The Global Leadership Podcast

Ep 136: Chris McChesney - Twenty Years in Love with the Same Problem

Mar 19, 2024

Chris McChesney discusses falling in love with a problem over a solution, focusing on important tasks, and engaging frontline teams. The podcast explores gamification in the workplace, applying leadership principles to family dynamics, and transitioning to developing leaders within a team. It also touches on a documentary project on intelligent design, reflections on legacy and strategy implementation, and implementation strategies for leadership development.

55:10

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Episode guests

Chris McChesney

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Quick takeaways

Focus on lead measures over lag measures for effective goal achievement.

Transitioning to leading leaders requires strategic thinking and commitment to non-urgent priorities.

Reflection and dedication are essential for successful implementation of the Four Disciplines of Execution.

Deep dives

Understanding the Strategic Importance of 'Four Disciplines of Execution'

Implementing the principles from the 'Four Disciplines of Execution' requires a deep understanding of distinguishing lead measures from lag measures. It is emphasized that focusing on metrics that are controllable, like lead measures, is crucial for effective goal achievement. Special attention is given to developing a weekly scorecard and releasing control to team members to craft relevant scorecards. The long-term commitment and strategic approach needed for successful implementation are highlighted.

Driving Results Through Gamification

01:33

Creating a High-Stakes Winnable Game in a Child's Life

01:46

Focus on Specific Goals and Principles for Effective Leadership

02:00

Introduction

4min

Executing Critical Goals with Precision

8min

Engagement and Gamification in the Workplace

6min

Navigating Family Dynamics and Leadership Challenges

19min

Leading Leaders: Transition and Tactics

7min

Exploring Intelligent Design through a Documentary Project

2min

Reflections on Legacy, Strategic Implementation, and Metrics in Leadership

5min

Implementation Strategies for Leadership Development

3min

In this episode, Global Leadership Podcast interviewer Jason Jaggard sits down with Chris McChesney, co-author of The Four Disciplines of Execution, to revisit the book and to explore how the four disciplines can impact our lives outside the business world.

IN THIS EPISODE:

- What is a basic overview of the “Four Disciplines of Execution”?

- How can you learn to focus what is most important, but is not necessarily the most urgent?

- What “levers” can you affect that make it seem like your intended result is a winnable game?

- What has being a parent taught Chris about leadership, and how can the four disciplines be applied to a family?

LISTEN

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STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS

- It’s better to fall in love with a problem than it is to fall in love with a solution.

- All of the “have tos” in our life is called “The Whirlwind.” The “One” is the strategic result in your life that is going to require disproportionate effort.

- Human beings have the capacity to handle “the whirlwind plus one.”

- It’s best to not give your frontline teams the answers; get their commitment and engagement by making them a part of the process.

- The Four Disciplines can actually be a way to protect the entrepreneurial spirit of a organization.

- If you want to see the highest level of engagement a human being is capable of, watch them in a game.

- The strategic result you’re looking for should feel like both a high-stakes game and a winnable game.

- Progress and purpose are the most important things that drive employee engagement. This fact also has profound implications for how leaders address remote work.

- The whole purpose of The Four Disciplines is to achieve goals that do not feel as important as “the day job.”

- If kids have one anchor of self-esteem in their life, they are able to handle the whirlwind and drama of life much more effectively.

- The enemy of the human soul is not work; it’s futility.

- The struggle is that as you become more successful as a company, the whirlwind grows and requires more and more.

- People don’t fear change; they fear uncertainty.

- Most success comes from putting huge energy into small wins.

- The most significant jump is moving from leading a team to leading leaders.

LINKS MENTIONED

- Website: Chris McChesney

- Book: The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals

- Added Value: Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex (TEDTalk via YouTube)

- Added Value: “Leaders Concerned About Remote Work Should Be Looking at This Metric”