Last week I had the pleasure of introducing you, albeit anonymously by request, to a CEO who lives the word “outstanding” each and every day. He has orchestrated a Leadership Development Program to bring forth a new generation of leaders that has been deemed “the best ever seen” in a large corporation.
I can say, without reservation, that he is a true guiding light to his team.
Today I am honored to share with you some of his ardent beliefs about leadership and the books he considers required reading for leaders in his company.
4 Principle Tenets of Leadership in which he believes with his whole heart and which he feels are most critical:
1. Servant Leadership (The CEO brilliantly demonstrated this via his 30+ years of Naval Service and his ongoing service to his new company and his entire team.)
2. Leadership is a privilege that must be re-earned every day
3. Good leaders motivate followers. Great leaders develop leaders.
4. There are 3 ways to demonstrate leadership:
- By example
- By example
- By example
On Real Commitment to Clients:
“It is our job to delight our clients day in and day out, standing shoulder to shoulder with them.“
On What’s Required for Success:
“The most successful people are the best managers of time; they know how to delegate.”
This is why he says he throws a lot at each of the leaders in his Leadership Development Program – it forces them to learn to be great delegators and time managers.
On What Plagues Many Corporate Cultures (that he won’t tolerate):
- Lack of transparency
- Lack of focus on development
- Tension
- Lack of collaboration
- Toxicity-laden process for promoting people
How He Address the Challenges Listed Above:
- Makes himself fully available to his team
- Makes himself extremely visible in the organization
- Holds open staff meetings
- Demonstrates a relentless commitment to his Leadership Development Program
- Requires peer evaluations twice per year and sits down one-on-one with those in the Leadership Development Program to discuss the results
- Commits to the belief that honest evaluations and desire to see each team member succeed leads to openness, collaboration, caring and trust – and has seen this result come to life
- Holds one-on-one meetings with each leader in his LDP program to discuss their Career Development Plan (CDP)
- CDPs are clearly aligned with their Personal Performance Objectives and the corporations’s one-year and three-year Strategic Plans (driving success for everyone while clarifying goals and expectations)
- You are only promoted if your peers say you should be – this eliminates the toxicity in the typical corporate advancement process
Required Reading to be on His Team (& Recommended to All Leaders):
There are two books the CEO requires all of his Leadership Development Program team members to read, and I was fascinated to learn that they often discuss these books together as a full group when faced with difficult situations and decisions:
1. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
From his perspective, this book is about the importance of having a healthy skepticism and the fact that what you know will get you into trouble in some situations.
2. Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
An excellent book on being principled and an exceptionally great communicator, while being memorable at the same time…
So what will this CEO be doing once his role of “bringing forth the next generation of leaders” is complete? He says he will “disappear” and head off to his farm with his grapes, horses and dogs… Sounds like a splendid way to cap a magnificent career as a humble, servant leader who has developed a new generation of great leaders!
What are your thoughts on these leadership tenets and required reads? Please share in the comments – I’d be honored to hear from you!
You can find me on Twitter at @LisaPetrilli and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisapetrilli. I look forward to seeing you there!
To hire me, eMail me at Lisa@CLevelStrategies.com.
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Photo is Old Barney and the North Star by Tony the Misfit.
6 Response Comments
Great insights! As I read, I kept thinking “Oh, this is the golden nugget of the post. Wait, this is it. No, this is it…” You (and he) reminded me how to get back on the path even though I’m not in a leadership role right now. Thanks!
Shannon,
That’s just how I felt as I was talking with him. 🙂 I was in a perpetual state of awe at what he was describing to me in regard to how he is leading his team. Thrilled to know that it’s inspiring you – thank you for sharing that with me and for taking the time to be here and comment. I genuinely appreciate it!