From his service in the United States Marine Corps to Partner at Sikich, Robert Sawyer is constantly retooling his leadership skills. He credits this with his ability to build resiliency and become a “reader of people.” What employee doesn’t want to be better understood? Listen in as Robert shares how we can all be more effective in our leadership.
03:00 Meet Robert and hear how his time in the military influenced his leadership skills.
10:00 Robert’s inspiration for getting serious and finding a love for learning.
12:00 “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re not concerned about who’s getting the credit.” – Robert
17:00 Don’t confuse activity with results. “I learned how to read and understand people.” – Robert
20:00 How can we be more effective leaders? Learn how to ask more skillful questions. “Take an honest evaluation of what you don’t know, but don’t be afraid of that.” – Robert
22:30 “People are looking for guidance.” Robert explains the similarities between leading in the Marines and leading workplace teams.
25:30 Brandon and Robert discuss how to navigate workplace politics. Risk vs. gamble.
28:30 Robert reminds us that resilience can become hard-headedness if you let it. Find mentors that help “keep you on the road” and are not billboard distractions.
32:00 Robert’s Leadership Hack: Learn when to turn it off (notifications, email, alerts, etc.). Understand you have 3.5 days to get true work done, so frontload your week from Monday afternoon – Thursday at Noon.
Show Resources:
- Check out new books from our founders including “Essential Wisdom” by Randy Hain and “The Author vs. Editor Dilemma” by Brandon Smith here.
- Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Leadership Foundry Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.
