Podcast Summary: How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Episode: 3 More Questions (Greg Johnson)

Date: June 2, 2025
Host: David Novak
Co-Host: Koula Callahan
Topic: Deep dive on leadership lessons from Greg Johnson—owner of the San Francisco Giants and executive chairman at Franklin Templeton.

Overview

In this “3 More Questions” episode, David Novak and Koula Callahan reflect on key leadership insights from their recent conversation with Greg Johnson. They discuss empowering teams, balancing analytics with the human element, and setting the right cultural tone at the top—especially across diverse, global businesses. David shares his personal leadership philosophy with rich anecdotes from his tenure at Yum! Brands and draws on wisdom from other world-class leaders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Empowering People to Own Decisions

Segment: 01:19 – 03:46

• Resisting the urge to override: Greg Johnson emphasized supporting rather than overruling his team’s decisions.

• Asking the right questions: Leaders should prompt their people to find answers themselves, fostering true ownership.

  “Telling isn’t selling... The most powerful decision you can ever make is when you come up with it on your own.”
  —David Novak [01:44]

• Practical approach: David shares a strategic question he asked as a leader:

  • “What perception, habit, belief do you have to change, build or reinforce to grow the business? Or to take people with you?” [02:27]

• Ownership matters: When leaders let their teams make decisions, people experience greater joy and take more responsibility for outcomes.

• Notable wisdom: Larry Bossidy’s principle, shared via David:

  “You take the joy of the job away when you take the joy of the decision away.”
  —Referenced by Koula (Learned from Larry Bossidy) [03:11]

2. Balancing Analytics with the Human Element

Segment: 03:46 – 06:44

• Pitfall of over-analyzing: Greg noted that leaders can lose sight of the human factor if they fixate solely on analytics.

• Intuition vs. data: David cites Barry Diller’s approach, emphasizing the value of instinct and creativity even in data-driven industries.

  “You just can’t let data get in the way of making decisions... All the really great leaders have a creative instinct.”
  —David Novak [04:18]

• Creative courage: Great leaders ground themselves in facts but have the courage and creative vision to break new ground.

• Healthy debate: Productive conflict—putting all analytics and creative ideas on the table for rigorous discussion—leads to better decisions.

• Magic mix: Leaders with both strong creative vision and sound judgment rooted in understanding will achieve “nirvana.”

  “If I have to pick one person... I want to have the person that has the creativity, the vision, the person that can see something that other people can’t see.”
  —David Novak [06:22]

3. Setting the Right Tone at the Top

Segment: 06:44 – 08:52

• Culture is priority #1: For global business, defining and living the organization’s values from the top is essential.

• Leading by example: Leaders must model the values and behaviors they want to see— “People will do what the leader does” [07:49].

• Recognition across cultures: Koula points out David’s success in introducing “the art of recognition” globally, despite initial skepticism.

  “People want to be cared about, and they want to be recognized when they do a great job... humanity is humanity, whether you’re in India, Saudi Arabia, the US, or Canada.”
  —Koula Callahan [08:25]

• Universal truth: Recognition and genuine care transcend borders—fundamental to team culture everywhere.

  “People are people everywhere. People wake up with the same kind of desires in Indonesia as they do in India or in Indiana.”
  —David Novak [08:52]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Empowerment & Ownership:
  “The most powerful decision you can ever make is when you come up with it on your own.” —David Novak [01:44]
• On Joy in Decision Making:
  “You take the joy of the job away when you take the joy of the decision away.” —Referenced by Koula (via Larry Bossidy) [03:11]
• On Creative Leadership:
  “If you are just a creative person but you have poor judgment, good luck... But if you’re a creative person who has good judgment and it’s really founded in an understanding, man, that’s when you find the magic in the bottle.” —David Novak [06:04]
• On Setting Culture:
  “If the leader says, ‘this is the way how we do business around here, this is what we really stand for,’ the people on the team... they’re going to do what the leader does. That’s just the way it works.” —David Novak [07:49]
• On Recognition Across Cultures:
  “People are people everywhere...that’s been proven to me over and over again.” —David Novak [08:52]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:19 – Empowering teams to own decisions
• 03:46 – Avoiding over-dependence on analytics
• 06:44 – Setting the tone at the top, especially globally
• 08:25 – Recognition and humanity in leadership

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, practical, and rich with both actionable advice and personal stories. David Novak’s leadership wisdom is offered with humility, humor, and hands-on examples, balanced by Koula Callahan’s enthusiastic and thoughtful contributions.

Summary

Listeners get a concise, masterclass-style session on three enduring leadership essentials: empowering decision ownership, blending analytics with creative instinct, and building a values-driven, people-first culture. The lessons are aspirational yet actionable, sharpened by stories from business, sports, and David’s own leadership journey.

For those wanting to elevate their leadership, this episode offers enduring principles and memorable moments—direct from two experienced voices at the intersection of sports and business.