{"podcast":{"title":"Lead the Team (Top 2% of Podcasts)","slug":"lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768","podcast_index_feed_id":1064768,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/leadtheteam/","website_url":"HTTPS://benfanning.com/blog","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/10af0b95-04e6-42cc-b03d-73690ea3bb8a/QKJ4Hxs4kaKpd554m1ArvK6B.jpg","author":"Ben Fanning","episode_count":480,"summary":"Real CEOs. Real Stories. Hosted by Ben Fanning—2025 Gold Stevie Award winner for Best Business Podcast and ranked in the Top 2% globally—Lead the Team draws on over 600 CEO interviews to take you inside the minds of leaders from brands like Honeywell, HP, IBM, Dunkin’, and L’Oréal. In each episode, you’ll hear raw, unfiltered stories of leading through rapid growth, high-stakes decisions, and make-or-break moments—plus the CEO-tested tools and strategies they use to build high-performing teams. From turning around billion-dollar brands to sparking innovation at scale, these leaders share lessons you can put into action right now to lead your own team better. Subscribe now. ------------- https://www.benfanning.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfanning/","last_synced_at":"2026-09-23T12:21:49.293200+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768"},"episode":{"title":"The Impossible Decision That Shaped This CEO | Doug Braun","slug":"the-impossible-decision-that-shaped-this-ceo-doug-braun","published_at":"2026-08-04T19:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768/the-impossible-decision-that-shaped-this-ceo-doug-braun","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768","url":"http://www.benfanning.com/theceosessions/doug-braun","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/a9896e64-435f-4fac-9307-fb635d925bbe.mp3","summary":"What does it take to make the kind of decision that changes how you lead forever? In this episode of Lead The Team , Ben Fanning sits down with Doug Braun , CEO of eProductivity Software (EPS), to discuss the leadership experiences that shaped his philosophy long before he became CEO. Doug shares the unforgettable story of a company making the difficult decision to walk away from a customer representing nearly half of its revenue, and how witnessing that moment taught him one of the most important lessons of his career: great leaders choose long-term success over short-term comfort. The conversation also explores leading through acquisitions, building trust across organizations, embracing AI, and why Doug believes every leader should spend more time listening than talking. Whether you're a CEO, executive, entrepreneur, or aspiring leader, you'll walk away with practical insights on courageous decision-making, leadership under pressure, organizational transformation, and building cultures where people can thrive. In this episode: The leadership decision that shaped Doug's career Why great leaders choose \"fast pain\" over \"slow pain\" Building trust during mergers and acquisitions Leading people through uncertainty and change How AI is transforming leadership and manufacturing Practical leadership lessons every executive can apply If you enjoy conversations about leadership, business, AI, and executive performance, be sure to follow Lead The Team for new episodes featuring world-class leaders and actionable insights. ----- Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning Speaking and Training inquires Subscribe to my Youtube channel LinkedIn Instagram Twitter","meta_description":"What does it take to make the kind of decision that changes how you lead forever? In this episode of Lead The Team , Ben Fanning sits down with Doug Braun…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2001,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768/episodes/the-impossible-decision-that-shaped-this-ceo-doug-braun/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768/the-impossible-decision-that-shaped-this-ceo-doug-braun.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}