Fostering Versatile Leadership EP05

Aggressive Balance with Dennis Morton

We are all called to be more flexible and innovative as leaders. In this episode, I am joined by Craig Reynolds, former CEO of Cigars International and current Senior Advisor to Scandinavian Tobacco Group, and his Executive Coach, Eleanor Lawrence of Human Dynamics, LLC and the Center for Creative Leadership. After engaging with Eleanor as a coach to address some self-identified internal weaknesses, Craig started to use the same tactics to intentionally develop high-potential leaders and ultimately identify his successor. Listen in to find out how Craig challenged his leadership team to not just run their departments but to run the business. In this episode, we dive in to the powerful idea of what we see in others and what others see in us.

In this episode, we dive in on:

• Defining leadership and what it takes to build a leadership culture within an organization.
• What it means to be a versatile leader and understanding how to manage in chaos.
• Diversity of thought and fostering an open environment where senior management is empowered to challenge the status quo.
• How to go beyond creating efficient groups to building functioning teams.
• Utilizing assessments to become self-aware of right- and left-brained tendencies to teach versatility and agility for executives.
• Identifying the difference between subject matter experts and high-potential people.
• Integrating executive teams when facing acquisitions and mergers and sustain trust in your leadership.
• Asking for feedback on impact and effectiveness as a leader.
• Quantifying trust in an organization and showing vulnerability as a leader.
• Allowing team members to respectfully challenge decisions.
• Expanding your thinking as a leader and pay attention to the surrounding "white space" that could better prepare your organization for the unexpected.
• Creating a leadership culture through routinely and systemically developing your executive team.
• Challenging a team of leaders to not just run departments but run the business through accountability and responsibility.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Speed of Trust by Steven M.R. Covey
• The Leader's Greatest Return by John Maxwell

For more about Craig Reynolds, connect with him on LinkedIn. Eleanor Lawrence can be reached at [e-mail] or on LinkedIn.

Connect with Dennis on LinkedIn or email [e-mail]. To learn more about Dennis and his team, visit www.mortonbrownfw.com.