9 Top Business Leadership Tips
Thursday, May 16th, 2013A group from Mighty 8th Media had the pleasure of attending the nationally renowned Chik-Fil-A Leadercast Conference of 2013 at Gwinnett Arena last week. The focus of the conference and theme throughout the day, was to “Simply Lead.”
To convey this message and educate the audience about the notion of simply leading, Chik-Fil-A had an incredibly impressive line up of speakers, including best selling author John C. Maxwell, gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross, Dr. Henry Cloud, Executive Coach David Allen, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, Condoleeza Rice, GE’s former CEO Jack Welch and more.
One specific takeaway that definitely rang a bell for the crew of Mighty 8th was John C. Maxwell’s speaking point: “Add value to people everyday.” Maxwell said to the audience, “ Everyday I sit and review my day in my head and always make sure to ask myself, did I add value to someone today?”
Having written several best selling books on leadership, Maxwell went on to say, “Leadership is the difference maker and the deal breaker. It’s how we grow organizations. It’s how we impact lives. But, as you also know, leadership cannot be an idea we simply talk about. Leadership is the action we must live out.”
For Mighty 8th Media, adding value to someone everyday is critical both for our clients and our employees. For all of you reading this, make sure and ask yourself, how can I add value to someone today? It could change someone else’s life and change yours as well.
Here are 9 top leadership tips from the presenters:
1. Andy Stanley, pastor of NorthPoint Church and bestselling author and communicator: Leaders don’t feel the need to be the smartest person in the room. They are willing to be the dumbest person.
2. David Allen, best-selling author of Getting Things Done and productivity expert: There is an inverse relationship between what is on your mind and getting it done. If it’s on your mind, get it out of your mind. Write it down, so you can focus on the task at hand.
3. Sanya Rochards-Ross, 2012 London Olympic gold medalist, track and field: Before the race, I imagine myself winning. During the race, I focus on executing what I imagined previously.
4. Henry Cloud, bestselling author and leadership consultant: Sometimes, the worst thing a leader can do is hope. If you are headed to the wrong destination, perseverance won’t help you. Instead, you need to create a “necessary ending.”
5. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, head men’s basketball coach, Duke University: Don’t focus on winning. Focus on creating a culture of success. This will lead to consistent winning.
6. John C. Maxwell, bestselling author and leadership expert: Divide your weaknesses by delegating them. A leader is like a quarterback. He doesn’t get paid to run the ball. He gets paid to put the ball into the right hands.
7. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009): You have to be an optimist. Nobody wants to follow a sour puss.
8. Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric: You can give a thousand speeches, but nothing has a bigger impact than the personnel decisions you make. This includes who you hire, who you fire, and who you assign to your most important projects.
9. LCDR Rorke Denver, Navy SEAL and star of the 2012 movie Act of Valor: As leaders, your people are going to mimic your behavior. (SEALS are going to amplify your behavior.) Calm is contagious. So is panic. So is stupidity.
Whatever your business, we hope you find as much value in these ideas about leadership and words of wisdom as we did.
