Love Is Free. Guac Is Extra.: How Vulnerability, Empowerment, and Curiosity Built an Unstoppable Team

Monty Moran

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Imagine you’re one of 75,000 people working in a huge company, and the CEO wants to talk to you, one-on-one, to get to know and understand you. That’s what Monty Moran did 20,000 times as he built the extraordinary culture that took Chipotle Mexican Grill from a regional burrito chain to a Fortune 500 superstar. In Love Is Free, Guac Is Extra, Monty shows how he used curiosity, vulnerability, love, and a unique understanding of the true meaning of empowerment to build a distinctive and wildly effective culture. From his teenage days befriending homeless people at a Colorado Dairy Queen to his nuanced navigation of a complex co-CEO relationship, Monty demonstrates a relentless humility and desire to understand the person across from him. This is not your average leadership book. This is a book about business leadership executed in a way you’ve never encountered before, by becoming the best version of yourself.

Press & Praise

Jeffrey B. Kindler, Esq. CEO, Centrexion Corp., Former Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc., Former Board Member, Chipotle Mexican Grill

"I watched first-hand as Monty's leadership completely transformed Chipotle and led to historic success. The unique and profound wisdom in this book will make us all better leaders and better people."

Ariuna Namsrai, Executive Director, Managing Director for Eurasia, APCO Worldwide Inc.

"Read this fascinating, eye-opening book! It's filled with powerful lessons and messages, so sorely needed in our world today. He shows how we can use love, empathy, and compassion to overcome our own limitations, unite and empower each other, and join hands to create a better world."

Patrick Mutombo, Assistant Coach for the NBA champion Toronto Raptors

"A soul-grabbing book for anyone who wants to be a better person, lead expertly, and improve other people's lives. Best leadership book I've ever read."

Monty Moran is the former co-CEO at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Prior to joining Chipotle, he was head of litigation and then managing partner and CEO at the Denver-based law firm of Messner and Reeves, LLC, which he led for ten years. Most recently, Monty realized his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot, and flies his airplane throughout the United States to pursue his interest in better understanding and serving Americans, a quest he documents through his startup, Old Tale Productions. He is a director and chairman of corporate boards, and an advisor to many entrepreneurs and businesses. Married with three children, Monty lives in Boulder, Colorado.

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