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.

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Follow Hugues https://www.linkedin.com/in/huguesmeyrath/

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Ever made a call at work that backfired — big time?

Rob Hahn, now COO at Pattern, knows exactly what that feels like.

Early in his career as a young leader at Amazon, he faced a decision no leader ever forgets.

At just 26 and leading thousands of people, a severe weather warning hit.

He made the call to shut everything down.

The storm never came.

And the decision cost the company millions.

But instead of hiding from it, Rob leaned in.

He owned it. He learned from it.

And that moment became the foundation for how he leads under pressure today.

When we talked on Lead the Team, I was struck by how deeply that one experience reshaped his leadership philosophy.

Rob shares how turning failure into fuel helped him rise to one of the top roles in a company that just completed a multi-billion-dollar IPO — and how you can do the same.

If you’ve ever carried the weight of a bad call or a decision that didn’t go as planned, this conversation will help you see it differently — and lead stronger because of it.

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Follow Rob on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-hahn-12136736/

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Jed Berger, Kenneth Cole Global President and CEO, is building something rare in business today — a brand that grows because it stands for something bigger.

In his third appearance on Lead the Team, Jed reveals the hidden advantage behind Kenneth Cole’s continued success… and how purpose became their ultimate performance driver.

“Purpose can’t just be a campaign. It has to live in every part of the company.” — Jed Berger, Kenneth Cole CEO

What stood out to me is how Jed turns values into velocity.

It’s not theory — it’s execution, culture, and results working in sync.

If you’re leading a team, scaling a company, or just trying to build something that lasts…

This episode shows how to align purpose with performance — and win the right way.

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Follow Jed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedalexanderberger/

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It started with a freezer then and became a billion-dollar lesson.

Dan Fachner, CEO of J&J Snack Foods — the company behind ICEE, Slush Puppie, and Dippin’ Dots — posted a video on LinkedIn that immediately caught my attention...

...he gets emotional while expressing gratitude to his team for their hard work and dedication.

You can see how much he truly cares about his people, and I knew right then I wanted to have a deeper conversation with him.

You see, Dan began his career delivering and servicing ICEE machines. That humble start shaped everything about how he leads today.

His guiding principle...

Care for people first.

That simple mindset turned a frozen drink into a billion-dollar leadership strategy—built on empathy, communication, and trust.

You're going to love this interview beause it will remind you that real leadership isn’t about hierarchy or authority—it’s about humility, gratitude, and care.

If you lead a team, run a company, or aspire to do both, Dan’s story will shift how you think about leadership.

🎧 The ICEE CEO’s Secret that Became a Billion-Dollar Leadership Strategy

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Bezos' Law - Chai Atreya, Chief Product Officer at ActiveCampaign, once helped build Amazon Alexa under Jeff Bezos.

During one internal review, Bezos made a single comment — short, specific, and completely unexpected — that changed everything.

He looked at the team and said:

“I want Alexa to respond in under five seconds.”

That one sentence forced every engineer to rethink what “great” really meant.

They reimagined the architecture, redesigned the systems — and eventually, brought response times even lower.

That’s "Bezos' Law":

The tighter the constraint, the bigger the breakthrough.

I was honestly in awe hearing how that single challenge reshaped Amazon’s design culture — and even more amazed at how Chai is now weaving that same mindset into ActiveCampaign’s AI to help small and midsize businesses scale faster, smarter, and simpler.

It’s inspiring stuff — and it’ll change how you think about innovation, leadership, and speed.

🎧 Hear the full story on the interview — it’s one of those “I’ll never build the same way again” moments.

Your Turn: Have you ever had one short, sharp lesson from a leader that completely changed how you think or work?

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Follow Chai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atreya/

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He didn’t say he was ready. He proved it quietly.

When I sat down with Dan Faulkner, CEO of SmartBear, he told me he was once passed over for a leadership role because he “hadn’t done it before.”

The cruelest ceiling isn’t glass — it’s being boxed in by your own expertise.

Being great at something… and never trusted with more.

Instead of waiting for permission, Dan built his own readiness.

He studied marketing at night.

He learned product and finance from scratch.

He said yes to the jobs no one thought he could handle.

That rejection didn’t end his path — it defined it.

He stopped asking for chances and started creating them.

“You’re the steward of your own career,” he told me.

“If you’re not driving it, you’re going to get the default.”

Sometimes the most powerful motivation isn’t belief from others —

it’s the doubt they hand you.

Ever been told you weren’t ready?

What did you do next?

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Follow Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfaulkner/

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Leadership Under Fire

He Led Troops in Combat — Now He Leads Billion-Dollar Companies

I first met Lance Olmsted, now President of IFS Copperleaf, expecting a story about discipline and precision.

What I didn’t expect was how deeply human it would be.

Lance served as a U.S. Marine. He learned to lead in the most uncertain environments imaginable — where hesitation could cost lives AND empathy wasn’t optional.

That’s right...empathy.

And you’ll never forget why when you hear his story.

Those lessons stayed with him and became a positive guiding force.

Today, he’s guiding global teams and helping industries use AI to make smarter, faster decisions.

Before that, he helped drive a $1 billion unicorn exit by applying the same mindset that got his Marines home safe:

✅ Focus on the mission, not the noise.

✅ Act fast and adapt faster.

✅ Build trust before you need it.

✅ Lead with empathy, even under fire.

His story is proof that military leadership still works — not because it’s rigid, but because it’s built on resilience, clarity, and purpose.

Leadership isn’t about power — it’s about people. What’s your take?

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Follow Lance on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-olmsted-98708568/

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Leaders Miss This

Matthew Fitzpatrick, CEO of Invisible Technologies—the #2 fastest-growing AI company in America—leads with a principle many overlook:

AI may power the future, but people give it purpose.

What makes Matt’s leadership stand out isn’t the speed of growth—it’s the intentionality behind it.

He reminds us that real progress doesn’t come from louder voices or faster code.

It comes from people.

From listening.

From slowing down long enough to get it right.

Here are a few principles he shared that every leader—AI or not—can use:

🔹 “The loudest voice is often, if not always, wrong.” Quiet thinkers find the biggest breakthroughs.

🔹 Hire great people, then trust them to listen deeply to customers.

🔹 Bad data at scale isn’t innovation—it’s chaos.

His boldest move as CEO?

Removing layers of hierarchy so 380+ people can think and act like owners.

This isn’t just about AI.

It’s about leading with integrity, empathy, and purpose—when the pace of change feels relentless.

👉 How do you keep leadership human in an AI-driven world?

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Follow Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-fitzpatrick-97b62722/

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Jakub Vanek, Chief Operating Officer at Genpact Americas, has moved six times across four countries while scaling teams of thousands inside a $5B global organization.

He admits the hidden cost of leadership isn’t just jet lag or late nights in the office—it’s missing his wife’s birthday, missing holidays, and asking himself the same question many ambitious professionals face: Family or Career?

But here’s the opportunity: Jakub learned that the real measure of leadership isn’t the title or the miles traveled—it’s the relationships you keep along the way.

“Sooner or later, this executive position will stop… Just keep those relationships.”

That reminder hit me hard.

The choice doesn't have to be family or career—that’s the trap.

Real leadership is designing a path where both thrive together.

👉 What have you learned about protecting what matters while chasing your career?

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Follow Jakub on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubvanekeurope/

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Under Pressure, Leaders Rise

When I spoke with Cyrill Kellerhals, COO of Andelyn Biosciences, I was struck by how calm and grounded he was while describing some of the toughest leadership moments of his career.

At Novartis, one of the industry’s legendary companies, he encountered the kind of regulatory challenge that every leader dreads — a moment that could define the company’s future.

Instead of panicking, he led his team through it and turned it into a success.

Later, he carried those lessons into scaling a $34M operation and building a $200M biopharma facility. But what impressed me most wasn’t the numbers — it was the way he talked about leading with humility, purpose, and service to his people.

His story is a reminder that real leadership isn’t about avoiding pressure. It’s about how you show up when the stakes are highest.

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Follow Cyril: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrill-k-82a73152/

Lean more about Andelyn Biosciences: https://www.andelynbio.com/

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