From the creator of How I Built This, stories of crisis, failure, turnaround, and triumph from some of the greatest leaders in the world.

Introducing Wisdom From The Top

From the creator of How I Built This, host Guy Raz invites you to listen in as he talks to leadership experts and the visionary leaders of some of the world's biggest brands. Along the way, you'll hear accounts of crisis, failure, turnaround, and triumph, as the leaders reveal their secrets on their way to the top. These are stories that didn't make it into their company bios, and valuable lessons for anyone trying to make it in business.

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Initially reluctant to go to Medtronic, his time at that company ultimately became a life changing experience for Bill George. Not only did he usher the company into the Fortune 500 and grow the enterprise value of the company by 60x, he really started to lock in on his growing passion to influence leadership. Then, his career took a turn toward academia and the study and teaching of leadership at Harvard Business School. (In fact, Guy actually took Bill George's class at Harvard in 2008, This conversation took place in 2020). Of the many books Bill George has authored, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership has become a seminal book in leadership studies. "Instead of exerting power over people," he says "empowerment is the way to go." 


Leadership for Innovation: Bill George (Medtronic)

Author, podcaster and speaker Jon Acuff, known for his humorous approach to leadership and goal-setting, is the author of seven best-selling books.  The son of a Baptist minister, Jon worked as a copywriter throughout his twenties. His blog “Stuff Christians Like” caught the attention of personal finance guru Dave Ramsey (also a guest on Wisdom From the Top) who helped him launch a new career as an author and speaker. His self-help book, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking, was released in April 2021, around the same time he joined Guy Raz for a conversation that may make you ask yourself if your goals are "fun enough," among other things.

The Solution to Overthinking: John Acuff of 'Soundtracks'

David Novak has been a driving force behind brands like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, and he co-founded YUM! Brands Inc., one of the biggest players in the quick service restaurant industry. He's written bestsellers including Taking People With You, The Education of an Accidental CEO, and his latest, co-authored with Jason Goldsmith, titled Take Charge of You: How Self Coaching Can Transform Your Life and Career. In this conversation from 2022, Novak shares with Guy how he learned to lead by bringing everybody along with him.

Leading From "We," Not "I" -- David Novak (Yum! Brands)

One of the things Andrea Jung remembers Steve Jobs saying was "fail forward." If you don't fail you're not risking enough. For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending. In this classic conversation from 2020, Andrea and Guy mine the many lessons she has learned from more than twenty years of running organizations that empower women--by supporting them as entrepreneurs.

Failing Forward is Key: Andrea Jung of Grameen America

When he was a young management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, Morten Hansen put in long hours–up to 90 a week, regularly.  The highest performer in his office, however, was a colleague who clocked significantly less hours and rarely came in on weekends. This experience helped inspire Hansen’s research on work and is a central topic in his latest book, Great at Work: How top performers do less, work better, and achieve more. Join Morten and Guy as they explore the ideas around how to make a greater impact by doing less.

Introducing Wisdom From The Top

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