Incorruptible Leadership Lessons from Eric Ries: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great

About this episode

Craig Dowden interviews Eric Ries about leadership and the importance of maintaining organizational values in the face of short-term pressures.

This week on the Do Good to Lead Well podcast, I sit down with bestselling author Eric Ries for a timely and thought-provoking conversation about leadership, mission, and the growing crisis of short-term thinking in business. Eric first transformed the entrepreneurial world with The Lean Startup. In his latest book, Incorruptible, he tackles a new challenge: why so many organizations lose sight of their purpose, compromise their values, and drift away from the very mission that made them successful in the first place. Together, we explore why many traditional business “best practices” are no longer serving leaders, employees, or society — and what it takes to build organizations that can withstand the pressures of short-term performance, protect trust, and stay anchored in their values over time. Through powerful stories, real-world examples, and surprising data, listeners learn how organizations can defend their mission, outlast competitors, and resist the economic “gravity” that pulls so many companies into compromise. From redefining profit as human flourishing to making trust and love into competitive advantages, the episode offers a blueprint for building companies that not…

People in this episode

Host: Craig Dowden

Guest: Eric Ries

Topics covered

• leadership
• business ethics
• organizational values
• short-term thinking
• company culture
• mission-driven organizations

Keywords

• leadership
• business
• values
• mission
• short-term thinking
• trust
• integrity
• entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Lean Startup, Incorruptible

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