Language of Leadership and Long-Term Performance with Doctor Leon Rozen

Alloutcoach

This past summer I recorded one of my most candid and intriguing conversations with a personal mentor, friend, teammate, and former colleague who happens to be a global physician executive, leader in the pharmaceutical industry and certified high-performance coach, Leon Rozen, MD. We tested and reflected on various inspirational thought-provoking statements and observations to closely examine the different languages and meanings of leadership, competition, company culture, performance, and success. And Leon shared memorable, practical tips and real world stories you can use to guide yourself and the teams you hire in the meaning and momentum you create using communication and language to perform at the next level! 3:38 – The meaning of your communication is what the other person remembers 4:10 – E-mail case study – when we do not respond, we leave the other party with many different ways to interpret our lack of communication 6:10 – Statement 1 : Leadership would not be regarded as a foreign language in adulthoods if all children were required to take Leadership Courses as children in school. 6:46 – Dr. Leon’s comments – The leadership language changes all the time. We hide meaning in the language we use through widely accepted “euphemisms”. Leon’s father shaped his idea of leadership as a child because “he never left you wondering where he stood”. His brother preferred short conversations but was the most caring individual Leon has ever known. 9:30 – Statement 2: Leadership is never given to you by anyone – it is a lifestyle and your choice. Was there a point in your life when you chose leadership? Leon: As a physician working in the hospital every person had an opinion and I did not have the monopoly of the opinions. So I listened. But I knew the buck stops with me and I needed to make a decision. That was my approach to being a part of a team in medicine. After the hospital work, I worked at a blood bank and quickly became a Medical Director of a Blood Bank at the age of 26 in West Sydney, Australia. So as a leader I was just a person who made the final decision. 12:39 – Statement 3: “Look at life as a sport not war as no matter how tough it gets there are always winners in sports but never any winners in wars”. Is there any sports inspiration to your performance coaching? Leon: In my opinion, “a champion team will beat a team of champions every time”. I learned playing Australian Rules Football that if you pull back a bit because you are scared or afraid to be injured, you are actually more likely to be injured, so you have to go “all out”. 15:57 – Did your interest in sports inspire your competitiveness to excel in your career? 18:36 – Statement 4: “Inspire all your employees to be sports athletes or scientists regardless of their background”. Is such a business possible? 22:45 – What is your perspective of how performance is different from success? 27:12 – Do you consider hiring your team members a contest, a conversation, a competition, or a negotiation? Leon: two interview tips + why work is a conversation. 41:08 – Italy’s winning underdog European soccer championship in 2021 case study - Have you had to give trust to a team member who was not a high performer? 45:10 – Statement 5: “Embrace fear because it teaches us what we need to do to win while doubt teaches us what we need to do in order not to lose” - Tim Grover, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s coach in his book “W1NN1NG” Leon: There is overlap between doubt and fear similar to being motivated by reward vs. punishment. Some people are motivated by reward, others are motivated by avoidance of being punished and if losing provides you with pain you will do everything you can to avoid it. 48:20 – Leon: You may have to sacrifice in order to find what you need in either life or work but it is not one or the other, so instead approach this concept as shifting your priorities from time to time across life and work rather than thinking of them as opposites.