At mile 120 of a grueling 207-mile single-day bicycle ride, Mike Perry was sick, exhausted, and had 80 miles left to go. He had two choices: quit or find a way forward. Then a peloton swept up from behind — a tight pack of riders sharing the load — and Mike latched on. Everything changed.
Not just because of physics, though riding in a peloton cuts wind resistance by about 30%. What changed was the energy. The shared direction. The unspoken agreement that everyone would push and everyone would be pulled. Mike felt it instantly — and recognized it as the same force that separates ordinary teams from extraordinary ones.
As Head of Client Solutions and Wealth Management at Guardian Life Insurance — a 165-year-old company in the middle of a major transformation — Mike Perry has spent his career building that kind of momentum in boardrooms. From Merrill Lynch to UBS to Nuveen to Guardian, he has led teams through crises, transformations, and the kind of slow daily grind that either makes or breaks a culture.
In this episode, you will learn:
Why coaches aren’t just for beginners — and how finding the right one at any stage of your career is the fastest way to break through a ceiling you can’t see on your own.
How to respond to a crisis without reacting to it — and why narrowing your focus to what you can control is the only move that actually works.
Why giving every voice in the room a chance to speak doesn’t just improve morale — it produces measurably better decisions.
RESOURCES
Mike Perry on LinkedIn
As a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, and 14-time New York Times Best-Selling author, Don Yaeger is one of America’s most provocative thought leaders. From walking into Afghanistan with the Mujahadeen to living with football legend Walter Payton, Don has spent three decades embedded with the world’s greatest "Greats." Now a sought-after executive coach and host of the Corporate Competitor Podcast, he translates the lessons of sports and business legends into actionable strategies for building a culture of greatness.
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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