Episode description

David (Dave) Yawman is a leader, legal expert, and Partner at Cresco Partners, Inc. Cresco is a management consulting firm that helps both leaders and teams grow through mentorship and strategy with their brand of leadership development.

Before Cresco, Dave worked for PepsiCo for over 20 years, where he developed his expertise in global markets and public policy. While there, he filled multiple crucial roles including EVP, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. He also served as an Associate at Fried Frank on Wall Street.

Why is being a great leader so difficult? We all have thoughts on how things can be improved or how we would lead if we were in charge, but how many of us excel when we’re finally in that position? Leadership is complicated—and it’s especially difficult when you don’t even know yourself. After all, how can you lead others when you don’t know your own tendencies and biases?

This is why Dave Yawman says self-reflection is crucial for leading others. He has had the opportunity to lead employees at PepsiCo and has discovered firsthand what it means to set an example. In addition, he has led the ethics of the company, knowing when to bend and when to stand firm. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to leadership, but if anyone knows what it takes, it’s Dave.

In this episode of the Next Wave Leadership, Dov Pollack speaks with Dave Yawman, Partner at Cresco Partners, Inc., to discuss leadership and how to be self-aware. They dive into topics of ethics across cultures, inverting the leadership paradigm, and what it means to carry a badge and a mirror. They also discuss Dave’s long career and how his family and early years at Wall Street helped shape who he is. Check out this episode to hear all this and more!