Once you have 5 or 6 of them, they are no longer priorities. Not only do you undermine their significance by having too many, but nobody is going to remember them all. The Ride of a lifetime, p.100 Continue reading Set only 1 to 3 priorities
This isn’t about saying things are good when they’re not, and it’s not about conveying some innate faith that “things will work out.” It’s about believing you and the people around you can steer toward the best outcome, and not communicating the feeling that all is lost if things don’t break your way. The tone you set as a leader has enormous effect on the people around you. No one wants to follow a pessimist. The Ride of a Lifetime, p.87 Continue reading As a leader of a company, you cannot be pessimistic.
It’s about helping others be prepared to possibly step into your shoes – giving them access to your own decision making, identifying the skills they need to develop and helping them improve, and, as I’ve had to do, sometimes being honest with them about why they’re not ready for the next step up. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.67 Continue reading Good leadership isn’t about being indispensable.
As a leader, you should want those around you to be eager to rise up and take on more responsibility, as long as dreaming about the job they want doesn’t distract them from the job they have. You can’t let ambition get too far ahead of opportunity. I’ve seen a lot of people who had their sights set on a particular job or project, bu the opportunity to get there was so slim. They grew impatient with where they were and so their ambition became counterproductive. The employee should make himself one of the people, through attitude, energy and focus, … Continue reading What’s the best way to nurture ambition?
In those instances in which you find yourself hoping that something will work without being able to convincingly explain to yourself how it will work – that’s when a little bell should go off. Then you should ask yourself clarifying questions. What’s the problem I need to solve? Does this solution actually makes sense (rationally)? If I’m feeling some doubt, why? Am I doing this for sound reasons or am I motivated by something personal? -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.65 Continue reading Not sure how this will work? Time to ask the hard questions.
Ovitz was horrible at it. He would keep people waiting while he was getting calls from all kinds of celebrities. People grew frustated of these rescheduled, postponed meetings. Ovitz didn’t make them feel that their time was valuable. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.63 Continue reading Managing your own time and respecting others’ time is one of the most vital things to do as a manager.
When the two people at the top of a company have a dysfunctional relationship, there’s no way that the rest of the company beneath them can be functional. This is what happened between Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz around 1995. Ultimately, Eisner fired Ovitz but the damage it caused to the company was significant. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.62 Continue reading If sh*t happens in top management, solving it should be your priority
You may become the greatest trombone-oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end, the world consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year. Don’t invest in projects that would sap the resources of your company and you. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.61 Continue reading “Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil”
It’s a small gesture, but it feels awful to be the overlooked sidekick. Plus, anything that reminds you that you’re not the center of the universe is a good thing. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.48 Continue reading Make sure to connect and speak with every person at the table.
This is a rare trait in a boss. When Dennis Swanson became the head of ABC Sports, something he had never done. He could have showed a kind of fake authority or knowledge. But if Dennis was asked something he didn’t know, he would say “he didn’t know” and turned to Robert and others for help. He often asked Robert, his #2, to take the lead in conversation with higher management -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.28 Continue reading Knowing what you don’t know
Roadmap to Billions 