About the Guest:

You’ll always find this guest asking new questions because that’s just who Penny Zenker is. Penny says her career path has been a “crazy old maze,” taking her from accounting and finance to building and selling a multi-million-dollar company, to becoming a keynote speaker and executive coach. But she couldn’t have done any of it without her “focusology” practice. “The name of the game is how to be more intentional in a time where everybody is vying for our attention,” she says. 

After her dad’s accidental death when she was nineteen, Penny started asking “Why me?” but quickly changed her tune to ask: “What does this mean?” She says this mindset helped her “be more conscious of my words, the questions that I ask myself, and what I really want.” And Penny has made all of it happen. Listen in to hear Penny’s story.

What You Will Learn:

• Strategies to bring together “attention and intention and give it direction”
• How to work through insecurities to perform at the highest level
• Lessons in why following fear won’t get you anywhere
• Directions for dynamically reassessing your direction in favor of the future

This episode has it all—insightful questions, fun moments, and many, many pearls of wisdom. Penny encourages listeners to learn to step back, gain perspective, and take those lessons to realign for the future. She’ll tell you all about how when you listen to this episode of the Take Command podcast.

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About the Guest:

Say hello to Bob Chapman, CEO of the internationally renowned Barry-Wehmiller, a machinery industry company with over 12,000 employees in over 100 countries. Bob’s first title at the company was “Somebody He Could Trust”—meaning he was tasked with helping his father (the owner) make business decisions. But all did not go as planned. “I worked with my dad for six years, was put in the position of VP of finance, and I think it was October of ’75, he had a severe heart attack and died. The next day I was president of the company at age thirty, and the first people I met were the bankers, who immediately pulled our loans.”

Bob goes on to detail the many ups and downs of the company after his sudden rise to the top. He says he went from “phenomenal success to traumatic decline and then a phenomenal recovery.” And phenomenal it is. Today, Barry-Wehmiller is a $3.6 billion company. Bob attributes that to many factors, including his creative approaches, his tenacity in the face of crisis, and his focus on people as the main drivers of success. 

What You Will Learn:

• Strategies into how common sense, creativity, and a positive attitude can replace book smarts and accolades
• Insights into why we need “leaders, coaches, and mentors,” not “managers, bosses, and supervisors.”
• Lessons in why it isn’t enough to get people on the same bus; the bus needs to be able to support the people getting on it
• Stories of the quick rise, epic fall, and monumental comeback of the Barry-Wehmiller Company

Join Joe Hart and Bob Chapman as they discuss weathering the ups and downs of business while always keeping people front and center. More than anything, Bob wants leaders to understand the importance and responsibility they have as business leaders to give employees a “grounded sense of hope,” meaning “they can decide to raise a child, buy a home, educate their kids, or save for their retirement. That is your fundamental responsibility.” Learn more about how to fulfill your responsibilities as a leader when you tune in to this insightful episode.

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About the Guest:

Meet Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bill carries a deep appreciation for art, but despite his mother being an artist, he didn’t see it as a viable career path. So, he earned a BA in actuarial sciences and went to work supporting creatives behind the scenes. 

After stints at Columbia University and the Sundance Institute, he joined the Academy and has helped to take it to new heights ever since, starting with coordinating the building of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Bill knows a lot about leadership and how to inspire a team with a greater purpose. Listen in to hear more about Bill’s journey to being a leader.

What You Will Learn:

• How to balance the competing needs and desires of employees and clients
• Why “everyone's role should feel purpose-driven and connected to a greater vision”
• How to enter with humility, especially when there are more aspects of the job to learn
• Why you have to be intentional about nurturing yourself outside the office

Bill drops some major knowledge in this episode—so it’s not to be missed. You’ll discover more about the Academy and its mission, see how Bill is helping fulfill that mission by being a good leader, and absorb new leadership tips for your own work. Press play and be ready to be transported into a masterclass of leadership.

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About the Guest:

Meet Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association. For the last 35 years, he’s been responsible for over 4,000 vendors and 130,000 guests each year at CES, the largest consumer electronics tradeshow on the planet. He’s a lawyer, a runner, a leader, and he was also awarded the Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor) by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2021.

Not only that, Gary is already a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with a new book, Pivot or Die, releasing October 2024. “We're all humans fundamentally,” Gary says. “I think, in a way, Covid inspired me to write Pivot or Die because Covid was something we in the world shared as humans.” Despite admitting it’s one of the leadership areas he’s always working on, Gary writes about the importance of empathy and strong human relationships to allow businesses to pivot on a dime when the time comes.

Hear all about Gary’s new book and the leadership lessons he’s learned along the way that will make you a stronger leader in turn. 

What You Will Learn:

• Strategies for making sure everyone’s opinion is expressed, not just yours
• Insights into why people are more than the sum of their business results
• Lessons in how everything that goes wrong can become a learning opportunity
• The importance of surrounding yourself with people who fill your weaknesses

Gary has certainly learned a thing or two in his time in the technology world. And he’ll tell you all about how leadership needs a clear vision, why not to berate yourself for your mistakes, and why being curious is the most important part of growth. After all—“If you ask a question, you're a fool for a second. If you don't ask, you're a fool for a lifetime.” Hear this and other amazing tidbits from Gary and Joe’s episode. 

Tune in today!

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About the Guest:

It takes a lot to stand out among greatness, and Wonya Lucas’s family is home to some heavy hitters—from her dad, the first Black general manager in Major League Baseball, to her mom, whose bright idea in a Turner Broadcasting meeting turned into Cartoon Network, to her uncle, the late great Hank Aaron. But Wonya has made just as much a name for herself with her storied career. 

Wonya graduated with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech before going to work for Westinghouse for many years. But engineering wasn’t enough. After a stint at Wharton to earn dual Finance and Marketing degrees, Wonya continued on her path of greatness, eventually earning positions such as EVP/GM at The Weather Channel, CMO of Discovery Communications, and president and CEO of Hallmark Media. Today, Wonya serves on the boards of many companies and organizations, always striving to bring her dual-brained personality to tackle any problem.

What You Will Learn:

• Strategies for staying grounded and accessible as a leader
• Insights into how the tiniest voice can have the biggest impact
• Lessons in how marketing is about showing different types of love
• Stories of how staying intellectually curious about people can lead to opportunity

Join Joe and Wonya as they discuss leadership, family, purpose, and the role we all play in developing the community around us. Wonya offers a very clear first and second step, both learned from her father, to being a great leader. And who wouldn’t want to follow in her amazing shoes? Tune in today so you don’t miss a single drop of wisdom.

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About the Guest:

Being only the 9th CEO in Deluxe Corporation’s 109-year existence, Barry McCarthy feels the weight of that history, saying, “You start with a deep sense of humbleness that you are carrying on a legacy that has been so significant for so long.” But that doesn’t mean Barry will treat any company with kid gloves. He says, “I think of myself as something of a fixer, a reinventor, an innovator.” And there’s no better spot to drive innovation than in how we connect as people within a company. Barry has made it his mission to extend humble leadership, a listening ear, and a helping hand to all those he is responsible for. As a firm believer in mentorship at every level of an organization, Barry is here to spread his wisdom to us today.

What You Will Learn:

• Strategies for focusing on what you can do for people, not what they can do for you
• Insights into the three critical things that together help people succeed as leaders
• Lessons on why kindness, decency, and respect will get you further than demands

Join us to discover why Barry says employees are “the most important asset the company has.” You’ll learn new ways to support your team and build your organization. From setting visions that inspire people to the importance of being transparent when things aren’t going well, the advice in this episode is not to be missed. Listen in today!

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Meet Richard Edelman, the president and CEO of Edelman Communications, a global marketing firm. Richard’s life was on the right track from an early age. Then, just one month before graduating from Harvard Business School and with a plan to work as an assistant product manager at Playtex, Richard’s father called and asked him to work for the family business. Forty-six years later, Richard is now the proud head of this world-renowned, family-owned business. “I haven't just loved it. I've thrived in it,” he says. While he’s made some mistakes along the way, Richard reminds us that “If you don't try and fail forward, you'll never get ahead.”

What You Will Learn:

• Why every action and person should be measured by ability, dependability, integrity, and purpose
• How humble leadership adds to self-confidence
• The most underrated aspect of creating and maintaining a broad network
• Insights into leading from the front and how that inspires trust

Join us for this insightful episode, where you’ll learn the best-kept secrets to leadership from a man who has led a successful global communications firm for decades. Richard draws on Dale Carnegie’s principles in his work, saying that Carnegie teaches the “forging of close personal ties that matters more than ever.” Richard’s advice will leave you inspired and ready to become who you’ve always wanted to be. Listen today, and you’ll be a better leader tomorrow.

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About the Guest:

Meet Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-a-Bear Workshop and an all-around powerhouse of a woman. Sharon dives deep into her roots to guide who she is today. Coming from a small town, she felt restricted and couldn’t wait to get out and go to college (the first in her family to do so). But she also says, “I didn't really start growing until I made peace with the value that the small-town experience had created for me.” 

Today, Sharon uses her skills and empathy to connect consumers with precious moments and inspire Build-a-Bear’s workers to live the company’s mission. Of course, her path hasn’t always been smooth, but as she says, “Everybody's journey has ups and downs…It's not that you have those, it's what you do with them.” And Sharon has done a lot. In addition to leading Build-a-Bear to peak success, her first book—Stories and Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love—is available on Amazon. 

What You Will Learn:

• Strategies for overcoming limiting thoughts
• Insights into why we tend to take the scenic route to our dreams
• Lessons in why ignoring the odds is sometimes the best way to beat them
• Reminders for why leadership should never be considered a “burden”

Join us for Sharon’s episode to learn more about how she took Build-a-Bear from a $49 million annual loss to their most profitable years ever. Her thoughts on social responsibility, communication skills, and empathy will transform the way you look at leadership and your responsibility to people and future generations. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the great Sharon Price John.

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About the Guest:

Meet Aaron Witt, a man who loves dirt. Or, more specifically, loves the industries that hold our society together. As founder, CEO, and chief “dirt nerd” of BuildWitt, Aaron uses his marketing chops to bring light to the jobs and people who keep our world running. Aaron says he loves the purpose of the dirt industries because they support everybody else, just as Aaron tries to support his team and clients by becoming the best leader he can be.

What You Will Learn:

• The “chores” that, when put into place daily, can lead to a better life
• Why consistently practicing your “free throws” is more important than nailing it the first time
• Strategies for moving forward with your desires so you don’t end up regretting the chances you didn’t take
• Tips on prioritizing yourself as a leader in order to do your best for others

This insightful episode is not to be missed! Join us and listen to Aaron's wisdom to learn what the path to leadership really looks like.

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Episode Summary

About the Guest:

Lisa Sun is a businesswoman through and through. She credits it to her parents, saying, “I cut my teeth as an entrepreneur, because in 1987, at the age of eight—I don't think my mother understood child labor laws—I was the cashier [at their restaurant]. I learned firsthand what it took to create something from nothing.” 

Lisa’s achievements accelerated when she entered high school at only twelve years old and was introduced to Dale Carnegie. “I read [How to Win Friends and Influence People] cover to cover, and it was my formative experience at twelve years old learning what it meant to operate in Western culture, to shake hands and remember people's names and ask questions and be interested. I would not be the person I am today if I hadn't had that experience.”

Lisa’s experience also involves twelve years with McKinsey and Company, where she sought feedback and grew as a person. When she decided to start GRAVITAS, she interviewed 200 people for insights and brainstorming. She says, “The more you allow people to have fingerprints on your journey, the more likely they're going to be invested in [your] success.” Today, Lisa helps empower others with confidence so they can reach their highest potential.

What You Will Learn:

• How to treat feedback as a gift
• Details on the six forces Lisa has identified that hold us back
• The importance of being who we are, not “faking it until we make it”
• Why you need to embrace your five-year-old self more often

Lisa could not have packed this interview with more insight than the plethora she provides. Don’t miss out on all her tips for building confidence, her stories of growing up with a “Tiger Mom,” and her encouragement to take chances. Listeners will easily apply Lisa’s advice to their own lives as they learn to live with more gravitas.

Please rate and review this Episode!

We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.