203: Todd Rovak - Emotional Intelligence, Trust, Authenticity, Hiring The Right People

Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence:

• They know why they’re there
• “They always have their eye on the why”
• “They think about success often”
• They understand their strengths and weaknesses
• “Surround yourself with people who compliment your strengths/weaknesses”

• How did Todd make a quick ascent to CEO?
  • There must be an opportunity and then you “must go like hell when that happens”
  • “I love the outcome, I love the impact we have”
  • “When coming up through the company, I always kept an eye on the overall strategy”
  • “Don’t focus on getting credit for the project.”
  • “Make sure your personal goals and company goals are aligned.”
• How he does two separate CEO roles? — “Must surround yourself with people you trust”
  • “A strong WE”
• Calendar/Time Management
  • All meetings are 15 minutes in length — This forces people to get to the point immediately
  • Week unfolds:
    • Front load all staff meetings by 1:00 Monday. Must be done by Monday afternoon — “What are the goals for the week?”
    • Having a chief of staff is important
    • Todd is an introvert and does not do back to back meetings all day.  Needs 30 minutes breaks every 3 meetings to think
    • “You said an important word… And that word is THINK”
• “As a manager you are responsible for the success of people.” — Management means you have a responsibility for them
  • Must give feedback.  Feedback is a gift.  It’s generous to give feedback.
• “There’s nothing easier than sharing credit.”
• “Management is around understanding the differences in people, and getting the best out of them”
• “Leadership is about painting a vision”
  • Lead with trust
  • Todd’s story of his first client engagement – FAILED… How his boss responded with trust was powerful — “I trust you”
• When managing through a crisis… BE:
  • Clear
  • Calm
  • Credible
• How sketch comedy can help you be a better leader
  • Bring your whole self to your job
  • Build emotional intelligence
• Paying employees to take a class that has nothing to do with work (Learn a second language, guitar lessons, etc)
• Hiring process:
  • “What are the first 5 things you read everyday?” — “Okay, now tell me the real answer. I want to learn about you, not what you think I want to hear”
    • “I want to hear them defend or support an argument.  It doesn’t matter what it’s about
• Books to read: The Enders Game — Incredible story about getting the best out of people and creating teams
• To be a Learning Leader? — “A process of building.  It’s a thing you do.”
  • “Time is a really expensive leader.” “Must always evolve and pick up lessons”