Ben Fanning

10/07/2026

10/01/2026

Success can teach you the wrong lesson.

David Lehman, President & COO of Birdeye, learned that lesson the hard way.

Earlier in his career, he took a playbook that had worked incredibly well and tried to run it again.

At first, it worked.

Growth. Momentum. A rapidly expanding team.

But as Dave told me:

“You can’t just take a process and put it on repeat.”

Because success gives us confidence.

But it can also convince us that what worked before will work again.

Different company. Different people. Different circumstances.

The turning point for Dave was being willing to revisit the playbook.

To get closer to the numbers.
To pay attention to the leading indicators.
To question assumptions that had worked before.

And his leadership got better because of it.

Maybe the lesson isn’t to abandon what made you successful. It’s to never stop questioning whether it still applies….

09/29/2026

PRESSURE REVEALS.

Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild, was suddenly pulled back from parental leave into the highest-stakes leadership moment of her career.

The ultimate leadershipship test was now. T

As Bijal told me:“I don’t think there’s a way to get ready.”

She had to make decisions. Earn credibility. And lead through uncertainty.

And the pressure revealed something even her board hadn’t seen before.

A higher level.

So the next time the pressure is on, remember:

I really like consider what if pressure isn’t just something to survive? What if it’s the crucible that reveals your next level?

🎙️ Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild, on Lead the Team.

09/24/2026

What he lost shaped what he built.

David Sudolsky, Founder & CEO of Boldr lost his best friend and business partner suddenly at 38.

What followed changed David’s view of business...and the kind of company he wanted to create.

Today that lesson shows up in a company designed to serve more than the bottom line, investing in its people and communities.

Boldr grew into the first and largest global B Corp certified business process outsourcing (BPO) company, maintaining high standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

You’re going to love their story!

What experience has most shaped the kind of leader you want to be?

09/22/2026

Your small moves matter.

Aimee George Leary, EVP and Chief People Officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, leads 35,000+ employees—and knows how easy it is to forget the impact of a small interaction in the speed of an executive’s day.

Early in her career, one high-stakes moment drove that lesson home.

More than 25 years later, she still carries it with her.

Because what feels like a passing moment to a leader can have a lasting impact on someone else.

Aimee shares that story—and what it taught her about how leaders show up—in our new Lead The Team conversation.

🎧 New episode out now.

09/18/2026

Expect the worst. But believe in the best.

Chaim Mazal, CISO at GitLab, lives with that fascinating tension every day.

His world is cybersecurity. Things can go sideways fast—and when they do, people look to him.

So how does he lead through it?

Optimism. Composure. And the belief that how you respond matters more than what happens.

How do you stay optimistic when your job requires you to prepare for the worst?

09/10/2026

Most new CEOs want to make an impact quickly.

Puneet Raj deliberately gave himself six months not to.

He had just taken over a successful 250-person startup after an acquisition. The founders were leaving. The team was watching.

And Puneet made a decision that sounds almost backwards for a new CEO.

But his reasoning behind it is fascinating:

“I basically looked at it as six months without me having to make any wrong decisions.”

That might be one of the smartest ways I’ve heard a CEO describe the value of not rushing to prove yourself.

Check out my conversation with Puneet Raj, CEO of Fieldwire.

Would you have the patience to do the same?

09/03/2026

Make the call.

HP Solutions President, Manoj Leelanivas, learned that some of the most important leadership decisions happen before you have all the proof.

That’s uncomfortable.

Especially when thousands of people could be affected by what you decide next.

But waiting has a cost, too.

In our new Lead the Team conversation, Manoj takes us inside a pivotal moment when the market was shifting, the old path wasn’t enough, and standing still carried its own risk.

His perspective after decades of leading through change:
You won’t always have certainty.
You won’t always have complete data.
And you won’t always know if you’re right.

Sometimes leadership means making the call and learning fast enough to adjust.

This conversation gets into the decisions, doubts, risks, and turning points behind the title.

🎙️ Full conversation with Manoj on Lead the Team.

09/01/2026

It Cost the Quarter. Saved the Business.

SAP Customer Experience CRO Mark Niemiec shares a high-stakes leadership decision that meant short-term pain—but protected the business for the long term.

His takeaway:

“We’re here to build businesses that endure.”

🎙️ New episode of Lead the Team.

08/27/2026

The best leaders never graduate from learning.

CEO of Entrust, Anthony Ball, left me with that idea.

He leads a global organization with thousands of employees, yet he has a reverse mentor.

Every two weeks, Tony meets with a colleague in IT security who helps him learn, particularly around AI and how the next generation is approaching work.

Think about that.

You reach the CEO seat, and instead of assuming your job is to have all the answers, you intentionally put yourself in situations where someone else gets to teach you.

It connects to another lesson Tony shared from earlier in his career too:

Be the last person to speak, not the first.

Our conversation covers some terrific stories about ownership, setbacks, trust, listening, and how leadership needs to evolve in the age of AI.

Thanks to Tony and the Entrust team for a terrific conversation.
🎧 Watch the full episode below.

Ever considered reverse mentoring as a learning accelerator?