Former World No. 1 Tennis Player Stan Smith and Business Partner Gary Niebur on Winning Trust: How to Create Moments That Matter
Release Date: 12/10/2025
LPL Financial CEO Rich Steinmeier says: To Care For Your Clients, Lean Into 'Followership'
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 274: Playing football and basketball shaped this CEO who oversees 32,000 financial advisors and $2.6 trillion in assets. You will learn: What getting benched after an 0-6 start to his high school football season taught Rich about the impact of his effort on others. Why HOW you win matters just as much as WHAT you accomplish—and why LPL uses it as the deciding factor when evaluating talent. How unexpected "surprise and delight" moments can create a culture where people feel valued and celebrated. Do you want to write a book? In my new role as Publisher at Forbes Books and with the...
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Southern Company CEO Chris Womack on 38 Years With One Company and a Grandmother Who Wouldn't Let Him Quit
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 273: Six months before his daughter's wedding, he got a diagnosis: liver cancer, less than six months to live. Three years of treatment later, and now he's Chairman, President and CEO of Southern Company — a company that just ranked #1 in its industry on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list. On this episode, you will learn: Why he tells his team "I can't do anything by myself" — and means it How vulnerability, not authority, built trust across 30,000 employees What it actually takes to avoid complacency after you've already won Do you want to write a book? In my...
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How to Make Storytelling Your Secret Weapon with Simon Sinek
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 272: The Business of Storytelling hit shelves this week and Simon Sinek is here to celebrate! Join us for this special edition episode to learn: Why you should treat every story like a jigsaw puzzle Why AI can write a great story, but can't make you a better storyteller The Disneyland detail that reveals the real power of a company's origin story Why "I've heard this story..." might be the most underrated four words in storytelling Do you want to write a book? In my new role as Publisher at Forbes Books and with the incredible resources and expertise of their team, we're making...
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Victory Cruise Lines CEO John Waggoner on Why Leaders Should Still Wash the Windows
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 271: The captain was given a choice: grab a rag to help the team wash the windows or hand over the boat. He tapped his epaulettes signaling his rank, “I’m the captain.” John fired him. Why? Because the problem was never the windows. It was the belief that his title made certain jobs beneath him. Today, John Waggoner, Founder and Chairman of Victory Cruise Lines, still tells that story during employee orientation. His message is simple: if the owner will sweep the dock, carry the trash, or wash the windows, everyone should be willing to jump in. Do you want to write a book? In my new...
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The Standard President and CEO Dan McMillan on how to turn disappointment into development
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 270: Linfield basketball alum Dan McMillan shares how empowering your team to GIVE can create a ripple effect. A grieving customer once received a box of gourmet pears from his insurance company because a claims employee sensed he needed something extra. It turned out pears were his late wife’s favorite fruit. Dan, now President and CEO of The Standard, shared the story with his executive team — and today, it’s included in strategic materials shared with 30,000 salespeople around the world. On this episode, Dan joins Don Yaeger to talk about: The five words a high school coach gave...
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Penske President Bud Denker on How He Turned a Dinner Table Idea Into a Presidential Executive Order
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 269: Team Penske has raced in more than 6,600 races and won 10% of them — and they're the winningest team in IndyCar history. This summer, Bud is leading the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, the first-ever IndyCar race in the nation's capital, down Pennsylvania Avenue August 22–23. In this episode, you will learn how a dinner-table idea turned into a presidential executive order and lessons in: Why "it's all in the communication" when you're building trust with people you don't lead Why effort equals results — and why Bud carries a coin with his sons to prove it How to turn a...
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Wall Street Executive Mike Dorrell says: You've won the meeting when the other person talks more than you.
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 268: Stonepeak CEO was shaped by rugby league, cricket, and growing up in a working-class farming town in Australia. Today he's built a career on Wall Street, but the personality that took him there was forged on fields where teammates and opponents alike gave each other unfiltered honesty — and expected the same in return. Want to become a better storyteller? Pre-order Don’s new book The Business of Storytelling and become a Founding Member of The Circle of Storytellers. This is a limited experience — it ends at launch. All of these resources are yours FOR FREE the moment your...
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Axon President Josh Isner on What His Mentor Bill Belichick Told Him That Still Runs His $45 Billion Company
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 267: Harvard Golf and playing at Whisper Rock alongside Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, and Max Homa shaped Josh Isner's understanding of what winning really requires — and it shows in how he leads one of the most competitive companies in America. Axon is the $45 billion public safety company behind body cameras and life-saving technology protecting law enforcement and first responders across the country. In this episode, you will learn: Why the best mentors are never assigned — and how Luke Larson, a Marine Corps officer just one year ahead of Josh at Axon, chose to invest in him and...
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Deloitte US CEO Jason Girzadas on The Feedback Formula: 3 Things Every Leader Must Consider
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 266: Long before he was CEO of Deloitte US, Jason Girzadas was on the pitcher's mound with the bases loaded, his team up by one run, and his coach walking out to deliver the kind of feedback that sticks for a lifetime. In this episode, you will hear the lesson he learned, PLUS: How to fight complacency inside a historically successful organization — and keep your people hungry Why "know yourself so you can be yourself" is not a soft idea but a leadership prerequisite How timely, direct, one-on-one feedback creates a domino effect of accountability across an entire organization Do...
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Guardian Life Executive Mike Perry teaches how to respond to a crisis without reacting to it
Corporate Competitor Podcast
Ep. 265: As Head of Client Solutions and Wealth Management at Guardian Life Insurance, Mike has learned that the most transformational moments in business look a lot like cycling: riders who trust each other, rotate leadership, and communicate constantly can cover ground together that no one could cover alone. In this episode, you will learn: How finding a coach — whether on a bike or in a boardroom — speeds up every kind of growth. Why the best response to a crisis is not reacting to the event itself, but locking onto what you can actually control. How making space for every voice...
info_outlineEp. 246: Tennis champion and Adidas shoe icon is joined by the President of Stan Smith Events, to share how leaders can Win Trust. With clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to Olympic legends and Michelin-starred chefs, they reveal how thoughtfully crafted moments create lasting impact.
Our BONUS RESOURCE for this episode includes Don’s favorite quotes from today’s episode and a reflection question so you can apply today’s insights.
Do you want to write a book? In my new role as Publisher at Forbes Books and with the incredible resources and expertise of their team, we’re making it easier than ever to help YOU to tell your story. Send us a message here to get started: https://books.forbes.com/don/
Looking for a speaker for your next event? From more than 30 years of interviewing and studying the greatest winners of all time Don offers these live and virtual presentations built to inspire your team towards personal and professional greatness.
Special thanks to Abbie Brandt and Andrew Levin for making this episode possible.