John Hilbrich's Linkedin Analytics

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

If you feel burned out, overwhelmed, or constantly putting out fires... You don’t need a break. You need a better system. Stop being the bottleneck. Stop solving problems your team should handle. Stop hiding behind busyness instead of leading strategically. The best CEOs don’t do more—they build teams that make them unnecessary. What’s one task you need to delegate TODAY? #GetToCEO #leadership #management

If you’ve ever looked into the mirror and thought you should be further ahead in life, keep looking. You’re the reason. Personal responsibility. Personal accountability. Personal development. This is the only way to live. It’s stress free. No need to look around to blame others for stuff that didn’t work out for you. No frustration with others incompetence. They aren’t running your race. You are. The question is: “What can I do to make my situation better?” Up to you. #personaldevelopment #personalaccountability

A common challenge—businesses that have outgrown their leaders. Question is: Do they notice? Their people do. If you’re leading correctly, one day: Your team won’t need you in meetings. Problems will get solved without your input. The company will function better without your constant involvement. That’s not a sign of irrelevance. That’s successful leadership. If you’re still the most important person in the room, you’ve built a job, not a legacy. Become the scaler, not the micromanager--are you scaling your company—or just scaling your workload? #leadership #GetToCEO #people #leadershipAcceleratorForum

Lousy leaders are really good at these five things. 1. They know it all so there is no real dialogue with peers or team to create opportunities. 2. They avoid challengers around them to test thinking. 3. Less ability to make sense of data—where is the needle in the haystack? 4. No communication of vision and values to create culture in virtual teams. 5. Complete lack of authenticity of self and organization. Who wants to work with these people? #futureleader #CEO #leadership

Passion, passion, passion. Success Isn’t Built on Passion. It’s Built on Discipline. If passion was enough, every motivational junkie would be a millionaire. Passion gets you started. Discipline keeps you in the game. The most successful people don’t wake up motivated every day. They execute, regardless. Discipline your good habits. #leadership #GetToCEO #people #leadershipAcceleratorForum

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

Do you notice the brilliant minds in your organization who put the team first, or . . . Or turn a blind eye to the ego maniacs who have found their way up your corporate ladder, where they squelch productivity and kill your culture, worried that others will show them up and reveal their ineptitude. Beware the double edged sword of leadership. #leadership #management

Don’t fill your mind with garbage Lack of confidence is driven by the garbage pail full of weaknesses we tell ourselves. It drives the “I can’t “ in us. How many times have you heard people say: Oh, I’m no good at learning languages. I can’t read very quickly. I can’t dance. I am a terrible public speaker. Contemplating perceived weaknesses is unproductive, and it’s a self fulfilling prophecy Of course you could accomplish each of the skills above if you spent adequate time tackling it. There is no question of that. Focus on your strengths. Repeat them. Believe them. Build them further. Make them come true. #confidence #Leadership #GetToCEO

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

Lots of people talk about failure. But few actually have failures that they discuss openly and offer up learning for others. That is true leadership. Failure is not the act of “failing”, but rather refusing to try or refusing to learn. Thomas Edison performed 1000 different experiments to try to invent the light bulb. He failed with each one. It worked on the 1001st time. You’ve heard it many times. It’s not how you fall down. It’s how you view the process of getting up. I recount in my book, Get to CEO, many of my failures. So my readers get the benefit of my learning, I discuss how I made the best of the situation. Fail! Think about how to get up. Then do it. #failure #persist #leadership #GetToCEO

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 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

I had been a CEO for 40 minutes... Why did this job seem so easy 41 minutes ago? Why do my "friends" suck up to me? Why doesn't anyone ask me to lunch? Why do folks in the office stiffen up when I pop around to ask them a question? Why do I have to ask questions to find out what’s going on? Everything that used to be easier, just got a lot harder. And you are now responsible for “everything”. And you don’t “rule”. This is a dream job for ambitious, learning oriented people who cherish leadership and making others’ lives better. But it's not easy to achieve, nor is it simple to be successful. Learn how to achieve that success without making the mistakes I made. My book “Get To CEO: Chart Your Path, Learn the Skills and Avoid the Mistakes to Get There Faster” will be a powerful resource. Link in comments. #leadership #CEO

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

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

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