In this episode, Aviv identifies three leadership imperatives and explains them in the context of an economic cycle. These leadership imperatives include strategic innovation, operational excellence, and people development. Aviv shares his observation that strategic innovation is the natural focus when big opportunities and new technologies are introduced at the beginning of an economic cycle. Conversely, in the late phases of the cycle, the focus shifts to efficient execution and operational excellence. Finally, developing people and empowering them to take great ideas and execute them is also a vital throughout the economic cycle. In summary, Aviv provides listeners with a few competencies within each of the three leadership imperatives with the hopes that evaluating proficiency in each one will lead to personal and professional development and catalyzed growth.

What problem are you trying to solve? In this episode, we hear a segment harvested from the audible of Aviv's book, Create New Futures. Aviv uses an anecdotal example of a project manager, Tim, who is worried that his team is not motivated to embrace the company's expanded mission. Aviv explores with Tim the possibility that he is misdiagnosing his team's response and, if that is the case, he will have a difficult time implementing an effective intervention. Aviv frames the risks of developing a displaced analysis and the dangers that lie within this conundrum. He observes that intellectual laziness and lack of curiosity are more often the root causes of displaced analysis. Finally, Aviv discusses diagnostic thinking and poses four questions to Tim in order to help him define and implement a solution to his problem.