Don Yaeger on Leadership Lessons Learned from John Wooden and Coach K and the Habits that Set Apart the Greats

The L3 Leadership Podcast with Doug Smith

Episode Summary: In this episode of the L3 Leadership podcast, Don Yeager joins Doug to talk about what he’s learned from influential leaders, storytelling, and his writing career.

About Don Yaeger: As an award-winning keynote speaker, an eleven-time New York Times Best-selling author, host of the top-rated Corporate Competitor Podcast, Executive Leadership Coach, and longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, Don Yaeger has fashioned a career as one of America’s most provocative thought leaders.
He is primarily sought to discuss lessons on achieving Greatness, learned from first-hand work alongside some of the greatest sports and business legends in the world. Additionally, Don has been retained by companies and organizations to coach their leaders on building a culture of Greatness, using the framework built through his exhaustive study of Great Teams in sports and business, discerning the lessons we can learn from them. Throughout his writing career, Don has developed a reputation as a world-class storyteller, in fact, renowned thought leaders such as John Maxwell and Simon Sinek have called Don the best storyteller they have ever worked with! Because of these achievements, Don has been invited as a guest to every major talk show – from Oprah to Fox Business News, from CNN to Good Morning America.
Don began his career as a reporter for the San Antonio Light where he rose through the ranks to pen investigative features for the daily. He later moved on to the Dallas Morning News. Following his stint in Dallas, he worked as a political editor for the Florida Times-Union. After four years, he decided to dedicate himself to the pursuit of writing books. Don’s first book, Undue Process: The NCAA’s Injustice For All, was published in 1990. In the 30+ years since, he has penned more than three dozen books, including an incredible ELEVEN New York Times Best-sellers.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Don has traveled extensively through his career. A graduate of Ball State University where he was selected as one of the university’s “50 Graduates of Distinction” over its first century and subsequently was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2022, Don now resides in Tallahassee, Florida. He and his wife, Jeanette, have a son (Will) and a daughter (Madeleine).

4 Key Takeaways:
1. Don talks about how he’s been able to meet with and be mentored by various influential leaders throughout the years and shares some wisdom he’s learned about interviewing leaders.
2. He shares some tips for leaders who may want to get better at storytelling.
3. Don gives advice to people who want to write books.

4. He talks about some of the most influential leadership moments he’s witnessed and what he’s learned from those interactions.

Quotes From the Episode:
“One thing that I always look for are ways to ask the hard question.”
“You need to be really passionate about whatever it is you’re going to write about.”
“We have to remember that what we do matters, and we have to be reminded who it matters to.”

Resources Mentioned:
Don’s Books

Connect with Don:
Website | Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube