"Don't Try To Be A Black Belt In Everything": Taco Bell CEO's Advice For Success

Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant, who previously held executive positions at Nike and Sports Illustrated, has challenged traditional leadership norms, saying there is no need for a person to be good at everything. He told Fortune that managers should focus on their strengths and openly admit what they don't know, rather than pretending to be experts in everything. "When I transitioned from being the chief brand officer to the CEO, some great advice I got was, don't try to be a black belt in everything. Be a black belt in marketing and be a brown belt in everything else.," Mr Tresvant revealed on LinkedIn's podcast  This Is Working With Daniel Roth.

Mr Tresvant further noted that effective leadership begins with self-awareness, followed by seeking guidance from experts who can provide solutions. He acknowledged that recognising his strengths and weaknesses has helped him successfully navigate his new role. "That's what I think helped me to be successful early on because I'm not trying to be everything, I understand I'm not a CFO, but I have a great CFO who can lead the business," he said. 

He added that teams actually suffer when leaders "try to be everything to everybody and try to be a little bit too micro and don't empower their teams to lead."

Mr Tresvant joins a chorus of executives who believe their main job is to bring together exceptional talent and then step aside. One of them is Land O'Lakes, CEO Beth Ford, who emphasises the importance of humility in business success. According to Mr Ford, setting aside one's ego is crucial, as it allows leaders to recognize their limitations and seek help when needed. 

Meanwhile, Exelon CEO Calvin Butler advised surrounding oneself with talented individuals and embracing lifelong learning."Always be a learner. Always surround yourself with people that are more talented and smarter than you and learn from them," Mr Butler told Fortune. 

Micromanaging ultimately harms bosses in the long term, according to psychologist Mark Travers. "Overly tight control drains employee morale, leaving them disempowered, while also wasting the manager's own time and energy", Mr Travers wrote in Forbes.