Month: June 2018

Bob Burg: Giving, Saying No and Overcoming Obstacles

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/28/2018
1 Comment on Bob Burg: Giving, Saying No and Overcoming Obstacles

Bob Burg is a speaker and author. His original business parable, The Go-Giver (coauthored with John David Mann), has captured the imagination of his readers and begun a world-wide movement. A Wall Street Journal and Business Week Bestseller, it has sold over 800,000 copies and was rated #10 on Inc. Magazine’s list of the Most Motivational Books Ever Written, and was on HubSpot’s 20 Most Highly Rated Sales Books of All Time.

His newest book is titled, The Go-Giver Influencer, about which the legendary executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith says, “This may be the most important Go-Giver book yet—and it today’s polarized world, it could not be more timely.”

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This great resource will help you along the way, during or after you listen to the podcast. Not only will you get to know our guest, you will be asked tough questions to really spearhead your journey to becoming a better leader! And look below for more insights and clips!!

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Bob says the best way to get people on your side of an issue is to help them figure out what they want.
A good leader is able to ask questions and find out what others want to accomplish. When you know this, frame what you want in a way that others feel it benefits them to get onboard. Ultimately, people do things for their reasons, not your reasons. As a leader, your job is to serve people to make sure they get what they want.
(34:44-36:06)

Bob says leaders should serve others. Does you leadership reflect a mindset of serving your team?

Bob went from a top-notch salesman to a renowned author. How did he get there?
He began by studying personal development. He bought lots of popular books to learn best practices. Then he joined the National Speakers’ Association and attended conferences. He paid attention to what the speakers said and did, taking notes and applying what he learned. Bob’s first book sold more than 300,000 copies.
(13:16-15:50)

What inspires you about Bob’s tenacity?
What actions are you currently taking to achieve your goals?

Why Delegation Makes You a Better Leader

Post author By David Novak Leadership
Post date 06/26/2018

Here’s a secret every leader should know: success isn’t a one-person show. Behind most big successes is a team of great people. A leader’s job is to empower their team to achieve great results, and a strong leader knows the importance of delegation in reaching their business’ goals.

When used correctly, delegation is a powerful tool that helps employees feel more engaged. Plus, goals are much more attainable when one person isn’t accountable for all the work.

It can be difficult to let go of work when it seems easier to do it yourself. But there’s great benefits to giving your team a chance to grow and take on new responsibilities. It’s important to know when to delegate though.

If you’re unsure about how you can best implement delegation, follow these guidelines:

The art of leadership is knowing when to give people total accountability, and knowing when they need a little coaching and help. Autonomy is an earned right. Don’t turn someone loose on something until they demonstrate they have the capability to do it right.
You want your people to feel empowered. Once you take the joy of the decision away, you take the joy of the job away. As soon as your new team members demonstrate that they have the capabilities to make the right decisions, empower them by giving them more responsibility and influence.
Delegation involves knowing when to let go. You don’t want to hover over them and micromanage to the point that they can’t take flight. Let people fly a little bit earlier than you think they might be ready for. By doing so, you show trust and are giving them the opportunity to rise to the occasion. In Jonathan Blum’s podcast, he shares how his boss gave him a huge responsibility early in his career. Find out how that paid off for Jonathan by listening here.

When you delegate, not only do you allow yourself to focus on other things, but you also make your team feel needed and useful. When employees feel like their work matters, they are more productive and work hard for better results. It’s a win, win! How can you start delegating today?

Becoming a better leader isn’t easy, and David Novak Leadership is here to help! Check out our website for leadership advice, blogs and podcasts, all designed to help you become the best leader you can be.

Podcast

Geoff Colvin: Senior Editor at Large for Fortune Magazine

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/21/2018

Geoff Colvin is an award-wining thinker, author, broadcaster, and speaker on today’s most significant trends in business. As a longtime editor and columnist for FORTUNE, he has become one of America’s sharpest and most respected commentators on leadership and related issues. Hear Geoff discuss leadership insights from his bestselling book Talent is Overrated and his latest book Humans are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will.
[bctt tweet=”“Nobody is a natural-born great performer….leaders are made.””]

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Geoff credits his success to growing up in a supportive environment. It’s very important to have a place where you can try different things and be supported in what you want to do without excessive criticism. It’s a balance of having freedom to try different things, and being gently pushed to go further than you thought you could – but not shoved.
(3:33-7:05)

Think of a mentor who has helped you in your career. How did that person support you?
How can you provide a more supportive environment for your team?

When people use the term “natural talent,” it belies all the hard work involved in becoming great at something. Geoff’s book was written on the premise that great performance comes from deliberate practice.
Natural talent, the ability to do something, is overrated. The world’s greatest performers know that hard work is what brings success, and they resent being told they have a great natural talent because it makes it sound easy. Becoming great at something is never easy.
(8:28-10:44)

Do you think natural talent is overrated?
Do you believe someone can become great at something by deliberate practice alone?

David Novak Leadership in the News

Former Yum Brands CEO David Novak on GE's rise and fall

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/20/2018

David Novak, David Novak Leadership CEO, discusses the rise and fall of General Electric after news that the historic company is going to leave the Dow Jones index.

^{on CNBC Squawk Box}

Watch on CNBC Squawk Box.

Blog Conflict Lead Others Lead Yourself Training

Break Through Team Deadlock

Post author By David Novak Leadership
Post date 06/19/2018

One of the toughest spots a leader can find herself in is a deadlock with her team members. Have you ever found yourself in this situation?
Your cross functional team is supposed to make a recommendation to the leadership team on Friday, yet no one seems to be on the same page. Marketing is ready to plow ahead. Finance wants more information before making a decision. The operations and supply chain representatives want to go in completely opposite directions. How do you break through this impasse and get to a unified recommendation?

Why This Tool Will Help You Break Through Team Deadlock

David Novak Leadership co-founder, Gregg Dedrick, commonly uses a tool he calls “beat that.” After listening to the perspectives and rationale from each of the team members, he commonly puts out a straw man recommendation and says “beat that.”
The “beat that” recommendation moves the team’s focus and discussion from defending individual positions to reacting to the recommendation on the table. It challenges people to make the recommendation better, not simply poke holes at it.
By creating a “beat that” recommendation, the team can move past impasse and align on a plan to take to the leadership team. It doesn’t mean the plan can’t evolve over time, but by definition, it is the best recommendation that they have at that time.
The “beat that” tool releases your team from deadlock and often creates the best final solution that everyone can agree on. Try using this tool the next time your team comes to an impasse.
For more leadership insight and techniques to help you become a better leader, check out the leadership resource section at DavidNovakLeadership.com.

Blog Intentional Job Hopping Lead Others Lead Yourself

Leadership, Horse Racing and the Triple Crown

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/12/2018

By: David Novak, Co-Founder & CEO of David Novak Leadership

Donna is an expert in the horse racing field. She rode for 11 ½ years and retired in 1998 as the second leading female jockey in the country by money earned after having won 1,171 races. After retirement, Donna transitioned into reporting on horse racing and currently works as an on-track reporter for NBC. She is also COO of Starlight Racing and co-owner of Triple Crown Winner, Justify.
According to Donna Barton Brothers, winning in the horse racing industry requires leadership, persistence, and finding your niche. And these are lessons that can help any leader.
When I interviewed Donna, I was intrigued by the leadership lessons she shared and how they were relevant to everyone.

Know your people (or horse) so you can lead them well.

Horse racing requires communication, just like your job requires it. Donna learned the importance of communication when leading her horses. Horses communicate by flicking their ears, and this information helped Donna understand what her horses liked and didn’t like. She made adjustments to the way she rode by watching how her horses responded, and that made the difference in her winning races.
It’s important to recognize that people respond to you as a leader too. So, you have to pay attention so you can lead them effectively.
Do you listen and respond to your team and make adjustments? As the late Sam Walton used to say, the most powerful way to motivate people is to listen. Get to know your team. Understand what they like and don’t like. And make adjustments based on what they tell you. This will help you lead a winning team too.

Confidence and persistence can open doors for you.

Donna was passionate about riding for Wayne Lucas, yet she never met him before. So, she took the initiative to meet him. After winning three races at Keenland on opening day, she was the leading jockey. The next day, Donna introduced herself to Wayne and made her intentions known by saying, “Hello Mr. Lucas. My name is Donna Barton. I won three races here yesterday and I know that you are in the habit of riding the hot hand, and right now, that’s me. I was pretty sure you were gonna want to meet me.”
This single introduction wasn’t enough to get her riding in his barn. Donna started hanging out in his barn, sharing her insights on his horses and asking if he needed her to ride in the morning. The answer was typically no, until one day, a jockey didn’t show up and she got the opportunity to ride. Her confidence and persistence paid off and Donna became one of Wayne’s favorite jockeys.
Are you confident and persistent? Decide on what you want and then make your intentions known. Don’t give up after the first few nos. Instead, keep connecting and learning until your intentions become reality.

Instead of comparing yourself to others, find your niche.

Donna’s mother set the bar high for her children. She expected them to be the best at whatever they chose to do. When Donna became a broadcaster, she realized she wasn’t the best at it when she compared herself to other well-known broadcasters like Diane Sawyer. This knowledge really discouraged her.
Her sister helped her work through this by reminding Donna that she was the best broadcaster on horseback – no one did it better than her. Donna used this insight to reframe her perspective and celebrate the unique things she brings to the news, like capturing the emotion of jockeys after finishing a race before the emotion has time to go away and providing real time updates on delays because she’s where the action is. This allowed Donna to focus on being the best in her unique niche.
Do you get discouraged by comparing yourself to others? How can you change your perspective by discovering your niche and being the best in your own unique way?
Knowing your people, being confident and persistent, and finding your niche are powerful leadership lessons for anyone. You have the power to become the best leader you can be if you’re willing to take action on what you learn. It’s time for you to Go Lead!
If you enjoyed these leadership lessons, you don’t want to miss my podcast with Donna where she shares more insight on horseracing, winning, and leading. Listen to it here.

Podcast

Donna Barton Brothers: Leadership, Horse Racing & The Triple Crown

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/07/2018

Donna Barton Brothers was born into horse racing. As “Donna Barton”, Barton rode races from 1987 to 1998 and retired in 1998 as the second leading female jockey in the United States by money earned. She won 1,130 races.

In 1999 she began commentating for television coverage of horse racing and in 2000 covered the Breeders’ Cup Championships for NBC Sports. She has covered Horse Racing, Show Jumping, Bull Riding and other horse sports for NBC and NBCSN since 2000 and, during that time, has covered 18 Kentucky Derbies and, memorably, the Triple Crown captured by American Pharoah in 2015. Brothers is also an author and wrote Inside Track: Insider’s Guide to Horse Racing in 2011.

[bctt tweet=”“I’ve realized the only thing we can do, truly, is lead by example.””]

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Donna never intended to be a jockey. She wanted to go to college after high school, and planned to take care of horses to earn money for her tuition. But after a lot of prodding from her agent, she agreed to ride one race, just to rule it out as a career choice. It turned out to be the most exciting thing she’d ever done-and the most challenging. She went for it and never looked back.
(5:11-7:29)

Have you ever gotten excited about something you thought you weren’t interested in?

In some ways understanding how to motivate an employee is like understanding how to motivate a horse. Some horses can’t stand to be touched with a whip and other horses won’t move without it. In the same way, people have different traits; for example, some can be sensitive while others aren’t.
(10:51-12:25)

Make a list of your team members and write the best way to encourage them. Who on your team works best with a gentle approach? Who needs you to let them navigate with more independence? Who excels with blunt feedback?

David Novak Leadership in the News

David weighs in on Howard Schultz's departure from Starbucks

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/05/2018

Not many have a better resume than Howard Schultz, says David Novak, former Yum Brands CEO.

Listen to David on CNBC.

David Novak Leadership in the News Inspiring Others

The Novak Center for Children’s Health

Post author By David Novak
Post date 06/01/2018

The retired CEO of Louisville-based Yum! Brands, David Novak headed the lineup of dignitaries launching the building’s debut, including University of Louisville Board of Trustees Chair David Grissom, UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, Ph.D., and UofL Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Gregory Postel, M.D.

Read This Article.