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		<title>The Growth Zone</title>
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		<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcasts/the-growth-zone/</link>
		<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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		<itunes:category text="Business">
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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>
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			<podcast:locked>yes</podcast:locked>
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<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>
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		<ssp:title>Do You Have an AI Strategy — or Just an AI Plan?</ssp:title>
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	<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>
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		<ssp:title>The Thriving Minority: Why the 44% Number Misses the Point</ssp:title>
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	<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>
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		<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"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>When the Disruptor Gets Disrupted: The Lesson Toshifumi Suzuki Left Behind</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/when-the-disruptor-gets-disrupted-the-lesson-toshifumi-suzuki-left-behind/</link>
	<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 20:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">39197f63-4a6b-59be-b6dd-ade6cad6829f</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Toshifumi Suzuki died last week. He was 93. And if you have spent any time in Japan, you have felt his work every single day — even if you never knew his name. He was the man who built the konbini. Not just as a business — as infrastructure. As a part of daily life [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Toshifumi Suzuki died last week. He was 93. And if you have spent any time in Japan, you have felt his work every single day — even if you never knew his name. He was the man who built the konbini. Not just as a business — as infrastructure. As a part of]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Toshifumi Suzuki died last week. He was 93. And if you have spent any time in Japan, you have felt his work every single day — even if you never knew his name. He was the man who built the konbini. Not just as a business — as infrastructure. As a part of daily life [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ElevenLabs_When_the_Disruptor_Gets_Disrupted_The_Lesson_Toshifumi_Suzuki_Left_Behind.mp3" length="11839868" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Toshifumi Suzuki died last week. He was 93. And if you have spent any time in Japan, you have felt his work every single day — even if you never knew his name. He was the man who built the konbini. Not just as a business — as infrastructure. As a part of daily life [&#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:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:08:13</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Toshifumi Suzuki died last week. He was 93. And if you have spent any time in Japan, you have felt his work every single day — even if you never knew his name. He was the man who built the konbini. Not just as a business — as infrastructure. As a part of daily life [&#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-when-the-disruptor-gets-disrupted-suzuki-7eleven.txt" type="text/plain"/>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Market Entry Manifesto</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/market-entry-manifesto/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 20:00:34 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">43cf3e7a-5dc8-50d8-a1bc-22afe483c0d6</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[A reporter from The Telegraph in the UK contacted me for my views on the challenges of market entry in Japan. What follows is my manifesto — a set of principles I believe apply not just to Japan, but to any market, anywhere in the world&#8230;]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[A reporter from The Telegraph in the UK contacted me for my views on the challenges of market entry in Japan. What follows is my manifesto — a set of principles I believe apply not just to Japan, but to any market, anywhere in the world&#8230;]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[A reporter from The Telegraph in the UK contacted me for my views on the challenges of market entry in Japan. What follows is my manifesto — a set of principles I believe apply not just to Japan, but to any market, anywhere in the world&#8230;]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E7-AI-Market_Entry_Manifesto.mp3" length="8577227" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[A reporter from The Telegraph in the UK contacted me for my views on the challenges of market entry in Japan. What follows is my manifesto — a set of principles I believe apply not just to Japan, but to any market, anywhere in the world&#8230;]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
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		<ssp:title>Market Entry Manifesto</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:05:57</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[A reporter from The Telegraph in the UK contacted me for my views on the challenges of market entry in Japan. What follows is my manifesto — a set of principles I believe apply not just to Japan, but to any market, anywhere in the world&#8230;]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
</item>

<item>
	<title>CEO Roundtable Discusssion Summary: Strategy on Your Own Terms</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/ceo-roundtable-discusssion-summary-strategy-on-your-own-terms/</link>
	<pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 16:22:05 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">9c8dba9a-60e5-5705-9f11-fb8d494b73cc</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[I run a monthly, private CEO Roundtable for my best clients and business leaders in the community whom I choose to invite and share the discussion summary with my community. During the May 2026 CEO Roundtable, we discussed &#8220;Strategy on Your Own Terms.&#8221; Strategy failures are rarely caused by insufficient data or inadequate frameworks. What [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[I run a monthly, private CEO Roundtable for my best clients and business leaders in the community whom I choose to invite and share the discussion summary with my community. During the May 2026 CEO Roundtable, we discussed &#8220;Strategy on Your Own Ter]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[I run a monthly, private CEO Roundtable for my best clients and business leaders in the community whom I choose to invite and share the discussion summary with my community. During the May 2026 CEO Roundtable, we discussed &#8220;Strategy on Your Own Terms.&#8221; Strategy failures are rarely caused by insufficient data or inadequate frameworks. What [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E10-May-12-RT-Strategy-OYOT-20260513-13.42.mp3" length="11490242" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[I run a monthly, private CEO Roundtable for my best clients and business leaders in the community whom I choose to invite and share the discussion summary with my community. During the May 2026 CEO Roundtable, we discussed &#8220;Strategy on Your Own Terms.&#8221; Strategy failures are rarely caused by insufficient data or inadequate frameworks. What [&#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>CEO Roundtable Discusssion Summary: Strategy on Your Own Terms</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:07:59</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[I run a monthly, private CEO Roundtable for my best clients and business leaders in the community whom I choose to invite and share the discussion summary with my community. During the May 2026 CEO Roundtable, we discussed &#8220;Strategy on Your Own Terms.&#8221; Strategy failures are rarely caused by insufficient data or inadequate frameworks. What [&#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>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The Constructive Disharmony of Shareholder Activism</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/the-constructive-disharmony-of-shareholder-activism/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 06:07:39 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">e3af1fad-44c0-5e6a-aa85-7991cfb24d60</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to raise the thresholds required for activist shareholders to propose resolutions at company annual general meetings. This is not a technical adjustment to securities law. This is protection — for incumbent boards, for mediocre capital allocation, for the status quo that suits the people already comfortable inside it. [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to raise the thresholds required for activist shareholders to propose resolutions at company annual general meetings. This is not a technical adjustment to securities law. This is protection — for incumbe]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to raise the thresholds required for activist shareholders to propose resolutions at company annual general meetings. This is not a technical adjustment to securities law. This is protection — for incumbent boards, for mediocre capital allocation, for the status quo that suits the people already comfortable inside it. [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GZ-E9-Shareholder-Activism-20260504-14.50.mp3" length="11347300" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to raise the thresholds required for activist shareholders to propose resolutions at company annual general meetings. This is not a technical adjustment to securities law. This is protection — for incumbent boards, for mediocre capital allocation, for the status quo that suits the people already comfortable inside it. [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></itunes:image>
	<ssp:image>
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		<ssp:title>The Constructive Disharmony of Shareholder Activism</ssp:title>
	</ssp:image>
	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:07:53</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to raise the thresholds required for activist shareholders to propose resolutions at company annual general meetings. This is not a technical adjustment to securities law. This is protection — for incumbent boards, for mediocre capital allocation, for the status quo that suits the people already comfortable inside it. [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
</item>

<item>
	<title>When Bold Strategy Becomes a Bet You Can’t Afford to Lose</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/when-bold-strategy-becomes-a-bet-you-cant-afford-to-lose/</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:05:49 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
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	<description><![CDATA[Honda just announced its first net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange — in 1957. Let that sink in. Nearly seventy years of profitability, and this is the year it ended. The company cancelled three EV models it had been engineering for years — writing off up to two and a half trillion [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Honda just announced its first net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange — in 1957. Let that sink in. Nearly seventy years of profitability, and this is the year it ended. The company cancelled three EV models it had been engineering for years —]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Honda just announced its first net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange — in 1957. Let that sink in. Nearly seventy years of profitability, and this is the year it ended. The company cancelled three EV models it had been engineering for years — writing off up to two and a half trillion [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
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	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Honda just announced its first net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange — in 1957. Let that sink in. Nearly seventy years of profitability, and this is the year it ended. The company cancelled three EV models it had been engineering for years — writing off up to two and a half trillion [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Featured-copy-2-scaled.jpg"></itunes:image>
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		<ssp:title>When Bold Strategy Becomes a Bet You Can’t Afford to Lose</ssp:title>
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	<itunes:duration>00:06:16</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Honda just announced its first net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange — in 1957. Let that sink in. Nearly seventy years of profitability, and this is the year it ended. The company cancelled three EV models it had been engineering for years — writing off up to two and a half trillion [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Featured-copy-2-scaled.jpg"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Sales in Japan: 7 Unconventional Tactics</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/sales-in-japan-7-unconventional-tactics/</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:38:56 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
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	<description><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s episode hits close to home for many of the CEOs I work with. Almost every week, I&#8217;m in a conversation with a senior leader who tells me the same thing: &#8220;Steve, my sales team is underperforming — and I don&#8217;t know what to do about it.&#8221; They see it in the behaviors. They see [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s episode hits close to home for many of the CEOs I work with. Almost every week, I&#8217;m in a conversation with a senior leader who tells me the same thing: &#8220;Steve, my sales team is underperforming — and I don&#8217;t know what to do]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s episode hits close to home for many of the CEOs I work with. Almost every week, I&#8217;m in a conversation with a senior leader who tells me the same thing: &#8220;Steve, my sales team is underperforming — and I don&#8217;t know what to do about it.&#8221; They see it in the behaviors. They see [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
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	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s episode hits close to home for many of the CEOs I work with. Almost every week, I&#8217;m in a conversation with a senior leader who tells me the same thing: &#8220;Steve, my sales team is underperforming — and I don&#8217;t know what to do about it.&#8221; They see it in the behaviors. They see [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
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		<ssp:title>Sales in Japan: 7 Unconventional Tactics</ssp:title>
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	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	<itunes:duration>00:07:47</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s episode hits close to home for many of the CEOs I work with. Almost every week, I&#8217;m in a conversation with a senior leader who tells me the same thing: &#8220;Steve, my sales team is underperforming — and I don&#8217;t know what to do about it.&#8221; They see it in the behaviors. They see [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Strategic Goals and a Lesson from Aviation</title>
	<link>https://stevenbleistein.net/podcast/strategic-goals-and-a-lesson-from-aviation/</link>
	<pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:43:37 +0000</pubDate>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></dc:creator>
	<guid isPermaLink="false">470f24fe-4be0-5d30-a14e-4c51d967ca14</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Today I want to talk about strategy. Specifically, I want to talk about a mistake I see leaders make constantly when they set strategic goals — and I&#8217;m going to use a somewhat unusual teacher to make my point: a flight instructor from the early days of jet aviation. Bear with me. This is going [&#8230;]]]></description>
	<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Today I want to talk about strategy. Specifically, I want to talk about a mistake I see leaders make constantly when they set strategic goals — and I&#8217;m going to use a somewhat unusual teacher to make my point: a flight instructor from the early day]]></itunes:subtitle>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I want to talk about strategy. Specifically, I want to talk about a mistake I see leaders make constantly when they set strategic goals — and I&#8217;m going to use a somewhat unusual teacher to make my point: a flight instructor from the early days of jet aviation. Bear with me. This is going [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	<enclosure url="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GZ-E4-Aviation-20260413-12.22.mp3" length="10027594" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
	<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Today I want to talk about strategy. Specifically, I want to talk about a mistake I see leaders make constantly when they set strategic goals — and I&#8217;m going to use a somewhat unusual teacher to make my point: a flight instructor from the early days of jet aviation. Bear with me. This is going [&#8230;]]]></itunes:summary>
	<itunes:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></itunes:image>
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		<ssp:title>Strategic Goals and a Lesson from Aviation</ssp:title>
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	<itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
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	<itunes:duration>00:06:58</itunes:duration>
	<itunes:author><![CDATA[Steven Bleistein]]></itunes:author>	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Today I want to talk about strategy. Specifically, I want to talk about a mistake I see leaders make constantly when they set strategic goals — and I&#8217;m going to use a somewhat unusual teacher to make my point: a flight instructor from the early days of jet aviation. Bear with me. This is going [&#8230;]]]></googleplay:description>
	<googleplay:image href="https://stevenbleistein.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Podcast-Cover-copy-scaled.jpg"></googleplay:image>
	<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
	<googleplay:block>no</googleplay:block>
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