“Don’t be afraid to be the early adapter. Don’t be afraid to run with an idea.”
– Dennis McCauley
Strategies of Leadership welcomed two proven business leaders Mr. Dennis McCauley and Mr. Tom Arrix. Mr. McCauley was the former co-president of network sales and marketing for Univision Communications, a Spanish-language television network, while Mr. Arrix is the current vice president of sales in the U.S. for Facebook. Both gentlemen shared their personal experiences and the leadership techniques they thought were effective throughout their careers. Additionally, they supplied advice to our class on what it takes to be a successful leader, from the extent of leading oneself to leading a multinational company.
Mr. Arrix first discussed the importance of being your own individual leader and to “be intellectually curious.” Today, everyone is overly qualified and talented that the best way to separate yourself from your peers is to help management understand what type of person you are behind your job title. “It is important to become well-respected and well-known because you are not going to get to the next level, especially in the media business, if the people around you do not know you as a person, “ stated Mr. Arrix. “As people become more familiar with you, they get a better idea of what you plan on getting out of the job. Most importantly, why you are here and what gets you out of bed everyday,” he added. These are the type of characteristics employers look for. Treat everyday as an opportunity to meet someone new and to learn from them. Curiosity shows the environment around you that you care – a great individualistic leadership technique.
In understanding one another, a successful working environment is created and goals are reached. This understanding drives leadership throughout Facebook and all successful firms, teams, organizations, etc. Mr. McCauley mentioned, “You are never going to achieve greatness if you don’t have the right people onboard. You need people who are going to believe in your vision.” It is not always about having the most talented players, but the key to success at any level is having the right ones. Those are the people who will go the extra mile and have an appetite to learn. Those are the people all leaders want on their teams.
Both leaders agreed that the most important aspect of being a leader is finding the right people. The right people are the ones who have often times failed, but have learned from the failures. This is similar to our discussion on how the most effective leaders admit to their faults. Humbleness at the top creates an atmosphere of effective followers where innovation and creative thinking are encouraged. People are not scared of losing their job, but actually more focused on what they can do to make the place around them better. Mr. McCauley also mentioned that you want to hire people better than you and who are different than you. That will help make the working environment unique and enjoyable. What Mr. Arrix shared revealed that this is how things are done at Facebook and Mr. McCauley agreed. "When I walked into Facebook for the first time, I got that feeling that is was a great place," mentioned Mr. McCauley. From our discussions, Mr. McCauley and Mr. Arrix helped us under who they were as people. In doing so, they undoubtedly revealed their similarities to many of the other proven leaders we have studied throughout the semester.
Mr. McCauley concluded that proven leaders worked hard to become respected and that even though some people are naturally gifted with leadership skills, the best leaders are the individuals who observe, listen, and study the greatest leaders of past and present generations. Leaders are those who seek information to make themselves better every day. Everyone has their own inner leader, waiting to be cultivated, but it’s up to you to discover it through hard work and self-assessment.
“Leaders are people to be studied because you just don’t get that way. Leaders are the best learners and observers – they live everyday as an experience.”
