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Leadership Backstory

Leadership Backstory

Hosted by The Leadership Backstory

Episodes

21

Latest episode

Mar 2024

Language

EN

About the show

Welcome to The Leadership Backstory, a podcast series retracing successful business leaders' winding and unpredictable paths. Your hosts, Peter Baron and Brendan Schneider have long been fascinated by how executives rise to the top and why they become successful at their jobs. - Did a defining moment in their career put them on a path to the top office? - How did they cultivate and nurture a leadership philosophy that delivered success? - Would they take the same career path if they could do it all over again? These questions and many more offer a peek into the amazing stories of great leaders. And, most importantly, offer inspiration for your leadership journey!

Listen to episodes

21 recent
March 24, 202450 min

Ninety, CEO: Mark Abbott’s Leadership Backstory

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of Mark Abbott, CEO of 90, and explore his fascinating journey from the early days in banking to becoming a trailblazer in organizational systems and leadership. Mark shares candidly about his initial foray into the finance sector, where he navigated the complexities of loan workouts and gleaned invaluable lessons from corporate failures. His experiences in the banking world set the stage for a career characterized by rapid growth, innovative thinking, and a relentless pursuit of efficiency within organizations.Mark's narrative is one of constant evolution and the pursuit of innovation. He recounts his transition from traditional roles into entrepreneurship, driven by a desire to challenge the status quo and implement meaningful changes. His ventures into technology and software development were fueled by a passion for enhancing organizational effectiveness, leading to the creation of 90. The platform epitomizes Mark's dedication to fostering structured business practices and disciplines, drawing on his extensive insights into business operations and strategy.As two people deeply invested in the intricacies of business and leadership, we found Mark's experiences and the development of 90 incredibly enlightening, underscoring the significance of structured systems in achieving business excellence.

March 14, 202449 min

EV Connect, Founder: Jordan Ramer’s Leadership Backstory

Charging infrastructure plays a crucial role in the adoption and usability of EV cars. EV Connect, a company founded by Jordan Ramer in 2009, focused on providing seamless experience by managing and optimizing the charging infrastructure for property owners. In this episode of the Leadership Backstory, Jordan shares his journey of building and growing EV Connect, which was ultimately acquired by Schneider Electric. With a focus on giving back and supporting climate entrepreneurs, Jordan looks to leverage his experiences and knowledge to positively impact the fight against climate change.We learned a lot, and we know you will, too, so let’s get started!

October 15, 202341 min

Power Your Platform: Erica Schneider’s Leadership Backstory

Erica Schneider retraces her journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.During our conversation, Erica discussed:the concept of personal branding and the importance of approaching it as "powering your platform." She emphasizes the need to lead with authenticity and creating an online persona that reflects one's true self rather than conforming to a specific brand or image.building relationships and connecting with others on a personal level, as well as shifting the focus from transactions to meaningful connections. She also talks about the balance between sharing personal stories and providing value to the audience, promoting the idea of being true to oneself while still delivering valuable content.And much more…There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will, too.So let's get started!Connect with Erica Schneider:https://poweryourplatform.carrd.co/https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-schneider66/https://twitter.com/ericasmynameSubscribe to the Leadership Backstory!✅ https://www.leadershipbackstory.com/✅ Youtube: http://bit.ly/3nVm9El✅ Apple: https://apple.co/3Gwix2e✅ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ZXTdJg✅ Google: http://bit.ly/3mo9pFU

September 17, 202352 min

Paul Quinn College, President: Michael Sorrell’s Leadership Backstory

Michael Sorrell retraces his journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.From the halls of Duke to the corridors of the Clinton administration and steering Paul Quinn College through its toughest times, President Michael Sorrell embodies transformative leadership. Drawing from invaluable family lessons, he's not just redefining success — he's gearing up to change the future of higher education. Listen to a journey that's only just begun.There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will, too.So let's get started!Connect with Michael Sorrell:https://paulquinn.edu/https://twitter.com/michaelsorrellSubscribe to the Leadership Backstory!✅ https://www.leadershipbackstory.com/✅ Youtube: http://bit.ly/3nVm9El✅ Apple: https://apple.co/3Gwix2e✅ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ZXTdJg✅ Google: http://bit.ly/3mo9pFU

August 6, 202350 min

Niche, CEO: Luke Skurman’s Leadership Backstory

Luke Skurman retraces his journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.Excited to solve the college admission puzzle as a teen, Luke pursued his passion as a student at Carnegie Mellon University before founding Niche, a leading school and college resource for students and parents.There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will, too.So, let's get started!Connect with Luke Skurman:https://www.linkedin.com/in/skurman/https://www.niche.com/Subscribe to the Leadership Backstory!✅ https://www.leadershipbackstory.com/✅ Youtube: http://bit.ly/3nVm9El✅ Apple: https://apple.co/3Gwix2e✅ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ZXTdJg✅ Google: http://bit.ly/3mo9pFU

June 25, 202333 min

BONUS: Breaking down Peter Baron’s Journey on The Zero Hour Podcast

Hi, everyone, I’m Peter Baron, and this week’s episode of the Leadership Backstory is a little different. Today’s guest is me.My good friend Christine Chapman had me on her pod, The Zero Hour Podcast, which she co-hosts with Marc Fierz, to share the catalyst moment that sent me on my path.It was a ton of fun reflecting and connecting dots, and I hope you enjoy the story. It should offer insight into why we host the Leadership Backstory and why I’ve dedicated my career to serving schools.Before we get started, please visit Christine’s site to subscribe to The Zero Hour. You’ll find it at thezerohourpodcast.com.Enjoy the episode!Subscribe to the Leadership Backstory!✅ https://www.leadershipbackstory.com/✅ Youtube: http://bit.ly/3nVm9El✅ Apple: https://apple.co/3Gwix2e✅ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ZXTdJg✅ Google: http://bit.ly/3mo9pFU

June 18, 202342 min

Entrepreneur Gamechanger Franchise CMO 2023: Doug Zarkin’s Leadership Backstory

Doug Zarkin retraces his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.Passionate about teams, talent, and culture, as well as the redefinition of brands in categories, Doug shares leadership lessons learned from his father all the way to his recent 11-year tenure as the VP & Chief Marketing Officer at Pearle Vision.Doug’s list of accomplishments is long and impressive. - Brandweek’s Marketer of The Next Generation- Entrepreneur Gamechanger Franchise CMO 2023- Crain’s NY Notables in Marketing & Advertising There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will too.So let's get started!Connect with Doug Zarkin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougzarkin/

June 11, 202347 min

Brightly, CEO: Andy Levitt’s Leadership Backstory

Andy Levitt retraces his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.Andy walks us down his leadership path from selling t-shirts in college to a career in the pharmaceutical industry to founding three successful start-ups, including the vegan meal kit company Purple Carrot and his new company, Brightly Ventures, which creates value at the intersection of food recovery and climate change.There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will too.So let's get started!Visit Brightly: https://www.justbrightly.com/

June 4, 202345 min

Washington Spirit, VP, Head of Revenue: Cay Young’s Leadership Backstory

Cay Young retraces her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.Cay shares her journey in sports management. From climbing the ranks for the LA Spark to her current role as VP, Head of Revenue for the Washington Spirit. There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will too.So let's get started!

April 23, 202350 min

Spero Ventures, General Partner: Shripriya Mahesh’s Leadership Backstory

Shripriya Mahesh retraces her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.Shripriya's traveled a fascinating path from management consulting to graduate school to a distinguished career in tech that included a time at eBay (where today she sits on their board) to a career in film. Today she's the General Partner at Spero Ventures, where they "invest in technology companies that are driven to deliver value to shareholders and society."There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.We learned a lot, and we know you will too.So let's get started!Spero Ventures: https://spero.vc/Shripriya Mahesh’s personal site: https://shripriya.com/

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