Leadership Matters: CEO Interview with Sam Walsh

This edition of the CEO interview features Sam Walsh, the recently retired CEO, of Rio Tinto. Rio Tinto, founded in 1873, is a British-Australian multinational and one of the world’s largest metals and mining corporations. The company has grown through a long series of mergers and acquisitions to place itself among the world leaders in the production of many commodities, including aluminum, iron…

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Leadership Interview – James Hotaling

There are simply no words that can do justice to the example of servant leadership epitomized by Command Chief Master Sergeant James Hotaling. A highly decorated member of the special operations community earning the Bronze Star with Valor for actions during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan, Jim is a true American hero.  I have interviewed countless leaders over the years, and never has so much…

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Leadership Interview – Doug Conant

Many people discuss transformational leadership, but few can point to a modern-day CEO who is an example of a transformative leader. Douglas R. Conant is the President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, and he epitomizes just such a leader. When Doug took the helm at Campbell's 10 years ago, he reversed the trend of declining earnings and employee engagement. In 2010, during a down economy, the…

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Leadership Interview – James Quigley

I've always said that if you want to learn about leadership talk to someone who has actually led something. James (Jim) Quigley, Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited is just such a leader, and the "something" he leads is a global professional services juggernaut with more than $26 Billion in revenue, and 170,000 people located in more than 150 countries worldwide. What I most appreciate…

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Leadership Interview – Michael Hyatt

CEOs that make great decisions are rare these days. Humble, authentic leaders who really understand their craft are equally scarce. Chief Executives who actively engage in social media also find themselves in the minority among their peers. Michael Hyatt (@MichaelHyatt - www.michaelhyatt.com) is that rare commodity. As Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing…

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Leadership Interview with John C. Maxwell

For those of you interested in the topic of leadership, John C. Maxwell (@johncmaxwell - www.johnmaxwell.com) likely needs no introduction. John is probably one of the world's best known and most respected authors and speakers on the subject of leadership. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, John has sold more than 18 million books. In fact, three of his…

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Leadership Interview – Marshall Goldsmith

I recently had the pleasure of spending about 40 minutes on the phone with Marshall Goldsmith (@coachgoldsmith) whom I consider to be one of the best executive coaches in the business. In fact, I hold Marshall in such high professional regard that he is one of only three other coaches that I'll refer people to if I'm unable to meet their needs. Marshall has authored 30 books (most recently: What…

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Interview: Chris Brogan

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Brogan. Chris is the President of New Marketing Labs, a new media marketing agency. With the market being awash of so-called social media "experts," Chris, who would never refer to himself as such, is absolutely the real deal. In addition to running a successful agency, Chris has reached celebrity status as a blogger (www.chrisbrogan.com), social…

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Interview: Rebel Brown

Today's interview is with noted turnaround specialist Rebel Brown (@rebelbrown). Rebel has more than 25 turnaround engagements under her belt - she knows what it takes to be a successful leader in not just the good times, but in the toughest of times. I can tell you from personal experience, few things test your metal as a leader more than leading a turnaround.  Today also happens to be the…

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Interview – Robin Koval

Advising CEOs and entrepreneurs for a living I have had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of truly amazing individuals over the years. However when I look back amongst those individuals who have left an indelible impression on me it is not the smartest, toughest, wealthiest, or most powerful executives, but rather it has been the "nicest" executives that made the lasting impression.…

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Interview: Sydney Finkelstein

There is nary a week that passes where I don't receive at least one inquiry asking for my opinion as to the value of an MBA in the business world. Now if you've been in business for any length of time I'm sure you have heard more than a few humorous stories recounting the trials of young MBAs attempting to prove their value and failing miserably in their effort to do so. However, the stereotypes…

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Interview with Ken Fisher

Ken Fisher is perhaps one of the most fascinating men of our time. He possesses both incredible intellect and genuine humility. He is a true renaissance man...A family man who has been married for 36 years, the best selling author (his current book The Only Three Questions That Count is ranked #14 on the NY Times Hardcover Bestseller list), The CEO of Fisher Investments, one of the most…

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Interview with Carolyn Kepcher

As most of you know I'm always interested in exchanging information with people who have successfully crafted strong personal brands through careful attention to managing their reputations while in the public eye. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing such an individual. Carolyn Kepcher formerly of The Trump Organization and best known to the public for her role as Donald's intelligent and…

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Interview with Marty Secada

When it comes to the business of business few decisions are as pivotal as those surrounding capital formation issues. Understanding when to seek capital, where to look for funding, how to structure the deal and other such decisions are at a minimum complex, and if made incorrectly problematic if not disastrous. For those executives and entrepreneurs who deal with such issues, you're in for a…

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Interview with Mike Myatt

One of the hidden pleasures of being a long-term survivor of the entrepreneurial life is that you are afforded the luxury of being invited to participate in any number of interviews, focus groups, surveys, etc. I was recently asked to take part in a survey consisting of 20 questions posed to a group of 50 entrepreneurs.  The purpose of the survey was to search for common traits possessed by…

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Interview with Ecademy’s Penny Power

With the unprecedented growth and undeniable success of the Blogosphere, Rupert Murdoch paying $580 million dollars to purchase MySpace, Facebook's valuation resting comfortably in excess of $1 Billion dollars, and venture capitalists tripping all over each other to fund social networking companies before the ink is even dry on their business plans there is little doubt that social networking is…

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