Episode 197: Linda Rottenberg – Why Crazy Is A Compliment
Named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News and one of TIME’s 100 “Innovators for the 21st century,” Linda Rottenberg is considered among the world’s most dynamic experts on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. A frequent lecturer at Fortune 500 companies, Rottenberg is the subject of four case studies by Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her pioneering work also earned her a host of nicknames: ABC and NPR declared her “the entrepreneur whisperer,” Tom Friedman dubbed her the world’s “mentor capitalist,” Business Insider named her “Ms. Davos,” and for years she was known as “la chica loca” (the crazy girl) for insisting that entrepreneurs existed not only in Silicon Valley but also in emerging markets around the world.
Ms. Rottenberg is also author of the New York Times bestseller, CRAZY IS A COMPLIMENT: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags, published in October 2014. In her book, she argues that entrepreneurship isn’t just for young techies in hoodies. Whether you work at a Fortune 500 company, a non-profit, a mom-and-pop, or a startup, everybody needs the mindset to think and act like a change-maker. We all need to be nimble, adaptive, daring, and maybe even a little crazy, or risk being left behind.
Ms. Rottenberg has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Economist, Financial Times, USA Today, Strategy + Business, People, Glamour, and MORE, and has appeared on GMA, The Today Show, Morning Joe, Nightline, NPR, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, and Bloomberg News. Dell featured her in its “Take Your Own Path” ad campaign and Veuve Clicquot named her Businesswoman of the Year.
A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Linda lives in Brooklyn with her husband, author and New York Times columnist Bruce Feiler, and their identical twin daughters. (From LindaRottenberg.com)
Episode 197: Linda Rottenberg – Why Crazy Is A Compliment
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The Learning Leader Show
“The Greatest Risk Today Is Not Taking A Risk At All.”
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence:
- Cannot rely too much on assumptions/success of the past
- Can’t stop taking risks
- Must continually challenge yourself
- Start “Stealth”
- Women at Cholorox started testing on the playground. After proving it worked, they went to their bosses to implement
- “It’s the best time ever to test ideas.”
- Why Linda was called the “Chica Loca” — “The Crazy Girl”
- “If you’re not called crazy at the beginning of something, you’re not thinking big enough”
- “The greatest risk today is not taking a risk at all”
- “People have to give themselves permission”
- “One of the most famous spin offs was Amazon Cloud Services”
- “The hardest person to convince to do something new is yourself”
- Lin Manuel Miranda – Hamilton.
- Think… “Can I afford to not do my idea?”
- “Don’t burn the boats, but you do need to close some doors.” The Paradox of Choice
- The problem with hollow mission statements — Uber
- Culture can shift based on the leaders — Satya Nadella leading Microsoft
- GE – Beth Comstock
- MTV – How they found the best secrets through breaking corporate molds
- “Stop focusing on your PowerPoint… Test, figure it out, then share.”
- Jeff Bezos – 2 Pizza Rule
- Zig when everyone else zags. Learn to see the world differently
- The power of being vulnerability to build trust
- “We’ll follow you anywhere Linda”
“If You’re Not Called Crazy At The Beginning Of Something, You’re Not Thinking Big Enough”
Continue Learning:
- Follow Linda on Twitter: @lindarottenberg
- Read: Crazy Is A Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
- Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
- To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12
You may also like these episodes:
Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon
Episode 071: Nate Boyer – Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL
Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence – The Best Answers From 178 Questions
Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why
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Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell
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Another great episode! Love the skunk idea! And loved her story at the end, it gave incredible credibility to her insights!