In this episode of the L3 Leadership podcast, you will hear our interview with Dr. Leslie Brasick. In part 1 of the interview, you’ll hear us talk about entrepreneurship, executive leadership, sales, succession, advice for leaders moving onto their next season, and more.
In part 2, in episode 190, you’ll hear our lightning round with Leslie as well as her thoughts on faith, money.
L3 Leadership Podcast Episode #189: Dr. Leslie Braksick
To view a transcription fo this episode, go here!
ABOUT LESLIE BRAKSICK:
Professionally, Dr. Leslie Braksick is a veteran CEO coach, entrepreneur, consultant, author, educator, keynote speaker, and board member. Personally, she is a wife, mother, community leader, and philanthropist.
Dr. Braksick is a resource often tapped by top executives and boards to provide coaching, insight, and advising during times of strategically important transition and intense strategic change. Her work often involves preparing EVPs for C-suite succession including coaching them during their early years at the helm. Her coaching clients have included senior-most executives at General Electric, Bell Atlantic, ExxonMobil, H.J. Heinz, The Hartford, Tenet Healthcare, Chevron, Archer Daniels Midland, and dozens of others.
Dr. Braksick’s books and articles are widely used and trusted by companies and business schools to teach leadership and to showcase exemplary corporations that have successfully transformed their performance by focusing on behavior and leading through change.
CONNECT WITH LESLIE:
- My Next Season
- Your Next Season: Advice for Executives on Transitioning from Intense Careers to Fulfilling Next Seasons (affiliate link)
- LeslieBraksick.com
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Have something people need and be the best at it
- Focus on something others aren’t and do it well
- Learn your space and then know your space.
- Differentiate yourself based on the value you bring
- If we are not that great that people are not bragging about us, we need to do better
- 3 best sales tips: 1.) Care 2.) Really Care 3.) Show you care
- Leadership development comes from stretch assignments and mentors
- Stretch assignments with feedback accelerate leadership development
- Be aware of who your stakeholders are
- When you are an executive, you are leading others. You need to become someone who drives task completion to someone who influences others.
- You have to fall out of love with managing task completion and fall in love with becoming a great mentor and coach.
- Coaching and mentoring and listening to others is always the leaders greatest investment of time
- Do not shut down avenues for receiving feedback
- Play above the rim. Show up before everyone else and leave after everyone else.
- Bring solutions, not issues.
- I’ve never seen the top performers let go…anywhere.
- There is no such thing as work-life balance.
- People don’t appreciate that a big part of their legacy is how successful their successors are
- Help do everything you can to make sure the person that follows you in your job is wildly successful. If you do this, you will be a hero.
- 3-6 months is the average transition time for succession
- The reason it’s hard for most senior leaders to move on is they do not know what they are going to do next. They need something.
QUESTIONS ASKED:
- Leslie, tell us a little bit about who you are and what do you.
- What do you wish people knew about your journey that they may not know?
- What did it take to get to where you’re at?
- You wrote a book called, “Preparing CEOs for Success: What I Wish I Knew”
- What do you wish you knew?
- What does it take to be a successful CEO?
- You’ve spent time with some of the world’s best leaders… do they all seem to have common characteristics and traits? If so, what are they?
- What are the most common challenges you see facing CEO’s today?
- A lot of people get to that position, but don’t stay there. How can leaders stay at the top?
- What advice do you have for those who aspire to be a CEO?
- What do young leaders need to be doing in order to prepare themselves for an executive position?
- In your opinion, what is the best way to grow and develop leaders?
- As a leader, what is the most valuable use of your time and resources when it comes to developing others?
- What advice do you have for leaders thinking through succession?
- What mistakes do you see leaders make when it comes to leadership succession?
- You wrote a book, “Your Next Season: Advice for Executives on Transitioning from Intense Careers to Fulfilling Next Seasons”
- Why did you write this?
- Where do you see leaders missing it when they go into “retirement”?
- What advice do you have for those thinking about retirement and don’t have any idea what the next season of their life will be?
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