with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
CASE STUDY
Company size
Website
Russell Reynolds Associates advises many of the world’s most influential organizations on leadership, succession and executive talent. The firm has unparalleled access to CEOs, board directors and global business leaders whose decisions shape entire industries.
But expertise alone does not build an audience.
The leadership category is crowded with interviews, business commentary and management advice. Adding another executive interview podcast would do little to distinguish Russell Reynolds Associates or create lasting value for senior leaders.
The opportunity was to build something different: a podcast that could become a trusted destination for conversations about leadership during periods of uncertainty, transformation and change.
Rather than promoting the firm’s expertise directly, the podcast needed to demonstrate it through the quality of the conversations it created.
Together, JAR and Russell Reynolds Associates developed Redefiners as a leadership podcast built around conversations that executives genuinely wanted to spend time with.
Rather than centring episodes on Russell Reynolds Associates itself, the series explored the decisions, challenges and leadership philosophies of accomplished executives across industries. Each conversation was designed to help listeners think differently about leadership instead of simply hearing another executive biography.
JAR partnered with Russell Reynolds Associates across every stage of production, including:
Podcast Strategy
Editorial Development
Research and Writing
Guest Preparation
Creative Direction
Audio Production
Distribution
Podcast Analytics
Every editorial decision was guided by a simple question:
Would a CEO leave this conversation with a new way of thinking about leadership?
The challenge was never finding remarkable guests. Russell Reynolds Associates already had access to some of the world’s most accomplished leaders.
The challenge was creating conversations worthy of their attention.
The JAR System shifted the focus away from interviewing impressive people and toward exploring the moments, decisions and experiences that shaped their leadership. That change influenced every aspect of the podcast, from guest preparation and editorial structure to production and audience development.
The result was a thought leadership platform that earned the trust of senior executives by consistently delivering conversations that respected their time and challenged their thinking.
The JAR System helped transform Redefiners from a podcast featuring business leaders into a destination for leadership conversations.
| Before | After applying the JAR System |
|---|---|
| Interview successful executives | Explore the decisions that shaped exceptional leaders |
| Share leadership advice | Challenge how leaders think about change and transformation |
| Build awareness for Russell Reynolds Associates | Build trust through consistently valuable conversations |
| Measure publishing activity | Measure audience growth, engagement and executive reach |
| Produce a branded podcast | Build a flagship thought leadership platform |
The most valuable thought leadership rarely comes from telling people what you know.
It comes from creating conversations they cannot find anywhere else.
Russell Reynolds Associates already possessed extraordinary expertise and access to influential leaders. The opportunity was to transform that access into a resource executives would choose to return to, not because they needed another business podcast, but because the conversations consistently helped them navigate leadership in a changing world.
By defining the podcast’s job before production began, the JAR System helped shape every editorial decision around audience value rather than brand promotion. The result was a podcast that strengthened Russell Reynolds Associates’ authority by demonstrating its perspective instead of simply asserting it.
Before production began, JAR worked with Russell Reynolds Associates to define the podcast’s Job, Audience and Result.
Create the leadership podcast senior executives return to when navigating change.
Rather than providing generic management advice, Redefiners would explore how exceptional leaders think, make decisions and lead organizations through uncertainty.
The podcast was built for CEOs, board directors, executive teams and senior business leaders responsible for leading organizations through increasingly complex environments.
These listeners were not looking for inspiration alone.
They wanted perspective grounded in experience.
Success meant creating a flagship thought leadership platform that strengthened Russell Reynolds Associates’ position as one of the world’s leading leadership advisory firms while building a loyal audience of executive decision-makers.
Once the Job, Audience and Result were established, every editorial decision became easier, from guest selection and interview structure to promotion and long-term audience development.
Redefiners has surpassed one million downloads, demonstrating sustained demand for thoughtful leadership conversations among executive audiences.
The podcast reached more than 900,000 unique listeners in 2023, expanding Russell Reynolds Associates’ ability to engage senior leaders well beyond traditional consulting relationships.
Redefiners performs within the top 1% of podcasts globally by download rate, placing it among the world’s highest-performing shows.
The podcast has become a lasting content platform that strengthens Russell Reynolds Associates’ leadership brand while creating ongoing opportunities for executive engagement and relationship building.
