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Award-Winning Leadership Speaker, Executive Coach & New York Times Best-Selling Author

John O’Shea

TD SYNNEX President of Global Business Units asks: Would everyone on the team know the goal if asked individually?

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When John O’Shea closes his eyes to remember his time on the crew team at the University of Florida, the vision comes with practically no soundtrack. His focus is on the moment where everybody’s rowing together, and the timing is just perfect.

“I still get little chills thinking about it,” recalled John. “You hear the water rolling down the hull of the boat, the oars turning in their locks, and the quiet splash of the oars in the water. There’s no heavy breathing or grunting, just the feel of the shell flying effortlessly over the water.”

A metaphor for effective corporate teams, you say? Well, yes and no, says John. “It’s great when we have consensus,” said the Bronx-born John, who was recognized as a Young Hispanic Corporate Achiever by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. “It’s great in crew when everyone is in complete alignment. But it’s not as necessary in business. If a leader can’t get the team to a place where they can bring their different perspectives to the table, you’re going to lose something very valuable. Sometimes you benefit from an oar that’s not quite in sync.”

John’s career at Tech Data started in 1994 when he was hired from a temp agency. Flying up the ranks as swiftly as one of those sculls plying the waters of a crystal clear lake—“I was averaging a new job every six or eight months!”—he rose to the position of President of Global Business Units at TD Synnex. He has developed a distinctive leadership style which CEO Rich Hume called strong and informed. In this episode, John shares some of the lessons rowing has taught him about leading dynamic and resilient teams.


You will learn:

  • 10:00  Two essential conditions winning teams must have for effective debate.
  • 15:00  How to develop trust through commitment.
  • 17:00  Two things effective leaders always do when handing out a compliment.
  • 18:00  The conversation every great leader has with a high-performing employee.
  • 21:00  The single quality shared by the most dynamic and resilient teams.
  • 31:00  How debate and disagreement can build a team.

You will learn:

  •  6:00   How easy it is to cut corners in practice and why you’ll suffer as a result.
  •  8:00   How to emphasize the power or “we” on your team.
  • 11:00  How living and working in Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster taught Lane that caring was the universal language of respected leaders.
  • 15:00  The level of employee interaction required to achieve success.
  • 18:30  The difference between being accountable and responsible.
  • 27:00  How to identify a meaningful friend or mentor.

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Greg Brenneman

Greg Brenneman

Home Depot Board Director

“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”

John Maxwell

John C. Maxwell

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“Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”

Beth Brooke

Beth Brooke

Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for Ernst & Young

“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”

RIck Hendrick

Rick Hendrick

NASCAR Hall of Famer, Owner of Hendrick Motorsports & Chairman of the Hendrick Automotive Group

“We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”

Bill George

Bill George

Longtime Medtronic CEO, Harvard Professor

“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”

Savannah Gallagher

Producer

Jon Rousseau

Design/Development

Francisco Nunez

Editor

Brett Rutherford

Editor

Special thanks to Dave Moore, Lauren Hafner, Samantha Clark, and the Florida State University Internship Program for consistently supporting our research team.

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