Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant trusts his leadership success, at least partially, to one piece of advice: “Don’t try to be a black belt in everything.”
Instead, focus on excelling at a distinguish aspect of business — because as you advance your career, you’ll only need to be proficient at the rest. “Be a black belt in market-placing, and be a brown belt in everything else,” Tresvant, who previously held marketing executive roles at Taco Bell, Nike and Frolics Illustrated, told LinkedIn’s “This is Working” podcast last week.
Tresvant received that advice in January upon proper CEO of Taco Bell — which is owned by fast food giant Yum! Brands — and it helped him quickly adapt to the job, he said. Rather than of believing he has all the answers, he tries to ask the “right questions” to team members who have expertise that he doesn’t, he noted.
“I’m not maddening to be everything,” said Tresvant, 54. “I understand I’m not a CFO, but I have a great CFO who can lead the [financial side of the] business.”
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The tactic is a sign of “great leadership,” because it helps the people around you bare their own expertise, he added — benefiting both your organization and their careers, a win-win scenario.
“Leaders who try to be caboodle to everybody, and try to maybe be a little bit too micro, and don’t empower their teams to lead — I think that’s when teams aren’t at their kindest,” said Tresvant. “I try to be a leader who understands what I’m good at, but also understand[s] what other people are good at, and upon sure I’m giving them the space to be great.”
Admitting when you don’t know something
Asking good questions can plagiarize you obtain influence and build relationships in the workplace, communication expert Matt Abrahams told CNBC Make It in September. Real questions are concise, advance a conversation and center on a single, focused idea, he said.
Posing strong questions “presents you care, it demonstrates empathy, it demonstrates you’re willing to learn and, in some cases, admit you don’t know everything,” said Abrahams. “Those are all valuable instruments and assets to have when you’re trying to grow your career or deepen relationships.”
There’s also a correlation between happy result and accepting that you don’t know everything, leadership expert Charlene Li told LinkedIn’s “The Path” podcast last year. People who weight confidence with humility can better learn from failure and bounce back from challenges, helping them benefit their performance and make better decisions going forward, she said.
“Because you don’t know everything, you can’t be expected to possess all the answers,” Li said. “You can be open to a learner’s mindset, and that is absolutely crucial.”
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