Want to sponsor this newsletter or other content? Reach out to me directly, Jacob[at]thefutureorganization[dot]com.
Join 40,000 other subscribers who get Great Leadership delivered directly to their inbox each week. You’ll get access to my best thinking and latest content. Sign up today.
If you’re a Chief Human Resources or Chief People Officer, then you can request to join a brand new community I put together called Future Of Work Leaders which focuses on the future of work and employee experience. Join leaders from Tractor Supply, Johnson & Johnson, Lego, Dow, Northrop Grumman and many others. We come together virtually each month and once a year in-person to tackle big themes that go beyond traditional HR.
You’d think running an $84 billion company takes sheer power. But Chris Nicholas, President & CEO of Sam’s Club, shows it’s not power that drives results. It’s purpose.
At the helm of Sam’s Club, he oversees nearly 100,000 employees, 600 clubs, and one of the most complex operations in retail. But ask him what leadership looks like, and you won’t hear much about strategy decks or shareholder calls.
You’ll hear about grit. Sacrifice. Purpose. Trust. And why 85% of Sam’s Club managers started in hourly jobs. Many leaders chase titles and talk about culture, but this episode will change that as Chris offers us a brutally honest look at what it actually takes to lead at scale without losing your soul.
When the stakes are high and the job demands everything, what does it really take to lead a bigtime company without burning out, breaking down, or becoming a machine?
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Purpose Over Ego, Impact Over Entitlement
Chris didn’t climb the corporate ladder with polished career plans or shortcuts. He started in retail at 14, pushing products forward on grocery shelves in a struggling town in Northern England. That experience, seeing the impact of hard work on everyday families, never left him.
In fact, it became the blueprint for how he leads today. It’s why 85% of Sam’s Club managers started as hourly workers. That experience fuels his belief that leadership is not about title or prestige, but about impact.
He’s not interested in positional authority or entitlement. Leadership isn’t about doing the minimum. For leaders climbing the ranks, Chris offers a clear reality check: if you’re negotiating for fewer hours or minimal effort, you’re missing the point.
His message is refreshingly direct: show up, do the hard things, and focus on outcomes.
This episode is sponsored by Workhuman:
These days, it feels like there isn’t much good to go around in the world of work. But Workhuman knows when we celebrate the good in each of us, we bring out the best in all of us. It’s why they created the world’s # 1 employee recognition platform — and they didn’t stop there, combining rich recognition data with AI to create Human Intelligence, so you can get uniquely good insights into performance, skills, engagement and more.
To learn more about how you can join their force for good, go to Workhuman.com, or check out their own podcast, “How We Work,” which explores the trends, issues, relationships, and experiences that shape our workplaces.
Endurance Is a Leadership Advantage
Most people talk about stamina in business as a metaphor. Chris lives it. He runs 100-mile ultramarathons through the Rocky Mountains. Not for glory, but because it teaches discipline, mental clarity, and what it means to push beyond comfort.
That same endurance shows up in his schedule: early mornings, late nights, weekends in clubs, constant travel — and still being present for his family.
In his words, if you want to be at your best, you have to invest in yourself first. Leadership is like a performance engine. If you’re not investing in yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally, don’t be surprised you’ll lose yourself in the process of building a great company. If you’re drained, your team feels it. That’s why Chris leans on recovery, reflection, and movement to stay sharp.
Ultra-endurance isn’t just a race, it’s a mindset. It’s a reminder that leadership isn’t just a mental game, it’s a full-body commitment.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Building a Culture of Trust from the Ground Up
Perhaps the most powerful idea Chris shares is his “trust equation”:
Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) ÷ Self-Interest
Chris’s “trust equation” is how he leads a massive organization without becoming the bottleneck. Trust happens through presence, connection, and consistent action, not grand gestures. Credibility comes from experience. Reliability comes from doing what you say. Intimacy is built through real human connection.
You can be brilliant and dependable, but if your people think you’re in it for yourself, they’ll never fully follow you. That’s why Chris spends his time walking the floor, having real conversations with frontline associates, and being radically transparent.
One of his mentors once told him, “If you’re not having quality conversations with 100 people a week, you’re not doing your job.” That’s not micromanagement. It’s intentional leadership. Because trust doesn’t just happen. It’s earned in drops and lost in buckets.
Leaders must constantly reinforce the why, respect the past, and bring people along for the future, not by command, but through connection.
Culture Is an Operating System, Not a Slogan
Most leaders think their job is to fix the culture by renewing everything and putting their stamp on it. While it sounds noble, it’s actually wrong. That’s why Chris takes the opposite approach. He believes in respecting the past to energize the future. That means understanding the rhythms of the organization, honoring what came before, and then building momentum by aligning around shared values, not mandates.
When you treat culture as an asset instead of an obstacle, it becomes your greatest lever for speed and change. And Chris doesn’t try to do it alone. He listens deeply, co-creates direction with his team, and keeps the strategy grounded in the everyday experiences of employees.
Leadership Without the Ego
Chris is the first to admit that leaders are constantly watched. The furrowed brow on the way to coffee. The tone in a hallway conversation. Every gesture sends a message. That’s why authenticity matters more than ever. You can’t fake being people-first. You either show up that way or you don’t.
He’s not trying to be a guru. He’s trying to be present. Grounded. Real. And he knows that vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s a form of strength. When you share your energy, your stories, and your intent, you invite people to do the same. That’s how trust scales. That’s how cultures shift. That’s how leadership moves from theory to reality.
How to Lead Without Losing Your Humanity
Leadership is not a performance but a deeply human experience. Yes, the pressure, the sacrifices, and the constant scrutiny that come with the role will be there. But instead of pretending it’s easy, Chris leans into authenticity and vulnerability. It’s good for morale and essential for momentum.
We should know by now that people don’t follow titles. They follow energy, values, and belief. And when leaders run toward hard things with purpose and conviction, they create movements, not just management systems.
If you’re navigating leadership in a high-pressure environment, or if you’re preparing to step into a bigger role, this episode is a masterclass in grounded, purpose-driven leadership.
From building trust at scale to running your own version of an ultra-marathon, Chris Nicholas offers practical and powerful insights that prove you don’t have to lose your humanity to lead at the highest levels.
Listen to the full episode now and learn how to lead with greater impact without losing heart.