Taco Bell’s Sean Tresvant discovers the key to leadership success

Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant says the key to success is and Climbing the corporate ladder will not be about pretending be a specialist in all the pieces, .

Appearing on LinkedIn’s “This Is Working With Daniel Roth” podcast, the first Black CEO to lead a Mexican-inspired fast food chain revealed the best advice he received during his transition from chief brand officer to CEO in January 2024. “When I went from “As the CEO’s chief brand officer, I got some great advice: Don’t try to be a black belt at everything,” Tresvant said, calling it “the biggest surprise.” He continued to reveal that since receiving the gold nugget, the 43-year-old now claims that instead of trying to be an expert in everything, he has remained a “black belt in marketing and a brown belt in all the pieces else.”

While serving in leadership positions at Nike and , Tresvant learned that a successful manager’s strength truly comes when he admits he doesn’t know all the pieces. That’s something he says helped make the transition at Taco Bell go easily – learning what your strengths and weaknesses are after which simply reaching out to a team member with those skills. “I think that’s what helped me be successful early on, because I’m not trying to be everything,” the debuting CEO said.

“I understand I’m not the CFO, but I have a great CFO who can lead the company.”

this tactic is an indication of “great leadership.” Allows other people to try to develop their very own skill set, which could lead to them being granted other opportunities. “I’m not trying to be everything,” Tresvant said. “Leaders who try to be everything to everyone, and maybe try to be a little too micro and don’t give their teams the opportunity to lead – I think that’s when teams are not at their best. I try to be a good leader who understands what I’m good at, but also understands what other people are good at and make sure I give them the space to be great.”

Communications expert Matt Abrahams supported the CEO’s theory of fine leadership with advice on how to construct successful relationships in the workplace. The first step is to ask questions. “Asking powerful questions shows that you care, shows empathy, shows that you want to learn, and in some cases, admits that you don’t know everything,” Abrahams said.

“These are all valuable tools and resources to have as you try to advance your career or deepen your relationships.”

On “The Path” podcast, leadership wizard Charlene Li said that admitting you do not know something is a fantastic line to success. “You can open yourself up to the student’s way of thinking, and that’s absolutely key,” she said. Li also emphasized that combining humility with self-confidence can enable you get better from failure and get back up whenever you fall.