About the Guest:

Ania Smith is the CEO of TaskRabbit, the global marketplace connecting people who need everyday tasks done with skilled local "Taskers." Born in Poland, she immigrated to Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 12, learned English, and went on to study business — including an exchange back in Poland — before earning her MBA at Wharton. She began her career in international development, moved through investment banking and consulting at L.E.K., and held leadership roles at Expedia, Walmart, and Airbnb before taking the top job at TaskRabbit at the end of August 2020.

Ania is known for her candor about ambition, her belief in running toward growth and discomfort, and her conviction that great leadership is fundamentally human. She leads TaskRabbit (now part of the IKEA family) with a focus on helping Taskers build meaningful income while keeping human connection at the center — even as AI reshapes the way we work. Hear more about her journey from a paper route in South Dakota to the CEO seat in this episode of the Take Command Podcast.

What You Will Learn:

• Why resilience is "getting up after the fall" — and how to stop catastrophizing setbacks
• Why careers are non-linear, and how lateral moves and new skills set you up to lead
• How humility ("hire people smarter than you") becomes a leadership superpower
• Why listening is the single most important skill of a good leader
• How to build relationships that last by keeping in touch when you need nothing
• Why human creativity and connection still beat AI's "generating to the mean"

Join us for this episode of the Take Command Podcast to explore what it takes to lead with grit, humility, and heart. Ania Smith doesn't claim to have all the answers — she'd rather hire people who do — but her journey offers clear, practical lessons for any leader navigating uncertainty and growth.

Please rate and review this Episode!

We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.

About the Guest:

Eric Ries has been a force in entrepreneurship and innovation for over twenty years. He is the creator of the Lean Startup method and the author of The Lean Startup, The Leader’s Guide, and The Startup Way. His ideas have shaped how startups and large companies approach growth, decision-making, and innovation.

As a founder, Eric has applied his principles with ventures like The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE); Answer.AI, an AI research lab; the Lean Startup Co.; Virgil, a legal services startup; and IMVU, where many of the concepts that became the Lean Startup method were forged. He has served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School and IDEO. Eric lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.

What You Will Learn:

• How to create systems and cultures that encourage experimentation and learning
• Lessons in influencing and leading without formal authority
• Why long-term thinking matters for both founders and teams
• The importance of compounding small, deliberate actions over time
• Insights on how Lean Startup principles can transform established organizations

Join us for a deep dive into leadership, innovation, and the mindset that allows founders and executives to build companies that last. Eric’s approach is practical, disciplined, and forward-thinking. Tune in to gain strategies that go beyond theory and into the real-world application of building lasting organizations.

Please rate and review this Episode!

We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.

About the Guest
Janice Bryant Howroyd is the Founder and CEO of The ActOne Group, a global workforce solutions company operating in more than 30 countries. She is recognized as the first African American woman to build a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

A best-selling author and global speaker, she has been honored for entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation, and has advised leaders across business, government, and education. Her work focuses on connecting people to opportunity through a deeply human-centered approach to business.

What You Will Learn:

• Why “no shortcuts, no excuses” is a leadership mindset for long-term success
• How asking better questions and listening drives stronger outcomes
• Why resilience is essential when facing adversity
• How AI is changing work but increasing the need for human skills
• Why people must remain at the center of leadership and growth

Please rate and review this Episode!

We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.