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 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 Amelia Prieto for making this episode possible.

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 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 for making this episode possible.

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 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 Will Goodman and Abbie Brandt for making this episode possible.

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 him that he still lives by 40+ years later

How to turn disappointment into development

The lesson from a Linfield basketball bench that shaped how he handles every setback since

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 Amelia Prieto and Abbie Brandt for making this episode possible.

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 gut-wrenching loss into your team's next strategy session

Why he opens meetings with a story instead of a to-do list

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 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 toward personal and professional greatness.
Special thanks to Amelia Prieto and Lilly Mae Stewart for making this episode possible.