RapidStart Leadership Podcast

How do we know if someone was a great leader? One key is to take a hard look at their final act of leadership before they let go of the reins. Too many would-be leaders see succession in a distorted light that invalidates any good work they may have done. If we want to be seen as “one of the good ones” here’s how to get the focus right.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read? Here’s the full post: The Final Act of Leadership: What Leaders Get Wrong About Succession
• Read more thoughts about Jim Collin’s book Good to Great here, or check it out on Amazon.
• Collins found that three fourths of CEOs deliberately set their successors up for failure so that they themselves would look good.
• Here’s the original video of the dropped baton; see the last 20 seconds for the slow-motion close-up.

Quotable:

“Leaders who truly care about their organization and the people within it do not set them up to fail the moment they walk away.” - Ken Downer

“If an organization soon stumbles after the leader departs, that’s not a testament to his leadership ability, it’s an indictment of it.” - Ken Downer

“If we would be seen as great leaders, if we want our team to win, our final act of leadership is clear: don’t drop the baton.” - Ken Downer
"Great leaders prepare the organization to thrive even when they are no longer leading it." - Ken Downer

Related posts:

Who’s Your Second? Are We Really Leading, or Just in Charge?

Delegation, Part 2: What to Delegate? Tips on how to develop your teammates through intelligent delegation.

What is Your Leadership Legacy?

Stay connected with Rapidstart Leadership

• Visit the site at https://www.rapidstartleadership.com/
• Tweet us at @RapidStartLdr
• Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rapidstartleadership
• Subscribe to the Leadership Updates Newsletter
• Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and Lead On!

Hyperbolic discounting may sound like a super-charged holiday sales technique, but in reality, it’s a phenomenon that leaves us vulnerable to making poor impulse choices and sabotaging our goals. Here’s what it is, and seven ways to turn this dangerous penchant into a tool to help us make smart decisions.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read? Here’s the full post: Hyperbolic Discounting and 7 Ways to Prevent Self-Sabotage
• For more of the fascinating research behind this concept see The Economics of Immediate Gratification by Ted O’Donoghue and Matthew Rabin
• Here’s reference to the 2016 study that demonstrated the “Priming” was an effective way to reduce cognitive bias.
• Here’s the link to my Goal-Setting Mastery Course that will help you not only set good goals, but stay on track long enough to attain them. The first several videos are free.
  

Quotable:

“Naughty goods are sold in small packages.” - Marketing dictum

“We are tempted to over-value options that that put things in our hands in the near-term, even though we know we’ll end up paying a greater cost down the road.” - Ken Downer

“Since we know that our future selves are smarter about these kinds of things, we can imagine the person we want to be five years from now, and get their thoughts on what choice to make today.” - Ken Downer

Related posts:

Type 2 Fun: The Secret to Achieving Your Goals

Bridging the Gap to Your Goals: Building a Span That Lasts

Master the Habit Cycle and Achieve Your Goals– features a short video on how to make smart choices happen automatically.

Stay connected with Rapidstart Leadership

• Visit the site at https://www.rapidstartleadership.com/
• Tweet us at @RapidStartLdr
• Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rapidstartleadership
• Subscribe to the Leadership Updates Newsletter
• Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and Lead On!

In the days before they had horses and rifles, ancient Americans successfully hunted the enormous and dangerous American Bison in a surprising way. By taking advantage of its herd mentality, a few bold warriors were able to manipulate the actions of hundreds of buffalo. As social animals ourselves, we can learn a lot from their tactics to help make us better leaders today.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read? Here’s the full post: Herd Mentality: What We Can Learn About Leadership From Ancient Americans
• Find Robert Cialdini’s excellent Influence – the Psychology of Persuasion on Amazon
• Traits that make the American Bison vulnerable: Eyes on the sides of their heads, heads low to the ground, strong herd instinct

Quotable:

“In general, when we are unsure of ourselves, when the situation is unclear or ambiguous, when uncertainty reigns, we are most likely to look to and accept the actions of others as correct.” - Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.

“Social proof isn’t really proof at all.” - Ken Downer

“In the end, it’s not really leading if all we’re doing is imitating those around us so that others will imitate us.” - Ken Downer

Related posts:

Visionary Leadership: When Social Proof Fails

Restoring Faith in Humanity One Act at a Time

Leaders Go First: The Surprising Impact of Making the First Move

Stay connected with Rapidstart Leadership

• Visit the site at https://www.rapidstartleadership.com/
• Tweet us at @RapidStartLdr
• Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rapidstartleadership
• Subscribe to the Leadership Updates Newsletter
• Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and Lead On!

In times of high stress, we want fast answers. As leaders we feel the pressure be decisive. But fast is not always best, and can sometimes lead us deeper into trouble.

What we need is rapid deliberation. With a little help from Wyatt Earp, and people who jump out of airplanes for a living, here’s what I think that means, and how we can put it to work for us.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read? Here’s the full post: Rapid Deliberation: 7 Ways to Hit the Target While Under Stress
• In The Slow Fix Carl Honore digs even more deeply into how to be deliberately rapid.
• For more on what to do when crisis hits, check out: How to Respond to Crisis: Four Steps for Leaders
• Well-written The After Action Reviews are a great resource to help leaders anticipate potential problems and prepare for their likelihood.
  

Quotable:

“Fast is fine, but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry.” - Wyatt Earp

“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” - U.S. Army Jumpmaster adage

“’The action that follows deliberation should be quick, but deliberation should be slow.” - Aristotle

“Haste trips up its own heels.” - Michel de Montaigne

Related posts:

Team Leadership: 4 Simple Steps to Getting Stuff Done

Are you Contagious? 3 Ways to Manage your Emotional Message

11 Key Rehearsal Techniques to Keep Your Plan From Getting Torpedoed

Stay connected with Rapidstart Leadership

• Visit the site at https://www.rapidstartleadership.com/
• Tweet us at @RapidStartLdr
• Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rapidstartleadership
• Subscribe to the Leadership Updates Newsletter
• Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and Lead On!

What do jet engines and work teams have in common? If either generate too much heat, they will self-destruct. Aeronautical engineers found a surprising way to adapt their engines so they could handle more heat and operate at higher capacities. Today we’ll look at three ways to apply their approach to leadership, and boost our own team performance.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read? Here’s the full postBoosting Team Performance: 3 Ways to Make Your Team’s Engine More Powerful
• Simon Winchester’s book The perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World is a fascinating look into man’s pursuit of the ultra-precise.
• My Book Notes on Jim Collins’ Good to Great looks at the leadership behind the truly great companies; these people are not at all what you might expect as leaders.

Quotable:

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” - Harvey S. Firestone

“Cool deliberation followed by determined action is the key to success in leadership.” - Ken Downer

“Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Related posts:

Rapid Deliberation: 7 Ways to Hit the Target While Under Stress

Delegation, Part 2: What to Delegate?

Who’s Your Second? Are We Really Leading, or Just in Charge?

Stay connected with Rapidstart Leadership

• Visit the site at https://www.rapidstartleadership.com/
• Tweet us at @RapidStartLdr
• Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rapidstartleadership
• Subscribe to the Leadership Updates Newsletter
• Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and Lead On!