The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #266: Ryan Caldbeck - CircleUp CEO: How To Build The Frameworks Of Your Life & Career

We are hosting a workshop on developing YOUR personal excellence as a leader.  For details and availability, go to RyanHawk.me 

The Learning Leader Show

"What we look for in a person: Horsepower, Integrity, Work Ethic, Teamwork, Pride."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Persistence - regardless of skill, willing to run through unlimited doors with no light at the end of the tunnel. It can be soul crushing
  • Identified focus passion - an understanding of the passion that is identifiable.
  • Drive - A motor. Really good at email and/or communication. Can't take too long. "Have a motor." Always moving
  • Values - "I don't say that lightly." You can't sustain excellence without values. "A framework to understand you."
• Isn't it hard to know what your passion is? "Yes. I got scared about the treadmill that I saw others get on."  However, people don't think they can leave the corporate job that pays well.  But you can.  Begin by thinking about the framework to make it happen.
• "Silicon Valley is a hard town to talk about challenges."
• What it's like to lead 60 employees
• What mistakes were made in the hiring process?
  • "We took too long to make frameworks."
  • "Frameworks show others what to do."
• What traits/values do you look for in hiring?
  • "The airport test doesn't make sense to me. I don't have to want to spend a day around them in the airport."
  • "We have crystallized what we look for in a person."
    • Horsepower - intelligence over experience
    • Integrity - don't talk negatively about others
    • Work ethic - must be willing to work hard
    • Teamwork - need to work well with others
    • Pride - Care
• How to gauge work ethic in a job interview?
  • "It starts with everyone knowing we are looking for that."
• Advice for the individual contributor making the leap to manager...
  • "Figure out framework for your specific role. Get clarity on what each person's role is."
  • "Learn how to develop empathy for what your team goes through. Sit with them without micromanaging them."
  • "Make sure you have a resource (person) to talk to about being a manager. Hire a coach. Get a peer group outside of your company."
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Ryan has a coach and a group of 12 CEO's that he meets with regularly
• Building culture:
  • Focus on your mission
    • "To help entrepreneurs thrive by giving them the capital and resources they need."
• Their Values:
  • Do it right
  • Be brave
  • Be a solution
• Constantly reinforce the vision
• Most useful advice:
  • Winston Churchill - "Never give up."
  • "Do what you're passionate about"
• How to have balance at home?
  • Two kids and his wife is a senior leader at her company
  • Mediation after the kids go to bed
  • Online working from 8:30-10:00
  • Spend time with spouse only
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"If you don't keep growing, you will become irrelevant."

Social Media:

• Read Ryan's tweet storms: @ryan_caldbeck
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #265: Clay Mathile - Self Made Billionaire Shares His Keys To Success

Former CEO and owner of The Iams Company, Clay is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Aileron. He believes strongly in free enterprise and has a high respect for business owners who risk their capital to employ others. Clay attributes professional management as one of the key reasons he was able to grow Iams to a $1 billion organization. In 1999, the Mathile family sold Iams to international conglomerate Procter & Gamble for the sum of $2.3 billion.

The Learning Leader Show

"I bought the business with borrowed money. I was scared to death. I didn't know how to run a business.  I had to learn." -- Clay Mathile describes his feelings after buying Iams

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Vision of what they want to do and where they want to go
  • A good idea of how to get there
  • Committed to their vision and idea
  • Clay's 4 things he wanted
    • Own his own business
    • Have that business be something that was excellent and stood for something
    • To help entrepreneurs grow
    • To use technology learned to help develop food for indigenous people
• Was hired at Iams in 1970 as the 7th employee
  • It took five years to figure out the problems and five more years to fix it
  • Convinced Paul Iams to sell Iams to him in 1975 (half) and the rest in 1981
  • Borrowed money to buy it
  • Why Clay?  "Paul had seen me work and seen me make an impact on the business.  I spent a lot of time on the sales and marketing strategy."
    • Focused on the breeders and vets. The people who influence the actual user.  Clay was ahead of his time.
• Went to President's Course in 1982 at American Management Association
  • "I'm scared to death, I don't know how to run a business.  I needed to learn."
  • The key was hiring a President and super charging their growth
  • What went in the decision to sell the company?
    • Sat down with his family to decide what each child wanted to do - "They all wanted to chase their own dreams, their own passions. They didn't want to own Iams."
  • The CEO of Procter & Gamble called...
    • Clay takes us inside the room to negotiate the deal: "We told them what our number was... And they exceeded it. It ended up with $2.3 billion."
• Starting the family office in anticipation of the sale of his business -- To build a new organization for the future.
• Aileron started as the center for entrepreneur organizations in 1994
• Aileron - "We give lift and guidance to the business owner."
• "How can I possibly repay you?" -- Clay said to his mentors.  They said, "Don't pay me... Just pass it on to others."
• "People are looking for immediate help for a problem they are having right now.  And we've designed this place to help them solve those problems."
• Been married for 55 years, have raised a successful family... How?
  • "When I was home, I was home. I was present. I wasn't playing golf or out with the boys."
  • Keys: "Trust... You have to like the person too.  Like hanging out with them."
• Why everyone should have a board?
  • "They see things that you don't see. A strategic overview. It's something you can't do yourself."
  • "After you've been in business for 10 years, 75% of all problems are because of you."
• Having a "Personal Board of Advisors"
  • "I recommend all senior executives have mentors.  All you have to do is ask. I've never had anyone turn me down when I've asked them."
  • "Build trust and mutual respect."
• Culture
  • "I built it so I could work in it."
  • "I had strange things in my management style. I was promoting empowerment before it was popular."
  • "Most people do the right things for the right reasons if you put them in the right environment."
  • "The value of the individual is so important. Treat them with respect.  They feel important and special. I saw every single employee at least once per year all over the world."
  • "People are inherently good."
• Bad leaders = "Big egos, not trusting of others, insecure people."
• "When you push people outside of their comfort zone, you can't beat on them when they fail. You have to let them make mistakes."
• Individual contributor to manager jump... Advice:
  • "You have to accept the fact that management is a profession as anything else is a profession."
  • "Just because you're the best sales person doesn't mean you'll be the best sales person."
• "As a manager, you're job is to develop others."
• "You need to manage spontaneity, responsiveness.  Don't react, be proactive."
• A good example of a proactive leader is a fire chief: They analyze the situation prior to making decisions. Manage in crisis
• "In 1984, we built Iams University to help people learn..."
• Most passionate about? "Teaching people, focus on the dreams of the people.  Read the book Dream Manager. That's what we're all about."
• Example of a typical day: "I do about anything I want to do."
• One dream for Aileron -- "It will survive forever."
• Learning Leader = You have to be a continuous learner
• How much of his success is luck?
  • "60% luck. Be in the right place at the right time."
• "Your listeners need to think about passing it on. To help others."
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"We give lift and guidance to the business owner."

Social Media:

• Read: Run Your Business, Don't Let It Run You
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #264: Liv Boeree - The Three Life Lessons From The Poker Table

Liv Boeree is a poker player, television presenter and speaker. She is a World Series of Poker and 2010 European Poker Tour champion, and is the only female player in history to hold both titles. Born in Kent, Boeree studied at Ashford School before going on to earn a First Class Honours degree in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. Livis a three time winner of the Global Poker Index European Female Player of the year and currently sits at #5 on the female all-time live poker winnings list.

We are hosting a workshop on developing YOUR personal excellence as a leader.  For details and availability, go to RyanHawk.me 

The Learning Leader Show

"Our instincts are built off our life experiences."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Humility to continue question themselves
  • Growth mindset
  • Confidence
  • Curiosity to try new things
• "My hyper competitive mindset propelled me to do well in school... Even though I wasn't as naturally smart as others.  I had to work at it."
• There are two people that exist in the world: Those who are humble and those who are about to be humbled.
• Why poker?
  • "I wanted to be a musician and a rock star, but I wasn't good enough.  Poker was even better.  I'm able to play a great game and travel the world."
• The mental framework of Poker: The foundation:
  • Rational decision making
  • Communication skill
  • Read LessWrong.com
• How does poker thinking apply to life?
  • "Our instincts are built off our life experiences" -- The Jesse Itzler model for decision making (trust your gut) vs the analytical approach... They are more similar than you think
• How can you tell when someone is bluffing? (lying)
  • "It's rare that people have physical tells"
  • Most of the time it's based on the math and your knowledge of how that person has played in the past (you see what they have played)
• How poker relates to the interview process... How can you spot when someone isn't telling the truth in a job interview?
  • "Ask them to re-tell their career story... But this time do it backwards" --- It's hard to do this unless you are telling the truth
  • Look for baseline behaviors when you meet someone and they don't feel like they are in the "interview process" yet
    • Walking in from their car, checking in, going to happy hour, dinner
  • Thoughtfulness -- Are they willing to admit a mistake
• Three life lessons from the poker table:
  • Quantifying - Increase granularity in thinking. Willingness to work in uncertainty. What action will achieve the best response?
  • Intuition can be great with lots of data, but it's not magic
  • Don't let a run of good luck make you think you're good
    • But how can you know the difference? -- Find a great set of peers who will tell you the truth
• Advice to an amateur player in the World Series main event of poker
  • Recognize the other players at the table. Who is great? Who isn't? Watch closely when you are not in the hands to see the showdown value and gain information.  Balance your play based on who is in the hand with you
• Read WaitButWhy.com from Tim Urban
• "There is no other leader than The Learning Leader."
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"If you don't keep growing, you will become irrelevant."

Social Media:

• See why over 130,00 people follow Liv on Twitter: @Liv_Boeree
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #263: Charlie McMahan - How To Build A Tribe From 50 To 5,000

Charlie McMahan has been the Lead Pastor of SouthBrook Church since 1992. He is driven by a deep concern for those who may feel like they don’t belong in a church and a sincere hope that anyone who struggles with faith can end up with a life that looks like the life of Jesus.  He is focused on developing future leaders and spends many hours a week mentoring others (including me!).

Charlie has led SouthBrook from a small church that originally met in an elementary school to now hosting more than 5,000 members per weekend.  He has a deep understanding for how to build a loyal tribe of people.

The Learning Leader Show

"The Process: Teaser, Tension, Truth, Take Home, Together."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Integrated people - They aren't chasing a bunch of different things
  • Consolidated on the self mission
  • Focused - Not distracted
• Family
  • Charlie's dad was gone 25 days a month (he later found out he was in the CIA)
  • The reason he turns down big opportunities is because he doesn't want to travel and wants to be with his family
  • Levels of communication with kids
    • Don't spend money on stuff, spend money on experiences -- Their place is Hilton Head
• Process for Charlie's performances (his speeches/sermons)
  • The word entertainment means "To hold people's attention"
• The Process:
  • Teaser - Something that grabs you
  • Tension - The inductive part of speaking that you have to do today. So the listeners know "this is important." If you don't do this, people will leave
  • Truth
  • Take Home - The practical "do"
  • Together - "Isn't this the kind of person we want to be?"
• Most preachers were trained to be deductive... You can't do that now. You need to help them draw their own conclusions.
• Finding a way to weave stories and science together
• The Medici Effect - The renaissance happened because seemingly disconnected entities were connected.
• "I'm always figuring out how disconnected entities connect"
• "The upside of stress"
  • "Emotions are like waves. You can't choose which ones come, but you can choose which to ride."
  • Choose to embrace stress, it can have a positive impact on you
• Create a habit of how you look at life:
  • How long did it take you to put this message together? "30 hours and a lifetime."
• The intersection of the reality of the struggles with Charlie's kids and applying it to the lives of the people you serve
• What is it like to be the children of someone as successful as Charlie?
  • "Our kids had so much pressure on them.  We didn't appreciate how much it was."
    • "The Famous Father Syndrome" - Kids choose to differentiate from their parents because they can't win that game
  • Advice give to parents:
    • "When you walk in the room, the temperature will go up for them.  Kids need stress to grow."
    • "The stress free life is the dying life"
    • "When we walked in the room, the temperature went way up for my kids. The same heat that drove me, burned them." --> "Most parenting things you learn 5 minutes too late"
    • PLAY - Personality type, Learning style, Ability level, Yes factor -- "You don't have to cave under the pressure. It doesn't have to destroy you"
• Growing a church from 50 people to 5,000 per weekend.  How?
  • Has to be a commitment to excellence that is YOU -- Has to be in ALL areas of your life. "Excellence is a habit."
    • "Excellence is expressing my worth... Ennobling others because I care. Perfectionism is trying to earn my worth by being perfect... And that is dangerous."  Be careful to not think, "I have to be perfect or I"m not worth anything."
    • "Maturity is way underrated"
    • "Excellence comes out of peace. In excellence the process is as much of importance as the product."
    • "I don't have grammatical errors on the manuscript that nobody else ever sees."
    • "Excellence is the right people doing the right things for the right reasons."
    • "The right motivations are not so compulsive."
    • "The constant burden of leadership is the constant interception of entropy."
      • "There is constant gravitational pull to become like everyone else."
    • "Our church is for someone who doesn't like church." Why? "Because I didn't like church."
    • How do you handle the immense value of YOU as the leader? And the success moving forward without you?
      • "We're constantly in process of finding the next leader."  "When you've been some place a long time, you become in the way."
        • Level 5 leader helps a place be better after they are gone
• How to build a tribe?
  • Max DuPree - What are your unique tribal speaks?
    • The 5 S's of SouthBrook:
      • Solitude, Scripture, Service, Support, Significant Events
  • "A Tribe is where story and strategy meet."
• What is it like the minute before you go on stage?
  • "I used to panic. It took me 10 years to get over the "what am I doing!?"
  • "Leading is so presumptuous."
  • "I've never stepped behind a microphone where I didn't believe that I could save people's lives. I truly believe every word I'm saying."
  • "I can't wait to share this."
  • "I didn't think about public speaking until I had to give a three minute speech my junior year in college.  Something happened at that speech. People leaned in."
  • "Hitting the 10,000 hour mark has helped me. It's easier to prepare.  I'm a huge believer in putting in the time."

• Charlie writes 3,500 words per week. Then put on the iPad and have it while on stage... "I memorize that by Friday."
• "I'm a master at self condemnation."
• Why be so critical of yourself?
  • "It can be a safety mechanism. If we self criticize, we won't get as much criticism. And it does connect with people."
• Developing future leaders
  • "The test of leadership is the ability to reproduce yourself in others... The good parts of yourself that should be reproduced."
  • "The path from direction to delegation"
  • "If I don't succeed in succession, then I will have failed."
  • "You can't be a farmer, you have to be a rancher who raises up other farmers."
• Ron Howard and Sam Jones -- Why Wall Street leaders hire former athletes?
  • "We like to hire athletes because they lose so much. They are forced to respond to failure."
• "I lose every day. I'm not good at having an accurate understanding of myself. I need people around me."
• "I was a world class (basketball) shooter. I shot 96% from the free throw line."
• Charlie was national player of the year.
• "Grit is the only talent.  Those tough moments are the character builders."
• Charlie's biggest challenge today? -- "Figuring out a way to build a succession plan and not leave too soon. I live in that tension everyday."
• "When I watch myself speak, I don't think it's very good."
• The importance of hobbies
• How does it take a toll on your when you can't please everybody?
  • "Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can handle.  You cannot sustain trying to please everyone. "
• The importance of continued growth and having an apprentice
  • PB&J
    • Have to have people ahead of you, stretch you, challenge you
    • Need people alongside you, your peers, in it together, consolidate over shared stories
    • We grow most when we have people to teach. To pour in to...
• "Writing makes a person exact. If it's hazy in the podium, it will be foggy in the chair."
• "If you can't listen, you can't lead."
• "There is no other leader than The Learning Leader."
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"If you don't keep growing, you will become irrelevant."

Social Media:

• Follow Charlie on Twitter: @CharlieBMcMahan
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#262: Keith Yamashita - The Keys To Great Execution (Oprah, Starbucks, Steve Jobs)

Keith Yamashita  has led SYPartners for the past two decades, a practice that collaborates with CEOs and their leadership teams to build great companies and organizations. He’s worked with leaders at Apple, eBay, IBM, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, Nike, Starbucks, and Target Corporation, among others. SYPartners has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune for its unique, human-centered approach, applied to both business and social challenges. Earlier in Keith's career, he was the chief writer for Steve Jobs. 

The Learning Leader Show

Action Step - "Build a daily contemplative practice to create mind-fitness."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • The ability to envision a future that doesn't currently exist -- Make it a reality
  • Optimistic
  • Creative
  • A diverse background
  • Authentic communicator
  • Daring and bold
• People Keith has worked with who have sustained excellence:
  • Oprah Winfrey - magnetic personality, she can envision the future we want. She constantly re imagines herself. She has a strong creative core. She has a sense of deep creativity.
  • Howard Schultz - He's always restless, reinvents regularly. He's earned 9,000% return on investors money
• How do you respond when Oprah calls you for help?
  • "We are always on the outer edge of incompetence.  We take on projects that we don't know the answer to.  And then figure it out.  We respond to those calls with deep humility."
• Why choose Keith and SYPartners?
  • "If a leader wants to try something new... We help them experiment."
• Starbucks:
  • Closed 8,000 stores for racial bias training.
  • Keith and team helped them build new habits
• SYPartners origin story:
  • "Our goal has never been to be famous, our goal is to be impactful"
  • 25 years ago with "three partners and $912 in my checking account"
  • Started as a communications firm --> Strategy --> Innovation --> Culture --> Transformation
  • There are 200 employees now
  • "We fight for greatness. We help leaders choose a more daring path"
  • "Everything is set with intentions" --> "Set your intentions and be very open to the universe"
• How do you respond to skeptics?
  • "When I started I had $912 in my checking account.  I had to borrow money for rent."
  • Only you know what's inside of you.  "Your skepticism needs to be inward, not outward."
  • "If greatness is your choice, it's not made in big leaps, it's made in daily focus."
    • "Micro actions add up"
• How to make the leap from individual contributor to manager?
  • Leadfully.com has been helpful
• What was it like working for Steve Jobs?
  • "I showed up with writing samples. He said they were awful. He was testing me to see if I believed in my work.  It was the worst interview of my life... However, I got the job."
  • "He's the toughest boss I ever had.  But I learned more from him than anyone I've worked for."
  • Steve was gifted in seeing what people were capable of and he was willing to push. He knew how to motivate you to your capacity
  • The danger in mimicking Steve's behavior? "People try to mimic the behavior, but they don't have his intentions." Mimicking the behavior without the intentions is a recipe for disaster.
• Execution and implementation:
  • Mind-fitness - Creativity in moments that matter. Be connected to others in a calm way. Ideas are just ideas. "You can train your mind to be present in this moment."  Don't judge others. "Build a daily contemplative process."
  • Build a daily creative practice - Read, write, take notes, be awake, alive, aware. Get a folder, cut out articles, pictures. Create inspiration.  Recall past events.
  • Understand what moment you're in - What's happening? Develop keen awareness to the moments
• Why books are the greatest investment ever (my thoughts)
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#261: Darryl Strawberry - MLB Superstar: World Series, Home Runs, & Substance Abuse

Darryl Strawberry helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships.  He was also suspended three times by Major League Baseball for substance abuse.  He was a nine time all star and he hit 335 home runs during his illustrious career.

He is an ordained minister, speaker, and author.  He is taking his message to the masses with his new book, Don't Give Up On Me -- Shedding Light on Addiction.

The Learning Leader Show

"My Dad beat the crap out of me.  He told me I would never amount to anything. I believed him." -- Darryl Strawberry

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • A calming presence... Confidence in what you know
  • Time spent learning to lead
  • Davey Johnson and Joe Torre -- A measured, confident approach to understanding each individual and how they needed to be managed
• Best teammates?
  • Gary Carter
  • Keith Hernandez
  • Lead by example type people... Those who are consistently doing the work every single day
  • They understand how to prepare and do not get distracted from the work
• Darryl struggled to be consistent because of his wondering focus
• How to bounce out of a slump?
  • "When you're 2 for 30, how do you get yourself out of a jam?  Go to the batting cage and do the work."
• What was the key to winning the World Series in 1986?
  • "A complete team effort.  We were a WHOLE team. Complete.  Every guy did their part."
• Why did Darryl use drugs?
  • "An emptiness. I've never been well on the inside.  Pain led me to greatness, but was also the cause for drug use."
  • "My dad beat the crap out of me. He told me I would never be anything and I believed him."
• Why are so many world class athletes insecure?
  • "They are yearning for love and do not always get it. I never had a good Dad.  I had to learn lessons on my own.  Nobody taught me."
• Advice to young people who do not have a Dad?
  • "Listen to your mom.  I wish I would have.  Take her direction.  Allow mentors to help you.  Allow people to power into your life.  It was hard for me to trust people."
• Being a dad to successful athletes -- (His sons are professional basketball players and his daughters are scholarship volleyball players)
  • "I did not coach them, but I encourage them continually work to get better. I didn't push them to play baseball."
• The Doc and Darryl 30 For 30
  • "I love Doc.  We are still good friends.  We've been through a lot."
• Why write Don't Give Up On Me?
  • "There are so many problems in the world.  Addiction is everywhere.  I want to help people.  I was great, but broken at the same time."
• A defining moment?
  • His wife said, "If you're ever going to get well, you have to take that uniform off."  Had to stop identifying as a baseball player
• "You must take responsibility for your actions"
• "You need people in your inner circle who will be honest with you and tell you no."
• Day to day work: Pastor, travel, bring hope to those who are struggling"
• Would you ever work in baseball again?
  • "No... Unless Derek Jeter called and asked me to help his team."
• Toughest pitcher ever faced?
  • Nolan Ryan
• Why were you a great hitter?
  • Preparation... On deck circle.  Always getting ready
  • "Focus on hitting line drives to the opposite field.  That's how you know you're on it" -- Keith Hernandez was very helpful
• "It's about people.  I should have been dead, had cancer twice, chased women, drug issues.  I have urgency everyday."

• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"It's about people. I should have been dead.  I had cancer twice, chased women, had drug issues.  I have urgency everyday."

Social Media:

• Read: Don't Give Up On Me
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #260: Mark Divine - How To Create An Unbeatable Mind

At twenty-six Mark Divine graduated as Honor Man (#1-ranked trainee) of SEAL BUD/S class number 170. Mark served for nine years total on active duty and eleven as a Reserve SEAL, retiring as Commander in 2011.  His leadership of teams was so effective the government tasked him with creating a nationwide mentoring program for SEAL trainees.  He earned his MBA at NYU.  In 2007 he launched the SEALFIT program to provide transformational personal and team training experiences. The training utilizes an integrated warrior development model he developed, called Unbeatable Mind, which draws from his 20 years as a SEAL and business leader, 25 years as a martial artist and 15 years as yoga practitioner.  Mark has written has written four books, including The Way of The SEAL, and Unbeatable Mind.

The Learning Leader Show

"Do today what others aren't willing to do.  You're 20X more capable than what you think."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • People who have practices that value excellence and practice it regularly
  • Optimized training, sleep, and balance
  • Mental health:
    • Meditation, nature, learning, reducing potential to be stuck in biases
  • Emotional health:
    • Not afraid of going to therapy, spritual
• Why is therapy helpful?
  • Mark married a therapist
  • They can be an emotional coach
  • "It's preventative maintenance" --> Must be proactive
  • A "check up from the neck up"
• You should always be investing in improving your "self"
  • Be mindful - yoga, zen.  It's an evolutionary skill to help you connect at a deeper level
• Why become a Navy SEAL?
  • Got MBA and a CPA -- Got a job on Wall Street and hated it after three months
  • Started Zen meditation... It changed his brain
  • It created a structured program to look within himself and reflect
  • Mark did not like what was happening in the outer world (with his job)
  • He was meant to be a warrior and a leader
• Did he ever have doubts?
  • No... Because he had prepared for the difficult moments through visualization and fully understanding his WHY
  • "I created total certainty in my mind. 100% that I was going to become a SEAL. I won in my mind."
  • This outlook helped him finish #1 overall in his BUD/S class
• How can we apply this to our world?  Outside of the military?
  • You must deeply care about what you're doing... And then visualize your success.
  • A "personal practice of excellence"
  • "It must be something in your vision that you are really passionate about"
  • "Visualize it as a completion.  Visualize doing it to completion."
  • "You're the type of person who is worthy of completing that challenging task... Of achieving THAT"
• How do you respond to skeptics?
  • The science backs it up... Do your research
  • Give it a try... Why wouldn't you?
• VUCA = Volatility, Uncertainty, Complex, Ambiguous -- How to handle these situations
• Creating a decentralized organization -- Why this works in the military and in business (trust and certainty)
• Why you must "learn to embrace risk" -- Cannot be afraid of failure... And the plan must be flexible
• "Do today what others won't" -- 20X more capable than what you think
• "Society has weakened us... Everything is easy now.  You need to force yourself to do hard things."
• "Challenge leads to growth."
• "Your body will adapt to the new reality."  "Push it past where you think it can currently go"
• "You must challenge yourself every single day"
• Exercise - Write your own obituary.  Think "What would people say about me?"
  • Do the deep self awareness work to "know thyself"
  • "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything"
• "Derive your passion around purpose. Create your set of principles."
• Originally, there was a scathing obituary written for Alfred Nobel... It was meant for his twin brother, but there was a mistake and someone wrote it about him.  It changed his life.  He was not aware of how badly he was thought of... And he became known for peace moving forward.  So much so... That they named a prize after him.
• How Brad Stevens and Bill Belichick have mastered the art of coaching
• Why the "hacking movement" is not good according to Mark
• There must be deep learning over many years to get to mastery level of anything
• Simplify = Be narrow on what you want, get rid of everything else. And focus
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

Social Media:

• Read: Unbeatable Mind
• Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkDivine
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #259: Shane Snow - How To Build A Dream Team

Shane Snow serves as Founder at Large at Contently, which works with Fortune 500 brands and has helped over 100,000 freelance journalists, artists, and photographers put food on the table.

His writing has appeared in Wired Magazine, The New Yorker, GQ, Fast Company, Advertising Age, The Washington Post, and others. He's author of Smartcuts, and is now releasing his most important book yet: Dream Teams, a journey through history, neuroscience, psychology, and business to reveal what separates groups that simply manage to get by from those that get better together--and how we might make our companies and communities better by understanding the difference.
Shane has been named one of Details Magazine's "Digital Mavericks," called a "Wunderkind" in the New York Times, and honored as a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. Originally from Idaho, he studied journalism at Columbia University and lives in New York City.

The Learning Leader Show

"Two heads are only better than one if they think differently."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • 2 X @ Matrix chart
    • Skepticism and credulity
    • Optimism and pessimism
  • They believe the world can be better, but they don't always take things at face value
  • Be skeptical AND optimistic as a leader
• The leader should provide complete emotional AND intellectual support
  • Be willing to push. Be okay with conflict.
  • Be a "disagreeable giver" and create psychological safety
• How to improve? Get help?
  • "I have a lot of faith in my self. A healthy ego.  But I'm paranoid about my blind spots. I want to learn so much.  I collect inputs that are critical from my business partner."
• Why write Dream Teams?
  • The desire to study the best teams. The best cultures.  "I wanted to learn this for my own business."
  • "When human beings come together, we can do incredible things."
• The impact his Dad on Shane - A nuclear engineer
• The importance of cognitive diversity
  • "Two heads are better than one only if they think differently."
• The power of ragtag teams
  • Buddy cops
    • Street smart
    • By the book
    • Man/woman teams solve crimes better
• How to implement and execute?
  • WHO is on the team?
  • How you deal with problems/issues?
    • "We need to re-frame how we think about this.  Set up a pool to make it as cognitively diverse as possible
      • Perspective - How you view the world, who you are
      • Heuristic - The way you approach solving problems. (eg: different university, different piano teacher)
• Think about solving problems how a movie director acts?
  • Do they use the exact same actors for every movie they direct? No, it doesn't make sense.  They cast the best actors for each movie.  "If you're solving different problems, why would you cast the same people every time?"
• Shane explains why "culture fit" is not a good characteristic in hiring
• The disaster that was the Daimler-Chrysler merger
  • Miscalculation on how much companies complimented each other
  • Culture kills most - "It's the fact that they didn't speak to each other."
  • Mergers that don't go well... People need to talk.  It's okay to fight and disagree.  It's ruined when people stop talking (just like a marriage)
  • "Silence is the enemy of innovation"
• The Wright Brothers - They would argue one side of a point. Then have lunch... And switch sides of the argument.  It forced expansion of the way they thought about problems
• Wu Tang Clan - "Competition breeds excellence"
  • Magic Johnson & Larry Bird
  • DJ's in the Bronx
  • Competing against Ben Roethlisberger
• Why is it okay to argue and compete?
  • "An overriding cause that's worth it. A purpose. A passion... To win."
• Build an empire with people - Intense, full emotional support.  Learn each others stories, their motivations
• Blackrock - Form a new team, have everyone tell their personal stories, develop a sense of connectedness
• If you dislike a colleague (like Shane did): "I went to her house and met her family and friends. I learned about her life growing up and the people who support her.  It changed my perspective of her."
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"Silence is the enemy of innovation."

Social Media:

• Read: Dream Teams
• Follow Shane on Twitter: @shanesnow
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

258: Jesse Itzler - Creating Your LIFE Resume (Living With The Monks)

Jesse Itzler is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Living with a Seal, cofounded Marquis Jet, the world's largest private jet card company which he and his partner sold to Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets. Jesse then partnered with Zico coconut water, which he and his partner sold to The Coca-Cola Company.  His latest book is titled, Living With The Monks. He's a former rapper on MTV and wrote and performed the NBA's Emmy Award-winning "I Love This Game" music campaign and the popular New York Knicks anthem "Go NY Go." When he's not running ultra-marathons, eating vegan food or being a dad to his four kids, Jesse can be found at the NBA's Atlanta Hawks games, where he's an owner of the team. He is married to Spanx founder Sara Blakely.

The Learning Leader Show

"I invest in people... You must look into their eyes before making a decision."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Spending time around the 4,000 people who used Marquis Jet, "I always asked them about their habits."
  • You have to create the system that works best for YOU:
    • Attack fear, take risks
    • Get up early in the morning
    • Create daily wins, momentum
    • Be a great connector, build relationships
    • Run -- Create great exercise habits
    • Winning habits, routines, mindset. A system for self
• For 27 years, Jesse has only eaten fruit before noon
• Relying on gut instinct... How to build this, make better? Must spend time alone, to think.  Running is where this happens for Jesse (in the car for Sara)
• Why?
  • Awareness with time... Understand your own mortality
  • A constant drive to build a "life resume"
  • You only get 1 shot to do this thing
• Hiking Mount Washington -- Helps you feel "super alive... It's addicting."
• Have you always been this way? "I get bored easily. This has nothing to do with money."
• Always being urgent to accomplish something
• Always carving out time for yourself.  Carve at least 1 hour per day.
• Put parameters around your time
• YOU are the business plan. "I invest in people... Have you ever looked into his eyes?"
• "At the end of the day, people drive companies."
• Why live with the monks?
  • "I did the physical part while living with a SEAL.  I needed to focus on the spiritual part."
    • Lived in a monastery with 8 monks... 4 had been there for 50 years
• How living with the monks helped him handle "decision fatigue"
  • How it free'd up so much energy
• "The power of cumulative work"
• "Always do something hard"
  • It sets the tone for yourself
• Don't back away from challenges -- Build the grit muscle
  • Do small things every day (clean, make the bed, finish tasks, do the dishes now)
• "I'm turning 50.  I only have 28 summers left if I'm lucky."
• The perfect day =
  • Family time
  • Wellness time (running)
  • Business time
• "Get your heart rate up!"

Social Media:

• Read: Living With The Monks
• Follow Jesse on Twitter: @the100MileMan
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #257: David Marquet - Intent Based Leadership (Turn The Ship Around!)

Captain Dave Marquet is a 1981 U.S. Naval Academy graduate.  He served in the U.S. submarine force for 28 years. After being assigned to command the nuclear powered submarine USS Santa Fe, then ranked last in retention and operational standing, he realized the traditional leadership approach of “take control, give orders,” wouldn’t work. He “turned his ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control. This approach took the Santa Fe from “worst to first,” achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the navy.
Stephen R. Covey said it was the most empowering organization he’d ever seen and wrote about Captain Marquet’s leadership practices in his book, The 8th Habit.

Captain Marquet is the author of Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders. Fortune magazine called the book the “best how-to manual anywhere for managers on delegating, training, and driving flawless execution.”

"Leadership is not for the select few at the top. In highly effective organizations, there are leaders at every level. When we give our people more authority, we actually create more effective leaders."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • "The ability to decouple from their personal feelings their personality. It can't all depend on one person. In a consistent organization, the leader is part of it, but not all of it."
• How parenting helps you become a better leader:
  • "That's really interesting. As a parent, you're trying to create an independent decision maker."
• The United States Naval Academy definition of leadership = Leadership can be defined as directing the thoughts, plans, and actions of others... So as to obtain their command and obedience, their confidence, their respect, and their loyal cooperation." --> Why this is wrong and not effective.
• "I intend to..." -- Intent based leadership
• How to create the environment for the team to make decisions
• Intent based environment:
  • People don't need to be told what to do. Lean back, team leans forward. Don't make yourself (as the leader) a bottleneck.
• Risks = Tune level of control to competence or confidence of the team...
  • Expose my thought process (as the leader) to you to see how I put it together.
• Ask "what" and "how" questions...
• If you get hired as a new manager and did not get to choose anyone on your team?
  • "Focus on what you can control.  Do we welcome each other? Do we care? Do we connect?"
• Making the jump from individual contributor to manager:
  • "Talk less, don't have all the answers... Listen."
• "Push information to authority.  Be knowing, not telling."
• The job of the leader is to determine how the team works
• Minimize cognitive burden -- "The leader defines the structure."

"We act our way to new thinking, not think our way to new acting."

Social Media:

• Read: Turn The Ship Around!
• Follow Captain Marquet on Twitter: @ldavidmarquet
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #256: Elena Botelho - How To Become A CEO

Elena Botelho has been a Partner at ghSMART since 2007. Elena initiated and co-leads The CEO Genome Project^® featured in a cover article of Harvard Business Review.  Her recent book, The CEO Next Door, is a New York Times Bestseller. The CEO Genome Project^® is an extensive research and client practice supporting CEO's and executives on the path to CEO. The research explores paths and behaviors that lead to the top, typical setbacks CEO's encounter and ways to prevent them. Elena is a member of McKinsey M&A Integration Council – an invitation-only forum of senior executives from major corporations to share M&A best practices. Elena is a sought after speaker at leading industry events on leadership and M&A.

The Learning Leader Show

"Charisma is a myth when it comes to success as a CEO. The research suggests introverts are equally or more successful than charismatic extroverts"

Show Notes:

• How do we define excellence?
  • "Delivering results is how we define it"
• The keys to excellence (delivering results)
  • Decisiveness - Conviction and speed
  • Adapting proactively
  • Relentless reliability - Delivering consistently -- This is the most powerful and important behavior
  • Engage for impact
• Self assessments
  • The lowest rated among 11,000 people Elena surveyed was: Reliability
• Why do people struggle with consistency?
  • Consistency is hard across all domains of our lives
• Reliability - 3 keys
  • Mindset - basic habits. How do we develop the correct mindset? -> Recognize that others need to be able to count on you. This translates to consistent habits
    • Get an honest look in the mirror
  • The WHO - Who are your surrounding yourself with?
  • Process and culture you build
• The CEO Myths:
  • Need to go to an Ivy League school (not true)
  • CEO's were destined for greatness (nope)
    • 70% of CEO's never set a goal to be a CEO
  • Charisma - It helps you get the job, however when you look at results, it's not the way the ensure results
    • Introverts are not less likely for success
• Advice to a current individual contributor:
  • Having powerful mentors didn't seem to help them more than those who didn't
  • Becoming a mentor to others does show it helps
    • It forces you to be clear and become a teacher. Helps you get in the head of others and lead
• What are some mistakes first time managers make?
  • "It can be messy"
  • Be clear on what success looks like
  • Is this the right team? Do personnel changes need to be made?
• What are the career catapults?
  • 25% went to a top business school
  • 97% of them did one of these three sprinters:
    • 60% "went small to go big" -> Took a smaller role at an organization that led to something big
    • They took on a big mess and fixed it
    • The big leap - Take a role well before you're ready --> Take a risk
• Adapting proactively
  • Being able to let go of a profitable business in order for long term success (give up short term for the long term)
  • Key learning = the ability let go of the past

"Becoming a mentor to others forces you to be clear and become a teacher."

Social Media:

• Read: The CEO Next Door
• Go to: ghsmart.com
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #255: David Burkus - The Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life (Friend Of A Friend)

David Burkus is a best-selling author, a sought after speaker, and business school professor. In 2017, he was named as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50.

The Learning Leader Show

"The fundamental element that defines the quality of our lives are the people we surround ourselves with and the conversations we have with them."

Show Notes:

• What defines a happy life?
  • "The fundamental element that defines the quality of our lives are the people we surround ourselves with and the conversations we have with them. That's how you live a happy life."
• Adam Rifkin - The "strength of weak ties"
  • The research suggests you have better odds of getting a job through a loose acquaintance than a close friend
    • "Dormant ties" are very valuable to have in your life.  Make a deliberate effort to reach back out to those people.  Use a system to keep track of those relationships
• This is the "what" and the "how" to get it done
• From "science" to "practice" -- The key to success is to be prescriptive.  Give actionable advice
• The story of Michelle McKenna Doyle -- How she created her dream job in the NFL. 1 dormant tie - 1 degree of separation.  "Most of us are only 1 or 2 introductions away from what we want..."
• Clusters - People tend to cluster around like minds.  There is amazing power of small communities
  • "Build your own stage, your own community"
• Super connector - Dunbar's # -- Brian Grazer
  • Having regular curiosity conversations -- That is how he met Ron Howard
• Never ask the question, "How can I help you?"  Figure out how you can help someone else, then help them.  Don't put the onus on them.
  • Always think, "who does this person need to meet?" And make connections
• In a networking situation, don't just ask - "What do you do?" -- Try to learn more about them as a person, not just their job
  • "What excites you right now?
  • Who's your favorite super hero?"
  • Where did you grow up?"
• Be interested in order to be interesting
• "We feel guilt when we no longer want to associate with old friends and colleagues who haven't changed. The price, and marker, of growth." - Naval Ravikant
• How David and his wife measured their friendships and peer group -- They made lists
• How to give a TED Talk? -- Practiced it hundreds of times, hired a coach
• Go to www.DavidBurkus.com/Ryan

Social Media:

• Follow David on Twitter: @davidburkus
• Read: Friend of A Friend
• Go to: DavidBurkus.com/Ryan
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode 254: Robert Kurson - How To Be A Master Storyteller: Rocket Men, The Most Daring Mission In NASA History

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode 253: Aubrey Marcus - Total Human Optimization (Own The Day, Own Your Life)

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #252: Tom Peters - In Search Of Excellence

Tom Peters is co-author of In Search of Excellence—the book that changed the way the world does business, and often tagged as the best business book ever. Sixteen books and almost thirty years later, he’s still at the forefront of the "management guru industry” he single-handedly invented. What’s new? A lot. As CNN said, “While most business gurus milk the same mantra for all its worth, the one-man brand called Tom Peters is still reinventing himself.”  Tom’s bedrock belief: “Execution is strategy—it’s all about the people and the doing, not the talking and the theory.” (Keep up with Tom at tompeters.com, ranked #9 among “The Top 150 Management and Leadership Blogs.”) His most recent effort, released in April, 2018 is titled, The Excellence Dividend.

"Excellence is the next 5 minutes... Or not."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of those who sustain excellence:
  • They are "thoroughly decent human beings"
  • They help other people grow
  • They really care about the people they work with and help them get better everyday
• Quotes from Tom Peters:
  • "Arguably the eight most important words a leader can utter: “THANK YOU.” “I’M SORRY.” “WHAT DO YOU THINK?”
  • "Priority #1, #2, #3: Culture. Culture. Culture. "It IS the game," Lou Gerstner on IBM turnaround.
  • "My 20-year-old "agile": WTTMSASTMSUTFW/Whoever Tries The Most Stuff And Screws The Most Stuff Up The Fastest Wins.
  • "Every meeting that does not stir the imagination and curiosity of its attendees is what I like to call a PLO: a Permanently Lost Opportunity. I am all in favor of eliminating unnecessary meetings!"
  • The big corporations/large law firms "punished creative thinking"
  • "You must create space for people to be better than they ever have."
  • "Excellence is the next 5 minutes... Or not."
• The key to being a great manager? "MBWA" -- "The minute those words came out of his mouth, my life changed (Managing By Wandering Around)
• The importance of being intentional and thoughtful
• My Dad is a huge fan of Tom's work and told me to read his work
• "Your culture is managed every minute of every day"
• The process to prepare for your week as the leader (Sunday night work)
• Start your meetings with "Good morning"
  • "Find a smile, find the energy" --> Your team will follow your attitude and behavior. "It's your duty to be in a good mood."
• How to run a world class meeting?
  • A meeting can and should be excellent" --> It sets the stage for the next 5 days. Think about it and prepare.
    • Will it be an upper or a downer?
  • Should have civility and thoughtfulness --> "No smartassery"
• The definition of a great teacher is "someone who is desperate to help their students succeed."
• How to choose better people to promote?
  • "First line leadership is of supreme importance"
  • "We always hire for character." --> Theo Epstein: Look at the analytics and combine them with culture and character to decide
• Training -- "Practice should be harder than the games"
  • Neighbors with Bill Walsh -- "The Score Takes Care of Itself"
  • He spent the first 18 months as the coach of the 49ers developing a new culture
  • John Wooden -- Similar story about culture building
• Jerry Seinfeld spends six months at very "out of the way" clubs in order to add a new 2 minutes to his stand up routine -- Be that deliberate
• Tom's training and preparation for a speech (even after doing 3,000+ of them!)
  • Read on the company and the industry in depth
  • Read what's going on in the world - stay up to date
  • Read about the specific city where the speech is being delivered, read the local paper, pick up little vignettes
  • Awake at 2:00 am rearranging the PowerPoint slides -- "I make about 700 changes"
  • How do you feel 30 seconds before you go on stage? "Pure fear, there is enormous pressure for me to deliver for them"
• Why you should always write thank you notes
  • Campbell's Soup CEO wrote 30,000 thank you notes
  • Home Depot CEO wrote them every Sunday

• Social Media:

  • Follow Robert on Twitter: @tom_peters
  • Read: The Excellence Dividend
  • Connect with me on LinkedIn
  • Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
  • To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode 251: Joey Coleman - How To Never Lose A Customer Again

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode 250: Shep Gordon - The Super Mensch: How To Add Value To The Lives Of Others

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk. Episode 248: Colin Nanka Colin Nanka is the Senior Director, Enablement for North American Sales and Leadership Development at the world’s leading Customer Relationship Management Company, Salesforce.com. He is a proven sales leader with over 20 years of sales experience including time at Salesforce and Xerox Corporation.  In his spare time, he competes in multi-day, self sustained, adventure races in the world’s most treacherous terrains, including the Sahara Desert, Gobi Desert, Iceland, Grand Canyon, Atacama Desert and, most recently, in Antarctica.

The Learning Leader Show

"Success starts with a choice.  Find someone above you, below you, and at your level.  That's mentor-ship."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence?
  • Understanding of their strengths - self awareness
  • "Do what you say you will do" "DWYSYWDO" - integrity
  • The combination of vision --> execution
• How have you sustained excellence?
  • Know how to prioritize
  • Tiered accounts
  • Invested 4-6 hours on Saturday and Sunday while others were not working
• "Going in on the weekend" - The sheer amount of hard work AND extra work differentiated from the rest
  • Going door to door in Canada - "It takes 20 knocks to get 1 opportunity"
    • "Good pipeline solves all ills"
    • "Flood the market with good will"
• Marc Benioff's management process, V2MOM, an acronym that stands for vision, values, methods, obstacles, and measures
• Why do crazy races all over the world?
  • "I hit a crisis.  I was very successful and then had a couple bad years. It hurt my confidence."
  • "I realize there is more to life than just working.  The elements of nature... A give back -- be of service to others."
  • The 2011 Sahara Desert race - Trained for a full year. 6 days a week, 160 miles/week.
• "Success starts with a choice.  Find who's the best, learn from them."
• Mentor-ship = "Above you, below you, and at your level." Have all three.
• The practice of "playing up." Play against someone who is better than you in order to stretch and grow.
  • Constantly put yourself in positions to be stretched
• Using Gallup to find your strengths -- "A very wise investment"
  • Colin's #1 strength - Learning. Curiosity
  • The compound effect of learning, growing, approaching each conversation with a curious mind
• What have you learned from the adventure races?
  • Dealing with failure.  How to learn from others. "We all get better from sharing ideas."
• Biggest mistake new managers make?
  • "They are constantly surprised about the "people" side"
    • How to have tough conversations
    • They try to do it all -- You need to be a multiplier -- Trust, Coach, Empower
    • "If you don't lengthen the leash, you aren't allowing them to grow"
    • First 30 days - "Focus on winning hearts and minds"
    • Do a full day off site meeting with no focus on the business.  Get to know them.
    • Utilize my "Get To Know You" document
• Understand your team value system:
  • Vision
  • Values
  • Methods - Critical success factors
  • Obstacles
  • Measure -- The Marc Benioff model
• The #1 value is TRUST -- Ensure this is established early on.  Empower the team to make decisions.  As the leader, be a facilitator
• Roger Federer -- Finding joy in what you do.  Loving the practice, the process.
  • Do things daily that bring you joy in life
  • "Before I do anything for the company, I do something for myself. To bring me joy."
• Hiring a coach? Why?
  • Colin has had a coach for 10 years
• "Just put 1 foot in front of the other" -- 19 hour race in Iceland
• Be: 1) Strong 2) Relaxed 3) Grateful ("It's hard to be angry when you're grateful")

"Learn the rules like a pro, so that you can break them like an artist." - Pablo Picasso

Social Media:

• Follow Colin on Twitter: @ColinNanka1
• Read:  Colin's story
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show LIVE! With Ryan Hawk & James Clear

Episode 248: James Clear LIVE! - How Can We Live Better?

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: Since 2015, Benjamin Hardy has been the #1 writer on Medium.com.  He is pursuing his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Clemson University.  Ben's writing focuses on self-improvement, motivation, and entrepreneurship. His writing is fueled by his personal experiences, self-directed education, and formal education.  Ben's work is read by millions of people every month.  

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence?
  • They continually put themselves in situations that demand a lot of them.  They put themselves in high stakes situations
  • They invest in themself
  • They create conditions for success to happen
  • Pianist John Burke (Grammy nominated)
    • He puts external pressure on himself ("I will release an album a year").  It forces him to get to work to fulfill those expectations he puts on himself 
    • Being socially invested is a forcing function
    • Signing up for the race like Parker Mays -- A date on the calendar to prepare for.  "If I don't prepare, I will fail miserably"
• Why you should invest 10% of your income in your self
• The best self improvement book Ben has ever read? Letting Go
• "Willpower doesn't work."  You must create the environment to be successful -- Upgrade your mindset
• Self signaling - How you view yourself is not permanent.  Start to alter your behavior, you start seeing yourself differently
• You can shape your personality
• How to upgrade yourself? -- "When you invest money, you are committed"
• Why all high performers invest in a coach
• Peak moments -- how to change your life for the better
• Cal Newport - "Be So Good They Can't Ignore You"
• Investing in relationships (Jeff Goins and Ryan Holiday)
• How to build a platform
  • Learn marketing
    • Learn how to write viral headlines (Use numbers, matching, focused on outcomes)
    • Want To Become A Multi-Millionaire? Do These 15 Things Immediately
  • Understand structure - subheadings, short/snappy sentences and paragraphs
    • Have a call to action at the end
    • Create a landing page for email capture
• What is great writing?
  
  • Be a good teacher: Communicate effectively.  Convey & connect. Weave stories in and out: Story --> Science --> Story --> Science --> Story --> Science
  • Head knowledge:  Know your space. 
  • Have heart:  Emotional rigor, intense stories
• How to become a master of your craft
• Your decisions determine your destiny
• Visualize the process, not just the outcome
  • Create environments for optimal implementation
  • Pre plan for adversity to strike and how you will respond
• Morning routine:
  • Write in journal --> "Write it down, make it happen" --> Read --> Work out.  Create momentum for yourself.  

"Willpower doesn't work.  You must create the environment for success to be achieved."

Social Media:

• Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenjaminPHardy
• Read:  WILLPOWER DOESN'T WORK
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Pat is the founder of The Table Group and the author of 11 books (including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team)which have sold over 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The Wall Street Journal called him "one of the most in demand speakers in America." He has addressed millions of people at conferences and events around the world over the past 15 years. Pat has written for or been featured in numerous publications including Harvard Business Review, Inc., Fortune, Fast Company, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek.  This is the second time Pat has been a guest on The Learning Leader Show.  To listen to the first conversation we had, CLICK HERE.

Prior to founding The Table Group, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase.

Show Notes:

• The email he received from Miami Heat coach, Erik Spolestra, after his first appearance on The Learning Leader Show
  • How he helps professional sports teams
  • Why NFL teams focus on the wrong things when deciding who to draft
    • Teddy Bridgewater vs Johnny Manziel
  • The characteristics of a great teammate:
    • Humility
    • Hunger
    • Emotional Intelligence
  • The success of Nick Foles in The Super Bowl
    • The camaraderie built by coach Doug Pederson of The Philadelphia Eagles
• "I'm meant to work with people..."
• The origin story - How Pat started his own business... and why?
  • Potential to work with Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt
  • The biggest moment in the growth of his business?  Speaking at Willowcreek Church(50,000 people watched)
• Doing a "talk" instead of thinking of it as a "keynote speech" -- "I'm just talking with the audience."
• Why turn leadership issues into fables?
  • "We don't read books, but we read yours."  They are so interesting.  "I keep reading your books because I want to see what happens next."
• Leaders must:
  • Have difficult conversations -- must do the hard things
• What are the biggest mistakes a new manager makes?
  • "You cannot avoid the discomfort"
  • "Being a leader is uncomfortable"
• The best leaders are "pushers"
  • The Steve Jobs and Jony Ive story -- "You're so vain"
• Keys to a great culture:
  • Leaders must be intentional about behaviors they want
  • Must be brutally intolerant if people don't do it well
• How Pat helped Southwest Airlines
  • Codify their culture -- It had never been done before
• Working with Chic-fil-a
  • Their CEO wasn't too big to do dishes and clear the plates
  • "They gave snacks for my trip home"
• "You don't come up with culture, you look at what's there"
• The importance of stories
• Pat's business: There are 45 consultants all over the world.  They are:
  • Humble
  • Hungry
  • Smart

"Being a leader is uncomfortable.  You cannot avoid the discomfort."

Social Media:

• Follow Pat on Twitter: @patricklencioni
• Read: The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk:

Episode 245: Maria Taylor - ESPN Gameday, Embracing The Grind, The Value Of Versatility

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: Bill Curry is a two-time Super Bowl Champion. As an NCAA coach, Bill was named National Coach of the Year at Alabama and later became the first head football coach ever at Georgia State. As an ESPN commentator, he regularly shared his thoughts with a worldwide audience of millions. When Bill talks of discipline and success, his life experience is proof-positive of the effectiveness of his methods. Bill played for some of the greatest coaches of all time, including Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Bobby Dodd. His teammates included legendary players like Willie Davis, Bart Starr, and Johnny Unitas. Bill has studied the lives and methods of his personal heroes from past generations, ranging from Helen Keller and Rudyard Kipling to Theodore Roosevelt and Goethe. When Bill talks of leadership and success, his is a personal message molded by his extraordinary mentors and role models.  He is also the best-selling author of TEN MEN YOU MEET IN THE HUDDLE: LESSONS FROM A FOOTBALL LIFE. 

"Everyone has the will to win, but not everyone has the will to prepare."

Show Notes:

• The 6 common characteristics of champions =
  • Show up - on time, be early, every time, be punctual, read to be your best
  • Singleness of purpose - Vince Lombardi, "his focus was powerful"
  • Unselfish - Bart Starr - "he literally gave the shirt off his back for others"
  • Tough - Don't make excuses, be great in the 4th quarter, never blame anyone else
  • Smart - Prepared, always last person off the field.  Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry did this
  • Never quit - Never give up
• FEAR?  Prepare out of fear? - "There is some truth to that."  "Everyone has the will to win, but not everyone has the will to prepare."
  • Personality, GRIT, Heart, Soul -- "Keeping prepping when others aren't"
• The difference between good and great coaches?
  • Bobby Dodd (Georgia Tech) was a great coach.  A great coach can change your life.  They study the game so intently.  They intimidate other coaches with their brain.
  • Vince Lombardi would not tolerate prejudice or racism.  He had more African-American players than anyone else.  He was so precise in his methodology.
  • Don Shula had the ability to build relationships with each player
• How can this be translated to the business world?
  • Reach inside the souls of the leaders -- the gift we have is "Magna Nimitas" -- Greatness of spirit.
    • Each person has a unique spirit - it's beautiful.  WE have brilliance within us.
    • Directly challenging the leaders to understand their people
    • Narcissism destroys leaders
• Bill sat down with his players and went over their goals
• We all need to have our own board of personal advisors, mentors
• Bill's 4th year at Georgia Tech -- John Robert Bell said "I know you can play/" --> The impact that had on Bill was immense
• Bill as a mentor -- He loves doing it.  He hears from at least one play every single day
• Being humble -- "I know two types of people.  People who are humble and those who are about to be humbled." -- "Ray Nitschke humbled me pretty good"
• The huddle - We need every teammate on every play to survive.  The huddle is a metaphor for our culture.
  • Why does the huddle matter?  "You can't be racist, sexist, everyone is part of that huddle."
• Unique exercises Bill does at companies -- Understand each individual unique finger print, joining hands across aisles
• The importance of intellectual curiosity and asking questions -- "People ought to be skeptical... Ask questions"
• "There is a fellowship of the miserable.  I love them, but I avoid them."
• Success?  His wife has helped him understand what success is... It used to be winning games.  He was miserable when he lost.  She taught him that's not a rational way to live.
  • Now success is "Am I making a contribution to the well being of others?"
• Important marriage advice -- Do what you're told and what you say you're going to do.  Learn to listen.
• Learning Leader - "I love that title!"

"Success = "Am I making a contribution to the well being of others?"

Social Media:

• Read:  Ten Men You Meet Huddle 
• Follow Bill on Twitter: @coachbillcurry
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show - Annie Duke is a woman who has leveraged her expertise in the science of smart decision making to excel at pursuits as varied as championship poker to public speaking. For two decades, Annie was one of the top poker players in the world. In 2004, she bested a field of 234 players to win her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. The same year, she triumphed in the $2 million winner-take-all, invitation-only WSOP Tournament of Champions. In 2010, she won the prestigious NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded the National Science Foundation Fellowship. Because of this fellowship, she studied Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Show Notes:

• Sustained Excellence =
  • Open-minded to people who disagree with them
  • They ask "Why am I wrong?"
• Using "I don't know" or "I'm not sure" shows immense security in oneself.  Great leaders do this.
• The "half life of facts" should never be 100% certain -- "It does you a disservice in becoming more knowledgeable if you are certain you are right"
• Hidden information -- Invite others to share information with you... To collaborate
  • "Here's what I think, but I don't know..." --> We're trained from an early age that those are dirty words, but they shouldn't be. We're supposed to always know, but having that mentality limits what you can learn
• Put systems in place to allow exploration of alternative strategies
  • Do a deeper dive, consider all reactions. This will help you prepare in case something goes wrong.  You can put plans in place by acting in this manner
• Why write Thinking In Bets?  Annie has a unique background: cognitive psychology, professional poker, decision making under pressure.  In poker: decision making is fast and furious (a hand of poker is 2 minutes)
  • "Learning occurs when you make a decision and have feedback"
• The art of boosting academic research with stories and popular culture -- Seinfeld, The Super Bowl
• Listen to the disagreement Annie and I have in regards to Pete Carroll's decision to throw a pass on the goal line at the end of The Super Bowl (around the 24:00 mark)
• Most people are "resulting."  They are not measuring the decision making process with all the facts, they just view the result.  That is wrong.
  • Resulting - "Using the outcome as the sole determination if the decision was good or bad"
  • While Annie and I disagree, we both had an open mind to what each other had to say and considered the other person's point of view
• A good approach in your business = Analyze the decision making process prior to knowing the result
• Example: If a number of people are interviewing the same candidate (separately), the boss should wait to offer her opinion until the end.  Her thoughts will skew the feedback she needs from her teamCommonalities of great CEO poker players = They don't think they're good at poker.  They recognize they aren't as good as the pros and they work to put themselves in higher odd situations to "get lucky." (Listen around 45:00 to get the full context)
  • How to be a good head's up poker player?  Recognize your strengths and weaknesses vs that particular opponent.  If you deem they are better than you, then look for "coin flip" situations (example: Ace King vs a pair of 7's).  If you are better than your opponent then avoid coin flips and extend the match.  The longer the match, the better the odds for the better player to winThe importance of accountability:
    • How often does someone spout off without thinking?  If you follow that up with, "You wanna bet?"  How do they respond?  They probably rethink what they've said.  We should always "think in bets."  Think of our decisions as being "bet worthy."  If someone says, "You wanna bet?"  We should be in the position to say yes.  If we're not, then we need to rethink what comes out of our mouths and the decisions we are making.
    • "A bet is just a decision based on a belief that you think is how something will turn out."
    • If we think in bets, it forces us to seek out as much information as possible prior to making a decision.
    • That is a good thing and will help us make better decisions

"A bet is a decision based on a belief that you think is how something will turn out."

Social Media:

• Read:  Thinking In Bets
• Follow Annie on Twitter: @AnnieDuke
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

Sustained Excellence = "They're over themselves" - They do not have an ego. They figure out the big truths, get over feelings, have clarity, vision. Great communicators - Like an athlete, they can be obsessed.  Keenly aware, active listeners, intentional with actions.

• Why write The Culture Code?
  • Spending time around great teams and businesses, "I love the vibe, it's different." Had a desire to understand how that happens.  How to create trust"Typically we think of culture as in your DNA or not, but it's not.  "Great culture is something you can learn"The competition with Dan's two brothers growing up led to this fascination and curiosity with building great team culture"We routinely deeply underestimate our environments and the effect they have on us."
    • "As leaders, we need to create the conditions for excellence"The 3 Skills -- 1) Build Safety 2) Share Vulnerability 3) Establish Purpose
      • Build Safety - Why do a group of kindergartners do better than a group of CEOs?  The kindergartners have now agenda or care about credit.  They focus on doing the best work.  CEOs (in the study) were worried about who got credit and tearing each other down.
        • Safety is the single most important piece of foundation needed for great culture
        • Greg Popovich overdoes the "thank yous" - He regularly says thank you to the members of his team.
        • A painstaking hiring process - The single most important decision is "who's in and who's out."
          • You should script the entire first few days of a new employees time at a company -- Pixar example (20 minute mark) -- "At Pixar, we hired you because we need you to help us make our movies better."
        • John Wooden would routinely walk the locker room and pick up trash
      • Share Vulnerability - Functional notion that's so important
        • "Sharing a weakness is the best way to be strong" -- Navy SEALs example: The AAR (After Action Review)
        • The most important 4 words a leader can say, "Anybody have any ideas?"
          • Also, "I screwed up"
        • Over-communicate expectations
          • "We shoot, move, and communicate
          • "The only easy day was yesterday"
        • How to be a great listener
          • "Your goal as a listener should be to add energy." Ask questions, don't just sit there and nod.  Listen and absorb.  Help them leave higher than when you arrived.  Follow up to go deeper.  Being a great listener is a heroic skill.
          • Have "empathy and energy" as a listener -- dig in to assumptions (unearth)
        • Aim for candor, but avoid brutal honesty - good groups care about relationships, not brutality.  Candor is a better word
        • "Culture: From the Latin word cultus, which means care."
        • Great teams are made up of players who don't want to let their teammates down.
          • Greg Popovich and other great coaches disappear on purpose to let their team figure out it through tough moments.  Smart leaders create opportunities for teams to struggle and figure it out. --> "The leaders job is to make the team great without him/her."
        • Build a wall between performance review and professional development -- When you combine the two, you get neither.  Toggle, create safety so you can be more open and honest.
        • Establish Purpose
          • What's important now?  You must define that
          • Value statements aren't super useful -- "fill the windshield with a story."
          • Clear narratives guide attention
          • Name and rank your priorities