Leaders get stuck inside a box of their own perceptions. They struggle to see things from other people's point of view and this hinders them from improving and growing their business.

In today's Construction Genius episode, Michael Girdley — an investor and entrepreneur who has built, incubated and sold several businesses — joins us to give his insights about leadership and how great leaders impact their business.

Some of the highlights we deep dive into are the following:

• Why leaders fail when hiring people and how to make the hiring process more effective,

• Balancing the need for sympathy and empathy in leadership,

• Plus many more…

Join me and Michael and discover how great leaders benefit greatly from learning to look at things from other people's perspectives!

Discussion Points:

• 0:00 Introduction

• 5:00 Building a following? Why you should and shouldn't consider Twitter

• 8:07 What do most leaders get wrong about people?

• 9:54 Sympathy, empathy, and leadership

• 14:11 Common misconceptions about a leader that can be damaging

• 15:08 How to become a better listener

• 16:24 Why it's essential to have a team that shares the same perspectives with the leader

• 18:04 Most people asking for advice don't want to have their minds changed

• 19:31 Being able to give constructive criticism without coming off as offensive

• 22:12 Questions leaders need to ask to get honest feedback from the team

• 26:20 Responding to feedback and handling it as a great leader would

• 30:10 How great leaders move on from failure without the loss of enthusiasm

• 32:09 When is the right time to quit?

• 34:25 What successful entrepreneurs focus on that attract and develop young talent

• 36:13 For leaders who are reluctant to invest in their people

• 37:37 The need for assessments when you're hiring

• 40:51 Why qualified CEOs fail

• 43:11 Identifying your vision for the company and pointing it towards that direction

• 48:14 For leaders who know they need to improve, here's where you can start

About Our Guest:

Michael Girdley is the Chairman and co-founder of Dura Software, the second-largest software company in San Antonio. Michael is also a partner at the Geekdom Fund, a seed-stage tech venture capital fund that has invested in over 50 high-growth tech companies. Most recently, Michael led a private equity transaction that created the largest private tech company in San Antonio with Jungledisk buying a set of technology products out of global conglomerate, J2.

In 2015, the San Antonio Business Journal named Michael "Man of the Year," and in 2016, Geekdom presented him with their first-ever "Geek of the Year" award. Michael has also authored several books on computer programming which have been translated into four languages.

His passions are his kids, his lovely wife, and growing San Antonio's startup ecosystem.

Resources:

• Michael Girdley's Website: https://girdley.com/playbook/

• Michael Girdley's Twitter: https://twitter.com/girdley

• Michael Girdley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgirdley/

• Restaurant Recommendation: https://www.losbarriosrestaurant.com/

Do Your Project Executives Need to Become Better Leaders?

• Book a 10-minute call with Eric Anderton to see if/how he can help (https://10minutes.youcanbook.me/)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Thank you for tuning in!