Leadership goes beyond titles and positions. At this age, anyone can be a leader as long as they continuously inspire people to follow and exemplify the vision. In this episode, Denis and Douglas discuss the virtue of leadership and what it takes to be authentic amidst crises. Striking the balance between showing strength and vulnerability marks an effective leader and if this value is something one holds, it becomes a moral duty to share it with the world.

On April 20th, 2020, Douglas J Utberg was ascending the corporate ladder as director of the Program Management office at a prominent Technology company. He had just successfully crafted the enterprise security roadmap and influenced Accounting to modernize its project policies when he was abruptly terminated without cause and no notice by the new Chief Information Officer in the middle of the COVID-19 global Pandemic.

We are in need of more effective leaders in the world. Tune in as Denis and Doug share their insights on defining authentic leaders in this ever-changing world.

In this episode:

• Douglas shares his “Marvel character” backstory - being 20 years in corporate, the everything perfectly, and then suddenly getting fired.
• Anytime that you're not investing, you're not making money.
• The transition from corporate to entrepreneurship requires a drastic mindset change and readiness to face hurdles you may have never thought of.
• Leadership is about creating a vision and exemplifying it for people to follow. It’s all about value.
• Leadership calls for authenticity, but projecting fear may become detrimental. Balance shows strength and vulnerability.
• The title doesn’t make you a leader. Many people in the position of leadership are not leaders.
• As a real leader, you don’t care about your position or your title. Your concern is about how effective you are.
• Share your talents and abilities with the world. Keeping it to yourself is selfish.

Key Takeaways:

• The traditional hiring system wastes people’s time
• There is no such thing as a paid vacation in entrepreneurship
• Inspiring people to follow makes you a leader, regardless of your position
• Being a leader requires a balance of strength and vulnerability
• Nobody knows the future - anyone who tells otherwise is lying
• Leadership and positional authority are not related in any way
• People nowadays cannot stand nonsense any longer

Tweetable Quotes:

“Nobody can see around corners. The only people who say you need to be able to see around corners are people who at some point guessed and were right… Nobody knows the future… and anybody who tells you that they can is lying.” - Douglas J Utberg

“Leadership and positional authority are not related in any way, shape, or form. So you do not need anyone's permission to be a leader. The thing that defines whether you are a leader is whether people want to follow you. And the thing that defines whether you're a good leader is whether you are actively trying to create continual value for the people who are following you.” - Douglas J Utberg

“If you have talents and abilities that are of legitimate value to other people, you have a moral duty to bring that out to the world.” - Douglas J Utberg

Connect with Douglas on Facebook and LinkedIn. Check out his website and podcast Terminal Value.

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/