Stan McChrystal has spent a lifetime attempting to mitigate risk: importantly, in the military, and critically now in the corporate sector. He concluded that we don’t handle risk very well – at both the individual and organizational level. This reality had been percolating at the back of his mind for quite some time. The events of the last few years brought these issues to the front burner, and are the topic of his latest book, Risk: A User’s Guide. This mini-series on No Turning Back will...

Stan and Chris know the power of the Operations & Intelligence or O&I brief. As a part of Stan's efforts to transform Joint Special Operations Command, he leaned on Operations & Intelligence brief, or the O&I. It was a tremendously powerful tool that connected countries around the globe and drove the "battle rhythm" of the counterterrorist force.   This week's guest, Jeff Sonnenfeld, runs a similar forum at Yale University. Jeff, the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership...

No Turning Back has reached an important milestone: 50 episodes. In honor of this, we wanted to release some of the most thought-provoking moments from our guests. We’ve noticed some shared themes over these 50 episodes: leading through COVID-19, building strong, trusting networks, the importance of diversity and inclusion, the dangers and benefits of technology, as well as some odds-and-ends leadership insights.

Meet Norman Wright, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer at UnitedHealth Group. Norman, a long-time friend of McChrystal Group, brings a calm, analytical mind and 34 years of experience to the conversation with Stan and Chris. Norman speaks to the protests following George Floyd's murder, shares what it was like to fight against the war that is COVID-19, and how he thinks about balancing the risk of healthcare transformation when change is needed.

Meet Michael Dowling, the President and CEO of Northwell Health, the biggest healthcare provider in the State of New York. Their hospitals, like many around the country, battled against COVID-19, and are now responding to the variants spreading rapidly across the country.   Michael has fascinating leadership observations from COVID-19 that translate well to every challenge. In the conversation, he shares his own personal story of resilience, differentiates having a title from being a...

Meet Brad Smith, former CEO of Intuit and its current Executive Chairman of its Board of Directors. Stan and Chris are fascinated by how Brad transformed Intuit, diving into leadership lessons learned while Brad was at the helm for 11 years. A West Virginia native, Brad Smith has most recently founded the Wing 2 Wing Foundation, aiming to provide education and entrepreneurial support to Americans in underserved communities. He applies the same customer-driven innovation principles that made...

Meet Lidia Fonseca, an executive who sits at the center of both the technology and the pharmaceutical industries. Lidia is the Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Pfizer and is responsible for the company's technology, data, and digital efforts. Her team was critical in developing the Pfizer vaccine - one that has given citizens everywhere hope after COVID-19. Stan and Chris speak to Lidia about how Pfizer and healthcare will be different after the pandemic, why...

What can a New Zealand rugby team teach you about leadership? This week, Stan and Chris speak to James Kerr to discover the answer to that question. James Kerr, a bestselling author, speaker, and business consultant, brings an inquisitive mind and practical observations to the conversation. Stan and Chris explore some of the lessons learned from James's best-selling book, Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life, examining the symbols, rituals, practices, and values...

This week, Stan and Chris speak with Jake Harriman, the Founder and CEO of More Perfect Union and former Infantry and Force Recon Platoon Commander in the Marine Corps. Jake has lived a life in service to others, focusing on international poverty, as well as the dangers of political extremism in the United States. After spending his childhood in West Virginia, Jake matriculated to the United States Naval Academy – and upon graduating, went on to serve in the Marine Corps as an Infantry and...

This week, Stan and Chris take some listener questions - and speak to some of the burning topics on their minds. As we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic and look to the future of leadership, they took 40 minutes to dive into what they, and our listeners, are thinking about. They reflect on helpful lessons from communicating in a remote environment, consider the relationship between leadership and ego, as well as the tensions between habits, rule-following, and adapting to be efficient...

This week, Stan and Chris speak to Ruba Borno, Senior Vice President and General Manager in Cisco's Customer Experience organization. Stan first met Ruba when she was Chief of Staff to the CEO at Cisco and has been impressed at how Ruba has been a “make it happen” executive throughout the years. Ruba has her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and spent time at Boston Consulting Group before coming to Cisco in 2015 - where she has been Vice President of Growth Initiatives and Vice President and...

This week, Stan and Chris speak to Lisa Gevelber, the Chief Marketing Officer, Americas Region at Google, and Vice President of Grow with Google. Lisa has had a fascinating career. A student of Psychology, Lisa started her career at Proctor and Gamble, working at a variety of companies (some start-ups) before moving to Google in 2010. Stan and Chris speak with Lisa about the challenges of technology equality, how she is building trusted networks with community partners to promote economic...

This week, Stan and Chris speak to Gautam Mukunda. Gautam is an expert in leadership who says he aims to have the world's most confusing resume. Gautam is a Jeopardy champion, former consultant, and a Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy's Center for Public Leadership. He has degrees from Harvard, Dartmouth, and MIT and is the host of Nasdaq's "World Reimagined" podcast. Gautam speaks to leadership and power, the risks of having "superstars" on teams, and gives us a new perspective on the story...

This week, Stan and Chris speak with Jeevan Kalanithi and Michael Fleischman of OpenSpace. Jeevan is the CEO, and Michael is the Co-founder and Chief Scientist of OpenSpace, which provides cutting-edge technology for capturing and mapping job sites. Jeevan and Michael speak about building a narrative around new technology, how OpenSpace could have helped with Boston's Big Dig Project, and how tech start-up leaders are unique.

In light of the recent Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, Stan and Chris revisit a conversation they had with Jamil Farshchi, the Chief Information Security Officer at Equifax. Jamil has had a distinguished career in information security transformation: he was the first-ever Chief Information Security Officer at Time Warner and worked with both Home Depot and Equifax to build safer networks after their respective cyber breaches. Jamil shares the importance of building culture in our teams and...

This week, Stan and Chris sat down with Henrik Andersen, President and CEO of Vestas Wind Systems. Henrik is leading in an industry that is driving large-scale, global change – shifting how people think, one wind turbine at a time. Henrik shares the importance of letting your leadership grow, trusting your team even in complex crises, in a world increasingly dependent on renewable energy.

This week, Stan and Chris speak with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Patty Horoho, former Army Surgeon General and 23rd Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. Patty is the current CEO of OptumServe, a health services and innovation startup within United Health Group. Patty shares insights from her military career, her strategic viewpoint on healthcare, and what it was like to trailblaze as the first female and nurse Surgeon General.

This week, Stan and Chris speak with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Patty Horoho, former Army Surgeon General and 23rd Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. Patty is the current CEO of OptumServe. Patty shares insights from her military career, her strategic viewpoint on healthcare, and what it was like to trailblaze as the first female and nurse Surgeon General.

This week, Stan and Chris sit down with Christiana Riley, CEO of Deutsche Bank USA Corporation. After a decades-long career in Germany, Christiana moved to NYC to lead the bank's American branch six months before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Christiana shares the power of communication in an essential global bank, why trust is an outcome and not an input, and what American society can learn from the German economy.

This week, Stan and Chris sat down with Lisa Jaster, a US Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel and Engineer, and one of the first three women to graduate Ranger School. While most candidates go to Ranger School in their 20s, Lisa was 37 when she graduated from the Army's grueling 62-day training course. Lisa reflects on the role of women in special operations, how fitness is key to her lifestyle and leadership in the military and private sector, and how she refuses to "let the quit in" when facing...

This week, Stan and Chris sit down with Jim Hackett, former CEO and President of Ford Motor Company. Jim is no stranger to the CEO role: at 39 years old, Jim was the youngest CEO of Steelcase. He brings decades of expertise to the conversation, discussing why leadership is the intersection of high empathy and high ego, how to build precision at scale, and reveals what businesses can learn from mouses and elephants.

This week, Stan and Chris sat down with Paul Fipps, former Chief Experience Officer at Under Armour and current Senior Vice President of Customer and Partner Excellence at ServiceNow. A former infantry soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division, Paul reflects how the Army shaped his leadership style. Paul discusses taking on “non-obvious roles” in companies to develop new skill sets, how and why you should be creating "epic experiences" for customers, and what questions you should be asking as...

This week, Stan and Chris speak with Tristan Harris, the Co-Founder & President of the Center for Humane Technology, the primary subject of the Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” and former Design Ethicist for Google. He brings years of experience in the technology sector to the conversation, focusing on social media's pervasive influence on how we think and interact. Between the addictive nature of our devices and how much influence something as little as the “like” button has on...

This week, Dr. Atul Gawande, surgeon, author, and public health researcher, dives into the importance of leadership in the healthcare space. He was a member of President Biden’s COVID-19 transition advisory team and shares his unique perspective on the world’s response to the pandemic. An expert in his field, Dr. Gawande, discusses the similarities between doctors in the operating room and world leaders responding to COVID-19, why checklists and voicing up save lives, and what questions you...

Sam Kennedy, President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, says he works in the “toy of department of life,” providing joy, distraction, and excitement for fans nationwide. Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell sat with Sam at the beginning of the Red Sox’s Spring Training and discussed Sam’s three priorities for the Red Sox: winning games, preserving Fenway Park, and being active in the community. Sam shares what it’s like to lead in a fishbowl with some of the nation’s most enthusiastic fans and why...