#122: Bill Rhodes, CEO of AutoZone – Value those you lead

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8 • 596 Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2023

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s guest is Bill Rhodes, the CEO and Executive Chairman of AutoZone. Get this: AutoZone is one of the only companies around who has grown both their earnings per share AND their revenue EVERY year for the past TWENTY years. That kind of consistency is just remarkable. But you won’t hear Bill take the credit for it. For him, it is all about his team and what they can do together. He’s got this deep and genuine admiration for his people, whom he calls AutoZoners. That respect drives how he makes decisions, implements, finds and trains talent, and more. When we truly respect those we lead, we see leadership for the privilege it really is. It’s the secret to getting big things done – and to getting the kind of growth we all want to have. You’ll also learn: The surprising benefit of a company culture that’s not for everybody How to grow both a retail and wholesale business A practical idea to help you find great team members (even in a tough labor market) What “executive courage” means and how it can change your approach to decisions How golf helped Bill get his foot in the door at a top accounting firm Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to How Leaders Lead, where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.
0:10.4	I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.
0:18.3	That's what this podcast is all about.
0:23.2	My guest today is Bill Rhodes,
0:31.1	who's been the CEO of AutoZone since 2005. Now get this, AutoZone is one of the only companies around who has grown both their earnings per share and their revenue every year for the past 20 years. Boy, I got to tell you, that kind of
0:41.9	consistency is remarkable. Not just remarkable. It's amazingly remarkable. But there's no way Bill
0:49.2	is going to take the credit for it. I don't care how hard you try to get him to do it. It's just not
0:53.9	going to happen. For him, it's hard you try to get him to do it. It's just not going to happen.
0:55.1	For him, it's all about his team and what they can do together. He's got this deep and genuine
1:01.2	admiration for his people, who he calls auto-zoned. That respect drives how he makes decisions,
1:07.6	how he implements new ideas, how he finds and trains talent, and a whole lot more.
1:13.1	When we truly respect those we lead, we see leadership for the privilege it really is.
1:18.5	It's the secret to getting big things done and to getting the kind of growth we all want to have.
1:24.5	So, hey, let's get right down to it.
1:26.6	Here's my conversation with my good friend and soon
1:29.4	to be yours, Bill Rhodes. Bill is great to have you on the show. So great to be with you. And thank you for the
1:40.8	mission of how leaders lead. I am a consumer of your program and have enjoyed
1:45.8	it thoroughly. It's a great way to go out on a run and think about something other than the pain.
1:52.1	That's great. You know, I have to tell you, you know, listening to your voice here, you're Sam Elliott.
1:58.0	You got the mustache, you got the beard. You sound exactly like Sam
2:01.5	Elliot. And it's all gray. And I guess that's why my voice is so raspy. Too many years, David,
2:07.5	too many years. I really can't wait to get into how you lead and talk about the great job
	...

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