About this episode

Kat Cole discusses leadership through disruption and the essential habits of extraordinary leaders.

How do you lead through constant disruption without losing sight of people, purpose, or performance? In this episode, Kat Cole—CEO of AG1, former president of Cinnabon, and longtime operator and investor—joins Jennifer Colosimo to share the pivotal moments that shaped her philosophy of leadership. Kat reflects on rising from restaurant hostess to executive, turning Cinnabon around after the Great Recession, and steering franchise and hospitality businesses through COVID when revenue evaporated overnight. She explains why “being clear-eyed” about what’s broken, focusing on what truly matters, and being willing to take unpopular actions are essential in volatile times. Kat also talks about the beliefs great leaders hold about people, how they balance optimism with realism, and the everyday habits—listening, taking action, seeking feedback, and growing on purpose—that allow them to build trust, unlock potential, and create opportunity in any environment. From Shock to Strategic Advantage: How Leaders Convert Disruption Into Opportunity: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/tlg-convert-disruption?x=j4G37p&lb-mode=overlay As a global leadership and organizational performance partner…

People in this episode

Host: Jennifer Colosimo

Guest: Kat Cole

Topics covered

• leadership
• disruption
• business strategy
• organizational performance
• trust building
• habits of leaders

Keywords

• leadership
• disruption
• Cinnabon
• business strategy
• trust
• feedback
• optimism
• realism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AG1, Cinnabon, FranklinCovey

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