THE CIRCUIT

LEADING AUTHORITIES' ROUND UP OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, TRENDS, AND PERSONALITIES ON THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT

Apologizing up front if you were hoping for World Cup or Tour de France news this week. While that didn't make The Circuit, I do have a look at trade negotiations through the lens of an iconic American brand, an interview with the new host of Face the Nation, and an unconventional look at leadership qualities. Finally -- check out the last piece. If you are local to DC or happen to be in town the last week of July and want to join me for dinner, please drop me a note.

Moving Overseas?
Amid trade tensions over the last two weeks, CNBC took a look at how American’s will react to companies moving abroad. Former director of communications strategy at Harley Davidson Ken Schmidt weighed in, “Harley’s always been a premiere American company, beloved for being made here. But overseas it doesn’t have quite that strong a cache.” Discussing how the issue handcuffs the company from expressing its true views, Schmidt argued that the company is “being chastised for doing something that any company in its position would do.”

Real Conversation
As the new host of CBS’ Face the Nation, Margaret Brennan faces the question: How do you prep for a once a week show in a rapidly changing news environment? In this interview with Washingtonian magazine, she talks about her process and how she thinks about her audience. “Right now, there’s too much horse race, too much politics in terms of having people on to argue with each other. I hope this show will be a refuge from that when someone ends the hour they spent with us, they learned something.” Oh – and she also shares her favorite place for pizza in DC.

Back-To-School
Summer’s not over yet, but I’ve got your fall required reading right here. Retired four-star General Stan McChrystal is known for his writings and presentations on leadership. This October, he’s set to release his latest work on the subject, Leaders: Myth and Reality, where he explores what leadership really means. The work profiles unlikely pairs from diverse fields and time periods. For example, McChrystal contrasts the styles of Walt Disney and Coco Chanel. Disney, who fancied himself a man of the people but was seen more as a tyrant by the working man, is juxtaposed with Chanel’s façade of aristocracy while she obsessed over designing for everyday customers. The book, which drops October 23, is now available for pre-order.