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How Leaders Lead with David Novak

#236: Mark Shapiro, President and COO of TKO; President and Managing Partner of WME Group – Set clear expectations

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8 • 596 Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If your team isn’t delivering, it might not be a lack of effort or strategy. It might be a lack of clarity. In this episode, David sits down with media and entertainment legend Mark Shapiro. He’s the President and COO of TKO and the President and Managing Partner of WME Group, and prior to that helped lead ESPN and Six Flags.  He shares how clear expectations and feedback are key to creating momentum and results. It’s a great mix of stories and insights that will have you both laughing and strategizing!  You’ll also learn: The first thing to do in a new leadership role One huge factor to consider in making in-person/remote work decisions What you need to do to win over skeptics How to set clear expectations and hold your team to them Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go  Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's an eat what you kill world, right?

0:01.7

People have to deliver.

0:03.3

Now, they need to know the expectations.

0:05.3

They need clear feedback.

0:06.9

They need performance reviews.

0:08.5

They need resources and tools, right?

0:11.2

They need help getting there.

0:13.2

But as long as everyone understands up front what we're aiming for, what the measure and the metrics of success are, then it's full throttle to get there.

0:22.7

And if you get there, everyone wins.

0:32.7

We all want better results, but a lot of leaders skip the most important step to getting him.

0:39.0

Welcome to How Leaders Lead. I'm David Novak, and every week I have conversations with the very

0:44.0

best leaders in the world to help you become the best leader that you can be. My guest today is

0:49.8

Mark Shapiro, one of the top minds in media and entertainment. He's the president and managing partner of WME Group, plus the president and C.O.

0:59.8

Of TKO, which owns top sports brands like UFC and WWE.

1:05.7

And prior to all that, he was the creative force that helped make ESPN the powerhouse that it is today.

1:13.5

Now look, you don't carve out a career like that unless you know how to get results.

1:18.6

And as you'll see today, Mark delivers those big results in part because he sets clear expectations.

1:25.9

If you want to create a results-driven culture,

1:29.2

and let's be honest, who doesn't?

1:31.9

Keep watching and see how it's done.

1:34.3

And I got to tell you,

1:35.5

this episode is packed with great stories,

...

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