The Long Game with Eric Becker
The Long Game with Eric Becker is a podcast that explores how to build enduring businesses and legacies in a culture obsessed with short-term wins. Hosted by bestselling author and entrepreneur Eric Becker, founder of Cresset, the show features conversations with founders, CEOs, and multigenerational leaders. Guests share the decisions and discipline required to evolve from startup to lasting enterprise. The podcast challenges the notion of building for exit, advocating instead for building as if you'll own the business for a century.
Episodes
Top Leaders Share the Best Question They've Ever Been Asked
Being a successful leader isn't about having all the answers; it's about asking the right questions. In this episode, Eric brings together conversations with top executives to explore the questions that shape great leadership. Years ago, Eric Becker ran a contest with 80 board members and 20 CEOs and asked them: "What's the best question you've ever asked or been asked?" The winning response was o
Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt: What Most Turnaround CEOs Get Wrong
For James Daunt, saving bookstores didn't start with technology or corporate strategy; the key was re-establishing booksellers. In this episode, retail turnaround leader James Daunt breaks down one of the most remarkable retail turnarounds in recent years. He shares how he helped revive Barnes & Noble with an unconventional approach focused on creating a personalized experience customers can't fin
Biltmore Postgame Play: Implement the Family Meeting
For Biltmore Estate's fifth-generation leaders, Chase Pickering and Ryan Cecil, the family meeting isn't just a tradition; it's the foundation for a family legacy. In this Postgame episode, Eric Becker shares how the strongest family businesses build structure and governance long before moments of crisis arrive. Eric also reflects on his own experience creating an "ethical will," and how it b
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks on the Business of Play
For Chris Cocks, staying relevant as a 100-year-old company means knowing which principles to protect and which ideas to reinvent. In this episode, Eric Becker sits down with Chris to explore how iconic brands navigate innovation and rapid technological change. They discuss Hasbro's approach to deciding when to swing for the fences and when to play Moneyball. From creative risk-taking to the three
Ferragamo Postgame Play: Your Legacy is Customer Obsession
Across generations, the Ferragamo family has been on a first-name basis with the global luxury fashion world. In this Postgame episode, Eric explores the Ferragamo family's relentless focus on constantly evolving with its customers. Ferragamo has struck a balance in what it means to maintain tradition and craftsmanship with its longtime fans while also building a new customer base through spo
How a 100-Year Empire is Redefining the Future of Luxury
James Ferragamo is a third-generation leader and Chief Product Officer of Ferragamo, one of the world's most iconic luxury brands. For nearly a century, Ferragamo has set the standard for continuous reinvention throughout the unprecedented evolution of retail. Founded in 1927 by legendary shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo, the company grew from a small artisan workshop in Florence into a global fashio
Kim Seymour Postgame Play: Hire for Culture Add, Not Culture Fit
For SKIMS Chief People Officer Kim Seymour, great culture isn't built through company slogans; it's built on who you hire and what you tolerate. In this Postgame episode, Eric Becker explores Kim's philosophy on leadership and company culture, including why "culture add" is replacing "culture fit" in high-performing organizations, and why the strongest leaders are the ones who prioritizes relation
SKIMS Kim Seymour: The Culture Strategy Behind Breakout Brands
Kim Seymour, the first-ever Chief People Officer at SKIMS, joins Eric Becker for a conversation on leadership, company culture, and what it takes to build high-performing teams inside some of the world's most influential companies. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience across General Electric, American Express, WW International, Etsy, and now SKIMS, Kim shares how she's helped organizations nav
Stanford Life Design Lab Postgame Play: Design Your Life Questions from Listeners
In this special Q&A episode, Stanford Life Design Lab founders Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, answer pressing questions from our virtual audience. Together with Eric, they explore the fears, habits, and distractions that keep people stuck, and the small mindset shifts that can completely change how we approach work, relationships, and major life transitions. For entrepreneurs, executives, students,
The Blueprint for a Happier Life: Stanford Life Design Lab's Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
Eric Becker sits down with Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, founders of the Stanford Life Design Lab, to discuss how design thinking can help reinvent your life with purpose. Drawing from decades of teaching one of Stanford's most popular courses, they offer a practical framework for navigating the future of work, career transitions, life changes, and the pressure to "figure it all out." If you'v
McKissack & McKissack Postgame Play: Protect Your Legacy
For fifth-generation leader Cheryl McKissack Daniel, carrying a 230-year family legacy means owning every challenge and leaving the business better than she found it. If you're leading a family business, this is a can't-miss episode on what it takes to build a company that endures across generations. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-multi-gen-black-
From Serial Entrepreneur to Hospitality Legend: Larry Levy
If you've enjoyed a meal at a major sporting event anywhere in the country, chances are Larry Levy's team has served you. What began as a small delicatessen in Chicago has grown into one of the largest hospitality networks in sports, serving Major League Baseball, NFL stadiums, NBA arenas, as well as major events like the Kentucky Derby and the Grammys. Larry Levy is a pioneer in hospita
Bob Safian Postgame Play: Finding Your Leadership Edge in the AI Era
Former Fast Company Editor-in-Chief and Rapid Response host Bob Safian says the difference between companies that endure and those that fade often comes down to how clearly they understand who they are under the pressure of change. In this Postgame episode, Eric Becker unpacks his conversation with Bob Safian on the patterns of great leadership and why strategy is your story, particularly dur
How Great Leaders Will Emerge During the AI Revolution: Bob Safian
Bob Safian, former Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company and host of Rapid Response, has been described as having a "near clairvoyant ability" to spot emerging business trends early. Bob joins Eric Becker on The Long Game for a conversation on leadership, innovation, and the companies he's identified as category-defining. In this episode, Bob breaks down what makes a founder truly "backable," drawi
Mindy Grossman Postgame Play: The Courage to Make the Hard Call
For retail legend and transformative CEO Mindy Grossman, knowing when to walk away isn't just an instinct; it's a strategy for success. In this Postgame episode, Eric Becker shares how recognizing a moment of truth might just be your greatest asset. If your business has reached an inflection point, learn how Mindy built a career defined by bold risk-taking and building authentic company cultu
Mindy Grossman on Reinventing Retail Culture: Lessons from Oprah, Nike, and Ralph Lauren
Mindy Grossman is an experienced retail leader who spent her career building and scaling some of the world's most iconic brands, from Nike to Ralph Lauren to contributing to the evolution of HSN's retail ecosystem. Throughout her career, Mindy has helped organizations navigate change and pursue growth through strategic leadership and innovation. A relationship-driven mentor and a true architect of
United Airlines Postgame Play: Your Job Is to "Wow"
This Postgame Play focuses on Eric Becker's key takeaways from his conversation with United CEO, Scott Kirby, and his "every flight has a story" leadership mentality. Scott says one of the most critical long game plays for any business is simply to "WOW." For Scott, that means everything from redesigning the customer experience to preparing for industry shifts before competitors see them coming.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby: Big Bets Leading the World's Largest Airline
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, joins Eric Becker to discuss what it takes to lead the world's largest airline through periods of crisis and transformation. As United celebrates its 100th anniversary, Scott shares how he approaches leadership with a "startup mindset," and how the airline is elevating the customer experience through technology and radical transparency. With 100,000 employee
Blackrock Postgame Play: Lead through AI and a Radical Future of Work
As Chief Investment Officer of Global Fixed Income at BlackRock, Rick Rieder oversees more than $3.3 trillion in assets. In this Postgame, Eric Becker breaks down the surprising quality Rick Rieder looks for when investing in any company, and it's whether the CEO is willing to "be in the mess." For entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders navigating uncertainty or leading through change, thi
The Multi-Gen Black Family Who Built America: Dr. Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Dr. Cheryl McKissack Daniel, Chair of the Board, McKissack & McKissack, joins Eric Becker to share how she leads one of America's oldest family-owned businesses, spanning over 230 years and five generations. From enslaved ancestors who were master builders to leading a firm responsible for over $50 billion in construction projects, Cheryl shares lessons on leadership, resilience, and buildin
BlackRock's Rick Rieder: Inside the Mind of a $3.3 Trillion Investor
Rick Rieder, CIO of Global Fixed Income at BlackRock, joins Eric Becker to share how he approaches markets, investing, and risk at one of the world's largest asset management firm. From an early career mistake that reshaped his investment philosophy to overseeing trillions in assets, Rick explains why markets don't always reward being "right", and why humility, adaptability, and curiosity are cri
Biltmore Estate's Fifth-Generation Legacy
What does it take to preserve America's largest privately owned home for five generations? Ryan Cecil and Chase Pickering, descendants of George Vanderbilt and fifth generation leaders of the historic Biltmore Estate, join Eric Becker to share the story behind one of America's most iconic families and the estate they've called home for over 130 years. From the Great Depression to World War II to
Sneak Peek: The Multi-Gen Black Family Who Built America
Dr. Cheryl McKissack Daniel, Chair of the Board, McKissack & McKissack, joins Eric Becker to share how she leads one of America's oldest family-owned businesses, spanning over 230 years and five generations.
Sneak Peek: Biltmore Estate's Fifth-Generation Legacy
What does it take to preserve America's largest privately owned home — for over 130 years? Get a first look at Eric Becker's conversation with Ryan Cecil and Chase Pickering, 5th-generation descendants of George Vanderbilt and leaders of the iconic Biltmore Estate. From surviving the Great Depression to navigating COVID-19, they share the philosophy and family principles behind one of America's mo
The Long Game Podcast with Eric Becker
The Long Game Podcast hosted by Eric Becker, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Cresset. Each episode features candid conversations with influential founders, CEOs and multigenerational stewards of iconic institutions. From global brands to family enterprises, these leaders share the decisions, discipline and long-term vision required to move from startup to scale and from market leader to enduring leg
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