Corporate Competitor Podcast

Ep. 137: Cricket shaped the leader who grew up in Yorkshire, England where “the humans were outnumbered by the sheep.” Leave it to the CEO of WD-40 to figure out a way to smooth out the squeaks in his company’s culture, but that’s exactly what the company’s new boss Steve Brass did on day one of becoming the leader of a brand whose name has become synonymous with making things operate better. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions. Click here to download the bonus resource. If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture!  Special thanks to Kyle Smedley and David Beira for making this episode possible.

Ep. 136: Harvard Football shaped this "business athlete" who bakes his company's purpose into his product while leading his 12,000 employees.  Scott founded Seattle Coffee Company in London before selling it to Starbucks and serving as the President of Starbucks Europe. In 2008, Scott and his wife Ally founded MOD Pizza in Seattle, a fast-casual restaurant chain that offers artisan-style pizzas and salads, and today they have 500 locations across America. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions. Click here to download the bonus resource. +If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture!  Special thanks to Samantha Clark and Daniel Kehn for making this episode possible.

Ep. 135 REWIND EPISODE: To celebrate John’s new book The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication, we are throwing it back to one of our first episodes. John began practicing leadership as a sophomore on the Circleville, Ohio High School basketball team, when was named captain.  “He might be the youngest,” his coach said to the team, “but there is nobody here that wants you to succeed as much as John.” It’s no stretch to say that what was true then remains true of his team at Maxwell Leadership, as well as the countless teams they have coached and inspired worldwide. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions. Click here to download the bonus resource. If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture!  Special thanks to Francisco Nunez and Lauren Hafner for making this episode possible.

Ep. 134: Notre Dame Soccer Captain and Ad Age CMO of the Year encourages you to keep a “happy folder” of nice notes and projects you are proud of so that when you exerpience low points you can revisit the folder and get a little boost. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is “Build Trustworthy Relationships” which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions for this episode. Click here to download the bonus resource. Bring Don Yaeger’s inspiration and tools for culture transformation to your team! Connect with us here. Special thanks to Haley Rose and Samantha Clark for making this episode possible.

Ep. 133: Johns Hopkins Lacrosse shaped Tracey who offers insights into skills that may not fit naturally on the resumé but belong in any true leadership toolkit. These include: How to give honest feedback that promotes learning without hurting people’s feelings. Why learning to flex your “feedback muscle” is critical to mentoring in today’s workplace. The real reason effective leaders ought to practice being calm in times of crisis. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions. Click here to download the bonus resource. If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture! Special thanks to Samantha Clark and Francisco Nunez for making this episode possible.

Ep. 132: Football shaped the leader in charge of Cigna’s U.S. employer group business market strategy, sales, and local community engagement initiatives. Some people view corporate success as climbing a ladder, Mike Triplett views it as crossing a bridge, and he takes special care never to cross a bridge without bringing someone along who contributed to his success. Our BONUS RESOURCE includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions for this episode Click here to download the bonus resource. +You can now bring host Don Yaeger’s inspiration and tools for culture transformation to your team! Connect with us here: http://maxwellleadership.com/don Special thanks to Kory Gehring and Brett Rutherford for making this episode possible.

Ep. 131: Oxford Basketball shaped Stephen whose portfolio includes brands like FIJI Water, Halos Mandarins, POM Wonderful, and JUSTIN Wines. Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is “What Happens When You Walk in the Room?” which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions from today’s episode.  Click here to download the bonus resource. If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture!  Special thanks to Brian Schnorr and Haley Rose for making this episode possible.

Ep. 130: When Stacie asks a client, “How do we compare to the competition,” she’s not going through the motions or being polite. She’s showing interest and creating a respectful environment in which honesty can develop—and she’s not afraid of what she might hear. Listeners to this episode will learn: 9:00 Growth questions every leader should ask themselves. 14:30 How to determine if you are a leader or a manager. 20:00 How to blindspot-proof your leadership team. 24:00 Three leadership qualities every mentor should develop with their mentees.  Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode is “How to Receive Feedback” which includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can go from managing your team to leading them. Click here to download the bonus resource. If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture!  Special thanks to Jacob Poverman and Samuel Manley for making this episode possible.

Ep. 129: Hockey shaped this cybersecurity executive, an industry with zero unemployment and three million open jobs on any given day. Download our “Make Your Employees Feel Like Superheroes” BONUS RESOURCE for this episode! If these lessons resonated with you, connect with me and my team at maxwellleadership.com/don and together we can next-level your company culture!  Special thanks to Samuel Manley and Nico Finol for making this episode possible.

Ep. 128: Football, track, and baseball shaped Paul who was named to Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs determined by employee approval ratings. Listeners will learn how KPMG uses DEI principles and practices in its strategic planning, especially with talent acquisition. “Worrying is not a productive way to bring about change,” he noted. “The leader’s role is to be the calm in the middle of adversity.” Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can grow your influence in 2023. Special thanks to Nico Finol and Haley Rose for making this episode possible.