Chris Baby started as a mechanical engineer in small-town Canada. But a chance opportunity – and a willingness to pivot – would take his career in a completely different direction. Today, Chris helps lead the growth of SureWerx, one of North America’s major suppliers of safety equipment and protective gear. Over more than a decade as CEO, he helped transform the company from a traditional tool business into a fast-growing safety company.

In this conversation with Dustin, Chris reflects on the decisions that shaped his career, from leaving the forest products industry to moving his family from Vancouver to Chicago to build the company’s U.S. presence. He also shares what he’s learned about leadership along the way: managing emotions, reading the room, and building a culture where people want to win together.

About the Show

Dustin Ogden sits down with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders from essential services industries across the commercial and consumer spectrum. These leaders might not be household names, but they've achieved remarkable things. They share the whole truth on the strategy and mindset every leader should possess. From unglamorous beginnings and failures to turning points and strokes of luck, they expose the real learnings that helped them achieve greatness.

Each episode, you’ll hear advice and insider knowledge that only comes from decades of experience. They’ll share counterintuitive truths, unspoken rules, stories of mentorship that made a difference and even moments of doubt. They’re here to help guide you on your own career journey. 

About the Host

Dustin Ogden is a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry. Over his career, Dustin has worked with hundreds of CEOs and business leaders, and his deep expertise in executive search has given him unprecedented access to the stories, strategies, and hard-won wisdom of some of the most successful (yet least publicly known) leaders in America.

Get in Touch

Ordinary Greatness is all about the real, human stories of ordinary people who built extraordinary careers and share their guidance on how to become successful and effective business leaders.

This podcast is for the professionals navigating their careers without a mentor. It’s for the senior leaders feeling isolated at the top. And it's for anyone who's ever wondered if their struggles are normal, or if they've got what it takes to make it. Because the leaders you’ll meet have been exactly where you are. And they're ready to show you the way forward.

So join us and discover what success really looks like.

New episodes of Ordinary Greatness drop every two weeks. Subscribe now to never miss a story.

Follow Dustin Ogden on LinkedIn for exclusive content and to share your questions about navigating the path to success.

Jonathan Victor has spent much of his career stepping into complicated business situations and turning them into successes. As the Founder and Senior Managing Director of Balmoral Fund, he invests in businesses navigating transition or distress. Jonathan traces his entrepreneurial spirit back to his grandparents, whose example shaped how he thinks about building and running a business.

In this conversation with Dustin, Jonathan reflects on the mix of hard work and luck that shaped his path. He shares stories about one of his most influential mentors and the business lessons he learned simply by watching him work a room. Plus, The Karate Kid makes an appearance.

About the Show

Dustin Ogden sits down with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders from essential services industries across the commercial and consumer spectrum. These leaders might not be household names, but they've achieved remarkable things. They share the whole truth on the strategy and mindset every leader should possess. From unglamorous beginnings and failures to turning points and strokes of luck, they expose the real learnings that helped them achieve greatness.

Each episode, you’ll hear advice and insider knowledge that only comes from decades of experience. They’ll share counterintuitive truths, unspoken rules, stories of mentorship that made a difference and even moments of doubt. They’re here to help guide you on your own career journey. 

About the Host

Dustin Ogden is a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry. Over his career, Dustin has worked with hundreds of CEOs and business leaders, and his deep expertise in executive search has given him unprecedented access to the stories, strategies, and hard-won wisdom of some of the most successful (yet least publicly known) leaders in America.

Get in Touch

Ordinary Greatness is all about the real, human stories of ordinary people who built extraordinary careers and share their guidance on how to become successful and effective business leaders.

This podcast is for the professionals navigating their careers without a mentor. It’s for the senior leaders feeling isolated at the top. And it's for anyone who's ever wondered if their struggles are normal, or if they've got what it takes to make it. Because the leaders you’ll meet have been exactly where you are. And they're ready to show you the way forward.

So join us and discover what success really looks like.

New episodes of Ordinary Greatness drop every two weeks. Subscribe now to never miss a story.

Follow Dustin Ogden on LinkedIn for exclusive content and to share your questions about navigating the path to success.

What makes someone walk away from the top of corporate America to start over—this time, with a deeper sense of purpose?

For Randy Melville, fulfillment didn’t come from overseeing thousands of employees or hitting performance targets. It came after he left it all behind. In his words, he’s busier now than ever—but finds deeper meaning in how he spends his time.

Randy previously served as Senior Vice President at PepsiCo, where he led 14 manufacturing plants and an 11,000-person sales force for the Frito-Lay brand. Today, he chairs his own foundation supporting underserved communities in Dallas–Fort Worth and serves on multiple corporate boards. In this conversation, Randy opens up to Dustin about the turning points in his life and career. From hard-earned lessons in leadership to the values that drive him now, this episode is a candid look at what it really means to lead with purpose.

About the Show

Dustin Ogden sits down with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders from essential services industries across the commercial and consumer spectrum. These leaders might not be household names, but they've achieved remarkable things. They share the whole truth on the strategy and mindset that drove their successful leadership. From unglamorous beginnings and failures to turning points and strokes of luck, they expose the real learnings that helped them achieve greatness.

Each episode, you’ll hear advice and insider knowledge that only comes from decades of experience. They’ll share counterintuitive truths, unspoken rules, stories of mentorship that made a difference and even moments of doubt. They’re here to help guide you on your own career journey. 

About the Host

Dustin Ogden is a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry. Over his career, Dustin has worked with hundreds of CEOs and business leaders, and his deep expertise in executive search has given him unprecedented access to the stories, strategies, and hard-won wisdom of some of the most successful (yet least publicly known) leaders in America.

Get in Touch

Ordinary Greatness is all about the real, human stories of ordinary people who built extraordinary careers and share their guidance on how to become successful and effective business leaders.

This podcast is for the professionals navigating their careers without a mentor. It’s for the senior leaders feeling isolated at the top. And it's for anyone who's ever wondered if their struggles are normal, or if they've got what it takes to make it. Because the leaders you’ll meet have been exactly where you are. And they're ready to show you the way forward.

So join us and discover what success really looks like.

New episodes of Ordinary Greatness drop every two weeks. Subscribe now to never miss a story.

Follow Dustin Ogden on LinkedIn for exclusive content and to share your questions about navigating the path to success.

What do pool supplies have to do with Wall Street success? More than you might think.

Manny Perez de la Mesa led Pool Corp to quietly become one of the best-performing stocks of the past 30 years—outpacing giants like Apple and Netflix. As the largest wholesale distributor of pool supplies, Pool Corp didn’t make headlines, but as its CEO, Manny did build a track record of extraordinary success.

In this episode, Manny talks with Dustin about the values that guided him. He believes in leading with a strong moral compass and never expecting more from others than he’s willing to give himself. He also talks candidly about why senior leadership isn’t for everyone, and how he prepared the company for a future without him at the helm.

Whether you’re just starting out or steering a company of your own, Manny’s honesty and clarity offers a rare look at leadership lessons without the polish.

About the Show

Dustin Ogden, Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, sits down with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders from essential services industries across the commercial and consumer spectrum. These leaders might not be household names, but they've achieved remarkable things. They share the whole truth on the strategy and mindset every leader should possess. From unglamorous beginnings and failures to turning points and strokes of luck, they expose the real learnings that helped them achieve greatness.

Each episode, you’ll hear advice and insider knowledge that only comes from decades of experience. They’ll share counterintuitive truths, unspoken rules, stories of mentorship that made a difference and even moments of doubt. They’re here to help guide you on your own career journey. 

About the Host

Dustin Ogden is a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry. Over his career, Dustin has worked with hundreds of CEOs and business leaders, and his deep expertise in executive search has given him unprecedented access to the stories, strategies, and hard-won wisdom of some of the most successful (yet least publicly known) leaders in America.

Get in Touch

Ordinary Greatness is all about the real, human stories of ordinary people who built extraordinary careers and share their guidance on how to become successful and effective business leaders.

This podcast is for the professionals navigating their careers without a mentor. It’s for the senior leaders feeling isolated at the top. And it's for anyone who's ever wondered if their struggles are normal, or if they've got what it takes to make it. Because the leaders you’ll meet have been exactly where you are. And they're ready to show you the way forward.

So join us and discover what success really looks like.

New episodes of Ordinary Greatness drop every two weeks. Subscribe now to never miss a story.

Follow Dustin Ogden on LinkedIn for exclusive content and to share your questions about navigating the path to success.

Career paths aren't always straightforward. So how do you know which way to go?

Introducing Ordinary Greatness -- a new show about real people who’ve achieved extraordinary things, and the lessons they learned along the way.

There are countless stories about Fortune 100 CEOs and Silicon Valley tech leaders…but far less attention is paid to the people leading the thousands of businesses that quietly power our economy. What about the leaders building successful companies in essential industries that keep our world running every day? What about those who didn’t start with privilege or connections, but built something meaningful anyway? 

Dustin Ogden sits down with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders from essential services industries across the commercial and consumer spectrum. These leaders might not be household names, but they've achieved remarkable things. They share the whole truth on the strategy and mindset every leader should possess. From unglamorous beginnings and failures to turning points and strokes of luck, they expose the real learnings that helped them achieve greatness.

Each episode, you’ll hear advice and insider knowledge that only comes from decades of experience. They’ll share counterintuitive truths, unspoken rules, stories of mentorship that made a difference and even moments of doubt. They’re here to help guide you on your own career journey. 

About the Host

Dustin Ogden is a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry. Over his career, Dustin has worked with hundreds of CEOs and business leaders, and his deep expertise in executive search has given him unprecedented access to the stories, strategies, and hard-won wisdom of some of the most successful (yet least publicly known) leaders in America.

Get in Touch

Ordinary Greatness is all about the real, human stories of ordinary people who built extraordinary careers and share their guidance on how to become successful and effective business leaders.

This podcast is for the professionals navigating their careers without a mentor. It’s for the senior leaders feeling isolated at the top. And it's for anyone who's ever wondered if their struggles are normal, or if they've got what it takes to make it. Because the leaders you’ll meet have been exactly where you are. And they're ready to show you the way forward.

So join us and discover what success really looks like.

New episodes of Ordinary Greatness drop every two weeks. Subscribe now to never miss a story.

Follow Dustin Ogden on LinkedIn for exclusive content and to share your questions about navigating the path to success.