Corporate Competitor Podcast

Ep. 117: One of 2022's " Most Powerful Women in Accounting" plays first base on the competitive women's softball team she manages. "I have a saying," Lara Abrash shares, "Work hard. Play harder." Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is "Are you a leader or a manager?" which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions to complete while you listen. Click here to download: https://donyae...

Ep. 116: Wrestling at Cal State Fullerton shaped this EY Entrepreneur of the Year judge. His technology and consulting company has been named "Best Place to Work" in San Diego for seven consecutive years. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is  "How to Make Your Employees Feel Like Owners "  which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can create powerful, positive change...

Ep. 115: Learn how he started from scratch in Brooklyn, bought Yankee Stadium, and built the largest sports marketing and memorabilia company in the country. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is "How to Establish Credibility" which includes fill-in-the-blank notes for you to complete throughout Brandon's teaching. Brandon has proven himself to be a great teacher, one credible enough to earn invi...

Ep. 114: Denver Bronco legend Karl Mecklenburg reveals the best goal-line defense against "big egos" on your team. Download the fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can create powerful, positive change in your organization. Click here to download the bonus resource. Karl retired from professional football with more than 1,000 tackles and is now tackling public speaking, inspirin...

Ep. 113: Lafayette College Football shaped this Harvard Business School grad. Tony shows how attention to the "human side" of competing in the global technology sector fosters resilient teams and more trusting customer relationships. Our BONUS resource for this episode is  "4 Questions Every Leader Needs to Ask"  which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can create pow...

Ep. 112: Dan Cathy reveals the rewards of "leaving everything on the mat" as a state champion wrestler and member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is proudest of his service ethic, which has carried him for 40 years at the helm of the family business where he still welcomes guests with a firm handshake and the greeting, "Hi, I"m Dan. I work in customer service." As delicious as Chick-fil...

Ep. 111: Lesley was the first woman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first woman to broadcast the NBA Finals, World Series, and Final Four, and named as one of GQ's "five ideal dinner guests," an honor which reflects her expert listening skills as well as storytelling prowess and remarkable experiences. In this episode, she shares the simple yet powerful philosophy that has steered...

Ep. 110: Harvard Football taught Spencer that the  best leaders are simplifiers.  Do you track hundreds of metrics, assuming that more is always better? Or do you boil it down to the two or three that really matter? Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is  "Developing Discipline"  which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can create margin in your life.  Click here to d...

Ep. 109: Few things will make you more competitive than growing up with an identical sister in a small town. Amy applied her competitive spirit to gymnastics and cheerleading in high school, to business degrees from Cornell and The Wharton School, and then to executive roles, including COO of Ticketmaster and CEO of FanDuel. Our BONUS resource for this episode is  "Control Your Calendar"  which in...

Ep. 108: When you spend 15 years working as a basketball performance coach alongside Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant, you gather incredible stories about the dedication required to be the best in your business. One of Alan Stein Jr.'s favorite stories involved Curry who, even as a young and unknown player, would not leave the court until he swished five free throws in a row.  "The first...

Ep. 107: New Jersey's EY Entrepreneur of the Year shares 3 questions every leader needs to ask their employees weekly – a lesson he learned from his Hall of Fame Hockey Coach Jacques Lemaire. Visit CorporateCompetitorpodcast.com/107 for Don's episode notes and reflection questions. 9:00    How to be a consummate learner, not only from your industry but also from others. 13:30    How to better comm...

Ep. 106: The former marine sergeant was a three-sport athlete and looks every bit like the owner of a fitness franchise, but he recognizes that it's not about the weight on the barbell, it's about going in and recognizing who you are there to serve. "I have a technique," he said. "If I feel like the team is too focused on goals or KPIs, I get us out on the floor. And I'll ask my team, 'Who's that...

Ep. 105: Tim Ryan is a lifelong hockey guy and current running enthusiast, but the sports metaphor he reaches for to describe his role as the US Chair & Senior Partner of global financial powerhouse PwC is football. "Too often in corporate America, we go into the huddle where we agree on a pass play but not on what routes everybody is running," he said. "In our case, we came into the huddle and de...

Ep. 104: Behind-the-scenes stories that only his children can offer to celebrate his 68 th birthday. Learn how to be present and apply Walter's "never die easy" code of conduct to work in your career and life. Visit  https://donyaeger.com/corporate-competitor-podcast/episode-104/ a free gift and today's show notes! Special thanks to Brian Schnorr and Savannah Hill for making this episode possible.

Ep. 103: Alabama Football shaped this global investment management firm executive who has led Polen Capital to earn "Best Place to Work" six years in a row. You will learn how to use storytelling to build trust in your organization and how to replace a culture of fear with one of continuous improvement. Visit https://donyaeger.com/corporate-competitor-podcast/episode-103/ for a free gift and today...

Ep. 102: When Mike and Bob Bryan retired from professional tennis in 2020, they held 118 doubles titles and 16 grand slam doubles championships. They spent 439 weeks ranked #1 in the world, which  doubled  the streak of any other duo. And while singles tennis tends to capture the popular imagination more than doubles, the brothers' infectious energy on the court earned them the ATP Tour "fan favor...

Ep. 101: Celebrating the 50 th anniversary of Title IX with the first woman to be signed to a collegiate scholarship at UCLA.  There she earned All-American honors four times, spent her summers as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team, and won silver at the 1976 Olympics.  The barrier breaker went on to have an All-Star career in women's professional basketball before moving into the broadcas...

REWIND EPISODE:  To celebrate Father's Day we are highlighting an interview I did with the first family of golf when our book Best Seat in the House: 18 Golden Lessons from a Father to His Son   released in 2021. Although Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the best golfer of all time, with a record number of PGA major championships, his life and values show that true legacy lives on through your...

There is ONE question we have asked every guest and we have compiled our favorite answers here. What are the elements that take a collection of individuals and make them a team? How can you go from just "wearing the same jersey" and "carrying the same business card" to a great team?   You will learn from: (2:00) Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian. (4:00) Team Building Expert Simon Sinek. (6:30) Ernst...

Ep. 99: When you've played on teams with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and for coaches like George Karl and Mike Krzyzewski, you know how to contribute to a team made up of talented people. Michael applied the lessons he learned from basketball to business as the founder of Twenty-Two Ventures, an angel investment company that has mentored and invested in 85 technology and media companies around th...

Ep. 98: Ed led the nation in stolen bases playing baseball at the University of Pacific where he learned the value of hard work.  Although professional baseball in the Majors was out of his reach, Ed poured his energies into World Financial Group, one of the most prolific financial service companies in the world, achieving incredible success that eventually earned him a spot on the Forbes 50 Wealt...

Ep. 97: Virginia's Crew team shaped one of the 100 highest-ranking women in technology who serves as Chapter Chair of YPO San Francisco Bay. In this episode, Joanna dips an oar into her experiences as an elite rower to discuss the importance of mastering the hard-won habit of learning from failure. "Einstein once said, 'If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole lif...

Ep. 96: Known for his televised tightrope walks over Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Times Square, and an active volcano, Nik has been walking the wire since he took his first steps, but he had never experienced fear until a tragic accident in 2017. For the first time, he felt overwhelming fear, and Nik had to find it in himself to move on, release the past, and get back out on the wire. Most of...

Ep. 95: With six marathons,13 half marathons, and intermual ping pong ;) to his credit, Mark Cole has earned the right to compare leadership to a running event—no, not a distance competition, but relay racing.  If the two runners are out of sync during the hand-off, notes Mark, they will slow the team down regardless of how fast the individual runners may be. High-performing corporate teams functi...

REWIND EPISODE: To celebrate Mother's Day we are highlighting one of the first episodes we recorded with Carla Vernon. Carla's mother Cynthia was a NASA Hidden Figure and in this episode, Carla describes her as a brave trailblazer. To all of the moms listening today, Happy Mother's Day! I respect your commitment and appreciate all that you do!  Subscribe to the podcast http://podcast-subscribe.don...