They Said I Wasn’t Ready — So I Became the CEO (SmartBear's Dan Faulkner)

Bezos' Law - Chai Atreya, Chief Product Officer at ActiveCampaign, once helped build Amazon Alexa under Jeff Bezos.During one internal review, Bezos made a single comment — short, specific, and completely unexpected — that changed everything.He looked at the team and said:“I want Alexa to respond in under five seconds.”That one sentence forced every engineer to rethink what “great” really meant.They reimagined the architecture, redesigned the systems — and eventually, brought response times even lower.That’s "Bezos' Law":The tighter the constraint, the bigger the breakthrough.I was honestly in awe hearing how that single challenge reshaped Amazon’s design culture — and even more amazed at how Chai is now weaving that same mindset into ActiveCampaign’s AI to help small and midsize businesses scale faster, smarter, and simpler.It’s inspiring stuff — and it’ll change how you think about innovation, leadership, and speed.🎧 Hear the full story on the interview — it’s one of those “I’ll never build the same way again” moments.Your Turn: Have you ever had one short, sharp lesson from a leader that completely changed how you think or work?-----Follow Chai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atreya/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

He didn’t say he was ready. He proved it quietly.When I sat down with Dan Faulkner, CEO of SmartBear, he told me he was once passed over for a leadership role because he “hadn’t done it before.”The cruelest ceiling isn’t glass — it’s being boxed in by your own expertise.Being great at something… and never trusted with more.Instead of waiting for permission, Dan built his own readiness.He studied marketing at night.He learned product and finance from scratch.He said yes to the jobs no one thought he could handle.That rejection didn’t end his path — it defined it.He stopped asking for chances and started creating them.“You’re the steward of your own career,” he told me.“If you’re not driving it, you’re going to get the default.”Sometimes the most powerful motivation isn’t belief from others —it’s the doubt they hand you.Ever been told you weren’t ready?What did you do next?-----Follow Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfaulkner/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Leadership Under FireHe Led Troops in Combat — Now He Leads Billion-Dollar CompaniesI first met Lance Olmsted, now President of IFS Copperleaf, expecting a story about discipline and precision.What I didn’t expect was how deeply human it would be.Lance served as a U.S. Marine. He learned to lead in the most uncertain environments imaginable — where hesitation could cost lives AND empathy wasn’t optional.That’s right...empathy.And you’ll never forget why when you hear his story.Those lessons stayed with him and became a positive guiding force.Today, he’s guiding global teams and helping industries use AI to make smarter, faster decisions.Before that, he helped drive a $1 billion unicorn exit by applying the same mindset that got his Marines home safe:✅ Focus on the mission, not the noise.✅ Act fast and adapt faster.✅ Build trust before you need it.✅ Lead with empathy, even under fire.His story is proof that military leadership still works — not because it’s rigid, but because it’s built on resilience, clarity, and purpose.Leadership isn’t about power — it’s about people. What’s your take?-----Follow Lance on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-olmsted-98708568/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Leaders Miss ThisMatthew Fitzpatrick, CEO of Invisible Technologies—the #2 fastest-growing AI company in America—leads with a principle many overlook:AI may power the future, but people give it purpose.What makes Matt’s leadership stand out isn’t the speed of growth—it’s the intentionality behind it.He reminds us that real progress doesn’t come from louder voices or faster code.It comes from people.From listening.From slowing down long enough to get it right.Here are a few principles he shared that every leader—AI or not—can use:🔹 “The loudest voice is often, if not always, wrong.” Quiet thinkers find the biggest breakthroughs.🔹 Hire great people, then trust them to listen deeply to customers.🔹 Bad data at scale isn’t innovation—it’s chaos.His boldest move as CEO?Removing layers of hierarchy so 380+ people can think and act like owners.This isn’t just about AI.It’s about leading with integrity, empathy, and purpose—when the pace of change feels relentless.👉 How do you keep leadership human in an AI-driven world?-----Follow Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-fitzpatrick-97b62722/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Sacrifice No One SeesJakub Vanek, Chief Operating Officer at Genpact Americas, has moved six times across four countries while scaling teams of thousands inside a $5B global organization.He admits the hidden cost of leadership isn’t just jet lag or late nights in the office—it’s missing his wife’s birthday, missing holidays, and asking himself the same question many ambitious professionals face: Family or Career?But here’s the opportunity: Jakub learned that the real measure of leadership isn’t the title or the miles traveled—it’s the relationships you keep along the way.“Sooner or later, this executive position will stop… Just keep those relationships.”That reminder hit me hard. The choice doesn't have to be family or career—that’s the trap. Real leadership is designing a path where both thrive together.👉 What have you learned about protecting what matters while chasing your career?-----Follow Jakub on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubvanekeurope/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Under Pressure, Leaders RiseWhen I spoke with Cyrill Kellerhals, COO of Andelyn Biosciences, I was struck by how calm and grounded he was while describing some of the toughest leadership moments of his career.At Novartis, one of the industry’s legendary companies, he encountered the kind of regulatory challenge that every leader dreads — a moment that could define the company’s future.Instead of panicking, he led his team through it and turned it into a success.Later, he carried those lessons into scaling a $34M operation and building a $200M biopharma facility. But what impressed me most wasn’t the numbers — it was the way he talked about leading with humility, purpose, and service to his people.His story is a reminder that real leadership isn’t about avoiding pressure. It’s about how you show up when the stakes are highest.-----Follow Cyril: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrill-k-82a73152/Lean more about Andelyn Biosciences: https://www.andelynbio.com/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Most leaders say they want transparency.But when the pressure’s on, many unintentionally create cultures where people hide mistakes.Camilo Rueda — CEO of Aeropost and former U.S. Navy Submarine Officer — learned this lesson the hard way, thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.As a young officer, one bad call almost ended his career. In that moment, he had two choices:👉 Hide the mistake and hope it stayed buried👉 Or raise his hand, take ownership, and face the consequencesHe chose ownership.It cost him in the short term — but it built the trust and resilience that later fueled his journey from the Navy to McKinsey to CEO.What struck me most in our conversation was this:“Real ownership isn’t solving everything yourself. It’s raising problems early, so you can solve them together.”That mindset shift changes everything.It turns mistakes into momentum, and pressure into perspective.💭 When leaders say “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions,” does it actually push teams to chase the “perfect” answer — and wait too long to speak up?-----Follow Camilo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilo-rueda-5a62669/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Real leadership begins the moment your team starts to doubt you.Jeff Meredith, CEO of Chamberlain Group, has lived that moment. He took a 70-year-old garage door company and transformed it into a global tech powerhouse with 14M+ connected users. But as Jeff shared with me, the toughest part wasn’t the technology or the strategy—it was earning back his team’s trust in the middle of massive change.That resonated deeply with me. Because when the ground shifts under your feet, no business model or innovation will save you if your people stop believing.Jeff opened up about the leadership mistake that nearly cost him his team—and the exact steps he used to win them back. His story is a reminder that transformation isn’t just about vision; it’s about belief.If you’re leading through uncertainty, Jeff’s example proves one thing: no leader succeeds alone.-----Follow Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-meredith-90a744112/Learn more about Chamberlain: https://www.chamberlain.com/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Erase silos. Unite the company. Rebuild trust—fast.When I first heard Amy Martin, CMO at TruWest Holdings, talk about her “One Number” strategy the TURNAROUND stopped me in my tracks.She didn’t know if leaders would embrace it… or fight to protect their own KPIs.But once it landed, everything changed:-True C-suite alignment-Faster growth-A culture of shared accountabilityInstead of sales and marketing chasing different goals, they now share the exact same revenue target.In our conversation, Amy shares how she:-Won buy-in without causing whiplash-Turned resistance into trust-Built teams that row in the same directionIf your teams are working hard but not together, this is one you don’t want to miss.-----Follow Amy on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyallenmartin/Learn more about TruWest: https://truwestholdings.com/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter

Everyone tells their teams to “use AI.”But as Lucas Mendes (CEO of Revelo) told me, that almost never works.Employees don’t resist because they’re lazy.They resist because new tools feel intimidating, misunderstood, or disconnected from what really matters in their day-to-day.That’s where leadership comes in.Lucas shared how he turned an almost-failing startup into the backbone of AI — a network of 400k+ engineers powering the world’s top tech companies.But more importantly, he revealed how to get teams to actually change how they work — even when the future feels uncertain.If you’ve ever given a directive and wondered why nothing changed, this episode is for you.🎥 I Turned a Failing Startup Into the Backbone of AI (400k+ Engineers)-----Follow Lucas on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmzmendes/Learn more about Revelo - https://www.revelo.com/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter