Bridging Academic Insights and Business Practice - with Brad Harris from HEC Paris

In this episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, we welcome Brad Harris, Professor of Management and Human Resources and Associate Dean at HEC Paris.

Brad brings an exceptional blend of academic rigour and deep practical experience, having taught, researched, and consulted across several continents. As a co-author of Scaling for Success and one of the core faculty members in the People Leader Accelerator program, his perspective is especially relevant for executives shaping organisational effectiveness and people strategy.

Brad’s background bridges academic research with on-the-ground leadership, advisory, and program delivery for high-growth companies. His understanding of team dynamics, leadership development, and organisational behaviour equips him to pinpoint the real challenges people leaders encounter, including those intrinsic to scaling teams, driving alignment, and navigating executive decisions.

This episode centres on the realities of building and leading high-performing teams. The discussion dives into what leaders consistently get wrong about teamwork, the critical design elements of effective teams, and the essential (but often misunderstood) balance between clarity, empowerment, and control. Brad and the hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow, unpack the “messy middle” where most organisations and leaders operate and share tangible approaches for aligning people and business priorities.

Listeners will gain actionable insights into diagnosing team effectiveness, optimising goal setting for clarity and alignment, and approaching empowerment in complex environments. Brad’s advice is grounded in research but always tailored to the practical realities of leadership, offering new ways for people leaders to support executives, make better trade-offs, and accelerate their own impact.

Discussion highlights:

Why HEC Paris is a leading business school and how global experience shapes HR and leadership practice
The origins of Scaling for Success and the development of People Leader Accelerator
Realities of partnership and collaboration between business and academia
Bridging the academic-practice gap: why thoughtful, evidence-based leadership is essential and practical
Common myths about teamwork and the overlooked importance of team design versus “feel-good” factors
Understanding and balancing the “collaboration tax” with collaboration gains in teams
Leadership archetypes: the “prophet” versus the “mule driver” and the dangers of extremes
How complexity and context should determine leadership style and team decision-making
Practical frameworks for increasing team clarity, alignment, and effectiveness
Why effective goal setting requires meaningful trade-offs, not just standard outcomes like “increase revenue”
The two-sided problem of empowerment and the challenges leaders face when letting go
Strategies for HR leaders to align with CEOs and drive purposeful conversations about priorities and personal growth
This conversation offers people leaders a grounded look at what it actually takes to foster effective teams and drive organisational performance. Brad’s practical frameworks and coaching stories clarify how leaders can apply academic insights without overcomplicating their approach - and why clear alignment and the right strategic bets matter most.

For HR executives, founders, and those supporting high-growth businesses, these lessons offer actionable prompts to elevate leadership, influence strategy, and empower teams.

For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast.

About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast

Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community.

Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away.

We can’t wait to share these conversations with you.

Welcome to the journey!

Listen, learn, and connect:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube).

💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast.

📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader.

🤝 Connect with your hosts:

Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com

Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com