For Matt Norman, Dale Carnegie Training is part of his DNA. Both his grandfather and father have been trainers for a combined total of more than 60 years. Norman joined the “family business” after he pursued his passion to work in technology when he realized he could have a greater impact on others. Now, he leads the organization’s largest North American operation.
During his conversation with Christine Buscarino, Dale Carnegie Training’s chief operating officer and chief marketing officer, Norman discusses his upcoming book, “Leading with Influence, A Proven Process to Lead Without Authority.” Norman addresses how he opted to leave his love of technology to pursue a career of helping others fulfill their untapped potential. Here are five concepts he addresses in his conversation – and more completely in his book.
- Overcome your anxieties. Norman admits that as a rising leader at his technology company he struggled in clearly communicating his ideas and reached a point where he felt stuck. “I felt held back in my confidence and certain interactions,” Norman recalls. That’s when he began his “growth journey,” enrolling in Dale Carnegie courses and ultimately leaving his job to become a full-time trainer at Dale Carnegie. Norman says he wanted to “help others who may be stuck or held back by insecurities or anxiety, or lack of tools and skill set to have more effective relationships or lead in a more impactful way.” He adds, “My life goal is to help other people grow.”
- Be intentional. Norman says most of us, including himself, tend to think that value is created by getting a lot done. That’s often not true, especially in relationships, he says. “Relationships are cultivated by availability,” Norman explains. “You have to be intentional about your availability for people.” To build stronger relationships, he also encourages leaders to “be thoughtful and intentional about how you convey your ideas.”
- Ask questions. “As leaders, we have to ask more and better questions,” Norman says. “We have to restrain ourselves before explaining ourselves.” Norman explains leaders’ natural inclination is to want to jump into telling people what they think and what their team membership should do instead of taking the time to ask more quality questions. “Are the questions I’m asking the questions that allow people to engage logically and emotionally and to think differently,” Norman says. “Are they guiding someone closer to a shared commitment?” Leaders should take their time to connect their ideas with what matters to the team. “It may take a longer time, but we will accelerate so much faster after the meeting then telling people what you think,” Norman explains. “Telling may feel faster but it slows you down so much more in getting sustainable engagement.”
- Invest your time more wisely. If you spend much of your time answering emails, going to meetings, and reacting to problems, Norman says, you’re not carving out enough time to get ahead of things. He suggests you become more self-aware and take the time to have deeper conversations with your team members to better understand how your work can lead to advancing shared priorities. We often “become fairly myopic about ourselves and what’s possible in our relationships,” Norman says. “Am I investing enough of my time to proactively impact influence?”
Join us for this insightful episode where you’ll learn how to be a leader without authority and how to gain buy-in through building quality interpersonal relationships. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Matt’s wisdom collected on his journey as leader of the largest North American operation in the Dale Carnegie network.
Watch the Podcast episode here:
Lead with Influence: A Proven Process to Lead Without Authority