expressed opinion entrepreneur Contributors are their own.
I’m always excited to talk to female CEOs who are as successful as my guests
The latest in my series on leadership lessons as I know their life lessons will include
They must draw wisdom from the additional obstacles that stand in their way.I had a nice talk with me
Deb Liu, CEO ancestor – The largest private online genealogy platform that allows users to create virtual family trees to track their lineage and get “hints” about their ancestors and others who may be related to them.
provided by ancestors
Liu has nearly 20 years of experience in the tech industry, having held senior roles at Facebook, PayPal and eBay.She is not only a author, but she also serves on the boards of Intuit and Ancestry, and is a seed investor and advisor to several startups.Actively involved in promoting technological diversity, Mr. Liu founded women in producta nonprofit that connects and supports women in product management.
Related: “Everyone has a story about how the healthcare system falls short.” This founder’s mission is to change that.
“What’s special about Ancestry is its focus on helping people connect,” Liu told me. “We’ve had a tough couple of years, we’ve lost a million people in the U.S. to Covid, and we’ve had a long lockdown where people couldn’t see their families. But we’re all part of the human family , how can we connect with each other, eliminate our differences and focus on what we have in common.”
During our conversation, I was blown away by Liu’s passion for her company and leadership. Here are 10 terrific leadership lessons Liu conveyed to me during our hour-long conversation:
1. There are major differences in the minds and lives of many leaders
Many successful people spend their lives protecting their families from the things that made them successful. This is a huge dichotomy. Ultimately, most people don’t take their painful, formative experiences with them because they know what those potholes can breed, Liu said.
2. Rough seas make good sailors
With maritime imagery, Liu reminds us that difficult economic times are a testament to the strength of leaders and their teams. A good tide lifts all boats, but rough seas favor those attire prepared for a downturn.
3. Never stop learning
If you remain flexible and open to feedback and new ideas no matter how far you progress in your career, you will never stop growing and improving yourself. “Your role in life is more than just doing your job today,” Liu said.
Related: What has this 100-year-old business done to ensure its longevity? Its CEO follows these seven leadership principles.
4. Don’t rely on the CEO for answers.
CEOs can answer macro questions that only they can answer, but it doesn’t help in the long run if they can’t replicate that answer when team members aren’t around.Remember, these are the people who spend the most time on this particular issue, they should be
It’s best to be prepared to answer the big questions yourself.
5. Spend more time in staff meetings than one-on-ones
This avoids information asymmetry, Liu said. Staff meetings are an opportunity for everyone to share important conversations and demonstrate transparency of information, she said. They can also break down silos instead of longer and more frequent one-on-ones.
RELATED: Free Webinar | August 9: How Ancestry President and CEO Deb Liu Finds His Voice in the Workplace
6. The CEO’s authority is unique
For most of a company’s employees, big decisions around company events and remote work plans “just happened,” but the CEO is the one who must weigh the pros and cons of these things and make the final decision. He or she makes choices that shape the culture, which can be a very new experience for someone new to the character.
7. The workplace is inherently extroverted
Liu told me that she wanted to be a natural introvert early on, but said she quickly learned that those who can respond to one question on a dime are the ones who are asked the next. While introverts in the workforce may not enjoy talking in larger groups, the answers in their heads are just as good or better. As a leader, you need to find a way to capture these ideas.
8. Give your employees a framework for decision-making and use meetings to synchronize work
Liu said her team uses a “red, yellow, green” traffic light framework that can be used to describe the problems different teams face during employee gatherings. At first, there would be a lot of “red” issues, but Liu told me that the framework quickly paved the way for more “green” lights, and many issues were resolved even before the meeting started.
9. Team members need to be present at meetings
One of Liu’s friends noticed a peculiar tactic during the meeting where someone wouldn’t show up with anything to add and then kept frowning to drain energy during the meeting. Meetings often interrupt the work flow of the day, and if someone is asked to show up, they need to bring a sober self and accept what is being taught.
10. When explaining things to the team, leaders should learn to use three points to describe each problem
It’s a wonderful skill and discipline that both Liu and I learned and still practice today. The idea is to become more comfortable in front of the team and to be able to express problems better. When the team asks substantive questions, start at point one and know you’ll end at point three. Even if you start your speech without three things in mind, you’ll get to the point where anything – even something consisting of more than three ideas – can be anchored in this reassuring way Frame up to the team.
For more on my talk with Liu, watch the full webinar here. A growing number of episodes in our series give readers access to best practices from successful CEOs from the biggest brands, including Foot Locker, Heineken, GoodRx, Headspace, Zoom, Chipotle, Warby Parker, and ZipRecruiter.
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