Strategies for Effective Leadership and Recruiting

The present executive chairman and ex-CEO at LinkedIn, Jeff Weiner, spoke with the CNBC contributor Adam Bryant about strategies for effective leadership and revealed the secret to successful recruiting.  

Upon being asked about his approach to scaling himself as a leader, he identifies three elements as absolutely imperative to grow as a leader: the power of routine, scheduling buffer time throughout the day, transitioning from focusing on tactical execution to more proactive strategic thinking. In addition to that, the idea of problem-solving and coaching needs to be perfectly implemented for both the leaders and the employees for the growth of an organization. 

Jeff shared that he practices getting a good night’s sleep and his morning routine starts with workout which is then followed by checking emails from last night and meditating daily. While talking about how he handles the copious number of emails every day, he shared a very valuable and practical lesson saying, practice sending fewer emails to start receiving fewer emails. He also suggests that emails with more clarity and brevity are highly impactful, and they invite fewer emails asking for doubts and clarity, unlike emails that are long and complex. 

He recollects the precious advice by his mentor friend Fred Kaufman that is, “Wisdom without compassion is ruthlessness and compassion without wisdom is folly”, along with the five keys to happiness taught by his mentor Ray Chambers as below:

• Live in the moment. 
• Be a spectator to your own thoughts, especially when you become emotional. 
• It is better to be loving than to be right.  
• Be grateful for at least one thing every day. 
• Be of service to others and help others every chance you get

He explains his recruiting strategies for effective leadership saying that he looks for people who are passionate about their work, who are not only extremely brilliant but also quick learners demonstrating steep learning curves and also the people with a shared sense of values, purpose and humor. The candidates’ understanding about their ideal job, ideal company, and the specific job description they desire is immensely valuable. It helps the recruiters evaluate fit and get a good perspective of the candidate.

According to Jeff, the implementation of culture and value begins with recruiting the right people who are a strong cultural fit and share the same values. He believes in maintaining and not compromising on the recruiting bar, which could result in undesired consequences. In a difficult situation where some bad player within the organization do not practice the values as expected and this sends the wrong signal to the rest of the organization that the values might be bendable or not that imperative, the leader has to make the person understand the gaps or needs to take the tough call of moving ahead. 

The three unparalleled mentoring advice from the CEO, which he also supported with reasons in the talk, would be:

• Be aware of your ultimate goal and optimise for both passion and skill.
• Surround yourself with great people.
• Always be a curious learner.

Moving forward, they discussed the reasons why employees quit their jobs, and Jeff also shared valuable tips to consider for those facing difficulties in choosing a career path.

In the end, it is easy to be title-driven or money-driven, but neither title nor pay can necessarily bring true satisfaction. In contrast, most successful people are purpose-driven and work towards sustainable and long-term objectives, which leads to long-lasting happiness.