How Sam's Club CEO Leads an $84B Company Without Losing Humanity

Leading a business with 100,000 employees and $84 billion in revenue isn't for the faint of heart. Every executive talks about culture and results, but few have done it at this scale. So how do you lead without losing your soul? In this episode, Chris Nicholas, President and CEO of Sam's Club, pulls back the curtain on what leadership really looks like when the stakes are massive. He shares why purpose and grit—not ego—are the foundation of great leadership. You'll learn why 85% of Sam's Club managers started as hourly workers, how Chris uses "ultra-endurance leadership" to stay sharp, and why leaders should run toward difficult things. He also unpacks his trust formula to build trust in a massive organization, how to lead without entitlement, and how to connect your work to a bigger purpose. From energy and sacrifice to upward mobility and culture, Chris shows how business performance and people-first leadership can coexist.   ________________ This episode is sponsored by Workhuman. These days, it feels like there isn't much good to go around in the world of work.  But Workhuman knows when we celebrate the good in each of us, we bring out the best in all of us. It's why they created the world's # 1 employee recognition platform — and they didn't stop there, combining rich recognition data with AI to create Human Intelligence, so you can get uniquely good insights into performance, skills, engagement and more. To learn more about how you can join their force for good, go to Workhuman.com, or check out their own podcast, "How We Work," which explores the trends, issues, relationships, and experiences that shape our workplaces. ________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/