Lead with Purpose

Ron Boire

Lead with Purpose is a long-form series featuring leaders who are building something that matters. Founders, CEOs, board members, and thinkers sit down with Ron Boire, former CEO of Barnes & Noble, Sears Canada, and Brookstone, for unscripted, unedited conversations about how leaders define their purpose, navigate crisis, and make the hard calls that shape their companies, their teams, and their lives: from strategic transformation and the future of work to the human side of leading through technological change. No soundbites. No scripts. Just real dialogue between people who have sat in the chair.

Episodes

  1. Jul 28

    From Lechmere to the Ranch: Paul Spitale on a Life of Leaving It Better [010]

    About Paul Spitale Paul Spitale spent twenty-five years at Sony Electronics, rising through the ranks from regional sales associate to senior vice president. After Sony, he led a successful turnaround of a struggling paperboard company in New Jersey before joining Colt's Manufacturing in 2015, one of the oldest and most iconic firearms companies in America. At Colt, Paul served as Chief Commercial Officer and was instrumental in rebuilding the commercial business, modernizing the product line, revamping distribution, and reintroducing the legendary Python revolver to the market. Under his leadership, Colt went from heading into bankruptcy to generating over fifty-three million dollars in EBITDA before being acquired by CZ, a fellow firearms manufacturer. What made Paul uniquely suited for Colt was something very few executives in the industry could claim: he was an active shooter himself. Paul competes in IDPA, the International Defensive Pistol Association, where he has won local matches in New York and Connecticut and captured the IDPA State Championship in Pennsylvania twice. His hands-on experience as an active competitor gave him a credibility and product instinct that set him apart in an industry where most senior executives do not actually shoot. Today Paul lives on a ranch in Michigan where he creates content for his YouTube channel, Paul at the Ranch, which has grown to over sixty-two thousand subscribers. The channel covers shooting, hunting, outdoor skills, fitness, woodworking, and ranch life, all taught with the same values-driven approach Paul brought to every leadership role in his career. Ron Boire and Paul Spitale have known each other for thirty years, first meeting at Sony Electronics in Boston in the early 1990s. What We Cover Ron and Paul trace thirty years of friendship and professional overlap, from a tiny Sony sales office in Newton, Massachusetts to the boardrooms of Best Buy, Colt, and beyond. They tell the story of Mike London, the legendary merchant at Leechmere who mentored both of them in ways that shaped everything that followed. They dig into what it takes to turn around a company in bankruptcy, why values-driven leadership works in any industry, how Paul took Colt from near collapse to acquisition, and what made him walk away from the executive world to build something of his own on a ranch in Michigan. Along the way they talk about the 1911, the Python, servant leadership, AI in the workforce, win-win deal making, and the particular kind of authenticity that makes a YouTube channel worth watching. Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: http://www.ronboire.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RonBoire Executive Coaching: https://www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Paul Spitale YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Paulattheranch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulspitale/

    From Lechmere to the Ranch: Paul Spitale on a Life of Leaving It Better [010]

  2. Jul 14

    Troy Rice: It's More Important to Get It Right Than to Be Right [009]

    Guest: Troy Rice, President and CEO of PGA Tour Superstore About Troy Rice Troy Rice is the President and CEO of PGA Tour Superstore, the largest specialty golf retailer in the United States, owned by Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. Troy brings nearly four decades of retail leadership experience across some of America's most iconic brands, including Home Depot, Toys R Us, Office Depot, and Total Wine and More, where he served as CEO. He began his career working in his stepfather's grocery store in Beaman, Tennessee, a formative experience that shaped his lifelong belief in human connection, servant leadership, and the power of knowing your customer. Troy and Ron Boire first met at Toys R Us in 2006 and have remained close for twenty years. What We Cover Ron and Troy trace Troy's remarkable journey from a small-town Tennessee grocery store to the CEO chair of one of the most experiential retail concepts in America. Along the way they dig into the Toys R Us collapse and what it really teaches about leadership failure, the cultural breakdown that followed Bob Nardelli's arrival at Home Depot, why AI is accelerating rather than replacing the human connection in retail, and what it takes to build a team where trust flows in every direction. Troy also shares his philosophy on first-time CEOs, servant leadership, collective intelligence, and why getting it right matters more than being right. Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: http://www.ronboire.com Executive Coaching: http://www.ronboire.com/executive-coa... Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Troy Rice Info: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-rice-b78aaa1/ PGA Tour Superstore: www.pgatoursuperstore.com

    Troy Rice: It's More Important to Get It Right Than to Be Right [009]

  3. Jul 7

    The Board Is Not Your Audience: Bill Klepper on Governance That Works [008]

    Lead with Purpose | Episode Show Notes Guest: Bill Klepper, Leadership Scholar, Author, and Senior Faculty at Columbia Business School About Bill Klepper Bill Klepper is one of the most respected leadership scholars in the world and a defining presence at Columbia Business School for nearly four decades. He began his relationship with Columbia in 1986 when he was sent to Beijing to help launch the first MBA program in China. After a decade as an adjunct faculty member, he was brought in by executive education leadership to work directly with the faculty, a role that became a thirty-year commitment to the school. He is the author of The CEO's Boss, now in its second edition, a foundational text on board leadership and governance. He was a mentor to Ron Boire and played a direct role in Ron's decision to pursue the Columbia and London Business School joint EMBA program. Bill is Jesuit trained, which shapes his deep commitment to ethics, the social contract, and the question of what ought to be. What We Cover Recorded live at Columbia Business School, Ron sits down with the man who helped shape his leadership foundation. Bill and Ron trace the evolution of leadership over four decades, from the days when only two women held CEO positions in America to the current era of tech-driven authoritarianism. They dig into the ethics of leadership, the social contract, what business schools owe society, and what separates a great innovator from a great leader. The conversation covers Elon Musk, AI and the future of knowledge work, open source versus closed AI models, and what it means to lead with something greater than self-interest. Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: http://www.ronboire.com Executive Coaching: http://www.ronboire.com/executive-coa... Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Bill Klepper Info: Book: https://www.amazon.com/CEOs-Boss-Boardroom-Columbia-Publishing/dp/0231149883 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-klepper-39b3a2/

    The Board Is Not Your Audience: Bill Klepper on Governance That Works [008]

  4. Jun 23

    CEO of Self: Carl Tishler on Managing the One Company You Never Run [007]

    About Carl Tischler Carl Tishler is the founder of the HPNA Academy, a performance academy built around the concept of high performing, non-arrogant leaders. After nine years on Wall Street as a banker and seven years as a private equity investor, Carl experienced the 2008 global financial crisis firsthand when his firm collapsed under the weight of rapid growth and cultural breakdown. That dislocation became the catalyst for building something entirely different: a curriculum and community designed to help driven, talented people learn to executively manage themselves with the same rigor they bring to their professional lives. He later spent six and a half years as COO and CFO of a deep tech AI company, where he tested and refined his framework in a live operating environment before launching the academy as a standalone business. What We Cover Ron and Carl trace Carl's journey from Wall Street banker to private equity investor to performance academy founder, and dig into one of the most overlooked problems in leadership: the complete absence of executive self-management in most high-achieving people's lives. Carl introduces the concept of CEO of Self, explains why the personal board meeting is the most important meeting most leaders never have, and makes the case that sustainable high performance has nothing to do with suffering and everything to do with structure, micro habits, and the right kind of community. Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: http://www.ronboire.com Executive Coaching: http://www.ronboire.com/executive-coa... Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Carl Tishler Info: Website: https://www.hpna.pro LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-tishler/

    CEO of Self: Carl Tishler on Managing the One Company You Never Run [007]

  5. Jun 9

    Bryce Hoffman: Ford, Mulally, Red Teaming and the Discipline of Assuming You're Wrong [006]

    About Bryce Hoffman Bryce Hoffman is a former journalist turned business strategist and author. After 20 years covering Silicon Valley, California politics, and the American automobile industry for the Detroit News, he wrote American Icon, the definitive account of Alan Mulally's turnaround of Ford Motor Company. The book became a best seller and launched his second career as an advisor and trainer to corporations, governments, and militaries around the world. He is the founder of Red Team Thinking and co-founder of an AI decision support startup. He divides his time between California and Muscat, Oman. What We Cover Ron and Bryce trace Bryce's remarkable journey from Marxist campus revolutionary to Y2K reporter to Ford insider to military strategy advisor. They dig deep into what made Alan Mulally's leadership at Ford so distinctive, why asking the right questions matters more than having the right answers, how Red Team Thinking evolved from military methodology into a framework for corporate decision making, and what AI should and should not be doing in the hands of leaders. Ron Boire Info: Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: www.ronboire.comExecutive Coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coachingKeynote Speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speakinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Bryce Hoffman Info: https://brycehoffman.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycehoffman/ American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company by Bryce Hoffman: www.amazon.com/American-Icon-Mulally-Fight-Company/dp/0307886050

    Bryce Hoffman: Ford, Mulally, Red Teaming and the Discipline of Assuming You're Wrong [006]

  6. May 26

    From Math to Marketing:Usman Humayun on Proof,Brand,and the Overconfident Friend in Your Pocket[005]

    About Usman Humayun Usman Humayun is a data scientist and marketing executive whose career spans nearly two decades at the intersection of analytics and consumer marketing. He began his career at Sears Holdings in data analytics, later served as chief of staff to the president of Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard brands, and most recently spent six years at Albertsons leading all digital marketing functions including CRM, paid media, organic, marketing technology, and analytics. What We Cover Ron and Usman dig into the evolution of marketing measurement from the early days of last-click attribution to today's unified attribution models powered by AI. They discuss where retail is headed, why TV is having an unlikely resurgence, and how AI is quietly reshaping how consumers discover and buy products. The conversation shifts to leadership, what it means to truly invest in people, and how both Ron and Usman have approached their personal health as a foundation for professional effectiveness. Full Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h--kb_EWiC0&list=PLLYIF0JU1GHJzeihQhb_tMidGWt4CuDEj&index=5 Full Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17ZwXSirbN17PVdaejrfaT Full Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-math-to-marketing-usman-humayun-on-proof-brand/id1894954385?i=1000769631651 Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: www.ronboire.comExecutive Coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coachingKeynote Speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speakingLead with Purpose framework: www.ronboire.com/blog/how-i-help-leaders-build-their-purpose-vision-and-principles-pvp Ron Info: https://www.ronboire.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Usman info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanhumayun/

    From Math to Marketing:Usman Humayun on Proof,Brand,and the Overconfident Friend in Your Pocket[005]

  7. May 12

    Bold by Design: Brendan Dowling on Purpose, Ireland, and the Leaders of Tomorrow [004]

    Lead with Purpose: Ron Boire and Brendan Dowling In this episode, Ron sits down with Brendan Dowling, serial entrepreneur, executive coach, and visionary for the future of Ireland. Brendan leads Celtic Leadership, a coaching and training company dedicated to accelerating the growth of companies through programs designed for CEOs and their senior management teams. Celtic Leadership He also serves as lead business advisor coach on Enterprise Ireland's flagship Leadership for Growth program, working with approximately 200 CEOs per year. Ron Boire: Website: www.ronboire.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronboireSubstack: ronboire.substack.comKeynote speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speakingExecutive coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching Brendan Dowling: Website: celticleadership.netLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dowlingbrendanBook: Accelerating Company Growth at celticleadership.net/book Also mentioned: Enterprise IrelandIESE Business SchoolThe Reinvention SummitRita McGrath at ValizeChina's Humanoid Robots: See What They Can Do

    Bold by Design: Brendan Dowling on Purpose, Ireland, and the Leaders of Tomorrow [004]

  8. May 5

    JoAnn Garbin, Designing AI for the Forest, Not the Factory [003]

    Lead with Purpose Podcast: Ron Boire and JoAnn Garbin Ron sits down with JoAnn Garbin, author, innovator, and co-founder of Regenerous Labs, a venture studio dedicated to regenerative innovation at the intersection of sustainability and technology. JoAnn spent 25 years building at that intersection before joining Microsoft, where she led efforts to reimagine what a data center could be. Ron and JoAnn explore the rapid pace of AI-driven change, why most leaders are less prepared than they think, how to free yourself from the 80% of work that doesn't require your best thinking, and what it really means to lead from a clear set of values.  Follow JoAnn: Website: www.joanngarbin.comSubstack: joanngarbin.substack.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joanngarbinRegenerous Labs: www.regenerouslabs.comBook: The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft (Post Hill Press, 2025) Follow Ron: Website: www.ronboire.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronboireSubstack: ronboire.substack.comKeynote speaking: www.ronboire.com/keynote-speakingExecutive coaching: www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching

    JoAnn Garbin, Designing AI for the Forest, Not the Factory [003]

  9. Apr 28

    Aidan McCullen, A Life Leadership Journey [002]

    Ron sits down with Aidan McCullen, transformation consultant, keynote speaker, author, college professor, and former professional rugby player. Recorded after the two connected at the Reinvention Summit in Dublin, this conversation covers personal reinvention, organizational transformation, resilience, the future of work, AI, and what it really takes to rebuild your identity after losing everything you were known for. The Innovation Show: https://theinnovationshow.io Thinkers50: https://www.thinkers50.com Trinity College Dublin: https://www.tcd.ie The Reinvention Summit: Dublin-based event convening global thinkers to help Ireland build its next chapter Undisruptable: A Mindset of Permanent Reinvention for Individuals, Organizations and Life by Aidan McCullen: https://www.amazon.com/Undisruptable-Permanent-Reinvention-Individuals-Organisations/dp/1119770483 Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322 Negotiate This by Herb Cohen: https://www.amazon.com/Negotiate-This-Caring-But-Not/dp/044669780X The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244 Aidan McCullen: https://aidanmccullen.com Website: https://www.ronboire.com Lead with Purpose Podcast: https://www.ronboire.com/podcast

    Aidan McCullen, A Life Leadership Journey [002]

  10. Apr 21

    Rita McGrath , The Future of Work, AI, and Leading Through Transformation [001]

    Ron sits down with longtime friend and collaborator Rita McGrath, widely regarded as one of the world's leading business strategists and a Thinkers50 top-ranked thinker. Recorded at Columbia Business School, this wide-ranging conversation covers AI and organizational transformation, the future of work, education, universal basic income, and what it means to lead with purpose in an era of accelerating change. Takeaways Long-standing professional relationships can lead to successful collaborations and shared experiences.The future of work is evolving, with a focus on individual and team value creation, as well as the impact of AI and technology. Future of workEducation and skillsEconomic impact Reimagining the concept of a jobRedefining wealth and productivityThe future of education and learningStaying fresh and relevant in a changing world Chapters 00:00 Building Long-Term Collaborations07:42 Academic and Professional Journey13:56 Transition to Columbia Business School23:03 Value Creation and Small Teams31:13 The Death of the Billable Hour01:06:02 Impact of Robotics and Automation on Jobs01:26:01 Staying Fresh and Relevant

    Rita McGrath , The Future of Work, AI, and Leading Through Transformation [001]
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Lead with Purpose is a long-form series featuring leaders who are building something that matters. Founders, CEOs, board members, and thinkers sit down with Ron Boire, former CEO of Barnes & Noble, Sears Canada, and Brookstone, for unscripted, unedited conversations about how leaders define their purpose, navigate crisis, and make the hard calls that shape their companies, their teams, and their lives: from strategic transformation and the future of work to the human side of leading through technological change. No soundbites. No scripts. Just real dialogue between people who have sat in the chair.

Information

  • Creator
    Ron Boire
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ron Boire

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