Patterns, People, and the Power of Authentic Leadership: My Conversation with Blair LaCorte

[00:00–01:30] Introduction Founder/Managing Director of Leor Ventures, Vice Chair of the Buck Institute on Longevity, long-time CEO coach, connector, and leader known for transforming companies across aviation, entertainment, AI, and private equity.

[01:30–03:20] “Better Lucky Than Smart”: Early Career Story Blair shares an early GE story where an authentic, humorous exchange with the CEO unexpectedly opened doors for him — including the suggestion to go to business school. Lesson: Authenticity creates opportunity.

[03:20–08:00] The One Thing That Matters in Every Business Blair explains that each business model has a single core variable that determines success: Aviation → maximize long flight hours and aircraft utilization Live entertainment → secure and retain the 3,000 highly skilled event specialists worldwide Tech → build tech-enabled business models that improve margins He emphasizes strategy is defined by what you don’t do.

[08:00–11:30] Finding the Center (Axis) Every successful business identifies its “axis”—the central variable around which the model is built. Focus prevents distraction and informs all resource allocation.

[11:30–14:30] Patterns & People: How Blair Thinks About Leadership Blair uses sports analogies: Patterns = plays People = talent Leaders must teach others to make decisions rather than make every decision themselves. When people hit “the zone,” they outperform the leader’s own visibility.

[14:30–17:30] Success Depends on Macro + Adaptation Two things determine business success: Macro fit (market timing) — often outside your control Willingness to learn and adjust Even serial entrepreneurs rarely replicate huge wins because timing is hard to repeat.

[17:30–20:30] Winners Win — But Beware Confirmation Bias Blair warns that: Past success skews leaders toward repeating the strategies that worked before. Hot markets often produce poor investments. Capitalism, he says, is not about competition — it’s about finding an unfair advantage ethically.

[20:30–23:00] Lessons From Bad Investments Examples: Ducati: too competitive MGM: too glamorized; big losses due to market conditions and creative decisions Best returns came from “boring” companies where competition was low and margins stable.

[23:00–25:00] Authenticity, Burnout & Choosing the Right Path Blair advises young entrepreneurs to: Know themselves deeply Avoid careers misaligned with their natural strengths Recognize that success without alignment leads to burnout or regret

[25:00–27:00] Sales = Math + Human Psychology The business model is ultimately a sales engine. Sales success boils down to: Pricing math Human behavior If selling is failing, revisit the strategy and business model.

[27:00–29:30] Human Fulfillment in Business People chase the “win” — the dopamine of progress and creation. Great businesses make people feel connected to what they built.

[29:30–32:00] AI Is Reshaping Talent Pipelines AI is eliminating repetitive entry-level roles. To stand out, new grads must position themselves not as coders, but as: People who teach AI People who implement AI across teams AI becomes a multiplier for talent, not a replacement for skill.

[32:00–36:00] AI in the Revenue Function AI transforms sales: Pre-call research Message personalization Real-time coaching Account risk detection Competitive intelligence Blair notes leaders can spend less time on “ride-alongs” and more time on high-leverage strategy.

[36:00–38:30] How AI Changes Defensibility AI levels the playing field: Small companies can punch above their weight Big companies can analyze churn, renewals, and customer behavior at scale Used well, AI increases retention and improves margins.

[38:30–41:00] Leadership: It Starts With You Blair says leaders must understand: Their psychological patterns Their motivations Their emotional responses Without self-awareness, they cannot lead others. He urges: “If you haven’t done therapy or taken a personality test, you’re disadvantaged as a CEO.”

[41:00–44:00] The Loneliness of Leadership CEOs rarely have safe spaces to share pressure. Most great leaders today have: A therapist A coach A mastermind group Blair compares it to athletes who invest in coaches to maximize performance.

[44:00–45:30] Investing in Yourself Using the Mark Cuban example, Blair says: Players (and CEOs) should invest heavily in coaching The ROI on personal performance is enormous Self-awareness is not a weakness; it’s a competitive advantage

[45:30–end] Mastermind Groups & Who Belongs Heather asks what makes someone a great fit for Blair’s CEO mastermind, Axis. Blair emphasizes: Cultural fit Willingness to win Authenticity Contribution to the collective The right people create a powerful community; the wrong ones damage it.