

How Leaders Lead with David Novak
David Novak
How Leaders Lead gives you a front-row seat to exclusive conversations with the world’s most iconic leaders across business, sports, and entertainment. Hosted by David Novak, Co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, this podcast pulls back the curtain on how top CEOs, founders, and game-changers make things happen. When you tune in, you’ll learn from legends like Tom Brady, Condoleezza Rice, Jamie Dimon, Coach Prime (Deion Sanders), Indra Nooyi, Stanley Druckenmiller, and more.Other guests include:
CEO of Starbucks
CEO of Target
Co-founder of Home Depot
and many others...
David’s unique perspective and thought-provoking questions distill the wisdom of these leaders into actionable insights you can use to elevate your own leadership game. Whether you’re just starting your leadership journey or already leading teams, this show helps you build the confidence you need to lead well.
CEO of Starbucks
CEO of Target
Co-founder of Home Depot
and many others...
David’s unique perspective and thought-provoking questions distill the wisdom of these leaders into actionable insights you can use to elevate your own leadership game. Whether you’re just starting your leadership journey or already leading teams, this show helps you build the confidence you need to lead well.
Episodes
Mentioned books

51 snips
Sep 22, 2022 • 1h 11min
#101: Stanley Druckenmiller, the #1 investor in the world – See the future differently
Welcome to How Leaders Lead where every week, you get to listen in while I interview some of the VERY best leaders in the world. I break down the key learnings so that by the end of the episode, you’ll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader. That’s what this podcast is all about!Today’s guest is Stanley Druckenmiller, the #1 investor in the world.I know, that’s a big claim! But get this: during his 30 years managing money for investors, he had an average annual return of 31%. And he NEVER had a down year. So if you’re even a little interested in finance, you’re going to learn a lot from Stan – including some really practical investment advice and his take on the future of our economy.But more importantly, there’s a huge leadership lesson to learn. Stan isn’t afraid to envision the future differently than other people. He can see trends and patterns others can’t – and then he has the courage to act on them.That’s a skill EVERY leader needs to develop. Seeing the future differently allows us to spot opportunities and prepare for what’s coming. If we just go with the flow of what’s current, we’ll always just be a part of the trend, not ahead of it. You’re about to see for yourself how great leaders aren’t afraid to see the future differently.So here is my conversation with my good friend, and soon to be yours, Stanley Druckenmiller.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.

Sep 19, 2022 • 12min
3 More Questions (Mark Erwin) with David Novak and Koula Callahan
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 Mark Erwin, the President and CEO of Bardstown Bourbon. Listen in to hear even more about how to achieve high performing success by equipping your team properly.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

Sep 15, 2022 • 56min
#100: Mark Erwin, President and CEO of Bardstown Bourbon – Equip Your Team Properly
If you want a high performing company, you need to build a high performing team. And we all want to get the most from our teams, but what do they need from us as leaders in order to succeed?Fortunately for us, I’m talking with Mark Erwin today. Now, this is a guy who has spent decades building and leading strong teams. He’s currently the President and CEO of Bardstown Bourbon, where he and his team are doing incredible things to stand out in a really crowded category. And he spent 25 years serving the Army, where he led the super elite Delta Force on countless top-secret missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.In fact … I’m just gonna go ahead and say it … if you live in America, you’re safer today because of the way Mark Erwin built and commanded his teams. And as we mark the anniversary of 9/11 this week, I sure as heck am grateful for it.Some really incredible things are possible when we as leaders build strong teams – and Mark says that starts by equipping them properly. If you’re ready to see how that’s done, keep listening, because here is my conversation with my good friend, and soon to be yours, Mark Erwin.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.

Sep 12, 2022 • 10min
3 More Questions (Roger Goodell) with David Novak and Koula Callahan
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 Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL. Listen in to hear even more about why it's important to fight complacency when your organization is doing well.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

Sep 8, 2022 • 57min
#99: Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL — Fight Complacency
Well I couldn’t be more excited, because the new NFL season kicks off this week! Yeah, that’s right … football is back, baby! And it’s the perfect time to sit down and talk with my friend Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League. He is starting his sixteenth year as NFL Commissioner, and if you follow the news at all, you know Roger has had to make some tough decisions and deal with his fair share of challenges. And of COURSE we’re gonna dig into that during this conversation because there’s a lot we can learn about how he leads. But on the other hand, he’s the chief executive of the most popular pro sports league in the U.S.That kind of success comes with its OWN challenges. What does great leadership look like when your product is so dang popular? How do you fight against the complacency that often comes when you’re succeeding? Keep listening so you can learn exactly how to keep pushing the status quo, no matter what level of success you’ve achieved.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.

Sep 5, 2022 • 10min
3 More Questions (Kelly Coffey) with David Novak and Koula Callahan
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 Kelly Coffey, CEO of City National Bank. Listen in to hear even more about why it's important to embrace feedback and create new channels for getting it.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

Sep 1, 2022 • 51min
#98: Kelly Coffey, City National Bank CEO—Embrace Feedback
Ask any decent leader if it’s important to get feedback, and you’ll get the same answer. Of COURSE it is. We have to listen to what our teams and customers are saying if we want to improve our businesses.But getting good feedback is harder than it sounds. You can’t just put a comment box in the break room and call it a day! If you truly want to embrace feedback, you need a plan to get it and a genuine desire to listen to it. And nobody embraces feedback better than today’s guest, Kelly Coffey. She’s the CEO of City National Bank, where she oversees 5,000 associates in 70 offices, PLUS over 56 billion dollars in assets. And she’s building something really special because she is SO open to her team’s ideas, and her team knows exactly how to share those ideas with her. You’re about to learn so much about how great leaders embrace feedback. You’ll also discover:
How to get more feedback and collaboration from your team
A critical reminder for ALL leaders, no matter how fast-paced your world is
One practical idea to boost your confidence and quell those internal doubts
A key insight for anyone who works in a job where you need to be highly responsive
Advice for women who work in a male-dominated industries
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.

Aug 29, 2022 • 15min
3 More Questions (Cyrus Freidheim) with David Novak and Koula Callahan
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 Cyrus Freidheim, Management Consultant and Former CEO of Chiquita and Chicago Sun-Times. Listen in to hear even more about why it's important to get an outside perspective.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan

Aug 25, 2022 • 46min
#97: Cyrus Freidheim, Chiquita & Chicago Sun-Times Former CEO & Management Consultant—Get an Outside Perspective
Today’s guest is Cyrus Freidheim, the former CEO of both Chiquita and the Chicago Sun-Times and an absolutely legendary management consultant.Consultants often get a bad rap for over-charging and under-delivering. (And let’s be honest – sometimes, they deserve it!) But the RIGHT consultant delivers something that’s vital for your business: an outside perspective. It’s often the only way you can diagnose and fix your blind spots. And if you don’t, those blind spots will come back to haunt you!In this conversation, Cyrus will show you how to use that outside perspective to grow your businesses. As a consultant, he’s turned around countless organizations. He’s served on dozens of boards, and of course, he’s faced his own leadership challenges as CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times.He really has seen it all, and there is so much we can learn from him about the power of an outside perspective.You’ll also learn:
The first question you need to ask if you want to turn a business around
What to do when you face a major disagreement you just can’t resolve
Two vital ingredients in a successful consultant-leader relationship
Why having (and becoming) a mentor is crucial to your success
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.

Aug 22, 2022 • 12min
3 More Questions (Jesse Cole) with David Novak and Koula Callahan
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 Jesse Cole, the owner of the Savannah Bananas. Listen in to hear even more about why it's important to get people's attention.If you want a simple plan to improve as a leader, you can get one here for free — https://howleaderslead.com/plan


