The Best Boss Ever

As we sign off on Season One, I thought it appropriate to take a quick look back.  When I started The Best Boss Ever podcast series in July 2020, we were all Deep in the Heart of Covid.  What was a burgeoning Keynote Speaking and Advisory practice just getting started, went completely dark in March of last year, just like millions of businesses around the world.  So now what??!!  Listen Up!!

Seb Coe.  Double Olympic Gold medalist, 1500 Meters, Moscow and Los Angeles.  Jazz collector.  Astute politician in his 2nd term as President, World Athletics.  Businessman as Non-Executive Chairman, CSM Sport and Entertainment.  Renaissance Man extraordinaire.  This is MUST LISTEN, Right Now!

At $130M in global top line revenue, Craft Sportswear, is a pioneering company of functional apparel for world champions and everyday heroes.  For North America, Eric Schenker, CEO of Craft is leading an aggressive 5 year strategic plan focused profitable growth as opposed to a market entry "revenue at any cost" strategy.  This approach is the heart and soul of the "Know When to Say No" for any entrepreneur who wants to Thrive, not just Survive.  Listen Up!

Andrew Messick has been the President & CEO of The IRONMAN Group since 2011, overseeing dramatic global growth in all facets of the enterprise.  And amazingly, he's been through several acquisitions which always come with new ownership and new bosses!  This is a breakout episode from one of the very best CEO's in sport.  Listen Up!

E 41 Rob Urbach, CEO of the Iditarod has been driving relevance, thought leadership and innovation in leading the “Last Great Race on Earth" for the past two years. 

The Idtiarod is 50 years old and steeped in folklore and history.  A 1000+ mile dog sled race across the Alaska wilderness is an endurance event like no other on the planet. For woman and man, "the mushers", each driving a 14 member team of very serious athletes, sled dogs, the obstacles are dizzying.

Only a long diverse career prepared Rob Urbach for this role, and his story is littered with a who's who of sport and entertainment posts.  Listen Up!  You will absolutely learn something new! 

Rob DeMartini joined USA Cycling in February 2019, after spending 12 years as President and CEO of New Balance where, under his leadership, the company doubled its global annual sales to $4.2B, achieving one of the highest growth rates in the athletic footwear and apparel industry.

A passionate athlete and cycling enthusiast, Rob was drawn to the opportunity to lead USA Cycling after recognizing the potential for the organization to take on a larger leadership role in the cycling industry.  Prior to New Balance, he spent 20 years at Procter & Gamble where his collective experiences, humility, and work ethic launched him to where he is today.  A great listen!!

Scott O’Neil is one of the most recognized, connected and dynamic executives in the sports and entertainment industry today as recognized by Sports Business Journal, the NBA, and countless media outlets.  So the question is why? How did he get to this pinnacle station in the work place?

With more than 25 years of experience leading NBA, NHL and NFL teams and leagues, including the  Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, he is also a first time author.  His story of ups, downs, tragedy and remarkable family values is just the starting point.  This episode and his forthcoming book, "Be Where Your Feet Are" dive much deeper.  You'll love this one.  Listen Up!

From the Junior Ski Team in Great Britain to 20 years as the Secretary General of the International Ski Federation, Sarah literally served winter sport in every capacity.  Olympian, coach, team manager, ski shop manager, appointed to 3 IOC Winter Games Coordination Commissions, and two Youth Olympic Games Commissions, she oversaw  the FIS activities at 5 Olympic Winter Games.  She served as Secretary General of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federation (not once but twice), and chaired the World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Observers at the Beijing 2008 Games.  It's an amazing story of strength, courage, perseverance, and intelligence with a distinctly global viewpoint.  Listen Up!

Throughout his childhood, Koko's academic and athletic gifts were obvious, and they were NOT wasted.  Good enough for a Division 1 NCAA basketball scholarship, he chose instead,  the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school where scholarships don’t exist.

After graduating from Penn, His basketball story went on for 10 years  including a starting role on the 2012 Nigerian Olympic Team in London.  Now a husband, father, volunteer and fast rising businessman, what happened next is much better told by our guest himself.  Listen Up!

David Michaels describes himself as born in Brooklyn, raised in LA, and a graduate of the University of Denver.  He was the Editor of a small town newspaper in Idaho Springs, CO, Press secretary for a US Senator in DC, and a fledgling artist.  What he leaves out is an extraordinarily successful 30+ year career at the highest levels of Sports Television with both CBS and NBC, including the Olympic Games, the Tour de France, the NFL, NHL, The Triple Crown of Horse Racing and the Breeders Cup and dozens of Documentaries.  Listen up to one of the very best Television pros ever!