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. Today I'm joined by Bernie Marcus,

the co-founder of the Home Depot. At 93 years young, Bernie is an absolute icon. The Home Depot

broke the mold for retail and is continuing to succeed where lots of other retailers are struggling.

And that's because of the foundation that Bernie set.

And you can really understand why when you spend time with Bernie. From the very beginning,

he made decisions based on what's good for the customer. Because for Bernie, customer service

isn't just a transaction. It's a relationship. If you want to succeed in your work, you've got to take care of your customer and do right

by them.

And this conversation is going to get your wheels turning with ideas to do just that.

And it's going to have you laughing because I got to tell you, Bernie has got some incredible

stories and he does not hold back. So here's my conversation with

my good friend and soon to be yours to one and only Bernie Martins.

Hey Bernie, here you are. You're 93 years old and you just released a brand new book,

Kick Up Some Dust. Why did you feel it was the time for you to tackle this project?

Well, frankly, a lot of it had to do with the coronavirus.

I was locked up the way everybody else was.

I'm an active kind of a guy and I wanted to do things, and what best then write a book.

And I found Catherine Lewis, who was great. I'm not a good writer. I speak well, but I don't

write well, and Catherine was perfect for me, because she was able to take my words, put them in a book.

And I think that the book is basically what I think and how I feel.

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