Andy Stanley: Chick-fil-A Leadercast 2013
Best-selling leadership author & communicator
Here are my summary notes from Andy Stanley’s talk at today’s Chick-fil-A Leadercast where over 120,000 people attended world-wide today to learn and grow together as leaders.
Simply Lead
As a leader I have to come to the point where I realize I am never the smartest person in the room!
1. As a leader you must work to take complicated things and make them simple.
- One thing that I have learned is that dumb people try things, the B & C students are more willing to fail.
- B or C people surround themselves with people who are smarter than themselves
Jim Collins recently stated that Level 5 leaders have the humility to aspire to be the dumbest people in the room
- Making leadership simple must be a priority for every leader.
- If you are in a growing organization you will find yourself in a state of growing complexity.
- You must realize that wherever there is growth there is complexity.
- If you are a part of a family that grows over time you have noticed that the complexity grows with the addition of each new family members. When your family grows it gets more complex. Just imagine the complexity that parents with 6 kids experience. Just imagine the complexity getting shoes on all those kids.
2. Complexity is the enemy of ____________?
- Complexity is the enemy of everything! You can put anything in the blank.
Complexity is the enemy of clarity
- Complexity Destroys clarity
- In Marcus Buckingham’s book, The One Thing You Need To Know, he makes the argument that clarity is most important thing in business today.
- When complexity grows, clarity erodes. Complexity erodes your ability to move ball down the field.
- Not matter how smart you are you need a way to keep things simple for you and your organization.
- This is north star to keep the leader oriented and focused on the right things.
3 Things to Make & Keep Things Simple
Ask these 3 Questions:
1. What are we doing?
2. Why are we doing it?
3. Where do I fit in?
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