In this prescient episode, Scott Allen, Principal of S & J Allen, LLC, shares how he has helped thousands of leaders from surgeons to service man and women to students focus on the most important things so they can help their team succeed. If you feel like you’re struggling to keep up, overwhelmed by technology or even just curious about the future of leadership, you won’t want to miss this episode!
You will discover:
– The first step to becoming the best leader you can be
– The hidden task list for leaders who succeed
– The number one leadership challenge the naval war college is working to overcome and what that means for you
Episode Transcript
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, hello and welcome, welcome, once again to the secrets of the high demand coach podcast. And here with us today is the one and only Scott J. Allen, PhD, who is an award winning educator passionate about working with people at all levels and across industries. He teaches at SMU Cox school of business executive education and spent more than 18 years as a professor of management. His areas of expertise include leadership development, the future of work and executive communication. Scott has published over 60 peer reviewed articles and book chapters, and is frequently a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator across industries. He was named an ILA fellow by the International Leadership Association in 21 and he’s here with us today. Scott, I’m excited about this show. I think in the next year, 15 minutes or so, we can completely and utterly tackle the topic of leadership in the age of AI, are you ready?
Scott Allen
Yes, 15 minutes. Probably too much time. Too much time.
Scott Ritzheimer
So out of the gate here, I want to kind of unpack where we are, where we’re going. What would you say are some of the core attributes of a really great leader, and how are they evolving in the digital age?
Scott Allen
Okay, so first of all, Scott, great name. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it to Scott’s talk. I love it. Okay, great leader. Big Question. Big question. I’m going to give you a couple considerations for sure, especially as they relate to where we’re moving into seismic shifts we are experiencing, whether that’s supply chain, globalism and more now, regionalism, if we look to things like political unrest, if we look to things like work from home, five generations in the workforce, digitization, any number of different shifts that we’re confronting as leaders right now, fascinating time to lead. Absolutely fascinating time to lead. So as I think about the role of leader, and I think about specifically, digitization. First of all, I have a favorite quote. I don’t remember who said it, leaders are learners. So first of all, are you as an individual learning or do you have some level of tech literacy? Do you understand how some of these technologies enabling disruption, whether that’s sensor technology, artificial intelligence, 3d printing, drones, any number of these different technologies. Do you know how they are shifting the landscape? So do you have a level of tech literacy, and are you kind of exploring the margins of your industry? I don’t care what industry it is, whether it’s design, architecture, whether it’s insurance, whether it’s education, someone is trying to disrupt what it is you do, either your function or your business. So what’s happening in that landscape? How are you thinking about that? And do you have an organization filled with people, including yourself, who have an understanding of how these technologies are being leveraged and who’s trying to disrupt the space. So not only idea of knowledge, but are you exploring the margins? So if you’re in HR, what’s happening in HR tech, if you’re in education, what’s happening and what’s hot in ed tech, that’s an important question right now.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, one of the challenges that I’ve seen is, especially in line with this, is the world’s already moving really fast, and so there’s this element of like, we’re dealing with all these things, and then it just feels like and like, it feels like and more we’ve got to do like, not only do we have to, like, survive now, but like, we all have to, have to invent a new boat. You know, as we’re trading water, how do you help leaders to kind of flesh out just how to manage what’s coming and what we need to be focusing on with the current their current realities?
Scott Allen
Yeah, okay, so the CEO of Korn Ferry, it was a fascinating kind of phrase that I just love. He said that senior leaders today, they are focused on perform and transform, right? It’s a both, and it’s not an either or. It’s a both end you are performing and ensuring that the organization is successful today and you have an eye on transformation. So Stephen Covey, back in the day, you may have seen this, Scott the time management matrix, Stephen Covey’s Quadrant Two was that stuff that is important, but maybe not urgent. So I think for me, if you’re a senior leader in the organization, are you rigid about carving out some time for that learning, for that exploring the margins, for that conversation around transforming how the industry is transforming, how functions are transforming, how we as an organization need to transform. So I love that kind of we could call it a mantra. Perform and transform. What do I do? I ensure we perform today and I ensure that we are set up for success tomorrow. That’s a C level. That’s a C suite. That’s it should be on their radar. And I think there’s this kind of hidden task list for leaders. That’s one of them. Are you carving out on protecting that quadrant two time to help us transform as an organization. If you’re not, if just the day to day is consuming you, and you aren’t rigid about what to kind of take in and allow to consume your time and what to protect your time from, I think you know one of the most underrated skills of a leader is, what should we be letting go of, and what should we be saying no to? Well, right? Wow, that’s that’s critical. So perform and transform protecting that quadrant two time, if you’re not someone else is and you know what, they’re going to transform much more quickly than you, and you find yourself left behind.
Scott Ritzheimer
So you’ve mentioned time, a couple of times, and the functions that leaders are filling. How could you give us a couple examples of how you see that change? What’s the normal week of a leader look like? How’s that different? What’s the normal role of a leader? How’s that different?
Scott Allen
Okay, I’m gonna answer this, but maybe in a way that you’re not expecting. So if I go way off on the reservation Scott, say, Hey, Scott, pull it back. Okay, but here’s how I think about this. I think the role of a C level executive today is complex. It’s incredibly difficult. It’s not easy work. It’s just not so on any number of dimensions. I would say another one of those quadrant two activities is who are your thinking partners? Who are those individuals as a C level, individual you can turn to to help you make sense of what’s swirling on around you. And so I think something not on the daily task list of a leader. And again, I have this kind of this article, The Hidden tasks of a leader, the things you should be prioritizing, but maybe aren’t. Who’s your coach, who’s your thinking partner? Maybe it’s a psychologist, who’s that individual that’s helping you, or individuals helping you make sense of what we should be saying yes to, what we should be saying no to what should be a priority, what’s not a priority. Because I think the great leaders are really skilled at discerning what’s noise, yeah, what’s important and we should be keeping an eye on and if you’re not doing that work as a leader, Well, shit, anything goes. Sorry for swearing. Anything’s on the table, right? And you know, that’s a hard place to work for an individual that isn’t filtering that out. I had a leader the other day she said, You know what? I view my job as, kind of just moving balls to different places, and sometimes moving the ball off the table. Yes, if you’re not doing that, who is and then anything goes. Everything kind of takes over the important stuff, the not important stuff, the stuff that’s gonna just help us perform today, but not transform. It’s it’s a it’s a free for all. So one really important skill of a leader is having that ability to discern that and ensuring that they have those thinking partners to help them. It could be their senior team help them discern what do we need to let go of? What do we need to say no to what’s not a priority now, but could be down the road.
Scott Ritzheimer
Wow, yeah, it’s so much harder work with teams all the time. We’re doing strategic planning. It’s like, yeah, we can do that, yeah, we can do that, yeah, we can do that. But you say, what are we not going to do? It’s like the whole world screeches to a halt. You know.
Scott Allen
Yes. And the great leader, the Great Leader helps to kind of prioritize that and sift that out and kind of create the timeline for that that’s realistic, so that we truly can transform with success.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, it’s so true. I want to kind of segue off of that a little bit. We’ve had a number of folks, especially recently, who have come on the show and have talked about AI, and virtually every guest has pointed in some way, shape or form, to the productivity that’s gained by AI. Right? We can get more done. The challenge that I have is in many ways, yes, more productivity is helpful, and yes, we’re gonna need more productivity to to succeed. But as leaders, I don’t necessarily see lack of productivity as being one of our challenges. But to some extent, and Different people use different language for this, but a lack of peace, right? Just an understanding and that quietness to be able to say, Hey, this is what we can do, because discerning the noise when it’s all at a. You know, 11 out of 10 is really hard. How can we as leaders find that place again, whatever noun you want to use for that, but that place of peace, where we can really make our best decisions?
Scott Allen
Yeah, it’s a it’s a great, great question. It’s another item on that to do list, that hidden task list, which is, I had a couple conversations recently Scott that have kind of stood out to me, so I’ll turn to a couple of those. One I had a I have a podcast as well. And so I had the three faculty members from the Naval War College on, and I said, oh, so, you know, kind of not knowing. I said, So what’s kind of hot right now with the Naval War College, what are you all thinking about? And they said, spiritual readiness. And I was like, whoa, what do you mean here? So explain that to me. And they said, Well, you know what? We know that these soldiers, these sailors, are going to be physically fit. We know that they are going to know their job. But are we developing the whole person, and are we developing an individual who is spiritually ready? Regardless of the flavor of spirituality, we don’t care that their family is intact, they, as a human being, are whole. Yeah, because we’re putting them into some very, very challenging situations. And in the military, it’s called a moral injury. You put someone in theater and they’re being asked to do things that they might not normally want to do, and you get these things called Moral injuries. So when they happen, is that person whole? Are they as whole as they possibly can be? So are we arming this individual? Physical fitness, diet, faith, family? Are we arming them in a different way than we would think about arming them? Yeah, so for me again, if we’re not, if you’re not prioritizing that time, carving out that time, another conversation I had recently this this individual, she said, you know, people are just time starved, and people are coming into my programs exhausted, and yes, I mean, if we allow it to be, that, it will be, yeah, so I think it has to be a priority, finding that time of peace, carving out that quadrant two time again. If we don’t, I think it’s going to be difficult to be the best version of yourself. And if you’re not the best version of your self, and others are in your care, well, whatever shows up, shows up. And you’ve worked for that person, Scott, who wasn’t the best version of they were stressed out, tired, maybe a little bit of an alcoholic, their family was in shambles. How are they going to do it, leading the team? Not Well, yeah. So if you’re not whole, and that’s what the Naval War College, literally is thinking about right now, if you’re not whole, what are you bringing to the table as a leader? And How sustainable is that if you’re not whole? So I think from a sustainability standpoint, finding that peace, prioritizing that time, whatever that is for you, it’s critical.
Scott Ritzheimer
Scott, there’s a question that I ask all my guests. I’m interested to see what you have to say. What would you say is the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret at all. What’s that one thing you wish everybody watching or listening today knew?
Scott Allen
Well, I have a favorite quote when it comes to this topic of leadership, who you are is how you lead. And I have done whole day sessions on that one quote because it’s fascinating. There is a whole world underneath that quote. And at the risk of kind of sounding a little bit like a broken record, hopefully some of this repetition is kind of like filtering through to listeners. Who you are is how you lead. So who are you? What’s underneath that quote? That’s your personality, that’s your level of maturity, that’s your knowledge about leading. So I work with individuals all the time who’ve been placed in positions of authority leadership, and they know virtually nothing about the activity of leading others, right? It’s kind of like what happened when we became parents. I read half of you know What to Expect When You’re Expecting, put it down, and then my kids get whatever shows up, right? Yeah, the good, the bad, the ugly. That is your emotional intelligence, that’s your tolerance for stress, that’s your tolerance for risk. I mean, it’s multifaceted. Who you that’s your values, that’s all aspects of you. So again, are you the best version of you? If others are in your care, and I come across a lot of individuals who are not the best version of themselves. It’s not sustainable. So I wish leaders knew that that’s like rule number one, step number one, if leaders, if I prioritize that space of personal growth, personal development, having things. Banking partners arming themselves, they’re more likely to be successful. And arming themselves also means that that leaders are learners, that knowledge to learn this new role of, how do I inspire others? What are the frameworks of decision making? What are navigate? Ways to navigate time management? You have to be an expert in all of that, in this new realm of leading others. So are you learning a little bit every day? Is that a priority? I have a book right now, Scott, I’m reading four pages a day. That’s all I can get to but you know what? When I tried to read it before bed, I fell asleep. I wasn’t getting through any books. Now, I read books four pages a day. I usually think six or seven, but I only hold myself accountable to four, and it’s just bite sized little bits of micro learning each and every day. So are you the best possible version of yourself? And if you’re the best possible version, if others are in your care, you’re more likely to be successful. That for me is task number one. It would come to leading others, whether you’re a parent, whether you’re a coach, teacher, leader?
Scott Ritzheimer
Yes, so true, Scott. There’s some folks listening to this and you just your questions that they’ve not considered things that they know, that they’ve needed to focus on for a while, but they want to learn more. How can they find more out about you, your speaking and the work that you do?
Scott Allen
Great? Scottjallen.net scottjallen.net that’s where I live on the web, and then LinkedIn. Scott J, Allen on LinkedIn, would love to connect. I write a lot about leadership, communication, future of work. It’s I’m so thankful that I have found this topic. I have jet fuel for like you, and it’s just an endless well, because it’s fascinating, how do we better prepare people to serve in these really challenging roles? Fun puzzle.
Scott Ritzheimer
Wonderful. I would highly recommend it had a chance to stock Scott’s website leading up to the show. It’s just some fantastic information on Azure. Great articles. Podcast is fantastic. Check it out. Scottjallen.net and Scott, thank you so much for your time. Thanks for being on the show. Really an honor and privilege having you here. And for those of you watching and listening, you know your time and attention mean the world to us. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I know I did, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care. Thank you Scott, be well.
Contact Scott J. Allen
Scott J. Allen, Ph. D., is an award-winning educator passionate about working with people at all levels and across industries. He teaches at SMU’s Cox School of Business Executive Education and spent more than 18 years as a professor of management. His areas of expertise include leadership development, the future of work, and executive communication. Scott has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is frequently a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator across industries. He was named an ILA Fellow by the International Leadership Association in 2021.
Want to learn more about Scott Allen’s work at S & J Allen, LLC? Check out his website at https://www.scottjallen.net/ or connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-j-allen/
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