Explore every episode of the podcast Leaders
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Hsieh | 27 Sep 2024 | 00:29:01 | |
Episode 38: Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos. Hsieh led Zappos to a $1.2b acquisition by Amazon. Learn more about Zappos' 10 core values, his unique self management leadership style and his deep focus on customers and culture. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Yvon Chouinard | 03 Sep 2024 | 00:32:28 | |
Episode 37: Yvon Chouinard, founder and former CEO of Patagonia. Chouinard is a climber turned businessman who has built Patagonia into one of the most successful outdoor companies ever. Learn more about his management by absence (MBA) approach, product driven philosophies, and the values he and his company has embodied. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Henry Singleton | 19 Feb 2024 | 00:24:44 | |
Episode 28: Henry Singleton co founder and former CEO of Teledyne. Warren Buffett has described him as the performing the best operating and capital deployment ever. Singleton built Teledyne into a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, leading over 130 acquisitions over three decades. Learn more about his financial strategies, hands-on leadership style, and contrarian actions that led to tremendous success. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Thomas Watson | 29 Jan 2024 | 00:27:13 | |
Episode 27: Thomas J Watson Sr., former Chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation. Deemed as the "world's greatest salesman", Watson led IBM as President for 42 years, building it into an international computing enterprise. Learn more about how his people first leadership style, how he formed their corporate culture, and ways he left a legacy within IBM. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Lisa Su | 17 Jan 2024 | 00:26:54 | |
Episode 26: Lisa Su, current CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Lisa has led AMD to an impressive decade long turnaround, becoming a leader in the semiconductor market today. Learn more about how her technical acumen helps her succeed, her core leadership principles, and what she has learned from challenges and mistakes in her career. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Herb Kelleher | 01 Jan 2024 | 00:32:31 | |
Episode 25: Herb Kelleher, co-founder and former CEO of Southwest Airlines. Herb led Southwest to 47 straight years of profit, becoming one of the best airlines nationally. Learn more about his servant leadership style, how he built a person first culture, and other key leadership lessons. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Melanie Perkins | 14 Dec 2023 | 00:23:08 | |
Episode 24: Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva. Melanie has become one of the youngest female CEOs of a tech start-up valued > $1B & becoming a necessary design tool for millions worldwide. Learn more about her transformational and visionary leadership styles, how she overcame 100+ funding rejections, and other key reflections on the business in her 10 year journey. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Howard Schultz | 04 Dec 2023 | 00:33:10 | |
Episode 23: Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks. Schultz led Starbucks from humble beginnings of 11 stores into today where it has 35,711 stores worldwide & becoming the world's largest coffeehouse chain. Learn more about his visionary leadership style, how he overcame several challenges, and the great mentors & heroes he has had in his career. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Elon Musk | 24 Nov 2023 | 00:33:52 | |
Episode 22: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, founder and CEO of SpaceX, and CTO of X along with a co-founder of many other ventures such as OpenAI & Neuralink. Elon has become the wealthiest person in the world while leading multiple companies to commercial success. Learn more about his transformational leadership style, his first principles led thinking, and many other unique leadership qualities. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Mary Barra | 06 Nov 2023 | 00:23:25 | |
Episode 21: Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors. Mary has had a 40 year career at GM and became the first women CEO in the global automaker industry. Learn more about her transformational leadership style, how she has battled through several challenges, and what vision she has for the future. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Jensen Huang | 23 Oct 2023 | 00:22:21 | |
Episode 20: Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia. Jensen has led Nvidia to new heights, becoming the 6th most valuable company in the world at $1.1 trillion. Learn more about his unconventional management practices, the visionary style in action, and how he been a pioneer into the AI boom. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Sam Walton | 02 Oct 2023 | 00:28:28 | |
Episode 19: Sam Walton, founder and former CEO of Walmart. Sam's leadership helped grow Walmart into the world's largest corporation by revenue. Learn more about his ten rules for running a business, the servant leadership style that fueled it, and how he helped inspire the next generation of the retail industry. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Bob Iger | 18 Aug 2024 | 00:38:08 | |
Episode 36: Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Iger has led Disney for much of this century, building the media empire through acquisition, strategy, and a bold vision. Learn more about his ten keys to leadership, some of the major events that shaped them, and what other qualities make up his leadership style. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Frank Slootman | 20 Sep 2023 | 00:23:46 | |
Episode 18: Frank Slootman, CEO of Snowflake. Frank has successfully led three different tech companies as CEO (Data Domain, ServiceNow, Snowflake). Learn more about "amping it up", narrowing the focus and increasing the quality, and other key leadership principles he has mastered. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Reed Hastings | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:29:51 | |
Episode 17: Reed Hastings, co-founder and former CEO of Netflix. Reed transformed the media business forever with his streaming service. Learn more about his famed culture deck framework of freedom and responsiblity , his focus on high talent density and radical candor, and other unconventional aspects that have made Netflix successful. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Sara Blakely | 28 Aug 2023 | 00:18:36 | |
Episode 16: Sara Blakely, founder and former CEO of Spanx. Sara was featured on the Forbes magazine cover in 2012 after becoming the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world. Learn more about her unconventional rise to fame , her feminine leadership style, and how she helped shape the clothing industry's future. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Lou Gerstner | 21 Aug 2023 | 00:31:46 | |
Episode 15: Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM. Lou is largely credited with leading the great turnaround of IBM in the 90s, helping the company go from $29B market cap to $168B. Learn more about the key decisions he made along the way, his transformative leadership style, and what was his lasting legacy was. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Walt Disney | 14 Aug 2023 | 00:27:30 | |
Episode 14: Walt Disney, founder and former President of Walt Disney Company. Walt was a true pioneer of the animation industry, creating an ever lasting legacy with his films and amusement parks. Learn more about his world class visionary leadership style, the setbacks and failures that were also part of his career path, and how he became the world's best storyteller. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Brian Chesky | 07 Aug 2023 | 00:35:37 | |
Episode 13: Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Brian has led Airbnb out of crisis and challenge during his career, including going from losing 80% of his revenue in 2020 to today generating $4B of free cash flow. Learn more about his design-led leadership style, his thoughts on mentorship & heroes, and what else helps him lead one of the top companies in the world. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Indra Nooyi | 27 Jul 2023 | 00:31:59 | |
Episode 12: Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo. Indra led a strategic redirection of Pepsi's strategy, helping the company surpass $100b in revenue. Learn more about her visionary leadership style, her lasting programs and products, and how she became one of the most successful female business executives of this era. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Sheryl Sandberg | 06 Jul 2023 | 00:27:02 | |
Episode 11: Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook(Meta). Sheryl was instrumental in making two of the largest companies in the world profitable by leading the ads businesses for both. Learn more about her transformational leadership style, her lasting legacy through Lean In, and how she became one of the most successful female business executives of this era. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Andy Grove | 27 Jun 2023 | 00:33:37 | |
Episode 10: Andy Grove, former co-founder and CEO of Intel. Andy transformed the company into the world's largest semiconductor company. Learn more about his many thoughts on management, operational excellence, and why he is considered to be one of the best business leaders of the 20th century. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Ray Kroc | 19 Jun 2023 | 00:17:16 | |
Episode 9: Ray Kroc, former CEO of McDonald's. Ray took the McDonald brothers business and built it into the largest fast food empire in the world. Learn more about what his autocratic leadership style, other leadership lessons we can learn from him, and his key business principles. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Estee Lauder | 20 Jul 2024 | 00:20:49 | |
Episode 35: Estee Lauder, co-founder and leader of The Estee Lauder Companies. Lauder built a global beauty empire, leaving a lasting legacy today as the company is the 2nd largest cosmetics company in the world. Learn more about her innovative marketing approaches, how she scaled up her business, and the "Lauderisms" that were her keys to success. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Satya Nadella | 31 May 2023 | 00:31:28 | |
Episode 8: Satya Nadella, current CEO of Microsoft. Since taking the helm in 2014, Nadella has masterfully pivoted the company into the cloud and AI businesses. Learn more about what role his personal life & background has played, his mentors & heroes, and the empathetic & innovative leadership style he exhibits. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Jeff Bezos | 22 May 2023 | 00:38:50 | |
Episode 7: Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon. Jeff built the dominant company of this era, scaling Amazon to become the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing enterprise. Learn more about Amazon's fourteen leadership principles, the core ideas that Amazon relentlessly executed, and his relentless leadership style. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Henry Ford | 16 May 2023 | 00:22:28 | |
Episode 6: Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company Henry was a leader in the automobile industry, helping to develop revolutionary business practices like the assembly line. Learn more about his unique demanding yet empathetic leadership style, how he developed control, and how he turned a singular vision into a reality. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| John Chambers | 09 May 2023 | 00:35:21 | |
Episode 5: John Chambers, former Executive Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems. John served as CEO for 20 years, leading Cisco to a market cap exceeding half a trillion dollars. Learn more about transformative leadership style, business playbooks he ran, and how acquisitions fueled growth. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Lee Iacocca | 02 May 2023 | 00:30:19 | |
Episode 4: Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler.Lee Iacocca led Chrysler in one of the best business turnarounds in history, helping to create the Ford Mustang and minivan. Learn more about his business strategies, the 9 C's of Leadership, and what else made him a transformational leader. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Jack Welch | 24 Apr 2023 | 00:44:35 | |
Episode 3: Jack Welch, former CEO of GE. Jack Welch led GE to become the most valuable enterprise on Earth. Learn more about his business strategies, foundational leadership qualities, and key programs he created at GE. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com
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| Steve Jobs | 11 Apr 2023 | 00:43:57 | |
Episode 2: Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple. Steve Jobs is arguably the greatest business executive of this generation. Learn more about what made him a great, unique leader and who he thought of as his mentors & heroes. | |||
| Jim Sinegal | 03 Apr 2023 | 00:33:50 | |
Episode 1: Jim Sinegal, co-founder and former CEO of Costco. Hear about Jim's rise to Costco CEO, his key leadership styles & philosophies, failures, and some of his key mentors & heroes. | |||
| Leaders Trailer | 30 Mar 2023 | 00:01:05 | |
Welcome to Leaders, a podcast dedicated to exploring the best leaders this world has ever seen.
In this podcast I am on a mission to examine deeply the past & present leadership styles of the world's greatest CEOs, delving into how they rose to the top, defining decisions of their career, and what makes them a great leader.
Join me in learning from the best leaders. | |||
| Andrew Carnegie | 22 Jun 2024 | 00:34:22 | |
Episode 34: Andrew Carnegie, industrialist, philanthropist, and creator of Carnegie Steel Company. Carnegie led the expansion of the steel industry as one of America's first modern titans and rose toe become one of the richest men in the world upon retirement. Learn more about his heavy handed leadership style, his key traits of leadership, and his philanthropic legacy. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Alfred Sloan | 04 Jun 2024 | 00:30:17 | |
Episode 33: Alfred Sloan, longtime president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors. Sloan helped GM grow into one of the largest automakers in the world. Learn more about his leadership style, his pioneering management practices, and his philanthropic legacy. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Cornelius Vanderbilt | 22 May 2024 | 00:23:23 | |
Episode 32: Cornelius Vanderbilt, American business pioneer in the shipping and railroad industries. Vanderbilt was one of the weathliest Americans of all time and transformed the geography of the United States. Learn more about his leadership style, how he built his empires, and his philanthropic legacy. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| John Rockefeller | 29 Apr 2024 | 00:32:47 | |
Episode 31: John D. Rockefeller, former founder and leader of Standard Oil Company. Rockefeller was one of the weathliest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern history. Learn more about his leadership style, how he used his skills & experiences to build his oil empire, and which modern business leaders most embody his practices. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Katharine Graham | 08 Apr 2024 | 00:24:34 | |
Episode 30: Katharine Graham, former leader of The Washington Post. Katharine was the first female CEO in the Fortune 500, leading the Post to becoming one of the most successful newspaper publishers of its time. Learn more about her values based leadership style, how she overcame her inexperience and insecurities, and why Warren Buffett was so instrumental to her success. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Mark Zuckerberg | 14 Mar 2024 | 00:37:34 | |
Episode 29: Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta Platforms. Mark has grown Meta (Facebook) into one of the largest tech companies on the planet, connecting people around the globe. Learn more about how his product led leadership style, the Hacker Way, and his hands on approach. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Sakichi Toyoda | 29 Oct 2024 | 00:26:22 | |
Episode 39: Sakichi Toyoda, king of Japanese inventors and founder of Toyota. Sakichi & his son helped to create the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.Learn more about the Toyota Way of Leadership, the influence of lean & other Japanese principles and his lasting legacy of developing leaders internally. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Dara Khosrowshahi | 25 Nov 2024 | 00:23:46 | |
Episode 40: Dara Khosrowshahi, current chief executive officer of Uber. Dara has led Uber to become the largest ridsharing company worldwide.Learn more about the his calm & diplomatic leadership style, how he has led Uber's turnaround and the influential mentors in his career. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Harvey Firestone | 10 Feb 2025 | 00:25:11 | |
Episode 43: Harvey Firestone, founder and former CEO of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. Harvey built one of the first global makers of automobile tires. Learn more about the values driven leadership style, how a focus on people led to decades long success and his friendship with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Les Schwab | 20 Jan 2025 | 00:23:18 | |
Episode 42: Les Schwab, founder and former CEO of Les Schwab Tire Centers. Les built one of the most respected and largest independent tire chain businesses in the US. Learn more about the customer-service first leadership style, what other defining characteristics made him successful for 50+ years and the influential mentors in his career. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Max De Pree | 22 Dec 2024 | 00:28:28 | |
Episode 41: Max De Pree, former chief executive officer of Herman Miller. Max led Herman Miller to become one the most successful office furniture companies in the world. Learn more about the his servant leadership style, how leadership is an art and the influential mentors in his career. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Robert Noyce | 16 Apr 2025 | 00:24:42 | |
Episode 46: In this episode, we dive into the remarkable story of Robert Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit and co-founder of both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel. Often called "The Mayor of Silicon Valley," Noyce was more than just a brilliant engineer—he was a visionary leader whose collaborative spirit and egalitarian management style set the tone for a new kind of corporate culture in tech. We explore how Noyce's leadership differed from the authoritarian norms of his time, how he inspired innovation through trust and freedom, and how his ideals still echo through Silicon Valley today. From fostering creativity to breaking down hierarchical barriers, Noyce's legacy is a blueprint for leadership in the modern age. Tune in to hear how this quiet, unassuming leader helped spark a technological revolution—and why his leadership style remains a model for startups and tech giants alike. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Charles Koch | 29 Mar 2025 | 00:28:07 | |
Episode 45: Discover how billionaire industrialist Charles Koch built one of America's largest private companies while developing a revolutionary leadership philosophy that challenges conventional corporate wisdom. Join us as Charles Koch reveals the counterintuitive leadership principles that transformed Koch Industries into a $115 billion enterprise. Learn the decision-making frameworks that have guided his 50+ years as CEO, how he identifies and develops exceptional talent, and the market-based management approach that has become his legacy. Whether you're leading a startup or a Fortune 500 company, Koch's battle-tested strategies for creating organizational alignment and driving innovation will transform how you think about leadership. This episode is essential listening for executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to develop their leadership capabilities in today's complex business environment. Download now to access insights from one of America's most successful yet enigmatic business leaders. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Bernard Arnault | 03 Mar 2025 | 00:37:14 | |
Episode 44: Bernard Arnault, founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH. Bernard turned a $15m investment in a bankrupt French textile company into the world's largest individual fortune. Learn more about his hands on leadership style, lessons from his business negotiations, and his leadership parallels to greats like Rockefeller, Buffett, and Walton. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||
| Jamie Dimon | 05 Jul 2025 | 00:24:30 | |
Episode 48: In this episode, we explore the leadership of Jamie Dimon, the long-standing CEO of JPMorgan Chase and one of the most influential figures in global finance. Known for his sharp intellect, direct communication style, and steady hand during crisis, Dimon has redefined what it means to lead in high-stakes environments. We unpack Dimon's rise through Wall Street, from his early days at American Express and Citigroup to leading JPMorgan through the 2008 financial crisis. What makes his leadership stand out? A combination of strategic foresight, a deep understanding of risk, and a willingness to make tough calls under pressure. Tune in as we break down Dimon's leadership philosophy, his approach to navigating uncertainty, and why he's often cited as the gold standard for modern financial leadership. | |||
| Ingvar Kamprad | 28 May 2025 | 00:28:06 | |
Episode 47: In this episode, we unpack the life and leadership of Ingvar Kamprad, the visionary founder of IKEA, whose radical commitment to simplicity, frugality, and purpose helped turn a small Swedish mail-order business into a global furniture powerhouse. Kamprad was no ordinary CEO—his leadership philosophy was rooted in humility, hands-on involvement, and a relentless focus on cost-efficiency. We explore how his values shaped IKEA's unique corporate culture, his approach to decentralized decision-making, and why his model of servant leadership remains relevant for leaders in all industries. Join us as we trace Kamprad's journey from a boy selling matches to building one of the world's most beloved brands—proving that leadership doesn't have to be loud to be powerful. | |||
| Episode 49- JP Morgan | 25 Aug 2025 | 00:21:50 | |
Episode 49: J.P. Morgan wasn't just a banker—he was the banker. In this episode, we uncover how one man's vision, power, and sheer force of will reshaped American business. From saving Wall Street during financial panics to forging industries that built modern America, Morgan led with bold authority and unshakable confidence. Tune in to discover what today's leaders can learn from his deal-making genius, crisis management, and ability to command respect in every room he entered. Follow Leaders: Email us: theleaderspod@gmail.com | |||