In today’s episode of The Mentors Radio, Dan talks with Hubert Joly, a member of the faculty of the Harvard Business School and the former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy.
At Harvard, Professor Joly is the co-leader of the Chief Executive Leadership Programs, a portfolio of programs intended to support the growth of CEOs and senior executives of the world’s foremost corporations at a time of unprecedented challenges. He is also a member of the board of directors of Johnson & Johnson and Ralph Lauren Corporation, and he’s a Trustee of the New York Public Library.
Hubert has been recognized as one of the top 100 CEOs in the world by the Harvard Business Review, one of the Top 30 CEOs in the world by Barron’s, one of the Top 10 CEOs in the U.S. by Glassdoor, and one of the Top 50 Management Thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. He is the author of the best-selling book “The Heart of Business – Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism.”
Read more and listen to the full episode on TheMentorsRadioShow.com or through the podcast player below.
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This week on THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Tim Grunhard, author of View from the Center: My Football Life and the Rebirth of Chiefs Kingdom.
Tim was an All-American offensive lineman at Notre Dame and a member of its 1988 National Championship team. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs where he played his entire 11-year NFL career at center, earning All-Pro status, and in 2021 Tim was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
Perhaps most impressive, Tim was a member of the All-Madden team, which says something about his toughness and tenacity. He has coached football at the professional, collegiate and high school levels. Tim is a special guest analyst for Sports Radio 810, is past President of the Chiefs Ambassadors organization and well-known for his exemplary community service.
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with multi-award-winning writer Jon Gertner about what many believe was the most innovative institution—public or private—in the world, Bell Labs.
It is the topic of Gertner’s first book, The New York Times best-seller, The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation. Bell Labs’ inventions and discoveries are too long to list, but include the vacuum tube, the transistor, the silicon chip, the solar cell, microwave and fiber optic transmission, UNIX, and for you TV fans, even the Big Bang Theory. A seasoned science and technology feature writer with The New York Times Magazine, Jon’s writing and book reviews have also appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Book Review, and Wired Magazine.
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with retired Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky about how the Army prepared him for business leadership, how to develop the skills essential to effectively running a large company, the most exciting developments on the horizon in healthcare, and how capitalism can be a force for good.
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Renu Khator, Ph.D., Chancellor of the University of Houston system, as they discuss how teaching Gen Z is different from prior generations, and the unintended consequences that paying college athletes might have on University academic budgets and the future of “Olympic” sports on American college campuses. We’ll also discuss the impact AI is having on higher education.
In 2008, Renu Khator became the first female chancellor in the state of Texas and the first Indian immigrant to lead a comprehensive research university in the U.S. Under Renu’s leadership, the University of Houston earned Tier One status forresearch from the Carnegie Foundation, and opened Houston’s first medical school in more than 50 years. It’s more than tripled the number of National Academy members on the faculty, and dramatically improved graduation rates.
Dr. Khator has been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has served on numerous boards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the NCAA, the American Council on Education, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Additionally, Renu has been an advisor to several Indian prime ministers. She has been named Houstonian of the year, inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, received a Houston Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award and, in 2014, Indian President Mukherjee presented her with the Samman Award, the highest distinction bestowed upon a non-resident Indian. Born in India, she earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Purdue.
In this episode, The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse talks with Joe Montana, one of the greatest football players in history, a four-time Super Bowl champion.
As Montana famously put it, “Always be prepared to start,” which sums up his approach to life on and off the field. Widely respected by teammates, coaches and colleagues as a phenomenal leader, Montana teaches us how to get the most out of those around us and how to perform under pressure.
We’ll also learn how Montana parlayed his team leadership skills into a very successful career as an angel investor and “Unicorn” picker. Without a doubt, Joe Montana personifies excellence and personal integrity, both on and off the field. He is one of the toughest quarterbacks ever to play the game and his trademark was unflappable poise in the clutch, earning the nickname “Joe Cool.” Yet the word most closely associated with Joe is not winner — it’s leader.
Listen to the recorded conversation below. You can find show notes and past episodes at the home of The Mentors Radio.
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In this episode, THE MENTORS RADIO Host Dan Hesse talks with Jimmy Roberts, a 15-time Emmy Award-winning sports reporter and writer for NBC, ESPN, and ABC Sports, about how athletes break out of slumps.
Jimmy Roberts has had what most people would think of as an interesting run. During a 30-year career in network television, he has spoken at the United Nations, and interviewed a convicted murderer behind the walls of Attica State Penitentiary. He has traveled with the heavyweight boxing champion to meetings with Nelson Mandela in Soweto and the Pope at the Vatican … and had dinner at the White House with the president of the United States. That said, he is primarily known as a sports reporter who has chronicled 19 Olympic Games, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NBA Finals, Wimbledon, and, of course golf, where he has covered more than 70 major championships, 15 Ryder Cups, and since 2012 has been the signature voice of Augusta National’s acclaimed digital platform MASTERS.COM.
Roberts has earned numerous distinctions, including a Golf Writers Association of America award, The Metropolitan Golf Association Distinguished Service Award, and the Lincoln Werden Journalism medal.
He is also a prolific writer. For two decades Roberts has been the featured back page columnist for Met Golfer (NY) Magazine. His most recent book, the bestseller “NO ONE WINS ALONE” (Simon & Schuster,) written in 2021 with hockey legend Mark Messier, discusses motivation and performance lessons from one of professional sports greatest leaders.
Listen to the recorded conversation below. You can find show notes and past episodes at the home of The Mentors Radio.
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In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Dantalks with Robert Parker, a man widely considered the most powerful critic of any genre in history, about changing careers to pursue a passion. Pulitzer-prize winning media critic David Shaw, in his two-part Front Page profile for the Los Angeles Times, called wine critic Robert Parker “the most powerful critic of any kind, anywhere.” Parker’s impact on the wine world has been unrivaled, and many others agree that no critic of any genre, be it theatre, movies, music, art or fashion, has been as influential in their industry as Robert Parker has been in wine. Internationally acclaimed and recognized, Parker is the only wine critic ever awarded France’s highest Presidential honor, which he received twice, from France’s Presidents Chirac and Mitterrand.
Listen to the recorded conversation below. You can find show notes and past episodes at the home of The Mentors Radio.
RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO
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In this episode, Host Dan Hesse talks with Sister Donna Markham, PhD., an Adrian Dominican Sister and immediate past-president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. During her ministry there, she led the implementation of national initiatives directed at alleviating the suffering of vulnerable people in the United States.
Donna has dedicated the majority of her life as a licensed and board-certified clinical psychologist to the ministry of personal and global healing. A writer, speaker and faith-driven leader, she is actively engaged in global peace initiatives and processes of reconciliation that have taken her across the world.
Sister Donna received a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Detroit. She is also the recipient of ten (10) honorary doctorates and has been named each year for the past eight years, as one of the Top 50 nonprofit leaders in the U.S. by The NonProfit Times. Most recently, Sister Donna was honored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her extraordinary leadership on behalf of humanity. In August 2023, she received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. And perhaps most impressive of all, Sister Markham was the answer to a question on Jeopardy!
Listen to the recorded conversation below. You can find show notes and past episodes at the home of The Mentors Radio.
RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO
Listen to the show live on Salem Radio in San Francisco or via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide.
Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s a highly acclaimed writer, known for her ability to distill and convey complex ideas—from science to literature to stories from her own life—with levity and clarity.
Gretchen has an affinity for new tools and platforms, and has cultivated a vast, passionate audience who actively engages with her and her work across many channels. With millions of copies of her New York Times bestselling books sold, more than 220 million downloads of her Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, an enthusiastic following on her newsletters and social media, helpful and beautifully designed products, and the award-winning Happier app, Rubin engages her audience wherever they are and wherever they want to be. An experienced and sought-after speaker, she makes regular appearances across the media landscape.
As the founder of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin has helped create an ecosystem of imaginative products and tools to help people become happier, healthier, more productive and more creative.
Listen to the recorded conversation below. You can find show notes and past episodes at the home of The Mentors Radio.
RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO
Listen to the show live on Salem Radio in San Francisco or via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide.
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO,Dantalks with Ambassador John Negroponte.
Few diplomats in history have served our country so well, for so long, and in so many key positions as today’s guest, Ambassador John Negroponte. Ambassador Negroponte has been U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines and Iraq and he has also been U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He held a cabinet level position as America’s first Director of National Intelligence under President George W. Bush.
His most recent position in government was as Deputy Secretary of State, where he served as the State Department’s Chief Operating Officer. John has received numerous awards in recognition of his more than four decades of public service, including the State Department’s Distinguished Service Medal on two separate occasions, the highest award which can be conferred by the Secretary of State, and in 2009 President Bush awarded him the National Security Medal for his outstanding contributions to U.S. national security.
In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Dan talks with Shelly Lazarus, an American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame member and Chairman Emeritus of Ogilvy. You’ll learn how this mother of three bypassed the typing pool to become the CEO of advertising giant Ogilvy for 15 years. Shelly shares her views on building brands, the importance of authenticity, what real beauty means, and how to achieve success and happiness in life and career.
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Dan talks with Ursula Burns, Chairwoman of Teneo and founding partner of private equity company Integrum Holdings. But Ursula is best known for serving as Chairwoman and CEO of Xerox during a 36-year-career there, where she became the first black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
In addition, Ursula serves on several private company boards, while also providing leadership counsel to several community, educational and non-profit organizations including the Ford Foundation, the MIT Corporation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Mayo Clinic, among others. President Obama appointed her to lead the White House national program on STEM and she served as Chair of the President’s Export Council. Since February 2022, Ursula Burns has served as Vice Chair of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness.
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Dan speaks with Mark Donovan, President of the back-to-back World Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Donovan is responsible for all aspects of the club’s business operations and also serves as the President of Arrowhead Events, the arm that brings major events to Arrowhead Stadium, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During Mark’s 15 years with the Chiefs, the team has become one of the most iconic brands in the world of sports and earned four Super Bowl berths in the last five years, winning three.
In this episode of Dan talks with Greg Graves, retired Chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell. Greg led one of the fastest-growing and most successful engineering, architecture, construction and environmental consulting firms in North America. In his 13 years as CEO, employment (and therefore the number of employee-owners) quadrupled, revenues grew 10-fold to $3 Billion, and the company produced an average ROI in excess of 25% each year – all organically. Fortune Magazine listed Burns & McDonnell among it’s Top 100 Best Places to Work list six times, reaching #14 in 2014. His best-selling book Create Amazing about employee ownership has held the #1 positions in the Business, Human Resources and Democracy categories at Amazon.
In today’s episode, Dan talks with John Stanton, one of the creators of the wireless industry, the founder of multiple companies including T-Mobile USA, and now Chairman and CEO of the Seattle Mariners and Chairman of Trilogy Partnerships. John also serves on the Boards of Directors of Costco and Microsoft, the world's most valuable company today.
Learn the evolution of the wireless industry and why fans are driving changes to the most traditional of games—America’s national pastime—baseball.
John is truly a wireless pioneer, co-founding three of the top 10 wireless operators in the U.S. during the last 40 years. John helped found McCaw Cellular where he was Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman, which became the largest wireless operator in the U.S. and which was sold to AT&T to become AT&T Wireless. He then founded Western Wireless where he served as Chairman and CEO until it was acquired by Alltel, and he founded Voicestream, where he served as Chairman and CEO, selling it to Deutsche Telecom in 2001 for $50.7 billion. Deutsche Telecom renamed the company T-Mobile USA and it remains headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. John also served as Chairman of Clearwire until it was sold to Sprint in 2013. John is a member of the Wireless Hall of Fame.
In this week’s episode, Dan Hesse talks with Steve Case, one of America’s most influential tech visionaries, the CEO of the investment firm Revolution, the founder and former CEO of AOL, and the author of The Rise of the Rest. In addition to learning how entrepreneurs can make a great pitch to investors, we’ll discuss how innovation is moving to America’s heartland, rejuvenating major cities, and why this is so important to our country’s future.
Steve Case co-founded AOL in 1985. Under Steve’s leadership as CEO, AOL became the largest and most valuable Internet company on the planet, driving the worldwide adoption of a medium that has transformed business and society. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Revolution LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm that backs entrepreneurs at every stage of their development. The Rise of the Rest Seed Fund has invested in more than 200 startups in more than 100 U.S. cities, in partnership with many of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors. Steve was recently named co-chair of the National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an organization aimed at celebrating and accelerating entrepreneurship.
RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO
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In this episode of The Mentors Radio, host Dan Hesse talks with one of the greatest baseball players of all-time, Hall of Famer George Brett.
George is the only major league player in history to win batting titles in three decades, and the only player ever with 3000 hits, 300 home runs, 600 doubles, 100 triples and 200 stolen bases. In addition to a career batting average of over .300, he retired as the American League’s all-time leader in being walked intentionally.
During George’s 21-year career with Kansas City, the Royals had 15 winning seasons with seven post-season and two World Series appearances, winning the World Series in 1985. A gold glove third baseman, his #5 was retired by the Royals, and George was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the 8th highest vote tally of all-time. Read the full entry at TheMentorsRadio.com.
RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO
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In this episode, host Dan Hesse talks with Manfred Krankl, the successful builder of multiple businesses including the restaurant Campanile and the bakery La Brea, but he is best known as a winemaking icon.
Manfred is the founder, owner and winemaker at Sine Qua Non, which has redefined the term “cult wine” and earned 25 perfect 100 point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, more than any winery in the world during this time period according to my research. Krankl is an innovator with unusual wine bottle shapes plus his own art that changes each year. According to Chat GPT, Sine Qua Non wines have appreciated more in value in the last decade than any wine in the world, including the famous French Burgundy Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. His new winery Next of Kyn is yet another remarkable success.
In this episode of The Mentors Radio, host Dan Hesse talks with Tom Wheeler. Currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, Tom Wheeler is a businessman, an author of many books and former Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) from 2013 to 2017.
As an entrepreneur, Wheeler started and helped start multiple companies offering offering innovative cable, wireless and video communications services. He is the only person to be selected to both the Cable Television Hall of Fame and the Wireless Hall of Fame.
Prior to being appointed to the FCC, Wheeler was president and CEO of the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) and following NCTA, he was the CEO of several high-tech companies. For 12 years, Tom Wheeler served as president and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA). Read the full entry at TheMentorsRadio.com.
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