Welcome to How Leaders Lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the

very best leaders in the world. I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode,

you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader. That's what

this podcast is all about. There's one maximum leadership that I am sure

applies to every situation. If you want a high performing company, you need to build a high

performing team. And we all want to get the most from our teams, but what did they need from us as leaders in order to

succeed? That's the question we need to ask. Fortunately for us, I'm talking with Mark Irwin

today. Now, this is a guy who has spent decades building and leading strong teams. He's currently

the president and CEO of Bardstown Bourbon, so you might want to

have a shot of that, where he and his team are doing incredible things to stand out in a really

crowded category. And get this, he spent 25 years serving in the army where he led the super elite delta force on countless top

secret missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, I'm just going to go ahead and say it. If you live in

America, you're safer today because of the way Mark Irwin built and commanded his teams.

And as we mark the anniversary of 9-11 this week,

I sure as heck am grateful for that fact. Some really incredible things are possible when we as

leaders build strong teams. And Mark says that starts by equipping them properly. That can be in the

army, that can be in the private sector, that can be in

the public sector. It's anywhere where you have to have people moving forward aligned to drive

great results. If you're ready to see how that's done, keep listening, because here's my

conversation with my good friend and soon to be yours, Mark Irwin.

Mark, you spent 25 years in the Army

and commanded every level of our nation's

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