Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell interview Mike Hayes, a 20-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, the former Director of Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council, and most recently, the Chief Digital Transformation Officer at VMWare. Hayes is a dynamic and experienced leader who shares his changing perspective on risk as he shifts through industries, how he approaches the first 90 days in any new role, and what businesses can learn from the SEALs? training technique to lift a giant log over your head.

Garry Kasparov is one of the world's most well-known and accomplished chess players. But he built on his excellence and notoriety in chess to become a pro-democracy advocate in Russia, and for democracy globally. Through his remarkable career at the heights of the game, Garry proved that hard work is a talent, and that mistakes are great fuel for practice. Beyond chess, Garry discusses his ongoing efforts to promote democracy worldwide, how he thinks about risk-taking, and finding your purpose.

Stan and Chris kick off the new year with an episode answering questions from No Turning Back listeners. This podcast started in April of 2020 during the heavy uncertainty of crisis, leaving leaders in uniquely tough situations trying to support the health of their team and business. It?s thanks to our listeners that we?ve been able to continue this podcast many guests and months later. Enjoy Stan and Chris as they answer questions on national service, leading through change, and their surprising career leadership lessons.

Simon Sinek is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, which led to his viral TED Talk about how great leaders inspire action with the concept of ?why.? He is a thought leader changing how we connect leaders and organizations together to inspire a sense of purpose and action. A visionary and optimist, Simon shares his perspective on the future of organizations, observations from teams this year, and why people are so motivated to find their purpose.

Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox News show Fox & Friends and author of numerous books about historical American leaders, shares his perspective about present-day leaders and how they compare to leaders throughout history. In this episode, they discuss how Brian?s day to day work in the media creates the space for him to be a leader, record history each day, and compare today's climate with past eras and what it means for those in the public eye.

Jan Singer is one of America's most experienced fashion retail CEOs. She's built a reputation and a playbook for effectiveness and agility through her CEO roles at Spanx, Victoria's Secret, and J.Crew. She joins Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell on this week's episode to share her experience of becoming a senior leader, transforming companies in the retail space, and leading them through the pressures of a pandemic.

Scott Rechler is the CEO of RXR Realty, served on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, served as Vice Chairman of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and is Chairman of the Regional Plan Association. An expert on real estate development and operations, Scott has a unique perspective on what the future of work looks like - both how offices will look, and how teams will collaborate. In this episode, we start with a far-out visioning exercise about how the world will transform, and draw out lessons on leading today, leading through transformation, and being a good citizen.

This week, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell are joined by Norah O?Donnell, well known as the Lead Anchor & Editor for CBS Evening News, regular contributor to 60 Minutes, and third woman to ever solo anchor the evening news on a major network. She built her career on thorough investigative journalism and the belief that the key components of leadership are accuracy, truth, and relationship building. In this episode, you will hear about Norah?s commitment to the truth and commitment to serve the public through journalism.

Eric Roza is a successful technology CEO, and fitness fanatic. After years of training with and owning a CrossFit box, he ended up becoming a significant investor into CrossFit, and now its CEO. CrossFit is undergoing a public, major transformation and Eric's lessons about crisis leadership and how to leverage his personal passion for the CrossFit brand and experience are instructive for all leaders. This is an episode about how to be your best self - in your personal life, and professional life.

Sue Desmond-Hellmann wrapped up a six-year tenure as CEO of the Gates Foundation this summer, where she sat at the center of the world?s largest philanthropic effort. Beyond her time there Sue was the chancellor of UC San Francisco, a division President at Genentech, and one of the world?s foremost oncology researchers ? building a leadership profile that?s almost without rival. With her down to earth approach to leadership, the way she engages with people on her team, and how she builds team - there is a lot to learn from Sue on how to lead in all sectors and the common playbook she brings to each of those roles.

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Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell interview Wes Moore, an army combat veteran, national bestselling author, and CEO of Robin Hood Foundation, a major nonprofit trying to fight poverty in New York City. In this episode, Wes talks about his upbringing in Baltimore and New York and how his childhood experiences in the military academy was forging for him, putting him on a powerful path towards where he is now today, a young leader with a relentless focus on serving others.

In today?s episode, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell interview Jeff Immelt. Jeff is a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates and former Chairman and CEO of General Electric. From being a new member of a massive organization to running the company for well over a decade and a half, Jeff has lived through the leadership experience at every level. In this interview, Jeff talks about his book that will be soon released and shares the voice of a leader who has spent a few years diving deeply into their own experiences being very honest about strengths and weaknesses that he learned along the way.

In this episode, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell interview Michèle Flournoy. Michèle, a managing Partner of WestExec Advisors located in D.C., has held multiple senior positions inside the Pentagon ? including serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the Obama administration. She is known as a thoughtful and hardworking public servant and accomplished team builder for mission critical teams. In this episode, Michèle talks about the impact of leadership in national security, advising Presidents and Secretaries of Defense, and what she?s learned in the private sector since she left government 8 years ago.

Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell speak with Molly Joseph, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Global and Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group. They discuss the differences between leadership and management and the impact of authentic leadership on organizational morale and efficiency.

In this episode, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell are joined by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. Very few people have led at the levels that Senator Machin has - with over 15 years combined as a Governor and Senator. He entered the Senate in 2010 and over the past decade he has maintained a rare ability to create bipartisan relationships and trust. Together, they discuss how Senator Manchin approaches his role as a bridge builder, and how he navigates what ultimately has become a very lonely position in today's American politics.

In this episode, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell are joined by Roy March, industry leader and CEO of Eastdil Secured. Together, they discuss building a collaborative, cohesive organization that inspires confidence in the team and with their clients, and how to embrace change in the real estate space while seizing opportunity in this dynamic market.

Tony Reno is an American football coach and former player, who was brought in to Yale Football as Head Coach in 2012. In this episode, they discuss Tony's Leadership Playbook and how a successful program, winning, and the performance of the team will be the outcome of developing leaders and developing leadership culture where the intent of creating young leaders comes first.

Alex Gorsky is the long-time CEO of Johnson & Johnson. In this conversation, he talks about leading an American icon like J&J, and the company's contributions to the global effort for a Covid-19 vaccine. He also discusses with Stan the leadership lessons learned as junior infantry officers and West Pointers, and how those lessons shaped him as a CEO of a global company today.

Keith Ferrazzi is an author of the best seller Never Eat Alone and the newly released Leading without authority. Earlier in his career Keith has worked closely with Michael Milken, was the CMO at Deloitte, and the youngest CMO at a Fortune 500, Starwood Hotels. In this episode, Keith, Stan and Chris discuss how to create personal networks and how to ignite hope and create transformation in today?s networked organizations.

Rosalind (Roz) Brewer is the Chief Operating Officer at Starbucks. In this episode, Roz, Stan and Chris discuss the philosophy of leadership in times of constant change and how leaders can implement disciplined company-wide communication to enable speed of execution.

 

Jamil Farshchi is the Chief Information Security Officer of Equifax. He joined Equifax in 2018 after Equifax experienced a large breach of personal customer data, and for the past 2 years has been leading an information security transformation. Previously, he held senior information security positions at Visa, NASA, and more. In this episode, Jamil, Stan and Chris discuss how to think about leading in crisis, how a CISO can advise a CEO or a non-technical executive, and how to build mission-critical teams.

In this episode, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell interview Doug McMillon. Doug has been the CEO of Walmart, the world's largest company, since 2014. He is also the Chairman of the Business Roundtable, the association of CEOs of America's leading companies. In this interview, Doug shares how he thinks the role of the leader has changed through the turmoil of 2020, how to build a high-performing team, and managing a global enterprise of immense scale and complexity. Few leaders are as thoughtful as Doug, or as connected to the front-line employees. In this episode of No Turning Back, Stan and Chris dive into all of those topics in a fascinating interview.