Ethan Willis, the #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and CEO of Growth.com, has spent more than 25 years helping leaders and organizations turn ambition into meaningful, measurable progress. In this conversation, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner explores how humility—not ego—can build trust, unlock talent and create cultures where people and businesses perform at their best.
His newest book, Humble Power: Less Ego. More Impact. Better Results., was released in September 2026 by Hay House and was named the #1 USA Today Bestselling leadership book. Mel Robbins calls the book “a wake-up call and how people level up.” Tony Robbins says Humble Power delivers “a perspective shift the world urgently needs right now.” Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, says she endorses it because, “By thinking about other people, you become your best self.” Brendon Burchard wrote the foreword saying “this book is a lighthouse to the world.”
Over a career spanning more than 25 years, Ethan has built and led companies across publishing, leadership development, professional training, and digital education. He has managed organizations with as many as 5,000 employees and been involved in training and developing more than 200,000 leaders across over 100 countries.
Ethan is a graduate of Brigham Young University, an alumnus of Harvard Business School, and a member of YPO’s Scottsdale chapter.
In Humble Power, I share the story of a business associate who proudly presented his boss with a contract he had negotiated aggressively. Her response was, “You took too much.” She sent him back to make the agreement more equitable. She understood that the relationship needed to work long after the negotiation ended. That captures how I think about trust: create relationships people want to stay in because both sides benefit.
Authority also comes from being honest enough to be useful. In my conversation with Brendon Burchard, we talked about how humility allows you to be more direct. When people know you care about their progress, they can hear difficult feedback because they trust your intentions. You earn influence by helping people see clearly, follow through and get results.
“Your greatest responsibility as a leader isn’t to prove how capable you are. It’s to create an environment where the people around you can do their best work.”
— Ethan Willis, Growth.com