1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?

Staying focused on the big priorities and not chasing every new shiny object that comes along.


2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I've pretty much worked since I was a kid. I've always been entrepreneurial and hard working. I think any success is a good combination of talent, hard work and a lot of luck. I've always been opportunistic and open to change and moving all over the world.


3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I'm a morning person so I get up around 4AM and get caught up on emails and reading while I work out and prep for the day. I tend to be in meetings most of the day but try to block at least a few catch up or quiet hours each day that can't be booked over. I used to work late into the evening but now try to have a solid cut off an hour after dinner to relax and unwind.


4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

People don't work for money, they work for people and goals they believe in. True happiness at work is a consistent and deep understanding of the mission, a clear understanding of where you fit into that mission, and being recognized and rewarded for driving towards the mission.


5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It's actually a historic book about the Civil War but there are great lessons of what good leadership looks like and what happens when there isn't good leadership. Lessons I learned from this include ensuring everyone is informed 'two up two down' in the leadership chain, empowering and training people for the times you can't be there to direct them, and truly knowing your people in battle and out.


6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?

Hire people that you think are better than you that you believe could and should replace you. Empower the heck out of them, push them past their comfort zone, and watch them soar.


7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?

I was working for a pet retailer and we had a massive pet food recall that was causing pet illness and some pet deaths. It was not our fault (it was the manufacturer), but we owned it completely and did whatever it took to make things as right as possible for the customer. We didn't shrink from the situation, proactively and publicly addressed it, and empowered our associates to do whatever they needed to in order to make the customer okay. We got more loyalty from that from both associates and customers than any marketing campaign.