So. Thanks for being here today I hope this is a meaningful conversation for you how many of you by a show of hands have, aspirations, of some kind to elevate, your. Role at some point in your career and lead more people than you winning today great so this, will be super, irrelevant, to you I hope to, avoid some of the pitfalls we. Found in our research. So. I. Want to do three things to talk about the data we collected and how we got the research and why, how, it is that people who rise up to bigger, jobs and organizations, seem, some, seem to thrive and then, talk, with you in a little bit of QA about how it is, you. Are. Thinking about playing it here so. A. Bunch, of years ago our, firm works on large crazy. Transformational. Products for their clients and a bunch of years ago we were working with an organization, during, which one. Of the young leaders who've been part of the effort was, super. High potential, seen, as very competent. People and enjoyed, working with him everybody, saw, a long promising. Career. For him at. The end of the project he was offered the chance to, take on a much broader assignment, for, the organization in this new world we had just transformed nobody was surprised everybody assumed oh he'll do great about. Nine months later I saw his name on the caller ID and I was excited I assumed oh he's calling me tell me about all the great, progress they've made and, how things are going and. But. Sadly he was calling to tell me he'd been fired and that. He needed help getting another job I, barely. Had time to recover from that conversation two hours later the CEO of this. Large multinational. Gazillion-dollar. Organization, was our client called to also let me know they let him go and that, he was a bit angry implying. More, than implying that some, of the responsibility, for his failure was mine for, not better preparing him, that. Didn't feel good I, was. Devastated I, couldn't. Imagine how could we have possibly misjudged. His. Potential that much every, nine, box eight box six bucks whatever grid you use. He was off, the charts how. Could. Somebody suddenly, go from being in one level being, the next coming, to, suddenly. Being a disaster, in nine months that made, I asked, if we might come back into the organization to see if we could learn what what could have gone wrong. That. Short investigation we. Went back in and did led us to a ten-year longitudinal. Study at more than 2,700. Leaders. And. What we found out was. Painfully. That. More, than 50% of, those that take on broader assignments, in their organizations, failed in their first 18 months that young, leader was just another statistic. We. Thought got we, can do better I don't ever want, another, phone call like that in my career again. So. We began digging and digging, and digging to find. Why. Is it, for more than 20 years we've known this distich this is not even the recruiters level because it's an annuity for them but. Short. Of that why. Is that okay, what. Why 50 percent right that's a crapshoot why is it okay, that the. Carnage, of families. That are relocated, and people who had promising, ideas and opportunities that organizations. Were hoping to capitalize, that, half of them. You. Know go sideways is. Reasonable. That just seemed, completely. Unacceptable, to us so. We, began to go. Digging and the, the scary thing we found in the research was when. We found out how. Many landmines. Organizations. Put in the. Way of people, on their way up it's a wonder any of them succeed. I couldn't. Wait to find out what the other 50% we're doing to. Manage to traverse those I went. Back to the CEO and I said I will apologize and, take, responsibility for, all the land mines I did not prepare him to face, you. Need to take responsibility for, putting them there. Because. They're so, unnecessary. So what, I want to spend time to you did today talking about that. We found in this, study of, 2700, liters 1800, of which were set aside as at. Least bordering. On exemplary, we. Also added a we also isolated, a hundred of them emit a scent to see if we could sort of watch in slo-mo, what. Was happening, across this elevation. Season, whether it was to an executive, role. Or to middle management from wherever they were what. Was going on on the way up and and. And what, caused some to stick the landing and some did a. Faceplant. To. Hopefully, avoid those so there's, three parts. That one I want to chat about one is what's. The weird things that happen on the way up. Why. Is there this altitude, sickness right you get to a higher altitude you can barely breathe as you. Land there and then, the great news in the data was in fact that as we. Dig into dug into what, were, the, other half doing that, made them just drive and, it. Turns out there were four recurring. Patterns we, I had the research team do 99, regression. Analyses, and they, they finally said it would enough, it's not going to change the. Same for recurring.
Patterns Over. And over that set apart those. That. Succeeded. The problem, was and that's what will spend the most of our time today the problem was the data said you, had to do all four well so people, who did three of the four brilliantly, we're, in the failure group so, we. Said I kept going back to do more analysis I didn't might have to say you had a dual for well I wanted, to say we have the force okay but. It's not so we'll talk about what those four are the great news was these, were in for like. Some, weird genetic. You. Know misalignments, that caused this superhuman, power in, these folks these were basic. Capabilities, that they had acquired and learned, so, the good news is they're learn about the, best time to learn them is not when you hit your first senior director job or, your first vice-president job, the best time to learn them is now. So. Here's. The some of the things we found that were a little bit shocking to us. 69%. Of the people in our research said we were not prepared for. The. Roles I'm sure. In your department that wouldn't be the case but. In, other companies that's. What people told us. 76%, said. That. All of the formal development efforts they undergone, did. Not prepare them for the challenges they, faced they, had great theories and models and read some interesting articles but what. They faced in the challenges, it. Was never covered in any, of the any of of the learning elements, and. Most. Of them had no coaching, most of them had no preparation work before, or and, none of them it, was in the 80 percents that of. What. They had afterwards. 67%, of them struggled to let go so. They took as they escalated they took the work with them. One. Of the interesting things about the, notion of power we talked to we studied how do people handle the notion of power in these days that's a pretty important conversation. Sixty, percent of them felt like imposters. They felt like people ascribe more power to them than they actually felt they had themselves and so. They struggled, to reconcile, feeling like they're gonna assemble and find me out. So, you can see here, these are not pretty stats right, it this, begins to give a picture for why. It is that so. Many promising. Young professional. Aspiring, leaders, are arriving. In positions that they're not ready for um, we can do better we, absolutely, can. Do better. So. One. Of the metaphors we use in the early part of the book is this is very much like wing-walking long. Before you were born, people, in the early part of the 20th. Century would actually get up for both for aerial entertainment but also to, learn how to refuel planes would walk across the wing and of, course the rule number one in wing walking is never. Let go of the strut you're holding on to until, you have a firm grip on the. Strut you're going to because. That doesn't go well well. Too, many wind, Walker's, either. Let. Go too soon or they. Couldn't let go they became paralyzed, and they, could never cross the wing but. Both. Types. Of failures happen on the way up leaders, get too. Confident. And too cocky and they just fly. Up there without taking, lessons with them or they freeze and they get paralyzed, in the terror of a, different.
Orientation And, a different view of the world. So. Here. Are some of the five. Of, the numbers. Of things we found on the way up, how, many of you have been involved here at Google, people for other jobs, now. I I know a little something about your selection process so you actually do a decent, job of asking people to for, evidence based of, you. Know behavioral events of their accomplishments, but many. Organizations still. Interview, people, using. What. The. Resume and what. Is it they do with the resume, it's. The part where you talk. They. Go through it right so. And then you hear you. Eerie eerie statements, like this Wow. Look. At those great apps you both at your company that's what we need or, my. Gosh look at this incredible sophisticated. Coding and engineering work you didn't you're a company that's what we need or Wow. Look, at these great brands, you were part of building that's what we need. What's. Happening, in that statement you're. Setting, somebody up to fail because, here's the message you're sending you're, saying to them you have a formula. You. Have a recipe for success, that. We would like you to bring here, how. Many of you have watched people enter. The organization maybe not here at Google but maybe other companies, and. Have. It not go well, and. What's. The term we use after, about six or seven months they're not a. Good. Fit right, which is code for all kinds of things usually. Not the, issue of a fit. It's. A failure of context, right, this person, failed to read the tea leaves they, come in with this mythical mandate, to. Prove themselves you told, me this is what you wanted right so. They they take the bait and they come in whether. They've risen up and got, hired by somebody inside or came in with me outside they have a mandate, so. They took it seriously, well. The, mandate, is devoid of context, right, I don't want your success formula slapped, on my organization. I'm. Assuming, there is some wisdom you can bring. With you from those experiences, that you can contextualize here. But, if. You. Fail to learn me. Before. You try and change me that's. Not going to go well so from. The very beginning, many, of these leaders with. Promising, talent and otherwise. Important, contributions failed because they had this man, that they believed they had a follow that. They should have never followed. Well. So, let's play this out so what happens when, I'm trying, to slap. On this formula of success you told me you wanted and it's not working. What, have you seen happen to the person who's not being able to get get traction, what. Do you see in them, they. Get frustrated and why, they're frustrated. Hmm. They're, not making impact and they and they were told to make impact, so. My. First conclusion, about. Why I'm not making impact is usually, not it must be me, right. It's, usually you. You, didn't I go to the high magic you didn't tell me it was this bad or you. Didn't tell me they were this, resistant, and so. Now my, diagnosis. Of what's not working becomes, an indictment and. A. Judgment of why. They can't get this, brilliant, thing that I've brought. Right. What. Happens, when those around this. Person, feel. Indicted, by. Their presence and usually, it sounds like this well. At Apple. We or, well. At Microsoft. What we did was we here you, know and what. Are people saying in the hallway if I hear one more story about, where. They came from, right. So now the. Minute they start talking, what. I was that's it I've tuned, up it, could what, comes next could be brilliant it could, be an amazing solution, to the problem we're solving I am NOT going to hear it cuz, I don't give a crap about where, you learned it and what. You're telling me whether, you mean to or not is you're gonna give a crap about where you're applying it right. So. Now this could have all happened in three months six months whatever but, look the, deaths piles already begun and. I've had no impact. Totally. Unnecessary. You. Still could have great things to offer that, we need and that's, the one thing we're missing. So. Then, if. I've risen up or I now, don't trust you to handle, my brilliance I'm gonna, start to exert control so. If I met up as a managerial position and I fear them that having impact and I'm being judged for it I'm gonna, exert, trol so my ability to let go of decisions, my ability to let, go of information, my, Buddha to let go of influence. That those I lead should have is now impaired because, I fear if I let it go I'll be set up to fail, what.
I'm Not seeing is you've already begun to back away right, we all, see that back. Away that's. Sort of virtual or physical withdrawal, of okay. We know where this is gonna go I don't, want to be anywhere near it when it happens. Maybe. You had that experience maybe you've been on the receiving end of being. Backed. Away from. As. A leader or a colleague from, those who've decided you're. Not a good fit. Hmm. So my ability to compress, the organization but making people feel micromanaged. Distrusted. Judged. By. Me is now. Gonna cause, frustration. In the team or the group or the colleagues among my colleagues they're gonna feel. Disempowered. They're, gonna feel good I'm gonna come to work when they get the engagement surveyed, I'm gonna get dinged so. Even if I make it for a full year I'm probably gonna get some feedback that. Says either. There's early signs that this is not working out or there's, we're already past this, is not working out. The. Other thing that happens on the way up is that people. When. The, high rep and organization you go, the. The. More longer-term the results in impact you meant to have are right, so there's, a little bit more ambiguity, and uncertainty about what. Impact is to find us for, for somebody who's an individual contributor or maybe even a first-time manager, impact. Can look like the next few. Weeks or months or maybe, in your case probably hours. But. For somebody who as you move up you're thinking hopefully three six nine twelve months, out which. Means there's a little bit more uncertainty, about how those outcomes, will get achieved and the, pathway, to those, outcomes are not quite defined for some people their need for immediate gratification their, need for immediate impact. Is such. That they can't tolerate that and, so. They, struggle, with the uncertainty, of how. Am i adding value if I can't have an immediate line of sight to that impact because. Now my impact is through you it's, no longer at, my own hands it's usually through others and for some people that's there's a very difficult thing to tolerate instead just a very, it's an orientation, you have to shift to say I'm. No longer the smartest kid in the class my job is now to make other kids the smartest kid in the class and. If. I've been rewarded, for a certain outcome or a certain skill or a certain deliverable. Or a certain kind of work for a long time and that's what I pride myself on, and now. I have got to relinquish that for, in exchange for other, people doing that and me enabling, them to do it that's. A. What. If it doesn't work or what, if people don't recognize, me for the ability to have done that or what if my impact will be less visible now, what. If I can't tolerate that the good news is if you learn to tolerate it you actually seen as being a great leader than anybody wants to work for because, people leave your team and say I learned a lot I grew a lot I made a great contribution and. The. Last one we found this is it's. A little bit more some, of these are more prone. Or look if it when you come in from outside but when you come in from up in the organization, the problem is, my. Guess is that if we went back to ran off to hardware. And YouTube and, support. And assistance all the divisions you mentioned and I asked you to describe some of the cultural, realities. Of your, organizations. I might hear some common threads about Google's culture I might hear some differences but. Google, has a very strong, environment. And there, are things you know about Google well the problem is your. Belief that you know those things causes, you never to test those assumptions so. As you rise up or if you change groups and departments you bring what, I know with me and you see, the world through. Those biases, without. Ever understanding what is that really, how it is in this group or how it is in this team or how, it is in this part of the world and so. It's. Very important, to always. Test, the assumptions you have about what you believe you know. About. Where you're arriving, at because. They know things, about you as well that, may or may not be true and just as we don't want to be having. Labeled, or concocted. In some way neither. Do the environments you have so how do you let go of what you know well enough to see if all you know is really all there is to know, so. Those, are some just. Some of they were probably you know a bunch, more. So. You can see right, any one of these could. Take an otherwise promising. Gifted. Talented. Person, and cinema. Of course all, of them, avoidable. Right. With just the right kind of preparation.
The Right kind of communication. The right kind of conversations. Nobody. Has, to step in these land lines but every, day in organizations, we're throwing these things in their way and people are doing them so. But. If you're lucky enough to get to that place and you arrive at, a, new altitude then. There are these dis you thought you were a new planet there's this disorienting. Aspect, of a higher altitude and these were four of the things we discovered, that, leaders struggled, to. To. Be, okay with. One. Of the problems is when you're leading other people especially if the people you're leading are remote is. There's. Now multiple, versions of you right. So you you you get this almost like your life is now about playing on a Jumbotron. And, people are watching you and they're making up versions of you I have, leaders say to me all the time. You. Know I hear, all the time John said I never, said it. People. You. Have to assume that when you become more influential in organization just assume there's a megaphone strapped, to your mouth 24/7. And everything. You say and do is amplified, you can't raise your eyebrow. Without, somebody eye-catching mean to it know she's in a bad mood today or oh. She. Just came out of a meeting it didn't go well or he's. Really frustrated with something could. Be nothing could be further from the truth but, we attach meaning to our leaders their. Behavior, their choices their words how, they act in meetings all has, meaning. Whether. It's true or not but, we act upon it as if it is true leaders, struggle, with to know what what do I do when, people are making things up about me or concocting, versions of me that don't exist. And. There. Are ways to manage that but for many leaders is paralyzing. The. Second, the third one was the access. To information so. Suddenly. You, know people, who are my peers, are now my direct reports.
Suddenly. The way I get information or access to it is a little different it's, just a little filter. It feels a little more. Sanitized. It's, not quite as honest, and so. How. I get people to tell me the truth now becomes harder, and harder the higher I go because, people don't want to upset their bosses and so, dealing with a little bit of a sifted. Dataset. Becomes, difficult when you're trying to make hard choices or make hard trade-offs or allocate, resources. How. We do, that becomes. Harder when I don't know if the information I'm being given I might just go off. Okay. Should I wait oh there it is. When. I don't know that I can rely on the data that I'm getting and so. How do I make it safe to make sure the people that I work with are telling me the truth how, do I make it it's, safe for people to raise tough issues you are the you, know you're the company case study for how, to create a psychological. Safety among teams so. And. I'm just my guess is that if I went around and polled you on how psychologically, safe is your team just, because the case study was written about you doesn't mean it's happening, everywhere at your company right so it's, still a difficult thing to do for, leaders, when. They then, have to wonder, why. Are they talking with the truth and. What. Is the information that I'm not getting, and. How am I getting access to feedback. Can. Be terrifying for some leaders that sense that loss of control that, sense of influence, loss, can. Be completely debilitating, and. Lastly. The, entire, network, of relationships, that shifts can, be very unsettling for leaders so people. Who were your peers, are now direct reports people who were bosses are now your peers people. Who were. Direct reports before. Don't, interact with you at all and, so. What what our weather what are the rules now what, am I allowed to say what am I not allowed to say when, you come to me saying so. Don't go for beers and I'm. Like well I am and, then you get the whole oh you're. A boss now right okay. Never mind you, get this very passive aggressive, response. To, you around, oh so. You're one of them now okay, fine. No or. They try and say hey, just you can tell me what's going on with, XYZ, well. You know I can't, tell you that well. Why not it's, and there's. This expectation of the relationship really hasn't changed so how you we set all those boundaries. And. Keep a critical network intact for, some leaders can, just be. Frustrating. And confusing and. And. You. Then make two mistakes they, do it extremely so. They really become a different person or they don't do it at all and they. Stay the buddy and then. Their ability to exert authority their, ability to make hard decisions they're, going to make decisions that affect people, I don't want to be affected by them is impaired. Later and so, finding, the balance of how to reset, the boundaries while, keeping relationships intact. That, are now different, is. An, art form and it can be done there are ways to do it but if no one says to you hey, you need to go sit down with the people who used to be your peers who now report to you and have the following conversation with them or you, need to go sit down with the people who used to report to who are now peers to you and have the following conversation with them so that everybody goes oh yeah, this is different now and now I know the new rules, so. Those. Are just some illustrative, looks at, the. Landscape on the way up and the landscape once you land on the new planet. Like. I said before the great news was. There. Were there were predictable, things that those that actually stuck the landing and, thrived did, when. They landed that can be learned so here these were the four things that the exceptional, leaders did. We. Call them choice. Context. Connection, and breadth I mean I'll talk about each of them individually, so. Breath. These, were the folks that were able to, move. Out of a narrow swim lane their discipline, whether it was a business unit or a functional, functional. Discipline like finance or marketing and see, the bigger picture they. Were able to understand, how the pieces of the organization, fit together they knew that it was really at the seams of. The organization that actual transformation and change happened so they can go from playing first chair to conductor they could build bridges between people if they, grew up in finance. They didn't sealable economically, or they grew up in marketing, they didn't see the world through consumer so they grew up in YouTube, they didn't see the world through just video they.
Could Actually now begin to broaden how. The. Organization came together the broader, your info it's an organization the, more you have to bring pieces together and see it as a whole for, some leaders who only could say in their swimlane and see the world through the now lens they strut, they big kami but struggle. To see how peripheral, how they fit to a bigger story these, leaders instantly, knew I fit to a bigger story here I should want to know what that story is and they went they went and found out, they. Were able to you, know if there was factions, or, conflict. Or border wars among groups. They'd bring those people together rather than rather than running around and negotiating, they would bring people together to force them into conversations, that, built relationships. So. Brett's stitch. The seams. Around. You bring people together in. In, in, interconnection. And rather, than rather. Than letting them be pulled apart ask yourself, where are their disconnects. And among. The groups I'm in or leading how, do I bring them together for, too many leaders the, failure rate was issue of just ignoring they, would aim their influence, at one group at the expense of others and actually, make the division worse. Context. So. These. Were the leaders that were curious, they. Came in and started, asking what. Is it I have to adapt about, my ideas or my my approach to, fit in with this organization just, enough to, be influential they didn't go native. But. They, realize, realize, that there's this our environment, has as much to change in me as I have to change in them so if I thought I had some mandate, I didn't, just go impose it I I, learned, I adapted, I read the tea leaves I asked, myself outside, what. Influences. Or trends or technologies, or disruptions, are coming my way what, do I have to anticipate what. Could be, unforeseen. By me now that I should know about, they, were innately. Curious. About. The, people around them and and, the business that they were in so so.
In. Your case ask yourself, of all, the ways Google competes, what's. The actual contribution, and value my team creates right, I know what my tasks, are I know what my deliverables, are but how do I contribute, to the bigger story how, do I fit, in to, the context, of Google, these. Leaders would, start with those questions, the, fail the failed leaders would stop assuming, the answer they had was the answer that everybody else needed and so. Being. Brilliant being smart. Was, more. Important to them than learning so. Really, the environment around you and. Don't be, resist. The need to be constrained by near-term results, actually, set your sights on longer to learn, as. Much as it is difficult when other people are pressuring you to learn to stay focused, on longer-term outcomes. So. Choice. Desist. Turns out decision-making. Was. A major. Impediment. For some leaders in terms. Of being able to disappoint. People leadership. Is the ability to disappoint, people at a rate they can absorb, so. If you're somebody who says, yes too much because you want to please people or, you don't want to deal with the rejection of of. People, being angry at you for disappointing. Them you. Leadership, will be hard but. Narrowing. The focus of a group we, how. Many of you have ever said or. Thought, I have just enough priorities. Nobody. How many of you have said we have too many priorities right. We, all feel overworked, overstretched, unfocused. So, what's. The alternative my only choice is okay, whatever, you're screaming about today that's what's important that's. The priority not. I'm clear, on the three, things that are the most critical, the. Other things I can let go I know where to make my trade-offs these. Leaders could not only themselves but help those they lead make, the hard trade-offs and they. Narrowed, the focus of the people to just a few things to do them with excellence, nobody. Wants to come to work and feel like I. Get to do a bunch of things mediocre. But. But by given the number of priorities. Or the urgent thing dujour that, you bring up I have no capacity to. Understand. What's really important, these. Leaders could construct great choices they knew what data what. Intuition, and what. Other voices they should include to construct a great decision they weren't overly cowboy, like and independent. And they weren't overly false, consensus, driven where I want to make sure everybody feels included, when. I don't really need to include them how many of you have ever been in a meeting or part of a decision where, you show up and the leader starts talking about a decision that you can already tell they've already made.
We. Call that fellow inclusion. Um. Those, leaders get found out right, so you're. Sitting there thinking really. You're. Gonna make me do this fake dance with you watch, the. Consumer. Electronics CEO, was. Having a regular check-in with him one. Day and his. Assistant. Bust him and said hey Chad's here do you want to see him and so. He said yes and I'm and I said you want me to step out he said no no so, in walks, Chad their IT had tattooed, and pierced everywhere. And. Walked. Up and I I. See, my client Barry pull out a file, and. I'm. Like oh this is gonna be boring so I just take out my phone I started dissociating but I'm he's dropping and. Barry. Says hey I sent this IT capital, plan to the board I just want to make sure before. I sit into the board I want to make sure you're okay with what I've committed to for technology. Next year. Well. I don't hear Chad saying anything. So. I come up peek up and Chad's got this really contorted, look on his face and. He. Says well. I. Don't even know what you asked me Barry I I, know, you already said enough and I said it to the board yesterday so. What. If you ask me to be okay with it fine but don't, ask my opinion I something very decided to do. And. He left and I, could see Barry's neck getting all red and he turns to me he goes do you see the kind of disrespect, I said whoa whoa whoa, Barry. What. Is it you think just happened here uh yeah. I'm a CEO of this no. No no no Barry, my script says he got caught he. Called. You you. Were trying to pull over his eyes and make him think he was part of something he wasn't and you got caught for it my script says your next line is I'm sorry. He. Gave you a gift he. Gave me the belief that he trusted your relationship, enough. To tell you the truth you. Will your, next, move, is to walk down the hall and apologize. Not. To, be all up in arms here like you got you weren't the one that got offended here was and. They. Went on to have a great relationship but. If you can't make the hard choices honestly, to the people you have to make them too and let the chips fall where they may leadership, won't, be easy for you because sometimes, it means saying this is what needs to be done or no. We're not going to do that or this. Needs to be done and I'm sorry it's gonna take some heck rifice we. Can't call that from our people and model, it ourselves, decision-making. Especially. When, your decisions. Affect resources, priorities, people, sense of importance, how they spend their time how, they discretionary. How they use their discretionary, influence, if.
They, Feel jacked around. Your. Ability. To be influential is gonna be impaired so, this was a hard one one, of the interesting things we found about. When. People had power and their roles was, that peope. We. Would find the, Harvey Weinstein's of the world the we, find people misusing, power for self gain and self-interest, and immoral reasons they were there that, was not nearly. The. Abuse of power as much. As it was people abandoning, power, people. Were too afraid to use it they let go of it and that, and we need to see that as that. As as much of an abuse of power as self-interest. Is. Self-protection if you're. Too uncomfortable, using power don't, take it. But. If you can't exercise, power to make things more just to, make things more fair to make things more clear to make things more compelling, for people then, decision-making will be a struggle and. The. Last, dimension. Was. Connection. So these were lay these were the people everybody. Wanted to work for so how many of you have leaders that you have seen this as that I wish I could work for her or him boss right, so the, it's. Those people so. They're they're trustworthy they're compelling, they're, credible, they're respected, but, then one of the major differentiators, was, that everybody believed. That they were out to make other people successful, that. The thing on their agenda highest. In relationship, was how do I help you succeed one, guy in, our study said he asked everybody three questions he. Asks first what, can I do to improve to be a better colleague to you. Second. What are you working on that's really important. And three what can I do to help with that really important thing and he. Did for a decade, this was his mantra, and everybody knew it and everybody knew he meant it and so. The, the interesting, differentiate, it was I'm was I didn't build my stakeholder. Network and focus on relationships, that I could get something from I focused. On building relationships with and this, was peers direct reports and bosses. All 360. How. Do I make other people successful not politically, but, because I generally enjoyed watching other people thrive I genuinely, enjoyed, watching how, I make other people soar and this was a Nate to who these folks were and. That's. How they maintained their relationships, and that's how they built credibility and respect so you can see Bret's. Context. Choice connection, therefore, really. Powerful. And big muscles and why, it was hard to say you. Got to be good at all four. But. If you. Want to succeed and, be influential, on the way up and and. Navigate. Those land mines on the way up and navigate, the disorientation, of being higher you. Can learn these now, for. Context. Start asking questions around well, how, you can be adapting. Or to the environment you're in for Bret's ask what, seems can I bridge, what, seems do I sit at but, I can I can learn I can connect.
Better To for, a choice ask yourself, how, comfortable am i am I saying know how. Comfortable am i disappointing, somebody for, the right thing and for, connection ask yourself, do the people in your network. Understand. You to be somebody who's out to make them successful if. Somebody went and asked on your behalf what's, it like to work with you would they say oh they had my back. So. You can start now to, build these capabilities and and, layer, them into your leadership so that as you become, more influential and one day when you have a CEO of Google or a CEO of some other company here. You, can have the impact you want to have and make the difference you want to make and be successful oh, thanks. And. So. We'll, do Q&A over time time some questions so what what. Do you I know more about and. There's. A microphone in the corner there so but please go use that microphone, to. Ask. Your question. Hey. So I, actually first, of all thank you very much for coming this is, kostik right, I actually have two, questions, cool. The. First is I guess I was a little confused between, how, to distinguish between the. Context. Source. Of power and the breath source. Of power they both seem to be about. Having. A an. Understanding, of the bigger picture and, elaborating. Their so I was hoping you could elaborate on yeah I'm sort of what makes those unique great questions. Context. Is depth. So. It's deep and breadth, is wide so. Context. Is about what's, happening, right now in. Front of me that I need to adapt to breath. Is the. Puzzle so all the puzzle pieces are how they fit together so. If. I'm in YouTube what is YouTube fit to the broader Google, strategy what, what's the bigger story were part of context. Is what, are they what's Vimeo doing. That. I need that I need to care about right, now in, my job got, it and having both simultaneously, will allow you to yes, well, and and something that's a great point it's all four of them simultaneous, right because if me to act upon that question I have to have the relationships to do it I have to make the hard choices to make it happen so. These are four things this is one thing with four parts not four things that's. What makes it tricky and. I. Guess the second, question is you.
Mentioned Earlier, on about all the different pitfalls, and those who had established. Poor. Relationships. If somebody has walked, down that path and has. Sort. Of a negative reputation. Preceding. Them have. In your experience, are they able to turn, it around by learning the skills or should, they be moving for great questions yes. They can and and. If you're in the same environment that, you already expect people to be looking at you a certain way you have to confront that you, have to say I understand, you all see, me from this experience I'm asking. You not to and I'm. Asking you let me earn my right to regain your credit your trust and respect, if. I don't do that I want to be told but, I want to be in assert to proven guilty so can you give me the give, me the suspension. Of disbelief allow. Me to succeed here and. You have to ask for it thank. You. Thank. You for coming would. You mind sharing some of the things that you found either most. Surprising. Or the. That, seemed to be most counterintuitive about, your research great question thank you. The. Power thing really took us off-guard that people. That the biggest abuse of it was abandoning, it that. People, are more cowardice, and they are as, I say asshole assholes, then. We have those but they just and sometimes. The reason for the cowardice was so that I avoid being seen as a jerk which. But. You took the job, you. Have always these see letters next to your name now but. I think people are not trained to, understand. That power, is a great thing you. Don't have to be self-indulgent with it but you have the ability to make to. Create justice you, can you can take things that are not fair or not right and make them right and you, that should be exciting to you. So. I that, surprised me because. Why would you want the job the, other thing that surprised us that I didn't like I told you is before us I hated that you had to be good at all four of these, because. I I don't feel good at all for them right so how do i I didn't feel good about telling others to do it and. So I really, wanted it to be true that the good ones who rise up could do three of the four of these and have a couple of rough, edges on one of them and and. The truth is some of us to do right. The. Other thing that surprised me was. Anybody. Here from HR, I'm. Gonna say better so but I'll pretend so, so, many of the devices of the early. Failure. Issues are HR, processes. Selection. Reward development, all the press and I was surprised. Because. I come out of HR at, some point micro I spent time there I was, surprised. Now well, we could fix the way we're fixing them, so. I was did I was frustrated, and exasperated, by that. Thanks. For the question I. Just. Had a question. Were. Did. The, research suggests that like people, were self-aware. Of their, gaps in these four dimensions, or was. It sort of like they. Didn't realize it until after. They had completely failed and that sort of thing I so wish I could answer the question with yes. They were but they weren't I mean, so that young man, who. I told you I got the phone call about his. Failure was context, he, had a failure of just not reading the tea leaves around him he got so overwhelmed with, the. The, complexity, of his job he, just ignored, it. Not, because he couldn't have learned it because no one told him to and, so. It was usually, to your question after the fact. And, and so often, familiar when we talked to some of the failure cases. Over. And over with why didn't someone tell me if, I, had known they were frustrated with my my. Frustration, with them because I weren't taking my good idea I could have changed right. People just backed away he didn't say anything, I tell. Leaders all the time if. You went to a dinner party with a significant, other and you decided to leave early and your significant other turns to you in the car and says honey. All. Night. What. Might your question be. You. Tell me now. We. All have, things hanging off our behavior we can't see get, it on the conversation you, should want to know and so you should always be asking how, could I do better what am i doing that's frustrates you what, can I improve if you just, ask. For the feedback and, don't. Wait till it's too late. You. Can ask today, you can leave here today go, to somebody and say get. What's, the thing we're talking about on my nose that no one's telling me about and. Find. A colleague that's honest enough to tell you. All. Right Ron we've got a question from the, livestream, audience oh cool. So. The, question is around how do you get business, people who are the agents of change here, to, actually abide by these recommendations.
Give, Them my phone number. Have. A chat with them you. Know it's here's the painful question if you, don't look at these four so. We were very humbled and honorably HBR, name this is one of the ideas that mattered most in 2016, when, we publish this research we were not we had hundreds, of thousands our website, was almost crashing because, people were like yes. But. If you don't recognize the cell evident. Obvious. This yes that's what I should do then you you don't, believe it right but, but the question I would ask is okay so if it's not these then. What what. If you don't think that these other standards are being able to be influential 2700, my study wasn't enough okay, oh my, disbelief you tell me what they are you. Tell me what are the success factors that you want to abide, by or apply. To, your own behavior, or pursue. To, be successful and then show me who else has. Been successful, with them that's. What I would ask. But. Otherwise, my. Question would be if you're rising, up with influence and you're rising up to. Want. To have broader change, what. Standards are you using. If. You're, making it up as you go if you're. Thinking I'm all that and a bag of chips and I've already arrived and I have what I need you're dangerous. Right. What. Recommendations do, you have for seeking, out mentorship, and coaching. Do. It. So. Except that's a very personal issue right so, you. You want a relationship that's mutually beneficial you don't want someone to clone themselves in you. And. And. I think those are different I think mentorship is a much more intimate ongoing, relationship. Coaching. Should start with feedback if. You're going to hire a coach please make sure they're trained, and certified and not somebody who somebody said hey you get good advice you should be a coach, they. All hang shingles out it's bad the. Industry. Become this terrible. People out there just dispensing. Advice because someone told them their mother was the mother told him that you're so smart. So. Make sure somebody's got some clinical training and some behavioral science training and knows what they're coaching. You in and. Get. Feedback, I hired. A coach two years ago for me. And. People like at this point you career I know you're partying it's too late but. It's never too late and I'm like. I've thought for two years was why did I wait so long. Help. Is so good I mean, none, of us can do this alone and if, you think, you can. Please, don't lead anybody. So, the, idea of getting help and having somebody we, are notoriously bad, observers, of our own reality we don't have good third eyes so. Having another set of eyes on you and how you function in the world and how others experience, you even, if you have people being in it getting in your face and being honest still, to have an objective third party tell, you here's, who you are to the world now, that's not what you want to be to the world here so you can change that what, a gift and the, earlier, you do it the better mmm, I tell. Every one of my clients who run big departments, or companies I want, you have to have if I'm gonna be your coach I want to know and I want the name of your therapist, your. Personal trainer and your nutritionist. You. Is, a foursome, there, you, should not be running tens of thousands of people and bones, at hours of budgets without, at, least if not, more those four things around you. Hi. Thanks for coming yeah. According, to the study a majority, of people didn't. Have all four hence, the failure rate was. The for. The people who have three out of four was there a normal distribution or did you see that one particular. Quadrant, was just really, hard for, people to this is such a great question so. Context. And connection. Caused, faster, failure. So. The, so, in the 18-month, window the. Six-month failures were all fairies of connection and specifically. Peers, and rec reports. Could. Pull, the plug on your career quicker than anybody bosses.
Were A little bit out of sight, context. Was you. Just you you you went up to up to your obtuse right. Interesting. About choice and breath was the. Failures, came later because here's why so if your company sucks at decision making and then, your governance structures are not unclear and either, it's either all false consensus, or all cowboy you'll blend right in people, won't know you're stuck a decision making and if. Your company sucks at breath meaning it's very fragmented, very siloed a very individualistic, and very piecemeal, you'll, fit right in, the, problem becomes is. After, you trying to fight that right so if you're trying to introduce better decision making because you're good at and they're not or you're trying to bridge the seams. You'll. Build, it and you get resist it and no one else is on that say mission you fail but slower. Hey, hi I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on how to build trust. And relationship, to get some of that honest feedback yeah I'm just just asking, how do you actually get the real answer, so, you have to commit. To other people's success right, and, and find a couple people find a couple of peer coaches or get a smoker and say hey can, we have each other's backs here and and, there are some great tools out there come to our come to our website we've got some great tools. To. Offer on, how. Are we gonna learn to give each other feedback and how are we gonna learn to. So in this meeting I'm about to give this presentation or in this meeting I'm about to go do this can you watch for the following things, it, takes courage to ask but, if you find people with whom you have the, colleagues, if. You don't have the trust there then, say then ask them what would it take for us. Over the next few months to build the kind of trust with each other because, and just say I've observed your insights how you seen someone work has a lot to offer I love your feedback and I recognize that maybe right now we. Don't have that relationship but however the next 90, days can. We do that lunch, once a week but, but be intentional, about it and people appreciate that, but be very those. Relationships, are made not born. Yeah. Guys. Thanks so much for having me it's been great to be with you enjoy your holiday. You.
2018-02-01