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Leaders never confuse activity with accomplishment. They deeply desire to make a difference with their lives. They want to capture new territory. Leaders want to find solutions, improve the quality of life for others, and advance mission and vision. They want to be not only successful but highly successful.
Few leaders are as highly successful as Chad Knaus. Currently employed by Hendrick Motorsports, Chad serves as crew chief for 5-time NASCAR champion Jimmy Johnson. His success as crew chief is unparalleled in the sport’s history.
For those who may be unaware, crew chiefs are like head coaches for sports team. Chad manages approximately 100 people including Johnson and the team’s pit crew. In addition, he also works with sponsors and the executives of Hendrick Motorsports.
Recently, Knaus was interviewed by Ken Coleman of Catalyst. While listening to their conversation, I gleaned the following 14 practices Knaus practices to achieve his unmatched success.
Whether you are a coach, pastor, business or non-profit leader, these are lessons we can all learn from. You can hear the full interview by clicking here. All the following quotes come from Knaus.
- Hard Work – “I took good normal hard work ethics and apply it to what we do.”
- Avoid Complacency – “One of the most important things to us is that complacency doesn’t set in.”
- Embrace Change – “One of the things we work hard on is that we are ever-changing…Change is the most important thing is being successful.”
- Upgrade Personnel – “You can change the person or the personality but something has to change…A lot of guys don’t want to morph as the sport morphs so we have to change the person.”
- Competitiveness – “I operate on such a level of fear and I don’t understand why. I don’t like being beaten. I’m afraid of the next Chad Knaus out there and he’s coming to take my job.”
- Respect The Competition – “You need to be a little timid that someone is going to do something better than you.”
- Trust – “The relationship Jimmy and I have is based on unwarranted trust.”
- Consistency – “Being consistent is important in the way you communicate with a person.”
- Healthy Friendships With Your Team – “Be cautious not to cross the line between teammates vs. friends…We don’t put (friendships) ahead of the success of the team.”
- Awareness – “We try to stay involved with all the guys at all the levels so we can nip things in the bud.”
- Humbleness – “The more you’re under the microscope the more you’re going to make the wrong decisions. How you handle that makes you a great leader or not.”
- Honesty – “Be honest with yourself and everyone if you made the wrong decision.”
- Willingness To Fail – “We’re in the prototype industry. We build it. We try it. If it doesn’t go faster you throw it away and move on…We make more things that don’t work than do.”
- Pioneering – “What’s fun about being a leader is that you pick the path you’re going to go on.”
Hard Work, Avoiding Complacency, Embracing Change, Upgrading Personnel, Competitiveness, Respecting The Competition, Trust, Consistency, Healthy Friendships, Awareness, Humbleness, Honesty, Willingness To Fail, and a Pioneering Spirit. If you master these 14 practices, you too may be the best in your industry.
Leaders, what is one thing from this list that you can improve TODAY to make you a better leader?
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