John Hilbrich's Linkedin Analytics

You have two jobs as a leader: Make decisions and remove bottlenecks. Everything else is noise. If you’re micromanaging, firefighting, or drowning in meetings, you’re not leading—you’re reacting. Make high-quality decisions. (Some may not even be high quality) Remove friction for your team. (Keep them moving forward) Create clarity and direction. (Especially when things are unclear) Leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about removing obstacles so others can do more. When did you last clear barriers for your team? #leadership #GetToCEO #people

Don't blame your boss for lack of leadership skills. Blame the company. They were promoted based on their individual strengths—but that doesn't always translate to effective leadership. The organization needs to Invest in leadership development and provide mentorship, training, and feedback to set future leaders up for success. You’ve got to want it, but good leaders are made, not born. #LeadershipDevelopment #Mentorship #SuccessMindset

After a late night up with our baby robbed me of sleep, I caught myself with my back to my office door, falling asleep at my computer. It shocked me up. I thought "Oh my god I am falling asleep at work! I have a massive family that needs my constant support. What the hell am I doing?" It was a serious wake up call. If I can't be engaged after pulling an all nighter, I need to upgrade my thinking, or find a new job that gives me more juice. Oddly enough, it never ended up being the "find a new job" option. There was always plenty to get me juiced if I simply turned my mind on to create opportunities for the business. Get uncomfortable with yourself. Great leaders are uncomfortable—because growth is uncomfortable. Stay awake. #leadership #GetToCEO #people #leadershipAcceleratorForum

Speak up. Most are afraid to. So much knowledge and opportunity in companies goes unsaid and undone because team members don’t speak out of fear. Why? Lousy leaders. Don’t want to make a mistake. Fear of sounding stupid. Imposter syndrome. I’m not smart enough to be in the room. Last time I spoke people laughed. I don’t understand what’s being discussed. So I can’t say anything. Bottom line? Many in the room feel like you. If you don’t understand something, chances are it’s unclear to others. Be of service to yourself and others. Stare down the fear and put it aside. #leadership #learn #speakup

When you grow, it frightens people who have no plans. And most have no plans. Growth = Running your own race. No time or inclination to put anyone else down. You get ahead by lifting people up. Keep pushing forward. Keep ignoring what doesn't serve you. #highperformance #leadership #growth

If you don’t manage up, you’re going down. Your career growth is dependent on your manager. Like it or not. Here’s how to make it work. Manage up. Look up and think about what leaders above you need. You know what your goals are... What are THEIRS? How can you support their goals with your work? How can your work make both of you look good? What do they need to grow their career? Stop thinking only about yourself. Think about serving your entire team and it will open your eyes to possibilities. #manageup #leadership #growth #brand30

10 reasons being a leader sucks. (Continued) 6. No one cares if you are struggling. It’s your job to figure it out. That’s why they pay you the big $. 7. You need to admit to your mistakes. Leaders own it and fix it, fast. Authenticity and resilience go a long way. 8. Deal with setbacks. Projects fail. Deadlines are missed. Figure it out. 9. It’s your job to handle conflicts. Clashing egos? Different opinions? Tackle it head-on. 10. Stand up for what is right. Always choose the team's overall health. No matter how difficult. Why is doesn’t suck? There is no better way to positively influence so many people. Earn the right to be followed. #leadership #GettoCEO #toughchoices #management

60% of employees are too intimidated to have a discussion with their boss. This is a leadership crime. Seems they are put down for mistakes, never get positive feedback, or the boss has poor communication skills. This is a crime. Its a leader's job to coach, foster growth and build the confidence of those they lead. Every day. Not belittle, de-motivate or create negative energy. Its a workplace tragedy. Its a human tragedy. Its a business tragedy. Leaders: Be self-aware of how you impact others. Perform a self audit, and have an authentic conversation with those you lead about what you are trying to improve. We can all improve. And we should work toward it daily. #leadership #coaching #inspiration #motivation

You Will Never Be Fully Ready—Start Anyway. If you’re waiting until you feel 100% ready to lead, launch, or take that big leap... That day isn’t coming. Every successful leader you admire? They started before they felt ready. Every CEO making high-stakes decisions? They’re figuring it out in real time. The difference between those who make it and those who don’t? They don’t let uncertainty become an excuse for inaction. What’s one thing you’ve been waiting to feel “ready” for? Get past it and start. #GetToCEO #leadership #brand30

The CEO is the weakest, least skilled and potentially most destructive person in a company. They don’t do anything. They don’t market. They don’t sell. They can’t fix the supply chain. They only “talk” to people. Can’t do accounting. Writing code is a foreign language. They try to tell the lawyers what to do. But if they can inspire, they can multiply wealth and success for many people, many times over. 💥 What a job, FOR THE RIGHT PERSON #GetToCEO #leadership #CEO #management

Everyone wants to be the Boss, but the “freedom” and “final call” are not glorious. Decision making is crucial in leadership, but that doesn't mean it's easy and it’s usually not fun. Final decision-makers face: - Expectation overload - Unpredictability - Accountability for consequences But what makes a good decision maker? 1. Embrace uncertainty: life is complex, embrace the unknown 2. Foster collective intelligence: involve your team, gain diverse insights 3. Learn from failures: even the best stumble, reflection promotes growth Controversy aside, successful leaders must make hard calls, even with bad choices. Thoughts? #leadership #decisionmaking

I once had to fire an executive who roughed up one of our employees in a conference room. While the employee worked with the team, the exec walked in, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, lifted him off the chair and threw him to the ground. It was not a scene from The Office. He was insistent that the guy was loafing and shouldn’t have been “sitting around in the conference room”. Stay vigilant in the care of your people—there are wide spectrums of opinions as to how folks should be treated. Culture leads this charge and is your roadmap. You are the captain. #culture #leadership

As I got more experience as a leader, I learned a lot through trial and error. Here are four key hacks. 1- Visit clients. I want them to see my face and feel my influence on their business. 2- Talk to my people. Not just in meetings. Look at the work. Show those I led that I appreciate their efforts. Help my people to achieve the numbers. 3-Spend time with my management team to assure we are all aligned. There is nothing worse than top managers going in different directions. 4-Get out of my comfort zone and join independent associations, organizations and groups that can benefit me and the business. I figured out early that I wasn’t the smartest person in the room. #leadership #management #YPO #brand30

Early failure isn't fatal. It's awesome. It's fertile ground for leadership. You will otherwise never learn these lessons unless you get beaten. Trust your team with real decisions. Watch them rise or fall—and learn. This is character formation at its core. What failures have shaped you as a leader? Don't let it overcook you and slow you down. Keep going. #leadership #GetToCEO #people

I have seen business owners weirdly refer to their employees as a “family”. A business is not a family. - Families don’t have to “Let you go” - Families don’t monitor each other’s email or make you take a drug test. - In families you aren’t forced to leave because your aren’t contributing enough. You’re not a family. You’re a team. A team needs to perform to win. EVERYONE needs to pull their weight. Great teams understand this. #team #leadership

10 reasons why being a leader sucks. You will be hated 1. ....for many of your decisions. Saying 'no' has to happen. It’s for the greater good. 2. If you were a “popular” employee, you probably won’t be anymore. You have been promoted ahead of your colleagues. Some won’t be happy. 3. People will look the other way when you say “Who wants to head out and get some lunch?” 4. If your team is not hitting the numbers, it’s your fault. And you will probably have to fire one of them. 5. Someone coming off mat or pat leave may no longer have a necessary role. Guess who has to deal with it? These are tough enough. Let them settle and I’ll provide the next five tomorrow. #leadership #growingpains #CEO

You should never be afraid of getting fired. Why? Everyone lands on their feet. You will too. If the job wasn’t right for you, they put you out of your misery. The grass is defiintely greener. Go find it. Don’t wait so long next time. You can live without a paycheck much longer than you think. But push at 100x your weight for a good package anyway—and get representation. Biggest opportunity of your life right now! Solo gig, new industry, a travel break, a bigger role, fortify your learning or start something completely different. Stay confident, don’t fret over failure (you didn’t fail), leverage your network. Run your own race. #leadership

Nobody cares about your perfect LinkedIn profile. Or your degrees from 15 years ago. Or the title on your business card. Or the stretching you did on your resume where you overused all the "action" verbs to claim to have produced results. People care about: The impact you really make. The problems you really solve. The results you really deliver. How you really make them feel. A resume may get you in the door. Your reputation keeps you in the room. What are you known for? #leadership #people #authentic #GetToCEO

If I’d stopped at the 1st rejection... -I would never have recovered from knee surgery and become a college athlete. -I wouldn’t have picked myself up when I bombed out as a pre-med student. -I wouldn’t have stepped into the unknown and spent a year abroad in Germany/Austria in college -I wouldn’t have pushed to get an MBA -I wouldn’t be a 30 year CEO -I wouldn’t have invested the time to learn leadership techniques to help me get over failures. -I wouldn’t be writing this post The older I get the more I understand that failure is an ideal part of the growth process. You heard that right. Don’t stop at “No” Learn from rejection and get up. Don’t negotiate with yourself. Just do it. #rejection #leadership #motivation