VIDEO - Most Leaders Don't Even Know the Game They're In

My Notes

• leaders needs only 2 things - empathy and perspective
• real job of leader is: taking care of people who are in charge (not to be in charge)
• from IC to leader: transition is needed → not being responsible for the job itself, rather be responsible for the people who are responsible for the job
• as leader, you should remember: if everything goes right, you have to give away all the credit, if anything goes wrong, you have to take all the responsibility
• #communication/tip if something goes wrong, instead of being angry and screaming, be calm and say simply "try again"
• "walk around" and ask "do you need anything to help you do your job better?" Don't ask just your DR, ask everybody (peers and even your manager) → help them be themselves (and enjoy their job)
• don't be the manager who ONLY catches people if they do anything wrong
• #communication/tip how to communicate issue with empathy: your numbers are down for third quarter in the row… are you ok? I am worried about you… what's going on?
• failed parenting strategy → #gen-z who grew thinking they are special, and they can have anything they want
• we assume that they have a courage to walk through the door, if we say "my doors are always open" → eg. Even if we say ask for help when needed, they will not
• #gen-z is impatient (not entitled)
• being vulnerable leader means: you have created environment where everyone feels safe enough to say "I don't know what I am doing"/"I am scared" etc
• only 2 types of games - finite & infinite
  • finite: known players, fixed rules and common objective
  • infinite: unknown players, rules are changeable, and objective is to keep play playing
• business is infinite game → we don't play to win, we play to "frustrate" other competitors → eg. play long game

AI Summary

Main Idea

The text discusses the critical need for empathy and perspective in leadership. It addresses the lack of trust and cooperation in organizations, emphasizing that true leadership is about nurturing and supporting team members rather than just managing tasks. The narrator highlights how great leaders are distinguished by their focus on people, offering actionable advice and contrasting different leadership environments to illustrate the impact on employees and organizational culture.

Key Main Points

1. Demand for Trust and Cooperation

   • “Trust and cooperation are not yet standard in our organizations and yet they should be...”
   • Important because it sets the foundation for why the narrator’s work on leadership is in demand—there’s a prevalent deficiency in these areas in many organizations.

2. Essentials for Great Leadership

   • “There are two things that I think that great leaders need to have empathy and perspective...”
   • This is crucial as it highlights the narrator’s primary argument about what makes a great leader.

3. Transition from Worker to Leader

   • “We have to go through this transition of being responsible for the job and then turning it to somebody who’s now responsible for the people who are responsible for the job...”
   • Explains the frequently overlooked shift from being an employee to becoming a leader.

4. Empathy in Leadership

   • “Leadership is a skill like any other... it is a trainable skill and it’s something that you work on...”
   • Important as it frames leadership as a skill that requires continuous practice, akin to developing a muscle.

5. Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Engagement

   • “It’s not the people, it’s the leadership. If we create the right environment we will get people like Noah at the Four Seasons...”
   • This point underscores the profound impact of leadership on employee morale and performance.

Actionable Ideas

1. Redefine Leadership Roles

   • “The real job of a leader is not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of those in our charge.”
   • Leaders should shift focus from exercising control to nurturing and supporting their team members.

2. Empathy Training for Leaders

   • “We do not practice empathy. What does empathy look like?”
   • Organizations should incorporate empathy training into leadership development programs.

3. Create Supportive Working Environments

   • “Throughout the day, managers will walk past me and ask me how I’m doing, if there’s anything that I need to do my job better.”
   • Encourages managers to regularly check in with employees to provide necessary support and show genuine concern.

4. Encouraging Vulnerability

   • “Vulnerability... creates an environment in which someone feels safe enough to raise their hand and say, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I need help.’”
   • Promote a culture where employees feel safe to express uncertainties or mistakes.

5. Adopting Long-term Mindsets

   • “It's not about winning or losing. In game theory, there are two kinds of games... infinite games.”
   • Leaders should focus on long-term objectives and continuous improvement rather than short-term wins.

Detailed Summarization

I. Introduction

• Speaker’s Career Topic: Trust and cooperation in organizations
• Current Organizational Shortcomings: Deficiency in trust and cooperation

II. Leadership Essentials

• Empathy and Perspective: Key traits for effective leadership

III. The Role of Leaders

• Shift from Task to People Responsibility: Transition from employee to leader
• Leadership as a Skill: Requires practice akin to muscle development

IV. Practical Leadership Examples

• Four Seasons vs. Caesars Palace: Impact of nurturing vs. top-down management styles
• Environment and Employee Performance: Creating the right environment fosters employee engagement

V. Empathy in Business Context

• Assessment Approaches: Compare traditional and empathetic managerial dialogues
• Focus on Millennials: Understanding their struggles and integrating empathetic leadership practices

VI. Broader Implications

• The Addiction to Technology: Addressing dopamine effects and social media dependence
• Impatience and Instant Gratification: Misinterpreting ambition as entitlement
• Corporate Environment: The dysfunctional impact of 1980s business models

VII. Playing the Infinite Game

• Finite vs. Infinite Games: Reframing business goals to adapt long-lasting strategies
• Perspective on Competition: Focus on self-improvement rather than defeating others

Narrator’s Quotes and Context

• “There are two things that I think that great leaders need to have empathy and perspective...”
  Context: Introducing qualities essential for great leadership.

• “Trust and cooperation are not yet standard in our organizations and yet they should be...”
  Context: Highlighting the gap in organizational standards and the demand for leadership work.

• “The real job of a leader is not about being in charge, it's about taking care of those in our charge.”
  Context: Emphasizing the fundamental role shift in leadership.

• “It’s not the people, it’s the leadership.”
  Context: Discussing the impact of leadership styles on employee performance.

• “I love my job at Four Seasons.”
  Context: Noah’s experience contrasting positive leadership environments with negative ones at different hotels.

Footer Notes

• The text does not contain any explicit promotional content. All the information provided appears to be focused on educational and actionable leadership insights. If there was promotional content, it would have been excluded from the summary and mentioned here.

This article was originally published on https://craftengineer.com/. It was written by a human and polished using grammar tools for clarity.

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