Month: December 2018

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Blog Lead Others Lead Yourself

Three Leadership Skills Elected Officials Should Master

On January 3, at least 109 newly elected members of Congress will assume office in Washington. The looming question is whether the divisive climate in politics will change one iota.
 
I imagine you might doubt the ability of our government to solve any problems the way things are going today.  You know as well as I do that the political parties are deeply divided on core issues like health care and immigration.  If our elected officials keep doing things the same way, nothing will change.  Albert Einstein hit the nail on the head when he said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”  Now is the time for self-examination and self-reflection to launch the changes that will drive transformation in our country.
 
I believe our elected officials have the power to make positive changes for our country if they are willing to work together.
 
Mastering these three leadership skills will enable them to solve big problems and make our country better.
 
Overcome confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is alive and well among our elected officials and American citizens. Confirmation bias occurs when you seek to confirm what you believe, so much so that you miss anything that doesn’t align with your beliefs.  The stereotypes assigned to political groups, such as bleeding hearts or ultra-conservative , lead you to overlook or ignore those who don’t fit into that stereotype.  It takes self-awareness to recognize your confirmation bias, and then discipline to actively look for examples that go against your beliefs.  Checking confirmation bias at the door, and looking for ways to connect across parties, can lead to positive outcomes.
 
Engage in productive conflict. Conflict is not going away in politics, but it can be handled in a productive way. Our country faces big challenges with healthcare, immigration, and the deficit, just to name a few. I believe working together toward a common goal, like solving these challenges, doesn’t require common beliefs, but it does require an open mind.   Productive conflict is all about finding better solutions and working together as a team with an open mind. The best decisions come when you bring all possible points of view to the table.  Imagine an environment where it is possible to raise and discuss points of view and issues without offending or alienating one another and having a clear and honest discussion of all perspectives.  Listening to understand, rather than to defend your position, is key to engaging in productive conflict. Alignment is possible if our elected officials truly seek to understand different points of view and then partner together to find the best solutions for our country.
 
Adopt a powerful positive mindset to solve stubborn problems. How you think matters. If you don’t have the right mindset, you will never make big things happen and distrust will close the door on unencumbered free thinking that leads to the best solutions. It starts with identifying your mindset – is it negative or positive?  Because your thoughts impact your actions, and how you act is contagious, it’s important for our elected officials to adopt a powerful positive mindset.  The negativity we see today catches like wildfire, and our elected officials can lead the change here.  Choosing to believe that change is possible, that opposing political parties can work together, and trusting in positive intentions can ignite fresh solutions to the stubborn problems our country faces.
 
I believe there is hope for our country and what we need is great leaders stepping up to collaborate and find the common ground that will bring us the best solutions.  I believe there is hope for our country and what we need is great leaders stepping up to collaborate and find the common ground that will bring us the best solutions.  To give them the tools to do this, I urge all elected officials in the U.S. at the federal, state, and local level the opportunity to take a leadership program.  The training I offer all about overcoming confirmation bias, engaging in productive conflict, adopting a positive mindset, and taking people with you, would be especially beneficial to our elected officials and of course all aspiring leaders.
 
By David Novak – December 14, 2018 on Chief Executive
Categories
Blog Lead Others Lead Yourself

How a CEO is Challenging All Politicians

A CEO challenge to elected officials: Re-think and hone your leadership skills

|  Published 6:02 AM ET Thu, 6 Dec 2018 on CNBC

On Jan. 3, at least 109 newly elected members of Congress will assume office in Washington. While their beliefs, backgrounds and sympathies may differ, they will all arrive with one thing in common: a sincere desire to solve big problems and help make our country better.
 
That this statement has inevitably caused some of you to roll your eyes is evidence of just how polarized and dysfunctional our political system has become. The growing lack of civility between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives has convinced us that folks with opposing philosophies can’t possibly work together to solve our nation’s problems. As a result, far too many of us — elected officials included — have fallen prey to a nasty case of confirmation bias: We embrace information that validates our existing belief system and ignore that which challenges or seeks to expand it.
 
If ever there was a time for true leadership, now is that time.
As the co-founder and former chief executive of YUM! Brands, I have seen the best of what leadership can accomplish. And in the wake of George H.W. Bush’s death, I am reminded of the power of “honest compromise and shared progress,” as his former rival Bill Clinton wrote about his beloved friend. With engaged, inspiring leaders, warring factions can find common ground and stubborn problems can find solutions. But when leaders tear each other down, don’t invite input and — most dangerously — doubt the sincerity of their coworkers, problems worsen and enterprises fail.

 

Open minds

In my experience, working toward a common goal doesn’t require common beliefs. But it does demand open minds. Leaders accomplish nothing when they work in opposition to their own people. For elected officials, this means forgetting whose vote they did or didn’t win, identifying common goals, soliciting ideas from everyone and walking a path toward practical solutions.

I’ve seen amazing things happen when people with a common purpose are inspired to set aside their differences. When I became president of KFC in 1994, the business was in decline and franchisees, who owned 70 percent of the restaurants, were in open revolt against the company. Still, it was clear that everyone sincerely wanted the business to succeed.

By the time I left the job, in 1997, sales jumped and profits had more than doubled. A financial analyst will tell you that product innovations — new menu items that spurred $125,000 in incremental sales per store — drove that turnaround. But it was only after we settled our differences with the franchisees that we were able to work together and produce those innovations. The revival of KFC was a financial win, but it was a testament to what can happen in a short period of time when common goals meet mutual trust.

Of course, the problems our country faces are far greater than anything a fast food restaurant might contend with. But we can agree on what those challenges are. Health care, immigration and the national debt are critical issues that require solutions now instead of continually kicking the can down the road. Without inspired, passionate leadership, any hope of finding those solutions is dim.

Like many Americans these days, I am saddened by the state of our politics. But I have seen time and time again in business the power of skillful leadership to turn even the worst situations around. And I want to do my part to help.

Teaching leadership

For the past 20 years, I have made it my mission to create better leaders in all factions of life. In 2012, I formed the Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program, which helps middle- and high-school students learn leadership skills while working to meet a community need. In 2017, I helped launch the Novak Leadership Institute at the University of Missouri, which offers a new approach to leadership education rooted in the principles of empathy and strategic communication.

At David Novak Leadership, the leadership training company I co-founded in 2017, we give aspiring leaders the opportunity to step back, reflect on their leadership and develop a plan to drive transformational change. Our leadership principles have helped thousands of people from all levels and all walks of life gain a new perspective on their own leadership approach by tearing down confirmation bias, bolstering their productive conflict skills and demonstrating a powerful positive mindset to solve stubborn problems.

As Albert Einstein once noted, we cannot solve our problems using the same thinking that created them. That’s why we are making David Novak Leadership’s Essential Leadership Traits digital training program available for free to all elected officials in the U.S. at the federal, state and local level. I know in my heart that this course can help all leaders, no matter how much experience they have, become more self-aware and effect positive change. If this offer helps even one of our leaders do that, the effort will have been worthwhile.

Like you, I love this country and know we are capable of so much more. Like you, I am dismayed by the state of our political dialogue. But I am not fatalistic, and I am not ready to give up. There’s no doubt in my mind that all our elected officials want our country to succeed.

Time and again, this country has come face to face with despair, until a leader emerged, from either side of the aisle, to help renew our optimism. Personally, I believe there are leaders out there, and we should all do our part to help him or her succeed.

Elected officials can access their free Essential Leadership Traits digital program at ogolead.com. Elected Officials click here.

David Novak is the co-founder and retired chairman of Yum! Brands and the co-founder and CEO of David Novak Leadership, a digital leadership platform.

Categories
Podcast

Paul Varga, Chairman and CEO at Brown-Forman

Paul Varga is Chairman and CEO of Brown-Forman, one of largest American owned spirits and wine companies with iconic brands like Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester and many more. Under Paul’s leadership the company has experienced a 12% compound annual growth rate. Paul is dedicated to leadership development and currently serves on the board of directors for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Brown-Forman and Macy’s.

Download this Action Journal



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!!

[bctt tweet=”“I think the greatest development comes from challenging yourself in areas that you’re less familiar with.””]

Shareable Insights


From Podcast PowerNotes
Paul says the emergence of social media has made marketing much easier. It’s important to be persistent. Sometimes it takes a while for an idea to take off, but you should never be afraid to try something new.
How has social media influenced your industry?
Is there a new idea you’ve been hesitant to try? Why?
Paul has a passion for developing others. He likes to challenge his team members and push them outside of their comfort zone. Sometimes this requires coaching and fostering their excitement about unfamiliar opportunities. Paul enjoys helping people navigate the uncertainty of a new role, and it’s always exciting to watch them succeed.
How has someone’s leadership or coaching influenced you in your career?
What aspects of leadership do you most enjoy?