Building Excellence

#198: Joe Scarlett is the former CEO, President, and Chairman of Tractor Supply Company. He spent nearly thirty years in leadership roles with the company. Today Joe is engaged in teaching and writing about leadership, working in the family foundation, and striving to improve Tennessee.

In 1982 Scarlett played a key role in the initiative to return the company to profitability through improved customer service and focused product selection as part of a classic leveraged buyout. He was instrumental in developing the company culture which today is admired and often copied.  In 1994 Joe led the successful effort to take the company public.

Tractor Supply Company was honored by Forbes as one of the “Best Managed Companies in America” and Scarlett was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Southeast Entrepreneur of the Year. Joe also served twenty years on the board of the nation’s largest retail trade organization, including four as its chairman.

On the show Joe shares his story of growing up, hard work, common sense, working at Two Guys Discount Store alongside Bernie Marcus who went on to found The Home Depot, leading and growing Tractor Supply Co, focusing on people, listening to the customer, using the corporate jet (aka Southwest Airlines), adapting, over 50 years of marriage, intentionality with your kids, and much more. 

For more on Joe his book newsletter and foundation check out joescarlett.com as well as scarlettfoundation.org 

Enjoy the show!

#197: Mike Small is the University of Illinois head men's golf coach and is currently entering his 25th season.

The GCAA Hall of Fame & 2015 GCAA Dave Williams National Coach of the Year, has brought national recognition to Illinois golf in his 25 years at the helm of the program, as he has guided the Illini to 13 of the last 15 Big Ten Championship titles, including a conference-record run of eight straight from 2015 through 2023 to established a new standard for sustained excellence in the league.

Under Small’s direction, the Illini program has seen consistent success as his teams have not only continued to achieve greatness at the conference level, but on the national level as well. Small has led Illinois to top-five NCAA finishes in nine of the last 13 postseasons, including a runner-up finish in 2013. Illinois has advanced past NCAA Regionals to the NCAA Championship 17 times under Small’s guidance, including a run of 13 straight from 2008 to 2021, a streak that ranked second nationally during time. The Orange and Blue have won six NCAA Regional titles, including four consecutive NCAA Regional Championships from 2013-2016, becoming one of just two schools in NCAA history to do so. 

Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Small’s Illini have been a consistent force among the top 25 in the Golfweek/Bushnell Coaches’ Poll, and own the longest streak ranked in the top spot. Small was again recognized for his coaching success in 2016 as he was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame.

Small has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year a conference-record 13 times in his career (2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2002) and has also been named Midwest Regional Coach of the Year on 13 occasions (2024, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2003). Under his direction, 19 Illini have won 37 All-America honors and 65 All-Big Ten accolades garnered by 28 student-athletes. He also has the distinction of playing on a Big Ten championship team and coaching 13 more.

Small has continued his professional career while coaching, most recently playing on the PGA TOUR Champions. Since 2000, he is a three-time winner of the PGA Professional National Championship, a three-time PGA Professional National Player of the Year, a 14-time IPGA Champion, four-time Illinois Open Champion and he has participated in 13 major championships. Small has made the cut in 15 of 34 PGA TOUR events since he began coaching at Illinois, and 18 of 19 PGA TOUR Champions events, earning three top 10 finishes and playing in three U.S. Senior Opens. He was also named the 2017 OMEGA Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year.

Enjoy the show! 

#196: Lisa Lutoff-Perlo is the former CEO of Celebrity Cruises. She is a recognized global business powerhouse and recipient of numerous awards including the South Florida Business Journal and Forbes Travel Guide Lifetime Achievement Awards. 

Most recently, Lisa served as President & CEO of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Miami Host Committee, where she led the strategy, fundraising, fan activations, and operations for the seven Miami matches of this globally significant event. During her time in this role, her dedication to excellence and innovation helped position Miami—a world-renowned sports and entertainment destination—as a standout host city for the matches and a city that expects over 700,000 visitors and close to two billion dollars in economic impact during the tournament. 

Prior to her role with FIFA, Lisa spent 40 years in progressive leadership positions at the Royal Caribbean Group where she made history as the first woman to serve as President and CEO of one of the company’s multibillion-dollar subsidiaries, Celebrity Cruises (2014–2023). During her tenure as CEO of Celebrity she redefined the luxury cruise industry with groundbreaking ship designs, innovative services, and a commitment to leadership. 

She also transformed the financial performance of the Brand to historic levels. Before leaving the Royal Caribbean Group, she held the role of Vice Chairman, External Affairs for the Royal Caribbean Group, where she strengthened industry partnerships and advanced company strategy across its global portfolio of three Brands. 

A trailblazer in the global hospitality industry, Lisa has received numerous accolades for business transformation, leadership, and now serves on corporate Boards as Chairwoman of the Board of the Hornblower Group, where she oversees the strategic direction of this industry leader in transportation and experiential travel, the Board of Directors for Fortune 500 company AutoNation (NYSE: AN), the Advisory Board of AHC Group, and the Board of Directors of Amerant Bank (NYSE: AMTB).

Lisa shares her inspiring journey and leadership insights in her best-selling book, Making Waves: A Woman’s Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart, and Courage and through numerous public speaking engagements.  

For more on Lisa visit her website at lisalutoffperlo.com as well as all social platforms. 

Enjoy the show! 

#195: Kelley Hester is the Clemson University Women’s Head Golf. She has led Clemson to unprecedented success in her first eight seasons as Clemson’s head coach. In 2023-24 the Tigers reached match play of the NCAA National Tournament and finished fifth in the nation. She was also named ACC Coach of the Year and a finalist for National Coach of the Year.

When you look at her career it is no surprise Hester has brought the Clemson program to consistent success.  She has been successful everywhere she has coached over her 24 seasons and 234 tournaments as a head coach.

Nothing documents her success more than the fact that she is the only coach in NCAA Division I history to take four different programs to the NCAA National tournament and record at least one top 20 finish at four different schools.

Over her career, Hester has 20 wins, 42 top two finishes and 110 top fives.   That includes four top two finishes and eight top fives in 2023-24.   She has taken teams to 19 NCAA regionals, had eight top 25 national finishes, coached 37 all-conference players and 18 All-Americans.

Before Clemson she had been the head coach at Furman, Georgia, Arkansas, UNLV, and Mercer.

More importantly on the show you will hear what matters most to her and how she cares about her players on and off the course.

Enjoy the show! 

#194: Charlie Duke is a former Astronaut & Apollo 16 Lunar Model pilot who became the 10th and youngest human being to ever walk on the surface of the moon.

He has also served in many other critical historical events. On Apollo 11, the first ever moon landing, Neil Armstrong asked Charlie to serve at CAPCOM (which is the voice of Houston/mission control when they landed on the moon). He served back up on Apollo 13 working tirelessly to help safely bring back his fellow astronauts.

Charlie attended the US Naval Academy before becoming a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. After a few years in the Air Force he attended MIT and then became a test pilot with Chuck Yeager. During this time he was encouraged by Yeager and others to apply to become an astronaut and the rest is history.

Apollo 16 was NASA’s second scientific expedition on the moon. During his time on the moon he logged 20.25 hours in extra vehicular activities and collected some 213 pounds of soil and geological samples. He took the only videos of the lunar rover in action. Charlie’s stay on the moon was a record setting 71hours and 14 minutes and he was also the first person to do Moon Olympics.

On the show Charlie shares his story of growing up, becoming a fighter pilot, test pilot and then  astronauts, the many of tense stories of the Apollo landings, his own experience walking on the moon, life after NASA, the impact and influence of his wife Dotty, forgiveness, fulfillment, faith, and much more.

For more info on Charlie and his wife Dotty, as well as their books, check out charlieduke.com and dukeministryforchrist.org 

Enjoy the show! 

What God Won't Ask - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

#193: Lance Witt is the Founder of Replenish. He has been leading churches and organizations for 40+ years.  He was the lead pastor for 3 different churches and then spent 7 years as an executive and teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in Southern California.

 During his years at Saddleback, Lance led the 40 Days of Purpose campaign.  Ultimately, both nationally and internationally, more than 25,000 churches also did the 40 Days of Purpose campaign.

 In 2007, Lance launched a ministry called Replenish, which is dedicated to “Helping people live and lead from a healthy soul.”  Over the last 15 years Lance has encouraged, challenged and equipped thousands of leaders through speaking, personal coaching LifePlanning, and writing books.

• Replenish… a resource for pastors and ministry leaders on doing ministry without losing your soul.
• High Impact Teams… a resource to catalyze teams to increased health and high-performance
• Your ONE Life… this newest book releases in 2021 and is focused on helping people own, live and love their one and only life.

For more information on Lance his books, coaching, or speaking check out replenish.net

Enjoy the show!

#192: Jim Keyes is the former CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc, and Blockbuster, Inc. which are two internationally recognized Fortune 500 companies. He is a global business leader, philanthropist, educator, artist, musician, commercial pilot, and modern renaissance man.

His other business interests cover a broad range of industries including retail, consumer products, technology, new space, energy, and advanced nuclear. He sits on several public company boards and serves as a board adviser to a venture capital firm and a number of start-up companies.

Keyes’ philanthropic initiatives, have an equally broad focus, including serving on the Board of Governors for the American Red Cross, the former Chairman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and serving on the board of directors for institutions such as UT Southwestern Medical School, The Cooper Institute, Dallas Performing Arts Center, SMU Cox School of Business, Columbia Business School, and his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross.

He has had a lifelong commitment to education, serving as a founding director of the Dallas Education Foundation and is the founder of the Education is Freedom Foundation. A personification of the American Dream, Keyes came from his humble beginnings and was inducted in 2005 as a member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. In 2024 he received the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award, presented by Methodist Health System Foundation to recognize demonstrated community leadership.

Jim recently released his new book Education is Freedom, which can be found on Amazon and the links below.

For more info on Jim check out jameswkeyes.com 

Enjoy the show! 

Book:

https://www.amazon.com/Education-Freedom-Future-Your-Hands/dp/B0CH6X6BVB 

#191: David Pollack is a college football analyst, author, speaker, and host of the Family Goals Podcast.

A former NFL player and University of Georgia standout, David joined ESPN in 2009 as a college football analyst and was quickly elevated to College GameDay.
Pollack was also a contributor to ESPN’s daily college football news show College Football Live and several additional shows throughout the season. He was previously an analyst on ESPN’s Thursday Night College Football and co-host of Palmer & Pollack. He started his broadcasting career in 2008 hosting a sports radio talk show in Atlanta for 790 The Zone.

As a defensive end at the University of Georgia, he was just the second Bulldog to be named a three-time All-American. The other being Hershel Walker. During his time at UGA he was awarded the 2002 & 2004 SEC Player of the Year honors, 2003 & 2004 Ted Hendricks Award, 2004 the Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy, & SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award.

In the 2005 NFL Draft, he was a first round draft pick taken 17th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. His NFL career was cut short, however, after he broke a cervical vertebra in a game versus the Cleveland Browns in the second game of the 2006 season. The Bengals announced Pollack’s retirement before the 2008 season.

On the show David shares his story, building resilience, parenting on purpose, identity, faith, being all in, intentionality, never quitting, marriage, faith, and much more.

For more on David be sure to check him out on social, as well as the Pollack Family Foundation at pollackfamilyfoundation.com and the  Family Goals Podcast on all podcast platforms.

Also, check out his new book “The Won’t Quit Kid” which is out now and can be found at bravebooks.us and amazon. 

Enjoy the show! 

Book link:

https://bravebooks.us/products/the-wont-quit-kid?srsltid=AfmBOooGqXQR8lZga_svq5RjGCvlKVPdhbx8W2ngtzOplS9eEJ8j3t3K

https://www.amazon.com/Wont-Quit-Kid-David-Pollack/dp/1955550824?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A10YDWL6MSY05I 

Family Goals Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/family-goals-with-david-pollack-and-pastor-j/id1585214791 

#190: General Robert F. “Bob” Dees served for 31 years in the U.S. Army in a wide variety of command and staff positions culminating in his last three assignments as Assistant  Division Commander for Operations, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); Commander,  Second Infantry Division, United States Forces Korea; and as Deputy Commanding General,  V (US/GE) Corps in Europe, concurrently serving as Commander, US-Israeli Combined Task  Force for Missile Defense.

Bob is a graduate of numerous military schools including the  Command and General Staff College, the Naval Postgraduate School, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. He has authored and taught Management Science topics in the Department of Engineering at West Point, as well as multiple Resilience courses at Liberty University.

Following military retirement in January 2003, Bob served as a Microsoft Corporation executive; followed by leadership of a non-profit outreach to the military. He authored the  Resilience Trilogy (Resilient Warriors, Resilient Leaders, and Resilient Nations) and pioneered resilience programs for the military as Vice President for Military Outreach at Liberty University.  In the 2016 Presidential cycle, Bob served as National Security Advisor and Campaign Chairman for Dr. Ben Carson. Bob now heads Resilience God Style, a national movement to restore resilience to every area of American life, including recent publication of the Resilience  God Style book, study guide, video series, and training game (www.ResilienceGodStyle.com).

Bob is a senior advisor for the newly formed Faith-based Veterans Support Alliance (FBVSA). Bob is also President of the National  Center for Healthy Veterans (www.HealthyVeterans.org) with the mission of “Returning Healthy  Veterans to America.” This broad and comprehensive Healthy Veteran initiative ranges from trauma recovery using best practices, faith-based programs to veteran microbusinesses which afford dignified work, skills training, and economic opportunity. Community is a critical element of the initiative, including veteran tiny home villages for formerly homeless Veterans and others.  While the Healthy Veteran initiative will help Veterans, the real winner is America with Healthy  Veterans positively impacting culture as role models for our youth, as experienced leaders in business, and as standard bearers in every walk of life.

Bob speaks at numerous seminars and conferences, as well as commentary on national security, leadership, and resilience in a wide array of media, military, business and church venues. He was featured as one of 30 “Master Leaders” in America by noted author George  Barna and was awarded the Council for National Policy George Washington Military  Leadership Award in 2018. 

For more on General Dees check out www.ResilienceGodStyle.com as well as www.HealthyVeterans.org 

Enjoy the show