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In this episode of the Action Lab Leadership Podcast, Danny is joined by Sara Paz, Chief Marketing Officer at Embed. Sara shares her philosophy on why leadership is a “professional adventure” and why the most successful teams are those that feel safe enough to take massive risks.
The Safety Net Strategy
Sara believes that to bring out the best in people, a leader must remove obstacles and provide a safety net.
- Permission to Fail: Innovation only happens when employees trust that their leader has their back if things go wrong.
- Failing Forward: Success isn’t about avoiding mistakes; it’s about analyzing them and moving on. Sara suggests that if a team isn’t failing, they are playing it too safe.
- Nowhere to Hide: Sara recruits high-performers by being honest: there is no room to “float” on her team, but there is every opportunity to do the best work of your life.
Greatness vs. The Greatest
A key takeaway from the conversation is the distinction between internal excellence and external competition.
- Inclusive Greatness: Striving for “greatness” is inclusive and non-competitive. It’s about reaching your own potential.
- Exclusive Competition: Being “the greatest” is exclusive and comparative, often leaving others out of the journey.
- The Note Only You Can Sing: Sara posits that everyone is born with a unique gift. The goal of leadership is to help people discover that “note” and apply it to their work.
Confident in Uncertainty
While many conflate confidence with certainty, Sara argues that true leadership requires being “confident in your uncertainty”.
- Ordinary Solutions to Extraordinary Problems: Sara details her experience leading a campaign that sent winners to the edge of space; a high-risk strategy that many doubted but ultimately exceeded all expectations.
- The Power of Grit: Pushing through naysayers requires an indomitable will and a commitment to the process over the finish line.
