I want to connect the brightest, most driven, most talented people, people that are on a mission

to do good at meaningful scale. And to do that, boy, you better have a big enough mission

for them to kind of wrap their hearts around. If you think purpose is just a bland little word for your mission statement, let me tell you, you're missing out.

Welcome to How Leaders Lead. I'm David Novak, and every week I have conversations with the very best leaders in the world to help you become the best leader that you can be.

My guest today is Hayes Bernard, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Goodleap,

which helps homeowners finance upgrades that make their homes more sustainable.

He's also got a fantastic foundation, and I can't wait for you to hear more about it,

because I'm telling you, Hayes is a guy who is driven to making a lasting impact in the world.

And he's proved positive that when you lead with a clear sense of purpose, the impact goes way

beyond the bottom line.

It creates connections between people, ideas, and teams. Today, you're going

to see how it's done. Plus, he's got some great stories from his time working with Elon Musk and

Larry Ellison, and you do not want to miss out on those. So here's my conversation with my good

friend and soon to be yours.

Hayes Bernard.

We're going to get into all that you're doing at Good Leap and, you know, all of your major leadership insights.

But first, I want to take you back a little bit and have you start at the beginning.

You know, what's a story from your childhood that shaped the kind of leader you are today?

Oh, man. I mean, I think there's so much. It's funny. When I meet people like you or other extraordinary

leaders that done extraordinary things, the last couple of years, I ask them, once I get to know

them a little bit, I'll say, okay, is it daddy issues, near-death experience, learning disability,

all three, two of the three. And most of the time, they'll have two of the three. And so for me,

...