Adapt, Adjust, Overcome: 10 Stories About Leaders Who Constantly Learn To Be Better with Michael Useem

Adapt, Adjust, Overcome: 10 Stories About Leaders Who Constantly Learn To Be Better with Michael Useem

by | Nov 16, 2021 | #onethingseries, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Culture, Disruption, Engagement, Feedback, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Listening, Long-Term Decision-Making, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Podcast, Principal Leadership, Principals, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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About Michael Useem

Michael Useem is Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management and McNulty Leadership Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.  His university teaching includes MBA and executive-MBA courses on management and leadership, and he offers programs on leadership and governance for managers in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. 

He works on leadership development with many companies and organizations in the private, public and non-profit sectors.  He is the author of The Leader’s Checklist, The Leadership Moment, Executive Defense, Investor Capitalism, Leading Up, and The Go Point.  

He is also co-author and co-editor of Learning from Catastrophes; co-author of The India Way, Leadership Dispatches, Boards That Lead, and The Strategic Leader’s Roadmap, Fortune Makers: The Leaders Creating China’s Great Global Companies (2017), Go Long: Why Long-Term Thinking Is Your Best Short-Term Strategy (2018), and Mastering Catastrophic Risk: How Companies Are Coping with Disruption (2018). His latest book, The Edge, is what we will be digging into today. 

Mike is co-anchor for a weekly program “Leadership in Action” on SiriusXM Radio Channel 132, Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School.

What You’ll Find In This Episode with Michael Useem 

Michael pours his wealth of knowledge into this transformative episode on how leaders continually learn to ensure that they rise to meet the demands of the job. Leaders know that the job description is about the only thing regarding the position that fits nicely onto a sheet of paper. Many roles evolve as demands emerge and arise from multiple avenues. 

Michael pointed out the irony in the subtitle of The Edge, which is about CEOs learning to lead. He acknowledged that we might assume that CEOs know how to lead, but that’s not always true.They need to learn how to lead provided the circumstances they find themselves within.

 

Michael talked about the fact that for many leaders, what got you here won’t get you there. Although not mentioned in the show, check out Marshall Goldsmith’s book, What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There, which we love.

 

Don’t miss what Michael says about Mark Turner and his learning tour. 

Michael says that leaders need to recognize their responsibility in leading the people they serve. This is what brings them to a point of wanting to learn more about learning to lead. 

Three avenues for committing to learning to be the leader who you want to be:

  1. You need to make your life  a classroom. We can all learn from leaders in history. Read it, watch it. Just learn it.
  2. Gather around yourself really great mentors and coaches, even if it’s informal. 
  3. Get out of your office and start doing it. 

You have to hear why Michael takes students to Antarctica and the Marine Corp.

Michael mentioned Herminia Ibarra’s book on reinventing identity.  Check it out.

Michael says that the single most important thing that a leader can do to grow is to get out of their comfort zone. 

Dr. Useem follows many sources for leadership, but often comes back to the Chief Executive of Progressive Insurance, Tricia Griffith. Learn about how she redefines what it means to be the Big Boss.

Michael talked about looking at leadership as 360 but in reverse. We ought to think about leading our peers and the people above us, not just our subordinates. 

Don’t miss what he says about having more impact. Oh, and yeah, wishing he could climb Mt. Everest.

Michael talked about learning to lead by seeing others do it poorly. There’s a lot to learn from setbacks and catastrophes. Don’t miss how he describes the CEO of Tyco.

Joe was reminded about leading to grow and thrive versus just to get by. 

Michael liked our last question and recalls asking CEOs what they find to be true that they didn’t realize before.  

Lastly, Michael reminds us that leadership never really comes down to one thing, but a mission critical checklist. 

As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCloud. And, again, if you want one simple model for leading better and growing faster per month, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen.

 

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

 

Joe & T.J. 

This episode was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout. 

Richard Shell on Overcoming Values-Conflicts, Finding Allies, & Learning to Lead with Conscience

Richard Shell on Overcoming Values-Conflicts, Finding Allies, & Learning to Lead with Conscience

by | Oct 11, 2021 | #onethingseries, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Culture, Disruption, Engagement, Feedback, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Listening, Long-Term Decision-Making, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Podcast, Principal Leadership, Principals, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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Richard Shell from the Wharton School Joins TheSchoolHouse302

Richard is an award-winning scholar, teacher, and author at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In his work, he helps students and executives reach peak levels of personal and professional effectiveness through skilled negotiation, persuasion, influence, and the discovery of meaningful life goals. Three beliefs permeate everything that he teaches and writes. First, success begins with self-awareness. Second, success progresses through excellence in practice. Third, as he shows in his latest book, The Conscience Code, success demands a lifelong commitment to the highest standards of integrity.

Show Notes from Our Interview with Richard Shell

Richard teaches a course in “ethics and responsibility” where students share stories about navigating value-challenges, in other words, the times that we are compelled to do things in life that don’t align with our sense of integrity. Throughout this interview, Richard calls on individuals to have courage and face those tough issues that surface from time-to-time. 

As the interview begins, we dive right into a powerful story that is featured in the book. Sarah, who works at a firm, is being asked to do something which she knows is not acceptable. In short, Sarah decides to walk away from her job. Richard confronts this decision with the reality that many of us simply cannot do that due to a host of various responsibilities. Here at TheSchoolHouse302 we have joked on several occasions about the fact that our growing list of adult responsibilities can limit our courage. Throughout this interview, and in his book, The Conscience Code, Richard describes how we all need to learn how to stand-and-fight versus the alternative, cut-and-run. 

Richard eloquently describes People of Conscience as those individuals who bring their sense of right and wrong to work and then listen to their internal voice as they work to lead in the directions of their values. 

He beautifully describes the CRAFT of ethics in the book. Richard also refers to it in the show and how it is used–you need this tool! 

  • Compassion
  • Respect 
  • Accountability 
  • Fairness 
  • Truth 

Richard notes that humans are social creatures and that even when we feel alone we have allies. In moments of isolation, we need to seek a partner, mentor, teacher, or colleague who believes what we believe–the power of two. 

You’ll love the practical nature of the OODA Loop developed by Air Force Colonel John Boyd. It is a great strategy to use for decision-making. In essence, value-conflicts are multi-stage events; they require a loop, always returning to observation. 

  • Observe 
  • Own
  • Decide 
  • Act 

We love the graphic, taken from https://expertprogrammanagement.com/.

Richard follows Robert Caildini (Joe is also a big fan). Check out Influence, Pre-Suasion, and Richard’s book, which Caildini said he would put in his top three if he had to only take three books with him in life, Bargaining for Advantage.  

Richard wastes no time when we ask about the onething that people should do on a regular basis–Meditate! Check out our incredible interview with Valerie Brown and Kirsten Olson if you want to explore a powerful approach to self-awareness and mindfulness.

We were intrigued to learn that Richard is interested in learning more about how people change their beliefs. 

As professional learners, we are always interested to hear what supports an individual’s growth and Richard uses Covey’s advice: Seek first to understand and then to be understood. The power in this strategy is that all we have to do is be aware. The good news is that we already have the ability to do this each and every day.

Lastly, Richard leaves all of us with a challenge–engage and see what happens. 

As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCloud. And, again, if you want one simple model for leading better and growing faster per month, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J. 

This episode was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.