TLP268: The Science of Dream Teams

Mike Zani is the CEO of The Predictive Index, a company that allows recruiters to evaluate the cognitive abilities, personality traits, and behavioral tendencies of a potential employee to determine best fit. An avid sailor, Mike began his career in marketing and sales with Vanguard Sailboats and was a coach for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team. In this week’s episode, Mike shares his thoughts on the last 18 months, and the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants leadership style for constructive feedback. Listen in for Mike’s analogy regarding the front and back of a t-shirt!   Sponsored by...   Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Get   We help YOU enjoy the success we’ve already enjoyed. Free downloads of on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.   Key Takeaways [4:25] If you want a winning team, your leadership needs to be self-aware. [5:45] Every person wants to be managed differently. As leaders, it’s important to adapt to these different management styles. [7:45] With such a fast-paced world, leaders need to take a step back and slow down to build a winning team. [9:55] Mike has a background in geology and sailing, he shares what he’s learned in these two disciplines and how he leverages this to become a better leader. [12:15] Within 20 minutes, Mike could tell when a sailing team had a good or bad culture. [16:25] Mike shares a few of his shortcomings and how he’s had to adapt to this new normal in the last 18 months. [17:15] Mike describes the “front of the T-shirt and back of the T-shirt” analogy. [18:45] Under pressure, people go back to their native code. [20:25] Burnout is real. A lot of leaders have been keeping a positive face, but it’s hard to keep up after 18 months. [23:25] Leaders are the key drivers of culture, passion is one of the key pieces to driving that change. [26:00] You can’t explain or minimalize a problem away. The best way to tackle it is head-on. [28:45] Don’t wait around for the perfect strategy. [30:00] Mike offers advice on how best to give constructive feedback. [33:45] Mike shares a lesson he’s learned that’s made him a better leader. [34:55] Let go of your fear of failure and narrow your focus on what you can control. [36:35] Leadership is a lonely place, but it doesn’t have to be. You need to reach out to a peer group to source different perspectives. [38:40] Listener challenge: Work on the front of your T-shirt and the back of your T-shirt.   Quotable Quotes   “The culture and the mission need to be relevant to the type of people that you’re trying to recruit. If you want to attract world-class people, you have to relate to a culture and a mission that’s meaningful and real.”   “The onus is on a great leader to modify themselves.” “Do you want to win today or do you want to win long-term?” “Under stress, a lot of your ‘back of the T-shirt’ stuff rears its ugly head.” “The lack of passion leads to tragic disengagement.”   Resources Mentioned Sponsored by: . Connect with Mike: , and Buy Mike’s book: