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Leading the Way Podcast: Erik Anderson, Chairman, Topgolf

In this week’s Leading the Way, we highlight how global sports entertainment company Topgolf is disrupting the game of golf, introducing millions to the sport, and contributing to the growing billion-dollar golf industry.  

Leading the way in innovation, Topgolf Executive Chairman Erik Anderson shares with us how the concept was invented and the creative ways they are reinventing their brand.   Anderson, who Golf Inc. describes as “the 8th most powerful person on the face of the Earth in the world of golf,” provides his perspective and application of “principled leadership” which he learned first-hand from his role models: his mom and the legendary coach John Wooden.  

With purpose at the forefront of their mission, Topgolf continues to “connect people in meaningful ways” and Anderson explains why this is key to their success and is the foundation for building their fun and playful culture. Encompassing digital technologies, a creative use of media, great food, and music, this organization hits another hole-in-one when it comes to attracting and recruiting “creative, curious and edgy-spirited” talent. He explains how they address challenges, shares their international growth strategy, and enlightens us on how this fast-growing company is staying ahead of the curve of their competition.  

Tee up for an exciting episode of Leading the Way and learn how this impressive company successfully blends high-tech and high-touch.  

Key Soundbites

  • On purpose – “It comes back to purpose. In your career, you will find a purpose, something that inspires you that you have a lot of love for. You have to balance that with preparing to actually be able to work against this purpose.” 
  • On employee experience – “Just like a good culture of compliance and a good culture of caring and innovation, it’s all about the tone at the top. We look for people who will lean in and will create a big moment, a small moment, or a new idea. We keep reinforcing the culture and we take people through jobs as a way to create a leader.”  
  • On leadership development - “We invest in the team, and we can only grow as fast as we have good leaders that we fully support. We work hard to get good leaders and to give them all the support and just a great culture to work in.”  
  • On culture – “Connecting people in meaningful ways has been the transformation of the company. When you hit that in ‘creating moments that matter,’ those two ideas are the north star, every day. And that’s what organizes the company.”  
  • On talent acquisition - “The core things I am always looking for is that integrity, caring, and that being creative and curious. We have a lot of fun ways that we recruit people and when they show up, we immediately have them performing. We’re actually looking at them in the whole system, it’s never a one-on-one experience.”  

About Leading the Way

Leading the Way is a weekly radio show and podcast series that highlights influential business leaders and leading people practices from i4cp. Co-hosted by Emmy award-winning television anchor and radio host, Scott Murray, and i4cp’s Angel Carlton, the show features interviews with respected business leaders from the world of business, sports, entertainment, healthcare and philanthropy.  

The show airs live every Sunday at 4 pm CT on KLIF 570 in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, the global audience is invited to listen live on www.klif.com   and the weekly podcast debuts on iTunes  or Google Play and the i4cp website the following week.