Don Faul

Don Faul, a former Marine Corps Force Recon officer who later led global teams at Google, Facebook, and CrossFit. He talks about leading under pressure with humility and service. He discusses setting the emotional tone in combat, decentralized decision-making, ownership and high standards, navigating career setbacks, and translating military leadership into tech and policy roles.

Our guest today is Don Faul, CEO of CrossFit.Don has a fascinating background where he’s been able to find success in environments as different as a combat zone and a corporate board room. After spending 8 years as a platoon commander in the U.S. Marine Corps, Don had stints at some of the most vaunted companies in tech, including Google, Facebook and Pinterest, the latter of which he served as the Head of Operations. It’s a really unique set of leadership experiences spanning very different cultures. In today’s conversation, he answers some burning questions like if micromanagement is always a bad thing, how to create a long-term company vision that genuinely gets people fired up about the future, and what folks tend to get wrong in their all-hands meetings. We also discuss what it takes to lead in this current environment, and how leadership looks different when things feel like they’re going off the rails, which plenty of startup folks are feeling right now. Don unpacks his biggest lessons on how to embrace transparency when things aren’t going well, and candidly shares his own experience of having to wind down a company. Read the article Don penned for First Round Review: The Pivotal Stories Every Startup Leader Should be Able to Tell.You can follow Don on Twitter @donfaulYou can email us questions directly at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/firstround and twitter.com/brettberson 

Don Faul, a former U.S. Marine Corps platoon commander and the new CEO of CrossFit, dives into his unique journey from military leadership to tech giants like Google and Meta. He shares insights on the impact of physical fitness on overall well-being and the importance of decentralized command in both military and corporate environments. Faul also discusses the challenges of adapting to a high-pressure tech culture, the transformative power of community within CrossFit, and how effective branding can elevate health products in a competitive market.