How Leaders Lead with David Novak
Hosted by David Novak
A former Fortune 500 CEO interviews iconic leaders from sports and business to distill their practical, hard-won lessons.
This is a long-form interview show where a veteran CEO uses his own experience to probe other high-achievers on their methods, failures, and philosophies. Novak's background as the head of Yum! Brands gives him a peer-level credibility with C-suite guests, leading to conversations grounded in shared operational realities. The show publishes both full-length video interviews and a high volume of short, topical clips for wider distribution.
“Unlike many interviewers, host David Novak has run a global public company, allowing him to engage with CEO guests as a peer and ask questions grounded in the specific challenges of scaling a massive organization. The guest list is consistently high-caliber, focusing on sitting CEOs and legendary performers.”
Who hosts this show
David Novak is the co-founder and former Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, the global company operating KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. After retiring in 2016, he founded David Novak Leadership, a development organization, and launched this podcast to share actionable insights from other successful leaders. He is also a best-selling author on the topic of leadership.
Credentials & credits
- Co-Founder, Retired Chairman & CEO of Yum! Brands, Inc.
- Author, including the NYT bestseller "Taking People With You"
- Founder & CEO of David Novak Leadership
- Former President of KFC and Pizza Hut
- Former COO of Pepsi-Cola Company
- BA in Journalism, University of Missouri
Other ventures
- David Novak Leadership (digital leadership platform)
- The Novak Leadership Institute at the University of Missouri
- Lead4Change (student leadership program)
- Lift a Life Foundation (philanthropy)
- Global Game Changers (curriculum for Pre-K to 5th grade)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01The BIGGEST Mistake Remote Teams MakeJun 27, 2026 · 1 min
- 02You're Only New Once. Use It.Jun 26, 2026 · 37s
- 03Stanley Cup Champions All Have This in CommonJun 26, 2026 · 51s
- 04Want to Stand Out? Stop Following TrendsJun 26, 2026 · 46s
- 05World Cup Moment When Landon Donovan Hit Rock BottomJun 26, 2026 · 5 min
- 06The Hidden Reason Most Companies Stop GrowingJun 25, 2026 · 57 min
Notable episodes
- 01The Hidden Reason Most Companies Stop Growing (with Dave Ritterbush)
A deep dive into the practicalities of scaling a consumer brand, covering topics from product differentiation and supply chain to hiring philosophies like 'builders vs. managers'.
- 02World Cup Moment When Landon Donovan Hit Rock Bottom
A vulnerable conversation with soccer legend Landon Donovan about facing depression and an identity crisis after a major professional setback, and how therapy was crucial to his recovery.
- 03The BIGGEST Mistake Remote Teams Make (with Hayden Brown)
A concise, actionable segment with the CEO of Upwork on the non-obvious requirements for building a strong culture in a remote-first company, like intentional in-person touchpoints.
What you'll be asked on this show
The format is typically a one-on-one remote video interview with a split-screen view. Novak guides the conversation from a guest's personal history to specific leadership challenges and philosophies. Many episodes feature a concluding "Lightning Round" and a solo "Debrief" where Novak summarizes the key takeaways.
Questions David Novak keeps coming back to
- “What's the biggest lesson that you learned from a failure that still sticks with you?”
- “What did you learn at [previous company] that's really helping you at [current company]?”
- “Tell me about a specific failure that taught you something really important.”
- “How do you think about leading at home?”
- “What's one piece of advice you'd give to anyone who wants to be a better leader?”
- “Tell me a story from your childhood that shaped the kind of leader you are today.”
- “What's a question you ask yourself before you hire somebody?”
- “If your company were a book, what chapter would you say you're writing today?”
- “How do you go about making people feel valued at every level?”
Signature segments
- · Lightning Round
- · Debrief/Takeaways Segment
- · Shorts (short, topical clips from full interviews)
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically C-suite executives from major corporations (CEOs of Starbucks, Target, Upwork), founders of disruptive companies (Home Depot, Califia Farms), and legendary athletes or coaches (Tom Brady, Landon Donovan, Deion Sanders).
- Landon Donovanon World Cup Moment When Landon Donovan Hit Rock Bottom
- Dave Ritterbushon The Hidden Reason Most Companies Stop Growing
- Hayden Brownon The BIGGEST Mistake Remote Teams Make
- Brad Richardson Stanley Cup Champions All Have This in Common
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Based on the episodes reviewed, the podcast does not appear to feature traditional third-party sponsor reads. It functions as a central piece of content marketing for David Novak's broader leadership development brand and non-profit ventures.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host, David Novak?
- David Novak is the co-founder and retired Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell). He is now a leadership author and runs the non-profit David Novak Leadership.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases multiple clips and full episodes on a weekly basis.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is primarily a one-on-one interview show, released in both long-form video and as shorter, topical clips. Some episodes include a 'Lightning Round' and a 'Debrief' segment.
- Who are the typical guests?
- Guests are iconic leaders, primarily current and former CEOs of major companies, founders, and elite athletes and coaches.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]David Novak Leadership (Official Site)davidnovakleadership.com
- [02]How Leaders Lead Podcast (Official Site)howleaderslead.com
- [03]David C. Novak - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [04]David Novak Biography - Horatio Alger Associationhoratioalger.org
- [05]David Novak Bio - All American Speakersallamericanspeakers.com
- [06]How Leaders Lead with David Novak - Podchaserpodchaser.com
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