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How Leaders Lead with David Novak

How Leaders Lead gives you a front-row seat to exclusive conversations with the world’s most iconic leaders across business, sports, and entertainment. Hosted by David Novak, Co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, this podcast pulls back the curtain on how top CEOs, founders, and game-changers make things happen. When you tune in, you’ll learn from legends like Tom Brady, Condoleezza Rice, Jamie Dimon, Coach Prime

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#317: Artemis Patrick, President & CEO, Sephora North America – People are always watching the leader
Nov 2026
#316: Philippe Laffont, Founder, Coatue Management – Know your gaps, then fill them
Nov 2026
#315: David Rogier, Founder & CEO, MasterClass – ​​Get curious about everything, even failure
Oct 2026
#314: Kyle Leahy, Chief Commercial Officer, WHOOP – Outhire yourself
Oct 2026
#313: Joe Preston, President & CEO, New Balance – Focus on what you can control
Oct 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Larry Bossidy
“Larry Bossey. uh the late Larry Boss he wrote a book on on execution and and he he talked about that in in his book”
#312: Ben Cowan-Dewar, Cofounder & CEO, Cabot – Be an idea collector
Oct 2026 · 1 book
Cover of World Atlas of Golf
World Atlas of Golf
Pat Ward-Thomas
“in the same way the world atlas of golf. You know, gave me this book of great golf courses around the world, which I still, you know, I still flip through now and again”
#311: Mark Pincus, Founder & Former CEO, Zynga – Trust your instincts, but vet your ideas
Oct 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Life at the Speed of Play
Life at the Speed of Play
Mark Pincus
“called Life at the Speed of Play”
#310: Demond Martin, Cofounder and CEO, WellWithAll – Recognize how others shape you
Sep 2026 · 1 book
FO
Friends of the Good
Damond Martin
“DeMont also has a new book out called Friends of the Good, which is all about building lasting relationships that go beyond convenience and show up in both joy and in hardship”
#309: Ben Zobrist, 2x World Series Champion – Prepare for pressure
Sep 2026 · 3 books
Cover of Prepare for the Pressure
Prepare for the Pressure
Ben Zobrist
“In fact, in your book, which is Prepare for the Pressure, you, you, you said you need to recognize breaks before you you break down”
Cover of Be Here Now
Be Here Now
Ram Dass
“you know, those are almost like, you know, everybody's reading, you know, Be Here Now, Eckert Tolle stuff”
Cover of 10 to 25
10 to 25
David Yeager
“a great book for any of those um coaches, parents that find themselves doing that. is uh the book called 10 to 25”
#308: Zac Taylor, Head Coach, Cincinnati Bengals – Consistency creates results
Sep 2026
#307: Clark Lea, Head Football Coach, Vanderbilt – Belief is a practice
Sep 2026
#306: Tony Spring, Chairman & CEO, Macy’s, Inc. – Hit the ground listening
Aug 2026
#305: Harry Arnett, Cofounder & CEO, MUNICIPAL – Bet on yourself
Aug 2026 · 1 book
Cover of The Accidental CEO
The Accidental CEO
David Novak
“The title of of your book. accidental CEO, I I still file a formal protest about that”
#304: Ron Johnson, Creator of the Apple Store – A great customer experience is an act of love
Aug 2026 · 3 books
Cover of Shop Different
Shop Different
Ron Johnson
“Ron's out with a new book called Shop Different, and in this episode, you're gonna learn all about Ron's story”
Cover of Principle-Centered Leadership
Principle-Centered Leadership
Stephen R. Covey
“In search of excellent Principle center leadership by Stephen Covey”
Cover of A Return to Love
A Return to Love
Marianne Williamson
“Marion Williamson's book, and I get an idea, one idea, and they changed how I led”
#303: Ben Goodwin, Cofounder, CEO & Formulator, OLIPOP – The power of emotional intelligence
Aug 2026
#302: Varun Krishna, CEO, Rocket Companies – Culture is rooted in behavior, not words
Jul 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not Your Solution
Fall in Love with the Problem, Not Your Solution
Uri Levine
“David, it reminds me of your conversation with Uri Levine, who founded Ways. He even wrote a book called Fall in Love, I think it's called Fall in Love with the Problem”
#301: Julie Bornstein – Founder & CEO, Daydream – People skills matter most
Jul 2026
#300: Marty Smith, Reporter, ESPN – Deep listening builds deep trust
Jul 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Sideline CEO
Sideline CEO
Marty Smith
“When I wrote Sideline CEO That was one of the pillars of the book, and I asked every single one of the twenty championship coaches I interviewed for that book”
#299: David Dorman, Former CEO, AT&T – See around corners
Jul 2026
#298: Joe Manchin, Former Governor and Senator, West Virginia – How to find common ground
Jul 2026
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