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469. Good Leaders Get Their Hands Dirty, with Guest Mentors Nelson Repenning and Don Keiffer episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 21, 2026 · 43 MIN

469. Good Leaders Get Their Hands Dirty, with Guest Mentors Nelson Repenning and Don Keiffer

from The Mentors Radio Show · host thementorsradio

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with MIT Professors Nelson Repenning and Don Keiffer to discuss their new book, There Has Got to Be a Better Way- How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work, describing Dynamic Work Design. Work design is the primary reason work often fails to get done well, and why leaders need to thoroughly know the business and get involved with the front line to be effective and respected. Nelson is the Faculty Director of the MIT Leadership Center and the Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Nelson received the International System Dynamics Society’s Jay Wright Forrester Award, which recognizes the best work in the field in the previous five years and he received the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching. He was recently recognized by Poets and Quants as one of the country's top instructors in executive education. Don's 40-year career in operations spans from front-line work to executive roles, including 15 years at Harley-Davidson where he was VP of Operational Excellence. He is currently advising executive teams around the globe in operational strategy and improvement. He is a Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and AVT Business School in Copenhagen. Don and Nelson are partners in ShiftGear Work Design. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode! SHOW NOTES: NELSON REPENNING and DON KEIFFER: BIOS: Nelson Repenning: BIO: Nelson P. Repenning Don Keiffer: BIO: Don Keiffer BOOK: There Has Got to Be a Better Way- How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work, by Nelson Repenning and Don Keiffer OTHER: ShiftGear Work Design

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469. Good Leaders Get Their Hands Dirty, with Guest Mentors Nelson Repenning and Don Keiffer

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