The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor28 Okt 2025

Inside Fortune 50 Leadership: Curiosity Lessons from Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay & Humana with Dr. Debra Clary

How can leaders inspire innovation, engagement, and performance without relying on having all the answers? In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Dr. Debra Clary, author of The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions, and former executive at Frito Lay, Coca Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and Humana. Across more than three decades in Fortune 50 organizations, Dr. Clary has helped leaders shift from transactional to transformational cultures by building curiosity into the core of how teams think and perform. Her research reveals a direct correlation between curiosity and leadership effectiveness and shows how leaders who ask bold questions create more engaged, innovative, and high performing teams. In this conversation, Dr. Clary shares how leaders can turn curiosity into a strategic advantage, foster cultures of openness, and drive long term growth by asking better questions. ► Work with us to facilitate your strategic plan:https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Leading-Strategy-Execution ► Learn more about our courses:https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator In this episode, you’ll learn: ☑️ Why curiosity is a leadership advantage and not a luxury ☑️ How asking better questions creates more engaged teams ☑️ Ways to balance direction with curiosity as a leader ☑️ The four factors of the Curiosity Curve framework ☑️ How to build a culture where innovation thrives This episode is for: ▶️ Executives and managers seeking to unlock team potential ▶️ Leaders driving organizational change or transformation ▶️ HR and L&D professionals focused on engagement and performance ▶️ Anyone ready to lead with questions instead of just answers About the Guest Dr. Debra Clary is an author, researcher, and leadership expert who spent over 30 years in Fortune 50 organizations including Frito Lay, Coca Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and Humana. As the founder of Clary Consulting, she helps leaders and organizations build cultures of curiosity that drive growth and transformation. Her book, The Curiosity Curve, was published by Fast Company Press. Learn more: https://debraclary.com/ Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdebraclary/ About the Host Anthony Taylor is the CEO, Founder, and Senior Facilitator at SME Strategy. With over 14 years of experience, he helps leadership teams create alignment, implement strategy, and achieve results worldwide. Connect with Anthony: linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604 About SME Strategy SME Strategy is a management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and implementation. We help organizations align their teams around a shared vision so they can focus on what truly drives results. Learn more: smestrategy.net Podcast produced by: Rednyne Productions

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(368)

He Led 4,500 Engineers Through the Dell-EMC Merger. Now He Runs the Company Behind the Jet Card

Alan Walsh is President of Sentient Jet, the company that invented the private jet card. Before that, he spent 20+ years at Dell and EMC, including leading the 4,500-person Global Support Center team ...

1 Sep 24min

Why Franchisees Quit the Idea, Not the Brand: Ex-Tropical Smoothie CEO Mike Rotondo

Most franchise CEOs chase the wrong number. Mike Rotondo — who's led Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Edible Arrangements, and Altitude Trampoline Parks, and now runs pet care franchise Skiptown — explains why...

20 Aug 21min

The Apple Store Architect on Hiring Baristas, Killing Commissions, and Inventing the Genius Bar

Ron Johnson built the Apple Store from scratch. He was also CEO of JCPenney and led the design-for-all era at Target. In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, he walks Anthony Taylor th...

6 Aug 25min

How Tracy Nolan Led 24,000 People Through the Largest Telecom Merger in US History

What does it take to lead 24,000 people through the largest telecom merger in US history — during COVID — and come out the other side with a stronger team? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadershi...

30 Jul 27min

High Performance Under Pressure - Dr Justin Anderson

Dr. Justin Anderson CEO of Premier Sport Psychology and Premier Performance Advising Justin’s work has supported Hall of Famers, All-Pros, world and national champions, and organizations across the NF...

23 Jul 22min

From Google to Salesforce: A Transformation Leader on Why People Resist Change | Travis Hahler

What if resistance to change isn't stubbornness or rebellion, but biology? Travis Hahler has spent nearly two decades sitting between great strategies and the people who have to adopt them, and he has...

14 Jul 29min

Canada's $3 Trillion Blind Spot: Kendra MacDonald on the Ocean Economy

The global ocean economy is doubling in size to three trillion US dollars. Canada, a country with the longest coastline in the world and the fourth largest ocean territory, sits at roughly fifty billi...

7 Jul 22min

Never in Doubt: A Strategy Playbook From Former WWE President George Barrios

Note: This episode contains some strong language. When a recruiter called George Barrios about a CFO job, George was treasurer of The New York Times Company. His verbatim reaction when he heard the co...

30 Jun 28min