The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor

The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor

The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor explores strategic planning, strategy execution, and executive leadership in complex organizations. Hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, Founder & Principal of SME Strategy, the show features conversations with CEOs and senior leaders on business strategy, organizational alignment, leadership development, and change management. Episodes examine real trade-offs, decision-making, and the practical structures that turn strategic plans into measurable results and sustained team performance. Designed for CEOs and executive teams responsible for making strategic plans work in the real world. Learn more: https://www.smestrategy.net Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/

Episodes

The Apple Store Architect on Hiring Baristas, Killing Commissions, and Inventing the Genius Bar

August 6, 2026 • 25 mins
Ron Johnson built the Apple Store from scratch. He was also CEO of JCPenney and led the design-for-all era at Target. In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, he walks Anthony Taylor through the specific counterintuitive bets that made Apple retail the most successful launch in the history of the category. The list is longer than most people realize. He hired baristas and librarians instead of technology experts, be...
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How Tracy Nolan Led 24,000 People Through the Largest Telecom Merger in US History

July 30, 2026 • 27 mins
What does it take to lead 24,000 people through the largest telecom merger in US history — during COVID — and come out the other side with a stronger team? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor sits down with Tracy Nolan, SVP at Humana and board member at Dress for Success. Tracy has driven $31B in revenue through a $6B operating budget across a Fortune 100 career that includes leader...
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High Performance Under Pressure - Dr Justin Anderson

July 23, 2026 • 22 mins
Dr. Justin Anderson CEO of Premier Sport Psychology and Premier Performance Advising Justin’s work has supported Hall of Famers, All-Pros, world and national champions, and organizations across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA, NWSL, Olympic sports, collegiate athletics, and executive leadership spaces.He shares insights on how elite performers achieve their success through mental frameworks, attention management, and intent...
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From Google to Salesforce: A Transformation Leader on Why People Resist Change | Travis Hahler

July 14, 2026 • 29 mins
What if resistance to change isn't stubbornness or rebellion, but biology? Travis Hahler has spent nearly two decades sitting between great strategies and the people who have to adopt them, and he has a startling answer for why so many transformations stall: change signals threat to the human brain, and most leaders have no idea they are triggering it. In this episode of the SME Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor ...
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Canada's $3 Trillion Blind Spot: Kendra MacDonald on the Ocean Economy

July 7, 2026 • 22 mins
The global ocean economy is doubling in size to three trillion US dollars. Canada, a country with the longest coastline in the world and the fourth largest ocean territory, sits at roughly fifty billion. Kendra MacDonald calls that gap the opportunity of a generation, and she left one of the largest professional services firms on the planet to go after it. In this episode of the SME Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Tay...
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Never in Doubt: A Strategy Playbook From Former WWE President George Barrios

June 30, 2026 • 28 mins
Note: This episode contains some strong language. When a recruiter called George Barrios about a CFO job, George was treasurer of The New York Times Company. His verbatim reaction when he heard the company was WWE: "are you fucking kidding me?" He took the role anyway. Twelve years later, the stock had gone from $15 to $100, and he had helped engineer the largest acquisition in sports entertainment history. In this episode of the S...
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How a 15 Person Floor Heating Company Became the North American Leader | John Rose

June 23, 2026 • 27 mins
Three computers, no fridge, and 15 employees. That was Nuheat when John Rose walked in. Sixteen years later it was the North American leader in its industry, and John says culture is the reason why. In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with John Rose, former President and CEO of Nuheat Industries, advisor, investor, and board director, about what 16 years at the helm of a market leader ta...
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A Navy Captain on Trust, Self-Doubt, and Leading Under Pressure | Jenn Donahue

June 16, 2026 • 19 mins
What does it actually take to lead when the stakes are life and death, and what happens when those same pressures show up in a boardroom? According to Jenn Donahue, the answer starts not with strategy or skill, but with the voices inside your own head. In this episode, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jenn Donahue, PhD, PE, retired U.S. Navy captain, international keynote speaker, business coach, and USA Today bestselling author of Be...
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Selling Zico to Coca-Cola and Buying It Back | Mark Rampolla

June 9, 2026 • 26 mins
What happens when you build a global brand, sell it for $200 million, and realize it's not what you want? According to Mark Rampolla, the real lesson isn't about the exit or buyback. It's about understanding that growth isn't something you do. It's something you become. In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Mark Rampolla, founder and CEO of ZICO Coconut Water, co-founder and managin...
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Fighting for Flawless: A Fighter Pilot and F1 Insider on Building High-Performance Teams

June 2, 2026 • 22 mins
What separates teams that chase perfection from those that settle for good enough? According to Jason Richardson, it comes down to three things: the culture you build from the roots up, the trust you earn before you need it, and the ownership every leader takes for the environment their team lives in. In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jason Richardson, a former Royal Australian Ai...
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Your Team Is Watching You Panic: A 36-Year CEO on Leading Through Chaos

May 26, 2026 • 20 mins
What separates the leaders who scale from the ones who stall? According to Jim Remley, it comes down to three things: the expectations you set, the people you develop, and the financial discipline you build before you need it. In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jim Remley, founder of the largest independent real estate brokerage in Oregon and nationally recognized coach at eRealE...
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How a 102-Year-Old Real Estate Company Stays Relevant: Lessons from Sage CEO Jonathan Iger

May 19, 2026 • 29 mins
What if the secret to building a company that lasts over a century isn't disruption, technology, or even capital — but the discipline to put relationships before transactions, every single time? In this episode, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jonathan Iger, CEO and President of Sage, a 102-year-old commercial real estate company that has outlasted every recession, market shift, and industry disruption since 1924. Jonathan shar...
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The Three Levels of Financial Acumen That Separate Leaders from Operators with Tim Vipond

May 12, 2026 • 19 mins
Most executives will tell you they understand their business. Ask them to walk you through their financial statements, and the room goes quiet. In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Tim Vipond, Co-Founder and CEO of Corporate Finance Institute (CFI), about why financial acumen is a non-negotiable leadership skill and why the rise of AI is making it more critical, not less. Tim break...
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3x Inc 5000 Founder: Stop Buying Software. Start Buying Outcomes, with Dustin Domerese

May 5, 2026 • 29 mins
66% of tech projects never launch. 70% of the ones that do fail to deliver what leadership expected. The problem isn't the technology — it's the C-suite. 3x Inc 5000 founder Dustin Domerese joins Anthony C. Taylor to unpack why mid-market tech rollouts keep failing and what CEOs of $30M–$300M companies need to do differently. In this conversation: - Why your frontline workers aren't the adoption problem (and who is)- Th...
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Augment, Automate, Aspire: The 3 Tiers of AI Every Leadership Team Must Understand

April 28, 2026 • 26 mins
What if the biggest mistake leadership teams are making with AI isn’t about the technology at all? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Jeroen De Flander, international expert in AI Strategy and Strategy Execution, keynote speaker, and co-founder of The Performance Factory. Jeroen has worked with more than 500 companies worldwide and has spent decades helping organizations close...
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Eric Ries on Why Most ‘Best Practices’ Are Quietly Killing the Companies That Follow Them

April 21, 2026 • 30 mins
What happens when success itself starts pulling your company away from its mission? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author of Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad… and How Great Companies Stay Great. Eric is best known for The Lean Startup, a book that reshaped how modern companies are built. In this conversation, he expands on that foundati...
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How a 9-Figure Founder Aligns Leadership Teams Around What Actually Drives Value

April 14, 2026 • 26 mins
Why Your Leadership Team Isn’t Aligned on What Actually Drives Value with Lee Benson What happens when a leadership team can’t agree on what actually drives value? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Lee Benson, a multi-exit CEO who has built and sold companies ranging from seven to nine figures and developed a practical methodology for aligning teams around what matters ...
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The Creator Economy Is Just Getting Started with Greg Selkoe of XSET

April 7, 2026 • 28 mins
The Creator Economy Is Just Getting Started with Greg Selkoe of XSET What happens when culture, gaming, media, and entrepreneurship converge? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Greg Selkoe, a serial entrepreneur who has spent his career building culture-driven companies at the intersection of media, commerce, and community. Greg is the Co-Founder and CEO of XSET, a gaming lifestyle ...
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Chris Deaver, Former Apple & Disney Leader | Culture as the Operating System of Strategy

March 31, 2026 • 29 mins
Many organizations focus heavily on strategy, but the real differentiator inside high-performing organizations is culture. While strategy sets direction, culture determines whether teams can collaborate, innovate, and execute consistently over time. In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony C. Taylor sits down with Chris Deaver, culture architect, leadership coach, and co-author of Brave Together. Chris i...
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Applying AI Responsibly Without Overengineering or Chasing Hype with Daniel Hindi, CEO of NOEM.ai

March 24, 2026 • 24 mins
Applying AI Responsibly Without Overengineering or Chasing Hype with Daniel Hindi, CEO of NOEM.ai Many organizations are rushing to adopt artificial intelligence, but leaders often struggle with where to start and how to apply it responsibly. While AI promises efficiency and automation, the real challenge is using it strategically without overengineering systems, chasing hype, or creating unnecessary fear within teams. In this epis...
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