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On Principle, WashU Olin’s podcast, tells the stories of pivotal business decisions. What led to them? What were the choices? And what lessons can executives, entrepreneurs and other leaders draw from them?
Subscribe to On Principle wherever you get your podcasts for a reminder when new episodes come out. Do you have a story we can share or insights and questions about a past episode? Reach out to us by sending an email to olinpodcast@wustl.edu
On Principle, Season Four
The facilitator at a strategic planning workshop sparked Lisa Baron’s nonprofit board into action with a question: “Grow incrementally or change the world—what do you want to do?”
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Startups often operate on a razor’s edge. So, when opportunity strikes, founders have to be nimble, resourceful—and willing to ask for help to get what they need, when they need it. Is it a question of being innovative about how they innovate? Can our WashU Olin experts think of other examples of this sort of creativity?
In this season's stories of management decision-making at pivotal moments, we go around the globe for a crash course in supply chain management, examine modern-day customer service in the century-old bourbon industry and learn how tackling mental health in the ranks can rattle a combat-hardened general. Join us for these stories and more.
Economic reality demands an updated business plan. How does the new CEO confront that challenge in the firm her mother founded?
How often can you reinvent and pivot your startup before the walls close in? Was the advice Mark Pydynowski got—"If you're not dead, you're alive"—true?
You walk into a new role expecting to do big things. When the plan goes awry, how do you align your team and still get things done?
“Believe in your idea even when everyone else tells you not to,” said Russ Flicker. But are you backing a fool’s errand or unleashing untapped potential?
With one vulnerable tweet about mental health, Gen. Mike Minihan took a step toward normalizing workplace well-being. Did it work? And why does it matter?
Jimmy Sansone's fledgling apparel brand faced a common concern: an opaque supply chain. When it threatened the business, he began a global crash course to save it.
David Mandell's startup bourbon brand quickly took off. Yet when hard-won experience clashed with customer service demands, a multimillion-dollar contract stood in the balance.
Insecurity. Self-doubt. Kendra Kelly wryly refers to it as her “old friend.” How does an accomplished professional cope with imposter syndrome—and should she have to?
A round-table chat with four founders juggling their startup, their day jobs and four time zones. What epiphanies do they learn that apply both ways?
Our fresh crop of stories about tough choices takes us from the slimy floor of an abandoned factory to corporate board rooms, from a fleabag apartment to the smoldering embers of a demolished golf club. Come inside the minds—and the stories—of these new decision-makers.
A handshake agreement gone bad. A multimillion-dollar mistake. A dive into crisis-driven strategy. Glimpse the pivotal moments we’ll explore in season two of On Principle.
Her business was booming, but based on an antiquated tech platform. How to maintain momentum, yet fix the problem? Alaina Macia found out. Then she found out again.
The curtain rises on our story as Mike Isaacson takes the stage to lead a St. Louis theater institution. Then he discovers what’s hurting the theater’s creativity—and attendance.
After George Floyd’s murder, firms moved to support workers and confront their record of inclusive leadership. What prepared Joyce Trimuel to counsel strategy in the midst of crisis?
For commercial developer Steve Smith, three events converged to launch a $230 million project in St. Louis’ urban core—an effort that came within a hair’s breadth of dying.
Berto and Ivan Garcia learned resilience early watching their immigrant parents make their way. It served them well when their nascent business teetered on a handshake agreement.
How do you balance the tug of tradition, the weight of history and the need to innovate when your business has literally gone down in flames? That was Angel Liken’s challenge.
Only her stepfather wanted her there. When Jill Castilla arrived at a community bank in Oklahoma, the dysfunction was rampant. How did she overcome staggering mistrust?
A store failed. Employees sabotaged relationships. Checks bounced. Lending was tight. Advisors said quit. But if he hadn’t existed “in the gray area,” what would he have missed?
How do you put a price tag on a hall-of-fame ballplayer? How do you decide to throw away one career dream for another one? How do you survive an existential crisis in your business? The debut season of On Principle puts you behind the scenes for these decisions and more.
What do women’s handbags, salad dressing, home runs, cat litter and credit reports have in common? They all figure into the first season of On Principle. Get a sneak peek at the decisions we’ll explore.
For Gerard Craft, James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, the scope of the pandemic hadn’t entirely sunk in. Then he got a text from one of his suppliers in Italy.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ 2011 World Series glow faded fast for John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations. His toughest negotiation ever, with legend Albert Pujols, lay ahead.
How do you decide to toss aside one vision of your career for another one — especially when the new path is littered with failure? Lisa Hu's journey into entrepreneurship.
Hackers pulled off history’s biggest data breach when they pierced the defenses at Equifax. Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. took the company’s reins soon after. Now what?
When should a company stand up for a cause? Jason Wang confronted that question before. And he did it very publicly after attackers beat two Xi’an Famous Foods employees.
“Why does your company exist?” That’s the question Dave Ciesinski, CEO of Lancaster Colony, faced when he realized there was more to becoming “the better food company.”
Cat litter isn’t sexy, but it can earn you some scratch—especially when you think out of the … um … box. Nestlé Purina Petcare CEO Nina Leigh Krueger tells the go/no-go story of a kitty innovation.
David Karandish’s Answers.com was a whopping success, but he was on the ropes 90 days after he began running it. How did his earlier startups teach him to take a punch?
