Rick Smith is the founder and CEO of Axon. Axon currently employs over 1,300 people. A pioneer of technology with the vision of making the bullet obsolete, Rick founded the original company, TASER, in 1993. As the TASER device became ubiquitous in law enforcement, Rick pushed the company beyond weapons technology and towards a broader purpose of matching technology to …
Jim Clifton has served as CEO of Gallup, a global leader in consulting and public opinion research and analytics, since 1988. Under his leadership, Gallup has expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 30 offices in 20 countries and regions. Jim is the bestselling author of The Coming Jobs War and Born to Build, as well …
Episode #307: Carly Fiorina – Why You Should Run Towards The Fire Carly Fiorina started out as a secretary for a 9-person real-estate business and eventually became the first woman ever to lead a Fortune 50 company. When Carly was recruited to lead HP in 1999, the industry was facing the worst technology recession in 25 years. Under Carly’s leadership, …
Episode #306: Brian Koppelman – Follow Your Curiosity And Obsessions With Rigor Brian Koppelman is a filmmaker, writer, podcaster, TV series creator, former music business executive and record producer. Brian is the co-writer of Ocean’s Thirteen and Rounders, the producer for films including The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones, the director for films including Solitary Man and the documentary This Is What They Want for ESPN as part of their 30 for 30 series, and …
Episode #305: Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall – A Leader’s Guide To The Real World (Break All The Rules) Marcus Buckingham holds a master’s degree in social and political science from Cambridge University and is a member of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Leadership and Management. He’s the author of the international best-seller, First, Break All The Rules. To kick-start …
Episode #304: Laura Gassner Otting – How To Carve Your Own Path Laura’s entrepreneurial edge has been well-honed over a 25-year career that started as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, where she helped shape AmeriCorps. She left a leadership role at the respected nonprofit search firm, Isaacson, Miller, to expand the startup ExecSearches.com. In 2015, she held an audacious dream of electing …
Episode #302: Nick Kokonas – How To See The Genius In People Nick Kokonas is co-founder and co-owner of groundbreaking Alinea, Next, and The Aviary (and it’s speakeasy The Office) in Chicago. Alinea, which opened in 2005, has been on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list since 2007, rising as high as seventh and twice being the “Best Restaurant in …
Episode #301: James Kerr – How To Create An Ethos Of Excellence (Legacy) James Kerr is a bestselling author, speaker, and consultant who helps create high performance cultures for elite teams and organizations. He is the author of the global best-seller ‘Legacy’ which provides a unique insight into the most successful sporting team, The All Blacks – and has worked …
Episode #299: Kyle Maynard – “The World Will Not Be Tailored To Your Every Need” (Scaling Kilimanjaro) Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics. Oprah Winfrey called Kyle “one of …
Episode #297: Tero Isokauppila – CEO Of Four Sigmatic: Principled Based Leadership Tero Isokauppila is the founder of Four Sigmatic, a nature-centric Finnish- American company specializing in functional mushrooms, superfoods, and adaptogens. Tero’s roots are in Finland, where he grew up foraging for mushrooms and other wild foods on his family’s farm. He later earned a degree in Chemistry, Business, …
Episode #296: Emily Fletcher – The Secret Superpower Of Top Performers (Meditation) Emily Fletcher is the founder of Ziva, the creator of The Ziva Technique and regarded as the leading expert in meditation for high performance. The New York Times, The Today Show, Vogue and ABC News have all featured Emily’s work. She’s been named one of the top 100 …
Episode #295: Todd Herman – Using Alter Egos To Transform Your Life Todd Herman is an author, coach, and entrepreneur. His training company has specialized for 22 years in mental toughness and peak performance strategies PROVEN to work, not the anecdotal nonsense found in most personal development work. His training programs have won international awards and he’s worked over 100 …
Episode #294: Warren Berger – How To Ask More Beautiful Questions Innovation expert and questionologist WARREN BERGER has studied hundreds of the world’s foremost innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers to learn how they ask questions, generate original ideas, and solve problems. He is the author of eleven books, including THE BOOK OF BEAUTIFUL QUESTIONS: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, …
Episode #292 – Beth Comstock: You Don’t Need Permission (Former GE Vice Chair) Until December 2017, Beth Comstock spent nearly three decades at GE. As Chief Marketing Officer and then Vice Chair of Innovation, she led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses and enhance brand value. As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, …
Over the years, I’ve gathered career/life advice from many sources: My podcast, 1 on 1 conversations, books, twitter, etc… Here it is (I will update this list regularly — Please add great pieces of wisdom you’ve learned in the comments below): John Krasinski got advice from the legendary Robin Williams early in his career. Robin told him, “You’re going to go …
Episode #291: Andy Rachleff – What Do You Uniquely Offer That People Desperately Want? Andy Rachleff is a co-founder and Executive Chairman of Wealthfront. He had previously been the executive chairman of the company after stepping down as the CEO, but then returned to the CEO role on October 31, 2016. Rachleff co-founded Benchmark Capital in 1995 and was a general partner until 2004. Prior …
Episode #289: Philip McKernan – Relationships Move At The Speed Of Vulnerability Philip McKernan works with entrepreneurs and business leaders all over the world. When people are seeking clarity about their future or want to move through roadblocks, seen and unseen, they call Philip. As a speaker he has inspired and challenged the Canadian Olympic Team and The Pentagon to …
Episode #288: Robert Greene (Part 2) – Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, and Mastery. In his sixth book, The Laws of Human Nature, he turns to the most important subject of all – understanding people’s drives and motivations, even …
Episode #287: Robert Greene (Part 1) – 5 Strategies For Becoming A Master Persuader Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, and Mastery. In his sixth book, The Laws of Human Nature, he turns to the most important subject of all …
Episode #286: Phil Jones – How To Build Your Squad (The WHO In Your Life) Phil Jones has made it his life’s work to demystify the sales process, re frame what it means to “sell,” and help his audiences to learn new skills that empower confidence, overcome fears and instantaneously impact their results. The author of five international best-selling books, …
Episode #285: Scott Gerber – Stop Networking And Start Building Relationships That Matter Scott Gerber is CEO of The Community Company, an organization that builds and manages community-driven programs for media companies and global brands. He is the founder of YEC, an invitation-only organization for the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. He is also the founder of Forbes Councils, a …
Many podcast listeners/friends have asked me what books they should read to become a better leader. The totality of this list is in the hundreds… But for now, let’s start with seven. You’ll notice I’m more interested in reading about fascinating stories and the heroes in them than I am about “business” type books. There is so much to learn from real stories and …
Episode #284: Michael Lombardi – A Masterclass In Building Teams And Winning Championships Since the mid-1980s, Michael Lombardi has been an executive in the front offices of the 49ers, Browns, Eagles and Raiders. From 2014-16 he was an assistant to the coaching staff of the Patriots. He’s also worked for numerous media outlets, including Sports Illustrated and The Ringer. He’s …
Episode #281: George Raveling – Eight Decades Of Wisdom: From Dr. Martin Luther King To Michael Jordan Coach George Raveling is a national treasure. He’s the definition of a Learning Leader. He’s 81 years old and aggressively striving to get better every single day. Some notable facts about him. Possesses original copy of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech …
Episode #280: Danny Iny – Why You Shouldn’t Go To College Danny Iny is an educator, entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of Mirasee – a business education company. He’s developed widely acclaimed training, coaching, and support programs including the Course Builder’s Laboratory, the Business Ignition Bootcamp, and the ACES Club, which together have graduated over 5,000 value-driven entrepreneurs. Danny’s …
Episode #279: James Clear – How Tiny Changes Can Equal Remarkable Results (Atomic Habits) James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits, the creator of the Habits Academy, a weightlifter, and a travel photographer. His writing is focused on how we can create better habits, make better decisions, and live better lives. He combines ideas from a wide range of disciplines including …
Episode #277: Tom Goodwin – Life Advice From The #1 Influencer On LinkedIn Tom Goodwin is the Head of Innovation for Zenith Media. He speaks around the world at industry events, and he’s a best selling author. He has also been named the #1 Influencer on LinkedIn. His role at Zenith, a top 3 global agency investing over $30bn per year …
Episode #276: Scott Belsky – How To Find Your Way Through The Hardest Part Of Any Venture (The Messy Middle) Scott Belsky is a polymath. He’s an executive, entrepreneur, author, and investor (and all-around product obsessive). He currently serves as Adobe’s Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President, Creative Cloud. Scott co-founded Behance in 2006, and served as CEO until Adobe acquired …
Episode #275: Joe Navarro – The World’s #1 Body Language Expert (FBI Special Agent) Joe Navarro spent 25 years at the FBI, working both as an agent and supervisor in the areas of counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Through his work he was able to study, refine and apply the science of non-verbal communications. His acumen in this field and his success as …
Episode #274: Heidi Grant – How To Get People To Help You (Reinforcements) Dr. Heidi Grant is a social psychologist who researches, writes, and speaks about the science of motivation. In 2017, she was named one of Thinkers50’s most influential management thinkers globally. She is the Chief Science Officer for the Neuroleadership Institute, Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia …
