CSI Chat

We are joined by Kjetil Nyland, who along with Oddbjørn Dybvad and Adnan Hadžiefendić, wrote the terrific book "The Compounders: From Small Acquisitions to Giant Shareholder Returns". Their book analyzes a group of high-performing companies, led by capital allocators, who operate using decentralized structures in fragmented markets, and redefine acquisitive growth. During our "Chat" with Kjetil, we talk about: - What makes these "Compounders" so unique and why are so many of these companies based in Sweden? Is there something in the water in Sweden? - The stories in the book of the authors meeting with the CEOs of these is legendary... from the CEOs making coffee for their guests to the "low key" nature of the offices, the folks that lead these companies are remarkable individuals. - What are some of the key elements of a successful compounder? Decentralization, ability to deploy capital at high rates of return, managers acting as owners. We talk about several of these key elements. I hope everyone enjoys the "CSI Chat" with Kjetil!

We are joined by Kyle Buckett, a retired US Navy SEAL and a leadership expert. Kyle spent over 20 years in the US Navy and led the advanced training for both junior and seasoned Navy SEALs. Kyle is the Cofounder of "Culture Force" and is the co-author of the incredible book, "Leadership is Overrated: How the Navy SEALs Create Self-Leading Teams that win"? During our "CSI Chat" with Kyle, we talk about: Kyle talks about the process of going through "Hell Week", one of the most difficult elements of the famous US Navy SEAL’s training program, during the "Winter Season". Surviving "Hell Week" with water temperatures approaching "freezing" requires a level of "mental strength" which is off the charts. Chapter 1 in Kyle's book is entitled "Kill the leader...". Kyle explains how every organization needs to be able to survive without the leader and how to build a team that can sustain this drastic change. Kyle outlines how to build a culture within an organization that can produce at a high level. Kyle outlines the importance of "decentralization", how leaders conduct themselves and the need for "rituals". I hope everyone enjoys our Chat with Kyle!

We are joined by Peter Cappelli who is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources. We talk to Peter about his latest book which he co-authored, entitled "In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work". During our "CSI Chat", we talk to Peter about: - The evolution of "Work from Home" and current state of the work force in 2026. What do most employers expect in 2026 as it relates to working from home vs. from the office? - What does the data support surrounding the effectiveness of working from home? Is it is more productive to work in the office or work from home? Peter would argue that it depends on the nature of your job. - What is the right way to transition a team from working from home to working from the office? I hope everyone enjoys the "Chat" with Peter!

We are joined on CSI Chat by Jeffrey Pfeffer who is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University where he has taught since 1979 and has authored or co-authored over 16 books on various business topics, including Power, leadership and career development. We talk to Jeffrey about his latest book, "7 Rules of Power: Surprising – But True – Advice on how to get things done and advance your career". We touch on a number of topics with Jeffrey, including: - What is the definition of "Power" and why is it important to have "Power"? Is there a positive correlation between happiness and power? - What are the "7 Rules of Power"? Why do several of these rules run counterintuitive to our upbringing? - Is there one of the 7 Rules which is most important? Do you need to apply all 7 rules in order to obtain "Power"? I hope everyone enjoys our "Chat" with Jeffrey Pfeffer.

We are joined by "Mr. Excel" himself, Bill Jelen. There are very few on the planet who know more about Microsoft Excel then Bill Jelen. Bill started the "Mr. Excel" website in 1998 and since then, has authored over 70 books and runs seminars all over the world on the use of Excel. He also has several other "special talents", including winning the Grand Prize in a local "Stupid Human Tricks" competition by stopping an electric fan with his tongue! We talk to Bill about: - How did he get started in becoming an "Excel Expert"? - What are some of the best tips for beginners and advanced users on Excel? What is Bill's favorite function in Excel? - What are the MS Excel World Championships and is it true that Bill was once a commentator? Bill is a fascinating guy and I hope everyone enjoys the conversation!

We are joined by business Professors Feng Gu and Baruch Lev to discuss their latest book, "The M&A Failure Trap: Why Most Mergers and Acquisitions Fail and How the Few Succeed". We talk to Professor Gu and Professor Lev about: The process of analyzing historical acquisitions and how they reached the conclusion that most M&A ends in failure. Over time, has the M&A failure rate improved or gotten worse? The statistics are surprising. What are some of the main reasons why M&A ends in failure? The Professors have also put together a "M&A Checklist" which should help companies in their M&A process. It is a very interesting discussion with Professor Gu and Professor Lev and I hope everyone enjoys it!

We are joined by Dan McCrum, an investigative reporter from the Financial Times who wrote extensively about Wirecard and was the author of the terrific book, "Money Men: A Hot Start-up, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth" which chronicles the story of Wirecard, the large German payment processing company which collapsed. During our "CSI Chat" with Dan, we discuss: - The role of an investigative reporter and the extensive research which goes into articles produced by the Financial Times. There is an incredible amount of work involved prior to hitting "Print". How does Dan sleep the night before a big story? Dan explains during the chat. - Dan outlines how he first crossed path with Wirecard and the early signs he uncovered which indicated there might be a problem. Dan also outlines his interactions with some of the executives at Wirecard. - Dan explains the risk he encountered to both his safety and his professional reputation while pursuing this story. From Russian poison recipes to plots to plant drugs in the back of Dan's car, this is an example whereby the truth is stranger than fiction! I hope everyone enjoys our "CSI Chat" with Dan!

We are joined on CSI Chat by Crypto Currency expert Jake Ryan to talk about Crypto and his book “Crypto Asset Investing in the Age of Autonomy”. If you were looking for a “Crypto 101 Seminar”, you will find the “Chat” very interesting. During our "CSI Chat" with Jake, we talk about: The current state of the “United States Dollar” and how Crypto Currency may play a significant role in the future. The history of Crypto Currency/Bitcoin and how it was developed by a yet to be identified founder, “Satoshi Nakamoto”. Crypto 101 basics including the the role of a blockchain and a more fundamental question on how to value the various Crypto Currencies which currently exist on the market place. I hope everyone enjoys our "CSI Chat" with Jake!

We are joined by Harvard Kennedy School business professors Dan Levy and Richard Zeckhauser to talk about decision making and their latest book, "Maxims for Thinking Analytically". End of the day, if you can think more analytically, it will enable you to understand the world around you and make better decisions. During our Chat with Dan and Richard, we discuss the interesting topic of "Decision Making" and touch on: How does it help to leverage both extreme cases and simple cases when it comes to decision-making? How do we need to avoid taking refuge in complexity? How should some of these core decision making skills be utilized to make important decisions such as those surrounding tariffs? How can we use these skills to order dinner at a restaurant? We look at both ends of the spectrum. For the football fans out there, we ask Dan and Richard the critical question which arose from Super Bowl 49 when the Seattle Seahawks famously through a late interception which costed them the game to the New England Patriots... Should Pete Carroll have handed off the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch? Alternatively, was the decision to pass perhaps a good decision that resulted in a bad outcome? I hope everyone enjoys the "CSI Chat" with Dan and Richard.

Robert Mazur served for 27 years as a special agent for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, the Customs Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency working predominantly as a undercover agent working as a money launderer. Robert wrote two terrific books, "The Infiltrator" and "The Betrayal", the first of which was turned into a movie which starred Brian Cranston as none other than Robert Mazur! Robert joins CSI Chat and we touch on a number of topics including: - How did someone go from working at the Internal Revenue Agency (IRS) to working undercover going up against the most dangerous drug cartels in the world? - What is the mental skill set one needs in order to prepare themselves to go undercover? How do you prepare your family for this dangerous experience? - What is the "day in the life" of an undercover agent? How do you deal with the stress and the fear of potentially being caught? Robert is an American hero and an incredible person who has been fighting against the illegal drug trade in the United States his entire life. We are very lucky to have him join "CSI Chat".

We are joined by the "Q" (James Bond fans will know "Q") of the CIA, Dawn Meyerriecks. After learning a bit more about Dawn, perhaps it is more accurate to state that "Q" is the Dawn Meyerriecks of the British Secret Service. In any event, Dawn was the Deputy Director of the CIA for Science and Technology. Dawn recently led a "Masterclass" on "The Art of Intelligence" which I would highly encourage everyone to check out. We talk to Dawn about:- There are a few questions that we have always wanted to ask someone from the CIA (including whether it is true or false that there are CIA agents who speak over 30 different languages fluently). Dawn does her best to answer these questions! - What is a "day in the life" of the "Deputy Director of the CIA"? How did she spend a typical day? - How does Dawn compare life in the public sector vs. the private sector (as she has worked in senior positions in both). - We ask Dawn about the current state of technology in society and whether we should be concerned about the increased investments being made in Artificial Intelligence. I hope everyone enjoys the "CSI Chat" with Dawn!

Michele Rigby Assad, who is a "super spy" and a renown author, joins us to talk about her latest book, "Get off the X: CIA's Secrets for Conquering Obstacles and Achieving your Life's Mission". Michele spent 10 years working in the Central Intelligence Agency ("CIA") and is now an international corporate advisor, author and keynote speaker. Michele talks to us about: How do you go through the process of joining the CIA? How do you apply and how does the interview process work? What types of folks are the CIA looking for? What is it like living in a war-torn country while working for the CIA? What is a typical "day in the life" of a super spy? What does Michele imply when she says to "Get off the X"? How do we apply the training she received in the CIA to real world examples? After listening to Michele (and reading her book!), you will have a tool kit to "Get off the X" and achieve your life's mission.

We are joined by Bethany McLean on CSI Chat to talk about the learnings from Enron, the 2008 financial crisis and her most recent book, "The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed about Who America Protects and Who it Leaves Behind". Bethany is a well-known journalist who published in 2001 the now famous article in Fortune, "Is Enron Overpriced". Bethany is the author of several books, cohost of the podcast "Capitalisn't" and a special correspondent at Insider and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. During our "Chat" with Bethany, we talk about a number of topics including: We go back in a time machine to March 2001 when she first wrote "Is Enron Overpriced"? What was Bethany thinking at the time? What conversations did she have with the Enron executive team? After 20+ years since her article and the Enron collapse, have we learned anything? Is history due to repeat itself? Why did she decide to write a book on the financial crisis of 2008 entitled "All the Devils are Here"? Was the 2008 financial crisis preventable? Her most recent book, "The Big Fail", goes through the learnings of the COVID 19 pandemic. What did we do well during the pandemic? What were the areas that we could have done better? Are we prepared for the next global pandemic. It is a fascinating conversation with Bethany and I hope everyone enjoys it.