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 that you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

That's what this podcast is all about.

And today's guest is Kevin Johnson, the CEO of Starbucks. But before we go any further, I just have to ask you a question.

Do you ever feel like your organization is super duper complex? Like it takes forever to get anything done? Well, if so, congratulations, you are

normal. It's a pretty common issue, especially if you lead in a big organization or one that's

growing quickly. Now, obviously, Starbucks is a massive company. They operate in 82 countries with something

like 383,000 employees, but they're still able to innovate and adapt quickly. In fact, they have a

saying I love. They can go from idea to action in 100 days. This works because Kevin uses

something called distributed leadership, where associates are empowered to make decisions themselves,

but they're also given common values and a strategy that guides them. Kevin tells us how we can use the same principles

to stop getting bogged down and instead unleash some really great energy and innovation in our own

organizations. So here is my conversation with my good friend and soon to be yours, Kevin Johnson.

Kevin, thanks so much for taking the time to be with us.

Well, David, it's great to be here with you today.

You know, I've done a little homework and I understand you and I have,

we're both fans of the great late John Wooden.

I actually spent a morning with him at his home, his apartment

in Encinito, California, and I interviewed him on leadership, and it was just a fascinating morning

because I had a leadership program. I used to teach it at Young Brands. What made you become such a fan

of John Wooden? Well, you know, growing up, my father played basketball

when he was a young man, and he would talk to me about one of the greatest coaches in NCAA

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