Jul 8, 2020
Ron Williams is
the former chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc. Ron’s new book is
Learning to
Lead: The Journey
to Leading Yourself, Leading Others, and Leading an
Organization. On the
podcast, Ron provides practical, tested leadership advice, whether
you're searching for a new career, looking for proven management
solutions, or seeking to transform your organization. Developed
from Ron’s own personal and professional journey, as well as the
experiences of America's leading CEOs, these strategies emerge
boldly from engaging stories, outlined with practical
steps
Key Takeaways
[4:25] Leaders aren’t born. It
is a learned skill. You have the ability to excel in whatever you
put your mind to. Do not accept the narrative that others impose on
you.
[6:45] Surround yourself with
people who are where you want to go.
[9:15] When it comes to leading
organizations, a critical skill to have is also the ability to lead
yourself.
[10:25] While most staff are
concerned about this week, this month, this quarter, the CEO and
the board have to look beyond the horizon to see what’s
next.
[11:20] A piece of advice Ron
gives to executives trying to delay gratification:
If it feels good, don’t do
it.
[13:15] As leaders, it’s
important to assume positive intent when it comes to your team.
People want to do a good job. Most of them don’t set out to miss
deadlines.
[14:15] ‘Why’ is a good question
to ask, but it can sometimes make people feel like they’re five
years old again trying to justify a bad decision. Instead, rephrase
the question to, ‘help me understand what were some of the
barriers.’ Make your ‘why’ question a collaboration
question.
[18:15] In order to solve the
right problem, you have to give your team the room to come forward
and communicate.
[22:55] Values are only real if
the executives talk about it and live it within the
organization.
[27:10] Failure of leadership is
when you create yes-men in your organization and your staff are too
scared to speak up on bad ideas.
[29:10] Leaders can achieve
great success in organizations with different approaches: Fear,
Money, Pride, Values. Just because someone is successful, doesn’t
mean their leadership style was a values-approached
style.
[32:45] As the workforce becomes
globalized, it’s more important than ever not to hire more people
that are similar to you or practice groupthink.
[35:40] Do you think you’re
inclusive in your organization? Ask yourself: When was the last
time you were in a group where you were a minority?
[38:45] Ron’s challenge: A
leader’s role is to develop the talent within an organization. Ron
has had five people under him go on to become CEOs. You want to
hire people who have the potential to be as good as you, if not
better.
Quotable Quotes
- “If
people say, ‘You’ll never be successful,’ ‘You’ll never be a
leader,’ learn to not accept their view of you.”
- “The
CEOs are often the only customer for many of the things that are
really critical to the success and prosperity of the company. The
CEO and the board have to look out over the horizon.”
- “You
have to start with the assumption that people want to do a good
job.”
- “When
people get promotions, how many think about the obligations they
just took on?”
- “People merely strengthen their organization by
this kind of unique perspective that they bring.”
- “To
bring inclusivity, the answer is to get out of your comfort zone
and really have an understanding of what it’s like to see the world
through someone else’s view.”
Resources Mentioned
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