Issue No. 610 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting delivers bite-sized lifelong learning snippets from 105 leaders. The author quotes Peter Drucker, “The most pressing task is teaching people how to learn.” Plus, click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), and click here for more book reviews. Also, read my recent review of May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases―And What We Can Do About It. Bonus! Read this week’s blog, “Magic Carpet Ride,” by Steppenwolf, in our toe-tapping feature, Johnny Be Good.
David Novak, author of How Leaders Learn, says that every time he gives a speech, he asks his wife for a letter grade! (Spoiler alert! She doesn’t always give A’s.)
So…as is my habit (sometimes annoying, apparently) to share book insights with my wife, Joanne, who patiently listens (sometimes)—this week I read her a brief paragraph from the new Harvard Business Review Press book:
Master the Habits of the World's Most Successful People
by David Novak with Lari Bishop (June 4, 2024)
The author writes that a colleague (kindly) asked Patrick Lencioni, “Why are you like this?” This coworker noticed that Lencioni “showed up in the morning excited for the day but would suddenly turn into a grump in the middle of a meeting. Then, in the next meeting, he would be upbeat again. He recognized it himself, and it bothered him, but he could never figure out why he was hot and cold.”
Novak leveraged that story—and the Lencioni book that resulted—to discuss what leaders often don’t learn about themselves. Joanne’s response, “Do you think this is common for most leaders—that they have gaps that need to be filled in?”
I couldn’t believe her question! “Are you kidding me?” I asked. “That’s the title of Novak’s third chapter, ‘Fill Your Gaps.’ How did you know that?” (LOL! She may also have mentioned something about my reading fewer books and just learning from her!)
BITE-SIZED LEARNING. There’s no need to read any more of this review—if you’ll just read this book (or schedule a session with my wife). How Leaders Learn is very, very practical. The format is brilliant: 27 short chapters (in bite-sized, 15-minute insights)—with each chapter featuring the learning habits of three to five leaders. You’ll be familiar with many of the 105 people spotlighted:
PATRICK LENCIONI discovered that of his six “working geniuses,” he was strong in just two of them: invention and discernment. (Read more and take the assessment mentioned in his book, The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team.)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, former U.S. Secretary of State, tells the author that as a young professor, she received a one-year fellowship to work for the strategic nuclear planning division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “I was three things they had never seen. Female, black, and civilian…” And yes, on her first day, they told her, “The rookie makes the coffee.” Read how she responded.
HENRY KISSINGER is quoted in the chapter on what you can learn from a crisis: “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.”
LOL! Novak spotlights five leaders facing crises, including Oscar Munoz, who had to face the media as CEO of United Airlines when a 2017 PR disaster went viral. (Read more in Turnaround Time.) Munoz told Novak, “My barometer is the business schools around the country that initially wrote it as a case of exactly what not to do. Those business cases shifted to become lessons in ‘It’s never too late to do the right thing.’”
MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER is interviewed for the chapter on learning to ask better questions, “What If, How Could, and Why.” I was delighted to see that two books from “MBS” were included: The Advice Trap (my 2020 book-of-the-year) and The Coaching Habit. Novak affirms, “Active learners make the effort to stay curious first and dole out advice second so they don’t fall victim to what Michael calls the ‘Advice Monster,’ which grows from our need to tell it, save it, or control it.”
And…speaking of good questions, several years ago I mentioned to a client that the next time he was in town, he should bring his wife—and I’d treat the four of us to the (now) $7.00 dinner at the San Clemente Pier. I suggested that his wife would appreciate meeting Joanne. “She often asks probing questions,” I added, “and people often respond, ‘I’ve never been asked that question before!’” (Oops! My client told me the next day, “I mentioned that to my wife last night—and she doesn’t want to meet Joanne!”)
GINNI ROMETTY, former CEO of IBM, is interviewed for the chapter, “Ditch the Blinders”—an important wake-up call about how our biases and assumptions ignore reality and cause harm. In her book, Good Power, she describes how she challenged “two faulty assumptions” at IBM: “…people with at least a bachelor’s degree and with experience would be better hires.” Yet Novak writes that we must “learn to make—and check—your own judgments.” So IBM started looking for talent at high schools and community colleges and “…they started testing for the traits that made people successful through transformation: curiosity, grit, and drive.”
DAVID NOVAK actually didn’t need 105 people to learn how to learn (my opinion), because you’ll learn a lot just from his own life lessons. He’s the co-author of the self-coaching book, Take Charge of You, and he’s the cofounder and former Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands (over 1.5 million team members in 135 countries!). Check out his top-ranked podcast, How Leaders Lead. Here are just three of the dozens of insights from Novak that I underlined in my book:
• “The biggest truth-teller in my life is my wife, Wendy.” Every time he gives a speech, he asks her for a letter grade! You read that right—and she doesn’t give all A’s! When she does give the rare A, “I know without a doubt I’m doing my best work.” (And yes—not thinking clearly, I read that to my wife, Joanne!)
• When leaving Yum! Brands as CEO, he was invited to serve on numerous boards—but he said “yes” to Comcast because “I’d constantly learn about the most current ideas in media and tech.” (Attn: Board Chairs! Are you recruiting new board members by aligning board service with the gaps in their lifelong learning aspirations?)
• In the first chapter, “Trailer Park University,” Novak confesses to accepting a big promotion by moving from Pizza Hut over to PepsiCo—without asking his current boss for counsel. “He had given me the biggest break in my career, and I owed him a lot more sensitivity than I had given him.” (This prompted me to reflect on my own transitions.)
URI LEVINE, founder of Waze and author of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution, is featured in the chapter, “From Pain to Possibility: Learn by tackling problems.” Novak writes, “Most of my career moves reflect a theme: I took jobs with organizations that were experiencing trouble. Those might seem like jobs to avoid, but I have never felt that way.” He adds, “Solving problems and active learning go hand in hand.” He notes that Levine embraces problems because they deliver at least two values. Must-read! When you ask for input, “you kind of sign up for a mission” and Novak adds, “…sometimes, you discover new and bigger problems to tackle next.” (That’s a good thing!)
THERE’S MORE! I’ve barely scratched the surface of the deep learning (practical!) in this treasure chest for lifelong learners. Novak uncovers more “how leaders learn” wisdom from Coach John Wooden, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Jason Goldsmith, Stephen M.R. Covey (The Speed of Trust), and more than 90 other leaders.
You’ll love this: INDRA NOOYI, former CEO of PepsiCo, told Novak that when she was young, her mother inspired her and her siblings “to be both aspirational and competitive.” For a task at dinner, her mother would ask, “Give me a speech about what you would do if you were the prime minister of the country.” After the speeches, “her mother chose the best speech and handed out the prize—a tiny piece of chocolate.” Her mother didn’t play favorites: the best speech always earned the chocolate. (Another must-read chapter!)
This is a perfect book for your “10 minutes for lifelong learning” segment at your next 27 weekly staff meetings! And by the way, when you’re writing your next book, ask Novak to write your chapter titles. They’re brilliant bumper stickers!
To order from Amazon, click on the title for How Leaders Learn: Master the Habits of the World's Most Successful People, by David Novak with Lari Bishop. (Note: the seven-hour audio book is coming.) And thanks to Harvard Business Review Press for sending me a review copy.
2) Abraham Lincoln said, “My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” What friend needs a book from you this week?
Mastering 100 Must-Read Books - Part 14: Leadership & Management at War
Book #80 of 100: Make Your Bed
For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by spotlighting Book #80 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.
Make Your Bed:
Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World
by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired)
Books #77 through #81 spotlight five fascinating books with military viewpoints on leadership and management. “If you want to change the world…” writes Admiral McRaven, “…start off by making your bed.” The first chapter, from the author’s Navy SEAL training days, is “Start Your Day With a Task Completed.” Sage advice!
• Read my review.
• Order from Amazon: Make Your Bed
• Listen on Libro (1 hours, 53 minutes).
• Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson).
Looking for a graduation gift? This book packs a punch at the fast clip of one big punch every 10 short pages. Adm. McRaven’s 10 principles were delivered first as a university commencement address. His 19-minute speech on May 21, 2014, to the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin went viral—with over 10 million views! View it here.
Note: Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day. As we thank God for the men and women who served and are serving, listen to this poignant song, "Till They Came Home."
Song #20 of 45: “Magic Carpet Ride”
Listen to “Magic Carpet Ride,” by Steppenwolf, Song #20 of 45 in our blog series, Johnny Be Good. Read guest blogger Larry Beatty’s color commentary and why he’s the drummer for three groups—even in retirement! Reminder: Guest bloggers invited! More info here.
Ceiling Power!
David Novak (see above) is also the co-author of Take Charge of You: How Self-Coaching Can Transform Your Life and Career. Read my review to learn why Novak filled his office walls (and home office walls) with pictures of people that mattered to him. He ran out of wall space—so more pictures adorn his ceilings! For more book reviews, visit the Pails in Comparison Blog.
Do you serve on a regional or national association staff or board? John Pearson was invited by Christian Camping International to discuss “5 Ways to Organize Your CCI Association (1 Size Doesn’t Fit All)” on the “Campfire Conversations” webinar on May 14, 2024. CCI Worldwide inspires 27 associations in 80 countries whose members serve 10 million campers each year! View the webinar on YouTube.
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