Dan Graham spent 30 years at Sony, rising from organizing office supplies to managing 150 people, all without the pedigree or resume you’d expect.

But his defining leadership moment wasn’t the promotion.

It was the day he was called into HR and told he might lose his job, not because the numbers were bad, but because he’d forgotten the people behind them.

This episode is about what happens when success quietly turns into pressure, pressure turns into reactivity, and a leader has to face the impact of his own behavior.

It’s about fear. Accountability. And the courage to change in public.

Episode Highlights

• A late-night cafeteria conversation that changed the trajectory of his career
• Promoted over colleagues with more education and experience
• Managing 150 people without formal training
• Turning off the lights in a tense executive meeting to reset the room
• Forgetting his mission under mounting performance pressure
• Being reported to HR by his own supervisors
• Confronting the impact of his anger on the people he cared about most
• The first honest conversation about fear in his entire life
• Public accountability — and rebuilding trust with his team

Connect with Dan

• Website: https://www.dpgphotos.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpgphotos0105/