Tim interviews Frank Blake, former CEO and chairman of Home Depot. They discuss how to do crazy good turns. Show Notes: https://tim.blog/2018/03/15/frank-blake/ SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 200 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://bit.ly/2rYjUBr Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: http://bit.ly/17jDHw3 Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/1avYUxq Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/17d94TE Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2IfH37J Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2IfH37J Start 00:00 A book Frank and I both love. [00:10] Growing up in New England and celebrating his mother’s 100th birthday. [05:16] What Frank wanted to be when he grew up. [06:44] An early fascination with politics. [07:19] An eclectic career. [08:11] Leaving a DC law practice and joining General Electric. [11:08] Jack Welch and CEO advice. [13:49] The perils of corporate echo chambers. [19:41] The inverted pyramid of leadership [21:11] The importance of celebrating as a CEO. [22:53] A relationship-building technique from George H.W. Bush. [26:17] Out of 350,000 associates, who gets rewarded for their good deeds? [28:16] What makes a customer-service story noteworthy? [30:17] Metrics Frank focused on. [32:26] Why Frank was asked to be CEO at The Home Depot. [34:12] Why did Frank recommend selling part of the business? [35:36] How did Frank’s legal training help with (or hurt) what came later? [38:53] How was The Home Depot’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) measured? [42:16] The best way to deal with business worries. [43:45] How Frank copes with anxiety since retiring. [48:55] How and why someone unsure of a higher power might decide to pray. [52:59] What happened when Frank posted his phone number online. [56:57] Lessons learned from Bernie Marcus. [59:45] On making hourly employees more invested in the company’s success. [1:00:18] The Home Depot 2014 data breach. [1:02:39] An embarrassing but important failure. [1:08:15] Are there different species of worrying? How can it be constructive? [1:12:10] Practicing anxiety transfer. [1:14:02] Advice to his successor. [1:16:14] Simple and portable messaging? [1:17:38] Frank’s “favorite story.” [1:18:20] What projects keep Frank occupied these days? [1:21:01] On becoming more helpful and generous. [1:23:31] Recommended books for a budding entrepreneur. [1:26:14] Books gifted most often. [1:28:16] Books Frank has recently read. [1:32:18] How does Frank choose the books he reads? [1:33:21] A recent, impactful, inexpensive purchase. [1:34:21] What class would Frank teach, and what would the course description look like? [1:37:11] What figures from American history would Frank most like to meet? [1:38:25] What would Frank’s billboard say? [1:39:46] What episodes of Crazy Good Turns would Frank recommend as a starting point? [1:40:45] What prompted the creation of Crazy Good Turns? [1:42:18] An ask of the audience and parting thoughts. [1:43:30]