As the CEO of Land O'Lakes, Beth Ford connects her working-class Midwestern childhood with her success running a farmer-owned cooperative . In in this View From The Top episode, Ford talks to Adriann Negreros, MBA ‘21, about being the first openly gay female CEO of a Fortune 500 company and how she’s succeeded in a male-dominated industry. “You want to have humility, but you can’t be shy to make clear to your supervisors, your leaders, whomever, what your aspiration is,” she says. “Otherwise, people are going to just guess. Nobody, I promise you, cares more about your career than you do.”

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Having lived in 4 countries by the age of 12 and growing up the only Ghanaian family in a predominantly white town in Colorado, Bozoma St. John had an expansive worldview at a young age. In this View From The Top interview conducted by Jessica Lawson, MBA ’21, the chief marketing officer of Netflix discusses the importance of not comparing yourself to others and how content can spark curiosity and connection. “I think that entertainment has a very, very, very big role in changing societal norms,” she says. “If we are able to use entertainment as a way to normalize experiences across the board, then we have a much better shot at being just better human beings.”

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Rosalind Brewer has a remarkable ability to see the big picture. She has led major organizations such as Sam's Club and Starbucks and identified major growth opportunities by tapping into her education in chemistry and data analytics. In this View From The Top interview conducted by Joy Wong, MBA ’21, the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance and former COO of Starbucks shares why you should find your voice and always speak up. “Don't be silent in the room,” she says. “Even if you think you're gonna make a mistake, that's better than sitting there quiet because you begin to suffocate… So just get it out there and feel like you have value.”

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Tony Xu, MBA ’13, says that immigrating from China at the age of five and moving around as a young kid taught him one of the keys to success — how to adapt to new environments. Influenced by his entrepreneurial and hardworking parents, Xu started Doordash in his apartment while attending Stanford Graduate School of Business. In this View From The Top interview conducted by Joy Huang, MBA ’21, the cofounder and CEO of Doordash explains why problem solving means focusing on the smallest details, like working out logistics issues by making deliveries yourself. “If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, I would say find something you're obsessive about,” he says. “Because the journey to building anything of meaning, I believe, will take years, maybe decades.” 

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Founding Member of the SB Opportunity Fund and Former CEO of TaskRabbit, Stacy Brown-Philpot, MBA ’02, is leading the charge on diversity by trusting her gut. In this View From The Top conversation at Stanford GSB, Stacy discusses her childhood in Detroit and how community has given her grit and influenced her career journey with Jess Lawson, MBA ’21.

Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the Dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.

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Ruth Zukerman discovered spinning at a difficult crossroads in her life, and she was thrilled when it turned into her next entrepreneurial endeavor: opening her own spin studio. This new venture, however, didn’t come without its own uncertainties and challenges, which Zukerman overcame through persistence and a newfound sense of confidence. In her View From The Top conversation at Stanford GSB, Zukerman discussed all this and more with Michael Lewis, MBA ’20. 

Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the Dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.

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Born in a log cabin in British Columbia, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield studied Philosophy in college, taught himself to code, co-founded Flickr, and then co-founded a videogame startup that evolved into Slack. Along the way, he learned a lot about innovating in the face of failure, considering all voices in decision-making, and creating a company culture that “walks the walk” when it comes to diversity.  

Listen to Butterfield in conversation with Tylon Garrett, MBA ’20, on this View From The Top podcast episode: 

Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the Dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career. 

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You may think you know Steph Curry the basketball player, but the star of the Golden State Warriors has been working to build an important legacy both on and off the court in supporting his family foundation, building a company, and raising his three young children. While he gives a lot of credit to his faith and support system for his success, his hard work has earned him a place as one of the country’s most respected athletes and leaders.

In February of 2020, Curry visited Stanford GSB and was interviewed by Tylon Garrett, MBA ’20.

Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the Dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Outdoor retailer Patagonia is known for its outspoken environmental activism, and Rose Marcario is the driving force behind that message. She left behind a lucrative career in private equity to join the company in 2008. Now, as CEO, she’s working to cultivate the “self-examining” culture that drew her to Patagonia in the first place. Her priorities include promoting long-term thinking, instituting sustainable practices at all levels of the business, and encouraging competitors to do the same. 

During a visit to Stanford GSB in February of 2020, Marcario joined Tara Hill, MBA ’20, in a conversation on how Patagonia is setting a new standard for environmental stewardship. 

Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the Dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.