How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Today's guest is Larry Senn, who's actually the father of corporate culture, and the Chairman and Senn Delaney. Larry and his business partner were hired by Sam Walton in the early days of Walmart. And it was there that Larry began to understand the intangible part of an organization that really makes a difference. Today, we call this company culture, which is simply defined as the way people behave and the way they work together. Believe it or not, Larry published the world's first research on corporate culture, and has spent his entire career helping organizations be at their best, when you think about it, helping others be at their best. That is what being a great leader, and a great coach is all about. And I'll tell you, Larry has made quite an impact in my life as my coach over the years.In this episode, you’re going to learn: How Larry built a flower business and bought a Jaguar K 120 sports car at age 18 How Larry learned that he was in the wrong career after college, and what he did to make a change What Larry learned as a consultant for Sam Walton before Walmart went big How to build exercises that inspire employees to embrace change  What jigsaw puzzles reveal about teamwork How to build actionable work values and principles  Why it’s hard to get company cultures to change How to develop the mindset of a leader The best and worst things leaders can do for (and to) their companies PLUS How to thrive at work and home without making compromises

Today's guest is Brittany Fuisz, the Founder and CEO of Malibu Mylk. Building something from scratch is not easy. In fact, the majority of businesses that launched don't make it past five years. So what is it that allows some companies to thrive while others fail? Whoever leads the business in the mindset they approach their work with is a key ingredient in the success of a company. And in my conversation with Brittany, you're about to see a unique mindset on full display as she tells a story of launching Malibu Mylk. Brittany has what I call a startup mindset, and what I mean by that is incredible passion to make something big happen and truly change the world.They're not willing for someone to tell them what to do. They think outside the box, they give themselves the permission to charge forward and they attack every unknown and challenge with optimism. In this episode you’ll learn: What’s going on in the milk category How to build a brand from scratch as an outsider How a celebrity’s advice sent Brittany down an unexpected career path How Brittany scaled the success of her blender to something that could be mass-produced How to respond to setbacks in quality What it really takes to be ready for a meeting with Whole Foods How the Malibu Mylk subscription model works The formula for a great culture How to embrace pushback that improves the brand PLUS, Brittany shares a promo code for getting your own batch of Malibu Mylk! Get your first order of Malibu Mylk 20% off when you use the promo code LEAD20 at checkout.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 Scott Hamilton, an Olympic gold medalist and founder of the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation, an organization that is working to eliminate cancer. Now, Scott obviously doesn't need much of an introduction. You already know about his gold medal and figure skating. You probably have seen his incredible backflips on the ice. And you have likely watched him as a commentator on the Olympics over the years. And while you may know him for his successes, you may not know about the challenges that he's had to overcome to win. His childhood illness, cancer, multiple brain tumors, the times he's fallen on the ice in critical situations. Scott says any goal will always have obstacles, difficulties and setbacks. You will be defined not by those setbacks, but by how you respond to them. There's so much that we can learn from Scott about how to get up after we all fall and let me tell you something, we all do. I'm so excited to have you listen in. Here's my conversation with my new friend – and soon to be yours – Scott Hamilton.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 Ken Chenault, the Former Chairman and CEO of American Express, and the current Chairman and Managing Partner of General Catalyst, a dynamic private equity firm. Now, if you run a business or lead a team, there are moments when you need to lean into confrontation. And I don't mean dance around the confrontation, I'm talking about facing it head on. For a lot of people, this can be really hard to do, really intimidating. But the great leaders I know, like Ken, have learned how to engage in constructive confrontation. 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 Aneel Bhusri, the Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Chairman of Workday, an American on‑demand financial management and human capital management software vendor. When Aneel started Workday with David Duffield, they defined a handful of core values for their company. Now this is pretty common practice for business leaders, but here's the problem. A lot of leaders write down the company values and never think about them again. They even laminate them, put them up on the wall, but I’ve got to tell you, all they do is collect dust. But that wasn't the case with Aneel and his Co-Founder Dave Duffield, they decided that investing in their people was going to be the number one value at their company. So how did they live out that value? Well, believe it or not, they personally interviewed the first 500 team members they hired. Now that's something that says they value people over anything else. The key lesson here is that they aligned their schedules and their priorities with the company's number one value. You see, the great leaders I know walk the talk of their core values. They just don't write them down and forget them. They actually use their core values to dictate how they spend their time, and how they focus their energy. We have a lot to learn from today's conversation, including: Why Aneel shifted from applying for a job at Apple to join an HR software startup instead How a hostile takeover led to a new venture What value system Aneel and Dave built the company around Why the Co-Founders interviewed the first 500 employees together, regardless of other work and time priorities  Why Aneel looks for “shiny new penny folks” when hiring talent Why the tech team goes off-site every few years to talk about the future How to get customers involved in innovation How to build partnerships between humans and machines that don’t compromise the work value of either Why Aneel prefers having a Co-CEO Why Phil Mickelson does Workday advertising PLUS Aneel’s advice for aspiring leaders 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 Ginni Rometty, the Former Chairman, President and CEO of IBM and current Co-Chairman of the OneTen Initiative. Rising through the ranks from systems engineer to CEO, Ginni has learned to be comfortable with situations outside her comfort zone, because that’s where she grew the most in her journey as a leader. While leading IBM, Ginni learned what was essential about IBM that must endure before making changes that set the company up for future growth in new industries. And so what you're about to hear from Ginni, and what you'll learn from her journey to become CEO of IBM, is that great leaders are comfortable being uncomfortable. In this episode, you’ll learn:  How to mentally process a promotion to the top job - especially as a woman How Ginni’s mother modelled the courage and leadership Ginni needed to succeed Why propensity to learn is more important than a college degree in a job candidate Why women don’t put themselves forward for new assignments and how to help them go the distance Why preparing for the next job might actually a bad idea How to make the leap from being an individual contributor to a leader who coordinates other people effectively How to focus on the long-term with conviction and a thick skin Why Ginni’s favorite IBM achievement is employee engagement How the hybrid cloud works and the future of artificial intelligence at IBM and around the world How the OneTen Initiative intends to tap hidden pools of talent by changing priorities in hiring PLUS, Ginni’s single biggest piece of advice for reinventing yourself and your company   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 Dave Calhoun, the President and CEO of Boeing, the largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners Defense, Space and security systems. Dave joined Boeing as CEO in January of 2020, and little did he know the challenges that he’d be up against only a couple months later, when COVID hit. But what Dave has shown is the great leaders restore stability in the midst of a crisis. When we are thrown a right hook that we don't expect when things are a bit chaotic, we look to great leaders to show us how we should think and behave. Now what you're going to hear in this interview is how Dave helped Boeing navigate not only COVID and the massive impact that it had on the airline industry, but also how Boeing has handled the situation of their 737 Max, which was banned from flying passengers due to two plane crashes in 2018 and 19. Now it takes a strong leader to navigate those situations and restore stability on the other side.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 Will Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of WHOOP, a wearable fitness tracker that measures a few key metrics to help top athletes and everyday consumers achieve peak performance. You're going to learn that Will is an incredibly sharp young leader. Believe it or not, he's in his early 30s, running a company that was recently valued at $3.6 billion. Running a company at that level requires a whole other level of discipline, when it comes to focusing in on what truly matters. If you want to keep your business healthy, no matter what size a company you lead, it's imperative that you measure and keep your eyes on a few vital metrics at all times.You're going to learn: How problems with athletic overtraining led to a company that helps monitor sleep The hidden side of sleep and the WHOOP tracker How WHOOP can compete with the Apple Watch How simple metrics lead to better decision-making How Will went from student athlete to company builder How Will maintains steady focus through delegation and meditation Why the WHOOP business model emulates Peloton instead of FitBit How to “Growtain” your customers How to be excellent in multiple complication industries at once How WHOOP built promotion partnerships with top athletes and sports networks How to find and develop people who are high intensity AND high humility Why WHOOP pays its employees to sleep PLUS Will’s best advice for entrepreneurs 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.

To round off 2021, today’s episode features six of David’s favorite insights from the year from leaders like Marvin Ellison, Indra Nooyi, and Tom Brady. You’re going to learn about how to react to overwhelming and scary situations with focus, confidence, planning, and communication. Plus, David will teach you his number one exercise for taking stock of where you are now in order to work towards where you want to go.In this episode, you’ll learn: David’s 3x5 exercise for self-evaluation going into a new year Tom Brady’s model for clear, current communication with teammates Niren Chaudhary’s process for bringing clarity and purpose to overwhelming situations Indra Nooyi’s advice for balancing work and home life Kara Goldin’s conviction about how to escape the bondage of fear in business Andy Roddick’s ritual for staying focused to play point after point in tennis without losing it Marvin Ellison’s story about learning to stand out as himself rather than blend in as someone else Check out https://howleaderslead.com/best-of-2021/ for more great leadership insights, and go to https://howleaderslead.com/survey to share your great insights about the podcast!

Today's guest is Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Earlier in his career as a player, Steve won three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls alongside the one and only Michael Jordan. He then went on to win two more titles playing for the San Antonio Spurs, and then he became a coach and won three more titles for the Warriors. Needless to say, this guy knows how to win, and he knows how to build teams that win. What you may be surprised to learn, though, is how he does it. The way Steve leads is by understanding the power of the team, from superstars to bench and everything in between. You're going to hear all about this on today's episode, as well as how you too can apply Steve's insights to whatever team you happen to be leading.In this episode you'll learn: Who Steve Kerr learned from in order to coach Why joy matters in casting the vision for a team What a great team player looks like How to coach superstars and the bench What it takes to rack up 300 passes a game How to work past mental barriers to perform with excellence How to motivate the team How to delegate areas of weakness with strength What Steve learned from playing with Lute Olson, Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich Why Steve wanted to let the Warriors coach themselves one game Who Steve would pick if Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all came out in the draft in the same year What Steve thinks about The Last Dance documentary How Steve balances priorities at home and on the court 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.