

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

Jul 14, 2022 • 42min
#91: Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner—Finding Common Ground
Have you ever been in one of those situations where you have to make a tough call and you know that no matter what you choose, someone won’t be happy?What are you supposed to do in those moments? Well, Rob Manfred is no stranger to this dilemma. Each and every day, he has to manage relationships with the 30 team owners, the players, the fans, and the union.What you’ll hear in this conversion is how Rob finds common ground to keep moving forward. Finding common ground is not always easy, but it’s a skill that I’ve found in so many of the leaders I respect. Baseball fan or not, I know there’s a lot for you to learn about leadership from today’s conversation.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.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.

Jul 11, 2022 • 13min
3 More Questions (Jason Kelly) 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 guests. This week, we're talking about Jason Kelly, Cofounder and CEO of Ginkgo BioWorks.Today my co-host Koula Callahan asks me about learning from companies in other industries, communicating vision to get employee buy-in, and explaining the complexities of Yum! Brands with clear and compelling stories.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.

Jul 7, 2022 • 48min
#90: Jason Kelly, Ginkgo Bioworks Cofounder & CEO—How to Simplify the Complex
Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, simplifies complex concepts in synthetic biology. They discuss the potential of synthetic biology in various industries, including creating a plant-based burger that bleeds like meat. The podcast also highlights the power of storytelling for CEOs and the importance of fostering an ownership culture. The chapter concludes with discussions on resilience and empowering employees.

Jul 4, 2022 • 16min
3 More Questions (Ken Langone) with David Novak and Koula Callahan
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.

Jun 30, 2022 • 57min
#89: Ken Langone, The Home Depot Cofounder—Being There for People
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.

Jun 23, 2022 • 48min
#88: Carol Loomis, Fortune Magazine Former Senior Editor-At-Large—Taking It One Step at a Time
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.

Jun 16, 2022 • 51min
#87: Jon Rahm, Golf's Defending US Open Champion—Using History as Your Guide
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.

Jun 9, 2022 • 46min
#86: Bill Acquavella, Acquavella Galleries Head & Art Dealer—Reputation is Everything
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.

Jun 2, 2022 • 48min
#85: Juliet Funt, Fortune 500 Executives Consultant & Author—Take a Minute to Think
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.

May 26, 2022 • 46min
#84: Ryan Serhant, Real Estate Entrepreneur & TV Star—Go All In
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.


