Guy Bell is an executive with decades of experience turning around struggling businesses. He’s also started up new businesses, acquired and on-boarded companies and led green field growth. He has held leadership roles in a wide variety of organizations, including equity-backed investments, public-traded companies and family-owned businesses.
In each of these situations, Guy challenged himself with one simple question: “How can I empower my team to meet their full potential?”
That’s when Guy realized just how insidious traditional leadership models had become. When he made the decision to move away from old paradigms governed by fear and power, people responded.
Guy learned that our greatest teacher isn’t another school of thought, rather, a kind of freedom to think. As performance improved, he grew to trust that when you get people right, you get business right.
Today, Guy speaks and writes on this non-traditional method of leadership. He is the author of Unlearning Leadership, which was named one of 10 leadership books that should be on your radar in 2019 by Inc Magazine.
He also coaches executives, partners with businesses to develop strategies and offers his expertise as an interim/fractional CEO. Contact Guy today and let him help you meet your business goals!
About Guy’s philosophy
Anyone who has spent time in the corporate world has heard the phrase, “It’s not personal — it’s business.” Guy refutes this age-old sentiment and proposes an alternative scenario for doing business. It requires executives look within and align their thoughts and words with “right actions.” The result will be a deep human connection with their employees that inspires trust, freedom for each employee to do their best work, and a focus on aligning systems and processes for the purpose of connecting people. This alignment is the corporate culture everyone wants and few get. By making the shift from pretending to care to actually caring, as one example of the change, your culture will transform for the better. Happier, more engaged employees create healthier, more successful companies.
About the Book
Unlearning Leadership: As leaders, we have learned how to play a well established role. In this role, we learn to adopt fairly prescriptive beliefs and behaviors. GIven the fact that it is rare to move up the ranks of leadership without developing these beliefs, most people fall in line for the promotion.
We are taught that If you want to be an effective leader you have to learn to be respected, not liked. You need to have an executive presence, be in control, and drive results. Power comes through fear and a little fear goes a long way to keep your employees in line. And business decisions are not personal, they’re just business.
When we step outside the echo chambers that reinforce this role play, we begin to see more clearly and act with less effort, more ingenuity, and with more success.
Unlearning Leadership is akin to unleashing potential.
Once you see what is being left on the table, you will never go back!
Mediocrity will no longer be enough. Letting go of your need to “know” and be in “control” will transform your business. It starts with YOU!
Interview with Pete on Unlearning Leadership
Sense making 