Ken Coleman, known as “America’s Career Coach,” shares his wisdom on finding meaningful work and building connections to achieve your career goals. Drawing from his own journey—spanning a decade of diverse jobs before discovering his true passion in broadcasting—Ken offers practical advice from his books, The Proximity Principle and One Question . In this encore episode, he challenges listeners with one thought-provoking question: What do you wonder about doing? This simple yet powerful question...
Jan 22, 2025•49 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast As a child growing up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Dara Treseder was often reminded to keep her feet on the ground. But her mother urged her to dream big and pursue her ambitions—especially if they brought her fulfillment. That encouragement propelled Dara across the world, where she attended both Harvard and Stanford, charting a path defined by her desire to make a positive impact. Dara’s journey into marketing began after what she jokingly calls a “failed career in finance," including stints at Apple a...
Jan 15, 2025•58 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast ENCORE EPISODE. Joe Keohane, a seasoned journalist and editor, believes that conversations with strangers can boost happiness, empathy, and even improve the world around us. In his book The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World , Joe dives into research with psychologists, anthropologists, and real-life encounters to uncover the profound impact of these connections. In this encore episode, Guy and Joe discuss how reviving the lost art of connecting is essential for...
Jan 08, 2025•46 min•Ep 166•Transcript available on Metacast What drives lasting personal change? BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford’s Behavior Design Lab, challenges conventional wisdom with insights from his groundbreaking book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything . Drawing from real-life experiments and research, Fogg reveals a practical system for building positive habits and breaking free from negative ones. In this episode, first aired in 2021, discover transformative lessons on designing change and celebrating progress. See Privacy Polic...
Jan 01, 2025•46 min•Ep 165•Transcript available on Metacast When Ken Hicks took the helm as CEO of Foot Locker in 2009, the company was on the brink: the economy was in shambles, sales had cratered by nearly a billion dollars, and the decline of indoor malls spelled further doom. But within three years, Hicks led Foot Locker to a stunning $2 billion rebound. His strategy? A renewed focus on storytelling—connecting the brand to customers in a way that transcended price tags and products. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva...
Dec 25, 2024•45 min•Ep 164•Transcript available on Metacast Etsy was on the brink of collapse in 2017—its stock plummeting, cash reserves dwindling, and analysts predicting its demise. Enter Josh Silverman, a turnaround expert with a track record from Evite, eBay, and Skype. As Etsy’s CEO, Josh focused the team on one key metric, sparking a stunning recovery. How did he transform a failing creative marketplace into a thriving powerhouse? In this conversation from 2020, Guy and Josh dive into the success factors of the Etsy turnaround, as well as the key ...
Dec 18, 2024•43 min•Ep 163•Transcript available on Metacast "How do you build a team, inspire individuals to pursue their dreams, and scale that impact beyond just one group?" Kim Scott has wrestline with, and answering that question for the majority of her career. After navigating roles from a diamond business in Moscow to Silicon Valley startups and then leadership at Google, she developed 'radical candor'—a transformative management philosophy that balances personal care with direct challenge. In this episode, we revisit a conversation originally reco...
Dec 11, 2024•53 min•Ep 162•Transcript available on Metacast What makes someone excel—whether in sports, science, or life? David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene and Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, makes a compelling case for the power of breadth over early specialization. From his time as a walk-on track athlete at Columbia University to his time as a science writer and investigative reporter (at Sports Illustrated and ProPublica , among others), David has explored the hidden patterns that lead to success. In this encore episode,...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep 161•Transcript available on Metacast What does it take to rebuild a company from the brink of failure? In this conversation from 2020, Guy sits down with Peter Cuneo, the former CEO who famously guided Marvel Entertainment out of bankruptcy and onto a path that ultimately led to its $4.5 billion acquisition by Disney. They explore the career trajectory that got him, as he puts it “offically addicted to turn around challenges." And unpack some of the 32 leadership principles he has developed over the years. How Cuneo’s turnaround ph...
Nov 27, 2024•46 min•Ep 160•Transcript available on Metacast In 2012, Best Buy was in deep trouble—a crisis so severe that Forbes declared, “Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business.” By March, the company reported a staggering $1.7 billion loss, and by April, its CEO had stepped down amid scandal. Enter Hubert Joly, a leader whose career had shaped him into essentially an elite relief pitcher of the business world. Armed with calm focus and a knack for navigating adversity, Joly stepped up to the plate just as the future of big-box retail hung in the balanc...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 159•Transcript available on Metacast "You can't analyze your way into something new," says today's guest. Over the course of a career spanning four decades, Roger Martin has been a management consultant, an influential business strategy thinker and author, as well as the Dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. He advises CEOs of global companies such as Ford, Proctor & Gamble, and Lego. He is well known for developing and exploring the concept of "integrative thinking" in management problem solving and...
Nov 13, 2024•43 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast When Arnold Donald took the helm at the Carnival Corporation, a public relations crisis of multiple layers threatened its future. Donald prioritized building a diverse and dynamic leadership team, appointing new heads for seven of the company's nine cruise lines, including more women and minorities. in this 2019 conversation, Donald shares his philosophy that "diversity of thinking is a business imperative and a powerful advantage," explaining how fresh perspectives lead to innovative ideas and ...
Nov 06, 2024•51 min•Ep 157•Transcript available on Metacast [A 'BEST OF' EPISODE] Combining business with social justice isn’t a path most companies choose, which is why Dan Schulman’s leadership as PayPal’s CEO captured so much attention. In 2016, he halted plans for an operations center in North Carolina in response to the state’s controversial “bathroom bill.” Schulman prioritizes an “employee-first” strategy, enhancing wages and benefits for PayPal employees. His leadership has demonstrated that activism doesn't takes anything away from the bottom li...
Oct 30, 2024•42 min•Ep 156•Transcript available on Metacast [Encore release] General Stanley McChrystal was born into a military family: three generations of men in his family were officers in the armed forces. He followed the family tradition and eventually rose up the ranks to become a General in the Army. While serving as the commander of Allied Forces in Afghanistan in 2010, he was forced to resign after he was quoted making disparaging remarks about President Obama. It was in the wake of this moment that General McChrystal learned the full value of ...
Oct 23, 2024•53 min•Ep 155•Transcript available on Metacast An encore episode, exploring the unconventional leadership journey of Carl Bass, a self-described renegade and reluctant executive who took the reins at Autodesk during turbulent times. Facing the global economic crisis of 2008, Bass led with conviction, balancing bold decision-making with the uncertainty of an evolving market. At one point, convinced the company might fail, he risked his own money to introduce a groundbreaking new business model. How Bass's steady hand and innovative thinking n...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast [Encore episode] In the 1980s, Stephen R. Covey revolutionized leadership thinking with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , introducing a leadership style centered on empathy, listening, and collaboration—far from the traditional table-pounding, charismatic approach. In this episode, Guy sits down with Stephen M.R. Covey, Covey’s son, who has not only been instrumental in spreading his father’s influential teachings globally but has also become a respected leadership expert in his own righ...
Oct 09, 2024•32 min•Ep 153•Transcript available on Metacast Author, and business executive Beth Comstock says to Guy Raz in this classic 2021 interview "I'm about change." In college, she wanted to be a doctor, but organic chemistry wasn’t her strong suit, so she shifted to journalism. When journalism didn’t work out, she started working in publicity. So, when GE bought NBC in 1986 right as Beth was starting her career in advertising, she was ready to adapt again. She worked her way to becoming CMO of GE, helping grow revenue, devise a successful green e...
Oct 02, 2024•43 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast General David Petraeus is one of those leaders who rose through the ranks to become one of the most well-known military figures of our time. Growing up in the shadow of West Point, General Petraeus defied the odds in a career where becoming a four-star general is nearly as unlikely as being struck by lightning. Petraeus’s rise to prominence began in 2003, but it was in 2007, as the commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq, where he made his mark by leading the controversial but pivotal “surge....
Sep 25, 2024•35 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast Terry Lundgren, former CEO of Neiman Marcus and Macy’s, has been instrumental in shaping the American retail landscape. His believes leadership lies dormant in many until an event challenges you to grow. He also believes playing it safe is the biggest risk of all. Despite an entire career in retail, including taking on the role of president of a local department store when he was 35--succeeding a 67-year-old, the road he took to bringing two notoriously competitive retail giants together wasn’t ...
Sep 18, 2024•41 min•Ep 150•Transcript available on Metacast Jim Collins is one of the most influential business thinkers and writers of our time. Yet, Collins considers himself more of a researcher than an author.He has made a career of extracting the data embedded in the narrative arcs of companies and drawing lessons from them. With bestsellers like Good to Great , Built to Last , and BE 2.0 , each of his books represents years of meticulous analysis, all before he even begins to write. What sets Collins apart aren't just his groundbreaking ideas but t...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep 149•Transcript available on Metacast Can ancient philosophy be the key to modern success? Ryan Holiday, a leading thinker of his generation, believes so. From NFL quarterbacks to corporate CEOs, many credit Holiday's work with introducing them to the transformative power of Stoic philosophy. In this episode, Ryan talks to Guy about the teachings of the Stoics through the lens of Holiday's influential books, including The Obstacle Is The Way , Ego Is The Enemy , Stillness Is The Key, and, most recently Right Thing, Right Now . These...
Sep 04, 2024•49 min•Ep 148•Transcript available on Metacast In a world where scale is, for many, their north star, Graeter's Ice Cream stands out by doing things the old-fashioned way. Richard Graeter, the fourth-generation leader of this iconic family business, talks to Guy about the century-old process that makes their ice cream so special—and why they refuse to give it up. Unlike the huge companies that share their Cincinnati roots (i.e. Kroger and Proctor & Gamble), Graeter’s has chosen to stay small, valuing quality and sustainability over rapid exp...
Aug 28, 2024•34 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast What does it take to create a winning culture in the workplace? For Ajay Banga, who transformed Mastercard, success is built on more than intelligence and emotional awareness. For him, it's the "Decency Quotient" that is an essential factor in fostering an environment where people feel supported, respected, and empowered to succeed. And, as he tells Guy in this 2019 conversation, it's not only about being kind. How Ajay Banga ran one of the worlds largest companies with an unusual leadership phi...
Aug 21, 2024•40 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast In today's fast-paced corporate world, the pressure to specialize is immense. But what if focusing on one expertise isn't the key to success? Cliff Hudson, author of Master of None , challenges this very notion, arguing that versatility, not specialization, is the real path to leadership. Hudson's own life story is a testament to this belief. Growing up amidst the instability caused by his father's failed roofing business, Cliff was determined to find a secure career. He began his professional j...
Aug 14, 2024•39 min•Ep 145•Transcript available on Metacast For George Scangos, the art of decisive leadership is part of his biology, you could say. Scangos is a former lab researcher who rose to the top of the biotech world. Transitioning from a biology researcher at Yale to a pharmaceutical executive, his journey is a testament to the power of interpersonal skills and strategic thinking. As the CEO of Biogen, he transformed the company's performance, leading it to become one of the top performers in the S&P 500 within his first year. In this 2019 conv...
Aug 07, 2024•36 min•Ep 144•Transcript available on Metacast Margaret Heffernan, an entrepreneur, CEO, executive leadership coach, and author of six books, delves into her often counter-intuitive insights on consensus-building, and decision-making. She and Guy discuss her book, Uncharted: How to Map the Future , where she explains why attempts to predict the future, even with today's AI and Big Data technologies, are often doomed to fail. Instead, Margaret offers alternative strategies for organizations facing an uncertain future—strategies rooted in huma...
Jul 31, 2024•41 min•Ep 143•Transcript available on Metacast The former CEO of KFC and Popeye's doesn't love talking about success, of which she's had plenty. No, in fact she's more interested in life's stumbles, in the complexity of failures, and what they have to teach her and her team. Her leadership style is highly relational ("I must know you to grow you," she says). Bachelder became President of KFC years later, but a job that started as a major opportunity wound up being a massive failure. In this conversation with Guy Raz from 2020: How Bachelder ...
Jul 24, 2024•51 min•Ep 142•Transcript available on Metacast The legendary CEOs of the 1990s included Jack Welch of GE and John Chambers of Cisco, who was on our show last season. Another dominant figure was Lou Gerstner of IBM, the first IBM CEO recruited from outside the company. When he became CEO in 1993, IBM was struggling against competitors like Microsoft, Dell, and Compaq. Gerstner famously declared, "The last thing IBM needs right now is a vision," and instead focused on breaking through internal bureaucracy and making tough decisions. His approa...
Jul 17, 2024•46 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast Brad Smith, the former CEO and now Chairman of the Board at Intuit, knows first hand why vulnerability and failure are intrinsic to good leadership. At one point in his career he lost $40 million for a company and then...got promoted. Smith, heavily influenced by his father's wisdom (i.e. "put a chink in your own armor") leaned into the power of authenticity, humility, and vulnerability to inspire others. At Intuit, Smith led the company through one of its most significant transformations, reinv...
Jul 10, 2024•48 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, a Harvard professor of History of Art and Architecture and African and African American Studies, joins Guy to discuss the role of failure in achieving mastery. Dr. Lewis, author of "The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery," delves into the concept of the “ever onward almost” in art, athletics, and business leadership. Learn more from this 2022 conversation about how failure can be a powerful catalyst for success. More abou...
Jul 03, 2024•43 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast 
