode below. 

👉  You can explore the power of MURAL first-hand with our free-forever plan. Learn more here.

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