The Friendship Advantage - Mo Fathelbab - The Impactful Leadership Show - Episode # 054

Today’s guest is a seasoned business speaker and has addressed groups in more than 30 different countries and is trusted by more than 20,000 CEOs. He is also the author of two books; Forum and the Friendship Advantage. Please welcome to the show, Mo Fathelbab! Mo is the  President of Forum Resources Network, as well as the co-founder of the HBS Alumni Forums. Mo joins the host Greg McDonough to talk about what it means to truly be a leader. 

 

Takeaways:

• A common misconception about leadership is that you can’t be vulnerable at work. The new adage is “bring your whole self to work”. If you are putting on a front and wearing a mask, your leadership won’t be authentic and it won’t inspire others. 
• The people that you are the closest with are the ones you can be the most honest with. It’s ok to share your emotions with those people at work and be honest with them about your feelings. 
• As a leader, it’s ok to make a mistake. You don’t want to put on a front that you are perfect and demand perfection because then everyone will have to feel that way. Instead, focus on using mistakes as a learning opportunity and a way to grow. 
• There are two types of people when it comes to having difficult conversations at work; those who are conflict avoiders and those who are like a bull in a china shop. You can’t just sweep your feelings under the rug because you’ll eventually burst and come across in a rude way.
• As a CEO, if you aren’t honest with your employees and avoid all conflict, then you aren’t doing anyone any favors. 
• It’s important to take social cues from people such as them looking at their watch or their phone during a meeting. If this happens, there needs to be a conversation about why that person is doing that and get to the bottom of their feelings. 
• In order to learn and grow, you want to surround yourself with people who are not like you and people who see the world differently from you. This will give you a fresh perspective on things and open your mind to other ways of thinking.

 

Quote of the Show:

• “You are only as sick as your secrets” -  Mo Fathelbab

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fathelbab?lang=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mofathelbab/
• Website: http://forumresourcesnetwork.com/
• Friendship Advantage: https://www.amazon.com/Friendship-Advantage-Relationships-Transform-Productivity/dp/0692175865
• Forum: http://www.amazon.com/FORUM-Secret-Advantage-Successful-Leaders/dp/1430327812/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389813665&sr=1-1&keywords=Mo+Fathelbab

 

Shout Outs:

 

13:54 Young Presidents Association

24:44 Verne Harnish

27:32 Harvard Business School

32:04 Dr. Robert Waldinger

22:48 Path Stone

 

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The Impactful Leadership Show is sponsored by the DC Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Learn more at https://www.eodcnetwork.org/home 

The Impactful Leadership Show is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/