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Top Leaders Tell Their Secrets – Are You Listening?

Guest post by: Kerri Salls

Article Overview: I’ve found many jewels buried in the inserts and pullout sections of my favorite magazines. Yet these same resources cannot be researched after the fact because they are not indexed as part of the publication.

Top Leaders Tell Their Secrets – Are You Listening?

I’ve found many jewels buried in the inserts and pullout sections of my favorite magazines. Yet these same resources cannot be researched after the fact because they are not indexed as part of the publication.

One such pullout from Fortune Magazine was Lessons in Leadership, Follow these Leaders. This particular pullout had some pithy ideas on how to be a great leader. Here are some of the takeaways that resonated for me. If they sound familiar, it’s because they are universal lessons we all can apply and benefit from in small and large firms, as solopreneurs and startups.

A.G.Lafley – CEO Proctor & Gamble

“I had to make sure we got rid of the saboteurs.” He has a hierarchy of commitment. “On the high end, it’s disciples, people who really believe in what you’re doing and in you. On the low end it’s saboteurs... So I had to make sure we got rid of the saboteurs, build a strong cadre of disciples and moved all the fence sitters to the positive side.”

Sounds like a simple application of "Lead a championship support team" and not procrastinating on the decision about people on the low end.

Kevin Sharer – CEO AMGEN

All successful leaders have “courage”. “You are trying to engender a passion and a desire to do something new. And new is scary. As a leader, you are putting your ass on the line to make it happen. So you should be scared. You have to get ongoing constructive feedback to push you out of your comfort zone. This is never more important than when you are CEO.”

Yes, even CEOs can settle into a comfort zone – and you can’t afford to do it.

Carol Bartz – CEO AUTODESK

When asked what leaders need, she replied: “If you’re not excited, how can you get others excited? People will know.”

People have to know, trust, and respect you if you want them to follow where you want to lead them. Their intuition will tell them if you are delivering a pitch or sincerely passionate about what you’re doing.

Stanley O’Neal – CEO Merrill Lynch

“Look for integrity. I think this is a bedrock requirement.” “Surround yourself with the very best people, and spend a lot of time trying to create a common sense of purpose – a mission - and an environment in which people can have an opportunity to realize their full potential.”

It’s like Jim Collins said: you have to get the right people on the bus first and build your hedgehog concept before you can realize the full potential of what you have and can achieve.

Hank Paulson – CEO Goldman Sachs

“The things that make a good leader are being open- minded, having a willingness to really ask for and accept advice, showing a sense of humility and putting the right people in the right seats. Culture is key. This year I taught 26 sessions on accountability and leadership – six hours each - for our 1,200 managing directors all over the world.”

Here’s the CEO of Goldman Sachs, he could hire superb trainers to present all these sessions on accountability and leadership but by delivering these training sessions himself, he’s demonstrating his commitment and personal involvement in the process. Walking your talk, speaks volumes.

Carley Roney – Co-Founder and Editor-in-chief THE KNOT

“Leading is like parenting: It’s one long process of pulling back.” “What’s funny [about establishing more balance between work and home life after her second child was born] is that I had to rely on my true leadership skills rather than just putting in the time.”

She reclaimed more time for her new family by really applying her leadership skills.

All of these people came to their leadership skills and position by different paths. But along the way, these core strategies were instilled into each of them. They will work for you too, even in a small or solo business.

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Article Tags: leaders, leadership



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