Day Two Cloud 158: On Leadership With Chris Wahl

In today’s episode, we cover leadership, a conversation inspired by this blog post. Don’t confuse “leadership” with “management”. According to Chris Wahl, everyone in an organization can lead–not just those with “chief” or “manager” in their job title. Leadership isn’t about telling everyone else what to do. Not at all. Have a listen as Chris explains what it is to lead, and how you can do so yourself while enabling others around you to do the same. What We Discuss * Does being a “leader” imply that someone is in charge–that they are a people manager of some sort? Is it possible to be a leader if you lack the authority to enact an organizational change? * You stress that you need to have a “why” that informs your leadership. Does your motivation–your why–result in a decision to become a leader? (The best way to fulfill these motivations is to become a leader.) Or does an inherent desire for leadership demand a why? (I want to lead, but I feel like I should have a good reason.) * You advocate the idea of “devops’ing your ideas with others”. Describe that in detail. It sounds like more than simply gathering feedback. * You say to “avoid silos like your life depends on it”. Explain this practically. Do you mean avoid creating silos, work around organizational silos you come across, or something else? * You argue that a leader must be an effective communicator, and that listening REALLY WELL is a key part of that communication. Explain this. * Why do you advocate making followers into leaders? Does it make sense for everyone to be a leader? If everyone’s a leader, who’s left to do the following? Links From The Episode * Chris Wahl’s Blog * Starting Your Leadership Journey – Chris Wahl * The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success – Benjamin Hardy, Dan Sullivan * Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters – Richard Rumelt * Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders – L. David Marquet * Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success – Adam M. Grant Ph.D. * Leaders Eat Last Deluxe: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t – Simon Sinek