Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz

Mobilizing Talent When it Counts: Best Buy's Hubert Joly Nov 20, 2024

In 2012, Best Buy was in deep trouble—a crisis so severe that Forbes declared, “Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business.” By March, the company reported a staggering $1.7 billion loss, and by April, its CEO had stepped down amid scandal. Enter Hubert Joly, a leader whose career had shaped him into essentially an elite relief pitcher of the business world. Armed with calm focus and a knack for navigating adversity, Joly stepped up to the plate just as the future of big-box retail hung in the balance. In this classic 2019 episode, discover how Joly took the helm at Best Buy during one of the most tumultuous moments in its history.

Exceptional Leaders are Integrative Thinkers: Roger Martin Nov 13, 2024

"You can't analyze your way into something new," says today's guest. Over the course of a career spanning four decades, Roger Martin has been a management consultant, an influential business strategy thinker and author, as well as the Dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. He advises CEOs of global companies such as Ford, Proctor & Gamble, and Lego. He is well known for developing and exploring the concept of "integrative thinking" in management problem solving and for troubling conventional management wisdom as he does in his book, A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness. In this episode, recorded in 2021, Martin challenges the relentless drive for efficiency and advocates for a re-think in approach.

Leading Through a Perfect Storm: Carnival's Arnold Donald Nov 06, 2024

When Arnold Donald took the helm at the Carnival Corporation, a public relations crisis of multiple layers threatened its future. Donald prioritized building a diverse and dynamic leadership team, appointing new heads for seven of the company's nine cruise lines, including more women and minorities. in this 2019 conversation, Donald shares his philosophy that "diversity of thinking is a business imperative and a powerful advantage," explaining how fresh perspectives lead to innovative ideas and drive growth. How his strategies helped him rebuild Carnival into one of the industry’s most valuable brands.

Values without Action are Propaganda: PayPal's Dan Schulman Oct 30, 2024

[A 'BEST OF' EPISODE] Combining business with social justice isn’t a path most companies choose, which is why Dan Schulman’s leadership as PayPal’s CEO captured so much attention. In 2016, he halted plans for an operations center in North Carolina in response to the state’s controversial “bathroom bill.” Schulman prioritizes an “employee-first” strategy, enhancing wages and benefits for PayPal employees. His leadership has demonstrated that activism doesn't takes anything away from the bottom line. In this 2020 conversation, Schulman reflects on the childhood that shaped his current values, and his journey from AT&T, Priceline, and eventually to CEO (now President) of PayPal.

Better Leadership via Failure: General Stanley McChrystal Oct 23, 2024

[Encore release] General Stanley McChrystal was born into a military family: three generations of men in his family were officers in the armed forces. He followed the family tradition and eventually rose up the ranks to become a General in the Army. While serving as the commander of Allied Forces in Afghanistan in 2010, he was forced to resign after he was quoted making disparaging remarks about President Obama. It was in the wake of this moment that General McChrystal learned the full value of leadership. In this conversation from 2020, the General reflects on the very specific lessons of leadership he learned, and evolved, throughout his time of military service.

Conviction, But Not Certainty: Autodesk's Carl Bass Oct 16, 2024

An encore episode, exploring the unconventional leadership journey of Carl Bass, a self-described renegade and reluctant executive who took the reins at Autodesk during turbulent times. Facing the global economic crisis of 2008, Bass led with conviction, balancing bold decision-making with the uncertainty of an evolving market. At one point, convinced the company might fail, he risked his own money to introduce a groundbreaking new business model. How Bass's steady hand and innovative thinking not only helped Autodesk survive but transformed it into a 21st-century success story. This conversation took place in 2019.

Effective People Do This Oct 09, 2024

[Encore episode] In the 1980s, Stephen R. Covey revolutionized leadership thinking with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, introducing a leadership style centered on empathy, listening, and collaboration—far from the traditional table-pounding, charismatic approach. In this episode, Guy sits down with Stephen M.R. Covey, Covey’s son, who has not only been instrumental in spreading his father’s influential teachings globally but has also become a respected leadership expert in his own right. Stephen shares insights from his own bestselling leadership books and reflects on the lasting impact of his father’s groundbreaking work.

Imagine it Forward: Beth Comstock (NBC and General Electric) Oct 02, 2024

Author, and business executive Beth Comstock says to Guy Raz in this classic 2021 interview "I'm about change." In college, she wanted to be a doctor, but organic chemistry wasn’t her strong suit, so she shifted to journalism. When journalism didn’t work out, she started working in publicity. So, when GE bought NBC in 1986 right as Beth was starting her career in advertising, she was ready to adapt again. She worked her way to becoming CMO of GE, helping grow revenue, devise a successful green energy program, and more. Then, when NBC began to explore their approach to digital media, Beth couldn't resist returning to the storied network, where a new frontier in media was opening up (for reference: this was around the time Google bought YouTube). While there she helped seed what would become Hulu. Around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, Beth returned to GE as the company's first female Vice Chair of Business Innovations, which was also around the time she penned the inspiring and candid book Imagine it Forward: Courage, Creative, and the Power of Change .

Getting the Big Ideas Right: General Petraeus Sep 25, 2024

General David Petraeus is one of those leaders who rose through the ranks to become one of the most well-known military figures of our time. Growing up in the shadow of West Point, General Petraeus defied the odds in a career where becoming a four-star general is nearly as unlikely as being struck by lightning.

Petraeus’s rise to prominence began in 2003, but it was in 2007, as the commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq, where he made his mark by leading the controversial but pivotal “surge.” He later commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan during one of the deadliest periods for U.S. troops, before transitioning to a new chapter as the Director of the CIA under President Obama.

In this encore episode, General Petraeus shares his insights on leadership, revealing that the key to success lies in “getting the big ideas right,” refining them, and ensuring they’re communicated effectively across an entire organization.

Carry Water on Both Shoulders: Terry Lundgren (Macy's and Neiman Marcus) Sep 18, 2024

Terry Lundgren, former CEO of Neiman Marcus and Macy’s, has been instrumental in shaping the American retail landscape. His believes leadership lies dormant in many until an event challenges you to grow. He also believes playing it safe is the biggest risk of all. Despite an entire career in retail, including taking on the role of president of a local department store when he was 35--succeeding a 67-year-old, the road he took to bringing two notoriously competitive retail giants together wasn’t easy. How he merged famous department rivals, double-downed on retail, and turned Macy’s into the first nationwide department store in the United States.

Built to Last, Great by Choice: Jim Collins Sep 11, 2024

Jim Collins is one of the most influential business thinkers and writers of our time. Yet, Collins considers himself more of a researcher than an author.He has made a career of extracting the data embedded in the narrative arcs of companies and drawing lessons from them. With bestsellers like Good to Great, Built to Last, and BE 2.0, each of his books represents years of meticulous analysis, all before he even begins to write. What sets Collins apart aren't just his groundbreaking ideas but the unconventional choices that shaped his career. In this interview from 2021, Collins unpacks insights from his research, among them: the fact that ideas don't matter as much as people think they do. In fact, he found a negative correlation between starting a business with a great idea and creating a successful and enduring company. The key lies in "clock building" rather than "time telling," that is—creating a system and structure that transcend any one innovation or product. (He uses examples like Sony, which began with a failed rice cooker). Another side to this concept can be summed up with "preserve the core, stimulate progress." When leaders maintain what is core to the company, they can continually evolve their strategies and other aspects and build companies that last.

Turning Trials into Triumph: Ryan Holiday (The Daily Stoic) Sep 04, 2024

Can ancient philosophy be the key to modern success? Ryan Holiday, a leading thinker of his generation, believes so. From NFL quarterbacks to corporate CEOs, many credit Holiday's work with introducing them to the transformative power of Stoic philosophy. In this episode, Ryan talks to Guy about the teachings of the Stoics through the lens of Holiday's influential books, including The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, Stillness Is The Key, and, most recently Right Thing, Right Now. These aren't just bestsellers—they're respected works that have left a lasting impact on leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. But Ryan Holiday's journey wasn't always about philosophy. Before becoming a celebrated author and podcaster (The Daily Stoic) he started his career in marketing, a field that would shape his first book and inform parts of many others. This conversation was recorded in 2021.

When Staying Small Works: Richard Graeter Aug 28, 2024

In a world where scale is, for many, their north star, Graeter's Ice Cream stands out by doing things the old-fashioned way. Richard Graeter, the fourth-generation leader of this iconic family business, talks to Guy about the century-old process that makes their ice cream so special—and why they refuse to give it up. Unlike the huge companies that share their Cincinnati roots (i.e. Kroger and Proctor & Gamble), Graeter’s has chosen to stay small, valuing quality and sustainability over rapid expansion. In this conversation from 2020, Richard shares his journey from aspiring veterinarian to helming a company that prioritizes legacy and craftsmanship, strength and sustainability. Sometimes less really is more.

'The Decency Quotient' in Leadership | Ajay Banga Aug 21, 2024

What does it take to create a winning culture in the workplace? For Ajay Banga, who transformed Mastercard, success is built on more than intelligence and emotional awareness. For him, it's the "Decency Quotient" that is an essential factor in fostering an environment where people feel supported, respected, and empowered to succeed. And, as he tells Guy in this 2019 conversation, it's not only about being kind. How Ajay Banga ran one of the worlds largest companies with an unusual leadership philosophy. And how he turned Mastercard from a credit card company into a company that's known for technology and innovation and data and analytics and A.I.

Simple Change, Big Return: Sonic Drive-In's Cliff Hudson Aug 14, 2024

In today's fast-paced corporate world, the pressure to specialize is immense. But what if focusing on one expertise isn't the key to success? Cliff Hudson, author of Master of None, challenges this very notion, arguing that versatility, not specialization, is the real path to leadership. Hudson's own life story is a testament to this belief. Growing up amidst the instability caused by his father's failed roofing business, Cliff was determined to find a secure career. He began his professional journey as a lawyer, but by 1995, he had risen to become the CEO of Sonic Drive-In, one of America's most iconic fast-food chains. In this conversation that took place between Guy and Cliff in 2020: How a young lawyer transitioned from the courtroom to the boardroom, redefining what it means to be a leader in today's world. Learn what embracing a broader skill set can lead to.

From Lab to C-Suite, Then Turning Around a Startup, ft. George Scangos (Biogen) Aug 07, 2024

For George Scangos, the art of decisive leadership is part of his biology, you could say. Scangos is a former lab researcher who rose to the top of the biotech world. Transitioning from a biology researcher at Yale to a pharmaceutical executive, his journey is a testament to the power of interpersonal skills and strategic thinking. As the CEO of Biogen, he transformed the company's performance, leading it to become one of the top performers in the S&P 500 within his first year. In this 2019 conversation, Scangos unveils his approach to tough decision-making and the culture-shaping strategies that drive success. Chief among those strategies: creating space for people to feel comfortable to fail.

Why Uncertainty Matters: Margaret Heffernan Jul 31, 2024

Margaret Heffernan, an entrepreneur, CEO, executive leadership coach, and author of six books, delves into her often counter-intuitive insights on consensus-building, and decision-making. She and Guy discuss her book, Uncharted: How to Map the Future, where she explains why attempts to predict the future, even with today's AI and Big Data technologies, are often doomed to fail. Instead, Margaret offers alternative strategies for organizations facing an uncertain future—strategies rooted in human creativity and resilience. Plus, the importance of recognizing your inner super chicken. Known for challenging conventional business wisdom, Margaret’s perspective is a refreshing take on how to navigate the complexities of the modern world.

Success Doesn't Teach You Much, ft. Cheryl Bachelder (KFC, Popeye's) Jul 24, 2024

The former CEO of KFC and Popeye's doesn't love talking about success, of which she's had plenty. No, in fact she's more interested in life's stumbles, in the complexity of failures, and what they have to teach her and her team. Her leadership style is highly relational ("I must know you to grow you," she says). Bachelder became President of KFC years later, but a job that started as a major opportunity wound up being a massive failure. In this conversation with Guy Raz from 2020: How Bachelder learned from her failures and went on to turn Popeyes into one of the biggest success stories of the past decade.

'Forget Vision:' Lou Gerstner's IBM Turnaround Jul 17, 2024

The legendary CEOs of the 1990s included Jack Welch of GE and John Chambers of Cisco, who was on our show last season. Another dominant figure was Lou Gerstner of IBM, the first IBM CEO recruited from outside the company. When he became CEO in 1993, IBM was struggling against competitors like Microsoft, Dell, and Compaq. Gerstner famously declared, "The last thing IBM needs right now is a vision," and instead focused on breaking through internal bureaucracy and making tough decisions. His approach transformed IBM, boosting its market cap from 29 billion to 168 billion over nine years. In this 2020 conversation, Lou shares his journey to the CEO role and the principles behind IBM's turnaround.

Why to Put a Chink in Your Own Armor: Brad Smith (Intuit) Jul 10, 2024

Brad Smith, the former CEO and now Chairman of the Board at Intuit, knows first hand why vulnerability and failure are intrinsic to good leadership. At one point in his career he lost $40 million for a company and then...got promoted. Smith, heavily influenced by his father's wisdom (i.e. "put a chink in your own armor") leaned into the power of authenticity, humility, and vulnerability to inspire others. At Intuit, Smith led the company through one of its most significant transformations, reinventing it into a high-powered cloud-based platform and reigniting a startup culture within a decades-old software firm. In this 2019 conversation, leadership principles meet real-world application. The watchwords? Authenticity and vision.

The Importance of a Near Miss: Sarah Lewis (Harvard) Jul 03, 2024

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, a Harvard professor of History of Art and Architecture and African and African American Studies, joins Guy to discuss the role of failure in achieving mastery. Dr. Lewis, author of "The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery," delves into the concept of the “ever onward almost” in art, athletics, and business leadership. Learn more from this 2022 conversation about how failure can be a powerful catalyst for success.

More about Dr. Lewis: She served on President Obama's Arts Policy Committee, and is the creator of the Vision and Justice project, which explores the intersection of visual art, race, social justice, and democracy. Dr. Lewis's project has led to an exhibition, an award-winning Aperture magazine issue, a popular TED Talk, and a Harvard class that's now part of the core curriculum.

Mentions:

--Franklin Leonard, who co-hosts The Black List Podcast. More info here: http://luminary.link/blacklist

From Intern to CEO: Greg Wasson (Walgreens) Jun 26, 2024

Greg Wasson jokes that he wanted to be a pharmacist because his two great uncles, both pharmacists, drove big Cadillacs. The Indiana native was, though, seriously inspired to enter the pharmacy school at Purdue. But before he even finished his degree, he started climbing the corporate ladder at Walgreens. New opportunities kept coming his way, and he eventually made it all the way to CEO during a tough time for the company. In this 2020 conversation, Guy explores with Greg the strategies Wasson used to evolve and grow the company into a set of community-focused health destinations.

Purpose-Driven Leadership: Capital One's Sanjiv Yajnik Jun 19, 2024

Sanjiv Yajnik, is someone who embraces risk and adapts to change with remarkable resilience. Sanjiv's career began as a marine engineer, spending over a decade at sea, working for major shipping companies. His dedication and all-in approach to engineering propelled his maritime career. However, Sanjiv took a bold leap, leaving his promising career in India to move to Canada and pursue an MBA. Today, Sanjiv serves as the President of Financial Services at Capital One, renowned for his purpose-driven leadership and agile risk management. How a young man from Calcutta navigated from 13 years at sea to helping steer one of the most influential financial institutions.

Never Stop Improving: Lowe’s Marvin Ellison Jun 12, 2024

Marvin Ellison is one of the few Black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company. In this episode he shares his remarkable journey from retail security guard to CEO of two major corporations. Known for taking on the toughest jobs that others shied away from, Ellison became the go-to leader for companies like J.C. Penney and now Lowe’s during precarious times. He firmly believes that limiting failure also limits success. Discover the depth of his philosophy and leadership insights in this compelling 2019 conversation.

Why Some Never Break Through: Greg McKeown ('Effortless' and 'Essentialism') Jun 05, 2024

Leadership strategist, business speaker, podcaster, and author Greg McKeown (New York Times bestsellers Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and Effortless: Make It Easier To Do What Matters Most) writes about ideas and strategies that explain, at least in part, why some break through to the next level while others don’t. His philosophy, "Essentialism," is all about recognizing what's truly important--what matters most, then prioritizing it, and cutting out the rest. Greg's ideas apply not just in the workplace but also in personal life, offering a helpful framework for every important decision. If you've got decision fatigue, this 2021 conversation Guy had with Greg is the perfect motivator.

Leadership for Innovation: Bill George (Medtronic) May 29, 2024

Initially reluctant to go to Medtronic, his time at that company ultimately became a life changing experience for Bill George. Not only did he usher the company into the Fortune 500 and grow the enterprise value of the company by 60x, he really started to lock in on his growing passion to influence leadership. Then, his career took a turn toward academia and the study and teaching of leadership at Harvard Business School. (In fact, Guy actually took Bill George's class at Harvard in 2008, This conversation took place in 2020). Of the many books Bill George has authored, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership has become a seminal book in leadership studies. "Instead of exerting power over people," he says "empowerment is the way to go."

The Solution to Overthinking: John Acuff of 'Soundtracks' May 22, 2024

Author, podcaster and speaker Jon Acuff, known for his humorous approach to leadership and goal-setting, is the author of seven best-selling books. The son of a Baptist minister, Jon worked as a copywriter throughout his twenties. His blog “Stuff Christians Like” caught the attention of personal finance guru Dave Ramsey (also a guest on Wisdom From the Top) who helped him launch a new career as an author and speaker. His self-help book, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking, was released in April 2021, around the same time he joined Guy Raz for a conversation that may make you ask yourself if your goals are "fun enough," among other things.

Leading From "We," Not "I" -- David Novak (Yum! Brands) May 15, 2024

David Novak has been a driving force behind brands like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, and he co-founded YUM! Brands Inc., one of the biggest players in the quick service restaurant industry. He's written bestsellers including Taking People With You, The Education of an Accidental CEO, and his latest, co-authored with Jason Goldsmith, titled Take Charge of You: How Self Coaching Can Transform Your Life and Career. In this conversation from 2022, Novak shares with Guy how he learned to lead by bringing everybody along with him.

Failing Forward is Key: Andrea Jung of Grameen America May 08, 2024

One of the things Andrea Jung remembers Steve Jobs saying was "fail forward." If you don't fail you're not risking enough. For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending. In this classic conversation from 2020, Andrea and Guy mine the many lessons she has learned from more than twenty years of running organizations that empower women--by supporting them as entrepreneurs.

Do Less to Work Better: Morten Hansen May 01, 2024

When he was a young management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, Morten Hansen put in long hours–up to 90 a week, regularly. The highest performer in his office, however, was a colleague who clocked significantly less hours and rarely came in on weekends. This experience helped inspire Hansen’s research on work and is a central topic in his latest book, Great at Work: How top performers do less, work better, and achieve more. Join Morten and Guy as they explore the ideas around how to make a greater impact by doing less.

How to Succeed Using Empathy: Maria Ross Apr 24, 2024

When Maria Ross was trying to teach her son that empathy was a way to success, the world around them seemed to be sending the exact opposite message. So Ross took her years of experience as a management and brand consultant to make the case for empathy not as a moral imperative, but as a business strategy. It's an equation worth studying. Here, in her 2021 conversation with Guy Raz, she describes the way she turned her research into a book called The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success.

Don't Waste Your Failures: Erling Kagge Apr 17, 2024

Explorer, writer, and publisher Erling Kagge came from a childhood enriched by an artistic household (the likes of Chet Baker and Eubie Blake once visited his home) and by ready access to nature. He was the first person to complete the Three Poles Challenge -- reaching the South Pole, the North Pole, and the top of Mt. Everest -- on foot. He talks about what a life of extreme exploration has taught him about silence and the value of failure.

Mastering Crisis is Everything: Jeff Jones of H&R Block, Uber, Target Apr 10, 2024

Jeff Jones has had a few front row seats to crisis. From the 2013 Target data breach to a tumultuous period at Uber, he’s helped navigate companies out of some tough situations. So, when Jeff became the President and CEO of H&R Block in 2017, he was prepared. How a young man from West Virginia went from being an ad guy to heading one of the biggest tax preparation companies in the US during a global economic downturn and public health crisis (this conversation took place in 2020; the lessons to any business leader are timeless).

Back to Center: Target's Brian Cornell Apr 03, 2024

There was a devastating data breach, a failing foray into Canada, and they were losing US customers fast. In 2014, Target seriously needed a win—Brian Cornell was that win. He’d turned around plenty of other retailers like Safeway, Michael’s, and Sam’s Club, but this time he was thinking bigger. In this 2019 conversation: Playing the long game to make Target a brand that lasts.

How You Win by Failing: Sarah Robb O’Hagan Mar 27, 2024

Sarah Robb O'Hagan is brutally honest about the many, many times she messed up on the way to transforming Gatorade. She was a rabble-rouser at Virgin, which ended with her getting fired. She took a job at Atari, even though she hated video games. How those disasters made her into the right executive to pull Gatorade out of double-digit declines.

Jacqueline Novogratz (Acumen): When to Listen, When to Lead Mar 20, 2024

When the COO of Chase Bank told Jacqueline Novogratz that she had the potential for a high level career at Chase, she knew she had to quit her job. She continued to use the skills she learned from investment banking, and used them to change the way the world sees capitalism and philanthropy. Today Acumen has delivered more than 100 million dollars in loans, grants, and investments to projects and businesses that help low income people around the world.

It's little wonder that as a child Jacqueline Novogratz was drawn to the stories of saints--or, rather, "narratives about women who directed their own lives," as she tells Guy Raz in this conversation from 2020 (reprised, fittingly, during a month that honors the power and history of women).

Channel Confidence: BET's Debra Lee Mar 13, 2024

Black Entertainment Television launched in 1980--at a time when MTV didn't play Hip hop or "urban music. Not only did BET fill a vital programming void, it was the first Black-owned business traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and it helped make the first Black Billionaire in the US (Bob Johnson). Debra Lee, a young Harvard-educated lawyer drawn to the company’s mission, was recruited by Johnson early on, eventually taking his place as CEO. Lee was pivotal in turning the small, revolutionary cable station into an industry staple.

In honor of the 55th NAACP Image Awards, which air on BET, listen to this excellent 2019 conversation with Lee about what she learned in her 30+-year tenure at BET Networks.

The Hardest Decisions, ft. Leena Nair Mar 06, 2024

Growing up in a small town in India, Leena Nair overheard her mother say it was too bad Leena was born a girl, because it meant her smarts and talents would go to waste. But Nair went on to join Hindustan Unilever, becoming the first female manager to work on a factory floor, the first woman to serve on the management committee, and the youngest-ever executive director. She has since gone on to the role of CEO at Chanel. When Guy Raz had this conversation with Nair in 2020 she was Unilever’s Chief Human Resource Officer, overseeing the company’s 170,000-plus global workforce during the COVID-19 crisis - a crisis that she said has been one of the greatest challenge of her career.

Take Risks, Break Barriers: Shellye Archambeau Feb 28, 2024

Shellye Archambeau knew as a teenager she wanted to grow up and become a CEO. But when Shellye started as an undergraduate at the Wharton School of Business in 1980, there were just two female CEOs of large corporations, and none of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies were Black. Despite the lack of representation, Shellye became the first Black woman to lead a division of IBM overseas. She broke barriers and took risks leading to a successful career with leadership positions at Blockbuster, Zaplet and MetricStream. In this 2022 conversation with Guy Raz, Shellye discusses her book Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms, and details both her singular approach to leadership and her advice for taking ownership of one’s career.

Amex Change Agent: Kenneth Chenault Feb 21, 2024

When a mentor, and now friend, told Kenneth Chenault during a hiring process at American Express that he was "looking for catalytic agents of change," it struck a deep chord--because it's exactly what Chenault wanted to be. Kenneth Chenault learned early on to only worry about the things he could control; this helped him when life—and business at American Express—threw unpredictable events his way. In this 2020 interview, he tells Guy how he broke barriers as the company’s first African American CEO and helped turn AmEx from a traveler’s check company into a credit card powerhouse.

The Gospel of Slow Growth, ft. Jason Fried Feb 14, 2024

Jason Fried, the CEO and co-founder of 37signals (maker of Basecamp) doesn’t want you to come to meetings. He insists that you work no more than 40 hours a week; 36 in the summer. He doesn’t really want you coming to the office either…and this approach has helped make Basecamp hugely successful. In this episode, Fried describes how he’s built an institution by bucking a lot of conventional wisdom.

Lead Más: Taco Bell's Mark King Feb 07, 2024

On taking what you learn shaking up one industry and applying it to an entirely different industry: Mark King has a reputation for turning businesses around by moving fast on innovative, and sometimes expensive, endeavors. Before his current tenure as CEO of Taco Bell, Mark served as president for Adidas’ long-stagnant North American division, reinvigorating the brand with major athletic sponsorships and a deal with Kanye West. From 2003 to 2014, King was CEO of TaylorMade, which under his leadership became the most profitable golf company in the world.

Finding Work with Meaning, ft Ken Coleman Jan 31, 2024

Ken Coleman calls himself “America’s Career Coach.” In his syndicated call-in show, and in books like The Proximity Principle and One Question, Coleman helps people think about what kind of work they would find meaningful, and how they can connect with people that will help get them into that work. Coleman came about the knowledge he imparts honestly: he spent about a decade working different jobs before he found his real calling in broadcasting. In this encore episode, he poses a simple question: what do you wonder about doing? Learn more about why that question is so powerful.

How to Build Confidence via Strangers, ft. Joe Keohane Jan 24, 2024

Joe Keohane is a longtime journalist and editor who believes that talking to strangers can not only help people feel happier and more empathetic, but can actually make the world a better place. In his first book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting In A Suspicious World, Joe talks to psychologists, anthropologists and plenty of strangers to prove it. In this encore episode, Guy and Joe explore why the lost art of connecting is now so important for our personal and professional well-being.

Why Generalists Succeed: David Epstein Jan 17, 2024

David Epstein is a science writer and investigative reporter. His articles have spanned a wide range of topics, from crime and violence, to athletes using steroids, to the intersection of science and the Olympics. And, he’s the author of the books The Sports Gene and Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. But, before all of that, David studied geology and ran on Columbia University’s track team as a walk-on. In this encore episode, follow the thread: David went from star athlete to discovering that having a wide range of interests leads to more successful outcomes -- in sports and in life.

Tiny Habits, Big Rewards: BJ Fogg Jan 10, 2024

What does it take for a person to change? BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford’s Behavior Design Lab, says the key to behavior change isn’t what we’ve always been taught. In Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything Fogg draws upon true experiments--from his lab and his life--to outline a system anyone can use to create good habits or unravel the bad. In this episode, originally published in 2021: the invaluable lessons about making change through design and celebration.

Machiavelli for Women: Stacey Vanek Smith Jan 03, 2024

Stacey Vanek Smith has reported on business and the economy for over 15 years now, first for public radio’s “Marketplace,” and as the host of Planet Money’s daily podcast “The Indicator.” Over that time, she’s seen the same barriers blocking advancement for women in the workplace again and again. Recently, she’s started to recognize that a lot of tools to move past those barriers can be found in the work of Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. Vanek Smith lays out these solutions in her book, Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace.

Black Magic: Chad Sanders on Black Leadership Dec 27, 2023

Throughout his life, Chad Sanders found himself having to navigate white culture; at school, in the tech industry, and eventually in his career in entertainment. He learned to cope with the frustration of having to do that by writing, and he wrote his first screenplay at a cafe just across the street from Spike Lee’s studio in Brooklyn—where he would run into Spike himself. Chad would come to realize that though his experiences related to racial inequity left him with real trauma, they also equipped him and other Black leaders with certain entrepreneurial skills. Chad writes about these skills in the book Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph.

No Animals Were Harmed: American Humane CEO Robin Ganzert Dec 20, 2023

When Robin Ganzert joined American Humane as it’s new president and CEO, she thought she was helming one of the oldest and best known animal welfare organizations in the US. What she didn’t know was that American Humane was $12.2 million dollars in debt following the 2009 financial crisis. By running the non-profit more like a for-profit, Robin fixed American Humane’s finances while changing its work culture and branding.

To Win, Tell a Story: Foot Locker w/ Ken Hicks Dec 13, 2023

When Ken Hicks became CEO of Foot Locker in 2009 the company didn’t have a leg to stand on: the economy was in a recession, sales were down almost a billion dollars, and the brand was widely expected to collapse along with indoor shopping malls themselves. How Hicks used a commitment to better storytelling to help Foot Locker get back on the right foot.

Etsy: Josh Silverman Dec 06, 2023

Josh Silverman built Evite and turned around eBay. Then, in 2017, Etsy came calling. The online marketplace for creative goods was in deep trouble. Growth had plateaued and the company was on the verge of being sold. Josh stepped in as CEO and got the team focused on one simple metric that made all the difference. Originally published in 2020.

Cultivating a Culture of Candor: Kim Scott Nov 29, 2023

Since 1992, Kim Scott has worked in almost all levels of management—from a diamond business in Moscow to startups in the Silicon Valley to leading teams at Google. Along the way, she developed a management philosophy called “radical candor” that calls for “caring personally while challenging directly.” Kim has since provided CEO coaching at Dropbox, Qualtrics, and Twitter and is the author of several popular leadership books. Originally published in 2022, this conversation still resonates today.

A New Way to Think: Roger Martin Nov 22, 2023

Over a career spanning four decades, Roger Martin has been a management consultant, an influential business strategy thinker and author, as well as the Dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. He advises CEOs of global companies such as Ford, Proctor & Gamble, and Lego. He is well known for developing and exploring the concept of “integrative thinking” in management problem solving and for troubling conventional management wisdom as he does in his newest book, A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness. In this episode, Martin challenges the relentless drive for efficiency and advocates for a re-think in approach. This conversation was originally published in May of 2022.

Marvel: Peter Cuneo Nov 15, 2023

When Peter Cuneo joined Marvel as CEO in 1999, it was a struggling publishing house teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Ten years later, Disney bought Marvel for $4.5 billion. Cuneo tells his unlikely origin story and how he became the "turnaround superhero."

The Campbell Soup Company: Doug Conant Oct 04, 2023

In 2001, Campbell's Soup was in freefall: the company's value had halved and employee engagement was at an all-time low. Doug Conant knew he could salvage the iconic company, but first, things were going to have to get worse. How he used self-taught leadership, diversity, and inclusion to energize his employees and save Campbell's.

Covey Leadership Center: Stephen M. R. Covey Sep 27, 2023

Back in the 1980s, Stephen R. Covey anticipated a new kind of leadership with his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It wasn't the table-pounding, charismatic kind of leadership, but an empathetic one, which prioritized listening and collaboration. Guy speaks with Covey's son Stephen M.R. Covey, who has played a central role in spreading his father's teachings around the world, and has also written several influential leadership books of his own.

Autodesk: Carl Bass Sep 20, 2023

Carl Bass, a renegade and reluctant executive, took the helm at Autodesk and steered the company out of the global economic crisis. At one point, he was so sure it would fail that he was desperate to find a buyer. Instead, he put his own money at risk to try a whole new business model.

United Talent Agency: Jeremy Zimmer Sep 13, 2023

Jeremy Zimmer was not supposed to be heading one of the "big four" talent agencies in Hollywood. As a child, he struggled in school and eventually dropped out of college to become a parking lot hustler, making money running schemes as a valet and spending nights partying. But that all stopped suddenly one day when he was violently attacked on the job. When he got back on his feet, he found new focus and began his improbable rise to the top of the talent agency world.

Macy's: Terry Lundgren Sep 06, 2023

Terry Lundgren, former CEO of Neiman Marcus and Macy's, has been instrumental in shaping the American retail landscape, but the road to bringing two notoriously competitive retail giants together wasn't easy. How he merged famous department rivals, double-downed on retail, and turned Macy's into the first nationwide department store in the United States.

Carnival Corporation: Arnold Donald Aug 30, 2023

How a New Orleans native turned around a cruise company sinking from a public relations disaster... to one of the most valuable brands in its industry. When Arnold Donald took over Carnival Corporation and the nine cruise lines it operates, one of the biggest things he did was build a new leadership team. Seven of the cruise lines got new heads, including more women and minorities. He says that "diversity of thinking is a business imperative and a powerful advantage," and that you get better ideas and new growth opportunities when your leadership is diverse.

PayPal: Dan Schulman Aug 23, 2023

Mixing business and social justice isn't a strategy most companies are willing to adopt, which is why Dan Schulman's actions as CEO of PayPal have garnered so much attention. In 2016, he canceled a plan for an operations center in North Carolina after the state passed its infamous "bathroom bill." Schulman champions his "employee first" strategy and has raised wages and benefits for PayPal's workforce. His leadership has proved that activism doesn't have to come at the cost of PayPal's bottom line.

GE: Beth Comstock Aug 16, 2023

Beth Comstock is comfortable with change. In college, she wanted to be a doctor, but organic chemistry wasn't her strong suit, so she shifted to journalism. When journalism didn't work out, she started working in publicity. So, when GE bought NBC in 1986 right as Beth was starting her career in advertising, she was ready to adapt again. She worked her way to becoming CMO of GE and then, the company's first female Vice Chair of Business Innovations.

Lego: Jørgen Vig Knudstorp Aug 09, 2023

For years, it was a secret: the family that owned Lego was actually losing money on the company. The man who built the company back up into one of the biggest toymakers in the world, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, reveals his controversial plan that led Lego back to profitability. It leaned on something that has always been Lego's strength: the creativity and passion of the children and adults who love to play with Lego.

General Stanley McChrystal Aug 02, 2023

General Stanley McChrystal was born into a military family: three generations of men in his family were officers in the armed forces. He followed the family tradition and eventually rose up the ranks to become a General in the Army. While serving as the commander of Allied Forces in Afghanistan in 2010, he was forced to resign after he was quoted making disparaging remarks about President Obama. It was in the wake of this moment that General McChrystal learned the value of leadership.

NASA: Ellen Ochoa Jul 26, 2023

After one of the most deadly disasters in the history of space flight, Ellen Ochoa was a leader in NASA's recovery. She fixed the technical things that went wrong, but the most critical changes, she says, were human. Why she thinks it's important to make sure that naysayers always have a voice, and how to encourage employees to do something very difficult: disagree with the boss.

Avon: Andrea Jung Jul 19, 2023

For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending.

Built to Last: Jim Collins Jul 12, 2023

It's not an understatement to say that Jim Collins is one of the most influential business writers in modern history. Collins, however, thinks of himself more as a researcher than an author. Each of his books, which includes Good to Great, Built to Last, and his newest, BE 2.0, requires five or six years of crunching data before the writing can begin. But what's even more remarkable about Collins is his own background, and how he built a career out of making unorthodox choices.

PepsiCo: Indra Nooyi Jul 05, 2023

After becoming the CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, Indra Nooyi became the first woman and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company. From Chennai, India, to Yale's School of Management, Nooyi worked her way up from The Boston Consulting Group, Motorola, and ASEA Brown Boveri before eventually landing at PepsiCo, overseeing the global operation of its countless drinks, snacks, and restaurants. Nooyi's memoir, My Life in Full, details her legendary career, exploring her extraordinary personal journey and the demands of being one of the most powerful women on the planet.

Best Buy: Hubert Joly Jun 28, 2023

In 2012, to say there was a crisis at Best Buy — is an understatement. In January, Forbes published an article with the headline: WHY BEST BUY IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. And then, in March, the company reported a loss of $1.7 billion. In April, the CEO resigned because of an "inappropriate relationship" with an employee. Hubert Joly stepped in, determined to fix Best Buy, and he started by valuing the people who work there.

BET: Debra Lee Jun 21, 2023

Black Entertainment Television helped make the first Black billionaire in the US and was the first Black-owned business traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Debra Lee, a young lawyer drawn to the company's mission, was pivotal in turning the small, revolutionary cable station into an industry staple. Growing BET and finding confidence as a CEO amid cultural controversy.

Continental Airlines: Gordon Bethune Jun 14, 2023

Gordon Bethune took an unlikely path to becoming a leader in the airline industry. A self-described "hoodlum," Bethune dropped out of high school, joined the Navy, and became an airplane mechanic. With that experience, he gave Continental Airlines a tune-up, pulling it out of bankruptcy and guiding it through the deep uncertainty that followed the September 11th attacks.

Mastercard: Ajay Banga Jun 07, 2023

How Ajay Banga ran one of the world's largest companies with an unusual leadership philosophy... something he calls "the decency quotient." And how he turned Mastercard from a credit card company into a company that's known for technology, innovation, data, analytics, and A.I.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Cheryl Bachelder May 31, 2023

Cheryl Bachelder decided to go into business after an early setback derailed her potential career in music education. She became President of KFC years later, but a job that started as a major opportunity wound up being a massive failure. How Bachelder learned from her failures and went on to turn Popeyes into one of the biggest success stories of the past decade.

General David Petraeus May 24, 2023

General David Petraeus took on a uniquely complex leadership challenge in Iraq in the aftermath of the U.S.-led war there. He oversaw the training of a new and entirely Iraqi army. He says that the key to leadership is first getting the big ideas right, then constantly refining them, and communicating them across the whole organization.

Peloton: Dara Treseder May 17, 2023

As a child growing up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Dara Treseder was often told to get her head out of the clouds. But her mother encouraged her to dream big and to follow her ambition if it would lead her to contentment. For Treseder, that meant moving across the world to attend both Harvard and Stanford, and chasing a deeply-held desire to make a positive impact on the world. Her career in marketing began with stints at Apple and Goldman Sachs. Then, in 2020, she became SVP, Head of Global Marketing and Communications at Peloton. Today, she is one of the most influential marketing leaders of her generation.

Marvel: Peter Cuneo May 10, 2023

Today, Marvel is one of the most substantial forces in American media, but when Peter Cuneo joined the company as CEO in 1999, it was a struggling publishing house teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Ten years later, Disney bought Marvel for $4.5 billion. Cuneo tells his unlikely origin story and how he became the "turnaround superhero."

Lowe's: Marvin Ellison May 03, 2023

Marvin Ellison took the tough jobs nobody wanted, and it got him from retail security guard all the way to CEO of two Fortune 500s. Now, when things are precarious, companies like JCPenney and Lowe's call him in. Marvin Ellison says that limiting failure limits success. Find out exactly what he means in this episode.

Gap: Mickey Drexler Apr 26, 2023

When Gap was failing, Mickey Drexler didn't just increase sales. He made it into a pop culture staple of the 80s and 90s. But that wasn't enough to keep him from getting fired. At his next job, he was not just the CEO. He bought stock with his own personal money to bolster J.Crew.

Uncharted: Margaret Heffernan Apr 19, 2023

Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO, executive leadership coach, and author of six books. Her often counter-intuitive insights on collaboration, consensus-building, and decision-making have earned her a reputation as a smart thinker who challenges conventional business wisdom. In her latest book, Uncharted: How to Map the Future, Margaret explains why attempts to predict the future, even in today's world of AI and Big Data technologies, are often doomed to failure. She offers alternative strategies for organizations facing an uncertain future — strategies based on human creativity and resilience.

Zelnick Media Capital: Strauss Zelnick Apr 12, 2023

Strauss Zelnick has a real knack for saving companies in crisis. A Hollywood wunderkind, he's led major film studios, record labels, and gaming companies since his early 30s. How he turned a small, self-financed Zelnick Media Capital into an industry powerhouse and why he thinks developing relationships and humility are critical to success.

Biogen: George Scangos Apr 05, 2023

How do you get from the cubicle to the C-Suite? George Scangos started out doing scientific research, but he says his people skills got him all the way to the CEO's office at one of the biggest biotech companies in the world.

Docusign: Keith Krach Mar 29, 2023

When Keith Krach first heard of Docusign, he knew it could be huge. He was convinced it would capture one of the biggest markets ever seen. He also knew exactly the play he needed to run to get it there, based on his decades of experience in the C-suite. He shares the secrets he collected over the years so Docusign could, as he says, "go mach 3 with our hair on fire."

Zenefits: Jay Fulcher Mar 22, 2023

Why growth isn't always good, and how to infuse integrity into a toxic company culture. Zenefits was on its way to a multi-billion dollar valuation but, behind the scenes, it was all about to come crashing down. When Jay Fulcher was called in to save the company, his first job was laying off almost half its employees.

Harvard Business School: Bill George, author of 'True North' Mar 15, 2023

When Bill George was a kid, he didn't dream of becoming a pro-athlete or an astronaut or a famous musician. Instead, he imagined the Fortune 500 companies he would lead as CEO. He achieved the dream when he took a medical technology company called Medtronic from a fledgling operation to a Fortune 500 company in 10 years. Yet, he was unsatisfied and felt lost. Then, his career took a turn toward academia and the study of leadership. His book, True North, has become a seminal book in leadership studies.

H&R Block: Jeff Jones Mar 08, 2023

Jeff Jones is no stranger to crisis. From the 2013 Target data breach to a tumultuous period at Uber, he's helped navigate companies out of some tough situations. So, when Jeff became the President and CEO of H&R Block in 2017, he was prepared. How a young man from West Virginia went from being an ad guy to heading one of the biggest tax preparation companies in the US during a global economic downturn.

Qualcomm: Steve Mollenkopf Mar 01, 2023

Steve Mollenkopf started working as an engineer at Qualcomm right out of college. After ascending to the top of the Engineering division, Mollenkopf thought that he'd reached his peak promotion in the company — that is, until he became CEO and led the company through some of its highest and lowest moments.

Dave Ramsey Feb 22, 2023

Dave Ramsey learned about debt the hard way: he'd made money, lost money, and declared bankruptcy, all before his 30th birthday. How he went from selling books out of his trunk to becoming a best-selling author and financial advisor to millions.

Foot Locker: Ken Hicks Feb 15, 2023

When Ken Hicks became CEO of Foot Locker in 2009, the company didn't have a leg to stand on: the economy was in a recession, sales were down almost a billion dollars, and the brand was widely expected to collapse along with indoor shopping malls themselves. How Hicks used a commitment to better storytelling to help Foot Locker get back on the right foot.

Basecamp: Jason Fried Feb 08, 2023

Jason Fried, the CEO and co-founder of Basecamp, doesn't want you to come to meetings. He insists that you work no more than 40 hours a week; 36 in the summer. He doesn't really want you coming to the office either... and this approach has helped make Basecamp hugely successful. In this episode, Fried describes how he's built an institution by bucking a lot of conventional wisdom.

Graeter's (Ice Cream): Richard Graeter Feb 01, 2023

There are a few dirty little secrets about the way modern ice cream is made, but Graeter's ice cream is different. They use a process that's well over one hundred years old, even though that means the company has to stay small. Richard Graeter is part of the fourth generation to run this family company, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

GE: Beth Comstock Jan 25, 2023

Beth Comstock is comfortable with change. In college, she wanted to be a doctor, but organic chemistry wasn't her strong suit, so she shifted to journalism. When journalism didn't work out, she started working in publicity. So, when GE bought NBC in 1986 right as Beth was starting her career in advertising, she was ready to adapt again. She worked her way to becoming CMO of GE and then, the company's first female Vice Chair of Business Innovations.

Macy's: Terry Lundgren Jan 18, 2023

Terry Lundgren, former CEO of Neiman Marcus and Macy's, has been instrumental in shaping the American retail landscape, but the road to bringing two notoriously competitive retail giants together wasn't easy. How he merged famous department rivals, double-downed on retail, and turned Macy's into the first nationwide department store in the United States.

Marvel: Peter Cuneo Jan 11, 2023

Today, Marvel is one of the most substantial forces in American media, but when Peter Cuneo joined the company as CEO in 1999, it was a struggling publishing house teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Ten years later, Disney bought Marvel for $4.5 billion. Cuneo tells his unlikely origin story and how he became the "turnaround superhero."

Covey Leadership Center: Stephen M. R. Covey Jan 04, 2023

Back in the 1980s, Stephen R. Covey anticipated a new kind of leadership with his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It wasn't the table-pounding, charismatic kind of leadership, but an empathetic one, which prioritized listening and collaboration. Guy speaks with Covey's son, Stephen M.R. Covey, who has played a central role in spreading his father's teachings around the world, and has also written several influential leadership books of his own.

Honeywell: David Cote Dec 28, 2022

When David Cote started working in manufacturing, he was a self-described "wrench turner, the lowest on the totem pole." He worked his way up through the ranks of GE, and was eventually offered the helm of mega conglomerate Honeywell. At the time, Honeywell was losing employees, struggling with mounting debt, and facing major environmental liability suits. Inspired by the ultra-efficient operational structure of Japanese companies like Toyota, Cote righted Honeywell in what has been called one of the most historic turnarounds in manufacturing history.

Sonic: Cliff Hudson Dec 21, 2022

Cliff Hudson's childhood was marked by instability. At a young age, he watched his family struggle to recover after his father's roofing business collapsed. So, after college, he was determined to find a safe and stable job. In 1984, Cliff was hired to be a lawyer at Sonic Drive-In. Then, in 1995, he became CEO. How a young man went from a law office to running one of America's most iconic fast-food chains.

Dunkin' Donuts: Bob Rosenberg Dec 14, 2022

In 1963, Bob Rosenberg became CEO of his father's company, Dunkin' Donuts, at age 25. About a decade later, after an overly-ambitious expansion put the company in jeopardy, the board almost threw him out. But Bob matured into his leadership role, developed Dunkin' Donuts into an international success, and accumulated experience from a career spanning 35 years.

Acumen: Jacqueline Novogratz Dec 07, 2022

When the COO of Chase Bank told Jacqueline Novogratz that she had the potential for a high level career at Chase, she knew she had to quit her job. She continued to use the skills she learned from investment banking to change the way the world sees capitalism and philanthropy. Today, Acumen has delivered more than 100 million dollars in loans, grants, and investments to projects and businesses that help low income people around the world.

PayPal: Dan Schulman Nov 30, 2022

Mixing business and social justice isn't a strategy most companies are willing to adopt, which is why Dan Schulman's actions as CEO of PayPal have garnered so much attention. In 2016, he canceled a plan for an operations center in North Carolina after the state passed its infamous "bathroom bill." Schulman champions his "employee first" strategy and has raised wages and benefits for PayPal's workforce. His leadership has proved that activism doesn't have to come at the cost of PayPal's bottom line.

Perdue Farms: Jim Perdue Nov 23, 2022

Jim Perdue wasn't that interested in becoming a third-generation head of the family meat processing business. Still, he became CEO in 1991 and his leadership turned out to be pivotal for building Perdue Farms into a nationwide brand. How Perdue navigated changing consumer habits and corporate management styles to turn a regional poultry producer into a 7 billion dollar company.

Gensler: Diane Hoskins Nov 16, 2022

For as long as Diane Hoskins can remember, she wanted to be an architect. It began with Legos as a child, and eventually led her all the way to architecture giant, Gensler— an unusual company with two CEOs. One CEO is based in Los Angeles, and the other CEO, Hoskins, is based in Washington, DC. Together, they've created a unique leadership model where hierarchies don't really matter and internal collaboration— not internal competition— is rewarded.

Continental Airlines: Gordon Bethune Nov 09, 2022

Gordon Bethune took an unlikely path to becoming a leader in the airline industry. A self-described "hoodlum," Bethune dropped out of high school, joined the Navy, and became an airplane mechanic. With that experience, he gave Continental Airlines a tune-up, pulling it out of bankruptcy and guiding it through the deep uncertainty that followed the September 11th attacks.

Etsy: Josh Silverman Nov 02, 2022

Josh Silverman built Evite and turned around eBay. Then, in 2017, Etsy came calling. The online marketplace for creative goods was in deep trouble. Growth had plateaued and the company was on the verge of being sold. Josh stepped in as CEO and got the team focused on one simple metric that made all the difference.

Cisco Systems: John Chambers Oct 26, 2022

Cisco was growing at breakneck speed when the tech bubble burst in 2001. As an industry veteran, CEO John Chambers knew firsthand that no company was immune to failure. Anticipating the need to transition, and using a '100 year flood' as an opportunity to rise to the top of the market.

Tiny Habits: BJ Fogg Oct 20, 2022

What does it take for a person to change? BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford's Behavior Design Lab, says the key to behavior change isn't what we've always been taught. In Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, Fogg draws upon true experiments — from his lab and his life — to outline a system anyone can use to create good habits or unravel the bad. In this episode: on making change through design and celebration.

United Talent Agency: Jeremy Zimmer Oct 12, 2022

Jeremy Zimmer was not supposed to be heading one of the "big four" talent agencies in Hollywood. As a child he struggled in school and eventually dropped out of college to become a parking lot hustler, making money running schemes as a valet and spending nights partying. But that all stopped suddenly one day when he was violently attacked on the job. When he got back on his feet he found new focus and began his improbable rise to the top of the talent agency world.

HHS: Sylvia Mathews Burwell Oct 05, 2022

When Sylvia Mathews Burwell was appointed Secretary of HHS in 2014, Health and Human Services — the agency responsible for administering Obamacare — was already under intense scrutiny. And the crises just kept coming: a government shutdown, unaccompanied minors at the border, Ebola and Zika. How she found compromise amidst crisis, and mastered preparing for the unexpected.

Effortless: Greg McKeown Sep 28, 2022

Leadership strategist and business speaker Greg McKeown is the author of two New York Times-bestselling books: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and Effortless: Make It Easier To Do What Matters Most. The core of McKeown's philosophy of "Essentialism" is to identify what is absolutely essential — and then work to prioritize that, and eliminate everything else. McKeown encourages readers to recognize the trade-offs inherent in trying to "do it all so you can have it all." His framework is helpful for every important decision — in both the professional arena, and the personal.

Gates Foundation: Melinda Gates Sep 21, 2022

Running the world's wealthiest charitable foundation is all about tough choices. During her meteoric rise at Microsoft, Melinda Gates never guessed she'd spend decades trying to solve global problems. Learning to give by asking the right questions and accepting the limits of your own impact.

The Rise: Sarah Lewis Sep 14, 2022

Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis is Associate Professor of History of Art and Architecture and of African and African American Studies at Harvard. Early in her career, she became fascinated with what she calls "back-turned paintings"--the paintings which artists keep turned around in their studios, thereby shielding them from view. She realized all of them were necessary steps in the artists' pursuit of mastery. Dr. Lewis talks about the "ever onward almost" on the path to mastering painting, writing, archery, filmmaking, and, yes, business leadership.

Intuit: Brad Smith Sep 07, 2022

Why isn't Intuit dead? The key was transforming it into a "36 year old start up," says former CEO Brad Smith. Giving people the chance to make an impact, he says, is vital to energizing a workforce. How he lost $40 million and got promoted, and why vulnerability and failure are intrinsic to good leadership.

College Board: David Coleman Aug 31, 2022

In this special live episode, how David Coleman leveraged criticism to revamp the SAT, revive the College Board, and introduce new ways to battle education inequality. The ACT was fast becoming the college entrance heavyweight when he came in to lead the College Board, and the SAT was on 'the brink of elimination.' For many years, detractors argued the test favored the white and wealthy, but Coleman found ways to make it more fair and more popular.

Unapologetically Ambitious: Shellye Archambeau Aug 24, 2022

Shellye Archambeau knew as a teenager she wanted to grow up and become a CEO. But when Shellye started as an undergraduate at the Wharton School of Business in 1980, there were just two female CEOs of large corporations, and none of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies were Black. Despite the lack of representation, Shellye became the first Black woman to lead a division of IBM overseas. She broke barriers and took risks leading to a successful career with leadership positions at Blockbuster, Zaplet and MetricStream. Shellye's book, Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms, details her singular approach to leadership, and her advice for taking ownership of one's career.

Walgreens: Greg Wasson Aug 17, 2022

Greg Wasson was an aspiring pharmacist with dreams of building his own pharmacy, but before he'd even finished his degree, he found himself climbing the corporate ladder at Walgreens. Bigger opportunities at the company opened up, and he continued to climb, until he eventually reached the CEO chair during a difficult moment in the company's history.

Autodesk: Carl Bass Aug 10, 2022

Carl Bass, a renegade and reluctant executive, took the helm at Autodesk, and steered the company out of the global economic crisis. At one point, he was so sure it would fail that he was desperate to find a buyer. Instead, he put his own money at risk to try a whole new business model.

YUM! Brands: David Novak Aug 03, 2022

David Novak has been a driving force behind brands like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, and he co-founded YUM! Brands Inc., one of the biggest players in the quick service restaurant industry. He's written bestsellers including Taking People With You, The Education of an Accidental CEO, and his latest, co-authored with Jason Goldsmith, titled Take Charge of You: How Self Coaching Can Transform Your Life and Career. In this episode: how Novak learned to lead by bringing everybody along with him.

IBM: Lou Gerstner Jul 27, 2022

When Lou Gerstner became the CEO of IBM in 1993, he had never worked for a technology company, and IBM was in big trouble: competitors like Microsoft, Dell, and Compaq were eating up market share. Gerstner took the challenge head-on by reimagining IBM's structure and culture, and eventually helped IBM reclaim its position as a dominant force in the tech industry.

Silence: Erling Kagge Jul 20, 2022

Explorer, writer, and publisher Erling Kagge was the first person to complete the Three Poles Challenge ⁠— reaching the South Pole, the North Pole, and the top of Mt. Everest ⁠— on foot. He talks about what a life of extreme exploration has taught him about silence and the value of failure.

BET: Debra Lee Jul 13, 2022

Black Entertainment Television helped make the first Black billionaire in the US and was the first Black-owned business traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Debra Lee, a young lawyer drawn to the company's mission, was pivotal in turning the small, revolutionary cable station into an industry staple. Growing BET and finding confidence as a CEO amid cultural controversy.

Yahoo: Marissa Mayer Jul 06, 2022

Yahoo had been churning through executives when Marissa Mayer became its 7th CEO in just over 5 years. She left a track record of success at Google to take on a floundering company faced with obsolescence. How she infused value into Yahoo on the eve of its acquisition and why failure should be embraced, not feared.

The Empathy Edge: Maria Ross Jun 29, 2022

In 2016, Maria Ross realized that she was trying to teach her son that empathy was a way to success, when the world around them seemed to be sending the exact opposite message. So she took her years of experience as a management and brand consultant to make the case for empathy not as a moral imperative, but as a business strategy. She turned her research into a book called The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success.

Sprint: Dan Hesse Jun 22, 2022

Customers crave simplicity, Dan Hesse figured out early in his career, as he streamlined phone bills at Sprint. He saved 2 billion dollars, just by taking better care of customers in a few key ways. Plus, just how hard Sprint had to work to get the iPhone on its network, and the movie he hoped would change the company culture.

Tiny Habits: BJ Fogg Jun 15, 2022

What does it take for a person to change? BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford's Behavior Design Lab, says the key to behavior change isn't what we've always been taught. In Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything Fogg draws upon true experiments - from his lab and his life - to outline a system anyone can use to create good habits or unravel the bad. In this episode: on making change through design and celebration.

General David Petraeus Jun 08, 2022

General David Petraeus took on a uniquely complex leadership challenge in Iraq in the aftermath of the U.S.-led war there. He oversaw the training of a new and entirely Iraqi army. He says that the key to leadership is first getting the big ideas right, then constantly refining them, and communicating them across the whole organization.

Carnival Corporation: Arnold Donald Jun 01, 2022

How a New Orleans native turned around a cruise company sinking from a public relations disaster... to one of the most valuable brands in its industry. When Arnold Donald took over Carnival Corporation and the nine cruise lines it operates, one of the biggest things he did was build a new leadership team. Seven of the cruise lines got new heads, including more women and minorities. He says that "diversity of thinking is a business imperative and a powerful advantage," and that you get better ideas and new growth opportunities when your leadership is diverse.

Capital One: Sanjiv Yajnik May 25, 2022

Sanjiv Yajnik is no stranger to taking risks and adapting to change. In fact, he was a marine engineer for more than a decade before deciding to move from India to Canada to pursue an MBA. Since leaving the open sea for the C-suite, he's become known for his purpose-driven leadership and nimble approach to risk management. In this episode: How a young man from Calcutta went from 13 years at sea to being the President of Financial Services at Capital One.

GAP: Mickey Drexler May 18, 2022

When Gap was failing, Mickey Drexler didn't just increase sales. He made it into a pop culture staple of the 80s and 90s. But that wasn't enough to keep him from getting fired. At his next job, he was not just the CEO. He bought stock with his own personal money to bolster J. Crew.

When More Is Not Better: Roger Martin May 11, 2022

Over a career spanning four decades, Roger Martin has been a management consultant, an influential business strategy thinker and author, as well as the Dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. He advises CEOs of global companies such as Ford, Proctor & Gamble, and Lego. He is well known for developing and exploring the concept of "integrative thinking" in management problem solving and for troubling conventional management wisdom as he does in his newest book, A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness. In this episode, Martin challenges the relentless drive for efficiency and advocates for a re-think in approach.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Cheryl Bachelder May 04, 2022

Cheryl Bachelder decided to go into business after an early setback derailed her potential career in music education. She became President of KFC years later, but a job that started as a major opportunity wound up being a massive failure. How Bachelder learned from her failures and went on to turn Popeyes into one of the biggest success stories of the past decade.

American Humane: Robin Ganzert Apr 27, 2022

When Robin Ganzert joined American Humane as it's new president and CEO, she thought she was helming one of the oldest and best known animal welfare organizations in the US. What she didn't know was that American Humane was $12.2 million dollars in debt following the 2009 financial crisis. By running the non-profit more like a for-profit, Robin fixed American Humane's finances while changing its work culture and branding.

Avon: Andrea Jung Apr 20, 2022

For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending.

Target: Brian Cornell Apr 13, 2022

There was a devastating data breach, a failing foray into Canada, and they were losing US customers fast. In 2014, Target seriously needed a win—Brian Cornell was that win. He'd turned around plenty of other retailers like Safeway, Michael's, and Sam's Club, but this time he was thinking bigger. Playing the long game to make Target a brand that lasts.

Great at Work: Morten Hansen Apr 06, 2022

As a young management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, Morten Hansen regularly put in long hours–up to 90 a week. The highest performer in his office, however, was a colleague who clocked significantly less hours and rarely came in on weekends. This experience helped inspire Hansen's research on work and is a central topic in his latest book, Great at Work: How top performers do less, work better, and achieve more. On making a greater impact by doing less.

Uncharted: Margaret Heffernan Mar 30, 2022

Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO, executive leadership coach, and author of six books. Her often counter-intuitive insights on collaboration, consensus-building, and decision-making have earned her a reputation as a smart thinker who challenges conventional business wisdom. In her latest book, Uncharted: How to Map the Future, Margaret explains why attempts to predict the future, even in today's world of AI and Big Data technologies, are often doomed to failure. She offers alternative strategies for organizations facing an uncertain future - strategies based on human creativity and resilience.

Verizon: Ivan Seidenberg Mar 23, 2022

Ivan Seidenberg worked his way from splicing cables for the phone company, all the way to being the CEO of Verizon. During his career, he helped the company weather not one but two tectonic changes: the breakup of Ma Bell's monopoly, and the shift from copper lines to wireless broadband.

The Campbell Soup Company: Doug Conant Mar 16, 2022

In 2001, Campbell's Soup was in freefall: the company's value had halved and employee engagement was at an all time low. Doug Conant knew he could salvage the iconic company, but first, things were going to have to get worse. How he used self-taught leadership, diversity, and inclusion to energize his employees and save Campbell's.

Lowe's: Marvin Ellison Mar 09, 2022

Marvin Ellison took the tough jobs nobody wanted, and it got him from retail security guard all the way to CEO of two Fortune 500s. Now, when things are precarious, companies like JC Penny and Lowe's call him in. Marvin Ellison says that limiting failure limits success. Find out exactly what he means in this episode.

Soundtracks: Jon Acuff Mar 02, 2022

Jon Acuff is the author of seven best-selling books and the host of the podcast "All It Takes Is A Goal", becoming widely known for his humorous approach to leadership and Christianity. Son of a Baptist minister, Jon worked as a copywriter throughout his twenties, but in 2008 his blog "Stuff Christians Like" caught the attention of personal finance guru Dave Ramsey, who helped Jon launch a new career as an author and speaker. His latest self-help book, released in April 2021, is titled Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking.

Taco Bell: Mark King Feb 23, 2022

Mark King has a reputation for turning businesses around by moving fast on innovative, and sometimes expensive, endeavors. Before his current tenure as CEO of Taco Bell, Mark served as president for Adidas' long-stagnant North American division, reinvigorating the brand with major athletic sponsorships and a deal with Kanye West. From 2003 to 2014, King was CEO of TaylorMade, which under his leadership became the most profitable golf company in the world.

Mastercard: Ajaypal Singh Banga Feb 16, 2022

How Ajay Banga runs one of the world's largest companies with an unusual leadership philosophy... something he calls "the decency quotient." And how he turned Mastercard from a credit card company into a company that's known for technology and innovation and data and analytics and A.I.

Black Magic: Chad Sanders Feb 09, 2022

Throughout his life, Chad Sanders found himself having to navigate white culture; at school, in the tech industry, and eventually in his career in entertainment. He learned to cope with the frustration of having to do that by writing, and he wrote his first screenplay at a cafe just across the street from Spike Lee's studio in Brooklyn—where he would run into Spike himself. Chad would come to realize that though his experiences related to racial inequity left him with real trauma, they also equipped him and other Black leaders with certain entrepreneurial skills. Chad writes about these skills in the book Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph.

General Stanley McChrystal Feb 02, 2022

General Stanley McChrystal was born into a military family: three generations of men in his family were officers in the armed forces. He followed the family tradition and eventually rose up the ranks to become a General in the Army. While serving as the commander of Allied Forces in Afghanistan in 2010, he was forced to resign after he was quoted making disparaging remarks about President Obama. It was in the wake of this moment that General McChrystal learned the value of leadership.

American Express: Kenneth Chenault Jan 19, 2022

Kenneth Chenault learned early on to only worry about the things he could control, this helped him when life—and business at American Express—threw unpredictable events his way. He broke barriers as the company's first African American CEO and helped turn AmEx from a traveler's check company into a credit card powerhouse.

Range: David Epstein Jan 12, 2022

David Epstein is a science writer and investigative reporter. His articles have spanned a wide range of topics from crime and violence to athletes using steroids to the intersection of science and the Olympics. And, he's the author of The Sports Gene and Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. But, before all of that, David studied geology and ran on Columbia University's track team as a walk-on. David went from star athlete to discovering that having a wide range of interests leads to more successful outcomes — in sports and in life.

Unilever: Leena Nair Jan 05, 2022

Growing up in a small town in India, Leena Nair overheard her mother say it was too bad her daughter was born a girl, because it meant her smarts and talents would go to waste. But Nair went on to join Hindustan Unilever, becoming the first female manager to work on a factory floor, the first woman to serve on the management committee, and the youngest-ever executive director. As Unilever's Chief Human Resource Officer, she oversaw the company's 170,000-plus global workforce during the COVID-19 crisis - which Nair says was the greatest challenge of her career. From factory floor to the Global Chief Executive Officer of Chanel, becoming a "serial glass ceiling breaker."

PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi Dec 29, 2021

Listen again. After becoming the CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, Indra Nooyi became the first woman and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company. From Chennai, India, to Yale's School of Management, Nooyi worked her way up from The Boston Consulting Group, Motorola, and ASEA Brown Boveri before eventually landing at PepsiCo, overseeing the global operation of its countless drinks, snacks, and restaurants. Nooyi's new memoir My Life in Full details her legendary career, exploring her extraordinary personal journey and the demands of being one of the most powerful women on the planet. Originally released Oct, 2021

Peloton's Dara Treseder Dec 22, 2021

Listen again. As a child growing up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Dara Treseder was often told to get her head out of the clouds. But her mother encouraged her to dream big and to follow her ambition if it would lead her to contentment. For Treseder, that meant moving across the world to attend both Harvard and Stanford, and chasing a deeply-held desire to make a positive impact on the world. Her career in marketing began with stints at Apple and Goldman Sachs, then, in 2020, she became SVP, Head of Global Marketing and Communications at Peloton. Today, she is one of the most influential marketing leaders of her generation. Originally released Oct, 2021.

The Power of Strangers: Joe Keohane Dec 15, 2021

Joe Keohane is a longtime journalist and editor who believes that talking to strangers can not only help people feel happier and more empathetic, but can actually make the world a better place. In his first book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting In A Suspicious World, Joe talks to psychologists, anthropologists and plenty of strangers to prove it.

NASA: Ellen Ochoa Dec 08, 2021

After one of the most deadly disasters in the history of space flight, Ellen Ochoa was a leader in NASA's recovery. She fixed the technical things that went wrong, but the most critical changes, she says, were human. Why she thinks it's important to make sure that naysayers always have a voice, and how to encourage employees to do something very difficult: disagree with the boss.

The Proximity Principle: Ken Coleman Dec 01, 2021

Ken Coleman calls himself "America's Career Coach." In his syndicated call-in show, and in books like The Proximity Principle and One Question, Coleman helps people think about what kind of work they would find meaningful, and how they can connect with people that will help get them into that work. Coleman came about the knowledge he imparts honestly: he spent about a decade working different jobs before he found his real calling in broadcasting.

Best Buy: Hubert Joly Nov 24, 2021

In 2012, to say there was a crisis at Best Buy — is an understatement. In January, Forbes published an article with the headline: WHY BEST BUY IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. And then, in March, the company reported a loss of $1.7 billion dollars. In April, the CEO resigned because of an "inappropriate relationship" with an employee. Hubert Joly stepped in, determined to fix Best Buy, and he started by valuing the people who work there.

Machiavelli for Women: Stacey Vanek Smith Nov 17, 2021

Stacey Vanek Smith has reported on business and the economy for over 15 years now, first for public radio's "Marketplace," and now as the host of Planet Money's daily podcast "The Indicator." Over that time, she's seen the same barriers blocking advancement for women in the workplace again and again. Recently, she's started to recognize that a lot of tools to move past those barriers can be found in the work of Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. Vanek Smith lays out these solutions in her new book, Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace.

The Obstacle is The Way: Ryan Holiday Nov 10, 2021

Ryan Holiday is one of his generation's most influential thinkers. Many people - from rappers to NFL quarterbacks to corporate CEOS and entrepreneurs - credit his writing for introducing them to the teachings of the stoic philosophers. Holiday's books like The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, and Stillness Is The Key aren't just popular, they're also respected by historians and scholars. But, he wasn't always a successful writer. Holiday started his career as a marketer — which became the topic of his first book.

Gatorade: Sarah Robb O'Hagan Nov 03, 2021

Sarah Robb O'Hagan is brutally honest about the many, many times she messed up on the way to transforming Gatorade. She was a rabble-rouser at Virgin, which ended with her getting fired. She took a job at Atari, even though she hated video games. How those disasters made her into the right executive to pull Gatorade out of double-digit declines.

PepsiCo: Indra Nooyi Oct 27, 2021

After becoming the CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, Indra Nooyi became the first woman and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company. From Chennai, India, to Yale's School of Management, Nooyi worked her way up from The Boston Consulting Group, Motorola, and ASEA Brown Boveri before eventually landing at PepsiCo, overseeing the global operation of its countless drinks, snacks, and restaurants. Nooyi's new memoir My Life in Full details her legendary career, exploring her extraordinary personal journey and the demands of being one of the most powerful women on the planet.

Peloton: Dara Treseder Oct 20, 2021

As a child growing up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Dara Treseder was often told to get her head out of the clouds. But her mother encouraged her to dream big and to follow her ambition if it would lead her to contentment. For Treseder, that meant moving across the world to attend both Harvard and Stanford, and chasing a deeply-held desire to make a positive impact on the world. Her career in marketing began with stints at Apple and Goldman Sachs, then, in 2020, she became SVP, Head of Global Marketing and Communications at Peloton. Today, she is one of the most influential marketing leaders of her generation.

Built to Last: Jim Collins Oct 13, 2021

It's not an understatement to say that Jim Collins is one of the most influential business writers in modern history. Collins, however, thinks of himself more as a researcher than an author. Each of his books, which includes Good to Great, Built to Last, and his newest BE 2.0, requires five or six years of crunching data before the writing can begin. But what's even more remarkable about Collins is his own background, and how he built a career out of making unorthodox choices.

Lego: Jørgen Vig Knudstorp Oct 06, 2021

For years, it was a secret: the family that owned LEGO was actually losing money on the company. The man who built the company back up into one of the biggest toymakers in the world, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, reveals his controversial plan that led LEGO back to profitability. It leaned on something that has always been LEGO's strength: the creativity and passion of the children and adults who love to play with Legos.

Introducing Wisdom From The Top Sep 27, 2021

From the creator of How I Built This, stories of crisis, failure, turnaround, and triumph from some of the greatest leaders in the world.

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