Corporate Competitor Podcast

Ep. 200: Professional soccer shaped this executive who now leads more than 10,000 employees at WWT, a global powerhouse generating $20 billion in annual revenue. The company helps 80 Fortune 500 companies modernize their IT infrastructure and create cutting-edge digital experiences. Recently, Jim was named one of Glassdoor's top 25 CEOs in America! Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don'...

Ep. 199: Cornell Football shaped this executive, who still holds three of the six longest punts in the program's history, and his 'yards per punt' average still ranks in the top 10 all-time.  Our  BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply today's insights.  "When I went to Cornell, I walked over to the quarterback...

Ep. 198: Growing up in small town South Dakota, this CEO learned to play golf on some of the roughest terrain: sand. While he cheerfully concedes he isn't the world's best golfer, Steve, who played on his high school's team, took what he learned about persistence and applied it to his career at Great Clips. Our  BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode an...

Ep. 197: New York firefighter Stephen Siller never showed up to his tee time with his brothers on September 11 th , 2001. When he received news of the attack, Stephen turned around and drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot 1.7 miles through the tunn...

Ep. 196: Baseball and tennis influenced the life of the author Oprah calls "The Ultimate Comeback Coach." Tim Storey has impacted millions of people in 75 countries through his keynote speeches and books. Whether he's working one-on-one with celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and Kanye West or sharing his wisdom on interviews like this one, Tim always inspires those around him. Our BONUS RESOURCE...

Ep. 195: Basketball was Josh's primary sport and he was good enough at it that in his senior year of high school he was invited to play in the Tri-Valley League All-Stars game in Massachusetts! He recounts how he initially felt somewhat out of place, but the game had an incredible ending! Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection quest...

Ep. 194: Georgetown Soccer shaped this executive who, after playing for the Hoyas, took on the role of the program's play-by-play announcer. Two decades later, he's only missed one game. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply Dan's insights.  In this episode you will learn: Why people with strong interests...

Ep. 193: Cricket shaped the longest-tenured CEO ever featured on Corporate Competitor! Since 1988, he has managed to avoid burnout by "focusing on the most important things." Today, he diligently reviews weekly reports from his leadership team, posing questions such as, "What did you do this week to enhance your talent and service, expand your marketing within the team or community, improve techno...

Ep. 192: Tennis and track shaped former Microsoft US President and current CEO of Lumen – the company that owns and operates one the world's biggest, most connected fiber networks. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply today's insights.  Looking for a speaker for your next event? From more than 30 years of...

Ep. 191: This financial services company hired eight of the women on the US Olympic rowing team. This partnership is led by Tim who went to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship while captaining his Boat Club to its most successful season in 40 years. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply today's insig...

Ep. 190: Northwestern University Soccer shaped this executive who held leadership roles at Salesforce and Slack before taking on the role of CEO at LogicMonitor, which helps companies monitor, manage, and maintain IT infrastructure.  Our  BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply today's insights.  Listeners seeki...

Ep. 189: Alex shares 4 lessons that remain the same whether you devoting 500 hours to IRONMAN training or overseeing operations for more than 40,000 affiliated brokers and sales associates across 2,400 offices worldwide. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply today's insights.  --- Looking for a speaker for...

Ep. 188: Cricket shaped this executive's decision to attend Stanford University. Rohan became a founding member of the cricket media site Cricinfo, which was later acquired by ESPN, and a member of the Stanford Supernovas Cricket Team, an alumni team that recently hoisted a league trophy. Today, he works at Guild – an education benefits company that collaborates with large employers like Target, C...

Ep. 187: Absolute faith in each other is imperative among members of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels precision flying team, where soaring canopy-to-canopy at 500 mph is all part of a day's work. In this episode, "Boss" Armatas – a former lacrosse and basketball player— teaches you how to build trust, repair trust, resist micromanaging, and debrief effectively! Our  BONUS RESOURCE for this episode incl...

Ep. 186: Basketball shaped Brian, who was the President and CEO of TruChoice Financial Group. He was the architect behind its construction before accepting his role at AmeriLife. Our  BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply Brian's insights.  --- Looking for a speaker for your next event? From more than 30 years...

Ep. 185: Baseball shaped this leader originally from Italy, who manages a global workforce of 400,000 team members serving clients in 150 countries and generated an impressive $50 billion in revenue last year. You will learn lessons in: Turning mentorship into an expectation in your organization's promotion structure. Using onboarding to hire employees who demonstrate a high probability of cultura...

Ep. 184: Ashland University basketball shaped this HR exec who learned a lesson in preparation while racking up double digit steals game after game. "I would study film of the point guard as she was running down looking over to the coach and calling the play, so I knew exactly where they were going to pass it," she shared.  Now she's studying what happens at LKQ, where she never misses an earnings...

Ep. 183: Cal Basketball shaped Dave who was drafted by the Boston Celtics, only to be denied an NBA career because of a player's strike and injury. But he pivoted to a career in finance and now serves as Co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors. In the 25 years since he joined, the firm has grown from $10 billion in assets under management to nearly $700 billion. You will learn: How to use powerful sto...

Ep. 182: As a four-sport athlete, sports was one area that provided a level-playing field for Brian who grew up in Queens raised by his mom and grandparents. Coaching high school football helped pay his way through UCLA and now the chair and CEO of one of America's most iconic companies, nearly 2,000-store Target, just shakes his head in wonder as he thinks about just how much he learned from watc...

Ep. 181: Colgate Football shaped this leader whose family of companies serves more than 38.5 million people. You will learn how to model calm presence and total responsibility to your team when these qualities are needed most. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don's favorite quotes from today's episode and a reflection question so you can apply Pat's insights.  --- Looking for a speaker...

Ep. 180: Baseball shaped the founder of the company that grew to more than 250 million subscribers and fundamentally altered how the world experienced media. Lessons include: What playing second base taught Marc about the importance of good daily habits. Why Netflix decided to have no vacation policy or travel policy. How to develop managers to be excellent evaluators of talent. Our BONUS RESOURCE...

Ep. 179: Field Hockey at the University of Pennsylvania shaped this non-profit leader. Good Sports – "a food bank for sporting goods" – just hit their $100 million donation milestone.   If you are a leader who wants to learn how to make a larger impact through your clearly defined mission, you have much to learn from Melissa's experience building Good Sports! Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode in...

Ep. 178: Baseball and basketball shaped Jeff who leads 60,000 global tax professionals. While he doesn't do his own taxes, Jeff does "file" several practical tips in this episode including: The best way to begin team meetings by "checking in" and "checking out" How to frame questions that are "provocative" but also productive rather than aggressive or alienating.  How to rescue an unproductive mee...

Ep. 177: Baseball, football, and fencing in college shaped this leader who has received 30 promotions during his decades-long career—showcasing his determination to equip those around him with a team-first mindset that produced an impact across the company. You will learn: The critical business lesson he learned from taking a called third strike during a Little League All-Star. The difference betw...

Ep. 176: Steve found himself on the basketball court with Barack Obama growing up in Hawaii! His competitive spirit was on display when he co-founded AOL and lead the second largest merger of all time with the blending of new media AOL and old media Time Warner. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions.  Click here to download the bonus resource...