Welcome to The Business of Thinking, the podcast for high achievers seeking mastery over motivation, as Richard Reed is joined by author, leadership expert, and business coach, Dr. John Dentico. This episode delves into Dr. Dentico's background as a Naval Officer , and explores the pivotal role of trust in every organization and relationship. Dr. Dentico emphasizes that trust is not built through talk, but is a byproduct of action and engagement. Listen in as they discuss the power of mutual trust , the necessity of being proactive and transparent with bad news , and the importance of embracing doubt and ambiguity to kickstart genuine collaboration.

This conversation offers vital insights for leaders and teams, challenging the traditional view of leadership. Dr. Dentico proposes that "leadership is what people do together" and advocates for a shift from focusing on an individual leader's traits to fostering organizational values. The discussion also covers the critical need for meaning and values alignment in the post-COVID work world, citing Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning".

Key Takeaways

Trust is the vital fuel for all organizations and relationships and is created through action and mutual engagement, not conversation.

Leaders should proactively deliver both good and bad news with honesty to build trust and integrity.

Embracing doubt and ambiguity opens the door for genuine, necessary collaboration, moving past the "big hug" of fake consensus.

Meaning is the greatest motivational force; creating meaning and a sense of mattering for people is key to addressing engagement problems.

Leadership should be viewed as an implementable process done collaboratively, rather than a set of traits held by one individual.

Episode Highlights

01:10 Dr. John Dentico’s journey from New York City to Naval Officer.

03:57 The two core lessons learned in the Navy: the power of trust and taking care of your people.

04:34 Discussing trust, psychological safety, and the importance of being safe to speak up.

05:34 Trust as a byproduct of action and the concept of mutual trust.

07:33 Building trust through consistency, authenticity, and honesty in communication.

10:08 The shift: Why modern leaders must embrace doubt and ambiguity to foster true collaboration.

12:00 The "big hug" problem: Why fake collaboration fails to engage people.

14:34 The power of meaning as the greatest motivational force and its link to engagement.

17:26 The role of ego in leadership and the first rule of leadership: "It's not about you".

18:36 From servant leadership to collaborative leadership: "Leadership is what people do together".

23:47 The mismatch between leadership training and organizational culture/reward systems.

24:43 The need for culture to be empathetic, authentic, and support vulnerability.

31:09 Post-COVID realization: People are seeking values alignment over just a paycheck.

34:35 Reflecting on Victor Frankl’s three ways to derive meaning.

38:21 Dr. Dentico's current projects: A Udemy course on interviewing and fractional work in strategic thinking.

🔗 Connect With John Dentico

Website: www.throttleupleadership.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndentico

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid’s work at www.richard-reid.com.

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/