How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Most organizations look inward when they build strategy. How did we do last year? Can we do 10% better this year? But that internal focus makes you miss the big changes happening in your market.  When it comes to disruptive change, John Donahoe has seen it all — as the CEO of Nike, eBay, and ServiceNow. Today, he’s navigating the seismic changes in college sports as Athletic Director at Stanford....

In his 29 years as a PGA Tour caddie, Ted Scott has won four Masters and an Olympic gold – not by having all the answers, but by asking the right questions at the right time.  It’s how Ted guides the #1 player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, without getting in the way of his greatness. It’s his go-to strategy for getting better at anything. And it’s why he’s considered by many to be one of the be...

Five years ago, Shea Ralph walked in as head coach of Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team and inherited a broken program. There wasn’t much trust or talent left. But now, Vandy is flying as a #2 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, and Shea has just been named National Coach of the Year.  Go behind the scenes of their turnaround, and see how Shea’s unique story and perspective helped drive it – i...

Roy Williams is without a doubt one of the best college basketball coaches of all time. As the men’s head basketball coach at two storied programs – Kansas and UNC – he won three national championships and made nine Final Four appearances. And through every moment, Roy had one standard: don’t step off the court until you’ve gotten better. That applied to his players, his staff, and himself. Most l...

Peter Wharton-Hood became CEO of LIFE Healthcare in August 2020 – right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic – with no healthcare experience. He was an accomplished banking executive, but he had zero context for what it takes to run a hospital. And it was his job to lead 16,000 healthcare workers through a generational crisis. But Peter stepped into the role with a team-first philosophy that’s s...

“You have to be brutal with your time.” As the Chair, President and CEO of Allstate, Tom Wilson knows that time is the one resource you can’t get more of. And he is the master of every hour on his calendar. But Tom’s discipline with time isn’t about shutting people out. It’s about being present for what matters – and knowing exactly what that is. In this episode, Tom shares how to be ruthlessly di...

Content Warning: This episode includes a candid conversation about depression and suicide.  If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. You’re not alone. — Blake Mycoskie built TOMS into a $700 million business with a simple idea: sell a pair of shoes, give a pair away to a child in need. Bu...

“This is a once-in-a-generation technology transition.” That’s how Eric Kutcher, Senior Partner and North America Chair at McKinsey & Company describes the AI moment we’re living through. And he should know: he’s spent 28 years coaching the world’s top companies through massive change. In this episode, Eric breaks down the AI revolution in practical terms, dives deep into what truly makes a team g...

How do you get 7,000 people aligned on a new strategy? Ask Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber, who pulled it off in just 24 hours. The former Dutch national diving champion (yes, really) knows that the best strategies aren’t handed down from above. They’re co-created with the people who’ll bring them to life. And at Logitech, the results speak for themselves: eight consecutive quarters of growth and recor...

The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off tomorrow! And who better to get you in the spirit than the guy who has brought Olympic stories to life for more than four decades! Jimmy Roberts is a 13-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster for NBC and the Golf Channel, and he’s the voice behind some of the most unforgettable human moments in Olympic history. In this episode, Jimmy shares how curiosity fuels connec...

You don’t win three Super Bowls without knowing how to be a great teammate. Jason Garrett spent years as an NFL quarterback, then served as Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys. And through it all, he’s learned that strong teams need shared commitment from everyone, not just the leader. In this episode, he shares how strong teams are forged – and it’s often not what you’d expect. If you want to build...

When Ania moved to the US from Poland at the tender age of 12, she didn’t speak a word of English. Today, she’s the CEO of Taskrabbit, after building her leadership chops at Walmart, Uber, and Airbnb. You don’t get that kind of career trajectory by playing it safe. In this episode, Ania shares how taking bold risks has helped her succeed, and why she’s building a culture where people are encourage...

Great leaders don’t cling to one leadership style. They adapt as people and situations change. And they figure out how to do it without losing what makes them real. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins shares how he’s learned to lead through major transformation with honesty, vulnerability, and a clear understanding of what his people – all 90,000 of them – need from him. If you're navigating change (or just t...

How do you keep your team motivated, even when things are going well?  Just ask Marriott President and CEO Tony Capuano. As the guy in charge of the world’s largest hospitality company (10,000 hotels in 143 countries!), he knows a thing or two about success. But he’s also keenly aware that success is never final. And it’s up to leaders to set the pace and keep raising the bar. So if you want to bu...

Happy New Year! We’re ringing in 2026 with a special episode to help you lead with more intention and focus this year. And this time, Koula puts David in the hot seat! He shares the five simple practices he returns to every year to build momentum (without burning out by February). One is simple enough to fit on an index card. If you want to make 2026 the year you focus on the right things (not jus...

In this special holiday episode, David and Koula revisit one of our favorite questions around here: What’s a story from your childhood that shaped the kind of leader you are today? You’ll hear funny, insightful stories from past guests like Jamie Dimon (CEO of JPMorgan Chase), Lynsi Snyder (Owner of In-N-Out), Andy Jassy (CEO Amazon), and many more top leaders. As you slow down for the holiday sea...

Go behind the scenes of one of today’s hottest brands with Allison Ellsworth, founder and Lead Creative at poppi. After a memorable Shark Tank appearance, poppi exploded into the cultural zeitgeist – going viral on TikTok, getting shout-outs from celebrities, and scaling from startup to $500 million in just four years. In this episode, Allison shares how to build a brand that moves fast, disrupts...

Can Red Lobster pull off the greatest comeback in restaurant history? After filing for bankruptcy, shedding value, and losing relevance, it won’t be easy. But it’s the kind of challenge that Damola Adamolekun thrives in. After returning P.F. Chang’s to profitability, he is now making waves as Red Lobster’s youngest-ever CEO. In this episode, he shares what it’s like to lead at a young age, the str...

Imagine this: you build a company from scratch, sell it at a billion-dollar valuation, get ousted, and watch it crumble under new leadership… Then you buy it back, shut it down, rebrand it, relaunch it – and grow it all over again. That’s exactly what Gregg Renfrew, the Founder and CEO of clean beauty brand Counter (formerly Beautycounter) has done. In this episode, she opens up about the emotiona...

How do you make your brand stand out?  Ask Michael Meldman. He’s the founder of Discovery Land Company, a global portfolio of high-end private golf communities known for doing things differently. By tossing out the traditional country club rulebook and building around comfort and community, he’s created a truly distinctive brand. He’s also a co-founder of Casamigos Tequila, the billion-dollar bran...

Today’s cruise ships are floating cities – complete with waterslides, sushi bars, and even roller skating rinks.  But it wasn’t always that way. Today, we’re joined by the leader who helped pioneer the megaship era and transform Royal Caribbean into a global vacation powerhouse. Richard Fain served as CEO for 33 years, building a culture where big ideas could thrive and the whole team was willing...

Jim McCann didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. He was a social worker and bartender before finding his way into the floral business. But no matter what he did, he always found a way to connect with people. That instinct eventually led him to build 1-800-Flowers, where he expanded the business strategically, turned it into a household brand, and tapped into the power of customer relationships...

Bracken Darrell led remarkable turnarounds at both Old Spice and Logitech. Now he’s the CEO of VF Corporation, where he’s working to revitalize iconic brands like The North Face, Timberland, Vans, and more. Hit play on this episode and take a look at his playbook. It’s all about constantly growing and designing things to be better – whether it’s a product, a team, or his own understanding of quant...

She flipped the script on modern dating and built a billion dollar global brand. But Whitney Wolfe Herd’s path to success hasn’t been easy. After co-founding Tinder and walking away under difficult circumstances, she founded Bumble, a dating platform where women make the first move. In this refreshingly honest conversation, she opens up about her missteps and lessons, how she’s redefined success,...

He built Coach from a small leather goods brand into a $5 billion global fashion powerhouse.  But Lew Frankfort’s rise to the top isn’t what you’d expect. He started out in public service and even got passed over for a promotion for being “too principled.” But when he came to Coach, he brought relentless drive, strong investigative instincts, and a unique leadership philosophy he calls “Magic + Lo...