The Burleson Box: A Podcast from Dustin Burleson, DDS, MBA Dustin Burleson DDS MBA

As the founder and host of The Learning Leader Show, a leadership podcast with millions of listeners in more than 150 countries, Ryan Hawk inspires excellence in leaders looking to take their game to the next level. Forbes called his first book Welcome to Management – How to Grow From Top Performer to Excellent Leader, “the best leadership book of 2020.” Hawk's second book, The Pursuit of Excellence, sold through its first print run in eight hours. It explores the uncommon behaviors of the world’s most productive achievers. Forbes wrote, “The Pursuit of Excellence is the most dynamic leadership book of 2022 delivering a masterclass on how to apply the most useful habits to real life.”

In this episode, Ryan Hawk and Dustin Burleson dive deep into the concept of excellence, exploring the difference between external and internal scoreboards, the role of self-awareness in achieving excellence, and practical strategies for overcoming fear and resistance.

Robert I. Sutton is an organizational psychologist and best-selling author of eight books. He studies leadership, innovation, organizational change, and workplace dynamics. Sutton has published over 200 articles, chapters, and case studies in scholarly and applied outlets. His main focus over the past decade is on scaling and leading at scale—how to grow organizations, spread good things (and remove bad things) in teams and organizations, and enhance performance, innovation, and well-being given the distinct challenges in big organizations.

Sutton has published eight books and two edited volumes. These include (with Jeffrey Pfeffer) is The Knowing-Doing Gap (Harvard Business School Press, 2000), selected by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten as one of the best 100 business books of all time. Weird Ideas That Work (The Free Press, 2002), selected by the Harvard Business Review as one of the best ten business books of the year. Sutton and Jeffrey Pfeffer then published Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense (Harvard Business School Press, 2006), selected by Toronto’s Globe and Mail as the top management book of 2006 and by Strategy+Business (in 2011) as one of the best 10 books in the last decade.

The No Asshole Rule (Business Plus, 2007), is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and and Businessweek bestseller—and been translated into more than 20 languages and sold over 900,000 copies. Good Boss, Bad Boss (Business Plus, 2010) is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. In 2014, Sutton and Huggy Rao published Scaling-Up Excellence, a Wall Street Journal bestseller that was selected as one of the best business books of the year by Amazon, Financial Times, Inc., The Globe and Mail, and Library Journal. The A*****e Survival Guide (HMH, 2017) was selected as book of the month by the Financial Times, and featured in outlets including The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, New York Magazine, and Vox.

Sutton’s latest book (with Huggy Rao) is The Friction Project (St. Martins, 2024). This book unpacks insights from their seven-year learning adventure where Sutton and Rao used academic research, case studies, classes and workshops, and ongoing dialog with scholars, executives, and innovators to learn how smart organizations make the right things easier and the wrong things harder and do it without driving employees and customers crazy.

Dr. Karyn Gordon is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and CEO of DK Leadership Inc., a global leadership coaching company that serves international giants like Coca Cola and Magna International. Her TED Talk, ranked among the World’s Top #10 most popular in 2022, with nearly 6 million views. Holding a Doctorate in Marriage and Family and additional leadership certifications, she has spoken to millions of individuals over her 25-year career, including CEOs, family businesses, leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, and parents. Dr. Karyn is also a media personality and has consulted for prominent platforms such as Good Morning America, LIVE With Kelly & Mark, The New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Her leadership book, "The Three Chairs: How Great Leaders Drive Communication, Performance & Engagement," reached #2 on the Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling charts. Dr. Karyn’s mission is to develop great leaders at work and home, earning her a nomination for the 2022 Canadian Entrepreneur Award.

Coach Cupps is in his 23rd year as a head coach and 12th season at Centerville.

In the classroom he leads students in two leadership classes for which he wrote the curriculum. His Foundational Leadership class focuses on leading oneself while Transformational Leadership explores how to best lead others.

Cupps is a high school graduate of Graham High School, has an undergraduate degree in Secondary Math Education from Capital University, and earned his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Dayton.

On the court, Cupps has earned several coach of the year honors while guiding his Centerville teams to multiple sweet 16 and elite 8 appearances. His 2021 team recorded a school record 26 wins on the way to the Division I State Championship, the first in school history.

In addition to his time at Centerville and Graham, Cupps spent five summers helping coach the North Coast Blue Chips where his son, Gabe, teamed up with Bronny James. The 'Chips' were a national sensation in the grassroots basketball world from 2014-2019, winning two youth National Championships along the way. He now coaches the 17U Midwest Basketball Club team playing on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. The 2021 MBC team finish 35-5 and as a top ten team in the country. Cupps also teaches leadership and writes a weekly blog at bluecollargrit.com Coach Cupps resides in Centerville, Ohio with his wife, Betsy, daughter, Ally (20), and son Gabe (17).

John Bowe is the award-winning author of I Have Something to Say (Random House, August, 2020). He is a speech and presentation consultant specializing in corporate and individual presentations. He has worked with students, business and charity leaders, entrepreneurs and executives from all over the world. He has given talks at the New York Public Library, the 92nd St. Y in New York City and many other companies and organizations.

John contributes regularly to CNBC about public speaking. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, McSweeney’s, This American Life, and is the author of numerous books. His work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and he has appeared on CNN, The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart, the BBC, and many others. He lives in New York City.

Karen Eber is an author, keynote and TED speaker, culture transformation expert, and leadership development whisperer. She has worked on both sides of the desk as a Consultant, Head of Culture & Leadership Development at GE and Deloitte.

She is known for providing clarity on the Why and the Way, sharing what you need to hear, especially when hard. She will show you how to build leaders, teams, and culture, one story at a time.

Her book, The Perfect Story: How to Tell Stories that Inform, Influence, and Inspire was a Next Big Ideal Club must-read selection and published with HarperCollins in October 2023.