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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Most leaders say they want transparency.

But when the pressure’s on, many unintentionally create cultures where people hide mistakes.

Camilo Rueda — CEO of Aeropost and former U.S. Navy Submarine Officer — learned this lesson the hard way, thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.

As a young officer, one bad call almost ended his career. In that moment, he had two choices:

👉 Hide the mistake and hope it stayed buried

👉 Or raise his hand, take ownership, and face the consequences

He chose ownership.

It cost him in the short term — but it built the trust and resilience that later fueled his journey from the Navy to McKinsey to CEO.

What struck me most in our conversation was this:

“Real ownership isn’t solving everything yourself. It’s raising problems early, so you can solve them together.”

That mindset shift changes everything.

It turns mistakes into momentum, and pressure into perspective.

💭 When leaders say “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions,” does it actually push teams to chase the “perfect” answer — and wait too long to speak up?

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Follow Camilo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilo-rueda-5a62669/

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Real leadership begins the moment your team starts to doubt you.

Jeff Meredith, CEO of Chamberlain Group, has lived that moment. He took a 70-year-old garage door company and transformed it into a global tech powerhouse with 14M+ connected users.

But as Jeff shared with me, the toughest part wasn’t the technology or the strategy—it was earning back his team’s trust in the middle of massive change.

That resonated deeply with me. Because when the ground shifts under your feet, no business model or innovation will save you if your people stop believing.

Jeff opened up about the leadership mistake that nearly cost him his team—and the exact steps he used to win them back.

His story is a reminder that transformation isn’t just about vision; it’s about belief.

If you’re leading through uncertainty, Jeff’s example proves one thing: no leader succeeds alone.

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Follow Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-meredith-90a744112/

Learn more about Chamberlain: https://www.chamberlain.com/

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Erase silos. Unite the company. Rebuild trust—fast.

When I first heard Amy Martin, CMO at TruWest Holdings, talk about her “One Number” strategy the TURNAROUND stopped me in my tracks.

She didn’t know if leaders would embrace it… or fight to protect their own KPIs.

But once it landed, everything changed:

-True C-suite alignment

-Faster growth

-A culture of shared accountability

Instead of sales and marketing chasing different goals, they now share the exact same revenue target.

In our conversation, Amy shares how she:

-Won buy-in without causing whiplash

-Turned resistance into trust

-Built teams that row in the same direction

If your teams are working hard but not together, this is one you don’t want to miss.

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Follow Amy on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyallenmartin/

Learn more about TruWest: https://truwestholdings.com/

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Everyone tells their teams to “use AI.”

But as Lucas Mendes (CEO of Revelo) told me, that almost never works.

Employees don’t resist because they’re lazy.

They resist because new tools feel intimidating, misunderstood, or disconnected from what really matters in their day-to-day.

That’s where leadership comes in.

Lucas shared how he turned an almost-failing startup into the backbone of AI — a network of 400k+ engineers powering the world’s top tech companies.

But more importantly, he revealed how to get teams to actually change how they work — even when the future feels uncertain.

If you’ve ever given a directive and wondered why nothing changed, this episode is for you.

🎥 I Turned a Failing Startup Into the Backbone of AI (400k+ Engineers)

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Follow Lucas on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmzmendes/

Learn more about Revelo - https://www.revelo.com/

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Thomas Neergaard Hansen — President of Amplitude and former Microsoft and Dropbox executive — proved to me that even the most hard-earned leadership skills aren’t always enough.

He’s led billion-dollar teams, navigated career reinventions, and even learned leadership lessons on a windsurfing board.

In this episode, he opens up about the next leadership superpower every leader needs to survive — and thrive — in today’s AI-driven world.

You'll discover:

-Why the “career ladder” is gone for good

-The daily habit he uses to stay ahead with his own team

-How AI is shifting what makes a great leader

-Why the best CEOs embrace what they don’t know

-What windsurfing taught him about business risk and resilience

This isn’t theory — it’s real, hard-won insight from the front lines of leadership.

Only the leaders who adapt will last...

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Follow Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasneergaardhansen/

Learn more about Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/

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Running a theme park isn’t just rides and fun.

It’s about leading elite teams that deliver with precision, creativity, and resilience—day in and day out.

In this episode of Lead the Team, I sit down with Franceen Gonzales, Former President of Legoland Florida Resort—one of the hidden geniuses behind its success.

We cover:

- A strategy to inspire peak performance under relentless pressure.

- The blueprint for orchestrating thousands of moving parts—and people—flawlessly.

- The meeting structure that keeps teams performing at elite levels every day.

Whether you lead engineers, creatives, or front-line teams, you’ll walk away with leadership lessons you can put to work immediately.

So tell me—what’s one leadership habit that keeps your team winning?

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Follow Franceen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franceengonzales/

Plan your next trip to Legoland: https://www.legoland.com/florida/

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Some Lessons You Only Learn After Failing

Rishi Rana—CEO of Cyara and former global product leader at Microsoft—shares the leadership lesson you just can’t learn in a classroom.

His career has been incredible having shared the stage with Bill Gates. Tripled revenue in a brutal turnaround. Led global teams under immense pressure.

But what stands most in our interview?

...how he talks openly about the missteps—failed launches, fractured teams, moments where it could’ve all fallen apart.

It's a message for any leader trying to stay steady in the storm.

He shares:

✅ How to rebuild trust when things go sideways.

✅ The key to making clear decisions in the middle of chaos.

✅ A strategy to get teams focused on outcomes—not noise.

If you’re navigating complexity and want to lead with more clarity, grit, and impact—this for you.

Out now on Lead the Team: CEO-tested tools and strategies to lead your team better!

👉 Ever had a leadership moment that nearly broke you—but shaped you instead?

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Follow Rishi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-rana-2397a9/

Learn more about Cyara: https://cyara.com/

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If you’re not leading AI… it’s already leading you.

Erik Huddleston, CEO of Aprimo and a 6-time exited founder, breaks down what every modern leader needs to understand about scaling with AI—before it’s too late.

If you're leading a team and feeling the pressure of speed, complexity, and rising expectations… his message is for you.

"AI can produce more in a day than your entire team can in a year."

That sounds like progress—until your message, culture, and brand start spinning out of control.

Find out what most leaders overlook when adopting AI, and how to build the systems, guardrails, and leadership mindset to move fast without breaking trust.

Whether you’re running a Fortune 500 division or building a company from scratch, this conversation will challenge how you lead—and give you real tools to scale your team, protect your brand, and lead with purpose.

You’ll learn:

→ How to lead when AI is moving faster than your org chart.

→ Why scaling content isn’t the hard part—governance is.

→ What it really means to “scale with control”.

→ How to become the leader your team needs in uncertain times.

Move from overwhelmed…to undeniably clear about what do next with AI within your organization.

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Follow Erik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehuddleston/

Learn more about Aprimo: https://www.aprimo.com/-----

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When Ingram Micro Got Tested

Sanjib Sahoo, President of Ingram Micro’s Global Platform Group, was already preparing to lead under pressure—long before the headlines.

Before the headlines.

Before the cyberattack.

Before the world was watching…

When we recorded this conversation, none of us knew what was coming. But what Sanjib shared then feels even more powerful now.

You'll hear the bold transformation he's driving inside a $48B tech giant that touches nearly 90% of the world’s population—and the personal transformation leaders must go through to meet the moment.

“Doubt isn’t the enemy,” he told me. “It’s often the proof you’re doing something meaningful.”

He doesn't interpret fear as a sign to back down—but a signal you’re on the right track...

And when the pressure hits, how do you stay grounded—especially when everyone’s watching to see if you’ll crack or lead?

This isn’t a crisis interview.

It’s a real, unfiltered look at what leadership actually takes—when everything’s on the line.

Recorded before the headlines.

Proven after.

🎧 Listen now on Lead the Top (a top 2% podcast)—and rethink boldness, fear, and what it means to lead under pressure.

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Follow Sanjib on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjibsahoodigital/

Learn more about Ingram Micro: https://www.ingrammicro.com/

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