311: How to Lead People Who Know More Than You

Release Date: July 9

What do you do when you are the youngest, least experienced person in the room, but you are still asked to lead? It is a terrifying reality that many young leaders and entrepreneurs face early in their careers. The instinct is to jump in and prove you have everything under control, but true leadership requires a completely different approach.

In this episode of the Learn-It-All™ podcast, Damon sits down with leadership expert, professor, and former nuclear submarine officer Jon Rennie to break down how to successfully lead people who know more than you.

Drawing from his high-stakes military background on a nuclear submarine and his experience running eight manufacturing companies, Jon shares why the ultimate answer to your team's problems already exists within the four walls of your organization, if you are humble enough to look for it. Jon and Damon discuss how to break down corporate silos by getting out of the corner office, why you must establish high relational trust to survive a crisis, and how to practically lead just like playing chess or the guitar.

Whether you are a corporate executive trying to cut through the management filter or a solo entrepreneur hiring your very first employees, this conversation provides an actionable roadmap to shifting your perspective from being a "non-useful body" to a highly respected, resilient leader.

What You’ll Learn:

Why the best way to earn respect when your entire team is older and more experienced than you is to remain present, observe carefully, and get up to speed quickly so you don't become a liability.
How to eliminate "us vs. them" mentalities between salary and hourly workers by forcing managers to work side-by-side on the shop floor to face reality and see the true root causes of operational problems.
Why senior leaders must resist the urge to immediately hand over answers, and instead use coaching questions to let employees struggle, learn through failure, and build authentic ownership.
Why building deep, authentic relationships during normal times gives leaders the leverage and leeway they need to keep their teams motivated and unified when unexpected disruptions hit.
Lessons from the Navy submarine community on creating an onboarding culture of positive peer pressure and strict accountability where every single person actively adds value to the mission.

‍In This Episode:

0:00 Introduction
0:55 What to do when your team knows more than you
2:04 How young leaders earn respect fast
3:38 Why proving yourself can backfire
5:46 The “us vs. them” culture hiding in your business
6:54 Fridays on the Floor: the habit that changed everything
9:28 The management mistake that keeps problems hidden
11:45 How to get honest ideas from the front line
14:57 Respect is not soft leadership
16:55 The union story that did not end perfectly
18:21 What corporate leadership misses that submarines get right
20:43 Why nobody wants to be a NUB
23:36 Leadership is learned by doing, not reading
24:36 How to let future leaders fail safely
28:14 What changed most in Jon’s leadership style
30:03 The danger of becoming a know-it-all
31:28 How great leaders find signal in the noise
34:30 Why hard times build another gear
35:57 What resilient leaders actually do in a crisis
38:10 The fastest way to start rebuilding trust
40:49 Why fake plastic leaders lose the room
41:37 What younger leaders understand about BS
44:27 If your team goes quiet, pay attention
45:13 The future needs leaders who can handle messy people
46:57 Where to connect with Jon Rennie
47:36 Damon’s challenge: listen, learn, lead

About Jon Rennie:

Jon Rennie is a former U.S. Navy submarine officer who later led eight manufacturing businesses for three global companies over a 22-year corporate career. In 2016, he founded AccuGrid Technologies, a manufacturing company serving the electric utility industry, and now serves in a strategic leadership role. Jon teaches business and leadership at Thales College and hosts the globally ranked Deep Leadership podcast, which sits in the top 1.5% worldwide.

Resources and Mentions:‍