Glue Guys
Episode 16 Leading 2.1 Million People
Glue Guys

Episode 16: Leading 2.1 Million People

Glue Guys

Episode 16

Leading 2.1 Million People

How do you lead a team of 2.1 million people? Whether you're managing five people or fifty, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon's leadership principles apply at any scale. He joins Glue Guys to share his journey from unloading trucks at Walmart as a teenager to leading a company that makes $1.7 billion in sales daily, serving 240 million customers weekly across 10,500 stores. Doug shares leadership lessons from Sam Walton and from the weekly basketball game he’s played in for four decades. We learn about leading for the long term, being a servant leader, and leading with humility even as your influence expands.

Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Glue Guys

(00:01:17) Doug's Early Career at Walmart

(00:05:48) Walmart's Culture and Values

(00:08:37) Gratitude and Vulnerability in Leadership

(00:18:13) Balancing Work and Family

(00:19:38) Creating Culture at Scale

(00:22:38) Surprise Visits and Sam Walton's Legacy

(00:23:34) Servant Leadership at Walmart

(00:25:29) Handling Pressure and Focusing on Inputs

(00:28:18) Risk-Taking and Decision-Making

(00:31:53) Leadership Qualities and Team Dynamics

(00:37:33) Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

(00:41:31) Recognizing the Unsung Heroes

Leading 2.1 Million People

Introduction

Ravi
We have Doug McMillon who is the CEO of Walmart, you might have heard of it. And he is joining Glue Guys today. And Doug has had just an incredible career. What's incredible about it is that it's basically all at Walmart.

You know, he started at 17 years old after growing up in Arkansas and packing trucks in a distribution center. Then, you know, worked at Walmart before business school, went to business school, came back as a buyer for fishing tackle, and then worked his way all the way up, you know, to the CEO of Sam's Club, then the CEO of Walmart International, and ultimately in 2014 took over as CEO of Walmart, which is obviously this iconic company.

But I think more than his career, he's somebody who's made a big impact on me personally. You know, I tell this story, but Doug had one of the more notable meetings ever for me when I first met him, where he started with gratitude for what Walmart has done for him.

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