20 Qualities of Great Executives

Summary

This video script emphasizes the pivotal role of effective executives in driving company success. It outlines 20 rules for executives to excel, including reliability, self-duplication, coaching, swift decision-making, and strong people skills. The speaker highlights the importance of being proactive, data-driven, and continuously learning. The script also underscores the need for executives to balance urgency with patience, delegate effectively, and maintain a sense of fun and hope in high-pressure environments. The video aims to inspire current and aspiring executives to enhance their leadership and contribute significantly to their organizations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Effective executives prioritize results over popularity and are accountable rather than seeking to be liked by everyone.
• 🎯 The ability to duplicate oneself is crucial for great executives; they should be able to develop their team members to improve and grow.
• 🏅 Great executives act as coaches, pushing their team members to excel while maintaining a likable demeanor.
• 🔍 They are skilled at making swift decisions, including the termination of underperforming team members, to maintain team morale and productivity.
• 💬 Effective communication is key; great executives can have tough conversations without damaging relationships.
• 🧠 They are proactive, anticipating challenges and opportunities, rather than just reacting to situations as they arise.
• 📊 Data-driven decision making is a hallmark of great executives, who use empirical evidence to guide their choices and eliminate emotional biases.
• 💼 Investing in team members' growth is essential; great executives seek to develop the skills of their team to improve overall performance.
• 🔗 Understanding how to communicate effectively with different stakeholders at all levels is a strength of successful executives.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The best executives are not afraid to make tough decisions and hold themselves and their team accountable for results.

Q & A

What are the five temptations of a CEO mentioned in Patrick Lencioni's book?

Patrick Lencioni's book mentions that most CEOs choose status over results, popularity over accountability, certainty over clarity, harmony over conflict, and invulnerability over trust.

What are the 20 rules of being an effective executive?

The script does not explicitly list all 20 rules but mentions several key traits such as reliability, self-duplication, being a great coach, making swift decisions on team fit, having great people skills, being proactive, relying on data, investing in team members, effective communication, and being indispensable.

How does reliability manifest in an executive's work according to the transcript?

A reliable executive is someone whose peers and team members trust to consistently deliver on their promises and complete tasks on time, without causing additional work for others.

What does it mean to duplicate oneself as an executive?

Duplicating oneself means that an executive not only performs well but also helps others around them improve and become more effective, essentially creating more great executives.

Why are great coaches important for executives?

Great coaches are important because they challenge and push team members to improve, creating an environment where people are motivated to excel and perform at their best.

How can executives demonstrate effective decision-making regarding team fit?

Executives can demonstrate effective decision-making by swiftly determining if a new team member is a cultural fit and making decisions that are in the best interest of the company's culture and productivity.

What does it mean to have great people skills as an executive?

Having great people skills means being able to have difficult conversations, provide constructive feedback, and manage conflicts in a way that maintains respect and positive relationships.

Why is being proactive important for executives?

Being proactive is important for executives because it allows them to anticipate future challenges and opportunities, plan ahead, and take initiative to ensure the success of the company.

How can executives use data to eliminate emotional decisions?

Executives can use data to eliminate emotional decisions by relying on facts and historical performance metrics to guide their choices, ensuring that decisions are made objectively and in the best interest of the company.

What is the importance of investing in team members' growth?

Investing in team members' growth is important because it shows commitment to their development, helps retain top talent, and ensures the company has a strong pipeline of skilled leaders for the future.

How should executives communicate effectively with different stakeholders?

Executives should communicate effectively by understanding and adapting to the preferences and styles of different stakeholders, ensuring clear and consistent messaging that respects cultural and individual differences.

Why is it beneficial for executives to have urgency combined with patience?

Having urgency combined with patience allows executives to drive results quickly while also understanding that long-term goals and team development require a more patient approach, balancing the need for immediate action with the understanding that some things take time to mature.

How can executives ensure they are not indispensable?

Executives can ensure they are not indispensable by developing their team members' skills, empowering them to take on more responsibilities, and creating a culture where others are capable of stepping into leadership roles.

What does it mean for an executive to execute?

For an executive to execute means to follow through on commitments, deliver on promises, and ensure that tasks and projects are completed effectively and on time.

Why is being part of the 'one club' important for executives?

Being part of the 'one club' means that an executive can be trusted to complete tasks upon the first request, which is important for maintaining efficiency, trust, and demonstrating leadership.

How can executives balance the pressure of work with having fun?

Executives can balance work pressure with having fun by creating a work environment that encourages team bonding, recognizes hard work, and allows for moments of relaxation and enjoyment, which can enhance productivity and morale.

Why is it important for executives to have coaches themselves?

It's important for executives to have coaches because it provides them with an external perspective, continuous learning opportunities, and a safe space to discuss challenges and growth strategies, ultimately benefiting their leadership and the company.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Qualities of Effective Executives

The paragraph introduces the concept of effective executive leadership using Patrick Lencioni's book 'The Five Temptations of a CEO' as a reference point. It discusses the common pitfalls that CEOs often fall into, such as prioritizing status over results and popularity over accountability. The speaker then transitions into sharing 20 rules for being an effective executive, emphasizing the importance of reliability, self-duplication, coaching, and the ability to make swift decisions regarding team fit. The summary also touches on the idea that great executives are those who can improve those around them, fostering an environment where people can grow and excel.

05:02

💼 Swift Action and People Skills in Leadership

This section of the script highlights the significance of making prompt decisions, especially when it comes to team fit and underperformance. It references a statistic from Cornerstone that underscores the positive impact of swiftly addressing underperformance on team morale and productivity. The paragraph also emphasizes the necessity of strong people skills for executives, who must be able to engage in difficult conversations without damaging relationships. The ability to balance harmony and conflict, as well as to continuously learn and grow, is also discussed as a hallmark of effective executives.

10:03

📈 Data-Driven Decision Making and Investing in People

The focus of this paragraph is on data-driven decision making as a key aspect of executive leadership. It discusses how great executives use data to eliminate emotional decisions and base their choices on quantifiable results. The speaker also talks about the importance of investing in team members, suggesting that executives should be willing to provide resources and opportunities for growth to enhance their team's capabilities. The idea of being proactive rather than reactive in business strategy is introduced, with an emphasis on planning for future events and potential challenges.

15:04

🗣️ Communication and the Art of Empowerment

This segment delves into the importance of communication in executive roles, stressing the need for executives to understand and adapt to different communication styles across various stakeholders. It also touches on the concept of indispensability, suggesting that great executives work towards making themselves replaceable by developing others within the team. The idea of balancing urgency with patience is introduced, highlighting the need for executives to drive results while also allowing for the development of long-term strategies and team growth.

20:09

🤝 The Power of Strategic Questioning and Negotiation

The final paragraph emphasizes the value of strategic questioning and negotiation skills in executive leadership. It discusses how asking the right questions can lead to increased innovation within a team and how effective negotiation can result in significant cost savings for the company. The speaker also stresses the importance of execution, asserting that a true executive must be able to deliver on their promises. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content, seek further advice, and strive for continuous improvement in their executive roles.

Keywords

💡Executive

An executive refers to a high-level manager or leader within an organization who is responsible for making strategic decisions, overseeing operations, and guiding the direction of the company. In the context of the video, the term is central to the discussion on effective leadership and management practices. The script mentions the qualities and behaviors that distinguish great executives, such as reliability, the ability to duplicate success in others, and being proactive.

💡Reliability

Reliability in this context means being dependable and trustworthy, ensuring that tasks are completed as promised. The video emphasizes that a reliable executive is one who consistently delivers on their commitments, which builds trust among peers, subordinates, and superiors. It is highlighted as the number one quality of future CEOs and a cornerstone of effective executive behavior.

💡Duplication

Duplication in the video refers to an executive's ability to mentor and develop their team members to the point where they can effectively take on similar responsibilities and achieve the same level of success. It is mentioned as a sign of a great executive who can enhance the performance of those they lead, thereby 'duplicating' their own effectiveness in others.

💡Coaching

Coaching, as discussed in the video, is the act of guiding, training, and developing individuals to help them improve their skills and performance. Great executives are portrayed as great coaches who challenge and push their team members to excel, creating an environment where people are motivated to perform at their best.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the expectation that individuals are responsible for their actions and will accept the consequences. The video discusses how great executives hold themselves and their team members accountable for meeting deadlines and achieving results, which is crucial for maintaining high performance standards.

💡Proactivity

Proactivity in the video is defined as the ability to anticipate future challenges and opportunities and to take initiative in addressing them. It is contrasted with reactivity, and the script suggests that proactive executives are more likely to achieve successful outcomes because they are prepared and can act in advance of potential issues.

💡Data-driven Decision Making

Data-driven decision making is the process of using relevant data and statistical analysis to support the decision-making process. The video script mentions that great executives rely on data to eliminate emotional decisions, ensuring that choices are made based on evidence and analysis rather than personal bias or opinion.

💡Indispensability

Indispensability in the video refers to the idea of being essential or irreplaceable in one's role. However, the script argues that great executives aim to develop others to the point where they are not indispensable, as this fosters team empowerment and prepares the executive for advancement within the organization.

💡Urgency and Patience

The video discusses the balance between urgency and patience as a key trait of effective executives. Urgency is the need to act quickly and decisively, while patience is the ability to tolerate delay or wait without becoming annoyed or anxious. The script suggests that great executives can maintain a sense of urgency for immediate tasks while also being patient for long-term goals and developments.

💡Strategic Questioning

Strategic questioning is the act of asking insightful and purposeful questions to gain a deeper understanding of a situation or to stimulate thought and innovation. The video highlights that executives who engage in strategic questioning can boost team innovation by encouraging critical thinking and exploring new perspectives.

💡Negotiation

Negotiation in the video refers to the process of discussion and bargaining between parties to reach an agreement. Great executives are depicted as skilled negotiators who can effectively represent the company's interests, secure favorable terms, and create value for the organization.

Highlights

Great executives can be life-changing to a company, akin to winning the lottery.

Patrick Lencioni's book 'Five Temptations of a CEO' outlines common pitfalls for CEOs.

Effective executives prioritize results over status, accountability over popularity, clarity over certainty, and trust over invulnerability.

The video discusses 20 rules for being an effective executive.

Reliability is the number one quality of future CEOs, extending to all levels of an organization.

Great executives duplicate themselves, improving those who work with them.

Effective coaching is a hallmark of great executives, pushing others to excel.

Swift termination of underperformers can positively impact team morale and productivity.

Having great people skills allows executives to conduct tough conversations without animosity.

Continuous learning and curiosity are essential for growth in executive roles.

Proactive executives are more likely to achieve successful outcomes.

Eliminating emotional decisions in favor of data-driven choices is a strategy used by top executives.

Investing in the development of team members is a practice of effective executives.

Great executives understand how to communicate effectively at all levels.

Indispensability can hinder team empowerment; great executives work towards replacing themselves.

Balancing urgency and patience is crucial for effective leadership.

Strategic questioning by executives can boost team innovation.

Negotiation skills are vital for executives, often leading to significant cost savings for the company.

Execution is key; great executives deliver on their promises.

Being part of the 'one club', where tasks need only be assigned once, is a valuable asset for executives.

Reasonableness in setting and adjusting expectations is an important executive trait.

Maintaining a fun work environment can help alleviate pressure and improve morale.

Providing hope and motivation helps executives lead teams through challenging times.

Even executives need coaches to continue improving their leadership skills.

Transcripts

one great executive could be

life-changing to company it's like

winning the lottery matter of fact few

years ago I read a book by Patrick

lenion phenomenal author wrote a book

titled five Temptations of a CEO he said

the following most CEOs Executives you

can replace it choose status over

results choose popularity over

accountability they're afraid to hold

people accountable so they just want to

be popular and liked by everybody number

three certainty over Clarity Harmony

over conflict again they want everybody

to get along they do not want conflict

and Pali invulnerability over trust so

today in this video I'm going to talk to

you about the 20 rules of being an

effective

executive if you value out of this video

give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the

channel let's get right into it I read a

book a few years ago talking about what

type of employee that gets started with

Fortune 500 companies that eventually

end up up being a CEO what those

employees that eventually mcos had in

common the number one quality of future

CEOs was they were reliable whether they

worked at the lowest position whether

they were working middle management or

director that were reliable reliable to

as an executive reliable as an executive

isn't just to your boss or CEO or the

board but it's to the people you work

with and to your peers if I'm in a room

okay when one thing breaks upstairs and

we're doing our quarterly H huddle this

last Monday and there's nine Executives

in a room one executive that's not

reliable bleeds their work into their

peers so the peers are like oh my God

again this guy breaks something I got to

do it now right but a reliable executive

they all look at him and say he's got

this I know for a fact he's got this if

you need anything let us know but I know

you got it the team knows it's going to

get done the boss the SE knows that's

going to get done and their peers knows

that's going to get done the number one

in my opinion is being reliable number

two don't know why a great executive you

know what they do they duplicate

themselves meaning whatever they do all

of a sudden you work with them for 3

months that person's disciplined they

get things done on time their deadlines

are on time their project management is

on time they show up on time their

attitude is good they look good they you

present themselves very well and so

there there's a concept of duplication

there's an element of people getting

better when they're managed and led by a

very effective executive if you look at

somebody and they'll get started with

you and you'll have a conversation with

them and say okay I'm curious you've

been here now for 2 years yes how many

people I've got better that work

directly to you what do you mean tell me

who works directly with you that you

coach that you took him from a six to a

7 and A2 tell me who you took from a 7

to an8 from a 5 to7 who if you can't

find people around them that is not an

effective executive that person could be

good for process that person could be

good for thinking that person could be

good for strategy but that person is not

good at duplicating themselves great

Executives somehow someway almost always

duplicate other people who who

eventually end up becoming great

Executives number three great executives

are great coaches somehow some way they

challenge you they push you they kick

your ass but they do it in a way that

you love him you like him you walk away

saying I don't know what it is about

this guy man he gets me going every time

but I freaking love working for this guy

there was a book written a few years ago

titled trillion dollar coach about a man

named Bill Campbell Silicon Valley when

this guy died at his funeral rumor has

the three founders of three trillion

doll companies trillion three companies

each were trillion dollar companies the

founder showed up at his funeral and

every time people talked about this guy

he's like man I'd be sitting next to him

he would tell me you're not doing enough

this what are you complaining about this

you chose to be a leader why do you

always make it you told me you wanted to

be like oh my God man this guy's always

challenging me no matter what he's

always kicking my ass to get better it's

like freaking amazing but come on man

but there's that element right you can

do more you can do a little bit more you

can do a little bit more you can do a

little bit more that tough yet likable

executive that's constantly challenged

you for whatever reason they get the

best out of their people number four

this is is not easy one to do but a lot

of great executives are good at this

it's very simple so let's just say you

the executive wants to hire new team

members a business analyst okay you

bring a you know a tech lead you bring a

person that's going to be a Android you

know iOS lead or whatever they're going

to be doing right but they have people

they're going to be reporting to or they

have people reporting to them and five

six seven people interview this person

great we think this is going to be we

did the test strength finder everything

good all right make him the offer he

starts in 2 weeks comes day one week and

a half goes by this guy's not going to

work out why not it's just not going to

work out why culturally this is not a

fit I'm telling you right now everybody

that's around them they they say his

anxiety level is at the highest level

everybody feels like they work for them

it's like so bossy and the culture and

the way they speak it's a little bit of

speaking down I didn't see this in the

interview process but this is not going

to work out we just have to make a

decision it's better better for a

different company not us and they'll sit

down and say sorry this is not going to

work out uh we wish you nothing about

the very best but this is not a fit

they're able to do that faster rather

than later and according to a firm

called Cornerstone they said 74% of

Executives agreed that Swift termination

of

underperformers positively impact team

morale and productivity these people can

go away maybe say bad things about the

company but the leader cannot walk on

exells knowing that person is not going

to be a good fit for the company they

make the decision and you have to

respect that for great Executives number

five great Executives have great people

skills and they know how to have the

tough conversations in a way where you

don't walk away hating the person you

have to have greater people skills those

who don't have great people skills

sometimes they rub people the wrong way

and they avoid conflicts they're like o

man I just know I'm going to say

something it's not going to work out I'm

not going to do it but like listen hey

Johnny Mary we got to have a

conversation what's that you've been

telling me for the last week you're

going to hit this deadline it hasn't hit

you've made one too many promises right

now what's going on here what's the

issue how many more times this going to

happen cuz if it goes the way it's going

right now it's not going to work yeah we

like you culturally we feel you're a fit

your your personality people like your

attitude you're teammate you're always

going out of your way to want to help

out but this is the date you gave me you

haven't hit it what's going on on it's

not going to work like this they'll

bring them in and have the tough

conversations without avoiding wanting

to have the conversation similar to what

Patrick lensun at the beginning said

what he said Harmony over conflict

they're not afraid of having conflict

it's going to happen especially in

startup or smaller businesses where it's

more pressure type sometimes in bigger

companies one can hide for a few few

months and no one will know about it you

cannot hide in a small company so great

Executives will come in straight up have

a conversation we'll tell you with you

and tell you there's a problem next one

is kind of weird because you know as an

executive you're moving up right like

hey you were an employee then you became

a manager and then you became you know

whatever and then all of a sudden now

you're a director now you're a VP now

you're a seite executive and you have a

group of people that are reporting to

you're working with them right the best

ones that I found the best Executives

that I found that continue to grow grow

no matter how much they learn they're

still learning it's constant their level

of curiosity about learning with more

information it's const it doesn't matter

whether their salary grew their bonus

grew their responsibilities grew

whatever that's growing with them

they're still like hey you know I read

this the other day they set to follow on

and they recommended this book and this

I want have picked up this book and I

saw what if we start doing XYZ and we

haven't done this I want you to look at

the website what if we move yeah look at

what these guys are doing over it's

constant like curiosity of wanting to

learn and they build other people on

their teams that are curious to

constantly want to find ways to improve

the company but the best executives are

constantly curious and wanting to find

ways to improve this one we rarely

recognize but it's so evident when

you're working in a high pressure type

of environment startups Harvard Business

review one said proactive executives are

43% more likely to achieve successful

outcomes so proactive reactive don't

give me wrong a lot of things you're

going to do as a business owner is

reactive hey guess what stock market

just did this that person just fired us

interest rates just one that's reactive

we're going to be in that mode as well

but the best executives are proactive to

say hey what would happen if all of a

sudden XYZ were to go down we don't have

a solution for that so what's the backup

for the backup never thought about it

that way hm let's have a quick meaning

so what if we did this and I thought

about this the other day and what if we

go get this company that gives us a

backup for this that that's a great idea

all right so what what events do we have

coming up Tom had a meeting the other

day and he said hey no matter what we do

you know we have to always be 90 days 6

months in advance of what events are

coming up so what do we have going up in

90 okay great what's coming up what what

events do we have coming up on what do

we need to negotiate a year from now or

two years from now right now we're

negotiating contracts for the vault in

2026 right so the the ability to go

ahead and be proactive and then to know

what to put in the contract of what if

there's a force major event that we can

get out of it instead of not putting it

against you're being proactive and what

if we all of a sudden something were to

happen and we need an insurance policy

to protect against this this is our

proactive thinking the best executives

are very proactive next one is very

interesting because sometimes you'll be

in a meeting and there could be a feud

going back and forth no we should do

this no we should do that no we should

do this sometimes the best Executives

know how to eliminate emotional

Decisions by purely using data they can

say listen guys I get it we're going

back and forth can you can you Bobby can

you pull up the numbers what happened

the last time we invested a million

dollars into this you know Branch

instead of a million dollars into this

Branch yeah last time we put up a

million dollar these guys made us $2.8

million on a million these guys made us

$2.2 million on who was running the

company at the time this guy was who was

running it here is that person's still

there no so maybe the 2.8 we can't judge

based why is that person okay but based

on this I think it's best we do this

this that right hey we're thinking about

putting uh uh $10 million into ads this

month to promote such and such you know

event that's coming up okay can we pull

up and see which one performs the best

I'd like to see Google I'd like to see

Tik Tok I'd like to see snap I'd like to

see Facebook Instagram I'd like to see

LinkedIn what is our raw as on all of

these things so why was that one lost

can you pull up the top 10 campaigns we

ran out of the top 10 campaigns we ran

which which one of them were on LinkedIn

which one of them was on Instagram which

one of them was on meta which one of

them was on got it okay so here's here's

what we're going to do with this money

based on what it's all data so then one

can't be all emotional and say well how

come my budget is smaller it's just

purely data driven guy we gave these

guys 2 million last time they turned

into 6.8 we gave You2 million you lost

$400,000 it's data driven okay so

emotion is eliminated based on a lot of

times of data of course you have to be

gentle of course you have to respect

people on that they're doing their jobs

if they're doing an effective job job

but at the end of the day the best

Executives rely a lot on data so let's

just say you're an executive and you got

a handful of people that are reporting

to you and one of the guys that's been

with you for six years and they're going

through a you just game of promotion and

with this promotion they've not been

performing at the level they would at

this promotion that was given at the

previous level they were performing and

they were hitting their bonuses but at

not at this next job so you're sitting

there instead of automatically being

like Oh my God this person's not working

we got to farm let's goe H Char we got

to get a new person you sit there and

you say to yourself is there any way we

can invest into this person have we done

a good job as an executive coach to this

person if the company has an executive

coach have they work with an executive

coach have you encouraged or hired an

executive coach but have they have you

send them to a program for 3 5 days to

go and become better at whatever their

job has that happened rather than

finding someone that's been with you for

five six years and saying no write them

off we got to move on instead you sit

there and you say look we got to invest

into our guys and an executive will go

fight for one of their best guys to say

I want to invest $5,000 $10,000 $30,000

into this person going to XYZ event to

get better and I'm going to send in with

another person typically we'll send them

in threes because when you send them in

threes you know they're not going to be

drinking cuz one of them is going to

keep the other two disciplined we're

going to send these three to go become a

better ex we're going to send him to the

you know Ritz Carlton training we're

going to send him to this training over

here on crucial convers we're going to

send him over here to XYZ training but

great executives are also always finding

ways to invest into their people to get

better their mindset is always about how

can I make this next person better a lot

of people that are watching this have a

lot of questions say man I want to be a

better executive but can I get access to

directly can I ask somebody that's an

expert on what they do on how to get

better as an executive yes download the

app man if you cold email me less than

1% chance I'm going to response if you

cold DM anybody less than 3% cold

Twitter is less than 5% cold LinkedIn is

less than 8% but if you ask a question

on minut and you pay for it 94% response

rate I answer in audio if you've never

used the app give it a try download the

app here's a QR code ask me a question

and let's process some issues on how you

can become a better executive this next

one is very interesting because as a

person you've been around for a while

and the way you communicate with a

person you report to maybe different

than the way you communicate with a

person that's a cooworker maybe

different than the way you communicate

to the person that reports to you but

regardless great Executives understand

how to communicate with all they'll say

well this person likes for you to send

an email update every Friday night so

that person knows what happened for the

weekend this is how they want the update

to be no problem I'm going to send the

email the way I said it to you not the

way I sent it at the previous company if

this is how you want the email to be and

these are the data that you like to

measure I'm going to send it to you

exactly the way you want it because

that's how this person wants to

communicate hey guys you find ways to

move and Challenge and hold your guys

accountable right but regardless the

level of communication with great

Executives is smooth this way it's

smooth this way it's smooth this way

it's smooth with vendors with partners

with investors with a board knowing you

can't embarrass your CEO say you report

to Co the co is reporting to the

chairman of the board and you're sitting

there you know how to keep safe face for

the co they know all of those different

dynamics of all the personalities

involved uh as an executive many times

with the fear of losing your job you

want to make sure you're indispensable

Irreplaceable and by the way that used

to be a thought many of us had back in

the days where it's like do something

that people are going to need you

forever right and then when you think

about it that way that's the fastest way

to never get promoted because if nobody

else knows to do what you do why would

they promote you they need you instead

you're like no I got three people that

can do my job I got two people that want

that can do my job never thought about

it that way before so a great executive

is always working on the next two three

people that can do their job so later on

they can go and S and every time this

guy works he's got two three people that

can do what he does we're ready to

promote him two and a half years later

to the next job for this guy because

he's done such a good job replacing

himself so the best Executives and even

you can look at this number with

research done by Center for Creative

leadership shows that 40% of Executives

believe not being indispensable leads to

better team empowerment the idea is I

have other people that can now do what I

do that's what great Executives always

always think about you ready great

Executives hardcore urgency hardcore

like you're feeling the urgency oh my

god let's go driving but at the same

time they flirt with patience and how

you do those two together it's kind of

weird right we got to go get this sun

but we're patient long term how can one

be both you don't have have a choice you

have to be both if the vision of a

company is big and you want to develop

people and develop different projects

and systems sometimes it takes patience

but if you don't have urgency your team

can get casual as well so you have to

have a balance of both urgency plus

patience it's not easy to do but it's

required for great Executives who end up

leading great teams so I've hired a lot

of Executives in the last you know

however however many years 15 years when

you hire Executives you'll see how they

get started it's very interesting some

of them will come in they interview very

well but then once they get started they

wait to see what you do with them right

and you know they'll do enough and

they'll go here and they'll go build

friends with this person and immediately

they're kind of like making sure

everybody on their team likes that you

don't fire anybody she like no I'm here

I got you I understand your pain don't

worry I understand these guys don't come

from my back they kind of do one of

those things and they put like a layer

between you like let's just say that

person was reporting to me Johnny was

reporting to me but I bring you in and

you're here now that person reports to

you sometimes some Executives distance

Johnny from me an element of shielding

right sometimes executive come in and

they're very much of a building

relationship but they're very

inquisitive of asking me questions I had

a guy that we just hired executive came

in with a list of 30 40 questions okay

when can I get my attempt to ask you

some questions boom got it all right so

when it comes on

to okay

when and why because of and who does

that okay got it and how about this this

this I'm sitting I'm like whoa and so I

went and he did that with direct report

and he went and did that with his peers

and he went all of a sudden I'm like

what a very unique I really like the way

he did it everybody came afterwards and

they're like you know how many questions

that's ask me they like yeah you ask me

questions that's how it's supposed to be

done right you're somebody that's

constantly coming into organizations

Executives who engage and strategic

questioning can boost team Innovation by

up to 40% according to Harvard Business

review some of the best Executives asked

the best questions when they first

joined a company every great executive I

know is a great negotiator you know on

behalf of who on behalf of the company

so guess what if I'm sitting there and

I'm going through terms uh hey uh Pat Uh

I noticed when I came here I looked

through all the old contracts I went

through the 18 contracts that we have I

know for a fact five of them were paying

too much because the previous company

have contacts I'm going to call and save

us around $200 $300,000 for the year the

other ones I'm going to call and I'm

going to ask the following terms are you

okay if I ask anything is there anything

I need to know about these partners that

we have and vendors that we have before

I call them that's a direct relationship

with you yeah okay so let me tell you

this guy this this guy this okay don't

call those three because negotiate okay

got it you need to know about this call

everybody else can I push you on the

three that you said don't call is there

any would you trust me making the call

yeah if you call it can you also have

the other person with you as well Pat

honestly I don't mind doing it for the

first month or two until I gain your

trust but can I get to a point that I

don't have to have anybody else on this

call with me where he can trust me to

negotiate these contracts yeah

absolutely okay great I understand that

I need to earn your trust but once I get

there I kind of want to be left alone

because I've negotiated multi-billion

dollar contracts I respect it okay thank

you so much boom they go and then they

come back back and they'll put a sheet

and they'll say I just saved you

$389,000 I just saved you 1.2 million

year I just saved you $68,000 year and

what they're trying to say is you're

underpaying me and I'm very good at what

they what I do you know what I

internally I freaking love it keep doing

this and you get a raise but anyways the

best executives are very very good

negotiators all right so you'll sit with

somebody you're doing an interview the

person sells you and you're like this

guy's going to be ridiculous they're

amazing holy freaking that's awesome

this guy guys we got a rock star we

going to win a Championship with this

guy and then they come in they talk all

that dirt to you they got you all

excited and nothing happened you're so

disappointed what is the meaning of

executive they execute if you're a true

executive and you come and you tell us

you're going to do what you're going to

do then execute so you keep the

reputation of your title of being a

great executive deliver on your promises

because that's what great Executives do

all right so you got five different

Executives here okay or people you ask

them to do something one I have to ask

seven times one I have to ask five times

one I have to ask three times this guy

have to ask one time the guy I asked one

time is part of the one Club the one

club is you only have to ask him one

time for something to get done I was

raised by a person who was a one club

from the day I was born till today if he

tells me he's going to do something all

he has to say is one time that's my dad

that pressure from a man like that

coming down to me I hold my guys

accountable when I say one time okay

with my kids if you're ever my boys

specifically with my boys I'll say Dylan

one time Dylan one time Dylan Tio one

time I got you Daddy I got you one time

what is one time in get ready we're

going to go to dinner get ready we're

going to go to practice but one time I

don't want to ask you five times some of

the easiest people to work with they're

part of the onetime community especially

Executives by the way if you're not an

executive watching this you want to be

one day if you're part of a one club

that you only have to be told one time

you're eventually going to end up being

the leader in executive it's a very very

valuable asset Tool Company the concept

of being reasonable okay so we're

sitting there was like okay guys I need

you to hit the deadline on this XYZ and

we need this thing to be done by

September 30th Pat Uh may I yes okay so

you want us to hit this by September

30th yes you realize we have this other

three projects that you've asked us to

do can I show this on the board yes one

of them is due this Friday okay which we

have committed this many hours to it the

second one you've asked us is do

September 15th and if you want us to do

a September 30th I'm only going to have

two weeks after the 15 to deploy my team

on this project I just don't see us

being able to hit that date unless if

you want me to delay these and put this

project you just brought up that you

want September 30th ahead of it unless

if we're going to bring other resources

to help us out I I just don't see us

being able to hit that se respectfully

I'd love to get it done for you I don't

see us being able to hit it by that day

a great executive has the ability to be

reasonable and say okay no I still want

you to finish this and I need you to

finish this so if you can't do it

September 30th by when can you hit it

can I get back back to you by today

afternoon at 5:00 yes no problem okay

give it to me I'll get back to you 5:00

we can get it done by October 14th any

chance you can do on October 7th October

7th I'll strive for but I know I can

deliver it to October 14th they're

reasonable enough to have that

conversation with them to say perfect

you got it go after it great Executives

have the ability to reason in an

environment that's a very much of a

pressure environment where it's like a

lots going on and it's constant the the

concept of having fun is very important

playing loose sometimes is good playing

too tight walking on exells it's tough

the the more the expectation in a

startup of go go go go go you got to

have breathing room for people to have

fun and by the way fun I don't mean

being sloppy not hitting deadlines being

C I'm just saying people ought to be

able to have fun and sometimes the best

Executives know how to kind of bring the

pressure down and say guys I understand

what's going on we got this why don't

you guys do this I'll stay with you here

couple more hours I'm going to order

food you guys want to do PF CHS what

would you like to do you guys do your

thing I'm going to go there hang TI

we're going to do this and I got you

Friday with going to go this and we're

going to do XY but that ability to have

fun allows people to deal with a higher

pressure type environment if you don't

have that fun it's tough to sustain for

a very long time in any environment that

you're going and you have things that

you're working with that are tough that

sometimes people become I just man I

there's no way we're going to hit this

impossible great leaders and Executives

know how to bring Hope in Hope is the

idea of I we can pull this off based on

XYZ great leaders give that hope that

feeling of excitement enthusiasm that

eventually everything's going to work

itself out if a person's working their

tails off behind closed doors they know

how to bring hope to say I'm telling you

longterm I got you keep doing what

you're doing okay you're going to have a

good career here if you do XYZ they know

how to also balance that pressure with

the hope as well where folks know

long-term things are going to work out

even a motivator needs a motivator right

think about somebody that's motivating

others they also need to be motivated

behind closed doors some of the best

Executives have coaches they work with

outside of what they're doing because

they're always in a business of also

them getting better so it doesn't matter

if they're part of a mastermind if

they're going to events if they're

working on themselves they're constantly

in the game of improving as an executive

because that's what they're presenting

to everybody else so some of the best

Executives out there have coaches behind

closed doors that nobody knows about if

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