• Home
  • Episodes
  • Books for Leaders
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • Our Sponsors
  • Blog
  • Urban Team Challenge
  • Sign Up for our Newsletter
The Leadership Podcast

The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

December 9, 2020

TLP232: Fall In Love With The Problem

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/theleadershippodcast/TLP_232.mp3
Play in New Window Download

Chris McChesney is a Wall Street Journal #1 National Best-Selling Author – The 4 Disciplines of Execution. In his current role of Global Practice Leader of Execution for FranklinCovey, Chris is one of the primary developers of The 4 Disciplines of Execution. Chris shares his thoughts on what it takes to focus, why you shouldn’t wait to innovate, and how to effectively lead in the midst of ambiguity.

Key Takeaways

[3:25] Chris discusses whether focus is the key to execution or if there are other factors at play here.

[4:35] “Be very deliberate about what is the area of focus and everything else the organization needs to sustain.”

[8:00] The four disciplines of execution are:

  1. Get clear on the critical target.
  2. Leverage your metrics on a team level.
  3. Boost employee engagement by showing them the score.
  4. Hold people accountable.

[14:20] When it comes to defining your target, there needs to be a combination of what’s most important and what’s most at risk.

[16:25] If you want innovation, then you have to allow people to experiment, which means taking on a certain amount of team failure.

[17:45] It can be so easy to lose focus when you’re trying to experiment on the latest flavor of the month. 

[22:25] People aren’t afraid of change. They’re afraid of ambiguity. In every major disaster, there is a spike in divorce rates as well as marriage rates, because people don’t like being in limbo. They need certainty.

[24:15] Because of the circumstance we’re in, every industry is being forced to change and switch things up. People are tapped out and being drained from all sides.

[29:05] When the status quo is good, it can be hard to push yourself out of your comfort zone to innovate. It comes down to having a weekly discipline.

[33:55] Emotion alone will not sustain you in achieving those non-urgent tasks.

[37:55] Chris shares the story of his creative and slightly sneaky way of getting to work alongside Stephen Covey when he was a recent college grad.

[42:15] Listener challenge: Do the people who work for you feel like they can win?

The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by:

Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action.
Click to get the The Importance of Journaling
We help YOU enjoy the success we’ve already enjoyed.
Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Quotable Quotes

“It’s better to fall in love with the problem than to fall in love with the solution.” Click To Tweet “The best strategies, the most vital strategies, don’t stand up to the day-to-day urgency of maintaining the operation.” Click To Tweet “You can chase your tail all day long on what’s most important. Everyone’s got a good argument for that.” Click To Tweet “If you’re going to have a breakthrough, it’s going to require innovation. And innovation requires trial and error.” Click To Tweet “People don’t fear change. They will initiate change all the time. They fear uncertainty — there’s a difference — and uncertainty is really akin to ambiguity.” Click To Tweet “When you need a hero, it means something went really wrong.” Click To Tweet “The accountability that we’re talking about is the kind of accountability that happens after the expectations have been set.“ Click To Tweet “Energy against non-urgent priorities really does require a system because emotion alone, it’ll last a couple of weeks and it wears out.“ Click To Tweet

Resources Mentioned

  • Website: Chrismcchesney4dx.com
  • Franklincovey.com
  • Chris on LinkedIn
  • Chris on Twitter
Chris McChesney

These are the books mentioned in our discussion with Chris

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals

Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals
Buy now!
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals

Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing

Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing
Buy now!
Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Buy now!
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

The Leadership Podcast is proud to announce a new initiative with thoughtLEADERS to provide very short podcasts called “chalk talks.” They’re “bitesize” hacks on common (but challenging) leadership issues. Interested in learning more? 

You can only access the Chalk Talks by subscribing to our newsletter at The Leadership Podcast. 

Beyond the Uniform offers over 300 free episodes to help military Veterans succeed in their civilian career. This includes overviews of potential career paths, deep dives on necessary skills to succeed, and reviews of other free services that support the military Veteran community. You can find more info at BeyondTheUniform.org.

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: accountability, engagement, execution, focus, innovation, leadership, problems, teamwork

TLP231: Permission to Screw Up
TLP233: Relax the Rules

Related Posts

  • TLP048: Trust and the Tribal Origins of Leadership
  • TLP090: Divergent Thinking for Growth
  • TLP070: Transformational Leadership Is Contingent on Trust
  • TLP194: Dan Pink (Part III/III): To Be Great, You Have to Be Good
  • TLP224: Respect Trumps Harmony

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

iTunes
Stitcher
SoundCloud
iHeartRADIO
Spotify
Radio Public

Instagram Feed

westudyleaders

#leadership #leadershiptraining #leader #westudyleaders

The Leadership Podcast
"Train in Advance or the Train Does Not Advance" # "Train in Advance or the Train Does Not Advance" #training #delegation #leadership #invest-in-people #strategy
Leaders are Readers http://bit.ly/2Tp2W9J @davidno Leaders are Readers http://bit.ly/2Tp2W9J @davidnour @david.nour
Been thinking a lot about this one lately... and n Been thinking a lot about this one lately... and not just about leadership development. Progress usually doesn't feel good. #leadership #authenticity #results http://bit.ly/2EJuAf8
We had a great time at the LEDx conference this pa We had a great time at the LEDx conference this past week! #LEDxAU #AULeadership
"Curiosity has a difficult time coexisting with ju "Curiosity has a difficult time coexisting with judgment" - Jim Vaselopulos #Curiosity #leadership #culture http://bit.ly/TLPwww
TLP213: How to Combat Leadership Bullies ⠀ Our l TLP213: How to Combat Leadership Bullies ⠀
Our latest episode with Chris Kolenda  https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp213-how-to-combat-leadership-bullies/⠀
#leadership #podcast
"Nothing makes people feel more valued than being "Nothing makes people feel more valued than being listened to." - Jim Vaselopulos #Values #leadership #listening #BePresent #inthemoment #caring http://bit.ly/2OcG9wq
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunit "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.  The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill #leadership
Hold your ideas lightly #leadership Hold your ideas lightly #leadership
TLP225: The Democratization of Innovation ⠀ Our TLP225: The Democratization of Innovation ⠀
Our latest episode with Jeff DeGraff  http://bit.ly/TLP-225 ⠀
#leadership #innovation #creativity #conflict
A person who is never weak has never challenged th A person who is never weak has never challenged their limits #leadership
https://hbr.org/2016/03/the-most-important-leaders https://hbr.org/2016/03/the-most-important-leadership-competencies-according-to-leaders-around-the-world
"For whose good do you serve?" - Bud Ahern http:// "For whose good do you serve?" - Bud Ahern http://bit.ly/2OcG9wq #leadership #grace #class #reflection #legacy #authenticity #service
"Leaders Don't Judge... They Nudge." - Jim Vaselop "Leaders Don't Judge... They Nudge." - Jim Vaselopulos http://bit.ly/TLPwww #leadership #influence #coaching
Nobody wants to be fixed... but everyone wants to Nobody wants to be fixed... but everyone wants to be better #leadership
TLP232: Fall In Love With The Problem ⠀ Our late TLP232: Fall In Love With The Problem ⠀
Our latest episode with Chris McChesney  https://bit.ly/TLP-232 ⠀
#leadership #innovation #problemsolving #progress
“Convey your credibility through the questions y “Convey your credibility through the questions you ask, not the solutions you provide.” http://bit.ly/2Tp2W9J @davidnour @david.nour
Leaders Don't React... They Respond http://bit.ly/ Leaders Don't React... They Respond http://bit.ly/TLPwww #react #respond #Resilient #leadership
A team cannot be built, "we" cannot exist, and rel A team cannot be built, "we" cannot exist, and relationships cannot flourish if outcomes are not balanced respectfully. - Jim Vaselopulos http://bit.ly/TLPwww #leadership #relationships #Balance @westudyleaders
TLP209: The Art of Possible - Stepping Out of the TLP209: The Art of Possible - Stepping Out of the Present to See the Future ⠀
Our latest episode with Mark Johnson  https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp209-the-art-of-possible-stepping-out-of-the-present-to-see-the-future/⠀
#leadership #podcast
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

  • TLP237: Multi-Generational Leadership
  • TLP236: On Latinx Leadership
  • TLP235: Why Learning At Work Matters
  • TLP234: Impossible Is Just An Opinion
  • TLP233: Relax the Rules

Recent Comments

  • Anonymous on TLP175: Leadership at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works
  • Anonymous on TLP175: Leadership at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works
  • Anonymous on TLP207: Finding Common Ground
  • Anonymous on TLP047: Insights on How Individual Self-Awareness Affects Team Performance
  • Anonymous on TLP047: Insights on How Individual Self-Awareness Affects Team Performance

Tags

assumptions athletics business change coaching comedy corporate crucible culture Curiosity dan-pink education entrepreneur financial fitness healthcare hiring history holiday humor interview Jim & Jan journalism leader leadership learning Mastermind mentoring military neuroscience Patagonia philosophy podcaster practitioner productivity sales science speaker sports stories team development teamwork thought leader time veterans

Copyright © 2021 Rafti Advisors, LLC & Self-Reliant Leadership, LLC - All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy