The #1 Secret All Great Leaders Know
David Novak
Former CEO of Yum! Brands, Host of How Leaders Lead podcast, #1 NYT Bestselling Author. On a mission to make the world a better place by developing better leaders.
Want to know one of the secret ingredients to becoming a great leader? Become an avid learner! One of the most effective things you can do to continue to grow as a leader is to always be learning. In fact, I believe that being an avid learner is the single biggest thing that separates a good leader from a great one. There is always more to know, and when people ask what I look for when hiring someone, an avid learner tops the list. People who are avid learners love what they do and seek out know-how wherever they can find it, which makes them a whole lot smarter and their results a whole lot better. Someone with a voracious appetite for knowledge is bound to inspire others with their passion and curiosity and can energize an organization by bringing to it new ideas.
While I was CEO of Yum! Brands, when a member of the Executive Team discovered a powerful business book, we would share it with each other, and then cascade the book throughout the organization to other leaders. We didn’t just read the book. We took time to discuss our insights and we looked for lessons that could apply to our business. For example, we read Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni and Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim. In this way, we were building our know-how and actively encouraging our leaders to become avid learners.
oGoLead was created for avid learners like you. We provide leadership resources to help you become better leaders. The oGoInspire blogs like this one and the oGoAsk videos are great ways to gain new leadership insights and approaches that you can apply to your situation. But, the content I enjoy producing the most are the oGoInsider podcasts. I enjoy these podcasts so much because it gives me an opportunity to listen and learn from some of the best leaders around the world. Recording these podcasts is one way I stay sharp as a leader and I hope they help you grow as a leader too. One of the questions we typically ask during the podcast is, “What do you do to stay sharp, to grow as a leader?” Here are the answers given by two of the best leaders in the world.
In my podcast with Home Depot Co-Founder, Ken Langone, he said, “who dares teach, never ceases to learn.” In every relationship, Ken tries to learn as much from others as they learn from him.
Taco Bell CEO, Brian Niccol has “coffee talk” once a quarter. Each coffee talk is a forum to discuss what the team has learned around a specific topic. The quarterly topics may be around innovation, or design, or what’s happening in food culture, or technology. Since things are changing so rapidly in the food industry, just having a dialogue on them is really helpful. Brian also pulls the team together to discuss test learnings. Sharing what worked and what didn’t work helps everyone benefit from the learnings.
Do you want to discover how to become an avid learner? Then download this guide to uncover more helpful tips on how to become an avid learner. Who can you invite to join you on your quest to become an avid learner? Share this oGoInspire and guide with them today, and invite them to learn more with you. Having support on your journey to becoming a better leader can provide motivation and much needed encouragement. GoLead!
EVP Global Marketing, Brand Positioning Expert (200 brands), Best Selling Author, Global Educator
6 年David this is good advice that I have done my best to practice. I now work in a Culture where the concept of “sharing” ideas with the leader is very foreign. In China this is not a natural concept as it in the West. I have had to adapt my style to the culture in order to get people to speak openly while overcoming an education system that does not promote individual achievement or the taking of risk that “you might give the wrong answer.” There is no real innovation “talk” model here. So, I am adapting and learning. It is slow and sometimes painful.
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7 年These are great comments from a great person and educator. As well as a great golfer! Nice playing this weekend!!
Vice President of Human Resources at Neighbor To Family
7 年Much of being a "lifelong learner" comes from one's natural curiosity, one needs to care enough to want to learn. In today's fast paced work environment, there is less focus on growing our minds, which is necessary to maintain our innovative ability. If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
Retired Bank Executive | International Business & Education Expertise
7 年Great stuff from one of the world's great business leaders!
Thanks, David. Like your other work, this guide is practical with checklists and to-do items. Which let's me expand on your secret ingredient. Great leaders learn AND do!