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Topic: Crisis management

Gaza in crisis

Mercy Corps’ Arnaud Quemin

ARNAUD QUEMIN: Safe is a very questionable notion these days in Gaza.

The first week, our team was receiving horrible messages of people who …

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Confronting Elon Musk

Anti-Defamation League’s Jonathan Greenblatt

JONATHAN GREENBLATT: We’ve been working with Twitter for years. And I started a dialogue with Elon Musk before he closed the acquisition — texting, …

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Podcast: Must Listen

Prioritize principles in crisis

Upwork’s Hayden Brown & General Catalyst’s Ken Frazier

Navigate today’s uncertain climate with a steadfast resolve. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, former Merck CEO Ken Frazier and Upwork CEO Hayden Brown talk with host Bob Safian about how leaders should trust their values when faced with social, political, and economic challenges. Brown shares how leading through the chaos of the pandemic brought new opportunities to increase diversity and productivity. Frazier details Merck’s reactionary strategy to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and offers clear advice to socially conscious leaders.

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Podcast: Must Listen

How great leaders respond in a crisis

Airbnb’s Brian Chesky

After guiding the company through a near-death experience, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky talks with Rapid Response host Bob Safian about what he learned and how responding to a crisis both reveals your character and teaches you what’s most important. Recorded live on stage at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco.

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Lessons from the demise of BuzzFeed News

BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti

If the most prestigious aspect of your business isn’t paying dividends, should you leave it in the past? BuzzFeed’s co-founder and CEO, Jonah Peretti discusses the surprising decision to shutter the Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed News, and how the company seeks to re-anchor toward the bright future of media. In his third appearance on Rapid Response, Peretti shares lessons about redefining the tool of social media, leading a private versus public business, and how to tune-out the external noise.

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Compassion in the face of crisis

Mercy Corps’ Tjada D’Oyen McKenna

How do you stay focused and committed to putting out a fire while new fires ignite elsewhere? Mercy Corps CEO, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna returns to Rapid Response to discuss the expansive relief effort in Turkey and Syria since the earthquake, leading a grieving team, and how the org’s support strategy in Ukraine must pivot as the country enters its second year of war. Tjada also shares insights about the greater role businesses can play in societal improvement, and why altruism doesn’t mean sacrificing scale.

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Finding windows of opportunity

Delta’s Ed Bastian

With deserted airports, vaccine and mask mandates, and pandemic-prompted staff departures behind it, Delta Air Lines is once again soaring, recently sharing $563 million in profits with its employees. CEO Ed Bastian, in his third appearance on Rapid Response, talks about capitalizing on the big decisions made amid Covid darkness — from airport renovations to investing in free Wifi — and the opportunities and challenges of adding 25,000 new employees over the past year. Sharing insights on managing tumultuous shifts, as well as his evolving perspective on topics from wellness to business travel, Ed reveals the secrets to first class leadership, including the importance of a good night’s sleep.

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Podcast: Episode 125: Must Listen

The essential playbooks — and when to use them

Cisco’s John Chambers

All great teams need to improvise under pressure, but underpinning this should be a set of tried-and-tested playbooks that let you orchestrate and replicate winning strategies. Cisco’s John Chambers created a library of living playbooks — covering culture, acquisitions, crises, and more — to astounding effect as he took Cisco from a small tech supplier to the most valuable company on the planet.

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