Leadership tips from business masters

Diana Tremblay, Vice President of General Motors

“Don’t think because you’re a leader that you have all the answers. You should make sure you’re spending as much time listening, if not more, than talking. And make sure that you’re not afraid to ask for help if there are things you don’t know – I can guarantee there are things you don’t know. It’s OK to reach out and ask for help, and allow those people that have that expertise to contribute. You don’t have to know it all because you’re the leader.”

“Use meetings to find weak spots, not to trade updates. I’m a strong believer in efficient communication, so I ask my teams to share all the relevant presentation materials with me before each meeting. In general, I’ve found that meetings are among the worst formats for sharing information. They’re best when they’re kept short. I try to get all the facts lined up before the meeting and use the meeting itself for discussion, debates, and decision making. That way we can use the time together to look for weaknesses in our strategy or line of thinking.”

“I insist that people on the Birchbox team indicate when they need a response in all emails. It makes prioritization so much faster.”

Tony Scherba, President and Founder of Yeti

“Your team can tell if you’re hiding something. It makes them uncertain or suspicious, both of which you don’t want. Lay out the rules of the game as you see them with your team. Let the team know where they are; work on a plan to go forward. Keep individuals up to date on their status as it relates to the group. All this forces you to have and share your vision, which is what makes you a great leader in the first place.”

“You must pull everybody together around a strategy to implement that compelling vision. Have a really clear plan for delivering it, one with really clear performance metrics so that everybody knows what they are. That way, in the areas where you’re not on plan, everybody can work together. That’s about the relentless of implementation.”