Episode 6: Building A Better Business with Dissent, Mistakes and Unpleasant Speech

Discover the power of dissent and challenging assumptions with Jonathan Berk, the A.P. Giannini Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Learn why mistakes and daring ideas fuel better organizations, from growth to innovation. Embrace a team culture that dares to speak up, speak out, and innovate against the grain. 

Hosted by Stuart Paap

Does challenging the norm, making mistakes, and embracing uncomfortable conversations truly ignite business growth? Join us in this thought-provoking episode as we delve deep into the insights of Jonathan Berk, the A.P. Giannini Professor of Finance at Stanford GSB. Discover the transformative potential of dissent and challenging assumptions as the driving force behind thriving organizations.

Uncover why the most groundbreaking ideas often emerge from those who go against the grain. Learn the critical importance of safeguarding and valuing unpleasant speech at every level, recognizing its unique potential to unlock growth and progress. It’s time to shift away from ostracizing those who speak out and instead move towards embracing their valuable contributions.

Jonathan B. Berk is the A.P. Giannini Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

His research covers a broad range of topics in finance, including delegated money management, the pricing of financial assets, valuing a firm’s growth potential, the capital structure. 

Jonathan is the author of the books Fundamentals in Corporate Finance and Corporate Finance. Jonathan has received numerous awards and was recently awarded the fifth Stephen A. Ross Prize for the Advancement of Research in Financial Economics. In his personal life, he enjoys skiing with his family. You can connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn or Facebook. 

The Influence Lab

You’re moving fast, working hard, and facing trade-offs with your time and energy. How can you be the most effective leader? How can you share your message with purpose and power? What can you do to boost your influence at work? In each episode, we sit down with experts to talk about leadership, teamwork, communication, and how to affect the behaviors and beliefs of those around us deeply.

Stand up to stand out. 

Stuart Paap is laser-focused on helping more people unlock brilliant and bold ideas. He works with pioneering biotechs, technology companies, and healthcare companies and regularly presents at universities and tech incubators like the Harvard Innovation Lab. He’s also a former stand-up comedian and is a yellow belt in Judo, which strikes fear into no one.

Podcast Timeline (timecodes coming soon)

• Binary Data vs. Flawed Humans
• Lessons from Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
• Why it can be impossible to Agree to Disagree
• Human Emotions and the Sunk Costs Fallacy
• Making Space for Dissenting Opinions
• Promoting a Team Culture of Challenging Each Other
• How to Get Buy-In for Future Value
• Why Dissent Can’t Lead to Social Ostracism

Learn more about the show at influencedna.co/podcast

Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn.