I recently read an interview with Lew Cirne, CEO of New Relic. What struck me was his candor about how being in tune with the emotional aspects of leadership are important characteristics of an effective leader, how he pr
ioritizes his time making sure he stays in touch with what nurtures him and how we ensures that he provides input to those things were he can make a difference. The level of self awareness he demonstrates in this interview are rare in most leaders and yet so critical to being an effective leader and mentor. How often do you set aside time for reflection? Who provides you with feedback? What do you do with that feedback?
Here are a few quotes from the article that were particularly striking:
- “I prefer small meetings. It’s really about my self-awareness and recognizing that I get de-energized and often lose focus and excitement when I’m in a large meeting…I have a table in my office. It has six chairs around it. And if the meeting is too big for that table, I won’t go to it unless its a board meeting.”
- “Most people would say that’s impossible for a C.E.O. to do, but I will book an innovation week months in advance. When I come back, some of my ideas are duds. You’ve got to be prepared for that. But some of those ideas have been fundamental to creating next acts for our company. And when I come back, I’m energized. I have a prototype to show people, and they’re motivated by seeing where our product is going. So that’s how I try to have an impact.”
- “One of the lessons is that, as a C.E.O., sometimes you can do a lot more harm than good coming into the office that day. So I try to be aware of where I’m at emotionally, and I ask myself whether I’m really going to be able to contribute energy to the company. If all you can do is criticize without offering solutions, maybe it’s best to just go for a long drive.”
To view the article click here