Lead with Purpose

Lead with Purpose | Episode Show Notes

Guest: Bill Klepper, Leadership Scholar, Author, and Senior Faculty at Columbia Business School

About Bill Klepper

Bill Klepper is one of the most respected leadership scholars in the world and a defining presence at Columbia Business School for nearly four decades. He began his relationship with Columbia in 1986 when he was sent to Beijing to help launch the first MBA program in China. After a decade as an adjunct faculty member, he was brought in by executive education leadership to work directly with the faculty, a role that became a thirty-year commitment to the school. He is the author of The CEO's Boss, now in its second edition, a foundational text on board leadership and governance. He was a mentor to Ron Boire and played a direct role in Ron's decision to pursue the Columbia and London Business School joint EMBA program. Bill is Jesuit trained, which shapes his deep commitment to ethics, the social contract, and the question of what ought to be.

What We Cover

Recorded live at Columbia Business School, Ron sits down with the man who helped shape his leadership foundation. Bill and Ron trace the evolution of leadership over four decades, from the days when only two women held CEO positions in America to the current era of tech-driven authoritarianism. They dig into the ethics of leadership, the social contract, what business schools owe society, and what separates a great innovator from a great leader. The conversation covers Elon Musk, AI and the future of knowledge work, open source versus closed AI models, and what it means to lead with something greater than self-interest.

Ron Boire and The Upland Group

Website: http://www.ronboire.com
Executive Coaching: http://www.ronboire.com/executive-coa...
Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/

Bill Klepper Info:

Book: https://www.amazon.com/CEOs-Boss-Boardroom-Columbia-Publishing/dp/0231149883

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-klepper-39b3a2/

About Carl Tischler

Carl Tishler is the founder of the HPNA Academy, a performance academy built around the concept of high performing, non-arrogant leaders. After nine years on Wall Street as a banker and seven years as a private equity investor, Carl experienced the 2008 global financial crisis firsthand when his firm collapsed under the weight of rapid growth and cultural breakdown. That dislocation became the catalyst for building something entirely different: a curriculum and community designed to help driven, talented people learn to executively manage themselves with the same rigor they bring to their professional lives. He later spent six and a half years as COO and CFO of a deep tech AI company, where he tested and refined his framework in a live operating environment before launching the academy as a standalone business.

What We Cover

Ron and Carl trace Carl's journey from Wall Street banker to private equity investor to performance academy founder, and dig into one of the most overlooked problems in leadership: the complete absence of executive self-management in most high-achieving people's lives. Carl introduces the concept of CEO of Self, explains why the personal board meeting is the most important meeting most leaders never have, and makes the case that sustainable high performance has nothing to do with suffering and everything to do with structure, micro habits, and the right kind of community.

Ron Boire and The Upland Group
Website: http://www.ronboire.com
Executive Coaching: http://www.ronboire.com/executive-coa...
Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/

Carl Tishler Info:

Website: https://www.hpna.pro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-tishler/

About Bryce Hoffman

Bryce Hoffman is a former journalist turned business strategist and author. After 20 years covering Silicon Valley, California politics, and the American automobile industry for the Detroit News, he wrote American Icon, the definitive account of Alan Mulally's turnaround of Ford Motor Company. The book became a best seller and launched his second career as an advisor and trainer to corporations, governments, and militaries around the world. He is the founder of Red Team Thinking and co-founder of an AI decision support startup. He divides his time between California and Muscat, Oman.

What We Cover

Ron and Bryce trace Bryce's remarkable journey from Marxist campus revolutionary to Y2K reporter to Ford insider to military strategy advisor. They dig deep into what made Alan Mulally's leadership at Ford so distinctive, why asking the right questions matters more than having the right answers, how Red Team Thinking evolved from military methodology into a framework for corporate decision making, and what AI should and should not be doing in the hands of leaders.

Ron Boire Info:

Ron Boire and The Upland Group

• Website: www.ronboire.com
• Executive Coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching
• Keynote Speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking

  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/

Bryce Hoffman Info:

https://brycehoffman.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycehoffman/

American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company by Bryce Hoffman: www.amazon.com/American-Icon-Mulally-Fight-Company/dp/0307886050

About Usman Humayun

Usman Humayun is a data scientist and marketing executive whose career spans nearly two decades at the intersection of analytics and consumer marketing. He began his career at Sears Holdings in data analytics, later served as chief of staff to the president of Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard brands, and most recently spent six years at Albertsons leading all digital marketing functions including CRM, paid media, organic, marketing technology, and analytics.

What We Cover

Ron and Usman dig into the evolution of marketing measurement from the early days of last-click attribution to today's unified attribution models powered by AI. They discuss where retail is headed, why TV is having an unlikely resurgence, and how AI is quietly reshaping how consumers discover and buy products. The conversation shifts to leadership, what it means to truly invest in people, and how both Ron and Usman have approached their personal health as a foundation for professional effectiveness.

Full Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h--kb_EWiC0&list=PLLYIF0JU1GHJzeihQhb_tMidGWt4CuDEj&index=5

Full Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17ZwXSirbN17PVdaejrfaT

Full Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-math-to-marketing-usman-humayun-on-proof-brand/id1894954385?i=1000769631651

Ron Boire and The Upland Group

• Website: www.ronboire.com
• Executive Coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching
• Keynote Speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking
• Lead with Purpose framework: www.ronboire.com/blog/how-i-help-leaders-build-their-purpose-vision-and-principles-pvp
  
  Ron Info:
  https://www.ronboire.com/
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/
  
  Usman info:
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanhumayun/
  
  

Lead with Purpose: Ron Boire and Brendan Dowling

In this episode, Ron sits down with Brendan Dowling, serial entrepreneur, executive coach, and visionary for the future of Ireland. Brendan leads Celtic Leadership, a coaching and training company dedicated to accelerating the growth of companies through programs designed for CEOs and their senior management teams. Celtic Leadership He also serves as lead business advisor coach on Enterprise Ireland's flagship Leadership for Growth program, working with approximately 200 CEOs per year.

Ron Boire:

• Website: www.ronboire.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronboire
• Substack: ronboire.substack.com
• Keynote speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking
• Executive coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching
  

Brendan Dowling:

• Website: celticleadership.net
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dowlingbrendan
• Book: Accelerating Company Growth at celticleadership.net/book
  

Also mentioned:

• Enterprise Ireland
• IESE Business School
• The Reinvention Summit
• Rita McGrath at Valize
• China's Humanoid Robots: See What They Can Do

Lead with Purpose Podcast: Ron Boire and JoAnn Garbin

Ron sits down with JoAnn Garbin, author, innovator, and co-founder of Regenerous Labs, a venture studio dedicated to regenerative innovation at the intersection of sustainability and technology. JoAnn spent 25 years building at that intersection before joining Microsoft, where she led efforts to reimagine what a data center could be.

Ron and JoAnn explore the rapid pace of AI-driven change, why most leaders are less prepared than they think, how to free yourself from the 80% of work that doesn't require your best thinking, and what it really means to lead from a clear set of values. 

Follow JoAnn:

• Website: www.joanngarbin.com
• Substack: joanngarbin.substack.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joanngarbin
• Regenerous Labs: www.regenerouslabs.com
• Book: The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft (Post Hill Press, 2025)

Follow Ron:

Website: www.ronboire.com

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronboire
• Substack: ronboire.substack.com
• Keynote speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking
• Executive coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching

Ron sits down with Aidan McCullen, transformation consultant, keynote speaker, author, college professor, and former professional rugby player. Recorded after the two connected at the Reinvention Summit in Dublin, this conversation covers personal reinvention, organizational transformation, resilience, the future of work, AI, and what it really takes to rebuild your identity after losing everything you were known for.

The Innovation Show: https://theinnovationshow.io Thinkers50: https://www.thinkers50.com Trinity College Dublin: https://www.tcd.ie The Reinvention Summit: Dublin-based event convening global thinkers to help Ireland build its next chapter

Undisruptable: A Mindset of Permanent Reinvention for Individuals, Organizations and Life by Aidan McCullen: https://www.amazon.com/Undisruptable-Permanent-Reinvention-Individuals-Organisations/dp/1119770483

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

Negotiate This by Herb Cohen: https://www.amazon.com/Negotiate-This-Caring-But-Not/dp/044669780X

The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244

Aidan McCullen: https://aidanmccullen.com

Website: https://www.ronboire.com Lead with Purpose Podcast: https://www.ronboire.com/podcast

Ron sits down with longtime friend and collaborator Rita McGrath, widely regarded as one of the world's leading business strategists and a Thinkers50 top-ranked thinker. Recorded at Columbia Business School, this wide-ranging conversation covers AI and organizational transformation, the future of work, education, universal basic income, and what it means to lead with purpose in an era of accelerating change.

Takeaways

• Long-standing professional relationships can lead to successful collaborations and shared experiences.
• The future of work is evolving, with a focus on individual and team value creation, as well as the impact of AI and technology. Future of work
• Education and skills
• Economic impact Reimagining the concept of a job
• Redefining wealth and productivity
• The future of education and learning
• Staying fresh and relevant in a changing world

Chapters

• 00:00 Building Long-Term Collaborations
• 07:42 Academic and Professional Journey
• 13:56 Transition to Columbia Business School
• 23:03 Value Creation and Small Teams
• 31:13 The Death of the Billable Hour
• 01:06:02 Impact of Robotics and Automation on Jobs
• 01:26:01 Staying Fresh and Relevant