#19: Frank Blake, Home Depot former CEO—Aim for Excellence, Not Just Growth

Today’s guest is Frank Blake, former CEO of The Home Depot. He actually calls himself the “accidental CEO” – and it was a bit of a surprise when he was appointed back in 2007. It’s not every day that a former lawyer for GE finds his way to the top role at a home improvement store. However, his success at The Home Depot has been anything BUT accidental. He made big calls that turned the company around. And one of his biggest strategic moves was to stop relying on opening new stores for growth and instead focus on generating more sales at existing stores. It worked. Sometimes growth, for its own sake, isn’t the right goal. Instead, we want to strive for excellence – getting back to basics and being brilliant at what we do. When we do, growth will follow. In Frank’s words, it’s a “compelling, fascinating, never-ending journey” when we aim for excellence, not just growth. You’ll also learn: What to do if you find yourself unexpectedly in a leadership role The single most important insight you can have about how to communicate to an organization One savvy little trick to get some honest feedback from people who report to you (instead of always just hearing what people think you want to hear) Why “listening to your team” is a lot harder than you think Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go  Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.