More than a decade ago Peter Sheahan left his accounting job to work in a pub and manage a hotel in Sydney, Australia. Managing the staff of about 35 wasn’t easy—especially difficult was relaying expectations to younger staff members. “I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great to teach workplace expectations in a school setting?’” Sheahan says. But before long, he realized most management struggles are rooted in leadership, rather than simply worker discipline.
With companies battling for Gen-Y talent globally, Sheahan’s 2005 book, Generation Y: Thriving (and Surviving) with Generation Y at Work, was a hit. Since, he’s written several other books, including most recently, Making it Happen: Turning Your Good Ideas Into Great Results. He’s also considered one of the world’s best business speakers—and he counsels companies such as HP, AIG, and Apple on leadership and strategies for bringing ideas into existence.
He spoke with Inc.com’s Christine Lagorio about why an entrepreneur’s greatest strength can become his greatest weakness, how your company might just need to slow down in order to grow, and why you should be focusing on “non-sexy” innovation.
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