371: General Stanley McChrystal explores a variety of different genres of leaders, including geniuses, founders, politicians, reformers, heroes, and zealots. While he asserts that a group’s performance is less about the leader's ability and more about the surrounding factors, General McChrystal claims that the best leaders are those who are empathetic to the group’s position at a given time and are able to constantly adapt. Throughout our conversation, we also discuss General McChrystal’s evolving opinions on Robert E. Lee, his experience with his nemesis in Al Qaeda Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and why he dedicated his book to John McCain and John Lewis.

General McChrystal is a retired four-star general of the US Army and the author of multiple books, including his most recent one, Leaders: Myth and Reality. Following a 34-year career in the United States Army, General McChrystal founded the McChrystal Group, an advisory services firm that specializes in leadership consulting.

370: John Chambers, the former CEO of Cisco,  reflects on his 25 years at Cisco, from his greatest professional regret, to the key factors behind Cisco’s massively successful acquisition strategy, to the critical importance of culture. We also discussed his work with the leaders of France and India to digitize their countries, what he looks for when evaluating companies to invest in, insights from his new book, Connecting The Dots: Lessons For Leadership In A Startup World, among other topics.

John is the Chairman Emeritus and former CEO Cisco Systems. During his 25+ years at Cisco, John drove explosive growth in the company from $70 million in revenue when he joined, to $47 billion when he stepped down as CEO. John is currently the founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures, where he helps disruptive startups from around the world build and scale.

 

370: John Chambers, the former CEO of Cisco,  reflects on his 25 years at Cisco, from his greatest professional regret, to the key factors behind Cisco's massively successful acquisition strategy, to the critical importance of culture. We also discussed his work with the leaders of France and India to digitize their countries, what he looks for when evaluating companies to invest in, insights from his new book, Connecting The Dots: Lessons For Leadership In A Startup World, among other topics.

 

Intuit’s incoming CEO Sasan Goodarzi stresses the importance of a strong culture and why it is critical to deliver to your customers quickly. Since its founding in 1983, it has been Intuit’s goal to innovate, empower its employees, and remove obstacles so that they can best serve customers. Intuit was recently recognized as the thirteenth best place to work by Fortune Magazine, which Sasan credits to the employees’ willingness to  do anything to help others achieve greatness for customers. We also discuss Sasan’s view on artificial intelligence, why the CIO role was his favorite, and how Sasan’s career ambitions have changed over time.

In January, Sasan will become `CEO of Intuit, the $6 billion business and financial software company known for products such as TurboTax, Quickbooks, and Mint. Prior to being named CEO, Sasan has held a variety of leadership roles during his 14 years with Intuit, including CIO. In preparation for the CEO role, Sasan has rolled out a one hundred day onboarding plan, and he has gone on an extensive listening tour focused on how Intuit can create a stronger culture, deliver better for its customers, and develop more opportunities for the company.

 

Intuit’s incoming CEO Sasan Goodarzi stresses the importance of a strong culture and why it is critical to deliver to your customers quickly. Since its founding in 1983, it has been Intuit’s goal to innovate, empower its employees, and remove obstacles so that they can best serve customers. Intuit was recently recognized as the thirteenth best place to work by Fortune Magazine, which Sasan credits to the employees’ willingness to  do anything to help others achieve greatness for customers. We also discuss Sasan’s view on artificial intelligence, why the CIO role was his favorite, and how Sasan’s career ambitions have changed over time.

In January, Sasan will become `CEO of Intuit, the $6 billion business and financial software company known for products such as TurboTax, Quickbooks, and Mint. Prior to being named CEO, Sasan has held a variety of leadership roles during his 14 years with Intuit, including CIO. In preparation for the CEO role, Sasan has rolled out a one hundred day onboarding plan, and he has gone on an extensive listening tour focused on how Intuit can create a stronger culture, deliver better for its customers, and develop more opportunities for the company.

 

Schneider National CIO Shaleen Devgun asserts that in the age of instant gratification, every company must be a technology company regardless of industry. Even as a trucking company, Shaleen highlights how Schneider’s ability to present timely information is crucial for their success, and how every aspect of Schneider’s value chain is impacted by technology. We also discuss how great competitors can make great customers, how they leverage technology to optimize load assignments from 373 trillion combinations, and the relationship between the CIO and VC communities.

Shaleen is the Chief Information Officer of Schneider National, a premier transportation and logistics provider with revenues exceeding $4 billion. Along with traditional CIO responsibilities, Shaleen has accountability for the companies business transformation, logistics engineering, and corporate venturing efforts. Shaleen was recently the recipient of the Forbes CIO Innovation Award, which highlighted the company’s in-cab telematics toolset.

367: Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman discusses the origins and growth of Honest Tea, how they overcame the company’s 2003 bottling crisis, and the unique equity structure that put them in a position of strength when they sold to Coca-Cola. We also discuss Seth’s board membership with Beyond Meat and Bethesda Green.

367: Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman discusses the origins and growth of Honest Tea, how they overcame the company’s 2003 bottling crisis, and the unique equity structure that put them in a position of strength when they sold to Coca-Cola. We also discuss Seth’s board membership with Beyond Meat and Bethesda Green.

366: Red Hat CIO MIke Kelly discusses the companies strategic priorities and mission to become the default choice for next-generation IT, which culminated in the massive IBM deal that could reshape the cloud landscape. We also discussed how IT differentiates itself within a technology organization, how the company’s Red Hat on Red Hat approach enables IT to be the first and best customer of their products, and how Red Hat engages with the CIO community to learn from their different experiences.

366: Red Hat CIO MIke Kelly discusses the companies strategic priorities and mission to become the default choice for next-generation IT, which culminated in the massive IBM deal that could reshape the cloud landscape. We also discussed how IT differentiates itself within a technology organization, how the company’s Red Hat on Red Hat approach enables IT to be the first and best customer of their products, and how Red Hat engages with the CIO community to learn from their different experiences.