Fixable

In the modern workplace, hierarchy and power differences are often viewed as problems to solve. But Deborah Gruenfeld has a different perspective: hierarchy is not only essential to organizations, but we actually crave it in our relationships and communities. Deborah is a professor at Stanford University and a social and organizational psychologist who studies power and powerlessness. In this episode, she joins Anne and Frances to demystify how power actually works at work, why people underestimate their own power, and how to use the power you already have more skillfully. She also offers practical tips for playing your own power up or down, and shares what she has learned studying power dynamics in marriages and long-term relationships. Anne and Frances put their own marriage to the test, exploring whether their partnership truly is—or even should be—equal.Featured guestFollow Deborah Gruenfeld on LinkedInBuy Deborah's book, Acting with PowerConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

No matter where you fall on the corporate food chain, you have power at work—you just might not know how to use it. In this new series on Unlocking Your Power at Work, Anne and Frances dig into how to discover, build, and use your power, explore common power dynamics in the workplace, and learn from people who use their full power with honesty and swagger. Kara Swisher is one of the most influential voices in media and has built a career holding the powerful accountable. In this episode, she reflects with Anne and Frances on her own path to power and what she’s learned from watching some people become  corrupted by power while others learn to wield it for good. She also argues that people don’t leave jobs early or often enough, and makes the case for pursuing more than just the opportunities that are offered to you.Featured guestFollow Kara Swisher on Instagram, LinkedIn, and ThreadsListen and watch On with Kara SwisherConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

Cold Call is hosted by Harvard Business School Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Brian Kenny. From the history of Hershey to today's biggest AI case studies, Cold Call breaks down the decisions, tradeoffs, and leadership lessons behind some of the most fascinating organizations.In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Fixable co-host and HBS professor Frances Frei, and the former co-founder of Kayak and current co-founder and CEO of Boston Venture Studio Paul English. Their conversation explores how English brings new innovations to market. Together they break down the difference between a good idea and a bad one, explain why it’s so important to take a systematic approach to developing new ideas, and explore how English’s creative process dovetails with Frei’s “move fast and fix things” strategy.To listen to more episodes, follow Cold Call on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. 

A great coach can be a powerful ally when it comes to solving problems at work and in life—and the good news is, anyone can learn to become one. In this Toolkit segment, Anne is the one in the hot seat as Frances interviews her about her work as a coach and the key components of a high-value coaching session. They dig into the importance of reflection, embracing discomfort, and recognizing behavioral patterns, and answer a few questions from listeners about how to coach their teammates more effectively. Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

The act of reflection at work has many names—debrief, post-mortem, after-action review—but no matter what you call it, it’s a wildly powerful tool for making teams better. But are you getting the most out of it? Robert Teschner (whose call sign in the Air Force was “Cujo”) is a former fighter pilot and commander who flew some of the world's most advanced fighter jets before becoming an instructor at the Weapons School. In the Air Force, figuring out what went right and wrong can be a matter of life and death. Today, Cujo teaches business leaders how to bring the awareness, accountability, and rigor of military debriefs to their own teams. Anne and Frances sit down with Cujo to discuss how to conduct a successful debrief, where debriefs can go wrong, and how to get to the root cause of a problem. They also explore the importance of vulnerability and non-judgement when it comes to creating a psychologically safe space for reflection and learning.Featured guestFollow Robert Cujo Teschner on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://cujoteschner.com/Buy Debrief to WinConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

During the pandemic, Anthony Klotz predicted the “Great Resignation”: a mass exodus of unhappy workers leaving their jobs after COVID epiphanies. Now, he’s seeing a different pattern begin to emerge as people opt to hunker down in their current jobs until they can find a better option. Anthony is an organizational psychologist and professor at the London School of Management. His recent book, Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters, explores how we make decisions in our jobs and careers. In this episode, he joins Anne and Frances to weigh in on the patterns developing right now in the world of quitting, offer practical advice for how to make measured decisions in a fickle job market, and explain the phenomenon he calls “jolts,” when a person experiences something that causes them to suddenly reevaluate their position. Together, they also work through a listener’s dilemma as she navigates a relationship with collaborators who mistrust each other, and offer tips for leaders who suspect a member of their team may be considering quitting.Featured guestFollow Anthony Klotz on LinkedIn and at anthonyklotz.com/Buy Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why it MattersConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

Why is it so fun to watch your team win in the World Cup or to be a Knicks fan as they finally get an NBA championship? There’s a collective joy in sports that can also be found in art, theater, and comedy. In this episode of How to Be a Better Human with Maxwell Pearce, Chris talks to him about his accomplishments as a mixed media artist and a Harlem Globetrotter. Maxwell integrates playfulness into his art and in sports—whether it’s using shoelaces as texture in his artwork or training his body to perform a basketball trick shot. Maxwell shares how play is the secret ingredient in his career and how changing the way he thinks about the rules and mistakes allows him to have more fun and more successes. 

As an editor at Fortune, Nick Lichtenberg made a big stir in the world of journalism and beyond when he revealed that he used AI to help publish over 600 articles this year.His expansive use of this new tech to research, edit, and draft many of his stories has sparked fierce debate  both inside and outside the media industry. In this episode, Nick joins Anne and Frances to break down his approach to AI, and make the case for why AI can’t replace your job, but it can make you better at it. He also shares his theory that AI tools benefit just as much from positive reinforcement as people do, and offers practical advice for how to make the most of them without sacrificing human judgment.Featured guestFollow Nick Lichtenberg on LinkedIn and at fortune.com/author/nick-lichtenberg/Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

When change is constant, strong leadership keeps teams grounded and ready for what’s next. Dara Treseder, chief marketing and commercial officer at the tech company Autodesk, has helped lead her organization through this fast-moving moment with clarity and optimism. In this episode, Anne and Frances talk with Dara about her approach to AI and the future of work, and how she helps her team embrace uncertainty with confidence. Dara also shares advice on cultivating advocates early in your career and reflects on a lesson from her mother about the power of persistence.Featured guestFollow Dara Treseder on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://daratreseder.com/Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPodsVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok