How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Let me ask you, have you felt stuck not knowing how to prioritize areas of your business? It’s hard to figure out what’s worth focusing on and what isn’t. And hey, let’s face it, it’s tempting to chase every shiny new opportunity that comes along! But when you listen to today’s episode, you’ll see that some pretty incredible things can happen in your business when you understand the power of focus. My guest today is Jim Weber, the CEO of Brooks Running. When he took over 20 years ago, they were trying to compete in every athletic category – and they were losing 4 or 5 million bucks a year doing it. Jim said, "Hey, let’s focus on ONE category – running – and let’s master it." And at first, the business shrank. But the very next year, the strategy was working. Now, they’ve crossed over the 1 billion dollar milestone in revenue. And they’ve got an extremely loyal customer base of runners, including my daughter Ashley, who ran a half marathon in Brooks! It all started with the power of focusing on a single type of customer. If you want to learn how it happened – and how to use the power of focus in your business – well, keep listening! Here is my conversation with my good friend – and soon to be yours – Jim Weber.Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each dayWhichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Welcome back to 3 More Questions, an episode series where we continue the conversation that we started last week with our featured guest. On this episode, we're talking about our interview with Maritza Montiel, former Deputy CEO and Vice Chairman of Deloitte, to learn how to summon the courage to take on big challenges.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

I hate to break it to you, but you won’t make it very far as a leader unless you know how to summon courage. See, leaders have to speak their minds. They gotta get out of their comfort zone. They gotta take risks and dream big. All of that takes courage, and lots of it! That’s why I’m so excited for you to hear from today’s guest, Maritza Montiel, who has GOT to be one of the most courageous leaders I know. She’s the former Deputy CEO and Vice Chairman of Deloitte and has blazed a trail as one of the most accomplished and admired women in corporate leadership. She believes we all have courage, and when you can tap into it, you can dream bigger, learn more from failure, take charge of your own career, and so much more.So here is my conversation with my good friend – and soon to be yours – Maritza Montiel.Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each dayWhichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Welcome back to 3 More Questions, an episode series where we continue the conversation that we started last week with our featured guest. On this episode, we're talking about our interview with Peyton Manning, the legendary NFL quarterback, to learn even more about how to be guided by authenticity as a leader.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

Today’s guest hardly needs an introduction because joining me is legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.After his extraordinary career in the NFL, Peyton is now succeeding in the business world – leading his own production house, bourbon brand, charitable foundation … I mean, is there anything this guy can’t do!? But here’s what I really love about Peyton: no matter what he does, he leads with authenticity.He doesn’t feel like he has to know all the answers in these new ventures. He’s comfortable asking questions and getting his team on board to figure out solutions. That authenticity also helps him know when to say yes to an opportunity – and when to pass when it doesn’t work for him and his family. In fact, he decided against a traditional broadcast career for that very reason.Instead, he and his brother Eli host the “Manningcast,” which is an alternate live broadcast of Monday Night Football with famous guests and lots of candid conversations. It’s creating a TON of buzz and even took home a Sports Emmy. People are drawn to the authenticity in the Manningcast and in Peyton’s leadership style. That’s why it’s so darn important for us to learn from leaders who aren’t afraid to be themselves.So here is my conversation with my good friend…and soon to be yours…Peyton Manning.Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each dayWhichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Welcome back to 3 More Questions, an episode series where we continue the conversation that we started last week with our featured guest. On this episode, we're talking about our interview with Geoff Yang, the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures, to learn even more about how to assess people for the skills and traits your team needs.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

Today’s guest is my friend Geoff Yang, the founding partner and managing director of Redpoint Ventures. He’s a legendary venture capitalist who’s backed companies like Stripe, Netflix, Sonos, and DraftKings … just to name a few.I gotta say, Geoff really knows how to spot what ideas are gonna catch on. And in this conversation, we go into detail about what he looks for in a new idea and the big trends he’s excited about. But Geoff doesn’t just assess the ideas. He assesses the people behind them. He has to decide whether an entrepreneur has what it takes to turn that idea into a thriving company. So he’s become an expert at knowing exactly what traits great entrepreneurs have. And he’s gotten really good at assessing whether or not someone has them. That’s a skill EVERY leader needs because the consequences of making a poor assessment of talent and character can be pretty darn painful. But Geoff is proof positive that amazing things happen when we get it right. So if you want to know how to assess people, then you will love this conversation with my good friend, and soon to be yours, Geoff Yang.Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each dayWhichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Welcome back to 3 More Questions, an episode series where we continue the conversation that we started last week with our featured guest. On this episode, we're talking about our interview with Brian Cornell, the Chairman and CEO of Target, to learn even more about how to manage your energy for peak performance as a leader.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

As a leader, you face long days, tough decisions, and constant pressure. And you want to navigate it all with courage and creativity and all the other great qualities we talk about here on the podcast.But to do ALL that, day in and day out, you need one thing: energy! And lots of it. Without it, you just won’t have the strength and stamina it takes to inspire others.If you want to become a great leader, you have to know how to manage your mental and physical energy.Fortunately, today’s guest is the perfect person to help you learn how. I’m talking with Brian Cornell, who has served as the Chairman and CEO of Target for the last eight years. I gotta tell ya, he is so upbeat and positive. He is ALWAYS dialed in. And it’s that unrelenting energy that has helped him lead Target as they’ve navigated massive retail challenges and come out even stronger.He’s going to inspire you with his energy – and he’s also going to tell you exactly what changed 15 years ago when he started to manage it differently. So here is my conversation with my good friend, and soon to be yours, Brian Cornell.Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each dayWhichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Welcome back to 3 More Questions, an episode series where we continue the conversation that we started last week with our featured guest. On this episode, we're talking about our interview with Stan Druckenmiller, the #1 investor in the world. Listen in to hear even more about how to see the future differently and make more strategic investments in business, philanthropy, and life.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan