How to Build a Team That Runs Without You | Jon Rennie, Former Nuclear Submarine Officer

<p>How do you build a team that runs without you? Jon Rennie spent ten years letting go, then stepped down as CEO.</p><p>Jon served as a US Navy nuclear submarine officer through seven Cold War deployments, then ran eight manufacturing businesses for three global companies before co-founding AccuGrid Technologies and leading it for a decade. In January he stepped down. The company did not miss a beat.</p><p>Three years earlier he spent a month in a cabin in Maine, deliberately hard to reach, to find out whether the business actually needed him. It performed better while he was gone.</p><p>We get into why most leaders never reach that point: the instinct to grab the ball back the second something goes wrong, and the boss who wants to be the genius surrounded by helpers instead of building a team of geniuses. Jon&#39;s fix is simple and uncomfortable. Stop being the answer guy, let your team make real mistakes, and ask questions instead of making statements.</p><p>We also cover the seven years it took him to find his purpose after the Navy. At 25 he was crawling inside a nuclear missile to inspect the warhead. Six months later he was in a cubicle with no computer and no authorization to buy a stapler.</p><p>Jon Rennie, PhD, is Professor of Business at Thales College and the former CEO of AccuGrid Technologies. He is the author of I Have the Watch, You Have the Watch, and All in the Same Boat, and hosts the Deep Leadership podcast. More at jonsrennie.com</p><p><br></p><p>I&#39;m David Fung, an executive coach working with technical leaders stepping into executive roles. Coaching for individuals, coaching for teams, and speaking engagements at coachfulcoaching.com</p>