Leading When You Don't Know Everything
April 10, 2015
Hosted by Wanda Wallace
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Do think leaders need to know at least as much as their direct reports? Or do you doubt how leaders can make critical decisions without full information. Then this week’s show is for you. John Murphey, former CEO of Bell Helicopter and my guest for this week, has been in the leadership seat under trying circumstances. When he took over as CEO, the company was loosing money, customers were very unhappy, he had major surgery and 9/11 happened – all in the space of about 30 days. How do you lead with confidence and integrity under those conditions when you are not in your comfort zone? We will talk about how John led when he didn’t have all the answers, what he said to the organization, how he gained credibility, how he built his team and how he made decisions.
Out of the Comfort Zone
Friday at 11 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Business Channel
There is no growth in comfort and no comfort in growth. Business today typically values and promotes leaders for their subject expertise. Leaders who have command of the details and execute based on knowledge and experience are highly respected. However, to grow as a leader you have to get out of your comfort zone – that means learning to lead without just being the expert. Learn to gain the trust and respect of a team that might know more than you do. Get comfortable with ambiguity and with not having all the information. Develop the skills and confidence to lead in a different way.
For female leaders, subject expertise is usually the source of their confidence. Learning to lead outside your comfort zone is one step for breaking through the glass ceiling.
The show’s purpose is to give you tips on how can you develop the capability to lead – to get out of your comfort zone?
Wanda Wallace
Dr. Wanda Wallace is President and CEO of Leadership Forum. LF helps organizations improve the quality of their conversations to enable them to get what they want and keep it, from leadership and talent to strategic thinking, enabling leaders to deliver better results through better thinking, execution, leadership, teams and diversity.
In her coaching, writing and public speaking, she emphasizes the challenges of building and sustaining effective relationships at all levels in the global corporate context.
Wanda is passionate about helping women get the roles they want, stick with the organization and thrive, as well as engaging managers in the diversity agenda. Broadening the message from that work, Wanda also focuses on the trap for men and women who are expert executors in her latest book “You Can’t Know it All”.
Dr. Wallace has forged close relationships with a number of blue-chip clients. As a consultant and educator who is equally at ease in the distinct worlds of business and education, she has designed a number of highly rated programs that have been enthusiastically received around the world.
She is the author of “You Can’t Know it All: Leading in the age of deep expertise” about navigating the path from an expert leader to a spanning leader. Wanda has also written “Reaching the Top, Factors that Impact the Careers and Retention of Senior Women Leaders” along with two co-authored publications with Corporate Research Forum entitled “Diversity and Business Performance” (2011) and “Developing and Broadening Specialists” (2012). Wanda is also a regular contributing author for Strategy & Business Magazine and Talent Quarterly.
In 2020 Wanda launched a brand new multi-tier subscription membership package to provide practical ways to implement the material learnt in her podcasts to enhance people’s careers. The Membership package delivers diverse special guest appearances and downloadable resources.
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