54: Mark Lipton - A Profile in Vision, Genius, and Feeling Feelings

This week I sat down with Mark Lipton who I met when he was the Department Chair of my graduate program in Organizational Change Management at The New School. He has since moved on to Professor Emeritus status, which has freed him up to consult with Fortune 500 companies and write awesome books, so be sure to check out Guiding Growth: How Vision Keeps Companies on Course and the award-winning Mean Men: The Perversion of America’s Self-Made Man.  I learned that Mark and I had all kinds of things in common in this episode. For example, we bonded over the fact that both of us entered higher education entirely on a whim. And I was absolutely fascinated to listen to Mark’s thoughts about what he calls Emotional Fortitude - a signature attribute of “undisruptable CEOs” that he defines as, “the art of examining one’s own thoughts and emotions surrounding a decision in order to consider those thoughts and emotions themselves as inputs to the decision-making process.” Though we have traveled different paths, the fact that we are both so keen on helping leaders know themselves and do the inner work of mining their emotions confirmed for me that this is someone I was so lucky to have as a mentor and teacher so many years ago.  Mark’s reflections on purpose and vision are something everyone leading anything needs to listen to. This wonderful human being has a great big heart to match his great big brain. Everything he shares is oozing with humility and thoughtfulness. I hope you enjoy listening to this show as much as I enjoyed recording it with Mark.  Show Highlights:  “Knocking out a phd” could alter the course of your life The leadership superpower of Emotional Fortitude  How do organizations set up feedback loops? And how can leaders actively listen?  What is trust and how do we gain, sustain, and lose it?  Why knowing what you are feeling in the moment is one of the most important skills you can build as a leader What is left when we let go of the notion that we have something to prove to others or ourselves Understanding your feelings, in the face of a challenge, will let you know what you truly want to do about it Thoughts on (not) retiring  Vision. Is. Everything. Show Resources:  Mean Men: The Perversions of America’s Self-Made Man  Guiding Growth: How vision keeps companies on course.  The Group Laboratory    Pre-order Becky’s Book Impact With Integrity: Repair the World Without Breaking Yourself