Marvel Studios and many of its numerous characters are household names around the world. Their superhero-powered movies earn hundreds of millions and sometimes billions of dollars at the box office, including the #2 top grossing movie of all time – Avengers: Endgame. They’re also arguably one of the top turnaround stories of the past 20 years, as they rose like a phoenix from the ashes of bankruptcy to ultimately sell to Disney for $4.5 billion. 

In today’s Redefiners episode, Simon and Marla suit up to talk with Peter Cuneo, former CEO of Marvel Entertainment and the leader who led the turnaround of this storied company, along with several other global brands. Peter shares his story of how he got into the business of turnarounds and why he’s attracted to risk as a leader. He takes us through how he conquers the common challenge of getting the leadership and culture right at the companies he’s led. And he shares some of the 28 leadership tips he’s compiled over the course of his storied career into a list he fittingly calls Essentials for Superhero Leadership (which you can also find in podcast form at Superhero Leadership). 

We’ll also hear from Hetty Pye, a leadership advisor in our London office, who will discuss why transformation efforts fail and what senior leaders can do about it. 

Four things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. What are the first things to focus on in a turnaround and how to get your people and board aligned  
2. How to make an organization’s culture more productive, creative, and effective 
3. What to look out for in a shift from CEO to Board role 
4. What are the top leadership essentials of Superhero Leadership 

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes: 

• Leading with a North Star: Former Decathlon CEO Barbara Martin Coppola's Blueprint for Bold Change 
• Leadership Lounge: Boardroom Bound: How to Navigate Your Journey from Executive to Board Director 
• Music with a Mission: Former MTV International Chairman and CEO Bill Roedy on Leading with Purpose 
• Leadership Lounge: From Firefighting to Future-Building: How Leaders Can Master Perpetual Transformation 
• Digging Deep: Leadership, Growth & Risk with BHP CEO Mike Henry 
• Leadership Lounge: Leadership Under Fire: How Mentorship Can Help C-suites Turn Headwinds Into Opportunity