Ep. 4 - Leading Your Team by Eating Last

Successful Barrister

In this episode, Marc Whitehead and Diana Berry share the tips and tricks they learned from Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. The book teaches leaders how to build trust with their teams, lead intentionally, and create an environment where leaders underneath them can lead. Learn why failing to delegate tasks could be costing you and your leaders. Listen to Marc and Diana’s thoughts on leadership and their personal leadership styles. Lastly, discover how you can shift your mindset to view leadership as a privilege.

For detailed show notes, read below and use the timestamps to navigate the episode:

[1:09] This episode is about leadership and specifically covers the book Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. The book touches on many issues that Marc Whitehead & Associates dealt with as a firm.

[2:42] Diana introduces the concept of the leadership boot camp. The boot camp acted as a precursor to EOS, or the Entrepreneurial Operating System. Marc assigned the executive team a book every quarter, and the quarter would conclude with a half-day boot camp where the team would explore the book’s concepts.

[3:59] As a part of the boot camp, all of the attendees had to create a presentation about the material in each book, expanding upon how they would apply the lessons of the book to their position. This allowed the lessons of each book to become built into the culture.

[5:18] The title Leaders Eat Last comes from the military practice of officers eating last. Letting your subordinates go first is a sign of leadership, since the officers are meant to serve for the benefit of those who enlisted. By eating last, the officers contribute to a “circle of safety.”

[6:54] In the professional world, we try to remove distractions so our team can operate to their fullest potential. This is one way that leaders promote a circle of safety. Marc explains that the job of the leader is to put their team in a position to succeed.

[9:12] Marc speaks about one of his favorite quotes on leadership from President Eisenhower. He was able to motivate soldiers in World War II by developing leaders beneath him, who then developed leaders beneath them, thereby building a network of leadership. Motivating people is about getting people to do what you want them to do.

[11:07] Only about twenty percent of Americans love their jobs. In this environment, how do we inspire people to want to do what we as leaders want them to do? Diana speaks to Marc’s ability to develop people, and Marc speaks to his own imposter syndrome as a leader. He acknowledges how difficult it can be for him to hold people accountable.

[14:12] Sinek explains that decisions become part of the culture, so when people are not held accountable, those decisions spread.

[15:19] Diana explains that her weakness as a leader is that she focuses on the greater good, and sometimes sacrifices the feelings of individuals in pursuit of that good. This makes her a great contrast to Marc’s personality and leadership style.

[18:30] The context of Sinek’s book allows for more honest conversations between team members about leadership. Because they are speaking through the frameworks Sinek provides instead of solely from their own feelings and perceptions, they can explain their difficulties without their criticisms feeling personal.

[20:51] The ability of a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well those people pull together as a team. A leader’s job is to put together and motivate a team. As you scale, you have to continue building teams, and eventually, you will not be able to lead every team. Marc now has to develop leaders.

[23:02] Leadership is about trust and accountability. One of the key features of developing leaders is the ability to step back and let the new leaders lead. When you are unwilling to delegate, you stifle the growth of your leaders. Marc is always there as a safety net, but he believes that his leaders have to make their own mistakes in order to learn.

[25:06] Being a good leader is a choice, like becoming a parent. It is a privilege to lead people, and that privilege comes at the expense of self-interest. Marc now has the privilege of leadership, and reframing his mindset to see it as a privilege motivates him.

[28:03] Leadership as laid out in Leaders Eat Last is a continuous process of growth, and reading the book is not an endpoint. Leadership should happen intentionally because if it is not done intentionally leadership will emerge accidentally.

Listen to Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Leaders-Eat-Last-Audiobook/0593291352

Buy Leaders Eat Last on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1591845327

Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/

Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/