Lead the Team (Top 2% of Podcasts)

THE TRANSFORMATION WALLRandall Troutman, Winpak's, Chief Operational Excellence Officer leads a massive $1.1 billion transformation, tasked with turning 13 independent "kingdoms" into one efficient operating system.But there’s a moment in every change effort where leaders mistake resistance for failure, and that’s when teams stop following.Randall discovered that project success is never about the initial launch; it’s about what you do when the "physics of people" takes over.We went deep into the "Valley of Despair" in this interview... ...that predictable, dangerous phase where the initial hype dies and the true energy requirement sets in.EVERY BIG project I've ever been part of hits make-or-break moment! It’s the exact point where most leaders flame out, pack up, and say, "I knew it wouldn't work".In this episode, you'll discover:- How to recognize the "Valley" phase in real-time before it stalls your progress.- Why most change efforts quietly die exactly when they should be accelerating.- The framework for keeping thousands moving when fatigue and doubt peak.- The "Visual Roadmap" Randall used to make a global crisis actionable.If your initiative feels stalled, you aren't failing....you're just hitting THE WALL.It takes a courageous leader to admit they've lost momentum, but it takes a PRO to expect it and share the map to get out.Question: Ever had a big project lose momentum? What helped?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Leaders Are Built in the Blur.Jed Ayres, CEO of ControlUp, told me something most leaders won’t say out loud:Clarity usually comes after you move, not before.If you’re waiting for the perfect signal…You’re already late.That “responsible” decision you’re about to make?It might be the very thing slowing your flywheel before it ever turns.We talked about what it really takes to move when things aren’t clear:- When the leader (who drove 600% revenue growth in three years and a $1B valuation) believes the safe decision becomes the most dangerous one.- How a former dishwasher turned hotel owner turned tech CEO learned to scale transformation — long before collecting 10,000 metrics every three seconds.- What six Ironmans teach you about pushing when nothing feels like it’s moving.There’s a mental shift required when you can’t see the finish line.Many leaders miss it.So consider "Are you leading…or too focused protecting your downside?"Have you ever confused “responsible” with fear?-----Learn more about Jed and his organization here:https://www.controlup.com/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

That first all-hands.Patrick Dennis, CEO of Avaya, walked in expecting nerves and optimism.Instead, one question he was asked changed the room.It wasn’t dramatic or confrontational.But it was revealing.It showed to him that the organization wasn’t aligned on reality.And misalignment at that level doesn’t stay neutral. It compounds.I’ve seen this pattern more times than I can count.Leaders hear a question and assume pushback.But sometimes the question asked IS THE DATA.Sometimes the raised hand is the WARNING LIGHT.What inspired me most in our conversation was how Patrick responded.No corporate speak or protecting people from the numbers.You'll hear in our conversation how he chose to communicate with clarity, knowing it would cost comfort.That decision shifted everything and ultimately made HUGE results possible.It shifted the organization's trajectory.So, when your team asks the uncomfortable question,how often do you treat it as resistance or as information?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

The Hard SeasonMatt Zilli, CEO of Planview, told me the hardest years of leading a company through billion-dollar growth (including restructures, tough people decisions, and uncertainty) became the most valuable leadership training of his career.That really resonated for me. Some of the most uncomfortable stretches building my podcasts and business were the exact moments I wondered if I should pivot, slow down, or walk away. The audience wasn’t growing yet.The results weren’t obvious. The path felt uncertain.Ever had the "uncomfortable stretch"?You know, those seasons forced me to get clearer, tougher, and more patient as a leader.Matt called it in our conversation “SCAR TISSUE"...the kind you only earn by staying in the work when it’s not fun, not fast, and not guaranteed.Wins build confidence. Hard seasons build leaders.Looking back, the seasons I wanted to escape were often the ones doing the most to shape how I lead today.Question: Do you think we leave the hard season too early or make a mistake by preventing it all together?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Is obsession with "The Win" actually preventing it?John Leach CEO of FLS Transportation shared with me that fixating on the win is the fastest way to lose control.He breaks down what happens when he walked away from "personality-first" leadership to build a system where success isn’t a roll of the dice.It made me reflect on some of my own team's results where we delivered short term but they weren't always sustainable. Wish I'd chatted with John years ago!We discuss:The End of the "Charismatic" Leader: Why being "outgoing" eventually fails and the specific system that must replace it.Volatility Proofing: How to lead through government-induced market shifts and economic chaos.Transactional vs. Transformational: The only shift that allows you to scale a resilient team.The CEO Secret: Why elite performers ignore the final numbers to focus on controllable actions.Stop chasing the outcome. Start mastering the activity.Question: Could your team repeat last year's wins without you looking over their shoulder?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Missed Opportunity.Greg Smith, Founder of Thinkific, shared with me how most leaders are sitting on their most undervalued asset: their own expertise.And I’ve been guilty of this too.For years, I thought growth meant building something new (a new product, new offering, new initiative).BUT some of the biggest growth I’ve seen (in my own business and with companies I work with) came from teaching what they already knew.Not as marketing.Not as training.As a product.When leaders and their organizations share their thinking clearly and consistently, something powerful happens:Trust grows faster.A new sales channel opens.Revenue flows.Education and training used to be a COST CENTER. Now it’s becoming the new GROWTH CHANNEL.And truly, it makes sense because customers don’t just want vendors anymore.They want guides.Why are leaders still hesitant to monetize what they already know?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

High performance deceives.Alain Dias, CEO of Nortal Americas, knows a thing or two about building at scale..after all his team helped build the world’s very first "digital nation."When a leader with his kind of track record speaks about growth, I'm in!His interview is a gut-check for most organizations:If your expansion depends on a "Hero," you aren't ready to scale.In many cultures, we celebrate the "firefighter" who pulls the all-nighter to save the project. We give them the shout-outs and the awards.But as Alain points out, constant heroics are actually a warning sign.When you rely on individual brilliance to save the day, you aren't building a resilient business...you’re building a dependency.Beware "The Heroic Trap":- The Bottleneck: Critical knowledge stays trapped in one person’s head.- The Single Point of Failure: Your best people become your biggest risk for burnout.- The Chaos: As growth accelerates, clarity vanishes, and your "Hero" simply can't keep up.What I admire about Alain’s approach is the focus on maturity.World-class leadership is designing systems that make heroics unnecessary.Your vision can’t outrun your systems.Have you seen the limits of heroics?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Scale deceives.Barry Mainz, CEO of Forescout Technologies Inc., reveals how leaders unknowingly become responsible for massive risks they never personally approved.As your organization grows, leadership doesn’t just get harder, the real issues become harder to see.More effort stops producing better outcomes.And more hustle just starts masking risk.Barry’s work shows something unsettling:even elite tech leaders are often blind to 30–50% of the devices actually connected to their networks inside their own organizations.But that’s not a technology failure; it’s a leadership one.In our conversation, you’ll discover:- The Hidden Effort Tipping Point- The Great Leadership Management Flip- The Habit That Sabotages Scale- Why Hustle Is A Warning- The Dangerous Illusion Of ControlIf you spend all your time working in the business, you’ll may miss the off-radar decisions forming around you...until they surface as a crisis.A leadership question to consider:Is the leader who knows every detail actually a pro… or just a bottleneck in disguise?

Vikram Savkar, CEO of VitalEdge Technologies, shares how a demanding moment pushed him to rethink how he was operating...AND why choosing to reset earlier than most leaders do changed how he showed up as a leader, at work, and at home.The business here wasn’t the problem.But time at home was shrinking.And the way work followed him everywhere wasn’t something he wanted to normalize.Instead of waiting for a breaking point, Vikram created deliberate daily reset—and what happened next accelerated his results.We talked about that moment on Lead the Team, along with some unexpected influences that shaped how he leads today........including lessons from a surprising classic book most executives never read and a truly unforgettable early-career experience working for the iconic conductor Benjamin Zander.You don’t have to wait until life forces a reset.You can learn from a CEO who already has.Do you have a daily reset that helps you?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Pressure doesn't change the game...it reveals the leader. Mitch Stevison, President & CEO of Frontgrade Technologies, recently shared how a high-stakes missile test forced a decision no textbook could prepare him for. In this conversation, we break down the one skill he leaned on when the eyes of two nations—and a Senior Admiral—were watching.If you've ever had to make a high-stakes call under a microscope, Mitch’s insight on trust is a masterclass in leadership. What is the most important trait for a leader to have during a crisis? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode on Lead the Team.-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Questioning unlocks elite performance.Pete Harris, President of Pipedrive, was at the pinnacle of his previous profession (one that he’d spent his entire career pursuing).Everything was on track... the prestige and the rank. But while many founders and leaders might push uncomfortable thoughts aside, Pete did something different.He used a specific type of curiosity to ask himself a question that 99% of leaders are too afraid to face....a question that forces you to confront whether you’re actually on the path you’re meant to be on.Answering it meant walking away from the very finish line everyone expected him to cross.That moment of clarity unlocked a version of himself he hadn't met yet......one capable of:- Finishing full-distance Ironmans.- Leading a global engine for 100,000+ businesses.Most leaders are too afraid the deeper question because they’re terrified of the answer.Pete leaned in and shows us this conversation how we all can too.When has asking the right question helped you?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Your office is deciding results.Anna Squires Levine, President of Industrious, leads a company that has spent more than a decade observing how office space impacts human behavior (across hundreds of locations and millions of workdays).Many leaders assume the office is just a place where work happens.But it's far more than that!She explains that the office space is quietly influencing things leaders usually attribute to culture, motivation, or performance.In their work, incredible patterns emerged at scale in:• How people show up at work• How they interact• What actions and behaviors are encouraged or avoided• And how energy moves through the dayLeaders rarely talk about this...even though they’re already accountable for the office space and the very outcomes it shapes.Do you ever think about how your office space can impact your results?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

This mistake taught leadership.Marcus Perez, President of Altera Digital Health, shares a moment that unfolded in a helicopter at low altitude (where mistakes don’t get a second chance) and still shapes how he leads today.A rule had been broken the day before.The next day, his commander took the controls.He didn't get lectured.He got something far more...Intense.Deliberate.Unforgettable.Some lessons just don’t need words.After Marcus shared this story with me on the show, it became clear why that personal experience carried more weight than any traditional feedback session ever could.Our conversation raises questions around:✅ When the most dangerous leadership decision is when you choose not to step in.✅ What really happens when you delay accountability under real risk.✅ How you know when stepping in helps… and when it backfires.👉 What mistake taught you the most?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Leadership tests you.Jason Liu, CEO of Wood Mackenzie, felt that test immediately when he stepped into the role right after a major merger.New team.New culture.Everyone watching how he’d show up.Instead of trying to project confidence the traditional way, he made a choice that could’ve easily gone wrong.It didn’t.What surprised me wasn’t the move itself......it was what it revealed about fear, trust, and credibility at the highest levels of leadership.Jason doesn’t talk about fear like something to eliminate.He talks about how leaders carry it, manage it, and still move forward anyway.You hear it in how he leads teams across 30+ countries.You see it in why he choose to put himself out front as the face of a 100-year-old brand.And you feel it in the moments where control would’ve been easier, but courage mattered more.This conversation stuck with me.When has leadership tested you the most?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Pressure felt like leadership (until it wasn’t)Josh Epstein, President & Chief Business Officer at Coder, learned this the hard way.I’ve seen urgency do two very different things to teams.Sometimes it sharpens focus and everything moves faster.Other times, it creates stress, confusion, and quiet burnout—while leaders think they’re “pushing for results.”Josh shared how early in his career, pressure felt like the right move… until it started costing trust and momentum.Increasing pressure wasn’t creating more effort...or the results he expected.It was one uncomfortable shift (that felt slower at first)......that ended up making everything faster.We unpack the full story in this week’s episode.So:👉 When things slow down, how effective has pressure been for you?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

AI failure rates shock me.Erin Gajdalo, CEO of Pluralsight, joined me and what she revealed about why AI projects collapse disturbed me even more..I expected to talk about tools, frameworks, and roadmaps.Instead, Erin asked me question I wasn’t ready for:“Is your team actually ready for this? How can you even tell?"Um...Because most leaders — myself included — push for AI adoption without slowing down to ask if our teams can actually absorb the shift.Erin has led major transformations at Avantax, LPL, and now Pluralsight... and she’s seen the same silent pattern across industries:Leaders blame the tech.Teams blame the workload.But the real problem is almost always hidden deeper.Readiness....and getting their quickly....is everything.In our conversation, she breaks down:👉 The blind spot most CEOs overlook.👉 Why 50% of AI projects fail.👉 What separates teams that finish from those that stall.👉 The first move every CEO should take when they realize their team can’t keep up.👉 And how her transformation background gives her a unique advantage in the AI era.This conversation changed the way I think about leading through AI.What’s the biggest AI readiness challenge you’re seeing in your teams right now?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Winning gold didn’t end the pressure. It intensified it.A truth Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, came to understand through experience.That’s the incredible story behind Team USA’s recent historic gold……and the leadership turnaround that made it possible.When I sat down with Phil, I wasn’t expecting what came next.He walked into a sport in crisis.Broken culture.
 Divided membership.
 Declining trust.
 High visibility.
 Zero margin for error.And somehow, he rebuilt all of it…before making Olympic & Paralympic history.But not long after the gold, the pressure shifted….
 Public controversy.
Intense scrutiny.
And—death threats no leader should ever face.Leaders talk about “high stakes.”BUT this is what high stakes actually looks like.Phil shares:• The day-one move that stabilized a fractured team
 • The bold Olympic decision that changed everything
 • The backlash that hit not long after the gold
 • How he led through threats, scrutiny, and congressional attention
 • The leadership tools he relied on when everything was on the lineThis is a powerful story of crisis leadership, culture repair, and resilience.If you’ve ever led under pressure, you’ll never forget this lesson.What’s one leadership lesson pressure taught you?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Dan Michelson, CEO of RLDatix North America, shared the feedback that reshaped how he leads.When things go well, it can actually blind you to areas where he needed to improve....and this is why so many successful leaders often fail.Most top performers don’t realize they’re slipping until someone has the courage to tell them something they didn’t want to hear.Dan shared that his initial reaction to feedback early in his career was to blame the person giving him the feedback...and years later, he’s more grateful for it than almost anything else.And when he stepped into leading a 2,300-person organization, the stakes around feedback got even higher. Any past success wasn’t going to carry him anymore. Clear, direct communication had to.That’s when he embraced the mantra that now guides his leadership:“Coaching is caring.”He even had a 3.5-hour feedback conversation with a leader on his team — not because something was broken, but because growth mattered that much.Here’s the truth:Feedback is rarely comfortable.But avoiding it costs far more.Great leaders choose the kind of discomfort that makes them better.Agreed?-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Winning alone is losing.Dennis Levene, CEO of Hometown, bet the business on his customers’ success… and it’s paying off.Most CEOs obsess over market share and margins.Dennis obsessed over a broken system robbing schools of money.And he asked the question that changed everything:“Why should $25 of my $100 school donation go to a fundraising company?”That wasn’t frustration — it was a blueprint.A blueprint for a company designed to win only when its schools do.Now, Hometown helps thousands of school communities raise more, keep more, and invest directly into the programs that shape students’ futures. Dennis shared the line that defines his entire model:“We align ourselves with our schools… when they’re successful, we’re successful.”This isn’t marketing.It’s business architecture.And it’s one of the most compelling leadership strategies I’ve seen.This episode is a masterclass in:-Engineering customer alignment into your business model-Leading with purpose without sacrificing performance-Turning shared success into a competitive advantageThe companies that endure aren’t built on extraction...They’re built on shared victories.What would it be like if you aligned more closely to your customers' success?👇 I’d love to hear your perspective..-----Follow Dennis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-levene/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Hugues Meyrath, CEO of Quantum, came back to lead the same company that built his career decades ago — a 45-year-old tech brand powering Hollywood, Space, and even the AI revolution.But when he returned, something was off.The spark was gone. The ownership was gone.And instead of hiding behind strategy decks or consultants, he did something far harder......he rebuilt the culture on truth.“If there’s a problem, we’ll fix it together. No excuses. No hiding.”That simple mindset — radical honesty + extreme ownership — changed everything.Teams started moving faster. Accountability returned. People cared again.It’s an incredible heartfelt turnaround story.If you’ve ever felt like your company lost its spark, this episode will remind you how to get it back — from the inside out.-----Follow Hugues https://www.linkedin.com/in/huguesmeyrath/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter