Fixable

TED

Beloved Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and her wife, CEO and bestselling author Anne Morriss, pull back the curtain on leadership advice that's typically reserved for executives.

  • 24 minutes 28 seconds
    Unsolicited Advice: How to handle layoffs with care

    When an organization lays people off , those who remain are often left scrambling to find their footing – and hold other people up – in an environment that no longer feels stable. In the wake of ongoing tech layoffs and the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the public sector, Anne and Frances are back with a new Unsolicited Advice segment to set the record straight about what layoffs mean for an organization — and the responsibility leaders have to own what went wrong.


    For Fixable transcripts, please visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts.


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

    3 March 2025, 5:00 am
  • 18 minutes 39 seconds
    Quick Fixes: How to level up, job craft, and manage colleagues you can’t stand

    In this Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances work to solve three different callers’ tricky work problems in under 20 minutes. One listener searches for the best way to level up his small business, the next plans to approach their manager about a dramatic role change, and a final caller is interviewing for a new leadership position that would require him to manage problematic colleagues.


    What problems are you dealing with at work? Text or call 234-FIXABLE or email [email protected] to be featured on the show.


    You can find transcripts for Fixable at ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts


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

    24 February 2025, 5:00 am
  • 27 minutes 2 seconds
    What leaders are getting wrong about return-to-office (from Rapid Response)

    Today, we’re bringing you a special episode from Rapid Response featuring Frances in conversation with Bob Safian the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company.


    Frances and Bob dive into one of the biggest workplace debates today: the real impact of return-to-office mandates. Together, they challenge conventional wisdom about in-person work, reveal the unspoken motivations behind pro-RTO leadership decisions, and share practical strategies for running more efficient meetings — whether remote or in-office. Plus, Frances unpacks how AI is reshaping corporate life in ways that might surprise you.


    Rapid Response features candid conversations with top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. The pace of change in business is faster than ever — and leaders need to adapt just as quickly. So tune in to Rapid Response for sharp insights and actionable strategies for innovators, creators, and decision-makers.


    Subscribe to Rapid Response on YouTube: youtube.com/@RapidResponseShow


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

    20 February 2025, 5:00 am
  • 35 minutes 29 seconds
    Power, purpose, and the American presidency with Jared Cohen (from ReThinking with Adam Grant)

    What do the most powerful people in the world do after they've achieved success? Jared Cohen is a history buff and a presidential historian. His latest book, “Life After Power,” is a fascinating exploration about what seven American presidents did after leaving the most influential job in the world. In this episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, Adam and Jared discuss the psychology of the founding fathers, debate the pros and cons of pursuing a legacy, and share what these historic figures can teach us all about pursuing and finding purpose.


    Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts


    For more, follow ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you get your podcasts.


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

    17 February 2025, 5:00 am
  • 34 minutes 16 seconds
    How to handle your office crush — and keep it professional (w/ Master Fixer Tia Silas)

    What should you do when Cupid's arrow strikes at work? Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Anne and Frances are digging into the complicated dynamics of office relationships with the help of Tia Silas, HR expert and the new Chief People Officer at MrBeast, after having served in people leadership roles at some of the most influential companies in the world. Together, they discuss best practices for disclosing a new workplace relationship, how to approach your office crush respectfully, and the challenges that romance can create in organizations.


    What problems are you dealing with at work? Text or call 234-FIXABLE or email [email protected] to be featured on the show.


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


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

    10 February 2025, 5:00 am
  • 41 minutes 5 seconds
    How to get your confidence back

    When negative feedback shakes your confidence, it can be difficult to get back to feeling like yourself at work. In this episode, Anne and Frances help a struggling listener who has spent years toning herself down in the workplace after being told that she was too assertive — now, she feels that her modest approach is holding her back. Together, they use Anne and Frances’s “trust triangle” framework to explore how empathy, authenticity, and logic can help you rebuild confidence and trust with your colleagues, and share helpful confidence hacks for getting comfy with discomfort.


    What problems are you dealing with at work? Text or call 234-FIXABLE or email [email protected] to be featured on the show.


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

    3 February 2025, 5:00 am
  • 25 minutes 8 seconds
    Why you should get good at being bad

    Sometimes the only way to win is by finding the courage to lose. This week, Anne and Frances want you to “dare to be bad” in order to free up capacity to excel at more important things. They share insight on the power of strategic “no”s, the value of ruthless prioritization, and how Steve Jobs and Apple delivered breakthrough innovation by strategically underperforming. Frances explains why you can’t always trust your own instincts, and Anne reflects on the lessons she learned in her early days of parenting. 


    What problems are you dealing with at work? Text or call 234-FIXABLE or email [email protected] to be featured on the show.


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

    27 January 2025, 5:00 am
  • 35 minutes 27 seconds
    How to outsmart bias at work (Re-Release)

    Have you ever felt like something about your identity was getting in the way of your success? This week, a listener needs help pushing through the resistance she’s facing as a woman navigating a male-dominated workplace. Anne and Frances discuss what you can do when someone else’s bias is standing in your way. Together, the three uncover how you can find your agency in unexpected places – and why you must use it unapologetically. This episode originally aired January 29, 2024.


    Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fixablescripts.


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

    20 January 2025, 5:00 am
  • 27 minutes 15 seconds
    How to deal with a communication breakdown (Re-Release)
    Kelli is a nurse at a leading teaching hospital where communication issues are not only leading to resentment – they could also be affecting patient care. After hearing from Kelli about the larger problems at play in the healthcare space, Anne and Frances discuss the link between communication and transparency and guide Kelli into taking matters into her own hands. This episode originally aired on April 3, 2023.

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

    13 January 2025, 5:00 am
  • 39 minutes 44 seconds
    The Anxious Achiever: Say goodbye to negative self-talk and hello to your superpowers

    This is an episode of a podcast we think you'll love, The Anxious Achiever. Sanyin Siang is an advisor, coach, and adjunct professor at Duke University where she leads the Fuqua/Coach K Leadership and Ethics Center or COLE. She’s also someone who believes in being your own best friend, and that starts with the self-talk we have going on in our heads all day long. In this episode, she walks The Anxious Achiever host Morra Aarons-Mele through her superpowers framework, her own quest to find her strengths, and how high-achievers can zero in on our gifts instead of what we need to improve.


    You can find more The Anxious Achiever wherever you're listening to this.


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

    30 December 2024, 5:00 am
  • 28 minutes 54 seconds
    How to turn your passion project into your career (Re-Release)
    David and his brother have co-founded a non-profit helping Black youth in Miami… but David still has a full-time job. Wanting to turn his passion project into paid, full-time work, David asks Anne and Frances how he can grow his organization without losing his energy. After, Anne and Frances share strategies for fundraising and approaching non-profit work like an entrepreneur. This episode was originally released on April 17, 2023.

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

    23 December 2024, 5:00 am
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