TEC CANADA’S LEADERSHIP STANDARD PODCAST PRESENTS
Unlocking Greatness with Don Yaeger: First-Hand Lessons from Legendary Sports Icons
What You Will Learn
1
How to Determine a Loss vs a Failure
Don recounts Michael Jordan’s perspective on losses versus failures and a memorable basketball experience with him.
2
Leadership Lesson from Coach John Wooden
Don shares his 12-year experience learning from Coach Wooden and the significance of having and being a mentor.
3
Mind Over Matter
Don shares his journey from backup basketball player to NBA success and overcoming thyroid cancer, emphasizing the importance of a positive mindset during challenging times and maintaining enthusiasm throughout his career.
In this episode, host Jamie Mason Cohen welcomes Don Yaeger, an award-winning keynote speaker, a twelve-time New York Times Best-selling author, and executive leadership coach, to TEC Canada’s The Leadership Standard Podcast. Don is also the host of the top-rated Corporate Competitor Podcast, which earned recognition among America’s top 50 podcasts in 2020 and was listed by Spotify in the top five percent of the most followed and shared podcasts in the world by 2022.
During the conversation, Don attributes his storytelling ability to his preacher father’s influence and his own decades-long study of the craft. Jamie and Don explore the value of asking insightful interview questions, with Don revealing his own strategy for extracting success insights that have driven his achievements.
Don is a 12-time New York Times bestselling author and executive leadership coach at National Geographic and is revered as an unparalleled storyteller. He was a longtime Associate Editor at Sports Illustrated and has received endorsements by luminaries like John Maxwell and Simon Sinek, seeing him as the “best storyteller they have ever worked with”. His expertise attracts engagements with industry giants including CEOs of Disney and Bank of America and appearances on influential platforms like Oprah and CNN.
Through this podcast episode, Don offers invaluable leadership insights, emphasizing the importance of curiosity, trust-building, and maintaining an optimistic mindset. Discover how his approachability and enthusiasm have enhanced his leadership effectiveness, and gain insights from his many exemplary leadership examples.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00:00: Don Yaeger shares how his father’s storytelling inspired his own passion for storytelling.
00:05:00: Don discusses his father’s advice to ask successful people about their key habits, leading to valuable insights.
00:10:00: Don recounts Michael Jordan’s perspective on losses versus failures and a memorable basketball experience with him.
00:15:00: Don talks about surrounding oneself with great people, referencing Michael Jordan and Coach Prime Deion Sanders.
00:20:00: Don shares his journey from backup basketball player to NBA success and overcoming thyroid cancer.
00:25:00: Don emphasizes the importance of a positive mindset during challenging times and maintaining enthusiasm throughout his career.
00:30:00: Don reflects on continuous self-improvement and proactively making career shifts, sharing his experience as a keynote speaker.
00:35:00: Don discusses the importance of authenticity and timing when asking deep questions and shares a story of orchestrating a meaningful meeting.
00:40:00: Don reflects on expressing gratitude to past mentors and shares examples of others doing the same.
00:45:00: The hosts discuss leadership lessons from John Wooden, emphasizing the importance of mentors and guiding others to new experiences.
00:50:00: Don shares his 12-year experience learning from Coach Wooden and the significance of having and being a mentor.
Don’t miss this opportunity to supercharge your leadership skills! Tune in now to The Leadership Standard Podcast for a dose of inspiration, practical insights, and strategies from a leader who’s been there, done that, and continues to thrive. Your leadership journey is about to reach new heights—click play and join the conversation!
Don Yaeger
Longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated and 12-Time New York Times Best-Selling Author, Don Yaeger, has been blessed to interview the greatest winners of our generation. Don’s first book, Undue Process: The NCAA’s Injustice for All, was published in 1990. In the 30 years since, he has penned 30 more books, including:
- Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton
- A Game Plan For Life with legendary coach John Wooden
- Best Seat in the House with Jack Nicklaus II
- Teammate with 2-Time World Series Champion David Ross.
In addition to regular media appearances over the years on almost every major talk show – from Oprah to Fox & Friends, from CNN to Good Morning America – Don speaks to corporate audiences around the globe 60 times each year.
Watch Jamie Mason Cohen and Don Yaeger’s Conversation
About The Leadership Standard Podcast
The Leadership Standard, hosted by TEC Canada speaker and leadership development and resilience expert, Jamie Mason Cohen, features in-depth conversations with subject matter experts all across the business spectrum.
Featuring thought leadership and actionable insights to challenge your assumptions – and inspiring stories of business triumphs, struggles, and perseverance that provide a motivational push – every episode of The Leadership Standard is a revealing discussion about the life of business and the business of life.
