Imperfect Leaders

What do Oprah Winfrey, Drew Barrymore, and Scarlett Johansson have in common with today's guest - Jason Karp?

Every one of them is passionate about changing the way people eat - especially in the United States. And, they've all helped build some of the country's most amazing food brands including - True Food Kitchen, Snow Days, Cosmic Bliss, and Grove Collaborative.

Today, Jason is an incredible entrepreneur and philanthropist. Yet, his life has never been easy. Many times during his life, Jason has looked straight into the abyss - felt completely alone and deeply ashamed - and somehow used nothing but personal intellect and tenacity to emerge even stronger from his trauma.

It's the definition of a hero's journey.

In today's episode, Jason beautifully articulates his personal 'crucible' moments that helped shape his core values, personal mission, and leadership style.

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Ed Catmull is an enigma.

There's a good chance you wouldn't recognize him if he were standing right next to you. Yet, he's the creative genius and co-founder of Pixar - a totally unique organization that has completely changed the way many of us think about movies, culture, and even what it means to be a human being.

Catmull usually avoids the spotlight. In reality, he would rather work - behind the scenes - to build a fertile culture in which others can grow and succeed. In which others can reach their full creative potential. And, in which others can satisfy basic - if not contradictory human needs - like expressing individual ideas while simultaneously collaborating with others to build it into something much more profound.

Who could ever forget these iconic Pixar characters?:

Should we take the time to listen to Catmull's advice?

Well, many others have over the past few decades, including visionaries like Steve Jobs and George Lucas; creative geniuses like Brad Bird and Pete Docter; business icons like Bob Iger; and even top thought leaders (and former guests on our podcast), Professors Amy Edmondson, Linda Hill, and Roger Martin.

Trust us...Ed is worth a listen!

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Greg Sands isn't perfect.

To name just a few of his imperfections: He had a serious fear of failure as a young athlete. He struggled to find his 'place' while a student at Harvard University. He doesn't particularly like following the rules. And there are times when he feels extremely insecure, like the first time he raised money for his venture capital firm - Costanoa.

Yet, in just over a decade, Costanoa has emerged as one of the most well respected and successful venture capital firms in the entire world. Early stage entrepreneurs flock to Costanoa eager to begin a life-long relationship with Greg and his amazing colleagues. And Greg has never been more happy - "I wake up each morning with a smile on my face eager to go to work," he beams.

Find out why in today's episode of Imperfect Leaders - part of the Breakfast Club at Harvard.

Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson has been recognized as the #1 thought leader in the world.

She literally revolutionized the way CEOs around the world think about psychological safety. In her new book - The Right Kind of Wrong - she takes this conceptual framework one big step forward - and shares a practical tool-kit to help people reframe risk and learn from mistakes.

Edmondson confronts head-on the biggest dilemma facing innovative organizations. Bluntly, it requires people take risks and venture into the unknown. Yet people despise failure. How can leaders resolve this paradox? How can leaders create a culture that inspires their people to innovate, to be inclusive, to share unpopular views, to venture into the unknown, and to learn from their mistakes? How should talent feel about inevitable failure - and the embarrassment and shame they may feel?

One thing is certain - until organizations embrace 'intelligent failure' - they'll be at a competitive disadvantage to more innovative competitors.

Professor Edmondson's practical lessons apply broadly and equally well to innovators, CEOs, elite athletes, top chefs, research lab scientists, and even parents who just want to raise kids who embrace a more healthy perspective to risk taking and learning from the right kind of wrong.

Join the Breakfast Club.

Think of all the germs, bacteria, virus, and other airborne diseases we expose ourselves to every single day.

Think how much worse this problem is when we are indoors, in closed spaces, and around lots of people. One last thing - consider that a full 90% of our time is spent indoors! Taken together, this is a big problem.

R-Zero has the solution - an energy efficient, technology-enabled, cost-effective, and 99.99% efficacious way to zap these harmful micro-organisms before they have a chance to enter your bloodstream. It's no surprise they've attracted elite partners and investors like The Mayo Clinic, John Doerr, Chairman Kleiner Perkins, Ira Ehrenpreis founder of DBL Partners,

The CEO of fast-growing startup is Jennifer Nuckles - an energetic, whip-smart, values-driven leader who believes strongly in the adage that companies should do well (make money) by doing good (helping others and the planet).

Jennifer shares her incredible journey, obstacles along the way, and valuable leadership lessons.

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Today's guest - Geoff Smart - has literally revolutionized the way companies around the world think about talent and leadership.

The leadership advisory Geoff founded - G.H. Smart - is on speed-dial of the world's top CEOs, private equity investors, and corporate board members - who call when crucial and complex leadership challenges need an elegant, data-driven solution - like CEO succession and executive team composition.

In much the same way that Professor Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School redefined the way companies think about strategy formulation, Geoff and his colleagues at G.H. Smart - have forever changed the way companies around the world think about talent. Until Geoff quantified a practical approach to assessing leadership potential and culture fit, companies were forced to naively rely on 'gut feel' and instinct. The G.H. Smart approach is 10X more effective.

As Geoff's former professor and management guru - Peter Drucker - famously said, 'culture eats strategy for breakfast.' And now, decades later, G.H. Smart helps clients - every single day - bring this vision to life.

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Long before 'Succession' - the hit TV Show on HBO, John Tyson was actually living this drama.  His grandfather started a company called Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas.  

Today the company employs over 120,000 people and supplies nearly a quarter of all the beef, pork and chicken in the entire country - under the brand names Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ballpark, and many others.

John shares his thoughts on the board's number one responsibility - CEO succession planning. John recognizes there simply is no such thing as a perfect leader. To become CEO of Tyson Foods - even if your last name is Tyson - it's a long, hard, 30 year-trek...and even then its not a sure thing to reach the corner office. 

Any comments, questions or thoughts to share with today's podcast guest - John Tyson - join our community at www.imperfectleaders.com.

Stan Van Gundy - is an icon in sports and broadcasting.

Before his current stint as a top basketball analyst at TNT, he was an NBA coach for several NBA teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans.

According to Coach Van Gundy, the best talent - across all disciplines - not just in sports, but in music, in academia, and certainly in business - don't just welcome occasional feedback and advice - they absolutely crave it.

They constantly seek to get out of their comfort zone - stretch the limits of their potential - make some mistakes along the way - reflect upon what they can do better - and eventually change their mindset and level up to unimaginable heights.

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Today's guest - Erich Joachimsthaler - is the #1 brand strategist on the planet. 

He built from scratch a top-ranked professional services firm - called Vivaldi_ - which regularly advises the world's most admired CEOs and chief marketing officers - on their most complex transformational issues. 

Joachmisthaler's leadership journey will amaze you. He has continuously 'written the next chapter' - each new one more riveting than the last  - from humble roots growing up in a small town in Germany to earning a doctorate from Harvard Business School to co-authoring Brand Leadership (with David Aaker) which literally redefined the way companies think about brand, strategy and their core purpose. 

It's no wonder why top talent and future leaders are attracted to Vivaldi. The firm has a unique culture and inspires future leaders to reach maximum potential.

His most recent book - The Interaction Field - has been recognized by top scholars at elite business school.

We all know that something fundamental has changed in how businesses deliver value, but many of us have no idea what to do about it. This deeply insightful book takes you behind the scenes to explore the idea of shared value - for real. Virality, network effects and learning have changed the very nature of competitive advantage. This deeply insightful book will show you how to use these shifts to your advantage."―Rita Gunther McGrath, professor, Columbia Business School

"A thrilling new way of looking at a successful business model for the future. This fascinating book contains great business stories-such as LEGO, John Deere, Alibaba, Flatiron Health, and more-as well as important thinking today's CEOs should become familiar with."―Vijay Govindarajan Coxe Distinguished Professor at Tuck at Dartmouth NYT and WSJ Best Selling Author, Three Box Solution: A Strategy For Leading Innovation

Kent Thiry is one of the most admired and accomplished leaders in the country.    

For many years he was CEO and Board Chair of Davita - and now he is a philanthropist, a friend and a trusted advisor to high potential CEOs, politicians, environmental activists, and rising stars. Thiry also works closely with top private equity firms including KKR and Partners Group.

During this conversation, Thiry is completely vulnerable and comfortable in his own skin - sharing with us crucible experiences - that both tested and shaped his leadership mettle.  For example, Thiry shares with us his recent horrifying experience with the U.S. Government which accused him of conspiracy - violating the Sherman Act - charges which he was completely and quickly exonerated. 

Importantly, Thiry explains what he learned from this agonizing experience, and imparts wisdom for any aspiring leader who will themselves inevitably confront terrifying challenges - and who will need to dig deep, develop resilience, and lean into their core values. This is what leadership in today's unpredictable world requires - and there is simply no better mentor or sounding board than today's guest. 

www.imperfectleaders.com