Executive Decisions with Steve Sedgwick

At the start of his career, Lloyd Blankfein made a decision that would define the way he led — stop trying to fit in.
In this episode of Executive Decisions, the former Goldman Sachs CEO reflects on growing up in public housing in Brooklyn, arriving at Harvard as an outsider and learning that authenticity was more powerful than performance. He explains how that mindset shaped his rise through one of the most competitive firms on Wall Street.
From handling criticism and changing his management style to leading Goldman Sachs through crisis, Blankfein explains why the most effective leaders know who they are — and when they need to change.
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At one of the highest points in her career, Amanda Blanc made a decision most executives would avoid — she walked away.
In this episode of Executive Decisions, the Aviva CEO reflects on leaving a senior role with no safety net, the judgment required to know when something isn’t right and how that instinct shaped the decisions she’s made since.
From leading Aviva through a major turnaround to publicly calling out sexism at the top of the industry, Blanc explains how decisive action — not consensus — defines leadership under pressure.
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Vas Narasimhan never planned on becoming a CEO. In fact, he says the idea only hit him six months before he got the Novartis job.
He credits his rise to a lesson from his parents: throw yourself fully into whatever you’re doing, because you never know what comes next.
Narasimhan talks through the surprising roles that opened new doors, the crises that forced him to “stay in the ring” and why focusing on the job you have—not the next one—can accelerate your career.
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Thrust into the top job sooner than expected, Schneider Electric CEO Olivier Blum explains why leadership isn’t about making perfect calls — it’s about committing once you choose, following through with discipline and learning fast under pressure. He shares how he sorts reversible vs. irreversible decisions, builds teams that execute without micromanagement and how he stays steady when the stakes climb.
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Shaped by family legacy, grit and a deep sense of responsibility, Jenny Johnson reflects on the pivotal decisions that took her from “the founder’s granddaughter” to the CEO of Franklin Templeton.
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