Category: Lead Yourself

By: David Novak Leadership

Leadership in the workplace refers to the ability of an individual to manage and supervise a company and its fellow employees. It also refers to the ability to positively influence others to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. This will result in success for the company as a whole.

Displaying leadership involves having a variety of skills and qualities that help you perform your job with ease. The various skills a leader should possess include both hard and soft skills. Here are some important qualities all leaders should possess in the workplace:

1. Good communication: As with most roles, it’s important that leaders are good communicators. In many ways, they are the voice of the company, so being able to effectively communicate with their team and employees is vital in their position.
2. Empathy: Leaders need to display a great deal of empathy. This involves understanding others’ wants, needs and concerns. Not only will this create a harmonious working relationship, but displaying empathy will earn trust and respect from your colleagues and employees.
3. Positivity: Positivity can go a long way in boosting morale and promoting a healthy work environment in general. Leaders should have a good attitude and stay positive throughout their everyday tasks. When employees see them being positive, they’re more likely to be positive themselves. Leaders should aim to inspire others through their positive outlook.
4. Confidence: As a leader, it’s important to have belief in your abilities. When you display a reasonable amount of confidence, you can help motivate others as well as give them hope for the company’s future.
5. Vision: In order to make a company profitable, it’s important for leaders to have a good vision. This means they have the motivation and ability to think beyond the present and plan for the future strategically.
6. Responsibility: Since leaders have a variety of tasks they’ll need to complete, it’s important that they’re responsible in the workplace. This means prioritizing their duties and staying focused on what needs to get done for the company.
7. Transparency: Leaders should also be transparent about the company’s state, its goals and more. This means being open, honest and effectively communicating with others in the organization. The more transparent you are as a leader, the more your employees will trust you going forward.
8. Motivating: As a leader, you’ll be responsible for not only leading your team but empowering them to perform to the best of their ability.
9. Delegation: It’s important that you’re able to effectively delegate and manage your team of employees.
10. Humility: Leaders should be modest about their motivations and actions. It’s important for employees to see that their superiors can make mistakes, too.

To understand even more on leadership and what makes a great leader listen to our podcast How Leaders Lead.

By: David Novak Leadership

Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to influence and guide followers or other members of an organization.

Leadership involves making sound — and sometimes difficult — decisions, creating and articulating a clear vision, establishing achievable goals and providing followers with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve those goals.

Leaders are found and required in most aspects of society, from business to politics to region to community-based organizations.

An effective leader possesses the following characteristics: self-confidence, strong communication and management skills, creative and innovative thinking, perseverance in the face of failure, willingness to take risks, openness to change, and level headedness and reactiveness in times of crisis.

In business, individuals who exhibit these leadership qualities can ascend to executive management or C-level positions. Noteworthy individuals who have exhibited strong leadership in the technology industry include Apple founder Steve Jobs, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Multiple definitions of leadership exist, although the different definitions generally converge in the theory that great leaders have the ability to make strategic and visionary decisions and convince others to follow those decisions. The consensus is that leaders create a vision and can successfully get others to work toward achieving that goal. They do this by setting direction and inspiring others to want to succeed in achieving the end result. Moreover, they are capable of getting people excited and motivated to work toward the vision.

In other words, great leaders know how to both inspire people and get followers to complete the tasks that achieve the leader’s goal.

Leadership involves creating and articulating a vision and inspiring others to want to work toward that vision. But leaders may not be skilled at or involved with the day-to-day management of the work needed to turn that vision into a reality.

Management, on the other hand, is the oversight of the tactical steps required to complete the work needed to actually achieve the objective.

Leadership often requires leaders to take on some management tasks, but good leaders understand that their strengths are different than those exhibited by good managers who excel in articulating the steps required to complete tasks and holding people accountable for achieving their share of assigned work.

Leadership requires individuals to possess certain key traits, such as strong communication skills, charisma, assertiveness and empathy.

Many individuals inherently possess some leadership traits, but most individuals have to develop many, if not all, of the characteristics associated with leadership.

Some people can develop leadership skills through their everyday experiences. Moreover, some people do not hold any positions of authority or business titles, yet still demonstrate leadership through their actions and abilities to rally people to act on their visions for something better than the status quo.

By: David Novak Leadership

The question of how to be a leader is an endlessly fascinating topic.

But before we go playing around with nitpicky details, make sure you understand the basics of how to be a leader.

Let’s start with the most basic level: How do you define leadership?

When you think about it, leadership is more complex than we often realize. It’s not just being a person who is admired, though that may be part of it. It’s also being the person who can drive a team to achieve results. It’s inspiring people to achieve more, to work to their potential.

But that’s not all leadership is. Leadership is also teaching, coaching and passing along knowledge. Leadership is ensuring that problems are solved. Leadership is steering the ship, setting the goals and making sure they’re achieved. When you think about how to be a leader, you’re pulling together many different components and aspects of being an entrepreneur.

The following leadership basics can all be part of discovering what being a leader means for you.

1. Look at the big picture.

   Whether you employ one person or one thousand, as the leader of your company, you’re responsible for steering the ship.

   You choose the destination.

   You keep an eye out for obstacles.

   You assemble the crew that can get you there.

   When you think about how to be a leader, try to keep the big picture in mind.

2. Know when to let go and delegate.
   Yes, you’re in charge. Yes, the buck stops with you, and you’re the captain of the ship. But you can’t personally control everything. In fact, part of seeing the big picture is zooming out from all the details. (An aside: This is true for life, as well as business.)

   You don’t have to be everything to everyone. You’ve hired great staff, and part of leadership is delegating. If you’re overwhelmed by details, you’re doing instead of leading.

3. Empower your staff by teaching them, instead of taking over.

   For me, a big part of leadership is being a coach or a teacher—I want to help my staff achieve their potential and grow, developing new skills along the way.

   When I started my first company, I thought rolling up my sleeves was how to be a leader. I’d get in the trenches and work right alongside my employees.

   The problem was that I wasn’t really leading. I was doing. My staff wasn’t learning as much as they could have if I’d stepped back and let them get their hands dirty. Empowering your staff is a critical part of leadership.

   If you’re doing the work, you’re not teaching your staff, and if you’re not teaching your staff, you’re not going to have time to accomplish real leadership tasks like figuring out systems that make your company run more efficiently.
   Train, teach, guide, coach, encourage…that’s how to be a leader.

4. Reward your employees’ success.

   A big part of leadership is finding ways to motivate your staff, and that can be a challenging task since people are motivated by different factors. But the best leaders I’ve ever known take the time to figure out what each employee needs.

   Some employees want praise. Some want money. Some want to be challenged. Some want to be nurtured. If you observe your staff and implement reward or incentive structures that hit a variety of motivating factors, you may find greater success in moving your team toward the goal.

   You do what you do because it’s your company. Your staff isn’t in the same position. Learning how to be a leader means finding meaningful ways to reward success and motivate self.

5. Connect company goals with personal goals.

   One of my favorite aspects of leadership is the opportunity to mentor my staff. I love the challenge of helping them determine what matters to them and make plans for their futures.

   Connecting company goals with my employees’ personal goals is one way I’ve found to motivate my staff. The bonus is it moves the company toward my desired outcomes, and it helps my staff grow as well.

   Learning how to be a leader is a process, but it begins with fundamentals. Knowing what leadership means to you is the first step—understanding the basics can help you refine your leadership skills over the course of your career.

   For homework, come up with your own definition of leadership. Jot down all the things that matter to you and write a couple of sentences that get at the heart of what you want to achieve as a leader.

   For more on this check out our podcast How Leaders Lead to hear more on how the top leaders are making a difference by the way they lead, and getting great things done.

 
By: David Novak Leadership

Such a simple question, but let’s start with what leadership is not…

Leadership has nothing to do with seniority or one’s position in the hierarchy of a company. Too many talks about a company’s leadership referring to the senior-most executives in the organization. They are just that, senior executives. Leadership doesn’t automatically happen when you reach a certain pay grade.

Leadership has nothing to do with titles. Similar to the point above, just because you have a C-level title, doesn’t automatically make you a “leader.” Say the word “leader” and most people think of a domineering, take-charge charismatic individual. We often think of icons from history like General Patton or President Lincoln. But leadership isn’t an adjective. We don’t need extroverted charismatic traits to practice leadership. And those with charisma don’t automatically lead.

I guess technically a leader could use social influence to just organize the efforts of others, but leadership is about maximizing the effort. It’s not, “Hey everyone, let’s line up and get to the top of that hill someday.” But rather, “Hey, see that hill? Let’s see how fast we can get to the top…and I’ll buy the first round for anyone who can beat me up there.”

So what do you think? Is this how you would define leadership?

By: David Novak Leadership

As a leader, your mindset influences everything. It affects your attitude, how you handle challenges, and ultimately your success.

If you have the wrong mindset, it will show.

Here are some tips to help you have the mindset of a leader that people will want to follow:
Leadership is not just a job:

A leader’s role is to inspire, motivate, and help others to be great at what they do. If you are the chosen one so-to-speak, then it’s important to realize the privilege you’ve been given. When you recognize this responsibility, it will transform you and your actions. Have you ever noticed how people flock towards a leader that acknowledges what a great opportunity they have? A grateful leader is inspirational and humble, and therefore will take people with them that are like-minded, and will, in turn, inspire others to get all kinds of good things done.

Recognize people are counting on you do to your job:

Great leaders know their purpose is to support their team. By doing your job well, you give them the ability to do their job well. If you aren’t helping and inspiring them, you’re probably hindering them. Goals can’t be met efficiently if you don’t give your people the resources and leadership tools they need. As a leader, you set the precedent for others. If you do your job well, others will win. And remember, when they win, YOU win.

You cast a shadow:

Whatever a leader does, others follow. This is true of every organization. People will look to you to model their behavior. If you’re always scowling and pointing out the negative, your team will feel the effect of it. This gloom will trickle throughout the organization. If you’re energetic and passionate about what you do, others will be inspired to do the same. Think about the behaviors you want to inspire in your team and live them out. As a leader, you make or break the culture.

Do you want to transform your leadership?

By: David Novak Leadership

Have you ever noticed a great team and wondered, “how did they build such a dynamic team that gets such good things done?”

Here’s how they did it, and how you can too.

A winning team needs four kinds of people:

Promoter

A promoter has plenty of drive. Their strength lies in growing others’ ideas and contributing to their team. They are passionate and energetic and inspiring.

Supporter

The supporter is the backbone of the team. They are givers who seek to help their team members. They thrive on recognition and value respect.

Controller

The controller is the “doer” of the team. Controllers are decisive, confident, and focused. They get the job done.

Analytic

Analytics are the problem-solvers. They are goal-oriented, detailed, and logical. They’re disciplined and their systematic approach gets great results.

Does your team have all of these components? If not, figure out how you can build your team to look like this.

Why is this important? Say you have a team full of ideas-people but no implementers, how would anything get done? An unbalanced team is like an unbalanced diet. An unbalanced diet does not provide you with the nutrients needed to maintain a good, all-around level of health and will cause you to become malnourished. Same thing for an unbalanced team.

Once you’ve built that winning team, the next step is to lead them according to their strengths.

By: David Novak Leadership

Have you ever wanted to tap into the thoughts of a hiring manager to learn why some people get hired and others don’t? You might be surprised by what you discover. If you think a great resume and prestigious qualifications are enough, think again.

We’ve asked David Novak of How Leaders Lead what he looks for when he hires someone, and these are the 2 questions he asks himself:

1. Why will this person be a great addition to our team?
2. Does this person have the ability to learn?

David believes the difference between a good performer and a great performer comes down to a desire to learn.

Are you the kind of person who wants to learn from others? Do you seek out best practices in your field?

Hiring managers look for candidates who are curious because they strive to learn throughout their careers and, as a result, raise the game for other members on their team. When interviewing, be prepared to share how you are passionate about learning, and talk about how you want to continue to grow, and be humble enough to speak about how you don’t know everything. This just might set you apart from other candidates.

After the interview David then asks himself:

Would I want my daughter to work for this person? If the answer was no, then that person wouldn’t get the job. But if David saw someone with special leadership traits and characteristics, someone who would invest in his daughter and help her become the best she could be, he would hire that person.

Being a learner and a leader are equally important. Keep that in mind and you will be ready to land that next job and kill the interview! You’ve got this!

By: David Novak Leadership

If you want to be a successful leader you have to start to learn the behaviors of other successful, great leaders and learn about the behaviors and habits that set them apart.

Here’s the routine of what a successful person looks like:

Prepare the Night Before

David’s daily routine starts the night before. Before he goes to bed, he looks at his calendar for the next day and asks himself, “What’s going to make each one of those meetings successful?” Then he tries to envision what a successful meeting would look like. By thinking about it the night before, David can go into each meeting prepared and focused on coming out with successful outcomes.

Cultivate a Positive Attitude

Ken Langone, Co-Founder of The Home Depot, asks himself, “What can I do today to be as good a person as I hope I can be.” By asking and answering this question, Ken is preparing himself to look for ways to be the good person he wants to be, rather than hoping it will happen by chance. This a step in personal development that will help you to leady at any level.

Physical Exercise

Brian Cornell, Chairman, and CEO of Target Corporation recognizes the importance of exercise, so he is creative about building it into his schedule each day. Whether it’s 20 minutes in-between meetings or 20 minutes at the end of the day before a dinner function, he gets on the treadmill, which helps him manage his stress and refreshes his energy.

Schedule Management

When David realized that people tried to avoid him until around 10:00 in the morning, he learned not to schedule any major meeting till after 10:00 AM. This allows him to be at his best. Learn what times you are at your best. This small habit will change your day and the others you work with.

Connect with Others

Milind Pant, Chairman of Yum! China makes it a habit to walk throughout the office talking to employees, which ensures that he is available and visible to his team.

These daily habits work!

These are simple things that make great leaders.

Which habit do you think will help you become the best leader you can be?

If you haven’t received your free subscription to David Novak Leadership click here to subscribe and gain access to all of our free learning guides, blogs, and podcast clips. If you are already a subscriber you will be automatically redirected to all of these resources.

By: David Novak Leadership

Ok, everyone knows it’s never fun implementing new initiatives when you have reluctant people on your team. Reluctancy can come in all shapes and sizes cautious or fearful, unenthusiastic or wanting control. Whatever type of people there are in your life, managing reluctant people will always resist change and, ultimately, slow down progress.

Fortunately, it is possible to inspire reluctant people to move forward. All you need is the right strategy.

Here are two steps to motivating reluctant people:

1. Align Your Team: Give your team all the facts. Once everyone is on the same page, you should ask for their input. Let your team speak into the initiative, and give your most reluctant team members an opportunity to offer their ideas. Everyone should have a voice. You will more than likely end up discovering the reason behind the reluctance, and have the chance to address any concerns.
2. Get Them Involved: No involvement equals no commitment. After you get input from your team, it’s time to figure out where your most reluctant people will fit best. Give them opportunities to contribute. If they become involved in your initiative, they’ll be more committed to seeing it through.

By communicating to your team that you value their input and believe they are capable of bringing about change, they will be more willing to embrace new initiatives.

For more tips on leading others head over and listen to our podcast How Leaders Lead.

By: David Novak Leadership

Self-awareness: it’s a big buzzword right now. But how do you really know who you are to become better as a person, a friend, a leader?

And for that matter, why should you care?

Being self-aware means knowing what drives you and what knocks you on your back. It helps you to figure out your motivators, breaking points, and inclinations.

So why does that matter?

Because great leaders lead people. If you aren’t able to manage yourself, then how can you manage your team?
Do you know the one thing that is absolutely necessary to develop your self-awareness?

Here’s a hint: it doesn’t come from you. The leadership tool every great leader needs to develop in self-awareness is FEEDBACK. Yep, good old-fashioned, give it to me straight, feedback.

At David Novak Leadership, we recognize that great leaders need feedback specific to their leadership skills, which is why we’ve developed a set of focused questions that help people analyze their leadership style. Questions like, do you work to ensure that each person on their team knows the team’s vision, and can they explain it? And, does this leader directly involve others in setting goals so everyone can feel ownership of them?

Every leader has weak spots, but it’s hard to know what they are unless someone tells you. Real, honest feedback will help you to see those weak spots and improve your performance.

By: David Novak Leadership

Every leader wants to have their dream team. You’ve got to have a great team to succeed. Those right people will drive success.

David asked top leaders what they look for when identifying future leaders on How Leaders Lead. Here is what they shared:

Daniel Lubetzky, Founder of KIND Snacks looks for people that will challenge him, raise their hands and speak up, and not just go along with everything he says, this creates “a permission culture to take risks and challenge.”

Indra Nooyi, former Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo, looks for people who throw their head, heart, and hands into the job. It’s not enough to come to work and say, “It’s a job,” to Indra. She looks for someone who sees their job as a passion. She wants her leaders to be willing to bring everything they’ve got to work and throw themselves into the job because they love what they do.

Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, looks for authenticity, and good values. Those two together build trust. “I think authenticity is very important, and the second thing is that values matter… especially in times of adversity. And then you build trust. Trust is earned.”

You can now use what you’ve learned and run with it! Let’s go!

Learn even more about becoming a successful leader at https://davidnovakleadership.com/.

By: David Novak Leadership

Like we say all the time over on our podcast, How Leaders Lead, all great leaders have their own style and their own way of leading. When everyone comes together with these different leadership styles, characteristics, and traits; conflict is bound to happen. Conflict isn’t a bad thing. Productive conflict can grow you and your team for the better, and is part of development as a leader.

Here are 3 tips to help the next time you know what hits the fan:

1. Mine for conflict – It’s important to pay attention to others and how they react when ideas are shared. Rather than assume that everyone agrees or ignore those who don’t, take time to feel out the room and everyone’s reaction. Ask each individual where they stand on a scale from one to ten. After everyone shares their rating, ask follow-up questions and invite input on how to get everyone aligned. This is part of what creates a culture where everyone makes a difference and is inspired to work together.
2. Listen for understanding – When others are talking, look them in the eye, suspend your critical thoughts, and really focus on understanding what they are saying before you respond. Dig deeper by asking them follow-up questions: “What did you mean by…?”; “Explain that point to me again… I want to fully understand what you are saying.”
3. Have courage in your convictions – Remember to always listen to input from others with your mind open to the possibility that they might be right. But when you feel strongly that the input is not right for you have the courage to move forward with what you believe is best for the organization. People will respect you for listening, considering all opinions, and then making a decision, and moving on. But only after you’ve done those things. Don’t cave to people’s ideas to make them feel validated or to avoid conflict. Seriously consider what’s said and make the right call.

With you leading the way carrying these simple leadership tools, you can turn conflict into something that can change and grow your organization and even make a better world. Don’t pass up the opportunity! Go towards it, embrace it. Be the one to make a difference and inspire others – this will only drive you towards success! Do this and it’s a total gamechanger.

Want to learn more incredible tips like this, give TPWY a try! All proceeds go to support the World Food Program.

Did you know that you can get daily leadership wisdom from David Novak? Follow David today on Twitter: @DavidNovakOGO.

By: David Novak Leadership

It’s November – the month of Thanksgiving – and you’ll see all kinds of gratitude challenges throughout social media.  Just type “Gratitude Challenge 2020” in your search bar and page after page of ideas appear.

But let’s be honest… finding things to be thankful for can be tough, especially in the midst of a global pandemic.  Investing the time to “make a list” of things you’re thankful for might be more than you can take right now.

But… could developing a habit of gratitude actually help you navigate month after month of the pandemic?  Could adopting a more positive mindset help you become more happy and optimistic?

According to Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, who’s the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, the answer is yes!  He’s proven through scientific research that adopting a habit of gratitude increases happiness, reduces depression, improves your health and makes your relationships better.  Those are some pretty amazing benefits!

You might be skeptical, and that’s understandable.  But what do you have to lose by giving it a try right now?  Take a minute and think about three things you’re thankful for.  Did this help your mood improve?  Did you notice something positive that you overlooked before?

David Novak knows the power of gratitude.  He starts each day listing three things he’s thankful for because it helps get his mindset in a good place right out of the gate.

Jesse Cole, Founder of Fans First Entertainment, discovered the power of a handwritten thank you note after starting the Thank You Experiment in 2016, when he started writing one thank you letter a day to someone who made a positive impact in his life.  The result?  It gives Jesse joy and happiness and it spreads gratitude to others too.  He’s been writing a daily thank you note every day since he started the experiment, and encourages his team to write thank you notes to their customers as well. Here is a short clip about his Thank You Experiment.

Gratitude has a positive impact.  Developing a daily habit of gratitude can help you change your perspective.

If you’re up for developing a habit of gratitude like David Novak and Jesse Cole, download this gratitude journal.  Use it to capture three things you’re thankful for each day this week and see how it impacts your mood and perspective.

So, what are you grateful for today?

By: David Novak Leadership

Authenticity is a popular buzz word these days.  We all want to be our true selves, right?  But it’s often easier said than done.  

Consider this scenario.  You want to be who you really are, but then fear creeps in.  What if your true self doesn’t fit in with what others expect in your organization?  Would that hold you back from getting a promotion?  Or being invited to the table for important decisions?  

While it can be risky to give authenticity a shot, there is a cost to NOT being authentic.  Your organization could be missing out on the unique things you have to offer.  And you’re probably not having as much fun or freedom if you’re focused on conforming to who you think others want you to be. 

So how can you break free from fear and learn to be more authentic?  

Here are three tips to inspire you to lead with authenticity:

1. Be open and honest about what you don’t know. As a leader, when you admit you don’t have all the answers, you let others know they don’t have to know it all either. It’s amazing how liberating this is and how people get behind you when you ask for help. It also builds trust and gives people a chance to contribute their own knowledge. 
2. Be vulnerable. No one is perfect.  And when you admit you messed up as a leader, you’re showing others it’s OK for them to make mistakes too.   Let’s be honest, it can be uncomfortable to share your failures, but think about how good it will feel to help someone avoid what you experienced. You can help others learn they aren’t alone in their struggles when you choose to be vulnerable. 
3. Be Positive. When you struggle with authenticity, remember to choose a positive mindset.  Focus on the benefits of asking for help and admitting you don’t have all the answers – both for yourself and others. 

Insert a sigh of relief here!  You have PERMISSION to not be perfect, to not have all the answers, and to ask others for help.  Imagine how much better you’d feel if you let go of perfection in order to ask for help and involve others.

Kendra Scott experiences the freedom that comes from being authentic.  In her How Leaders Lead Podcast with David Novak, she shared one of her biggest lessons about authenticity. 

Kendra realized early on that she wasn’t great at everything.  There were definitely areas where she excelled, but she wasn’t the expert in all aspects of running her business.  So, she learned to focus on the things she was great at, and she hired people who were great at the things she wasn’t.  This allowed her to build a winning team who shared her core values and together, they accomplish great things together.  

Kendra role models authenticity.  She admits what she doesn’t know and has the courage to ask for help when she needs it.  

So, are YOU an authentic leader today?  Are you honest about your weaknesses?  Do you admit when you don’t know something?  Do you ask others for help?  

Now is the time to give authenticity a shot! By choosing to be yourself and admitting you don’t have it all figured out, you build trust with your team, and great things happen.  How will you be authentic today?

At David Novak Leadership, we talk a lot about leadership principles. And recognition is one we highlight frequently because we know recognition is a leader’s secret weapon for motivating employees and building a great culture.

Everyone wants to feel appreciated for the value they bring to the workplace. As a leader, you can use recognition to let your team members know they matter. Showing gratitude is a small thing that makes a big difference to your workers.

But how exactly do you decide who to recognize and what is worthy of recognition? Here are two criteria to consider: hard results that are process driven and flexible recognition.

One way to recognize people is for hard results that are process driven, things like customer service or efficiency. Leaders leverage this type of recognition because it produces sustainable results. Check out these stories written by leaders who used recognition to motivate their teams.

However, great leaders don’t rely on just one form of recognition. Flexible recognition occurs when you, as the leader, recognize people for any kind of behavior you see that reinforces what you’re trying to drive in the organization. When you witness someone doing the kinds of things you want to lift up and make a positive example of, take time to let them know what you appreciate about them. Make sure to explain WHY the person is being recognized because this lets others know how they can work towards those same behaviors.

Flexible recognition also allows leaders to set the standard for the kinds of behaviors you want to see more of and which cultural values you want to reinforce. Recognition can become the catalyst leaders use to positively reinforce the behaviors that drive the culture of your team and organization.

Remember, as the leader, you set the standard. Take time to identify what behaviors and values you want to see more of, and then use recognition to motivate your people toward them. After this, become disciplined about recognizing people regularly. In fact, you can start this right now. Who will you recognize today?

If you need more examples of ways to recognize others, you can learn from Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. She champions a number of recognition programs. In this podcast, she shares different ways she recognizes others – from sales managers to factory floor workers to executives. You’ll also learn her favorite form of recognition that “…is worth more than money, stock rounds, hugs, tickets, anything…”.

I can’t use your idea because “it’s not invented here.” While you may not use those exact words, I wonder if you’ve ever ignored an idea because it wasn’t your own. The phrase “not invented here” refers to an unwillingness to adopt something because it didn’t originate with you. As leader, it’s your job to make sure that nothing gets in the way of a good idea, no matter where it comes from. Being open to and on the lookout for good ideas yourself is only half the battle. You have to position yourself so that good ideas can come to you. That means creating an atmosphere in which the people around you feel comfortable speaking up and know that there is a benefit to doing so.

Early in my career, I had a boss who, every single time I came to him with a new idea, would answer by saying, “That’s funny, I’d been thinking the same thing.” At first, I thought it was spooky how alike we were, but pretty soon, I caught on. As the big boss, he didn’t want to admit he hadn’t thought of something himself. And it wasn’t just me. Around the office, “I was thinking the same thing!” became a punch line that one of us would shout anytime anyone had an idea, no matter how trivial. Not only did our boss’s bad habit dampen our drive to come to him with ideas that could improve the business, but it also caused us to lose respect for him as a leader.

By having to claim our ideas as his own, he was unfortunately demonstrating his lack of security and need to prove his own self-worth. The reality is, I’ve learned when you become a leader, you need to realize the importance of celebrating other people’s ideas more than your own. Because you don’t have to get all the credit, you demonstrate confidence and it lets everyone know you are counting on them to contribute.

In contrast, Howard Draft, former Executive Chairman of Foote, Cone & Belding, one the world’s largest communication agencies, once told me how, even though he’s been in the business for more than thirty years, he often relies on the ideas and opinions of young people right out of college. In a meeting where a team was working on a creative strategy for a Kraft product, he was offering the group his viewpoint when “this young woman with a pierced nose and red hair looks up at me and goes, ‘You’re absolutely wrong and here’s why you’re wrong.’ I was so proud of her I went over and hugged her.”

Imagine the difference in working for these two guys: One won’t even admit your ideas are your own; the other is hugging an employee in front of everyone because she had the guts to stick up for her opinion, which she backed up with knowledge. Who would you want to work for?

Here’s another example of how wiping out “not invented here” led to positive results. I was the first president of Tricon (later Yum! Brands) when PepsiCo originally spun off the restaurant brands. The restaurant business had been struggling, which was a major reason why PepsiCo leaders thought they’d do better if they spun us off. But in my mind, that gave us the opportunity for what I characterized as a gigantic do-over. In business, we sometimes get too caught up in the idea that we need to be different, that we need to innovate. Too often we start from scratch and try to reinvent the wheel. Of course, we need to distinguish ourselves from our competition, but that does not mean we can’t borrow good ideas, make them our own, and do an even better job executing them.

To take advantage of our unique position of being a brand-new public company made up of well-established brands, we went out and did a best-practice tour of some of the most successful companies around at the time in order to take inspiration from them and borrow any good ideas we could find. We visited lots of companies, including GE, Walmart, Home Depot, Southwest Airlines, Target, and UPS – and then came back and crystalized what wed learned into five things that we called our Dynasty Drivers, because these were the things that we believed would make us an enduring great company.

Just think how much we advanced our position on the learning curve to becoming a great company just because we were willing to wipe out “not invented here.” Great leaders learn how to wipe out “not invented here” because there’s a danger if you don’t wipe it out. I think Linus Torvalds, the Finnish-American software engineer who created the Linux kernel (which became the kernel for operating systems like Android and Chrome OS) got it right when he said, “The NIH syndrome (Not Invented Here) is a disease.”

How is the “not invented here” disease suppressing your team or company’s performance? Download this guide for five tactics that will help you ensure that you are truly wiping out “not invented here.”

Do you know someone who could use help wiping out “not invented here?” If so, equip them by sharing this blog and guide. You have the power to make a difference by sharing what you’re learning with others. Go Lead!

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