Recently, my guest on “The CEO Show” was Chris McCormick, the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Champion.

His reputation with some in the media is that of a brash and overconfident athlete that can make others bristle.

My experience was exactly the opposite.

Yes, Chris McCormick is confident. I have not met a world-class CEO or a world class athlete that does not have confidence in themselves and their abilities. Yet he was also amazingly thoughtful, articulate and gracious. The former accountant with a degree in Economics from New South Whales combines a one-two punch of a big heart and a smart head every time he races.

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Richard Cerussi is President and General Manager of NBC11, one of the Bay Area's leading network television stations. Cerussi was named President in 2007, after a successful career as EVP of NBC's national sales organization. NBC11 bills itself as "The San Jose News Channel", as its news reports primarily cater to Silicon Valley viewers.

A leading figure in the European technology community, Pierre Haren is chairman and chief executive officer of ILOG. Haren cofounded ILOG in 1987, and after seeing quick growth in Europe, launched fully owned subsidiaries in Singapore, the United States and Japan. ILOG products include the market's leading business rule management system (BRMS), as well as innovative optimization and visualization software components.

Chris McCormack is an Australian triathlete, known affectionately to the triathlon community as Macca. McCormack began competing on international-distance courses in 1996, winning both the 1997 Triathlon World Championships and the 1997 ITU World Cup Series; to date, no-one else has won both titles in a single year.

After shifting focus to longer distance racing he displayed exceptional aptitude for the distance winning many races. McCormack won Ironman Australia in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Twice he has finished the Quelle Challenge Roth, an Iron-Distance triathlon in under 8 hours, a feat only 5 other athletes have completed. In 2007 he won the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii after 6 attempts at the race coming as close as second, within 2 minutes of the winner, in 2006. (Wikipedia.org)

On Friday, February 15 a special taping of "The CEO Show" featured world-champion triathlete Chris "Macca" McCormack in the KLIV studios with show host and Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino. The special taping -- with a live studio audience asking questions of Chris and Nic Sims of Specialized Bicycles -- was preceded by a reception and autograph session benfiting the March of Dimes and HAND.

See photos from this event.

If one word best describes one of last night's guests on "The CEO Show," that certainly encapsulates the spirit of Sam Liccardo, downtown Councilmember in the City of San Jose.

This Harvard trained Lawyer, who worked for years in the office of the District Attorney prosecuting crimes against kids, and additional years as a federal prosecutor, has invested his life to public service rather than seeking private gain.

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San Jose City Councilmember Sam Liccardo and Ritchie Commercial CEO Mark Ritchie discuss the future of San Jose and its downtown - will we continue to build high-rise developments? Will BART come to downtown anytime soon? What is the future of San Jose State University and its interactions with the City? Answers to these questions -- and listener's too -- make for a spirited conversation.

Jeffrey Sosnaud is the CEO of the CORO Foundation, which trains ethical, diverse civic leaders nationwide. Coro leaders develop skills; master tools needed to engage and empower communities; gain experience in government, business, labor and not-for-profit community organizations; and participate in special community and political problem solving processes.