Leading the Way Podcast: Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban

Self-made billionaire, owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks, and investor on the hit television show Shark Tank, Mark Cuban is certainly leading the way in business, technology, sports, and entertainment. In this exciting podcast, Mark shared the details of his journey to success, how fear of failing motivates him, and what he considers to be his most valuable leadership characteristic of all.

He even revealed his thoughts on what he’d do if President of the United States.

Mark’s stories will make you chuckle while his sound business advice will empower you as he reminds us of the importance of staying on top of technology and having a solid vision as the first step in developing a successful business strategy. His refreshing perspectives are eye-opening and inspiring, such as his take on success: “It’s not so much about how much money you make, it’s how you face the day when you wake up every morning.  If you wake up and you’re just excited for the day, you’re a success.”

Mark’s success is certainly contagious in this truly engaging episode of Leading the Way.

Key Soundbites

• On strategy – “There’s so many things that are important when it comes to being successful in business. The first thing is vision. You’ve got to have a goal, you’ve got to have an understanding or a vision of the company in one year, three years, ten years. Then you have to define what steps you need to take to get there and people that you work with. Then you’ve got to be able to understand how the goals of those people fit into your vision, because if somebody doesn’t believe in what you’re trying to accomplish and doesn’t buy in, then it’s not going to happen.”  
  
• On business lifecycles – “You have to recognize where you are in the lifecycle of the company. Each step of the way, there’s a different set of challenges. With the Mavericks, we’re rebuilding. And businesses have to be honest with themselves and become self-aware, as well. You’ve got to know where you are in the lifecycle and just go out there and prepare to do the best you can.”  
  
• On leadership style - “I was more of a micro-manager. ‘Here’s what I need to get done,’ and stay on you to get it done. I was a bit more high-strung. I would push people. As I got older, I recognized that that’s not necessarily the best way to get things done. Now I let them do their job and give them guidance. I help from a sales and strategic perspective, but I tend to let people do their job.”  
  
• On sales – “Somebody who is a salesperson is somebody who understands that to be successful at sales is not about convincing people that you should buy something, maybe against their wishes or interests, but selling really is about putting yourself in the shoes of your potential customer and helping them understand why your product can help them.”  
  
• On technology - “There is so much happening with artificial intelligence and machine learning, it’s brand new to pretty much everybody. Being able to keep up with these technologies is not easy. It’s time-consuming and it’s a challenge, but I know if I’m able to put in the time to do that, then I’m going to be in a position to make smart investments, partner with smart people and implement new technologies or suggest new technologies that give my companies an advantage.”
  

About Leading the Way

Leading the Way is a weekly radio show and podcast series that highlights influential business leaders and leading people practices from i4cp. Co-hosted by Emmy award-winning television anchor and radio host, Scott Murray, and i4cp’s Angel Carlton, the show features interviews with respected business leaders from the world of business, sports, entertainment, healthcare and philanthropy.

The show airs live every Sunday at 4 pm CT on KLIF 570 in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, the global audience is invited to listen live on www.klif.com   and the weekly podcast debuts on iTunes or Google Play and the i4cp website the following week.