Lessons in Leadership

Steve Adubato

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780813580555
• eBook ISBN: 9780813580562
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Management
• Index: Business

In this practical guide, Emmy Award-winning public broadcasting anchor Steve Adubato teaches readers to be self-aware, empathetic, and more effective leaders at work and at home. His powerful case studies spotlighting dozens of leaders—from Pope Francis to New Jersey governor Chris Christie—are complemented by concrete tips and tools based in real-life scenarios. With Lessons in Leadership, readers can learn to steer others through difficult economic times, to mentor rising leaders, to provide straight talk to underperforming employees, and even how to lead a company through a significant change. 

1

Leadership Lessons from Leaders of All Stripes

Writing this book over the past year has been a fascinating experience: it’s not only challenged me to think about how I view leadership—not just in theory but in practice—but it’s also given me the unique opportunity to ask hundreds of other leaders how they view leadership. Because one thing I’ve learned is that you can always learn something new about how to lead from someone else by keeping your ears and your mind open. In that spirit, I decided to take advantage of my position as an anchor and interviewer in public broadcasting who interacts with leaders of all stripes to ask two critical questions that have been instrumental in the chapter you are about to read.

The first question I asked was “What is the number-one leadership lesson you’ve learned?” The second asked these leaders to explore the number-one leadership challenge they have faced. I have been amazed at the range of responses. Keep in mind that none of these leaders were told beforehand that the questions were coming. None were prepped. I asked the questions on the spot, out of the blue and virtually every leader, without hesitation, provided a valuable answer. This chapter takes the most compelling lessons from those interviews and shares powerful insights that I’m confident will be of great value to you and your work as a leader, regardless of the field you are in.

“Never take anything for granted. Sometimes you rise up in an organization and you do not realize the impact that you can have on people. Make sure that every single day you’re giving quality time to those people and that you’re listening to them. Leaders must mentor the next generation because they are our future.”

Frank P. Longobardi, CEO, CohnReznick, LLP

“Empowering others is a way to expand your power. Surround yourself with competent, trustworthy, and committed people, and let them do their jobs.”

Edward Richardson, executive director, New Jersey Education Association

“Listen to as many people within the organization as you can. Don’t let your confidence in your own judgment and decision making overtake the value of the information you can get from the people who are working with you. The ‘rank and file’ have great ideas, and if you don’t listen, you shortcut the advantages that you would ordinarily get as a leader.”

Barry H. Ostrowsky, president and CEO, RWJBarnabas Health

“Humility. You’re only as good as the people around you. No one leader can do it all on their own, and in order to keep people engaged you can’t be autocratic, you can’t be dictatorial, you can’t know it all. So, therefore, you also better listen.”

Joel Bloom, EdD, president, New Jersey Institute of Technology

“If you have a sound strategy, if you believe in your strategy and your vision, stick with it. Persistence is key. Don’t get sidetracked if at first it’s not successful.”

Robert C. Garrett, president and CEO, Hackensack University Health Network

“Relentless follow-up is the most effective leadership best practice I have observed. Successful leaders never cease to push, cajole, encourage, and inspire. Persistence and perseverance are essential to a successful ultimate outcome.”

Patrick C. Dunican Jr., chairman and managing director, Gibbons PC

“Leadership is about integrity, being true to who you are, and believing in your people, your staff, and your company. I’ve also learned that it’s really about controlling one’s ego. It’s about humility and understanding that we’re all people and we all have the same basic human needs.”

Robert A. Marino, chairman, president, and CEO, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

“Never ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. . . . The key is to lead by example and remember the golden rule—treat other people the way you would want to be treated—because great generals lead from the front, never from the back.”

Gerald H. Lipkin, chairman, president, and CEO, Valley National Bank

“Listen. You can’t be a good giver if you don’t listen with an open heart and try to understand the needs of others. That kind of deep empathy only comes from listening.”

Angelica Berrie, president, The Russell Berrie Foundation

“Leadership is tough—the issues are harder than ever. It’s about getting in front and in many cases going against the tide. As a leader, you must know the terrain, where you are going, and how you are going to take your people there.”

Maria Bartiromo, anchor and global markets editor, Fox Business Network

“I’ve learned to keep compassion as an element of my decision-making process. In today’s hyper-capitalistic world, we cannot forget that business decisions often impact human beings and their families. Using your conscience as a barometer does not have to be in opposition with creating value for investors. It is a matter of commitment to character.”

Joseph Berardo Jr., chairman, MagnaCare

“Stay true to your principles, and help those behind you as others helped you get where you are. I’ve been the beneficiary of many mentors, and I’ve also had the privilege of helping many others. There’s nothing better than helping others succeed.”

Bruce I. Goldstein, Esq., chair, board of trustees, NJ Sharing Network

“There are three things I try to live by. One, make sure that you learn from the lessons you’ve had in the past. Two, you’re not going to remember everything you’ve learned in a book, so learn from the street as well. And three, stop every once in a while and celebrate, because too often leaders are yelling and screaming about making a change but they don’t celebrate the successes.”

Ralph LaRossa, president and COO, PSE&G

“It’s okay to admit when you are wrong or fail; the important part is how you pick yourself up and adjust so that it doesn’t happen again. Also, you can’t fix things that you don’t know are broken. Encourage your team to bring you problems, but they should always come with suggested solutions.”

D. Nicholas Miceli, market president, TD Bank

“Create a culture where everyone feels like they’re part of what happens. That they own a piece of the success of the organization and that they’ll be celebrated for that.”

Patricia A. Costante, chairman and CEO, MDAdvantage Insurance Company of New Jersey

“Listen. The ability to hear and listen emphatically to what people are really saying is critical. When you listen to what’s going on, you can really get to someone’s heart and truly understand what’s important to them.”

Michael J. Smith, president, Berkeley College

“I learned over time to try not to just focus on problem-solving related to poor performance or results. You need to also focus on times when the results are spectacular and study how the organization achieved the high performance. Then, those learnings can be used to hard-wire the competencies for even greater results and apply them to the problem areas—along with recognizing those responsible and celebrating.”

Kevin J. Slavin, president and CEO, St. Joseph’s Healthcare System

“Don’t overreact to initial reports or information. Verify the facts with trusted resources and then put together your plan of attack.”

Annette Catino, CEO, QualCare Alliance Networks, Inc.

“Leadership is all about people. Surround yourself with the most competent and talented individuals. It is easily said, but hard to do.”

John K. Lloyd, FACHE, president and CEO, Meridian Health

“The foundation of a good leader is to be human first and to be a manager second. If you treat the decisions you make as a manager from a human perspective first, it will have a long-term impact on the culture of the organization and the people you are serving.”

Rodger L. DeRose, president and CEO, Kessler Foundation

“Invest in your people. Make sure that you’re training them, that you have employees who are motivated and eager to do the job for your customers.”

Ralph Izzo, chairman of the board, president, and CEO, PSEG

“Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Also, when in a position of power, use that power appropriately and help the people who don’t have a voice.”

Becky Quick, co-anchor, Squawk Box, CNBC

“Life is precious and life is short. You have to be an active participant. You need to be engaged, and those of us who have the ability also have a responsibility to take care of and look out for those who are less fortunate.”

Michael Maron, president and CEO, Holy Name Medical Center

“A leader has to be there 24/7. It’s about the mentality of always being with your people all the time, being present, being positive, and being proactive.”

Jack Mitchell, author, Hug Your Customers and Hug Your People; chairman, Mitchell Stores

“Encourage an environment where credit is shared but responsibility is accepted. Do not let team members compete, via either a lack of identifying the contributions of other team members or the placing of blame for mistake. Discourage the use of the pronoun ‘I’ to engender a greater sense of team collaboration among staff.”

Michellene Davis, Esq., executive vice president and chief corporate affairs officer, RWJBarnabas Health

“Surround yourself with good people. Listen to them and let them make decisions—don’t make decisions for them. It’s important to find the right people who have the subject-matter expertise and really rely on them.”

Robert H. Doherty, New Jersey state president, Bank of America

“You have to be true to yourself, your values, and principles. Everybody—companies, individuals, leaders, and families—faces challenges. Being true to yourself, your values, and principles enables you to weather the storm and figure out the path forward to deal with the challenges and the extraordinary opportunities in front of you.”

Leecia Eve, vice president state government affairs, NJ, NY, and CT Region, Verizon Communications

“Listen more than you speak. You can learn a lot by listening. You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room, and you don’t need to provide color commentary on everything.”

Warren Geller, president and CEO, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

“Leadership and innovation are synonymous. Leaders have to be on the edge of innovation and be thinking about changing their own model—building that better mousetrap, constantly. The status quo is not good enough in today’s business environment.”

Dennis Wilson, president and CEO, Delta Dental of New Jersey

“You can ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Leadership Lessons from Leaders of All Stripes
• 2. Great Leaders Sometimes “Piss People Off”
• 3. You Can’t Lead Others Until You Learn to Lead Yourself
• 4. In Leadership (and in Life), Attitude Is Everything
• 5. It’s About Them: The Power of Empathy
• 6. Oh No, Not Another Meeting!
• 7. Listen, Really Listen!
• 8. Great Leaders Ask Great Questions
• 9. Great Leaders Build Future Leaders
• 10. Receiving Feedback: Can You Handle the Truth?
• 11. Leadership Is Very Personal
• 12. It’s a Matter of Trust
• 13. Pumping Up Your People
• 14. Getting the Wrong People Off the Bus
• 15. Change Is the Only Constant
• 16. Big Shoes to Fill: Effective Succession Planning
• 17. Leading Successful Integration
• 18. Think You Know It All? Think Again
• 19. Step Up and Take Responsibility, and Never Abandon the Ship
• 20. Leadership Lessons from JFK
• 21. Leadership and The Godfather: A Lesson You Can’t Refuse
• 22. Leadership Lessons from Lincoln
• 23. Obama as a Leader: You’ve Gotta Be More Engaged
• 24. Great Leaders Deliver Powerful Presentations
• 25. Inspirational Speeches That Made a Difference
• Notes