Leadership Next

The first episode of Leadership Next launched on March 17th, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was gearing up to wallop the U.S. Over the next nine months, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt talked to CEOs of some of the world's largest companies about how they were making decisions during this difficult time. Because of course the difficulty didn't stop with a health crisis. It led to economic upheaval too. And, in the midst of that, the country faced a reckoning on racial justice spurred by the killing of George Floyd. Surprisingly, through it all, the leaders interviewed on this podcast maintained a commitment to stakeholder capitalism.In this episode, Alan and Ellen are joined by Joe Ucuzoglu, the CEO of Deloitte and sponsor of Leadership Next. They revisit conversations with IBM's Ginni Rometty, Sanofi's Paul Hudson, Salesforce's Marc Benioff, and many others in order to uncover some of the big trends that emerged from Season One. And, they look ahead to 2021.

It has not been an easy time to be leading an oil company as the pandemic pushed down both oil demand and prices. Meanwhile, the UN is pushing for a future of zero net carbon emissions, and many countries and global companies have signed on to meet the goal. Does all of this mean we've hit "peak oil?" Chevron's CEO, Mike Wirth, says no. He explains his thinking on this episode of Leadership Next, and lays out his vision for the future of the company.Wirth also spends time talking about how the relationship between CEOs and their employees have shifted over time. He communicates more often and more directly with his employees than leaders of the past. Along these lines, he shares specific examples of listening to employees during the COVID-19 crisis, and describes his approach to leading a global company.

With coronavirus hitting the U.S. with renewed force, are we on the verge of a double-dip recession?  That’s the first question Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt had for Roger Ferguson, the CEO of TIAA. Before leading the money management firm, Ferguson spent several years at the Federal Reserve. This background gives him great perspective on the roles business and government play in building a strong economy, and how the two can – and should – be working together.   In his conversation with Leadership Next, Ferguson lays out the immediate steps he believes the government should take to support the economy in the near-term. He also highlights how the coronavirus crisis has taken a greater toll on black and brown communities, and offers some ideas for helping these groups.  Ferguson is just one of four black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company – just like he was one of the few black men to ever hold a regulatory role at the Federal Reserve. Quick to acknowledge this as a serious problem, he has a list of three moves companies can make to bring greater diversity to the workplace. 

When Ethan Brown set out to look for a job, he wanted to tackle what he saw as one of the world’s biggest problems – climate change. After stints in government and the non-profit world, he found himself frustrated with the plodding pace of change. He decided business had the most power to move the needle on the problem. Enter Beyond Meat: his company that had a wildly successful IPO last year.  His plant-based meat products are available at restaurant chains and grocery stores across the country, globally. He talks to Alan Murray about plans to build a plant in China, how COVID has impacted the company, and why he remains focused on long-term, not quarterly, results. If you enjoy Leadership Next, check out Fortune's “Brainstorm” podcast about how tech is reshaping our world. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.

In March of 2020, Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass was preparing to unveil a retooled strategy for the retailer. Instead, she had to shelve those plans and face the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode of Leadership Next, she details many of the hard decisions she and her team had to make to keep employees safe and the business running. Kohl’s has long called itself an omnichannel retailer and, as Gass shares, its digital footprint certainly helped blunt the economic blow of COVID-19. During this time Gass also started hosting live weekly meetings for the entire company – something she had never done before. She was particularly glad to have this communication method in place when news of the George Floyd murder broke – she explains why.  Gass goes on to talk about the diversity efforts at the company, Kohl’s plans to be the go-to retailer for healthy families, and her approach to stakeholder capitalism. If you enjoy Leadership Next, check out Fortune's “Brainstorm” podcast about how tech is reshaping our world. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.

Not many people obtain the title of CEO. But John Donahoe has held the position four times. He’s currently the CEO of Nike. Before he accepted that job, however, he took a year off to figure out what he really wanted the next decade of his life to look like. He solicited advice from 50 people during that period – much of which he summarizes and shares with Alan and Ellen.  Ultimately, that search led him to the top post at Nike – a company whose board he had sat on for several years. Soon after moving into the C-Suite, the coronavirus pandemic hit. That was quickly followed by unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Donahoe tells Leadership Next how both of those events impacted the company. He also reveals how early in his tenure he recognized the company needed to boost its culture of diversity and inclusion, and what he’s done about it. Also in the conversation: how he envisions the company’s org chart (hint, he’s not at the top), how being a CEO is similar to being a coach, and how  business can help heal some of the divisions within our country. 

In a nod to Election Day, Leadership Next is engaging in a hallmark of American democracy: debate. Part of the thesis on this podcast is that business is changing. The best leaders recognize that to motivate their employees, customers - and sometimes their investors - they need a purpose beyond profit. And they need to be willing to address some big social problems like climate change and inequality that may be seen as existential threats to society and therefore to their businesses. But of course not everyone agrees. Harvard Law's Lucian Bebchuk calls the promise of stakeholder capitalism "illusory."He joins Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt, along with Rebecca Henderson who is author of "Reimaging Capitalism in a World on Fire," and a professor at the Harvard Business School.Up for debate: Are the CEOs who profess to focusing on purpose actually following through? What types of incentives are needed to encourage companies to focus on stakeholders? Can companies proclaim a commitment to stakeholders while also spending heavily on lobbying in Washington DC?

Paul Hudson became CEO of pharmaceutical company Sanofi in September 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic. His company has moved quickly to develop vaccines for the illness. In this episode of Leadership Next, he shares the progress they’ve made. He also shares his enthusiasm for the new technology and tools the company is using to fight disease – COVID-19 of course, but also Parkinson’s, breast cancer and more. Alan Murry asks if Hudson believes his industry will continue to collaborate once the pandemic is under control. Ellen McGirt wonders how he’ll handle the growing number of people who say they won’t accept the COVID-19 vaccine. And of course, because this is Leadership Next, there’s plenty of talk about purpose – Hudson believes refocusing on the company’s purpose has brought energy and innovation to its search for a vaccine.  

Here’s a first for Leadership Next: an episode that begins with a story about being mauled by an elephant. The victim of that event: Tom Siebel, CEO of C3.ai, and a long-time Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Almost equally as unusual, in this episode Siebel lays out the case for government regulation of artificial intelligence – not something you expect to hear from the leader of an A.I. company. “If we don't regulate this, we're going to have to live in a very scary place,” Siebel tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt. C3.ai is a provider of enterprise AI software, and Siebel feels strongly that companies who fail to adopt A.I. in a big way will ultimately be left behind. But he freely admits the dangers inherent in running human systems with the technology. He talks about the line his company draws in the sand when choosing where to apply A.I.  Also in the episode, Siebel talks about the “data lake” the company has created to help fight COVID-19, and his funding of a group called “Siebel Scholars.” If you enjoy Leadership Next, check out the new Fortune podcast "Reinvent" about companies fighting to thrive in a world turned upside down. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.

HP – the company perhaps best known for outfitting homes and businesses across the world with computers and printers – is widely considered the original Silicon Valley tech company. It was founded in a small garage in 1939; at the time it was called Hewlett-Packard. Today, HP is run by Enrique Lores, who started at the company as an intern and moved into the corner office about a year ago. Leadership Next listeners will not be surprised to learn that he believes HP can benefit both shareholders and stakeholders. Specifically, he talks about how the company has been caring for employees during the pandemic, the need to continue pursuing diversity goals, how HP is working to protect trees and provide kids with computers.  Also, Lores explains how the pandemic accelerated 3D-printing technology at HP. Check out the episode to discover why co-host Ellen McGirt is particularly excited about this!