The Ultimate Infinite-Minded CEO with Trek Bicycle CEO John Burke | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

The jump from $250 million to $2 billion in revenue doesn’t happen overnight. Over 25 years, John Burke transformed Trek Bikes into a global powerhouse - one mom-and-pop bike store at a time.
The key to John’s success is simple but powerful. Create value for others first, and you too shall be rewarded.
John and I discuss why the best way to win isn’t to focus on “winning,” but to focus on “play,” and how the principles of The Infinite Game have guided his leadership. And he tells me why creative leadership is exactly what’s missing in American government.
This…is A Bit of Optimism.
To learn more about John and his work, check out:
his book: aboldplan.com/
www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US
⏰ Timestamps
0:00 $250 million to $2 billion
6:26 Nick Saban and playing to perfection
13:36 American leadership lacks creativity
21:54 Highlights of John's career and a happy childhood memory
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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
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Website: simonsinek.com/
Live Online Classes: simonsinek.com/classes/
Podcast: apple.co/simonsinek
Instagram: / simonsinek
Linkedin: / simonsinek
Twitter: / simonsinek
Facebook: / simonsinek
Simon’s books:
The Infinite Game: simonsinek.com/books/the-infi...
Start With Why: simonsinek.com/books/start-wi...
Find Your Why: simonsinek.com/books/find-you...
Leaders Eat Last: simonsinek.com/books/leaders-...
Together is Better: simonsinek.com/books/together...
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#SimonSinek

[@harmonylifewithjess1593]

Agree with John we can open open our arms and borders to unite across cities and nations. Makes a huge difference, win, win, win

[@vendolis]

I had a wonderful experience in a TREK store last year. We have a big family bike from europe and a break did break. It was a hydraulic break for two wheels. The repair was very complicated, and I had given up on it doing it myself. I went to the store and even though it was not a TREK bike the mechanic took a lot of time, tried out solutions and in the end fixed it. It took 1.5 months (due to delivery delays of the breaks). It was working perfectly in the end. It has become the first bike store where I go to get anything done, or when I look at bikes... I went there with my daughter, and she did not like the bikes there so we had to go somewhere else for another brand, but for all the accessories we went back there. They were super helpful and it's just a delight to go to that store.

[@47201jesse]

I truly feel blessed listening to this. I love my Trek bicycles with the same passion.

[@BeAlphaX]

My favorite contemporary intellects chit chatting -- awesome. Thank you for all that you do Sir, your insight and knowledge is enthralling and fiercely penetrating.

[@mklady69]

So funny to hear Simon say “Who is Nick Saban?” 😂😂. Alabama native here.

[@jdesert5036]

Yeah, kind of a famous person that even non-sports fans are aware of.

[@_AndyD]

Love this episode Simon 🚴

[@elizabethshedd1017]

Is he a big deal or something? ;-)

[@nehasankhe9694]

You're incentiviced to DO YOUR JOB. Loved how John says, "I have very little original thought".

[@williamsmith8041]

I wanted a trek bike before I watched this,now I want 1 even more

[@Eugene.Berezin]

Amazing interview! Love that!

[@OlgaSunny-pl2sg]

I just watched documentary about Steve Jobs and he was adapted by Armenian mother Clara Hagopian who gave him good upbringing and raised a phenomenon. God bless you Clara and Armenian nation.

[@miketaylor7678]

What a great talk! How is it that this only has 400 Likes but 13k+ views? SMH

[@MarkBarnard-ri4wh]

So simple and yet so many companies don't approach running their business with a focus on perfecting the play. There is nothing common about common sense, it should have been called something else.

[@VictoriaVoltaic]

100% stay with common sense 24/7

[@jdesert5036]

Nick Saban and Alabama beating Ohio State would never have been considered "the upset of the year". They've been a good to great team (depending on the year) ever since Saban took the Alabama job. That large exaggeration gave me some side-eye on everything else he said.

[@jimallen8186]

Believe Sidney Dekker would have comments against “running the play to perfection” as how do you define perfection? What is right if there may be many rights? Practice again, again, and again, works in simplicity but not complication and really not in complexity. Guess Dave Snowden would have concern too.

[@RobertMorgan-ne4tb]

Great

[@brain_respect_and_freedom]

🙏

[@eugeniamonge6124]

Love this interview! Got great value from it.

[@netvanhagen]

Great interview with a great leader! I couldt get the name of the author of the book (10:03 minutes), can anyone help with the name? Thank you, regards HP from The Netherlands

[@josephbeltran2505]

Will Guidara

[@danielberg6194]

Which book they were talking about? By Will something

[@Pranaytubes]

Unreasonable Hospitality

[@jimallen8186]

“The thought of the crash is worse than the crash” said no naval aviator ever.

[@jimallen8186]

There’s serious survivor bias going into this line of thinking.

[@aceymer]

To much editing, love your work but the amount of of editing makes me doubt the actual conversation outcome

[@arsalanmirza3411]

LOL 😂 Getting into Business to BREAK EVEN‼️ How ABSURD ⚠️ Only MOM 👩 & POP 👴 shops are eligible for such absurdity 🤣

[@hanzomerdijk4965]

Why does everything have to be imperialism? Being the victor? Be the one standing after the slaughter? There is merit in running a life-style business and sharing the playground. One of the tenets of commerce is to bridge distance through varied locations. This implies that many businesses can participate in a shared market, where each gets a share of the potential gaines. Some find bigger satisfaction by limiting the profits to a single group, like a family, instead of cornering the market and having to split profits between owners, managers, dealerships, shareholders and board members. Lifestyle-entrepreneurship has its own merits. 💡🤩

[@arsalanmirza3411]

@@hanzomerdijk4965 LOL 😂 Enjoy your LUNCH 🥪 at MACDONALDS 😂 while the BRAINY 🧠 dig into a juicy ANGUS AAA STEAK 🥩 Well Done 👍 🤣

[@eugeniamonge6124]

Another perspective...they are making a living wage doing something they love and on their own terms. They own their schedule, they make all the choices. Versus making a living wage in a job you hate. I think the first option is actually atractive.

[@arsalanmirza3411]

@@eugeniamonge6124 Hogwash 🤮 Loser Mentality! At the cost of Tax Payers living off Government subsidies 👎🏻

[@UsmanKhan-qs9ib]

There wage could be 100k Breaking even doesn't mean 100 out 100 in It means after all expenses they not in negative. But there wage could be on 100k wage a year from the business company car expenses from the business other expense they can claim aswell..and many many people are happy with that