Leadership Lessons with SAIC’s Stu Shea

Posted 07.30.2008

Stu Shea of SAICAs readership of the Next Level Blog grows, I want to offer new ways to deliver leadership tips and strategies while you’re on the go. With that in mind, I hope you’ll enjoy this new Leadership Lessons podcast series. Joining me for the inaugural interview is Stu Shea, President of the Intelligence, Security and Technology Group for SAIC. From his years at Northrop Grumman to his move to SAIC in 2005 — first as senior vice president and later as president of IST, where he oversees 13,000 employees — Stu knows what it takes to succeed at the executive level. And in the first Leadership Lessons interview, Stu unpacks some of his key insights. Here are a few:

  • Learning a new corporate culture is a lot like learning a new language
  • A leader is always on stage – dealing with that requires thoughtful strategies for communication and self-management
  • Higher level roles require a shift from detail-oriented management to "big picture" leadership

But is there one key characteristic, above all else, that makes a great leader? When Shea does leadership training, and gets asked that question, he often quotes Dwight D. Eisenhower, who once said, "You don’t lead people by hitting them over the head — that’s called assault, not leadership." For more tips on how to be the kind of leader who inspires teams to achieve more, be sure to check out the MP3 below. Happy listening!