Month: January 2020

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Podcast

Henry Kravis, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman & Co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. | Part 1

[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_column _id=”3″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”https://davidnovakleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/kravis-circle.png” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”border:8px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.10);border-radius:50%;”][x_share title=”Share this Post” share_title=”” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”false” linkedin=”true” pinterest=”false” reddit=”false” email=”false” email_subject=”Hey, thought you might enjoy this! Check it out when you have a chance:”][cs_text][/cs_text][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”7″ ][cs_element_audio _id=”8″ ][x_gap size=”30px”][cs_element_content_area_modal _id=”10″ ][cs_text]

Henry Kravis of the world’s greatest business leaders and philanthropists. He co-founded one of the most renown global investment companies, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR) in 1976 and currently serves as KKR’s Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kravis has been referred to as the father of private equity, an industry that he helped pioneer. Under the leadership of Henry Kravis, KKR has grown to a $200B private equity giant with substantial investment interest in over 100 companies and nearly a million employees around the world.

Mr. Kravis currently serves on the boards of First Data Corporation and ICONIQ Capital, LLC. He also serves as a director, chairman emeritus, or trustee of several other cultural, professional, and educational institutions, including the Business Council, Claremont McKenna College, Columbia Business School (co-chairman), Mount Sinai Hospital, the Partnership for New York City (former chairman), the Partnership Fund for New York City (founder), Rockefeller University (vice chairman), Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (chairman), and the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in China.

[/cs_text][x_gap size=”40px”][cs_text style=”margin-top:-20px;”][bctt tweet=”“I’m a big believer that if you have a common objective and common values and mutual respect, and don’t worry about who gets credit, you can go a long, long way.””][/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”14″ ][cs_element_row _id=”15″ ][cs_element_column _id=”16″ ][x_gap size=”40px”][cs_text style=”line-height:1;”][bctt tweet=”“We wanted a ‘We’ culture, not an ‘I’ culture. And so that was very simple and very easy to do. That took maybe a couple minutes, because we all three were in absolute agreement. And here we are 43 years later, David. Our culture, even though we now have about 1,300 people, and we’ve got $210 billion of assets under management of 21 offices, it’s identical to what we set up.””]

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”19″ ][cs_text]

Through KKR, Henry helped to pioneer private equity as a fund option, and since his first private equity leverage buyout in the 70s, the market has exploded with hundreds of small private equity firms vying with firms like Blackstone, Apollo, and KKR.

“KKR has expanded into new business segments since the launch of their first private equity fund. The company holds investments in a wide range of income-producing real estate throughout the United States. This includes office rentals, retail spaces and health care properties. In 2013, KKR raised $1.2 billion for a real estate investment fund. KKR also constructs and manages hedge funds. The firm was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010 and raised $1.25 billion from its initial public offering (IPO).” –Investopia article.

Shareable Insights

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”21″ ][cs_element_row _id=”22″ ][cs_element_column _id=”23″ ][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”true”]Recent Episodes[/x_custom_headline][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”4″ offset=”0″ category=”podcast” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”false” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”26″ ][cs_element_row _id=”27″ ][cs_element_column _id=”28″ ][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h2″ accent=”false” class=”mtn”]Attract and retain top talent by providing your managers with “must-have” leadership skills.[/x_custom_headline][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h2″ accent=”false” class=”mtn hidden”]Building People Capability First Leads To:[/x_custom_headline][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][cs_element_row _id=”31″ ][cs_element_column _id=”32″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”https://ogolead.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Recognition-course.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”/purposeful-recognition/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”false” class=”mtn”]Purposeful Recognition[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class=”trio-links”]

The Secret to Achieving
Great Results

[/cs_text][cs_element_row_2 _id=”36″ ][cs_element_column_2 _id=”37″ ][x_button size=”small” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://ogolead.com/buy-recognition/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”min-width:175px;”]Buy Now[/x_button][cs_text style=”font-size:13px;margin-top:10px;”]

For Individuals

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For Team Pricing

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column_2][/cs_element_row_2][cs_text class=”trio-links”]Learn More[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”44″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”https://ogolead.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ELT-course.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”/essential-leadership/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”false” class=”mtn” style=”color: #17348d;”]Essential Leadership Traits[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class=”trio-links”]

Learn the Soft Skills
that Drive Hard Results

[/cs_text][cs_element_row_2 _id=”48″ ][cs_element_column_2 _id=”49″ ][x_button size=”small” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://ogolead.com/buy-elt/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”min-width:175px;”]Buy Now[/x_button][cs_text style=”font-size:13px;margin-top:10px;”]

For Individuals

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For Team Pricing

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From Podcast Action Journal
Becky recalls a significant failure in her career. She was working with someone she respected to launch a new product. Becky thought they should do it in a specific way, but her colleague didn’t agree. Becky relented, and later a competitor launched the product her way with great success. Becky knew she was right but second-guessed herself. Despite the failure, she is grateful that it happened when she was young. She learned that the next time she needed to fight harder.

Have you ever experienced a failure? What did you learn?
If your colleague disagreed with you, how would you respond?

Becky has the following thoughts on recognition:
Feedback is a gift, something we have lost in Corporate America. Becky says, “If I am not giving you feedback, then I am not investing in you. If I’m not getting feedback, people aren’t invested in me.”

What is the best piece of constructive feedback you’ve ever received?

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content][cs_content_seo]Share this PostFree Leadership Insights

View Transcript

Henry Kravis of the world’s greatest business leaders and philanthropists. He co-founded one of the most renown global investment companies, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR) in 1976 and currently serves as KKR’s Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kravis has been referred to as the father of private equity, an industry that he helped pioneer. Under the leadership of Henry Kravis, KKR has grown to a $200B private equity giant with substantial investment interest in over 100 companies and nearly a million employees around the world.
Mr. Kravis currently serves on the boards of First Data Corporation and ICONIQ Capital, LLC. He also serves as a director, chairman emeritus, or trustee of several other cultural, professional, and educational institutions, including the Business Council, Claremont McKenna College, Columbia Business School (co-chairman), Mount Sinai Hospital, the Partnership for New York City (former chairman), the Partnership Fund for New York City (founder), Rockefeller University (vice chairman), Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (chairman), and the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in China.

“I'm a big believer that if you have a common objective and common values and mutual respect, and don't worry about who gets credit, you can go a long, long way.” Click To Tweet

“We wanted a 'We' culture, not an 'I' culture. And so that was very simple and very easy to do. That took maybe a couple minutes, because we all three were in absolute agreement. And here we are 43 years later, David. Our… Click To Tweet

Through KKR, Henry helped to pioneer private equity as a fund option, and since his first private equity leverage buyout in the 70s, the market has exploded with hundreds of small private equity firms vying with firms like Blackstone, Apollo, and KKR.
“KKR has expanded into new business segments since the launch of their first private equity fund. The company holds investments in a wide range of income-producing real estate throughout the United States. This includes office rentals, retail spaces and health care properties. In 2013, KKR raised $1.2 billion for a real estate investment fund. KKR also constructs and manages hedge funds. The firm was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010 and raised $1.25 billion from its initial public offering (IPO).” –Investopia article.
Shareable Insights

Recent EpisodesCity National Bank CEO, Kelly Coffey03/10/2020Goldman Sachs Chairman & CEO, David Solomon02/27/2020KPMG Chairman & CEO, Lynne Doughtie02/11/2020Henry Kravis, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman & Co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. | Part 202/06/2020

Attract and retain top talent by providing your managers with “must-have” leadership skills.Building People Capability First Leads To:

Purposeful RecognitionThe Secret to Achieving
Great Results

Buy NowFor Individuals

Contact UsFor Team Pricing

Learn More

Essential Leadership TraitsLearn the Soft Skillsthat Drive Hard Results

Buy NowFor Individuals

Contact UsFor Team Pricing

Learn More

From Podcast Action Journal
Becky recalls a significant failure in her career. She was working with someone she respected to launch a new product. Becky thought they should do it in a specific way, but her colleague didn’t agree. Becky relented, and later a competitor launched the product her way with great success. Becky knew she was right but second-guessed herself. Despite the failure, she is grateful that it happened when she was young. She learned that the next time she needed to fight harder.

Have you ever experienced a failure? What did you learn?
If your colleague disagreed with you, how would you respond?

Becky has the following thoughts on recognition:
Feedback is a gift, something we have lost in Corporate America. Becky says, “If I am not giving you feedback, then I am not investing in you. If I’m not getting feedback, people aren’t invested in me.”

What is the best piece of constructive feedback you’ve ever received?[/cs_content_seo]

Categories
Blog Feature Blog Inspiring Others Intentional Job Hopping Lead Others

How Focusing on the Vital Few Helps You Avoid the Seduction of Shiny Objects

By: Gregg Dedrick, President and Co-Founder of David Novak Leadership

“Just do it!” I bet you’re familiar with this Nike slogan that encourages us to take action. While this can be good advice, I believe it’s important for organizations to adopt a “just don’t do it!” campaign. Why? Because the seduction of shiny objects is constantly tempting you, as a leader, to take on something else, find the silver bullet, and drift away from your True North. And while it’s tempting to “just do it,” what if “just don’t do it” is the right answer?

As I shared in my previous blogs, finding your True North begins with answering three questions. Then, you stay focused on your True North by communicating it to everyone and using it in all your decision making.

The seduction of shiny objects comes into play when there’s a new initiative everyone is excited to implement. It sounds great. People are passionate about its potential. And it’s tempting as a leader to say yes when everyone else thinks it’s a good idea. I know because I was particularly vulnerable to a new initiative that was a shiny object. But what if it’s not a good idea? What if implementing this initiative takes you three degrees off course from who you really are? Over time, you’ll end up far away from your True North.

free learning guide to help you avoid the seduction of shiny objectsThe Pyramid Slide became our screening tool for shiny objects at KFC. When a new initiative was proposed, we would look at the Pyramid Slide to see where it fit. Then we would ask questions like these about the shiny object:

  • How does it fit our True North?
  • How does it fit into the pacing and sequencing of what’s going on to ensure it has the most impact?
  • How does it propel us towards brand revitalization?
  • How does it propel us towards brand revitalization?
  • Is this more important than what we’re already doing?

If we couldn’t answer these questions well, we chose to “just not do it.” The Pyramid Slide helped us determine when we should say yes or no to shiny objects.

At KFC, breakfast sandwiches and adding healthy menu items were all shiny objects for me. It was tempting to say “just do it” when our competition had huge success. Take breakfast, for example. Our competition succeeded with breakfast, and it was tempting to dive in and see how KFC could “just do breakfast” too. But breakfast didn’t fit with our pacing and sequencing, so we chose to “just not do it.” It was tempting to add salads to our menu to provide healthy options for our customers, but we chose to “just not do it” because it didn’t align with our brand positioning.

Your True North must become an endless drumbeat because organizations have short memories and voracious appetites to embrace the seduction of shiny objects. You, as the leader, must find the courage to stay focused on what’s most important, rather than the things that are the newest fad or the things you have a personal interest in. You must have the courage to “just not do it” when everyone else is telling you to give in. You have to keep your team on the path to True North.

You’re now officially ready to implement what you’ve learned by answering the three questions, defining your True North, and avoiding the seduction of shiny objects. Use this guide to create a plan for turning your intentions into action. Having others engaged in your journey is important, so involve them from the beginning. And remember to invite others to help you and hold you accountable as you begin your journey to discover your True North.

Who do you want to invite on your journey to discovering your True North? Share this blog series with them today, and invite them along.

 

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Categories
Podcast

A Behind the Scenes Episode with David Novak

[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_column _id=”3″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”https://davidnovakleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/david-podcasting.png” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”border:8px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.10);border-radius:50%;”][x_share title=”Share this Post” share_title=”” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”false” linkedin=”true” pinterest=”false” reddit=”false” email=”false” email_subject=”Hey, thought you might enjoy this! Check it out when you have a chance:”][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”6″ ][cs_text]

We’re starting this new season of the podcast with a twist. We’re giving you a behind the scenes look at our founder David Novak. In this podcast Ashley Butler Novak interviews her father and gets him to share the leadership lessons that helped him become one of the most successful and admired CEO’s in the world. On this season of the David Novak Leadership Podcast we’ll have a quarterly Q&A where David will answer your most pressing leadership questions. You can submit your questions by following David Novak and commenting on his Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages.

[/cs_text][cs_element_audio _id=”8″ ][x_gap size=”30px”][cs_element_content_area_modal _id=”10″ ][cs_text]David Novak is Founder and CEO of David Novak Leadership, a digital leadership development platform he created to help people move from Me to We and become the best leaders they can be. He is Co-Founder, retired Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC), one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with over 45,000 restaurants in more than 135 countries and territories. Novak’s passion is to make the world a better place by developing leaders at all ages through David Novak Leadership, his family’s Lift-a-Life Foundation, Lead4Change, Global Game Changers and The Novak Leadership Institute at the University of Missouri.

A renowned expert on leadership and recognition culture, Novak is also a bestselling leadership book author. His highly respected and critically acclaimed books include The New York Times bestseller Taking People With You, The Only Way to Achieve Big Things, The Education of an Accidental CEO, Lessons Learned from the Trailer Park to the Corner Office and his latest parable, O GREAT ONE! A Little Story About the Awesome Power of Recognition.
[/cs_text][x_gap size=”40px”][cs_text style=”margin-top:-20px;”][bctt tweet=”“You have to really follow your passions, what you really like, what your interests are, and that means you have to be true to yourself. You can’t do what somebody else thinks you need to do. You need to follow what you love.””][/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”14″ ][cs_element_row _id=”15″ ][cs_element_column _id=”16″ ][cs_text style=”line-height:1;”][bctt tweet=”DAVID NOVAK ON BALANCE: “The only person that can really figure that out is yourself. You have to really look deep within and figure out what’s important, and nobody can do that for you.””]

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”18″ ][cs_text]Novak has been recognized as “2012 CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine, one of the world’s “30 Best CEOs” by Barron’s, one of the “Top People in Business” by FORTUNE and one of the “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World” by Harvard Business Review. He received the prestigious 2015 Horatio Alger Award for his commitment to philanthropy and higher education.

David is the host of the David Novak Leadership Podcast. You can subscribe to David’s bi-weekly podcast, leadership newsletter and learn more about his online courses at DavidNovakLeadership.com

Listen above and click here to learn more about David.

Shareable Insights

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”20″ ][cs_element_row _id=”21″ ][cs_element_column _id=”22″ ][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”true”]Recent Episodes[/x_custom_headline][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”4″ offset=”0″ category=”podcast” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”false” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”25″ ][cs_element_row _id=”26″ ][cs_element_column _id=”27″ ][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h2″ accent=”false” class=”mtn”]Attract and retain top talent by providing your managers with “must-have” leadership skills.[/x_custom_headline][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h2″ accent=”false” class=”mtn hidden”]Building People Capability First Leads To:[/x_custom_headline][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][cs_element_row _id=”30″ ][cs_element_column _id=”31″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”https://ogolead.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Recognition-course.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”/purposeful-recognition/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”false” class=”mtn”]Purposeful Recognition[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class=”trio-links”]

The Secret to Achieving
Great Results

[/cs_text][cs_element_row_2 _id=”35″ ][cs_element_column_2 _id=”36″ ][x_button size=”small” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://ogolead.com/buy-recognition/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”min-width:175px;”]Buy Now[/x_button][cs_text style=”font-size:13px;margin-top:10px;”]

For Individuals

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For Team Pricing

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column_2][/cs_element_row_2][cs_text class=”trio-links”]Learn More[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”43″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”https://ogolead.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ELT-course.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”/essential-leadership/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”false” class=”mtn” style=”color: #17348d;”]Essential Leadership Traits[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class=”trio-links”]

Learn the Soft Skills
that Drive Hard Results

[/cs_text][cs_element_row_2 _id=”47″ ][cs_element_column_2 _id=”48″ ][x_button size=”small” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://ogolead.com/buy-elt/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”min-width:175px;”]Buy Now[/x_button][cs_text style=”font-size:13px;margin-top:10px;”]

For Individuals

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column_2][cs_element_column_2 _id=”51″ ][x_button size=”small” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://ogolead.com/contact/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” style=”min-width:175px;”]Contact Us[/x_button][cs_text style=”font-size:13px;margin-top:10px;”]

For Team Pricing

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From Podcast Action Journal
Becky recalls a significant failure in her career. She was working with someone she respected to launch a new product. Becky thought they should do it in a specific way, but her colleague didn’t agree. Becky relented, and later a competitor launched the product her way with great success. Becky knew she was right but second-guessed herself. Despite the failure, she is grateful that it happened when she was young. She learned that the next time she needed to fight harder.

Have you ever experienced a failure? What did you learn?
If your colleague disagreed with you, how would you respond?

Becky has the following thoughts on recognition:
Feedback is a gift, something we have lost in Corporate America. Becky says, “If I am not giving you feedback, then I am not investing in you. If I’m not getting feedback, people aren’t invested in me.”

What is the best piece of constructive feedback you’ve ever received?

[/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content][cs_content_seo]Share this Post

We’re starting this new season of the podcast with a twist. We’re giving you a behind the scenes look at our founder David Novak. In this podcast Ashley Butler Novak interviews her father and gets him to share the leadership lessons that helped him become one of the most successful and admired CEO’s in the world. On this season of the David Novak Leadership Podcast we’ll have a quarterly Q&A where David will answer your most pressing leadership questions. You can submit your questions by following David Novak and commenting on his Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages.

View Transcript

David Novak is Founder and CEO of David Novak Leadership, a digital leadership development platform he created to help people move from Me to We and become the best leaders they can be. He is Co-Founder, retired Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC), one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with over 45,000 restaurants in more than 135 countries and territories. Novak’s passion is to make the world a better place by developing leaders at all ages through David Novak Leadership, his family’s Lift-a-Life Foundation, Lead4Change, Global Game Changers and The Novak Leadership Institute at the University of Missouri.
A renowned expert on leadership and recognition culture, Novak is also a bestselling leadership book author. His highly respected and critically acclaimed books include The New York Times bestseller Taking People With You, The Only Way to Achieve Big Things, The Education of an Accidental CEO, Lessons Learned from the Trailer Park to the Corner Office and his latest parable, O GREAT ONE! A Little Story About the Awesome Power of Recognition.
“You have to really follow your passions, what you really like, what your interests are, and that means you have to be true to yourself. You can’t do what somebody else thinks you need to do. You need to follow what you… Click To Tweet

DAVID NOVAK ON BALANCE: “The only person that can really figure that out is yourself. You have to really look deep within and figure out what's important, and nobody can do that for you.” Click To Tweet

Novak has been recognized as “2012 CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine, one of the world’s “30 Best CEOs” by Barron’s, one of the “Top People in Business” by FORTUNE and one of the “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World” by Harvard Business Review. He received the prestigious 2015 Horatio Alger Award for his commitment to philanthropy and higher education.
David is the host of the David Novak Leadership Podcast. You can subscribe to David’s bi-weekly podcast, leadership newsletter and learn more about his online courses at DavidNovakLeadership.com
Listen above and click here to learn more about David.
Shareable Insights

Recent EpisodesCity National Bank CEO, Kelly Coffey03/10/2020Goldman Sachs Chairman & CEO, David Solomon02/27/2020KPMG Chairman & CEO, Lynne Doughtie02/11/2020Henry Kravis, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman & Co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. | Part 202/06/2020

Attract and retain top talent by providing your managers with “must-have” leadership skills.Building People Capability First Leads To:

Purposeful RecognitionThe Secret to Achieving
Great Results

Buy NowFor Individuals

Contact UsFor Team Pricing

Learn More

Essential Leadership TraitsLearn the Soft Skillsthat Drive Hard Results

Buy NowFor Individuals

Contact UsFor Team Pricing

Learn More

From Podcast Action Journal
Becky recalls a significant failure in her career. She was working with someone she respected to launch a new product. Becky thought they should do it in a specific way, but her colleague didn’t agree. Becky relented, and later a competitor launched the product her way with great success. Becky knew she was right but second-guessed herself. Despite the failure, she is grateful that it happened when she was young. She learned that the next time she needed to fight harder.

Have you ever experienced a failure? What did you learn?
If your colleague disagreed with you, how would you respond?

Becky has the following thoughts on recognition:
Feedback is a gift, something we have lost in Corporate America. Becky says, “If I am not giving you feedback, then I am not investing in you. If I’m not getting feedback, people aren’t invested in me.”

What is the best piece of constructive feedback you’ve ever received?[/cs_content_seo]

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Blog Lead Others Lead Yourself

Three Tips for Making a Positive Impact in Your New Job

By: David Novak Leadership

When starting a new job, your first 90 days are critical. A good first impression will make a difference in the way you’re perceived by your boss and your new colleagues. This is why it is a good idea to understand the culture of the organization and your team during those first months on the new job.

Not sure how to do this?

Here’s a few tips to get you started:
  1. Sit down with other employees and learn as much as you can about the culture and vision of the organization.
  2. Once you have a good understanding of the organization, go to your boss and give a review of what you’ve learned, then ask for feedback. This allows your supervisor to confirm your observations and fill in any gaps you may have missed.
  3. Ask for help. As you continue to learn your job and the culture of your organization, find some trusted colleagues and ask for help. Share a challenge you’re facing and ask what they would do if they were you. This will help you get the counsel you need so you can make wise decisions about what to do next.

Now that you understand the culture of the organization and your team, don’t stop there. Take ownership of your career by taking the Essential Leadership Traits Program. The online program helps you develop the leadership skills you need to be successful at work and life. Schedule a free demo here.

 

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Blog Feature Blog Job Hopping Lead Others Positive Mindset Recognition Training

Three Steps to Increase Employee Engagement

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

It’s impossible. I can’t do that. The reason I missed my deadline is because… As a leader, do you get these types of excuses from those on your team? I know it can be frustrating to hear excuses because I’ve heard lots of excuses while leading teams at KFC and Yum! Brands. And while you might be tempted to blame your team for their excuses, I’d like to challenge you to adopt a different mindset when it comes to excuses. Could it be that excuses are rooted in barriers your team needs you, as the leader, to eliminate?
The Power of Eliminating Barriers
When I came into KFC, my goal was to shift the culture to empower our Restaurant General Managers. We knew that having the tools and equipment to do your job increases engagement. We also knew that it was important to equip your team by:
  • Aligning the team with common goals rather than providing no direction
  • Noticing the needs of the team and providing resources rather than ignoring needs or assuming all needs are met
  • Helping the team by eliminating barriers rather than requiring members to fend for themselves
We were passionate about learning how to better equip our managers, so we took action.
Step One: Solicit Feedback from Managers
The first step we took was to solicit feedback from our managers. We wanted to know what resources they needed to be successful and what barriers they faced so we could make changes.
I quickly discovered we were holding the managers accountable for things that were undoable because they didn’t have the tools to do their jobs. The managers described a number of barriers that directly and indirectly hindered their performance, things like:
  • Too much paperwork
  • Not enough drive-thru jackets
  • Not enough labor dollars, which prevented them from covering their shifts
This feedback was eye-opening to the Executive Team and helped us understand that our managers really didn’t have the tools they needed to be successful.
Step Two: Communicate
removing barriers and excusesStep two involved communicating with our managers. We shared our research findings and let them know we not only heard what they said, but we also took action by eliminating barriers. Based on their feedback, we reduced paperwork, provided more drive-thru jackets and increased labor dollars. We also let them know these changes put accountability back in their court and we expected them to achieve better results since the barriers were eliminated.
Step Three: Hold Your Team Accountable
Our decision to give the managers what they needed to do their jobs catapulted performance and morale for those who wanted to be empowered. Our decision was celebrated by some and they embraced receiving resources with accountability.
Not all managers were excited about this change. In fact, the decision to equip the managers exposed those who relied on the barriers to mask their poor performance. We initially experienced substantially higher Restaurant General Manager turnover because those managers who didn’t like the higher goals and accountability quit.
However, long term, the payoff for removing barriers made a positive impact at KFC. We experienced:
  • Overall higher levels of performance
  • More engaged and empowered managers
  • Reduced manager turnover after the initial fallout
Do You Need to Eliminate Barriers?
How often do you hear excuses at work? How often do you make excuses at work? Could it be that you and/or your co-workers don’t have the tools to be successful?
You can uncover barriers to success by taking action. Do your research like I did. Ask questions. Find out what resources are needed and what barriers are keeping your team from achieving results. Then provide the resources and eliminate the barriers while holding your team to higher expectations. Download this guide to learn more about equipping your team by removing barriers.
removing barriers at work and excuses
When you eliminate barriers, you might experience some turnover like we did at KFC, but don’t let that stop you from taking action. As Ben Carson said, “So after a while, if people won’t accept your excuses, you stop looking for them.” You can help your team stop looking for excuses by removing barriers. You can help your team learn to embrace accountability. Are you willing?
Do you know someone who could use help eliminating barriers? If so, pay it forward today and share this blog and guide with them. By sharing this blog and guide, you are equipping them to become a better leader.

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