Build an A-Team

Disrupting yourself is a way of life around here, so it’s only natural that it is my turn to be disrupted. Today is Launch Day for my new book, Build an A-Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve, and I couldn’t be more excited! To celebrate, we’re doing things a bit differently on the podcast. Macy Robison, my fabulous project manager, is interviewing me to help break down what my listeners can expect from my new book, and how the information I’ve gathered can help them in not only their career but in life. Since releasing Disrupt Yourself in 2015 I have had the opportunity to interact with many managers, leaders, executives, and employees who have embraced the idea of disruption, but who have asked me, “How can I get my people to disrupt themselves?” or “How can I get my boss to let me disrupt myself?” Employers and employees want to experience the growth that can come from disruption, but it’s not happening in many organizations out of fear of “losing” valued leaders or team members.  The irony is that many great employees are lost anyway. Some managers are great at maximizing efficiency but are so caught up in day-to-day minutia that the personal and professional growth of employees takes a back seat to survival. The result is stellar employees feeling bored or stuck in their jobs, with no clear career path before them. Employees who were once superstars either move on to greener pastures or become dead-weight and organizational innovation stalls.       Build an A-Team unpacks this problem and illustrates how understanding the S-curve can lead to innovation within organizations, and how investing in your employees (and sometimes letting them go) can return phenomenal dividends.  Join Macy and I as we discuss Build an A-Team, the framework of disruption, recognizing where employees are on their personal S-curve, real sponsorship, and how allowing employees to jump to new curves can lead to innovation.    We also take a minute to acknowledge the amazing A-Team behind the book—it truly would not have been possible without them!     Links and show notes at http://whitneyjohnson.com/build-an-a-team