How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Back in 2007, Mark Pincus had a gut feeling that adults would play games on their phones if they were just woven into their daily lives. On that instinct, he founded Zynga and built the biggest games of the early social internet — including FarmVille, Words With Friends, and Zynga Poker. Four years later, they had over a billion users. Safe to say, Mark’s instincts were right. But according to Mar...

A lot of leaders brag that they’re “self made.” Demond Martin says he’s “community built.” He recognizes all the people who helped him move out of a violent environment as a preteen and go on to work at the White House, graduate from Harvard Business School, and become a successful hedge fund manager. Now, as the Cofounder and CEO of the wellness brand WellWithAll, he’s trying to do the same for o...

Game 7 of the 2016 World Series had gone to extra innings. The Cubs were trying to break a 108-year championship drought that some called a curse.  If you’re a baseball fan, you already know what happened next: With two runners on base, Ben Zobrist stepped up to the plate. Despite being 0-4 in the game so far, he pinged a double to left field that brought in the winning run and made him a Chi...

Imagine being Zac Taylor in 2019. He was 0-11 in his first season as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He knew they were doing a lot of things right, but the results just weren’t coming. Eventually, they did: just over two years later, Zac led his team to the Super Bowl. But for a while, there was a big, painful gap. And you may be in a similar place right now – where you believe you’re on the...

We’ve all got big goals and dreams, both for ourselves and our people. But often, there’s a gap between what we say we want and what we’re actually willing to do to get it. Vanderbilt head football coach Clark Lea is obsessed with closing that gap. For him, the ultimate measure of your beliefs isn’t how you feel or what you say. It’s the actions you take. And that alignment is at the heart of the...

Everyone says to “hit the ground running.” Tony Spring thinks that’s terrible advice. Tony is the Chairman and CEO of Macy’s, Inc. an iconic retail institution with over 150 years of history. He took charge in 2024 after a 35-year career moving through the ranks at sister company Bloomingdale’s. But despite knowing the organization well, he didn’t come right out with a shiny reinvention strategy....

As a leader, you take chances all the time. On big ideas. On new hires. On financial investments.  But when was the last time you bet on yourself? That’s what Harry Arnett did when he co-founded the golf sportswear brand MUNICIPAL along with Mark Wahlberg. After years of success running marketing at Callaway, Harry realized it was time to find a new challenge – something that would help him g...

You’ve probably been inside an Apple Store. And if you have, you know: it’s a totally different kind of retail experience. That’s because of Ron Johnson. He was Steve Job’s handpicked hire to launch the Apple Store, after Steve saw how Ron revitalized Target with an emphasis on design.  He and Steve Jobs worked closely to launch what has to be one of the greatest retail experiences ever built...

It’s statistically harder to get a job at OLIPOP than it is to go pro in the NBA. And after this conversation with CEO and Cofounder Ben Goodwin, you’ll see why. OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda Ben formulated and built from the ground up. So how did he go from creating tasty soda products to building a culture that everyone wants to be a part of?  It all comes down to emotional intelligence. ...

We’ve all heard the famous quote that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” But as CEO of Rocket Companies, Varun Krishna knows that a healthy work environment doesn’t just happen. In this episode, he talks about why so many organizations get it wrong. He also shares several key principles he and his team use to forge their culture in real behavior, not just words on a slide deck.  That foun...

The tech landscape is changing faster than ever, as we’re all trying to navigate big shifts in AI, consumer shopping habits, and more. But it’s nothing new to Julie Bornstein. She’s been at the forefront of retail for decades, leading big brands like Nordstrom and Sephora through the ecommerce revolution. And now, as the Founder and CEO of the AI-powered fashion search engine Daydream, she’s once...

If you’re a leader, you know how important the skill of listening is. It’s the foundation for every strong relationship in your world. But in the daily hustle, it can be hard to slow down and truly be present in every meeting and conversation. Take it from Marty Smith, one of ESPN’s most recognizable faces. In his years covering college football, golf, and NASCAR, he’s earned the trust of some of...

What separates leaders who survive massive change from the ones who get blindsided by it? David Dorman has had a front row seat to disruption throughout his career, both as the former CEO of AT&T and as a board member for PayPal, Motorola, CVS, and Dell.  In this conversation, he talks about how he “sees around corners” – not only preparing for industry shifts before they happen but also beco...

Happy 250th birthday to the United States of America! It’s a great moment to reflect on everything that makes this country so special. And maybe have a hot dog or two. But this milestone also comes at a moment where our country feels more divided than ever. So today, David sits down with Joe Manchin, the former Governor and Senator of West Virginia. His independent political stance gave him a uniq...

Dave Ritterbush has helped lead some of the most successful consumer brands in America, including Califia Farms, Dreyer’s, and Quest, which sold for a billion dollars in 2019. And he’s learned something that most leaders never figure out: you have to build your current systems for what’s next. Make sure you have the right infrastructure, processes, and organizational capabilities before you need t...

The World Cup is in full swing, and if you’re watching, you know – the intensity and stakes are unlike anything else in sports.  So it’s the perfect time to sit down with Landon Donovan, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest American soccer players of all time. But after a disappointing performance in the 2006 World Cup, he nearly walked away from the sport entirely.  That crisis taught hi...

Shawn Johnson won America’s hearts as a gold medal gymnast at the 2008 Olympics. And her husband, Andrew East, is a former NFL player. But after their athletic careers, they stepped into the world of content creation – and quickly realized they had no idea what they were doing. They dove in headfirst, experimenting and learning as they went – with plenty of missteps along the way. But it worked: t...

As the Partner and Co-Founder of Piedmont Capital Partners, Bobby Long invests in big problems that need big solutions – stuff like Alzheimer’s research and lithium ion technology. But he does it all in the most relational way: listening with humility, doing deals on a handshake, and looking for ways to truly serve everyone he meets, regardless of their status. In this episode you're going to find...

If you lead a business, you know providing great service is vital. But what does that actually mean? For David Lafitte, CEO of the popular Western retailer Tecovas, it means radical hospitality. Stuff like offering shoppers free drinks, personalization, and a space to linger. Treating everyone who walks through the doors like a high-value customer. Encouraging staff to create relationships, not ju...

Today, she is the CEO of Ulta Beauty, leading over 1500 stores worldwide, striking partnerships with Chanel and Beyonce, and creating record growth since she took over in early 2025.  That kind of career momentum doesn’t happen by accident. And in this conversation, you’ll see the “progress over perfection” mentality that’s helped Kecia do it – all while building a strong team culture that’s laser...

What’s the soul of your brand? And why might it be the secret to unlocking a new chapter of growth for your company? Today, David sits down with Mark Smucker. He’s the CEO and Chair of The J.M. Smucker Company, which is home to iconic brands like Smucker’s, Folgers, Uncrustables, Hostess, and Milk Bone. And he’s obsessed with understanding the soul of a brand. By knowing what his brands truly stan...

Minted Founder Mariam Naficy was ready to shut it all down. She’d spent nearly all the capital from her angel round, but nothing was selling.  Then, she experimented with crowdsourcing stationery and card designs from independent artists, and everything changed. Sales exploded. And 18 years later, Minted is in 75 million homes worldwide, empowering tens of thousands of independent artists and desi...

You’re hustling to land new customers … but what if the ones you already have are quietly slipping away? Kurt Kane saw this problem on day one as CEO of TruGreen. And after years of driving transactional growth as CMO of Wendy’s, he saw the opportunity to grow TruGreen by leaning into long-term customer satisfaction and retention. Now, he’s revitalizing the brand and getting his team engaged in th...

Most leaders think they’re in the business of selling their product. JC Curleigh thinks that’s exactly what limits your growth. And as CEO of Pelican, he’s helping the company make a profound shift: they’re not in the protective case business, they’re in the protection business. JC understands that great brands sell more than products, and he knows how to position them the right way. In fact, it’s...

Most leaders say they’re comfortable with change. But what happens when the change is so big, it threatens your entire business model? Julie Hansen is no stranger to disruption, having spent her career in online media. Now, as CEO of the language learning app Babbel, she’s facing the biggest one yet. AI is changing the way we learn languages — and raising questions about whether we’ll need to at a...