How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Today is the first edition of 3 More Questions, an episode series where we continue the conversation that we started last week with our guests. This week, we're talking about Ken Langone, Cofounder of The Home Depot.To co-host the show, I’m bringing in someone from my team so we can dive deeper into my conversation with Ken and learn a little more about leadership. Koula Callahan leads our content and marketing, and today she gets to turn the tables and ask ME three questions based on last week's episode. Let's get started!If you haven't already, sign up for my weekly leadership development plan and get the tips you need to get prepare for a busy week straight in your inbox on Sunday evenings. Go to https://howleaderslead.com/plan/ and sign up today.

Today's guest is really special. He’s a person I love with all my heart and who's been a mentor of mine for several years. He's Ken Langone, the Cofounder of The Home Depot and Chairman of NYU Langone Health. Now, here's a guy who's had more success than you could ever imagine in almost every way you could think about it. He's the most popular guest host of Squawk Box. He’s sought out on every major issue by the media. He's even been featured on 60 Minutes for his breakthrough thinking at NYU Langone Health. He's an incredible business leader and a renowned philanthropist. And one thing will be absolutely clear when you listen to this conversation. The reason why he's had so much success is his deep down belief in the power of people. There's no doubt Ken believes that you have to recognize people, recognize talent, believe in them and show up for the people you have the privilege to lead.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.

Today’s guest is Carol Loomis, Former Senior Editor-at-large at Fortune magazine.There’s so much I admire about how Carol has navigated her career. She’s blazed her own trail and done things no women had ever done before in the journalism field, which has paved the way for women in other industries too. Not only did she create what is known today as the Fortune 500 list, she was an advisor, editor, and friend to Warren Buffet, who she’d talk to almost daily for decades. She even wrote a book about him called “Tap Dancing to Work.”But what stands out to me about how Carol leads is that she’s taken one step at a time. She pushed through barriers and made a name for herself by doing excellent work until she retired from Fortune after working there for 60 years. There’s a lot to learn about her tenacity and drive, and her one step at a time approach.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.

There's so much to admire about Jon Rahm. He's obviously super talented, absolutely the real deal, and an extraordinary competitor. But I think you'll be surprised to learn that one of his most distinguishing characteristics is his love for the history of the game.  Not only does it help him to appreciate those who’ve come before him, but he uses what he’s learned to give him a competitive edge and help him in the heat of battle. Knowing your history can be your advantage too.Because here's the thing: the best leaders I know use history to learn from and inspire them about what’s possible.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.

Today’s guest is Bill Acquavella, one of the most renowned art dealers in the world and Head of Acquavella Galleries.In the art business, reputation is everything. Bill has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art and his customers, people like Mick Jagger and Steve Wynn and Henry Ford II, have absolute trust in what they’re buying from him.They’re confident spending money with Bill like they do because of the confidence they have in him. So the question for us is: how do we build up our reputations as leaders where people will trust us in the big moments? Well, this is an episode chock full of stories from some of Bill’s biggest deals. We can learn to build up trust by hearing how he’s built up his. It’s true for Bill and it’s true for leaders … reputation is everything.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.

Today’s guest is Juliet Funt, the CEO of the Juliet Funt group where she’s a tough-love advisor to Fortune 500 companies like Google, Costco, Nike, and Spotify. She’s also an author and we’re going to be talking about her book A Minute to Think throughout the conversation. Now when was the last time you had a minute to think? Because if you’re like a lot of leaders, your calendar is jam packed and when you’re not in meetings, you can hardly keep up with constant emails and a task list that seems to have no end. So what are we supposed to do about the kind of work where we need to stop and think before we respond? Or when we need to strategize about a crisis that’s imminent? There just doesn’t seem to be time! And it’s costing us in more ways than we even realize.Juliet is about to teach us how we can get rid of the busyness in our lives so that we can show up as better leaders. There are so many practical takeaways in this episode and I can’t wait for you to listen in.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.

Today’s guest is Ryan Serhant, star of Bravo’s television series Million Dollar Listing: New York and Sell it Like Serhant. He also runs a wildly successful real estate firm.We all know that a leader casts a shadow in their organization, meaning the people in the company mirror what they see in their leader. The truth is, some leaders aren’t fully committed. While they may be clocking in everyday, their teams can see them going through the motions, and so what they get in return is a disengaged team that’s mirroring their lack of commitment. But then there are leaders like Ryan who go ALL IN! They are the leaders who are excited to go to work, and their excitement and energy spill over to their teams, and as a result, they have engaged teams who bring their best each and every day.My guess is that you probably want to be a leader—and have a team—more like Ryan.How can you make that happen? Well, what you’re about to learn from Ryan Serhant is what it looks like to go all in and the impact that approach will have on the team you lead. And boy, does Ryan have some crazy stories! I’ll let him tell the full version, but there was a time he flew to Europe in an attempt to close an $8 million deal for an apartment in New York. Talk about going all in!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.

Today’s guest is Paul Varga, the former Chairman and CEO of Brown-Forman, the largest distilling company in the world with brands like Jack Daniels and Woodford Reserve. They have a saying at Brown-Forman, “Build Forever.” The company started in 1890, and the way Paul sees it, it was his responsibility to steward two key parts of the business. He wanted to continue to build their iconic brands, but he also made it a top priority to build their people up as well. Because what a tragedy it would be if the brands grew and their people didn’t grow with it! What you’re about to hear is why Paul cared so deeply about developing his people and ultimately, how that drove success in their business. The great leaders I know build forever, stewarding both their brands and their people. 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.

Today's guest is Molly Fletcher, who CNN hailed as the female Jerry Maguire, for her work negotiating over $500 million in contracts as a sports agent. If I were to ask you what you do for a living, my guess is you likely wouldn't respond with “I'm a negotiator.” But when you think about it, you're in negotiations multiple times a day: as you collaborate with your team about a project deadline, as your leadership team debates what the company should focus on, and even something as simple as which restaurant you should go to for a client meeting. You constantly have to work through a variety of priorities to settle on a satisfactory decision.The great leaders I know understand that they are constantly negotiating and have learned to navigate these situations extremely well. And you're about to learn negotiation from someone who has done a lot of it. 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.

Today's guest is Patrick Spence, the CEO of Sonos. So many tech companies that build consumer products are set up in a way where they make their products obsolete every time they launch a new product. The idea is that the minute the new device is available, their customers will abandon the old product and buy the newest model. But what's interesting is that Sonos has a very different strategy. They set out to build their products to last. They want their customers to have their products for a long, long time. It's a unique approach in their industry. But there's something about it, that core principle that ties in well with the mark of a great leader. You see, the great leaders, I know, they build the last, they make decisions to keep the brand strong beyond just the present moment. They develop leaders in their organization. So there's always a pipeline of strong talent when new opportunities arise. They treat their customers with dignity and respect, which breeds long term brand loyalty. I could go on and on and what you're about to hear from Patrick Spence, and how he leads Sonos as their CEO, is that he's leading with this build the last approach in all aspects of the business. I can't wait for you to listen in.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.