There are a lot of programs to develop leaders and build leadership skills. Yet, true leadership is an earned asset; achieved by attending the school of hard knocks. And so it's true for Matt Hulett, CEO of Petmeds. He also served as President of Rosetta Stone, President of Expedia, and he’s also written a book called “Unlock: Five Questions to Unleash Your Company’s Power.” Join me for a lively, informative conversation with a guy who knows how to apply business acumen to guide people and companies on the road to success!

Leadership, collaboration, and communication are non-negotiables in business today. Yet, there are other important undercurrents that support any leader's ability to bring about the innovation required to achieve corporate competitiveness. This show features Rasha Hasaneen, Executive Director for Healthy and Spaces at Trane Technologies. Rasha also focuses much of her work on the intersection of diversity and innovation. The show features a lively conversation about the creative thinking that emerges when diverse backgrounds, experiences, and schools of thought are leveraged to recognize and solve customer problems in unique ways.

As we all know, the world of "corporate" is in a constant state of transformation, and women of color have the potential to play a powerful role in leading that transformation. This unique episode explores this vital topic with Deepa Purushothaman, author of "The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Redefine Power in Corporate America. Deepa shares important ideas and suggestions for women of color, as well as for other corporate executives, to cultivate and nurture women of color in the corporate world.

Most of us know how difficult it is to get things done in a large, complex company. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, Steven Haines speaks with Deb Lorenzen who’s Chief Data Officer at a major US bank, Chairperson of the board of a regional bank, and on an advisory board for global female leaders. Deb’s wisdom on roles, responsibilities, and authority are brought to the surface so they can be more easily understood. As well, Deb’s insights allow us to tap into the diversity of thought in any environment. You’ll certainly learn a lot about how this topic can contribute to any leader’s view on business acumen.

Strategic and digital transformation is on everyone’s mind. Whether it’s an evolving business model or a new technology initiative, leaders must shepherd these changes. In this episode, noted leadership and management expert Peter D. Moore shares his knowledge on forward-thinking strategic leadership. But how? One method is to ensure that there’s sufficient peer-to-peer learning to create conversations about the future direction of your company. Join us for a diverse, thought-provoking conversation.

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Have you ever considered what’s needed to reach higher levels in an organization? Every executive finds their unique pathway. In this episode of Masters of Business, Steven Haines talks with David Siegel, CEO of Meetup and author of the book “Decide and Conquer: 44 Decisions That Will Make or Break All Leaders.” David will describe his profound experiences, challenges, and lessons learned on his profoundly successful path to the C-Suite.

It goes without saying that successful leaders are also good communicators. In this episode, Steven Haines speaks with Jon Clarine, who’s head of digital strategy at TK Elevators about the underpinnings of truly effective communication. For example, when people speak with PowerPoint, can they truly tell the story beyond the bullet points. However, the conversation also extends to communication outside the company, as in how people interact with the company’s digital offers. A truly profound conversation.

IT (Information Technology) can be the heartbeat of a successful enterprise. In this episode, thought leader Ralph Loura, Chief Information Officer at Lumentum talks about IT as a business, and how strategically oriented, systems thinkers can contribute to a company’s success. In this conversation, Ralph also talks about his work as co-founder of the Technology Business Management Council (tbmcouncil.org).

In this episode Steven Haines talks with Aaron Videtto who’s in a job called Chief Customer Success Officer. Aaron discusses his approach to understanding needs and motivations of customers, which is important. The conversation also centers on how a leader can’t know everything, and sometimes it’s important to collaborate with others to solve problems and make decisions while keeping the customer at the heart of those conversations.

In this episode, Steven Haines speaks with Matt Moore, a business leader who’s earned his path into leadership from his mentors, his proactive approach to relationship building, and a few mistakes along the way.