Category: Leadership Quote

This month’s leadership quote:

“You never see a conductor play an instrument.”

—Larry Steinhauer

The intended leadership lesson here is leaders need to do less and lead more. And, like everything else, it depends.

Sometimes the exact right thing to do is back off and let other folks lead. And sometimes, the right thing to do is get in the trenches and work side by side with your team, letting them know you get it, you care and you aren’t hanging out in your ivory tower. The conductor, after all, is right there in the pit with the orchestra.

I heard two stories recently that support each option. One of my Vistage CEO members shared a story of offering to brainstorm with a key executive; the executive politely replied, “I’ve got it”.

On the other hand, another member after sharing a story of frustration on the part of the team, due to staff shortages, heard fellow members suggest, “you are spending too much time in your office, get out there, participate, show them you know you get it and that you care.”

The secret is in knowing when to pick up an instrument, even if ever so briefly, and when not to.

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“Great leaders delegate success, not tasks.”

—Anonymous

Frequently the leaders I work with tell me they are willing to delegate, as long as they trust the person to whom they are delegating. Makes sense. And yet, what happens when the person they delegate to doesn’t deliver?

For many leaders the answer is, I step in, because the risk of failure is too great.

In my experience, it’s when the leader won’t or can’t step in, that true delegation happens. The corollary to this quote is really, “great leaders delegate success and failure”. Hard to do, sometimes costly to do, and is there another way that will allow for scale?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“Leaders are not paid to make the inevitable happen.”

—Vince Langley

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“If you can’t change the people, change the people.”

—Michael Canic

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“CEO’s job is to grow it, not run it.”

—Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinkos

Easy to say, hard to do.

Whether owner or professional CEO, the temptation is to run it, to make the important decisions, because after all, we know what to do. People often say that Steve Jobs was in the weeds, involved in every key decision. And, how could this be true if he built the largest company in the world? Not physically possible. To me, he focused on growing it, not running it. It’s just that coming up with the next big idea in his business was what it took to grow it; and to some this appeared as though he was too involved.

• What does it take in your company to grow it?
• Is this what you are spending your time doing?
• If you are spending time doing something else, what changes are necessary?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“Decide democratically, implement dictatorially.”

—Peter Schutz, CEO of Porsche 1981-1986

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.”

–Jim Rohn

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

–Winston Churchill

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

This month’s leadership quote:

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.”

–Khalil Gibran

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain