Radical Candor, Gamified Engagement & Purpose-Led Marketing | DisrupTV Ep. 47

In DisrupTV Episode 47, hosts R "Ray" Wang and Vala Afshar welcome three distinguished guests:

  • Perry Hewitt — VP of Marketing, ITHAKA, former Chief Digital Officer at Harvard
  • Kim Scott — Author of Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
  • Kris Duggan — CEO of BetterWorks, leader in employee engagement and gamification strategies

They explore themes around leadership, marketing with authenticity, the role of feedback and “candor” in culture, and how gamified engagement and measurable goals can drive motivation and performance.

Key Takeaways

Radical Candor & Authentic Leadership
Kim Scott emphasizes the necessity of “candor” — giving feedback that is both direct and caring — as a foundational leadership skill. Leaders must balance challenge and care, not default to either being too aggressive or too empathetic.

Purpose and Mission-Driven Marketing
Perry Hewitt discusses how marketing in mission-driven or non-profit contexts differs: the value proposition must resonate with purpose, culture, and long-term impact. Marketing isn’t just about acquisition — it’s about aligning community, mission, and narrative.

Gamification & Engagement with Real Metrics
Kris Duggan shares how his work with BetterWorks involves using goal tracking, feedback loops, and gamified elements to motivate employees. Transparency, progress metrics, and public accountability can help sustain engagement.

Feedback Culture Enables Growth
Across the talk, feedback loops (within teams, between leaders and employees) are framed as critical to continuous improvement. Without trust and psychological safety, feedback falls flat or is resisted.

Alignment Between Strategy, Culture & Execution
The conversation suggests that real impact happens when the strategic (mission, marketing narrative), cultural (candor, feedback, engagement), and operational (goals, progress tracking) layers are tightly aligned.

Final Thoughts & Implications

This episode underscores that growth, engagement, and leadership are deeply human endeavors—not just algorithmic or campaign-driven. Organizations that succeed in the long run will:

  • Embrace feedback culture with care and directness
  • Ground their marketing in purpose and narrative
  • Use goal transparency & gamification judiciously to drive motivation (not just competition)
  • Align why → how → what across strategy, culture, execution

For leaders seeking resilience and high performance, the takeaways here are clear: lead with candor, market with meaning, and empower with clarity and accountability.

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Business Research Themes

Future of Work, Innovation and Product-led Growth, Marketing Transformation, Next-Generation Customer Experience, Tech Optimization

Roles

Chief Customer Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Technology Officer