Imperfect Leaders

Superstars don't just emerge out of thin air. Every single one of them - including GOATs like Tom Brady and Michael Phelps - must overcome serious personal obstacles. And this usually happens early in life – in the pivotal teenage years. It might surprise you that Brady nearly gave up on football while still in college. But then he met someone special. Today's guest - ⁠Greg Harden⁠ - is pe...

When the world's most innovative organizations need a little inspiration, they turn to IDEO . IDEO is the most iconic design studio in the world. Clients are far-ranging and global - from hot, new startups to ground-breaking school systems to entire nations - and of course iconic brands including Coca-Cola , Ford , Ikea . And yes, they actually helped Apple create the very first mouse. If that...

Rey Flemings - the founder and CEO of an app called Myria - the world's most exclusive concierge service - is on a quest to change the world. Myria's ultra-wealthy clients - nearly all of whom are in the top .003% - come to Flemings with a wide range of requests, from relatively easy ones - like a front row seat to a Beyonce concert, box seats at the Super Bowl, or a personal invitation to...

Every once in a while I'm stupid enough to get into an argument with my wife. Even when I win the battle (rarely), I lose the war (always). This paradox made me think about the art of influence. How do you persuade people in a way that both sides feel they've won? I turned to the world's preeminent thought leader on the topic - Professor Robert Cialdini - who wrote a book called Influe...

What do Oprah Winfrey , Drew Barrymore , and Scarlett Johansson have in common with today's guest - Jason Karp ? Every one of them is passionate about changing the way people eat - especially in the United States. And, they've all helped build some of the country's most amazing food brands including - True Food Kitchen, Snow Days, Cosmic Bliss, and Grove Collaborative. Today, Jason is...

Ed Catmull is an enigma. There's a good chance you wouldn't recognize him if he were standing right next to you. Yet, he's the creative genius and co-founder of Pixar - a totally unique organization that has completely changed the way many of us think about movies, culture, and even what it means to be a human being. Catmull usually avoids the spotlight. In reality, he would rather wor...

Greg Sands isn't perfect. To name just a few of his imperfections: He had a serious fear of failure as a young athlete. He struggled to find his 'place' while a student at Harvard University. He doesn't particularly like following the rules. And there are times when he feels extremely insecure, like the first time he raised money for his venture capital firm - Costanoa. Yet, in jus...

Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson has been recognized as the #1 thought leader in the world . She literally revolutionized the way CEOs around the world think about psychological safety. In her new book - The Right Kind of Wrong - she takes this conceptual framework one big step forward - and shares a practical tool-kit to help people reframe risk and learn from mistakes. Edmondson c...

Think of all the germs, bacteria, virus, and other airborne diseases we expose ourselves to every single day. Think how much worse this problem is when we are indoors, in closed spaces, and around lots of people. One last thing - consider that a full 90% of our time is spent indoors! Taken together, this is a big problem. R-Zero has the solution - an energy efficient, technology-enabled, cost-effe...

Today's guest - Geoff Smart - has literally revolutionized the way companies around the world think about talent and leadership. The leadership advisory Geoff founded - G.H. Smart - is on speed-dial of the world's top CEOs, private equity investors, and corporate board members - who call when crucial and complex leadership challenges need an elegant, data-driven solution - like CEO success...

Long before 'Succession' - the hit TV Show on HBO, John Tyson was actually living this drama.  His grandfather started a company called Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas.   Today the company employs over 120,000 people and supplies nearly a quarter of all the beef, pork and chicken in the entire country - under the brand names Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ballpark, and many other...

Stan Van Gundy - is an icon in sports and broadcasting. Before his current stint as a top basketball analyst at TNT , he was an NBA coach for several NBA teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans. According to Coach Van Gundy, the best talent - across all disciplines - not just in sports, but in music, in academia, and certainly in business - don't just welcome occasional feedback and advice -...

Today's guest - Erich Joachimsthaler - is the #1 brand strategist on the planet.  He built from scratch a top-ranked professional services firm - called Vivaldi_ - which regularly advises the world's most admired CEOs and chief marketing officers - on their most complex transformational issues.  Joachmisthaler's leadership journey will amaze you. He has continuously 'written the next cha...

Kent Thiry is one of the most admired and accomplished leaders in the country.     For many years he was CEO and Board Chair of Davita - and now he is a philanthropist, a friend and a trusted advisor to high potential CEOs, politicians , environmental activists , and rising stars. Thiry also works closely with top private equity firms including KKR and Partners Group. During this co...

Today's guest - Marisa Thalberg - has successfully guided some of the country's most iconic brands through incredible transformations - including Lowe’s, Taco Bell, The Estée Lauder Companies.  Here are just a few of the leadership qualities I noticed during our conversation - Intuition. Compassion. Empathy. Vulnerability.  Have these soft skills traditionally been described as 'feminine...

Imagine if your father was a famous U.S. President? Then, imagine your father's life being taken away in a brutal assassination. How would you recover? What impact would this have on your personality and well-being? Would you want to follow in your father's Presidential footsteps - or would you become a reluctant prince? Every leader has crucible moments - intense experiences that define their aut...

Dr. Rakesh Suri is one of the top heart transplant surgeons in the world - with stints at both Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic - the top two hospitals in the world.  Suri is also one of the most visionary leaders in the world. Recognizing his considerable gifts, Tony Robbins recently recruited Suri to help lead a revolutionary new healthcare venture called Fountain Life. Rakesh's leaders...

How did a sweet little girl from Memphis, Tennessee grow up to become one of the most admired entertainment lawyers in the country?  Clients love her motto - never leave a dollar on the table when deal-making - even when negotiating against powerful entertainment conglomerates, iconic labels and huge studios.   But that begs the real question. What is it - exactly - about her negoti...

Why do modern day icons, athletes, and artist have Alex Spiro on speed dial? Why do they call him when they run into adversity? Why has Alex been called Elon Musk's personal lawyer? Because all of these leaders know it's wise to have the country's top legal mind in their corner.  Alex plays by a different rule book - and his win/loss record is indisputable. Not only does Alex help clients in...

We are proud to welcome, Anna Barber ! This country was built on the shoulders of great entrepreneurs and innovators – from Henry Ford to Steve Jobs to Elon Musk. But for all of the iconic legends we hear about daily in the national media – there are thousands upon thousands who fail miserably. Transforming a great idea into a great company takes leadership skills.  Developing those 'soft' sk...

"Lock him up, and throw away the key. Show no sympathy for hardened criminals - there is no hope." That's been the rallying cry among many, for decades, in our country. There's only one problem with this philosophy. It doesn't work! Today's guest - Dean Williams - Director of Colorado Department of Corrections - implemented a fundamentally different vision during his four-year tenure - one that em...

Imagine this - you're a parent in a crowded grocery store with your two kids - who have a total meltdown and start screaming for no apparent reason.  Do you take a quick break, run to your car, have a good cry, and then come back to retrieve your upset kids?    Of course not!   Tricia Biggio - todays guest is a mother and the founder of a cool new company called Invisible...

True Search is the world's best talent advisory - helping iconic companies like Walmart, Spotfiy, Google, Warby Parker, and Fanatics - find and recruit the world's best leadership talent.   Todd  started alongside the founding team and was the founder of the Consumer practice at True -  he shares on today's podcast his incredible journey...

There's a big problem in Corporate America. Not every employee voice is heard - many people are silenced or severely muffled. This causes many problems - less innovation, increased risk, elevated stress, and costly turnover. Allvoices has a solution - it's a novel software that gives every single employee in an organization a strong voice - that is guaranteed to be heard - and acted upon - by the...

Roughly 99% of college athletes - all with big talent and big dreams - will never turn pro. They’ll have to make their living doing something other than what they’ve spent thousands of hours perfecting in the sports arena.  But the good news is that most athletes have developed soft skills and leadership acumen - like resilience, judgement, and teamwork - that is not only fungible, but downright c...