Number 2 Glassdoor CEO: Leading People in 2025 and Beyond | Robert Glazer
Dec 31, 2024
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In this conversation with award-winning executive Robert Glazer, the founder of Acceleration Partners, listeners dive into a new approach to sustainable growth in the workplace. Glazer emphasizes the importance of engaging employees during the growth journey and fostering an empathetic leadership style. He tackles how core values shape company culture and explores strategies for overcoming learned helplessness. Plus, he discusses innovative methods for managing employee transitions and the vital role of resilience in today’s evolving work dynamics.
Self-awareness in leadership, shaped by personal experiences and core values, is vital for building cohesive and effective teams.
Transitioning from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to prioritizing employee well-being fosters sustainable success and reduces burnout.
Transformational leadership enhances collaboration by developing both professional skills and personal growth, promoting resilience and adaptability in employees.
Deep dives
Understanding Leadership Through Self-Awareness
Great leadership hinges on self-awareness, which involves recognizing how personal experiences and childhood shape one's leadership style. Leaders who are aware of their intrinsic motivations, including their authentic core values, tend to build stronger teams. For instance, a leader who values trust may struggle significantly if they are unaware of how past violations of trust influence their decision-making. This self-exploration allows leaders to communicate their values and expectations to their teams effectively, creating a more cohesive working environment.
The prevailing growth-at-all-cost mentality has proven unsustainable as companies are beginning to witness employee burnout and turnover. A new approach is necessary whereby organizations prioritize employee experience while simultaneously achieving growth targets, fostering a win-win situation. For example, organizations focusing on the development of their workforce, rather than just profit margins, are more likely to achieve lasting success. Investing in people means cultivating an environment where all team members feel valued and are part of the growth journey.
Transformational Leadership and Personal Growth
Transformational leadership emphasizes the importance of developing not only professional skill sets but also emotional and personal capacities of team members. Leaders should aim to help individuals grow into well-rounded people, which in turn enhances collaboration and productivity. For example, empowering employees to improve their time management and prioritization skills benefits them both personally and professionally. This holistic approach fosters a culture of resilience and adaptability, essential traits in today’s rapidly changing work environment.
Agency and Resilience in Work Environments
Fostering a sense of agency within teams is crucial for enhancing resilience and problem-solving capabilities. This encourages employees to take ownership of their roles while navigating challenges effectively, as seen with sales teams that learn from lost deals through internal debriefs. In contrast, a lack of agency fosters an external blame culture, stifling growth and accountability. Cultivating agency empowers individuals to view setbacks as learning opportunities, which is essential for sustained success in a competitive landscape.
Cultural Fit and Organizational Health
Organizations must navigate the balance between cultural fit and diversity by establishing foundational values that guide behavior while welcoming varying perspectives. A cohesive company culture is built on shared principles rather than homogeneity, which allows for creativity and innovation. For example, companies that uphold core values while embracing diverse thought tend to attract top talent who resonate with those values. Ultimately, the ability to communicate and uphold these values shapes a healthy organizational culture, essential for long-term viability.
Award-winning entrepreneur and author Robert Glazer has identified a core issue in today’s companies: the traditional “growth-at-all-costs” mindset is unsustainable. After a decade of relentless expansion, many companies are struggling to grow without burning out their employees along the way. Robert believes there is a better way—one that brings teams along on the growth journey to benefit employees and the company alike.
Robert Glazer is an award-winning executive, speaker, author, and the Founder and Chairman of Acceleration Partners. Under his leadership, his company earned accolades like Glassdoor's Employees’ Choice Award and was named a Best Place to Work by Inc. and Fortune. Robert was also named Glassdoor’s #2 Top CEO for small and medium companies in the U.S.
In this episode, Dart and Robert discuss: - How Robert became #2 CEO on Glassdoor - Growing people vs. growing a company - The 4 attributes of transformational work - How core values shape leadership styles - The true origin of company culture - Building agency and resilience within teams - Overcoming learned helplessness at work - And other topics…
Robert Glazer is the Founder and Chairman of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency that has consistently been recognized for its exceptional company culture and business performance. Under his leadership, the company earned accolades like Glassdoor's Employees’ Choice Award and was named a Best Place to Work by Inc. and Fortune. Robert was also named Glassdoor’s #2 Top CEO for small and medium companies in the U.S.
A passionate advocate for personal and professional growth, Robert is the bestselling author of five books, including Elevate and Friday Forward. He is also a sought-after speaker and host of The Elevate Podcast, sharing insights on leadership, business, and building capacity. Through his writing and work, Robert inspires individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.
Work with Dart: Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.
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