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		<title>The Growth Zone</title>
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		<description>Growth Zone explores dauntless leadership and dramatic business growth. Each episode delivers strategies and tactics you can use to drive growth in your business in Japan, and beyond. Hosted by Steven Bleistein, the leading authority on business growth and leadership in Japan.</description>
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		<language>en-US</language>
		<copyright>&#xA9; 2026 Steven Bleistein</copyright>
		<itunes:subtitle></itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:author>Steven Bleistein</itunes:author>
		<itunes:summary>Growth Zone explores dauntless leadership and dramatic business growth. Each episode delivers strategies and tactics you can use to drive growth in your business in Japan, and beyond. Hosted by Steven Bleistein, the leading authority on business growth and leadership in Japan.</itunes:summary>
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			<itunes:name>Steven Bleistein</itunes:name>
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				<title>The Growth Zone</title>
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		<googleplay:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></googleplay:author>
						<googleplay:description>Growth Zone explores dauntless leadership and dramatic business growth. Each episode delivers strategies and tactics you can use to drive growth in your business in Japan, and beyond. Hosted by Steven Bleistein, the leading authority on business growth and leadership in Japan.</googleplay:description>
			<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
			<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></googleplay:image>
			<podcast:locked>yes</podcast:locked>
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<item>
	<title>Uncertainty as Your Strategic Weapon</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/uncertainty-as-your-strategic-weapon/</link>
	<pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 20:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
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	<description><![CDATA[Japanese automobile manufacturer Suzuki just announced they are targeting Africa as their next major growth market. They&#8217;re calling it &#8220;the next India.&#8221; They entered India in 1983. At the time, the consensus said India was too poor, too complex, too far from the kind of premium market that serious companies were supposed to chase. The [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Japanese automobile manufacturer Suzuki just announced they are targeting Africa as their next major growth market. They&#8217;re calling it &#8220;the next India.&#8221; They entered India in 1983. At the time, the consensus said India was too poor, too]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Japanese automobile manufacturer Suzuki just announced they are targeting Africa as their next major growth market. They&#8217;re calling it &#8220;the next India.&#8221; They entered India in 1983. At the time, the consensus said India was too poor, too complex, too far from the kind of premium market that serious companies were supposed to chase. The [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
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	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Japanese automobile manufacturer Suzuki just announced they are targeting Africa as their next major growth market. They&#8217;re calling it &#8220;the next India.&#8221; They entered India in 1983. At the time, the consensus said India was too poor, too complex, too far from the kind of premium market that serious companies were supposed to chase. The [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
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		<ssp:title>Uncertainty as Your Strategic Weapon</ssp:title>
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	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:06:18</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Japanese automobile manufacturer Suzuki just announced they are targeting Africa as their next major growth market. They&#8217;re calling it &#8220;the next India.&#8221; They entered India in 1983. At the time, the consensus said India was too poor, too complex, too far from the kind of premium market that serious companies were supposed to chase. The [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-06-13-transcript-africa-is-japans-next-india.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Defy the Head Office, Deliver Customers Bad News, and Survive</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/defy-the-head-office-deliver-customers-bad-news-and-survive/</link>
	<pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 20:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">5efa99a7-afb8-58dd-ad83-25e94e2a2f16</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[A technology company CEO I know recently told me a story I haven&#8217;t been able to stop thinking about. His company was facing a crisis. Supply chain constraints — driven in large part by the AI-fueled explosion in chip demand — had caused component prices to triple. In some cases, product simply wasn&#8217;t available at [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[A technology company CEO I know recently told me a story I haven&#8217;t been able to stop thinking about. His company was facing a crisis. Supply chain constraints — driven in large part by the AI-fueled explosion in chip demand — had caused component p]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[A technology company CEO I know recently told me a story I haven&#8217;t been able to stop thinking about. His company was facing a crisis. Supply chain constraints — driven in large part by the AI-fueled explosion in chip demand — had caused component prices to triple. In some cases, product simply wasn&#8217;t available at [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ElevenLabs_Defy_the_Head_Office_Deliver_Customers_Bad_News_and_Survive.mp3" length="7917726" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[A technology company CEO I know recently told me a story I haven&#8217;t been able to stop thinking about. His company was facing a crisis. Supply chain constraints — driven in large part by the AI-fueled explosion in chip demand — had caused component prices to triple. In some cases, product simply wasn&#8217;t available at [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
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		<ssp:title>Defy the Head Office, Deliver Customers Bad News, and Survive</ssp:title>
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	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:05:30</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[A technology company CEO I know recently told me a story I haven&#8217;t been able to stop thinking about. His company was facing a crisis. Supply chain constraints — driven in large part by the AI-fueled explosion in chip demand — had caused component prices to triple. In some cases, product simply wasn&#8217;t available at [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MConverter.eu_Defy-the-Head-Office-Deliver-Customers-Bad-News-and-Survive.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>RAPID CULTURE CHANGE: CEO Roundtable Discussion Summary</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/rapid-culture-change-ceo-rt-202607/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 02:08:49 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">cfb626bb-60e9-580a-83a2-4cf254bd09c1</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Last week I presented some of the most provocative ideas from my book, Rapid Culture Change, at my CEO Roundtable here in Tokyo. The talk opens with a trick: I read out a list of dysfunctions that sound unmistakably Japanese — and then I tell the room they actually describe a French utility. It&#8217;s designed [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Last week I presented some of the most provocative ideas from my book, Rapid Culture Change, at my CEO Roundtable here in Tokyo. The talk opens with a trick: I read out a list of dysfunctions that sound unmistakably Japanese — and then I tell the room th]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Last week I presented some of the most provocative ideas from my book, Rapid Culture Change, at my CEO Roundtable here in Tokyo. The talk opens with a trick: I read out a list of dysfunctions that sound unmistakably Japanese — and then I tell the room they actually describe a French utility. It&#8217;s designed [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GZ-E24-Rapid-Culture-CEO-RT-20260725-7.33.mp3" length="7067189" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Last week I presented some of the most provocative ideas from my book, Rapid Culture Change, at my CEO Roundtable here in Tokyo. The talk opens with a trick: I read out a list of dysfunctions that sound unmistakably Japanese — and then I tell the room they actually describe a French utility. It&#8217;s designed [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
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		<ssp:title>RAPID CULTURE CHANGE: CEO Roundtable Discussion Summary</ssp:title>
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	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:04:54</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Last week I presented some of the most provocative ideas from my book, Rapid Culture Change, at my CEO Roundtable here in Tokyo. The talk opens with a trick: I read out a list of dysfunctions that sound unmistakably Japanese — and then I tell the room they actually describe a French utility. It&#8217;s designed [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/CEO_Roundtable_HeyGen_Transcript.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Strategic Resilience Is Not Just a Supply Chain Problem</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/strategic-resilience-is-not-just-a-supply-chain-problem/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 20:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">d2a6f1f9-67e3-5a35-b330-ed749d8fe952</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government just designated 17 priority sectors for long-term protected investment — AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, shipbuilding, defense, and more. The headlines call it a return to Japan Inc. But what Japan is actually doing — whether its policymakers fully realize it or not — is attempting to build strategic resilience into the national economy. [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government just designated 17 priority sectors for long-term protected investment — AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, shipbuilding, defense, and more. The headlines call it a return to Japan Inc. But what Japan is actually doing — whe]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government just designated 17 priority sectors for long-term protected investment — AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, shipbuilding, defense, and more. The headlines call it a return to Japan Inc. But what Japan is actually doing — whether its policymakers fully realize it or not — is attempting to build strategic resilience into the national economy. [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E14-Resilient-strategy-20260525-11.07.mp3" length="12916528" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government just designated 17 priority sectors for long-term protected investment — AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, shipbuilding, defense, and more. The headlines call it a return to Japan Inc. But what Japan is actually doing — whether its policymakers fully realize it or not — is attempting to build strategic resilience into the national economy. [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
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		<ssp:title>Strategic Resilience Is Not Just a Supply Chain Problem</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:08:58</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government just designated 17 priority sectors for long-term protected investment — AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, shipbuilding, defense, and more. The headlines call it a return to Japan Inc. But what Japan is actually doing — whether its policymakers fully realize it or not — is attempting to build strategic resilience into the national economy. [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-26-transcript-strategic-resilience-not-just-a-supply-chain-problem.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Goodhart’s Law and the Tyranny of AI Metrics</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/podcast-goodharts-law-and-the-tyranny-of-ai-metrics/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">d65fefaa-9a11-5954-b01d-5709e959c1c6</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Amazon employees are running AI agents in the background. Not to get work done. But to inflate their token consumption scores. Meta employees are doing it. Microsoft employees are doing it. The phenomenon even has a name now: tokenmaxxing. Workers gaming an internal leaderboard — burning through AI usage metrics that mean nothing — in [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Amazon employees are running AI agents in the background. Not to get work done. But to inflate their token consumption scores. Meta employees are doing it. Microsoft employees are doing it. The phenomenon even has a name now: tokenmaxxing. Workers gaming]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Amazon employees are running AI agents in the background. Not to get work done. But to inflate their token consumption scores. Meta employees are doing it. Microsoft employees are doing it. The phenomenon even has a name now: tokenmaxxing. Workers gaming an internal leaderboard — burning through AI usage metrics that mean nothing — in [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GZ-E16-Goodhart-20260531-17.09.mp3" length="11026307" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Amazon employees are running AI agents in the background. Not to get work done. But to inflate their token consumption scores. Meta employees are doing it. Microsoft employees are doing it. The phenomenon even has a name now: tokenmaxxing. Workers gaming an internal leaderboard — burning through AI usage metrics that mean nothing — in [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
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		<ssp:title>Goodhart’s Law and the Tyranny of AI Metrics</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:07:39</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Amazon employees are running AI agents in the background. Not to get work done. But to inflate their token consumption scores. Meta employees are doing it. Microsoft employees are doing it. The phenomenon even has a name now: tokenmaxxing. Workers gaming an internal leaderboard — burning through AI usage metrics that mean nothing — in [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-05-29-transcript-goodharts-law-and-the-tyranny-of-ai-metrics.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Reading the News Is Not a Strategy</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/reading-the-news-is-not-a-strategy/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">c83d0cb5-d1d2-58e7-9ab2-fec7389611e1</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government recently released its 2026 white paper on manufacturing industries. The headline finding: 60% of Japanese firms are now working on economic security measures, up from 40% the year before. That sounds like progress. It isn&#8217;t. Read the fine print. A large share of that 60% were merely collecting information on international affairs. In [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government recently released its 2026 white paper on manufacturing industries. The headline finding: 60% of Japanese firms are now working on economic security measures, up from 40% the year before. That sounds like progress. It isn&#8217;t]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government recently released its 2026 white paper on manufacturing industries. The headline finding: 60% of Japanese firms are now working on economic security measures, up from 40% the year before. That sounds like progress. It isn&#8217;t. Read the fine print. A large share of that 60% were merely collecting information on international affairs. In [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E17-News-20260531-17.12.mp3" length="11739763" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government recently released its 2026 white paper on manufacturing industries. The headline finding: 60% of Japanese firms are now working on economic security measures, up from 40% the year before. That sounds like progress. It isn&#8217;t. Read the fine print. A large share of that 60% were merely collecting information on international affairs. In [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
		<ssp:url>https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp</ssp:url>
		<ssp:title>Reading the News Is Not a Strategy</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:08:09</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Japan&#8217;s government recently released its 2026 white paper on manufacturing industries. The headline finding: 60% of Japanese firms are now working on economic security measures, up from 40% the year before. That sounds like progress. It isn&#8217;t. Read the fine print. A large share of that 60% were merely collecting information on international affairs. In [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-30-transcript-reading-the-news-is-not-a-strategy.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>DAUNTLESS LEADERSHIP: CEO Roundtable Discussion Summary</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/dauntless-leadership-ceo-roundtable-discussion-summary/</link>
	<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 20:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">597ac370-a832-5ccf-af30-0dfd3be39642</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[I once asked an HR director a simple question. Two candidates. Identical resumes. One had never failed at anything. The other had failed so many times he&#8217;d lost count. Which one do you hire? His answer came without hesitation: the one who never failed. To him, it was obvious. He was wrong. Here&#8217;s what that [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[I once asked an HR director a simple question. Two candidates. Identical resumes. One had never failed at anything. The other had failed so many times he&#8217;d lost count. Which one do you hire? His answer came without hesitation: the one who never fai]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[I once asked an HR director a simple question. Two candidates. Identical resumes. One had never failed at anything. The other had failed so many times he&#8217;d lost count. Which one do you hire? His answer came without hesitation: the one who never failed. To him, it was obvious. He was wrong. Here&#8217;s what that [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dauntless.mp3" length="3490102" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[I once asked an HR director a simple question. Two candidates. Identical resumes. One had never failed at anything. The other had failed so many times he&#8217;d lost count. Which one do you hire? His answer came without hesitation: the one who never failed. To him, it was obvious. He was wrong. Here&#8217;s what that [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
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		<ssp:title>DAUNTLESS LEADERSHIP: CEO Roundtable Discussion Summary</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:04:06</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[I once asked an HR director a simple question. Two candidates. Identical resumes. One had never failed at anything. The other had failed so many times he&#8217;d lost count. Which one do you hire? His answer came without hesitation: the one who never failed. To him, it was obvious. He was wrong. Here&#8217;s what that [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MConverter.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Do You Have an AI Strategy — or Just an AI Plan?</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/do-you-have-an-ai-strategy-or-just-an-ai-plan/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 20:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
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	<description><![CDATA[A new Gartner study has just landed a finding that every CEO in Japan should read carefully. Among organizations deploying AI and autonomous business capabilities, approximately 80% report workforce reductions. Yet those reductions do not appear to translate into ROI. Companies cutting headcount with AI are getting roughly the same returns as those that aren&#8217;t. [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[A new Gartner study has just landed a finding that every CEO in Japan should read carefully. Among organizations deploying AI and autonomous business capabilities, approximately 80% report workforce reductions. Yet those reductions do not appear to trans]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[A new Gartner study has just landed a finding that every CEO in Japan should read carefully. Among organizations deploying AI and autonomous business capabilities, approximately 80% report workforce reductions. Yet those reductions do not appear to translate into ROI. Companies cutting headcount with AI are getting roughly the same returns as those that aren&#8217;t. [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E13-AI-strategy-or-plan-20260524-17.45.mp3" length="7852116" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[A new Gartner study has just landed a finding that every CEO in Japan should read carefully. Among organizations deploying AI and autonomous business capabilities, approximately 80% report workforce reductions. Yet those reductions do not appear to translate into ROI. Companies cutting headcount with AI are getting roughly the same returns as those that aren&#8217;t. [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
		<ssp:url>https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp</ssp:url>
		<ssp:title>Do You Have an AI Strategy — or Just an AI Plan?</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:05:27</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[A new Gartner study has just landed a finding that every CEO in Japan should read carefully. Among organizations deploying AI and autonomous business capabilities, approximately 80% report workforce reductions. Yet those reductions do not appear to translate into ROI. Companies cutting headcount with AI are getting roughly the same returns as those that aren&#8217;t. [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-24-transcript-do-you-have-an-ai-strategy-or-just-an-ai-plan.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The Thriving Minority: Why the 44% Number Misses the Point</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/the-thriving-minority-why-the-44-number-misses-the-point/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 08:37:10 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">ed836182-3234-53c8-baf1-365569160259</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[A new survey is making headlines across the business press. Only 44% of employees globally feel they are thriving at work. In Japan, the number is even lower — just 31%. And only 8% of employees in Japan report being engaged at work. Eight percent. The global average is 20%, which is already nothing to [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[A new survey is making headlines across the business press. Only 44% of employees globally feel they are thriving at work. In Japan, the number is even lower — just 31%. And only 8% of employees in Japan report being engaged at work. Eight percent. The g]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[A new survey is making headlines across the business press. Only 44% of employees globally feel they are thriving at work. In Japan, the number is even lower — just 31%. And only 8% of employees in Japan report being engaged at work. Eight percent. The global average is 20%, which is already nothing to [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E12-Thriving-Minority-20260524-17.06.mp3" length="8815094" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[A new survey is making headlines across the business press. Only 44% of employees globally feel they are thriving at work. In Japan, the number is even lower — just 31%. And only 8% of employees in Japan report being engaged at work. Eight percent. The global average is 20%, which is already nothing to [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
		<ssp:url>https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp</ssp:url>
		<ssp:title>The Thriving Minority: Why the 44% Number Misses the Point</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:06:07</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[A new survey is making headlines across the business press. Only 44% of employees globally feel they are thriving at work. In Japan, the number is even lower — just 31%. And only 8% of employees in Japan report being engaged at work. Eight percent. The global average is 20%, which is already nothing to [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-24-transcript-the-thriving-minority.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Entrepreneurial Mindset of the Employed</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/entrepreneurial-mindset-of-the-employed/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">f1cd77f2-a6d8-50f3-807c-0ec76330148b</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Let me ask you a direct question. Are you an entrepreneur &#8212; or are you a careerist? Most salaried employees are careerists. Their decisions are filtered through a specific lens &#8212; what advances the career, protects the position, avoids the wrong kind of visibility. The incentives are different from an entrepreneur&#8217;s. The risk calculus is [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Let me ask you a direct question. Are you an entrepreneur &#8212; or are you a careerist? Most salaried employees are careerists. Their decisions are filtered through a specific lens &#8212; what advances the career, protects the position, avoids the wro]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Let me ask you a direct question. Are you an entrepreneur &#8212; or are you a careerist? Most salaried employees are careerists. Their decisions are filtered through a specific lens &#8212; what advances the career, protects the position, avoids the wrong kind of visibility. The incentives are different from an entrepreneur&#8217;s. The risk calculus is [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E11-Entrepreneur-vs-Careerist-20260522-10.17.mp3" length="12774212" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Let me ask you a direct question. Are you an entrepreneur &#8212; or are you a careerist? Most salaried employees are careerists. Their decisions are filtered through a specific lens &#8212; what advances the career, protects the position, avoids the wrong kind of visibility. The incentives are different from an entrepreneur&#8217;s. The risk calculus is [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
		<ssp:url>https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp</ssp:url>
		<ssp:title>Entrepreneurial Mindset of the Employed</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:08:52</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Let me ask you a direct question. Are you an entrepreneur &#8212; or are you a careerist? Most salaried employees are careerists. Their decisions are filtered through a specific lens &#8212; what advances the career, protects the position, avoids the wrong kind of visibility. The incentives are different from an entrepreneur&#8217;s. The risk calculus is [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/growthzone-600x600-1.webp"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
	<podcast:transcript url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-24-transcript-entrepreneur-or-careerist.txt" type="text/plain"/>
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