Claim OwnershipHow Leaders Lead with David Novak
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Description
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.
441 Episodes
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When Ania moved to the US from Poland at the tender age of 12, she didn’t speak a word of English.
Today, she’s the CEO of Taskrabbit, after building her leadership chops at Walmart, Uber, and Airbnb.
You don’t get that kind of career trajectory by playing it safe.
In this episode, Ania shares how taking bold risks has helped her succeed, and why she’s building a culture where people are encouraged to be bold, experiment, and learn both from what works and what doesn’t.
If you want to move faster this year, this episode will get you going!
You’ll also learn:
How to be your own customer
What no one tells you about agile companies
One strategy that keeps long-term thinking front and center
A unique framework for balancing life, work, and family
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 day
Whichever 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.
Great leaders don’t cling to one leadership style.
They adapt as people and situations change. And they figure out how to do it without losing what makes them real.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins shares how he’s learned to lead through major transformation with honesty, vulnerability, and a clear understanding of what his people – all 90,000 of them – need from him.
If you're navigating change (or just trying to be a little more human as a leader!), then this one’s for you.
You’ll also learn:
How to scale your business through the right partnerships
The hidden opportunity in almost every customer crisis
3 ways to lead through big change
Why “chasing the competition” is a losing game
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 day
Whichever 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.
How do you keep your team motivated, even when things are going well?
Just ask Marriott President and CEO Tony Capuano. As the guy in charge of the world’s largest hospitality company (10,000 hotels in 143 countries!), he knows a thing or two about success.
But he’s also keenly aware that success is never final. And it’s up to leaders to set the pace and keep raising the bar. So if you want to build a culture that never settles, this is the episode for you!
You’ll also learn:
Three traits he sees in every growing leader
How technology can create more human connection, not less
The time Bill Marriott turned a kitchen mishap into a leadership masterclass
An insight that will fundamentally change how you relate to everyone on your team
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 day
Whichever 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.
Happy New Year! We’re ringing in 2026 with a special episode to help you lead with more intention and focus this year.
And this time, Koula puts David in the hot seat! He shares the five simple practices he returns to every year to build momentum (without burning out by February). One is simple enough to fit on an index card.If you want to make 2026 the year you focus on the right things (not just more things), then this is the episode for you.
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 day
Whichever 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.
In this special holiday episode, David and Koula revisit one of our favorite questions around here:
What’s a story from your childhood that shaped the kind of leader you are today?
You’ll hear funny, insightful stories from past guests like Jamie Dimon (CEO of JPMorgan Chase), Lynsi Snyder (Owner of In-N-Out), Andy Jassy (CEO Amazon), and many more top leaders.
As you slow down for the holiday season to spend time with your loved ones, let this episode remind you how important it is to know your own story and learn from it at every stage of life
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 day
Whichever 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.
Go behind the scenes of one of today’s hottest brands with Allison Ellsworth, founder and Lead Creative at poppi.
After a memorable Shark Tank appearance, poppi exploded into the cultural zeitgeist – going viral on TikTok, getting shout-outs from celebrities, and scaling from startup to $500 million in just four years.
In this episode, Allison shares how to build a brand that moves fast, disrupts in all the right ways, and knows exactly how to stay culturally relevant.
You’ll also learn:
What a “black ops budget” is – and why you need one!
The importance of building a brand, not just selling a product
What it’s really like to pitch on Shark Tank
Channel-by-channel social media tips (one might make you squirm)
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 day
Whichever 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.
Can Red Lobster pull off the greatest comeback in restaurant history? After filing for bankruptcy, shedding value, and losing relevance, it won’t be easy.
But it’s the kind of challenge that Damola Adamolekun thrives in. After returning P.F. Chang’s to profitability, he is now making waves as Red Lobster’s youngest-ever CEO.
In this episode, he shares what it’s like to lead at a young age, the strategies that work in a turnaround, and how to show your team a clear path to success without sugarcoating the truth.
You’ll also learn:
The #1 reason companies falter after longstanding success
Practical tips for anyone leading in a struggling business
A mindset shift to help you better at accepting criticism
Why your energy around the office matters more than you think
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 day
Whichever 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.
Imagine this: you build a company from scratch, sell it at a billion-dollar valuation, get ousted, and watch it crumble under new leadership…
Then you buy it back, shut it down, rebrand it, relaunch it – and grow it all over again.
That’s exactly what Gregg Renfrew, the Founder and CEO of clean beauty brand Counter (formerly Beautycounter) has done.
In this episode, she opens up about the emotional and strategic rollercoaster behind one of the most dramatic stories in recent business history. She shares what she’s learned about product development, resilience, and why, sometimes, you’ve got to take a step back if you want to move forward.
You’ll also learn:
The power of emotional connection – and emotional distance
Why you probably have too many products
How Martha Stewart taught her NOT to lead
Her no-BS take on beauty standards (hint: it’s actually a lesson in confidence)
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 day
Whichever 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.
How do you make your brand stand out?
Ask Michael Meldman. He’s the founder of Discovery Land Company, a global portfolio of high-end private golf communities known for doing things differently. By tossing out the traditional country club rulebook and building around comfort and community, he’s created a truly distinctive brand.
He’s also a co-founder of Casamigos Tequila, the billion-dollar brand he built with George Clooney.
In this episode, he shares how he builds brands that deliver exactly what the market wants and needs. If you want to create something unique or stand out in your category, don’t miss this one.
You’ll also learn:
What most leaders get wrong about brand experience
The key to attracting great talent
How to sell your product’s emotional benefits (not just its features)
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 day
Whichever 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.
Today’s cruise ships are floating cities – complete with waterslides, sushi bars, and even roller skating rinks.
But it wasn’t always that way. Today, we’re joined by the leader who helped pioneer the megaship era and transform Royal Caribbean into a global vacation powerhouse.
Richard Fain served as CEO for 33 years, building a culture where big ideas could thrive and the whole team was willing to push past what was comfortable or passable in order to deliver truly “wow” experiences.
If you want to create a culture that’s big on innovation, don’t miss this episode.
You’ll also learn:
What “UFB” stands for (you can probably guess the middle letter)
The surprisingly simple strategy that can help your internal initiatives take off
How to apply the rule of thirds to your innovation strategy
Why he got an emergency phone call from the Swedish Air Force
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 day
Whichever 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.
Jim McCann didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. He was a social worker and bartender before finding his way into the floral business. But no matter what he did, he always found a way to connect with people.
That instinct eventually led him to build 1-800-Flowers, where he expanded the business strategically, turned it into a household brand, and tapped into the power of customer relationships long before it became a buzzword.
In this episode, he shares the lessons that have carried him through decades of reinvention – and why, no matter what technology disruptions may come, smart leadership always comes down to connection.
You’ll also learn:
A simple philosophy for a smart product expansion strategy
What it means to be an “engineer” of culture (and why it matters)
Why working with teenagers gave him a crash course in leadership
The #1 thing you need to do now to prepare your team for the disruption of AI
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 day
Whichever 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.
Bracken Darrell led remarkable turnarounds at both Old Spice and Logitech. Now he’s the CEO of VF Corporation, where he’s working to revitalize iconic brands like The North Face, Timberland, Vans, and more.
Hit play on this episode and take a look at his playbook. It’s all about constantly growing and designing things to be better – whether it’s a product, a team, or his own understanding of quantum mechanics (no, really).
You’ll also learn:
The weird way he keeps a fresh outlook on his job
The power of design, even outside of product development
Why you’re an artist whether you realize it or not (and why that matters)
One thing every great brand has in common
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 day
Whichever 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.
She flipped the script on modern dating and built a billion dollar global brand.
But Whitney Wolfe Herd’s path to success hasn’t been easy. After co-founding Tinder and walking away under difficult circumstances, she founded Bumble, a dating platform where women make the first move.
In this refreshingly honest conversation, she opens up about her missteps and lessons, how she’s redefined success, and why an obsessive focus on a bigger mission has made all the difference in her company culture.
She also shares:
The near-spiritual moment that sparked Bumble’s “women make the first move” philosophy
What most people totally miss about marketing
Candid advice for women navigating toxic work situations or relationships
How AI might reshape not just dating, but our understanding of compatibility
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 day
Whichever 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.
He built Coach from a small leather goods brand into a $5 billion global fashion powerhouse.
But Lew Frankfort’s rise to the top isn’t what you’d expect.
He started out in public service and even got passed over for a promotion for being “too principled.” But when he came to Coach, he brought relentless drive, strong investigative instincts, and a unique leadership philosophy he calls “Magic + Logic.”
He’s got wisdom to help any leader who wants to build something that lasts – with both quality execution and inspired creativity.
In this episode, he shares:
What a guidance counselor told him in 9th grade that almost changed everything
What to do when you spot a gap in the marketplace
One unusual trait to develop if you want to excel at product development and marketing
A helpful analogy to help you manage conflict
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 day
Whichever 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.
He’s one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in the game – a four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and four-time Masters competitor. Just last month, he captained the 2025 Walker Cup team to victory over Great Britain and Ireland.
Nathan Smith knows how to get the most out of himself and his team, especially when the pressure is on and the stakes are high.
In this episode, he shares the leadership mentality and coaching habits that have helped him build trust, navigate adversity, and bring out the best in his team. If you lead a team or coach others, don’t miss this one!
You’ll also learn:
How to set your people up for success
The weird reason he doesn’t regret missing the cut by one stroke at the Masters
Tips for building camaraderie, even when people aren’t in the same place
What it was like playing Augusta with Arnold Palmer
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 day
Whichever 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.
At age 25, he walked away from a successful seven-figure business, and took a big swing on a risky idea.
Thrive Market Cofounder and CEO Nick Green knew he wanted to make healthy food more accessible. But at a time when everyone was chasing speed and scale, he made a big bet on the membership model. 1.7 million members later, it’s safe to say it worked.
In this episode, he shares:
His early career failures and what they taught him
The power of the right business model
The weird way he uses ChatGPT
Why you should take big swings
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 day
Whichever 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.
As a kid, she had to hide her favorite red nail polish from her parents. Today, she’s the founder and CEO of Olive & June, a $100 million nail polish brand.
But in between, Sarah Gibson Tuttle had to navigate a career she wasn’t really passionate about … and find the courage to chase a big idea.
In this episode, she shares:
The untold stories behind the brand’s rise
How she turned frustration into innovation
Why her ability to work on herself has helped her build a more collaborative, company
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 day
Whichever 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.
1On this episode of 3 More Questions, you'll hear David Novak's answers to:
How should leaders apply the concept, "sell what you sell", into their marketing strategy?
How can leaders maintain brand consistency while being flexible on the product offerings in different markets?
How can leaders running multiple teams and business units find the right balance between alignment and autonomy?
———
GO DEEPER
Scale up your leadership skills in 2 minutes a day with the How Leaders Lead app — Download today in the App Store
Get coaching from David by signing up to receive his Weekly Leadership Plan. It builds on each podcast episode by offering actionable steps you can take each week to incorporate the learnings from the episode into your leadership style. It only takes about 5 minutes and is a great way to start off your week!
Subscribe to the How Leaders Lead podcast to ensure you never miss an episode!
GUEST: Paul Brown, Cofounder and CEO of Inspire Brands, which includes Arby’s, Sonic, Dunkin’, and more.
LISTEN FOR: Insights on clear messaging, leading multiple brands, the changing media landscape, and sharing best practices
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 day
Whichever 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.
On this episode of 3 More Questions, you'll hear David Novak's answers to:
How can you measure motivation and what can leaders do to drive that in their organization?
How can leaders sustain high performance while managing their energy?
How can leaders who are great a dreaming big make visions practical and real?
———
GO DEEPER
Scale up your leadership skills in 2 minutes a day with the How Leaders Lead app — Download today in the App Store
Get coaching from David by signing up to receive his Weekly Leadership Plan. It builds on each podcast episode by offering actionable steps you can take each week to incorporate the learnings from the episode into your leadership style. It only takes about 5 minutes and is a great way to start off your week!
Subscribe to the How Leaders Lead podcast to ensure you never miss an episode!
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