Session 10 - “An Uncompromising Focus on People” - Brad Anderson

Vice-chairman and CEO of Best Buy, Brad Anderson leads by creating a culture of accountability and unleashing the power of people. In 1973, after leaving seminary without a degree, Anderson joined a local stereo store as an entry-level sales person. Impressed by his customer-focused success, his supervisor partnered with Anderson to grow the chain into Best Buy, a $19.2 billion retailer of technology and entertainment. Today, Anderson oversees 140,000 employees throughout North America and China and was recently named one of "The Best CEOs in America" by Institutional Investor Magazine.

Highlights:
Dropped out of seminary and became a clerk in a 3-man audio store for 7 years. The owner, the founder of Best Buy, considered anyone who stayed in the job more than 2 year was a dolt
Measure how engaged employees are using the Gallup 12 questions for ten eyars
High engagement leads directly to better sales
It takes a strong leader to raise employee engagement.
True leaders get greatest joy from empowering others.
Acquired Geek Squad but couldn’t have created it because we thought we were cool
Feels like a Moses, unqualified but called
How are people “coding” what they’re doing? (How finding meaning in what they do.)
Shares his faith when there’s a green light...permission