Keith Ferrazzi: Leading Without Authority
Keith Ferrazzi is the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a management consulting and team coaching company that works with many of the world’s biggest corporations. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Keith rose to become the youngest CMO of a Fortune 500 company during his career at Deloitte, and later became CMO of Starwood Hotels.
Keith is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fortune and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who’s Got Your Back* and Never Eat Alone*. He’s the author of the new book, Leading Without Authority: How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent Collaboration*.
In this conversation, Keith and I discuss the importance of co-elevation in leadership. We also explore the six deadly sins that leaders should avoid — and discuss why it’s all on you, especially at the start.
Key Points
Six deadly excuses leaders should avoid:
- Ignorance: there’s no excuse to sit back and do nothing.
- Laziness: do not abdicate your responsibility to lead.
- Deference: beware hiding the truth just to defer to the organizational chart.
- Playing the victim: avoid running away or resigning to self-pity.
- Cowardice: if someone scares you, it’s probably an opportunity to grow.
- Indulgence: stop indulging resentments as they often hold back your career and limit personal and professional success.
Resentment leaves us blind and powerless; it’s been compared to drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.
Book Notes
Download my highlights from Leading Without Authority in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
- The Choice for Compassion, with Edith Eger (episode 336)
- How to Motivate Leaders, with John Maxwell (episode 452)
- How to Create Great Relationships, with Colleen Bordeaux (episode 455)
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.
