THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY 3 FAVORITE MISTAKES

Leadercast Live is the world’s largest one-day leadership event, with more than 100,000 attendees at 500+ locations across 20 different countries around the world. This simulcast event is targeted at those who desire to learn and grow in their leadership aptitudes.

I am posting my notes from last month’s Leadercast event I attended with thousands of others in the Atlanta, GA area. Today’s post is my notes from Suzy Welch’s talk.

When Suzy first started in a leadership/management role she thought being a leader meant being the boss, issuing edicts from on high. She eventually learned that being a leader meant lifting people up. You succeed as a leader in basking in the glory of your people when they succeed. When you become a leader, the Me Show is over. And it becomes the Us Show. Us always feels better than Me.

Suzy’s 3 Favorite Mistakes:

She did get a second chance and was able to keep her job. She said this was a humiliating mistake.
First rule she broke was she thought she was a Boss, not a leader.
She didn’t realize she needed to lift all my team up, not just the top performers
I had to learn that it’s not about me.
It’s better to right than smart.
It’s good to be both.
It is better to be right than to be smart. To get things done you need to be right. Your people would rather have you be right than be smart.
You need intellectual humility.
Being right and smart are such different things
Wrap brain up in blanket in humility, makes your brain bigger not smaller

Mistake #2: Was too busy writing book and missed her daughter’s swim meet and emotionally made quick decision to quit book writing deal.

Lesson #2: Decision Making

Jack used her 10-10-10 decision-making process on her to evaluate her decision on quitting the book writing deal.
When she went through the process she realized she made an emotionally charged decision and made the wrong decision.
She called everybody up and apologized
Went back to writing the book.
I’m a wildly risk-averse person. I once said, “Why would I want to go into TV when I have a nice secure job in newspaper?”
Even decision-making experts need to stay diligent.
You’re only as expert as long as your last decision. So make that decision on based on values.
On big decisions don’t wing it
Gut is pattern recognition
Your decisions are better when you use both

Mistake #3: She got fired from Harvard Business Review 15 years later for a very public affair with Jack Welch.

Lesson #3: Authenticity

While running the Harvard Review she went to interview with Jack Welch. She fell in love with him and ran off with him while he was still separated from his previous wife. This became very public news all over NY Times and other media. It became a national fire storm.

At the time she was a 39-year-old mother of 4 working 60 hours a week. When she was brought in to be fired she was told that “You are a disgrace, you will never work again, you are fired.” At this point she was afraid, sobbing and she believed her career and life as she knew it was over. She felt she gave up her career for Jack, but it was not true.

She was scared of being real for the world to see the real me. During this time she learned that there is no such thing as a happy phony life. If you’re going to be happy you have to be real. Learn to Love your mistakes too. Just don’t miss out on the lessons of them.

You have to be living your dreams, values and joys. Go chase the real thing. Don’t be afraid, just be ready for the great life that is awaiting you.

The only option for joy is authenticity!

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