Patterns, People, and the Power of Authentic Leadership: My Conversation with Blair LaCorte
# Leadership
What One of the World’s Most Versatile Leaders Teaches About Growth, Authenticity, and Human Potential
Heather Holst-Knudsen
There are leaders who build companies, and then there are leaders who build leaders.
Blair LaCortedoes both.
Blair is the founder and managing partner of LaCorte Ventures. He is also the Vice Chair of the Buck Institute on Longevity, and one of the most multidimensional executives you’ll ever meet. He has transformed industries from aviation to entertainment to AI and private equity. He has taken companies public and private, scaled global teams, and turned some of the most complex challenges into extraordinary opportunities.
But for me, this episode was personal. I have known Blair for more than 30 years. He is my CEO coach, a trusted friend, and one of the most generous connectors I know. There is even a phrase in our circle: FOB: Friend of Blair. And if you are one, you understand exactly why that matters.
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Blair approaches business with the mindset of an athlete. He plays to win, but he plays with purpose, curiosity, candor, and connection. In this episode, he shares the lessons that have shaped him, the frameworks he teaches top CEOs, and why authenticity is one of the most powerful tools a leader can develop.
Authenticity as a Catalyst for Opportunity
Blair opens this episode with a story that perfectly captures who he is. As a young trainee at GE, he found himself face-to-face with the CEO during a photo op. When the CEO made a remark about his name, Blair responded with a quick-witted comment about their hometowns. The entire executive team went silent. Then the CEO burst out laughing and said, “I like this kid. Write down his name.”
That moment changed Blair’s life. It led to unexpected mentorship, sponsorship, and ultimately to business school. The lesson he draws from it is simple:
being authentic opens doors you cannot plan for.
Every Great Business Has “One Thing That Matters”
Blair has led and transformed businesses across industries, and he says the same principle applies to all of them: each business has one essential thing that matters most.
He proved this repeatedly:
In aviation, the one thing was the economics of stage length versus cycle time. He restructured routes around long flights and built the world’s largest private charter airline.
In live entertainment, the one thing was the talent. Only about 3,000 people on Earth could do that work at scale, and it took up to 20 years to train them. So the company built its entire strategy around retaining and supporting that talent.
At Autodesk, the one thing was mapping functionality. Blair acquired capabilities the company didn’t yet have by recruiting a hacker who could build what the customers needed.
The pattern is clear. The teams and companies that succeed identify their “axis,” the center on which their business turns, and build relentlessly around it.
Patterns and People: The Two Levers of Leadership
When Blair teaches leadership in his mastermind, he breaks it down into two components: patterns and people.
Patterns are the plays you run. People are the athletes who execute them. A leader’s job is not simply to make decisions; it is to teach others how to make decisions. When teams understand the patterns and feel empowered, they begin to see things their leaders cannot.
That is when they enter the zone.
And when they are in that zone, a leader steps back and lets them play.
Winning Is Not About Competition. It Is About Having an Edge.
Blair makes a provocative point: Capitalism is not about competition. It is about winning.
Competing head-to-head decreases margins and drains resources. The companies that thrive find ways to create an unfair advantage that is ethical, strategic, and unique.
His best investments were not the glamorous ones. In fact, his team lost money in entertainment ventures because the markets were too competitive. Their most profitable investment was an industrial chemicals company they acquired for six dollars plus debt. Not sexy. But highly defensible.
The takeaway is timeless: If you want to win, do not chase what is hot. Find the space where you can differentiate.
Macro, Momentum, and the Myth of the Serial Entrepreneur
Blair believes there are only two things you need to succeed in business:
A good macro environment
The willingness to learn and adjust
And here is the uncomfortable truth: most serial entrepreneurs do not repeat their big wins because they cannot replicate the macro. The timing is different. The market is different. The conditions that fueled the first success are gone.
What separates lasting leaders from one-hit wonders is curiosity, adaptability, and humility.
AI Is Reshaping the Workforce and the Future of Sales
We also dive into how AI is rewriting the rules of hiring, sales, and team dynamics. Blair shares a striking observation. At a recent graduation at BU, almost 50% of the computer science class did not have jobs.
AI is absorbing much of the routine work that used to train early-career employees.
This shifts what new talent must bring to the table. It is no longer enough to code. You must understand how to apply AI, how to prompt it, and how to help leaders deploy it across an organization.
Meanwhile, sales teams are already transforming. Blair describes CEOs using AI to analyze sales calls, coaching reps with far more precision, and freeing up time for higher-level strategy. AI is becoming both an accelerator and a differentiator.
The Most Important Person a CEO Must Understand
Blair makes a powerful statement:
The most important person a leader must understand is themselves.
Your strengths are also your weaknesses. Your upbringing shapes how you lead. Your patterns determine your blind spots. And if you have not invested in understanding yourself, you are operating with handicaps you cannot see.
He urges every CEO to invest in therapy, coaching, personality assessments, and honest reflection. Not because it is soft. Because it is strategic. Because leadership is lonely. And because the ability to self-regulate directly impacts how you show up for your team.
The Power of Community and the Magic Inside the PPE Mastermind
One of the most meaningful parts of this conversation was Blair’s perspective on community. His mastermind, the Pinaccle Performers Elite, is built on two core qualities:
A willingness to win
A willingness to learn
PPE Mastermind brings together more than 75 CEOs, owners, and business operators from around the world.
Members are CEOs leading businesses between $10 million and $1 billion. They come from diverse industries, but they share a commitment to growth, candor, contribution, and curiosity.
With the support of PPE’s executive mentors, the community fosters highly resilient and effective businesses that are well-equipped to navigate today’s entrepreneurial landscape.
The goal is not networking. It is transformation. It is support. It is exchange. And it is the belief that growth is exponential when shared.
Inside the Buck Institute: The Future of Longevity
Blair also gives us a powerful look inside theBuck Institute, where he serves as Vice Chair. The Buck is one of the world’s leading research centers focused on health span, not just lifespan.
Here are a few of the insights he shares:
Longevity doesn’t matter unless you are healthy.
The number one cause of disease between youth and old age is chronic inflammation.
Americans begin deteriorating 14 years before they die, compared to about 5 years in much of the world.
Health span can be extended dramatically through “connection and the core four”: fuel, movement, maintenance, and environment.
There are simple science-backed steps that can add years of health to your life. Most take less than 30 minutes a day.
This Episode Is a Masterclass in Leadership, Business, and Human Potential
Blair LaCorte is one of the most insightful leaders I know. He blends strategy with psychology, business with humanity, structure with authenticity. This conversation is packed with wisdom for any CEO, entrepreneur, or leader navigating growth, complexity, and the next chapter of what it means to build a meaningful business. f you’re a leader who knows you’re being called to level up, expand your capacity, and build what’s next, this episode is your blueprint.
Blair reminds us that business is a sport, growth is a choice, and the advantage always goes to the leaders willing to learn, adapt, and surround themselves with the right community. That’s exactly why we built RevvedUP 2026 and Revenue Room™ CXO - to give CEOs and growth leaders a place to sharpen strategy, upgrade their operating model, and connect with a tribe that pushes them forward. If this conversation resonated, join us. Come experience the room where clarity accelerates, strategy sharpens, and leaders like Blair help you rethink what’s possible.
