Joie de vivre. It's a French phrase that translates to "the joy of life."

And when I sat down with John Dillon, CEO of La Madeleine, it was clear that joy isn't just a concept for this brand. The brand has been carrying joy in its DNA for 43 years. John's gift was seeing it and turning it up a notch.

When John took over as CEO, one of the first things he did was create “Spark Joy Sessions” - conversations with frontline employees to figure out the pain points that actually impacted them on a daily basis.

And when he went back a year later to report what had changed because of their feedback? He was surprised… they'd done more than he even realized!

That's leadership.

That’s a wrap for Season 7 - Hard to believe! Season 8 sneak peek will be coming soon!

Most executives don’t put the word "joy" in their personal brand statement.

John Goss does!

As President of Sally Beauty, a global brand with over 2,400 stores in the US and Canada, John has built his career around the idea that joy and culture aren’t separate from results - it produces them.

In this conversation, we talked about what it really means to lead with joy. Not as a feel-good concept, but as a deliberate strategy. Joy attracts the right people, builds real trust, and drives everything else.

We also got into the stuff that doesn't always make it into leadership conversations:

• growing up as the new kid across eight schools
• graduating high school in Singapore
• and the early career moments that taught him exactly the kind of leader he never wanted to be

Gravy-powered rocket ship. 12x EBITDA.

His dad made him write a P&L for his lemonade stand, even though Brandon Coleman III couldn't pronounce the word "quarters" yet.

Same kid. Forty years later. Now he's leading major brands.

Another story that shaped his leadership style: Early in his career, he walked into a restaurant and ordered his own promotion. His server looks at him and says: "I wouldn't do that." He waited until the rush died down. Pulled her aside. Asked her why. She told him everything. It's a moment that he never forgot. When you actually listen to your servers, managers, and guests, magic happens.

At Cotton Patch Café, Brandon did the unthinkable - lowered prices, increased portions and increased wages! People thought he was nuts! Guess what? It worked, driving 12x EBITDA!

Ironically, the best ideas are often not found in the boardroom. They're found at the front line!