James Root of Bain & Company unpacks "The Archetype Effect"—six distinct motivations that show up across roles, industries, and countries—and why a one-path ladder misses most of the value. We explore how to design work around what people actually care about, not what old systems assume.
We get practical: keep the ladder for Strivers while building credible paths for Artisans, Explorers, Givers, and Pioneers. We also push back on generational clichés and discuss how country context and career era shape what matters.
Finally, we look at older-worker design, the rise of interesting work and autonomy, and the importance of intentional knowledge capture so wisdom keeps moving. James points to Bain’s quick worker-archetype quiz as a low-stakes way for teams to compare notes and improve collaboration.
More information about James Root: https://www.bain.com/insights/books/the-archetype-effect/
More information about Dan Pontefract: https://www.danpontefract.com/
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James Root of Bain & Company unpacks "The Archetype Effect"—six distinct motivations that show up across roles, industries, and countries—and why a one-path ladder misses most of the value. We explore how to design work around what people actually care about, not what old systems assume.
We get practical: keep the ladder for Strivers while building credible paths for Artisans, Explorers, Givers, and Pioneers. We also push back on generational clichés and discuss how country context and career era shape what matters.
Finally, we look at older-worker design, the rise of interesting work and autonomy, and the importance of intentional knowledge capture so wisdom keeps moving. James points to Bain’s quick worker-archetype quiz as a low-stakes way for teams to compare notes and improve collaboration.
More information about James Root: https://www.bain.com/insights/books/the-archetype-effect/
More information about Dan Pontefract: https://www.danpontefract.com/
75-Year-Old Founder Rose Fass Wants Leaders to Stop Ignoring the Messy Middle
Leadership NOW with Dan Pontefract
37 minutes 47 seconds
7 months ago
75-Year-Old Founder Rose Fass Wants Leaders to Stop Ignoring the Messy Middle
Rose Fass, founder of Fass Forward Consulting Group and former CTO at Xerox, joins Dan Pontefract on Leadership NOW to discuss why organizations repeatedly overlook the crucial layer of middle management.
Rose reveals the critical role of the "messy middle" in translating strategy into execution and why senior leaders must meaningfully engage rather than ignore these vital managers. She explains how genuine, unscripted conversations—not PowerPoint decks—lead to successful transformation, and underscores why wisdom and innovation have no age limit.
It's a powerful conversation that challenges the status quo about middle managers and the real nature of leadership.
More about Rose Fass at: https://www.fassforward.com/
More about Dan Pontefract at: https://www.danpontefract.com/
Leadership NOW with Dan Pontefract
James Root of Bain & Company unpacks "The Archetype Effect"—six distinct motivations that show up across roles, industries, and countries—and why a one-path ladder misses most of the value. We explore how to design work around what people actually care about, not what old systems assume.
We get practical: keep the ladder for Strivers while building credible paths for Artisans, Explorers, Givers, and Pioneers. We also push back on generational clichés and discuss how country context and career era shape what matters.
Finally, we look at older-worker design, the rise of interesting work and autonomy, and the importance of intentional knowledge capture so wisdom keeps moving. James points to Bain’s quick worker-archetype quiz as a low-stakes way for teams to compare notes and improve collaboration.
More information about James Root: https://www.bain.com/insights/books/the-archetype-effect/
More information about Dan Pontefract: https://www.danpontefract.com/
