Category: Leadership and Management

  • Why Leaders should eat last

    Table of Contents

    Summary

    The Video and book of the same title explores the concept of effective leadership, emphasizing that great leaders create an environment based on trust and collaboration, where team members feel safe and valued.

    Key Points:

    1. Circle of Safety: Sinek introduces the idea that effective leaders create a ‘Circle of Safety’ where employees feel protected and are thus more willing to collaborate and innovate.
    2. Chemical Incentives: The book discusses biological factors like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, explaining how they contribute to feelings of happiness and safety, or stress and self-interest, in the workplace.
    3. Empathy and Trust: Good leaders prioritize the well-being of their team over numbers or results. This fosters trust and a strong sense of community, which ultimately benefits the organization.
    4. Long-term vs Short-term: Sinek warns against short-term thinking, like prioritizing quarterly results over long-term well-being. Such an approach can break the ‘Circle of Safety’ and negatively impact employee morale.
    5. The Role of Leaders: A good leader is willing to sacrifice their own interests to protect and benefit those under their care. Hence, “Leaders Eat Last.”
    6. Organizational Culture: A strong culture is one where everyone feels like they belong, which leads to increased productivity and job satisfaction.
    7. Adapt and Overcome: Great leaders are those who can adapt to new challenges while keeping the ‘Circle of Safety’ intact. They’re not resistant to change but approach it in a way that minimizes danger to their team.
    8. Think of being a manager as being a parent,look after your people , lead by listening , help people grow and develop , support, protect and prioritize people

    In summary, the book argues that exceptional leadership is about creating a culture of trust and safety, which results in more successful, engaged, and happy team members. This is achieved through a long-term focus, empathy, and a willingness to place the needs of the team before one’s own, epitomized by the phrase “Leaders Eat Last.”

    Circle of Safety

    This is a powerful image of the Circle of safety

  • Impact Code

    Taken from

    My Takeaways

    • If you are in the room, be in the room (focus)
    • Keep pushing your comfort zone
    • Don’t be scared of failure
    • Use each second, minute , hour and day wisely as we never get tomorrow back.
    • Think of time in your life as a bank account, at the end of each day 86,400 seconds disappear
    • Model yourself on your heroes
    • When you hit adversity think how children learn to walk get up and try again
    • Every day is an opportunity to change things for the better
    • Getting the right kind of help:

    Analogue

    Imagine you are a carpenter, and you have various tasks like sawing wood, hammering nails, and drilling holes. If you use a hammer for a job that requires a saw, not only will you not accomplish the task effectively, but you’ll also potentially ruin the material and waste time.

    Ask the right person for help

    Similarly, when you seek help at work, make sure that the person you’re asking has the specific skills or knowledge you need for that particular problem. Just like you wouldn’t use a screwdriver to hammer a nail, you shouldn’t ask someone from sales to help you debug a complex software issue unless they have relevant experience.

    Conclusion

    In summary, always make sure you’re reaching out to the ‘right tool’ — in this case, the person or resource — best equipped to assist you in solving your particular challenge.

  • The One-Minute Manager

    Largely taken from the book of the same title.

    Table of Contents

    One Minute Manager

    • If a problem exists without a solution, it’s just a complaint
    • The Number 1 motivator is feedback on results
    • Don’t let annoyances build address early to stop it building
    • Build people up don’t tear them down
    • Be tougher then supportive (not the other way around)
    • Create a team of partners

    One Minute Praising

    • Praise people as soon as possible & be specific with that praise
    • Tell people how good you feel about it and how it helps (give them context)
    • Pause so people can absorb what you have said
    • Encourage them to do more of the same
    • Make it clear you have confidence in them and support their success

    One minute redirect (if a mistake or improvement is needed)

    • Re-direct as soon as possible
    • Confirm the facts and review the issue – be specific
    • Express how you feel and what the impact is
    • Pause and give time for reflection
    • Let them know they are better than their mistake and that you think well of them as a person
    • Remind them that you have confidence and trust in them
    • Realize when the re-redirect is over