HOW Conversations

For this episode of HOW Conversations, Dov Seidman spoke with Angela Ahrendts. Angela is an incredibly inspirational person who has always endeavored to put heart and humanity at the center of business. Her list of accomplishments is long: she’s the former CEO of Burberry, a former Senior Vice President at Apple Retail, she’s also a member of the HOW Institute for Society’s board of directors and she recently joined the Save the Children International as the Chair of the Board. Dov and Angela's conversation touches on leading with empathy and the importance of human connection at work.

In this installment of the HOW Conversations podcast, co-host Dana Born had the honor of chatting with her former classmate at the Air Force Academy, retired U.S. Air Force General David Goldfein. General Goldfein – who prefers to be called Dave now that he’s retired - dedicated his life’s work to serving the United States, notedly referring to his job as a sacred duty. During his time as a command pilot he was shot down, rescued and led missions to rescue others. By the time Dave retired in 2020 he was the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, overseeing almost 700,000 service men and women - a tremendous leadership responsibility and one that he did not take lightly. Listen as Dana and Dave discuss the importance of serving with humility, courage and building a strong moral character.

Ajay Banga is the former Executive Chairman and CEO of Mastercard, during Ajay’s 12-year tenure, Mastercard’s revenue tripled, but what makes Ajay so admirable is how he led Mastercard with his heart, putting moral decency at the center of the culture and of all decision making. He has proven that companies can do well by doing good. Ajay's conversation with Dov Seidman took place in 2021 just as Ajay was wrapping up his time at Mastercard and he was reflecting on how he, and other leaders at the company, had paused and then pivoted to help employees deal with the many ups and downs of the pandemic.

Ellen Ochoa is a real trailblazer – she became the first Hispanic woman to go to space and the first Hispanic and second woman to serve as the director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. All in, Ellen has spent more than 1000 hours in space. She spoke with The HOW Institute's senior fellow, Dana Born, about how redefining failure has helped her succeed as an astronaut and a leader.

Retired 4-star general and former Air Force chief of staff, David Goldfein, joins HOW Conversations with HOW Institute senior fellow Dana Born. David and Dana attended the Air Force academy together and discuss leading with service-first mentality. David talks about taking a pause when making tough decisions and using character as a foundation.