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The World Class Leaders Show

The World Class Leaders Show

Written by: Andrea Petrone
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 Welcome to the World-Class Leaders Show. This podcast is designed for CEOs and Senior Executives who want to transform their organizations, lead change and build world-class teams. In this podcast, we deconstruct the success of world-class leaders and their transformational initiatives by sharing stories, insights, lessons, and the most effective strategies that can be implemented in the organization. This is your host. Andrea Petrone, an International Executive and Team Coach and Change Advisor to CEOs and Senior Executives, Facilitator and Keynote Speaker. He has more than 20 years of international and executive experience.© 2021 The World Class Leaders Show Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • 237 - What Tim Cook just taught every CEO about knowing when to change

    237 - What Tim Cook just taught every CEO about knowing when to change
    Apr 30 2026

    I've been building something quietly over the last few months. WCL21 is a private CEO community — small, curated, confidential. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses with CEOs you wouldn't normally get access to, and the kind of conversations that don't happen anywhere else in your life. We're in the founding member phase right now. A few seats are still open. If you're a CEO running a mid-market company and this sounds like the room for you:

    👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21

    __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?

    Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies

    __________________________________________

    In this solo episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I explore one of the most difficult leadership risks for CEOs to recognise: the moment when the operating mode that created success begins to limit the organisation. Using Tim Cook’s transition at Apple as a lens, I examine how strength, identity, and context can quietly fall out of alignment at the top.

    This episode is for CEOs, founders, successors, and senior executives who sense that what used to work is no longer creating the same momentum. I explain why leadership identity is not fixed, why operating modes have a shelf life, and why the most important work for a CEO is often not becoming more capable, but becoming more appropriate to the moment the business is actually in.

    - Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/

    - Want to become a world-class leader? Join 175,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
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    14 mins
  • 236 - She Leads 50,000 People. Here's What She Refused to Do on Day One.

    236 - She Leads 50,000 People. Here's What She Refused to Do on Day One.
    Apr 23 2026
    We’re opening doors to WCL21. The first private and exclusive community for CEOs who want to grow their leadership, pressure-test decisions, and create meaningful connections with other peers in a trusted environment. 👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies __________________________________________ Most leaders say they’re ready for change. Very few are ready to lead when the answers are incomplete, trust is not yet earned, and the pace keeps accelerating. In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, Andrea Petrone sits down with Francesca Lagerberg, CEO of Baker Tilly International, to explore what leadership really demands in today’s environment: building trust fast, making decisions without perfect information, leading through ambiguity, and creating the kind of mindset that helps organizations adapt at scale. Francesca shares what it was really like stepping into the CEO role as an outsider, how she approached her first 90 days, why trust must be earned before strategy can land, and what leaders often misunderstand about leading change in large, complex organizations. This conversation also goes deeper into the future of leadership: the role of AI in knowledge-based businesses, how companies should think about upskilling talent at scale, why diversity of thinking matters more than ever, and what it actually feels like to carry the responsibility of the CEO seat. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to build trust and credibility in a new leadership roleWhy the best CEOs make decisions before all the information is availableWhat it takes to lead change at scale inside a complex organizationThe difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset in leadershipWhy repetition, consistency, and role modeling are critical in transformationHow AI is reshaping knowledge work and leadership developmentWhat Francesca has learned about pressure, resilience, legacy, and the real meaning of being a CEO If you’re a CEO, senior executive, founder, or aspiring leader navigating growth, pressure, and uncertainty, this episode will give you a practical and honest look at what world-class leadership requires now. Subscribe for more conversations with world-class leaders on leadership, transformation, CEO mindset, and decision-making in high-stakes environments. Timestamps [00:00] - Teaser and introduction of Francesca Lagerberg [02:48] - Walking into a new organization as an outsider [04:39] - Building trust and credibility as a new CEO [07:21] - The 90-day plan, quick wins, and resisting pressure to move too fast [09:09] - A non-linear career path across audit, tax, advisory, and beyond [11:28] - Leading through change on incomplete information [16:32] - Communicating strategy through repetition across 50,000 people [22:11] - The fusion of humanity and AI in knowledge-based industries [24:32] - Rethinking retention and maximizing shorter tenures [30:03] - Being the first woman to lead a global accounting network [33:44] - Diversity of thinking and the empty chair technique [38:39] - What it really means to be a CEO and why it's worth it [41:16] - Handling pressure and the power of collaboration [46:03] - Legacy, going for it, and advice for aspiring CEOs [47:47] - Trusting your gut, building great teams, and keeping your humor Follow Our Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescalagerberg/ Website: https://www.bakertilly.global/ Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on: LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreapetrone_x/ Follow The World Class Leaders Show and Stay updated: Subscribe to The World Class Leader Show: https://shorturl.at/E9WE7 Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/dMRp6 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ If you’re a CEO, senior leader, or aspiring executive navigating change, this conversation with Francesca Lagerberg offers valuable guidance on earning trust, leading through ambiguity, and building momentum in complex organizations.
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    50 mins
  • 235 - The 5 Mistakes New CEOs Make in Their First 6 Months

    235 - The 5 Mistakes New CEOs Make in Their First 6 Months
    Apr 16 2026

    We’re opening doors to WCL21. The first private and exclusive community for CEOs who want to grow their leadership, pressure-test decisions, and create meaningful connections with other peers in a trusted environment.

    👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21

    __________________________________________ Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?

    Grab your FREE copy of “10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One” 👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies

    __________________________________________

    The first six months as a new CEO is where authority is decided, where the leadership team forms its view of you, and where the organisation calibrates to your signals. Most new CEOs who struggle don't fail because they lack capability. They fail because they make early mistakes that feel like the right call at the time.

    In this solo episode, I walk through five specific mistakes I see new CEOs make in their first six months — the impulse to prove you deserve the role, the quiet retreat into a former expert identity, the delay in confronting leadership team gaps, the failure to align with the board before aligning the organisation, and the corrosive gap between stated values and actual behaviour. These aren't theoretical risks. They are patterns that compound fast, and each one carries a cost that grows the longer it goes unaddressed.

    - Like my work? Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/

    - Want to become a world-class leader? Join 155,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
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