The Lift

The power of building coalitions: Kathryn Wylde on bringing billionaires and union bosses together

June 16, 2026·40 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

What's the fastest way to kill any chance of actually moving the needle on a big, complex project? According to longtime NYC power broker Kathryn Wylde, it's defensiveness. Kathryn knows this because she spent 50 years dragging billionaires, union bosses, and city officials into the same room and getting them to agree on the best way forward. And she’s here to share how she did it.Topic Highlights:– The power of a specific ask and why most change efforts fail– How to reframe a problem so that the people who resist it become its biggest advocates– Why defensiveness, not disagreement, is the real roadblock, and the one move that eliminates it faster than any argument– The million dollar leadership advice she gave to Zohran Mamdani – The Amazon HQ2 cautionary taleGuest Bio:Kathryn Wylde is the former President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, and the woman the city’s most powerful people call when they need to actually get something done in NYC.Episode Links:Partnership for New York CityKathryn Wylde, Connector of New York’s Powerful, Is RetiringConnect with Us:theliftpod.comLet’s stay in touchSubscribe to The LiftFind Ben online: LinkedIn | InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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