When a leader get better, everyone wins!
Global Leadership Summit was packed with a wealth of leadership principles, strategies, tactics, and messages delivered from an all-star leadership faculty. If you missed the speakers, I’ve captured some key highlights. Read through these concepts and decide which ones resonate with you. Which ones might you want to put into action?
Craig Groeschel (Co-founder and Senior Pastor, Life Church)
- Leaders have influence. Everyone has influence, so everyone is a leader. Leaders can learn from anyone.
- False assumption: better always costs more. The truth: investing more eventually gives a diminishing return. Leaders look for ways to bend the curve by increasing value with lower costs.
- Practice GETMO: Good Enough To Move On. Perfection is often the enemy of progress.
- Think inside the box. Constraints drive creativity by eliminating options.
- You have everything you need to do everything you are called to do.
- If you had everything you wanted, you might miss what you really need.
- Burn the ships: eliminate options to turn back.
- If you commit to the what and are consumed with the why, you’ll figure out the how.
Bozoma Saint John (CMO, Endeavor)
- Creating company culture is 100% everyone’s responsibility.
- Show up in your most brilliant, authentic self.
Ben Sherwood (Former Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks)
- The speed of change can be daunting for leadership, and leader cannot be afraid to lose.
- Leaders in crisis need to know:
- The study of asymmetrical conflict shows that the stronger side wins when conventional tactics are used in conventional conflict; whereas, unconventional tactics win 63% of the time in unconventional conflict.
- The theory of 10/80/10: in a crisis, 10% if the people will emerge as leaders, 80% will freeze and wait for someone to tell them what to do, and 10% will engage in negative behavior.
- Leadership secret: unlock team performance by “connecting”
Liz Bohannon (Co-founder & Co-CEO, Sseko Designs)
- Beginner’s Luck is the supposed phenomenon of novices experiencing success; wheres, Beginner’s Pluck is spirited and determined courage.
- Good leaders turn the stages of learning into a continuous cycle:
- unconscious incompetence: you don’t know what you don’t know
- conscious incompetence: ouch, you know what you don’t know
- conscious competence: I can do it, but it takes effort
- unconscious competence: I’m so good I can do this in my sleep. Good
- Leaders don’t choose comfort.
- You’re never going to find your passion; you’re going to build it.
- Dream small, not big. Small dreams have a surprising power. Dreaming small will allow you to take the next step.
- Leaders are not the heroes for others but help others be the heroes of their own life.
Jason Dorsey (#1 Rated Gen Z & Millennial Researcher & Speaker)
The Center of Generational Kinetics is the #1 generational research and consulting center studying the WHY behind the behaviors.
- Parenting styles and natural relationships with technology are the only two parameters that shape generations.
- Parenting influences everything. Entitlement is a learned behavior, reinforced in schools, and now culturally acceptable.
- Technology is only new if you have the reference of remembering what it was like before.
- Generations are not defined by chronological years but predictable behavioral changes. Cuspers are in between behavioral changes.
- Millennials are the largest generation currently in the workforce and the only generation to split into two segments (Mega-llennials and Me-llennials). Many are experiencing significant delays in real-world traction (adulting): marriage, jobs/careers, and parenthood. By age 30, the two Millennial population segment can no longer relate to each other.
- Millennials are tech dependent, not tech savvy.
- Gen-X are squeezed between taking care of parents and kids, naturally skeptical, and are typically the glue of the organization.
- Boomers know geography, define and measure work output in hours/week, believe there are no shortcuts to success, and are focused on policies and procedures.
- Gen Z’s parents are Gen X or older Millennials. Their philosophy to parenting is you will not end up like those entitled Millennials. Gen Z are practical with money, shop in thrift stores, and in some cases are leap frogging Millennials.
- Leadership tips to manage the Gen Z: (1) provide specific examples of the performance you expect—how it looks, (2) drive on the outcome—they do not think linearly—show the end first, and (3) provide quick-hit feedback.
- Every generation brings something to the table and all generations lead.
Danielle Strickland (Pastor, Author, Justice Advocate)
- Leaders not just survive but are part of transformational change.
- Transformational change starts with your beliefs. Beliefs shape values which leads to action and then results. A leader’s beliefs are the roots from which everything grows. Is it true what you believe? Or is it faulty?
- Stages of transformational change: (1) comfortable, (2) unsettled and disruptive, (3) chaos (scary and exciting), (4) less scared/more exciting, and (5) new normal.
- Embrace the process of change. Disruption is not a threat but an invitation to a new normal. And leaders should not be afraid to ask for help.
Devon Franklin (CEO, Franklin Entertainment)
- BE YOU: own and cultivate your own recipe for success versus stealing someone else’s.
- The key to leadership is the struggle with our difference, because our difference is our destiny. Difference can be painful, because sometimes it’s hard to stand out. Your difference looks good on you. Own who you are.
- Keep differences sharp and not sanded down. Your difference is your key to enter into your destiny.
- Stop being quiet, use your voice. Resist the exchange for what makes you different with what is common in order to fit in.
- Don’t be afraid of discomfort. Discomfort means you are on the right path. Don’t retreat, keep going.
- How to own your difference: (1) admit you are different, (2) do not confuse someone else’s distinctiveness for your own, (3) hang with those who encourage your difference, and (4) be salt and light. Shake your creativity on others and take your light where it is dark and where no one else will go.
- Your difference makes a difference.
Patrick Lencioni (CEO, The Table Group, and Best-selling Author)
- Leadership is a privilege. You need to know your “why” to be the leader. If you don’t know your why, your “how” won’t matter. What is the motivation behind why you want to lead?
- There are two types of leader motivations: servant leader and reward-based.
- Reward-centered leaders have common behaviors of abdicating responsibility and delegating what only they should do, and this hurts people. Characteristics of the reward-centered leader: (1) avoids and pushes uncomfortable conversations onto others, (2) doesn’t coach direct reports, (3) is unaware of what the team is working on, (4) doesn’t align the team, (5) runs poor meetings which lead to poor decisions, (6) avoids team building because not comfortable with emotions, and (7) under communicates.
- Servant leadership is the only kind of leadership. If you are the reward-centered leader, do the right thing by either leaning into leadership or resigning.
Chris Voss (Former FBI Hostage Negotiator, CEO of The Black Swan Group)
- If the words “I want …” or “I need …” are coming out of your mouth, you are negotiating.
- Negotiation is a learned skill.
- Negotiation is about connecting and collaborating. Tactical empathy—everyone wants to be heard and understood. Empathy—understand where people are coming from and communicating that to them.
- Listening is a martial art. Mirroring is tactical listening and responding to the other person. Effective pauses give people the chance to respond.
- Calibrate to a “no” versus a forced “yes”. When a person can say “no” they feel emotionally safe and protected and are able to continue in the negotiation.
- The words “that’s right …” continues the conversation; whereas, “you’re right …” stops the conversation. The fastest way to end a conversation is to say, “You’re right.”
- If you are “likeable”, you are 6 times more likely to make a deal.
- You want to understand why someone is asking for something. “What makes you want that?” is a better question than “Why do you want that?”
- When a negotiation is slipping away, you want to say, “It doesn’t feel like I’ve earned your trust.” This keeps the negotiation going.
- Ask HOW questions, because it gets people thinking.
- Genuine curiosity is the counter for when fear creeps into the negotiation.
Aja Brown (Mayor of Compton, California)
- Vision is the vehicle to creating momentum
- Collaboration is the momentum multiplier to move on mission
Jia Jiang (Best-selling Author, Entrepreneur)
Concepts in how to use or interpret rejection:
- Rejection is a numbers game. Ask enough times and eventually someone will say yes.
- Rejection is the opinion of the rejecter only.
- Rejection is an opportunity for growth. When you embrace rejection, you gain confidence.
Todd Henry (Founder of Accidental Creative and Leadership Consultant)
- Creative professionals are prolific, brilliant, and healthy. If you are missing one component you poor results:
- Prolific + Brilliant – Healthy = Fried
- Healthy + Brilliant – Prolific = Unreliable
- Prolific + Healthy – Brilliant = Fired
- Leading your teams on two dimensions: (1) stability (clarity + protection) and (2) challenge (permission + faith). Based on these two dimensions, teams can be categorized into one of four groups:
- Angry: high challenge/low stability
- Lost: low challenge/low stability
- Stuck: low challenge/high stability
- Thrive: high challenge/high stability
- Leaders will be rewarded with the best work of their team, if they can move members into the thriving category.
- Trust is the currency of a creative team. Leaders forfeit trust by declaring things that are undeclarable and being a superhero.
- Leaders move from leading by control to leading to influence. Focus on bounded autonomy—principles under which to do work.
Krish Kandiah (Founder, Home for Good)
- Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.
Jo Sexton (Author, Leadership Coach)
- U.S. organizations are facing a burnout crisis.
- Fifty percent of CEOs feel lonely, and 60% say loneliness affects their leadership.
- Questions every leader should be asking themselves: (1) who were you before people told you who you were, (2) what would your body say if it could talk to you, and (3) who are your people?
Bear Grylls (Adventurer, Writer, and TV Host)
- The first failure gives you freedom.
- Our fears make us real and relatable.
- True wealth is found in our relationships.
Craig Groeschel (Co-founder and Senior Pastor, Life Church)
- Kindness changes people. The fastest way to change people’s minds is to connect with their hearts.
- Knowledge alone rarely leads to action. Knowledge leads to conclusions, and emotions leads to action. Three important questions: what do I want them to know, feel, and do?
- Share stories purposefully. Stories stick, but facts fade. We have two processors: emotional and logical. Emotional is the default processor. When you use a story, you connect the heart of emotions to the strength of the logical—igniting a power action. “Let me tell you a story…” is an opener that gets people’s attention.
- Choose words deliberately, because the words you choose determine the emotions people will feel. When crafting vision and values, use powerful words.
- Share vulnerability deliberately but don’t overshare. We may impress people with our strengths, but we connect through our weaknesses. Show people what’s in your heart. People would rather follow a leader who is real versus right.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach with an extensive background in leadership and business consulting. She administers DISC® and Myers-Briggs/MBTI® testing, designs and facilitates workshops, and coaches both individuals and teams. She has a passion to help people be the best versions of themselves. You can learn more about Sandra by reaching out to her at coach.sandra.dillon@gmail.com or by visiting her website at www.shinecrossings.com
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