Ep. 129 – Being Chief – with Rick Miller
Rick Miller joins us to talk about being Chief: an important topic in today’s political environment, the business world, and individual lives.
Rick is an unconventional turnaround specialist and servant leader. He has successfully turned around a Fortune 10, a Fortune 30, a startup, and a non-profit over the past 30 years. But Rick’s high-ranking titles are not what made him a chief – Rick is a chief because he has the ability to bring out the best in others and empower them to be chiefs, in whatever role they’re in.
And Rick has packaged these decades of wisdom in the wonderful book, Be Chief: It’s a Choice, Not a Title.
“Yes, people with titles have power – but people without titles have power, and everyone is at their best when they feel powerful and they make their own choices!”
So how do you convey this to not only individuals, but an entire organization of individuals?
Well, you have to speak to the business in their language: numbers.
And Rick tells us about a startling statistic that 7/10 people, while at work, aren’t contributing their best efforts. Some people say this is an engagement issue or a talent issue – but what it comes down to is that “70% of your human capital is underperforming, by choice!”
And according to Gallup, that lackluster performance results in U.S. companies losing $500 BILLION annually.
So if you want your business to improve, yes, you can develop a new product or sell more. But you’ll have a greater impact if you focus on your people and give them a reason to be enthusiastic about doing their best every day.
Remember: “anyone in your organization affects everyone in your organization.”
If you want to help everyone in an organization make and find meaning in their work, it helps greatly to give them a purpose or a mission that they can align to and get behind. So create value, not just for your customers or shareholders, but for your community and the world.
It’s time to move beyond the “do not harm” phase and enter the “do more good” phase of business.
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Don’t be a podcast junkie…
Resources:
- Learn more at beingchief.com
- Read: Be Chief: It’s a Choice, Not a Title
- Take Rick’s Power Compass Survey: beingchief.com/compass
- Connect with Rick: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
- Watch: Being Chief – Unlocking your power: Rick Miller at TEDxPSU
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