John was interviewed on La Red de Radio Red, Mexico’s number 1 radio station, by Sergio Sarmiento, one the country’s most respected journalists and incisive interviewers. Transcript of above video as follows:

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Francisco Rodriguez, what strategies to succeed do we have this morning? (English translation)

Radio Host 2 (Francisco Rodriguez): Good morning Sergio and Lupita, well, when you have a new responsibility or leadership position, you usually have some doubt on how to face these new challenges. Due to this uncertainty, you have to know how to face it. This is why we have invited a leadership specialist for today, John Mattone… (English translation)

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): And he is famous for being a very important specialist, right? (English translation)

Radio Host 2 (Francisco Rodriguez): Yes, he was recently named as one of the two top coaches in the world by think 50… (English translation)

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Of the executive coaches, no? (English translation)

Radio Host 2 (Francisco Rodriguez): Yes, of executive coaches. He is also the author of the “Intelligent Leadership” book and a speaker at Smart Speakers. He joins us now at the studio. (English translation)

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): John, thank you very much for being with us. Is leadership really that important? There are some people, CEOs, and companies that believe this is just a rave, just a fashion. Because leadership is not something you can teach or acquire.

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Talks in Spanish to translate what John just said.

Guest Star (John Mattone): Well, first of all, thank you very very much for the opportunity to be here today. Happy mother’s day to all the mothers out there!

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Translates what John Mattone just said.

Guest Star (John Mattone): It is very important, very important that we say that. Yes, I would say that leadership; there is a massive gap globally in leadership. We got over a million books that have been written in leadership in the last 25 years. We got university executive education programs. We have no shortage on intellect in the world. We have a lot of smart people running around. That is not an issue. But, we have a massive gap in leadership.

To me, I think that my mission is to help future leaders and organizations break through and sustain greatness. It comes down to, are you truly a role model? Do you ask yourself the big questions? What is your legacy as a leader? –asking that question every single day before you put your head on the pillow at night. Did I bring greatness to my people today? Did I make a difference in these people’s lives? Did I make a difference in my family’s life? Most people go through life and do not ask themselves the big questions.

I think the other impediment to great leadership, if you look at great leadership, it starts on the inside. It starts with the heart. If your heart is not strong, vibrant and mature, there is no way you can be a great leader.

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Spanish translation continues…

Radio Host 3 (Lupita): John, but how to be a good leader?

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Translates Lupita.

Guest Star (John Mattone): Well, to me, it starts with the inner core. And, you know, I just talked about the heart. When you look at greatness as a leader, people watch you. Right? And, they are watching to what extent you make good decisions. Are you strategic? Are you a critical thinker? How good are you creating a team, sustaining a team? But the things that people forget is that what people see on the outside; originate from greatness on the inside.

So, what I talk about in terms of driving greatness as a leader, starts with having a balanced self-image. If we have people running around, and we do have many people running around with a big ego. They think very highly of themselves. That is not going to work in a world of leadership. What we want is a balanced self-image. You got to believe in yourself. You got to have conviction about yourself. But you also have to be very humble and you got to be vulnerable. And, if you are not willing to go there, there is no way you can be somebody who is a great model.

I think the second thing is you got to have the right value system. If you are operating from a value system of power or money, big mistake! Greatness as a leader is executing the value of altruism. And, altruism is all about being courteous, compassionate, and bringing abundance to others. When you think about it, we don’t have enough of that going. So, I think that is where we start.

We start with making sure the inside is mature, strong, and vibrant. With mature, strong, and vibrant, typically what happens is that all of that greatness will spill to the outer core. And, that’s what the world sees, that’s what your family sees as a parent. When people watch you, they are watching your skills, but it all starts from the inside.

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Spanish translation of John’s answer to Lupita.

Radio Host 2 (Francisco Rodriguez): John, you just talked about a team, how do you create a great team?

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Spanish translation of Francisco’s question.

Guest Star (John Mattone): Well, you got to have clearly a vision, a mission, a purpose. It really comes down to looking at the predictive levers that will drive greatness in a team. And, it doesn’t matter if you are trying to build a team as a family. It’s all the same stuff. Whether you are trying to build a team at an organization or sports team.

The most important predictor is “Do people believe they have the capability to excel in the roles they are in?” And, there’s a big difference between thinking something, Francisco, and believing it. Because belief ignites action. The key as a leader in building an incredible team that breaks through is “Do your people truly believe they have the capability to excel in their role?” That’s number one. I think the second thing is, “To what extent are you igniting passion in people?” It’s the “will” do, the “can” do.

There is another aspect, which is the “must do.” When I talk about must do, I’m talking about “Do people really feel aligned?” Do I feel aligned with the mission and the vision? If I’m not aligned, I don’t feel compelled to do great things. So if you really think about it, if the “can do” is strong, the “will do” is strong, and the” must do” is strong, the same thing with our families and our kids. If our kids, can do, will do, and must do; they are going to execute what needs to be executed. And, you know by the way, you are going to have collaboration. People are going to work together as a team. Those are the five elements that drive greatness, in my opinion.

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Translates John’s response into Spanish. Then, he says “John, thank you very much. What’s the name of your book again?”

Guest Star (John Mattone): Well, thank you very much for the opportunity, the three most recent books “Talent Leadership (2012), Intelligent Leadership (2013), and Cultural Transformation was written last year and released.” It’s been wonderful to be here – Thank you.

Radio Host 1 (Sergio): Translates John’s answer while confirming the name of the books. Then, says “John Mattone, thank you very much for being with us.”

Radio Host 3 (Lupita): Thank you. (English Translation)

Radio Host 2 (Francisco Rodriguez): Thank you. I would like to comment that he’s a speaker at Smart Speakers. He shared with us a very interesting article in our Twitter and Smart Speakers’ LinkedIn about how to face new leadership positions.

Back to blog