People are interested in what you do, not what you say

Q. You’ve had a very interesting career as you’ve worked in very different fields. So if you have to pick up one key leadership learning in each one of those stages, what would they be?
A. In my first job, I spent three decades as a US Navy pilot. I learnt early on that the most important thing was to be authentic because in the military if you are a pilot, you are not going to have a wingman unless they trust you. I let the men and the women know that I was privileged to lead them and that I was interested in their personal & professional development and welfare. That was fundamental. In my second career, which was in higher education, I learnt the value of listening. It was very different in context and culture than the military and it was about showing respect to men and women, particularly faculty members who spent 30 years in a business school or a medical school. The most important thing I did there was I considered myself to be the Chief Listening Officer. In my current r