At age 20, Todd Wilson (now President of Exponential), joined the Nuclear Navy. What he learned there were some of the top leadership lessons anyone could glean.
Todd shares his top five learnings with us, and shares how his experience in the nuclear navy shaped his thinking about leadership development and multiplication with Exponential and beyond.
Welcome to Episode 183 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Guest Links
Todd on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | toddwilson.org | exponential.org
CNLP 111: How to Find Your True Calling – An Interview with Exponential’s Todd Wilson
Links Mentioned
Rethink Leadership in Atlanta Georgia, April 25-27th 2018
The Canadian Church Leaders Conference, Barrie Ontario, June 14-16th 2018
TrainedUp Use coupon code CAREY and receive 10% off for life!
3 Insights from This Episode
1. Leaders need to know how to manage in addition to leading
Decades ago, churches seemed to operate with a greater focus on management more so than in today’s current climate. But has the switch to leadership-based systems created a generation of leaders who no longer know how to manage? It’s as if a formula has been defined that implies management and leadership are inversely proportional – “the more you lead, the less you manage” and “the more you manage the less you lead.” But it shouldn’t be a matter of either/or. A great leader has the ability to do both.
2. Risk equals the probability of something happening times the consequences of something happening
Often organizations get consumed with problems and consequences – frozen by a what if way of thinking that loses sight of what the realistic worst case scenarios actually are.
Risk equals the probability of something happening multiplied by the consequence of it happening. So, if you have something that has super high probability, the consequence may not be high risk. But when probability and consequence are both high – that’s when it’s time to pay attention to things.
Consider adopting this Risk = Probability X Consequence formula into your leadership practices. Avoiding a hyper-cautious, worrisome mindset could be empowering for your team.
3. 6 Keys to Avoiding Outcome Based Leadership
- No news isn’t necessarily good news.
- Know the difference in these 2 approaches: Assume it’s wrong and prove it’s right vs Assume it’s right and prove it’s wrong.
- Challenge assumptions and continuously ask why.
- Start with the end in mind.
- Know what’s actually going on vs how things should be going on.
- Understand the why by working on causes, not the symptoms.
Quotes from This Episode
CNLP 183: Todd Wilson on Lessons from the Nuclear Navy and What the World’s Best Engineers Can Teach Church Leaders or Any Leader About Leadership Click To Tweet CNLP 183: Todd Wilson on Lessons from the Nuclear Navy and What the World’s Best Engineers Can Teach Church Leaders or Any Leader About Leadership Click To Tweet CNLP 183: Todd Wilson on Lessons from the Nuclear Navy and What the World’s Best Engineers Can Teach Church Leaders or Any Leader About Leadership Click To Tweet CNLP 183: Todd Wilson on Lessons from the Nuclear Navy and What the World’s Best Engineers Can Teach Church Leaders or Any Leader About Leadership Click To TweetThe podcast releases every Tuesday morning
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Next Episode: Brian Houston
In a candid, personal and powerful conversation, Brian Houston talks about how Hillsong attracts and keeps great leaders, how he stays healthy as a leader, how he battled back from burnout a few years ago, and even shares his message prep process with us.
Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 184.
