CEO of Deloitte & Touche LLP Lara Abrash asks: Are you a leader or a manager?
Episode 117
Download Free Bonus Resource
A lot of people mistake managing for leadership. They think that because they are skilled at keeping the trains running on time, they are leaders. Lara Abrash, named one of the 2022 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA, thinks there’s a very important difference between leadership and managing.
“Managers manage outcomes. Leaders lead people,” she said. “It’s about setting an inspirational vision, getting people excited, and letting them know they can be their authentic selves.”
Lara earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA, but she says she got one of the most enduring leadership lessons from her high school softball coach Frank Catalano, who taught her that leadership was about more than producing outcomes. “He truly took time to care about each of us, and he took the time to invest in each of us, individually, and then as a team,” she recalled. As Deloitte & Touche LLP Chair and CEO, Lara has taken the same kind of time to foster a culture of caring and inclusion, albeit for thousands of employees rather than dozens.
In this podcast episode, Lara, who also manages and plays first base on a competitive women’s softball team, talks candidly about the challenges and rewards of authentic leadership. We spend so much of our lives working, says Abrash, we owe it to ourselves to create a collegial environment where individuals, as well as the team, can thrive.
“I have a saying,” said Lara, “Work hard. Play harder. So, I try to make work an environment where people who come together aren’t just doing the work. They are people you actually want to be with.”
You will learn:
- 5:00 How to improve your communication skills.
- 15:00 How to be a better listener.
- 24:00 Why failing is a necessity.
- 32:00 Why goals need to be said out loud.
Resources:
View All Episodes
-
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Co-Founder Horst Schulze
Episode 123 | Soccer in Germany
-
Condoleezza Rice encourages you to build bridges as a leader.
Episode 82 | College Football Playoff Committee
-
Coach K offers two questions you should ask to elevate team performance
Episode 160 | Basketball
-
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian: Lessons learned leading through the darkest hour
Episode 66 | Baseball, Basketball
-
NFL Chief Revenue Officer Renie Anderson teaches you how to put your pride to the side.
Episode 121 | Gymnastics
-
Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy reflects on the most exhilarating moment of his life.
Episode 112 | National Wrestling Hall of Fame
-
Savannah Bananas Owner Jesse Cole says: “At heart I am still a kid just trying to make my dad proud.”
Episode 144 | Baseball
-
P.F. Chang's CEO Damola Adamolekun says: Start your day with a conquest
Episode 147 | Football
-
Make-A-Wish CEO Richard Davis says: Set a direction not a goal.
Episode 119
-
Carla Vernon, Amazon Vice President of Consumables, asks: Athletes have a warm-up routine, does your corporate team?
Episode 94 | Dance
-
Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO of Bank of America, asks: Do you have a curious mind?
Episode 22 | Rugby
-
Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann asks: Are you good at saying no to protect your priorities?
Episode 110 | Harvard Football
-
Broadcast Legend Lesley Visser says: Treat every opportunity like it’s the Super Bowl.
Episode 111
-
Longtime Waffle House President & COO Bert Thornton teaches how to engage your team in conversation
Episode 57 | Football
-
ESPN’s Jay Bilas says: Leaders should be demanding not demeaning.
Episode 88 | Basketball
-
Dolf Berle, Topgolf CEO, asks: Do you practice courage?
Episode 1 | Track & Field
-
Warrick Dunn, Atlanta Falcons Part Owner and Former NFL Running Back, Asks: Will You Choose to Be Bitter or Better?
Episode 37 | Football
-
Simon Sinek, Team Building Expert, asks: How do we win a game that has no end?
Episode 34 | Special Edition
-
Rick Hendrick, NASCAR Hall of Famer, asks: Are you valuing your people over profits?
Episode 27 | Baseball
-
Louis Carr, President of BET Media, asks: Can you overcome two pandemics?
Episode 2 | Track & Field
-
Chick-Fil-A Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Rodney Bullard shares a leader’s need for grace and forgiveness
Episode 45 | Football
-
David Ross, Chicago Cubs Manager, Joins Us For a World Series Special Edition
Episode 14 | Baseball
-
Dawn Hudson, longtime NFL Chief Marketing Officer and Pepsi NA President, asks: Do you look at your company from the outside?
Episode 21 | Tennis
-
John C. Maxwell, Leadership Expert, Asks: Do You Know The Top Time-Waster In Leaders’ Lives?
Episode 8 | Basketball
-
Fred Perpall, CEO of The Beck Group, asks: Do you have a deep understanding of your teammates?
Episode 20 | Basketball
-
Dr. Kent Thielen, CEO of Mayo Clinic Florida, asks: Are You Willing to Go Off-Script When the Situation Calls for it?
Episode 18 | Basketball
-
CEO of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux Brandon Landry asks: What is your underdog story?
Episode 39 | Basketball
-
Xavier Williams, CEO of American Virtual Cloud Technologies, Asks: Does The Content You Read Expand Your Thinking?
Episode 9 | Basketball
-
Carl Eschenbach, Sequoia Capital Partner, Asks: Do You Hate To Lose Or Love To Win?
Episode 6 | Wrestling