Welcome!

The mission of this newsletter is to provide you with a leadership advantage. We are sharing knowledge from our leadership workshops, podcast guests, research, trends, and experience.

Guests on our Keep the Line Moving Podcast talk about their commitment to becoming better leaders every day. The key to their successes is the extra work they do to be great – their plus some. This newsletter can be your plus some!

As the founder of the Gargano Leadership Group, we guide emerging leaders on their journeys and help optimize team cohesion and values. I coach group workshops for organizations and offer one-on-one coaching with emerging leaders while also teaching as an Adjunct Professor at New York University.

This week’s focus…

The number one topic that surfaces on Keep the Line Moving: The art of listening.

Here are some questions to ask ourselves when listening.

• What do you think about when you are listening to someone? Are you focusing on what the other person is saying?
• Are you trying to “win” the argument and frame what you are going to say, rather than truly listening?
• Can you block out external distractions like your phone?

See every conversation as an opportunity to gain insight and knowledge into what the person stands for and believes in. We always talk about how trust is the number one element to creating a solid work culture. We can create trust with someone we don’t know well by asking good questions, and listening and caring about their responses.  Here are some recent guests talking about the value of listening: Oak McCulloch, Meka White Morris, Matt Capurro.

Leadership observation…

Last week Bruce Bochy and the Texas Rangers won their first World Series title. This was not a surprise. I had the good fortune of working with Bochy at the San Francisco Giants for all three of the franchises titles in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14. He knows the game incredibly well, he defers credit, and always believes in his players and coaches.

Here is where his unique leadership comes into the picture. After the Rangers clinched the series, Fox Broadcaster Derek Jeter said this to Bochy during an interview:

“No one on your team ever talks about themselves. It’s a challenge when they come up here and we ask them questions about themselves and they start talking about everyone else on the team. How great is that as a manager, when the only thing they care about is winning on the field?”

Bochy’s answer: “It’s the only way you win, I think.”

He then went on to say that in Spring Training the message was to “play as one” and “ be selfless.” When Bochy says selfless, he means it.

This is an example of why he is only one of six managers to win four or more World Series Titles.

What we are working on…

Keeping the “play as one and be selfless” theme going, during a workshop that I facilitated last week, one of the main topics brought forth was people holding “mini meetings” after a department or a group meeting. Meaning the department meeting ends and then everyone leaves and meets in small groups on their own. If these mini meetings are to enhance the original meeting – great. If they are not, they could potentially undermine the leader and fracture the collective message.

Here are three points that we discussed in the workshop relative to avoiding these separate meetings and can possibly help you in the future:

1. Include Everyone. It’s important to create a culture where everyone has the chance to voice their opinion within the meeting. This could come down to calling on people or simply going around the table.
2. Be Transparent. The leader actually saying, “Let’s make sure to voice everything now so we don’t have mixed messaging later.
3. Trust is the Priority. Trust is created with connection. Leaving a meeting collectively on the same page creates organizational momentum and will bring people together. Again, when this doesn’t happen, everyone pays the price.

Lastly, we would love to know who you want to hear from on the podcast. If you know a leader and someone who can inspire us, please email our Marketing Coordinator, Savin Narwal at savinn@garganoleadership.com.

Savin is a critical thinker, researcher, writer and is beyond talented. She values people and is passionate about our goal – to help you become a better leader.

I want to thank all of you for following The Gargano Leadership Group!

Chris Gargano

Founder of The Gargano Leadership Group

#career #emergingleaders #leadership #inspiration #courage

How to Work with The Gargano Leadership Group:

If you lead people and want to maximize your impact and create better time management – The Gargano Leadership Group is here to guide you. Whether you are a senior executive or an emerging leader, we all need help with our self-awareness and to examine how we are leading. To book a call or get more information, email me at chrisg@garganoleadership.com.