The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk. Episode #279: James Clear - How Tiny Changes Can Changes Can Equal Remarkable Results (Atomic Habits)

Show Notes:

• "It's important to know how everything works together."
  • Ojai, CA - Circle talking about book writing
• Atomic = Atom, small, tiny.  Habits should be small
• "Habits are the atoms of our lives"
• "It's about the collection of habits"
• "They are small... but put them together... they compound and are powerful."
• The system is in four stages.  They stages are:
  • The cue - gets attention
  • The craving - in the brain
  • The response - the habit, behavior
  • The result - what happens
• Feedback loops - The cookie example
• "My readers and I are peers.  An essential part of the process is to write about it. Try things out.  Everything I've published has been revised many times."
• The four laws:
  • Make it obvious
  • Make it attractive
  • Make it easy
  • Make it satisfying
• The Goldilocks rule - Steve Martin
  • People burn out or get bored.  How to stay motivated...
  • Be stretched just beyond your capacity but not too far. "Always stay just on the edge..."  Steve Martin kept expanding his sets by just a few minutes each time until he had a 60 minute set.  He started small with just a few minutes of material.
  • Make sure you "stretch yourself... just a bit... everyday."
  • Be the person who gets the additional task done
• How to do this all as a parent? -- "Life is in seasons..."
  • "If you want to double your productivity, get 8 hours of sleep."
• The plateau of latent potential -- A melting ice cube.  A 1 degree change
• "Habits don't add up, they compound.  It looks like a hockey stick."
• "Outcome based habits vs identity based habits."
  • Focus on identity based habits.  Be the type of person who wakes up early and works out.
• The importance of being able to delay gratification
• Weightlifting - Reinterpret signals.  "Being sore feels good."  Re frame how you think about something like soreness
• "Happiness is simply the absence of desire."
  • When you observe a cue, but do not desire to change your state, you are content with the current situation
• "Being curious is better than being smart."
  • Need to be eager to learn and accomplish things
  • "Your actions reveal how badly you want something"
• "We can only be rational and logical after we have been emotional."
• System 1 = feelings
• System 2 = Rational, math problem
  • System 1 always leads the way

• The Learning Leader Circle -- Apply
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"Being curious is better than being smart"

Social Media:

• Follow James on Twitter: @JamesClear
• Read: Atomic Habits
• 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 #278: Mitch Albom - Tuesdays With Morrie & The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • Humility
  • They contribute to the world - "Morrie did the bravest thing I've ever seen."
  • Howard Schultz - The last person in line to get a book signed.  After all of his employees
• "Some of the greatest performers I've ever met are painfully shy: jazz musicians, Barry Sanders, Joe Dumars."
• Tuesdays With Morrie - "He was my college professor.  I had not talked to him in 16 years.  I saw him on TV talking about having ALS."
  • Morrie - "I'm a teacher. That's what I do."
• Why was it so popular and shared so much?
  • "Death ends a life but not a relationship"
  • "You can live within the hearts of people you help/touched."
  • "You have to make time for those relationships while you're here."
• "I write about living.  Death informs everything about how we live."
• "I try to write about reflecting on life."
• Why this theme?
  • "I liked listening to stories from my uncle growing up.  His World War 2 stories."
  • "I spent so much of my youth myopically focused on career success.  For many years I thought how far can I get?"
  • "I wanted to explore what makes a better life?"
• Supporting 47 children in Haiti -- Taking two to college now.
• "Giving makes me feel like I'm living."
• "Taking makes me feel like I'm dying."
• Being part of Sports Reporters on ESPN
  • Writers are critical thinkers and can be good on TV when thinking deeply
• Core pieces of advice:
  • Be humble
  • Be curious - Ask questions
  • Don't lose self in the field you choose.  Life can be brief.
  • "Find out who you are and what you value, and do that."
• Advice from a security guard:
  • Read the best books
  • Listen to the best music
  • Observe the best art
  • Surround self with the best people - Osmosis
  • Immerse yourself with what you value

• The Learning Leader Circle -- Apply
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"I wanted to explore what makes a better life?"

Social Media:

• Follow Mitch on Twitter: @MitchAlbom
• Read: Tuesdays With Morrie
• 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 #277: Tom Goodwin - Life Advice From The #1 Influencer On LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • Confidence + Conviction
  • Ability to make quick decisions with limited amounts of information
  • Faith in their judgement
• "There is a feeling in the room when a quality leader walks in. A charisma, an energy, a presence."
• How does one develop charisma?
  • "Introversion is more interesting to me.  Great presenters are introverts.  They are empathetic and think of the audience first."
• There is "cultural permission" when you're on stage.  The audience is rooting for you to succeed.  Use that energy and positive vibes
• The importance of a proper introduction
• Head of Innovation at Zenith.  What does that entail?  "An observer. Reading a lot.  Gain perspective through a lot of global travel. You learn more from countries outside of the U.S. where we have everything that we could want or need."
• How he became the #1 Influencer on LinkedIn?
  • First, look for the differences in commonality vs causation.  There is a difference
  • "I orchestrate a conversation on LinkedIn.  I facilitate it through my articles.  I don't claim to know everything."
  • "I got quite irritated.  I got fired at my job for being outspoken.  I started sharing my beliefs and it caught on."
  • "Because I wasn't filtered, it hit a nerve with people.  I am not careful with my words."
• How to gain support for your passion/side hustle while working at a big company
  • "Encouraging this attracts great candidates and helps retain top talent."
  • "Senior management needs to support and encourage it.  If they have envy or are insecure, then it won't work."
• "Large companies need to understand why they got big.  Those reasons may not be what gets them to the next level.  We need to rethink rigidity."
• "Life is about creating good problems."
• "We need to create a culture of progressive criticism."
  • The Apple commercial: "It took 1,000 No's to get to a Yes"
• "We shouldn't worship busyness.  We should worship output."
• The reason for writing Digital Darwinism
• Life/Career Advice:
  • "Don't worry.  Too many people spend their youth thinking their career would take a tidy path. It's not. My career has been quite messy, but it's worked out fine.  Be humble, thoughtful, and empathetic."
  • Develop curiosity - "The UK education fuels curiosity, fuels interest.  That doesn't seem to happen in the States.  We need a breadth of the world. Like James Dyson or Elon Musk."
  • Build a network - "Job postings. That's not how the world works and it won't in the future.  I want sparkly talent that has five other jobs.  Don't be afraid to nurture multiple talents."
  • Have a sense of humor.  It helps ease the mood/tension and makes you more enjoyable to be around.
• Issue: "We're obsessed with being correct rather than being helpful.  That's not good."
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

Social Media:

• Follow Tom on Twitter: @tomfgoodwin
• Read: Digital Darwinism
• 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 #276: Scott Belsky - How To Find Your Way Through The Hardest Part Of Any Venture

"Management is about people. You have to be at a personal level when you're a manager. It doesn't scale. It's not supposed to."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • The ability to sustain curiosity - "you need to keep paying attention with a tuned up curiosity."
  • "They say no more often"
• "Get into the motion of trying things instead of perfecting things."
• How to compartmentalize?
  • "I build windows of time in my day to not pay attention to anything but the deep work. No email, no social media, no check book sales."
• On flights, dedicate time to deep work
  • No wifi, this is alone time to do work
  • Odd reward mechanisms: "I only allow myself to listen to certain music when it's time to write.  When I've accomplished deep work for hours, I reward myself with treats. But only after the work is done."
• Answering the "what do you do" question:
  • "I am obsessed with products."
  • Adobe purchased his company, Behance
  • Seed investor
  • Best selling author
  • "I help creatives create"
• How to pursue a side hustle when you work at a big company?
  • "Every person needs to be their authentic self"
  • "You have to feed it. The thing that distracts you. The thing you stay up late to keep working on because you love it.  That's where you should continue to give energy."
  • "A labor of love is always worth it."
• The Messy Middle -- 820 Evernote notes whittled down to the most effective 120 pieces.
• Making the leap from individual contributor to manager:
  • "Don't depersonalize it when you become a manager.  A team is like a carefully crafted immune system."
  • "Management is about people.  You have to be at a personal level when you're the manager.  It doesn't scale.  It's not supposed to."
  • "Don't do reviews, do regular check ins... How's it going?"
• "The stories are the culture of your team.  You're the amplifier of the stories."
• Qualities to look for in a person to hire:
  • "Every conversation with that person should be more interesting than the last one.  They should become continually more interesting."
  • "There is value on analysis & strategy... But equally important is empathy & intuition."
  • Intuition = truthfulness with self.  High level of self awareness. Be willing to seek feedback.  Be truthful with yourself.
• "A successful creative entity must be comfortable alternating between the two creative phases: Ideation and Execution."
  • Walt Disney mastered this.
  • "Stimulate people to think differently.  Help people suspend disbelief in themselves.  What if we did this 100X better?" - Larry Page
• The importance of "staying in the early innings" -- "We're just getting started."  This encourages people to keep trying new things.
• "Hire people for initiative rather than experience."
• "Anything extraordinary ever achieved comes from ordinary means."
• Advice for young professionals -- Find these three overlaps:
  • Figure out what you're genuinely interested in.  What do you stay up doing for fun?
  • What skills do you have or could possess through learning?
  • What is the opportunity?
    • "Take the steps to get into that overlap"
    • Don't make short term money decisions.  Find the overlap over the extra $10K in salary
• Why we all should have a common place journal
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"Get into the motion of trying things instead of perfecting things."

Social Media:

• Follow Scott on Twitter: @scottbelsky
• Read: The Messy Middle
• 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 #275: Joe Navarro - The World's #1 Body Language Expert (FBI Special Agent)

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • They are exceptional observers
  • They understand the needs, wants, desires, fears, and opportunities of themselves and others
  • Strong attention to detail
  • High levels of self and situational awareness
  • "I don't go where the puck is.  I go where it's going to be." - Wayne Gretzky
• Some leaders can get mired in the mindless day to day actions.  The great ones focus on what's most important.
• Understanding non-verbals can lead to deep relationships.
• "One of the reasons we study non-verbals is so we can be empathetic."
• Moving to The U.S. as an 8 year old refugee from Cuba -- Joe could not speak the language, so it forced him to pay close attention to the non-verbal communication from his teachers and peers.
• The amazing focus of The Wright Brothers and how that led to their success
• Why the FBI called Joe when he was graduating from BYU
• "In the FBI, I was a paid observer.  I detected when something was wrong with the person right in front of me."
• How do we become what we are capable of?
  • "It starts today.  What are my limitations right now?  Am I observing the things I should be observing?"
  • "People are what's most important.  We have to be better observers."
• "Education is a continuous process.  I still see myself as a student."
• "Curious people are usually exceptional."
• "Communication is both reflexive and fluid."  
• Do not be cynical or expect people to lie.  Treat everyone with a blank slate. Ask questions.  Listen.  Ask follow up questions...
  • "I never assume to have all the facts.  I want to hear what you have to say before I make a conclusion."
• "Our job as leaders is to ask questions, not presume we know all the answers."
• JFK vs Nixon debate:
  • Why did the TV viewers think JFK won while the radio listeners thought Nixon won?
    • JFK was tan, good looking, put makeup on, wore a tailored suit.  Nixon had a cold, suit didn't fit as well, didn't wear makeup, he didn't look as good as JFK.
• How we dress is important:
  • "Everything is communicating something about us."
• Winston Churchill -- "He always rehearsed what he planned to say in a meeting."
• Also think, "How can I say this in the fewest number of words?"
• Abraham Lincoln spoke for 2 minutes and 26 seconds for the Gettysburg Address.  The speaker before him spoke for 2 hours.  We remember people who can effectively be concise.
  • "Choose each word carefully."
• How an introvert can succeed at a networking event?
  • "It's a performance.  Lead with curiosity.  Ask questions. Get to know one person at a time."
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"When you ask someone for help, you're giving them the opportunity to feel amazing."

Social Media:

• Follow Joe on Twitter: @navarrotells
• Read: What Every BODY Is Saying
• 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 200: Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk -- Showing Up, Doing The Work, Earning Trust, Helping Others, Winning The Super Bowl, Celebrating #200

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#274: Heidi Grant - How To Get People To Help You (Reinforcements)

The Learning Leader Show

"It's not about being good.  It's about being better.  Be in a constant state of continuous improvement."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • "All management is change management"
  • "What's made you successful in the past may not be the case in the future."
  • "How can I learn to be a better leader?'
  • "A constant state of continuous improvement"
  • "You've never arrived."
• "It' not about being good.  It's about being better."
• "Focus on getting better, rather than being good."
• Growth mindset helps you find enjoyment in what you do
• "Focus on what you will do, not what you won't"
• Willpower -- Need to be specific.  Get to a level of specificiaty
• Make steady progress
  • "Have realistic optimism. I will succeed, but it will be hard."
• How to define success?
  • Intrinsic vs extrinsic goals:
    • A connected-ness to other people
    • Autonomy - Do what feels authentic
    • Being effective - Inherently get satisfaction by "I'm making things by making things happen in the world"
    • "Human beings are wired to to want to feel effective" -- It creates lasting happiness
• Balance - Fundamental things stand in our way.  "We all have issues with not being great at everything."
• Why don't we ask others for help when we need it?  The Milgrim subway experiement
• What does a helper need from you?
  • Must ask and help the helper be successful
• Why we need to eliminate the phrase "Can I pick your brain?"
  • Just say what you want.  Be direct.
  • Send questions in advance.  Create opportunities for helpers to be effective
• "When you ask someone for help, you're giving them the opportunity to feel amazing"
• Reinforcements - Extra personnel sent to increase the strength of an army or similar force --> Something that makes a behavior more likely
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"When you ask someone for help, you're giving them the opportunity to feel amazing."

Social Media:

• See why over 91,000 people follow Scott on Twitter: @profgalloway
• Read: The Four
• 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 200: Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk -- Showing Up, Doing The Work, Earning Trust, Helping Others, Winning The Super Bowl, Celebrating #200

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #273: Chip Conley - How To Be Wise Beyond Your Years

The Learning Leader Show

"When you're the leader, you're the emotional thermostat for the people you lead."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • "An operating system unique to them. It defines how they operate no matter what the context is."
  • Understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs
  • A way of thinking about people
• The importance of being both a practitioner and an author
  • Having a finely tuned sense of your greatest strengths... And hire for the gaps
• "The capacity for holistic or systems thinking that allows one to get the gist of something by synthesizing a wide variety of information quickly." -- Pattern recognition
• How to develop self awareness:
  • Having an internal and external antennae
    • External -- "read a room"
    • Internal -- "understand your intuition" --> How to tap into your "gut brain"
    • The ability to be vulnerable is critical
    • Action: Journal, meditate, speak with a coach. Converse in a vulnerable way
• Why being part of The Learning Leader Circle is so valuable
• Stanford Business School classmate of Seth Godin
  • "Random Acts of Initiative"
• "When you're the leader, you're the emotional thermostat for the people you lead."
• "People get very attached to their identity."
• Learn to "listen to hunches and take chances."
• The story about the time Brian Chesky (founder of AirBnB) called him
  • "Instead of trying to prove himself, he was trying to improve himself."
  • We had an "EQ" for "DQ" relationship - Emotional intelligence for Digital intelligence
• A mentern = Mentor + Intern at the same time.
  • The importance of having a beginners mindset -- "Ask questions. Be catalytically curious."
  • The "modern elder" is as much a student as they are a sage
• Chip's inquisitiveness became contagious at AirBnB
• It's important to "intern publicly," and "mentor privately"
• There is progress to go from hubris to humble
• Wisdom: "Move out of trying to prove yourself, and instead work on improving yourself."
• As the leader, always ask: "How can I support you to do the best work here?"
  • Know you boss has your back -- Support
  • Put direct report in a role to create conditions to grow
• Set learning and development programs
  • The biggest gap at AirBnB was "understanding humans.  There were 28 year olds leading 24 year olds."
• How to build an alliance with someone who disagrees with you?
  • Find some sort of alignment.  Even the smallest amount is progress.
  • Find the intent...
• "We're all like plants/flowers. Look at the soil.  If you're a sunflower in the arctic, you have to get out of there."
• "Make sure you have a boss that has the capacity to get you there."
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"Move out of trying to prove yourself, and instead work on improving yourself."

Social Media:

• Follow Chipon Twitter: @ChipConley
• Read: Wisdom @ Work
• 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 200: Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk -- Showing Up, Doing The Work, Earning Trust, Helping Others, Winning The Super Bowl, Celebrating #200

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #272: Scott Galloway - The Algebra of Happiness

The Learning Leader Show

"Steve Jobs is the most famous deadbeat dad.  We should worship character and kindness." -- Scott Galloway

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • They are demonstrably great at multiple specialty areas
  • They have grit -- a willingness to roll up their sleeves.  And work a lot.
  • They hold people accountable -- "If they don't perform, show them the door. Strategic firing."
  • They have empathy - They understand other people and what they want to achieve
• Scott explains why he's a builder and a teacher
  • He's an NYU professor.  He also has started and ran three successful businesses at the same time.  This allows him to give practical, real life, advice to his students
• The best method for learning is teaching -- "It forces you to really know what you believe."
  • "You have to prepare, have themes, support them with research.  You have to bring it."
• His viral videos -- "I try to behave as if nobody is watching... I need to be real and myself."
  • Why he said, "Mark Zuckerberg is Putin's bitch."
• "Steve Jobs is the most famous deadbeat Dad.  We should worship character and kindness."
• The power of saying "exactly what you think."
• "You're smart to be afraid when you're younger."
• Scott Galloway's Career Advice:
  • 1) Get certified. Get your degree. College grades make 2X that of those who don’t graduate.
  • 2) Be remarkable (“So good they can’t ignore you”). What two attributes can you bring together that make you unique (the artist who knows how to use excel).
  • 3) Invest in variance - find the 6-8 things that are most important to your firm. Become in expert in a couple of them (Be a great public speaker, great writer)
  • 4) Get to a city (Allen Gannett agrees)
  • 5) Boring is sexy
  • 6) Delay gratification - Power of compound interest. Invest in something that will pay off
  • 7) Demonstrate strength and grit. Exercise everyday. Be stronger
  • 8) Don’t follow your passion - be passionate about being great at something.
  • 9) Ignore the myth of balance. He has balance now because he worked like crazy for 20 years.
  • 10) Build credibility.
• Advice I received from my Dad when I first became a manager -- "You can't just be an inspiration guy. You need to understand the numbers, the business side, too."
• The best managers "move their chair next to the person their leading and have a real conversation with them."
• The myth of balance: "If you want to be a top 1% earner, then you won't have balance.  I don't know anyone who's able to do that who doesn't work their ass off."
  • Did the money bring happiness?  "Yes, but also a divorce.  Money is a means to an end."
• The Harvard happiness study:
  • "Happiness is love full stop." -- "Love who you are, who you're with... Love WHAT you do and who you do it with."
• Sweating vs watching:  "You should spend more time sweating than watching other people sweat.  High performers are physically fit.  Work out."
  • "The only youth serum is exercise."
  • "When it gets real, I want to be able to run fast or kill them all.  Working out gives me the confidence to do that."
• Things vs Experiences:
  • "We overestimate the happiness things will bring us.  We underestimate the happiness experiences bring us."
• The Four:
  • The hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.
  • Google = God.  Knows more about you than anything else
  • Facebook = Love
  • Amazon = Consumption
  • Apple = Signals your worth. Sex.
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

Social Media:

• See why over 91,000 people follow Scott on Twitter: @profgalloway
• Read: The Four
• 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 #271: Phil Hellmuth - From Poker Brat To #Positivity. 15 Time World Champion

The Learning Leader Show

"Therapy is very helpful.  I want to know what I am doing wrong."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • They believe they can do great things. That have energy, buzz, and confidence
  • They have drive, intelligence, and the will to get it done
  • Elon Musk, Bill Lee are examples
• Phil is known for having a legendary ego... He shares why that's not true
• Why didn't he have friends for many years?
• His midwest roots and being ridiculed for having an ego
• Why does he verbally berate people at the poker table?
  • "That is 1% of what happens, but it always gets shown on TV."
• Most great poker players never tell the bad players they are bad, they just take their money.  Why does Phil tell them how bad they are and how good he is?
  • "It's because of my own insecurity."
• I asked if he goes to therapy... "Yes, if I can get 2 1/2 hours a week, that is great.  Therapy is very helpful.  I want to know what I'm doing wrong."
• How Phil felt that he could never live up to his Dad's lofty expectations (get good grades, be good at sports... Phil didn't do either) and how that impacted him
• "I'm like Draymond Green and John McEnroe... I lose it sometimes"
• "The poker brat made me famous"
• His friendship with Daniel Negreanu... And how it's grown over the years
• How to tell if someone is lying?
  • "It's instinctual. Everyone has physical tells."
  • "Look for thumbs and pinkies together as a power move"
  • "There's always a full story.  I put it all together and rely on my instincts from that story."
• Your instincts can be developed with a lot of repetition
• "The art of reading people is lost on the new generation."
• "Look into their eyes!"
• #Positivity -- New book focused on being in the right place at the right time
  • Write your goals and tape them on your mirror
  • Write your blessings and tape them on your mirror
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"The art of reading people is lost on the new generation."

Social Media:

• See why over 270,000 people follow Phil on Twitter: @phil_hellmuth
• 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 #270 - Sam Jones: A Comfortable Life Is Overrated

Sam Jones is an acclaimed photographer and director whose seminal portraits of President Obama, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Bob Dylan, Kristin Stewart, Robert Downey Jr, Amy Adams, Jack Nicholson, and many others have appeared on the covers of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Time, Entertainment Weekly and Men’s Journal.

In 2013 he launched Off Camera with Sam Jones on Directv’s Audience Network. Off Camera is an hour long show created out of his passion for long form conversational interviews. 

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
  • "They did not have a back up plan.  They had a desire to do what they loved even if it wasn't the obvious choice."
• "A comfortable life is overrated." -- "I've always followed the things that excited me most."
• "It almost feels like a lie when I'm doing something that doesn't excite me."
• "I connect with this idea of listening to your gut feeling."
  • For artists, the goal is to make art
• "No one knows you like you know you.  There is no set path for how things get done."
• A life well lived = "Did I live up to my full potential?"
• "I've always been curious about the questions to ask that open people up."
  • Sam started doing an interview show on camera when he was 14 years old
• "I think my own theories through voicing my thoughts."
  • "Conversations are how I learn things... I've always been very curious."
• Rose Byrne - "It's good to look back and see where you've come from."
• The Jeff Daniels interview (one of my personal favorites)
  • As an interviewer, the importance of seeing their body language, how they react, "the look in their eye."
• The interview preparation process
  • Identify possible themes of the conversation
• As a communicator and conversationalist -- Think about how to do something better.  A form of scrutiny.  This leads to growth.
• Two things a guest needs to have
  • Be willing
  • Be able
• Is the guest open, honest, and self aware?  They need to be...
• The guest needs to be able to tell a good narrative
• "If you're going to find something true and authentic, you have to go down a path."
• Goal = Make best environment for the human being to come out."
  • "I really want to know who this person is."
• How to define success? "They keep letting us make more."
• Interviewers Sam looks up to:
  • David Letterman -- He didn't adhere to strict rules.  You shouldn't have to...
  • Terry Gross -- NPR
  • Howard Stern -- Consistently done it well over time
• Sam's upbringing:
  • "I didn't fit in at school."
  • "I always questioned social norms" -- "Why does this have to be this way?"
• How to decide where to start an interview?
  • "That's the hardest part." -- "The best conversations are when your open to let it go anywhere."
• Dream guests? -- Paul McCartney, Cameron Crowe
• How to create an environment for people to articulate insecurity...
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"I've always questioned social norms.  Why does it have to be this way?"

Social Media:

• Follow Sam on Twitter:  @samjones
• Watch Off Camera With Sam Jones
• 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 200: Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk -- Showing Up, Doing The Work, Earning Trust, Helping Others, Winning The Super Bowl, Celebrating #200

Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#269: Charlie Spaniard (UFC Fighter) Interviews Ryan Hawk - My Leadership Framework

Show Notes:

• The WHO - "The most important question is WHO. Who will be your mentor? Who will be your friends? Who will you help? Who will you spend time with? You don't need to answer what until well after you've answered WHO." -- Jim Collins
• The importance of cognitive diversity
• Growth oriented people -- Why I like to be surrounded by those types of people
• The importance of time and maturity and "life reps" to develop my curiosity.
  • "As you learn more, you realize there is so much more to learn"
• "Great leaders are willing to push."  -- The impact Ron Ullery and Bob Gregg had on my life
• How preparation builds confidence -- "The greatest medicine for fear is preparation"
  • Learning how to prepare for big moments
  • How to use productive paranoia as fuel
• Building leadership skill over time
  • "Finding your voice as a leader.  It's time to speak up."
  • There is a part of leading that is the "directing" part
  • Earning respect through your actions before saying a word
• Playing quarterback is the "most cerebral position in all of sports"
  • The incredible mind recall and brain capacity of Aaron Rodgers
• Why the Arena Football League helps you anticipate
• The importance of consistency - "Showing up" everyday
  • Why loving the work is so important when embarking on a difficult challenge
• Who you marry will play a big role in your future success -- "Marry well"
  • Reading The Five Love Languages
  • Say "thank you" multiple times per day to your spouse
  • Write "thank you" notes every week
• "How you do anything is how you do everything"
• The impact of my family upbringing -- Episode to listen to: Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk
  • The responsibility to sustain excellence because of being lucky to have great parents and siblings
  • The importance of "showing up" as a parent
• The decision to go to Miami University and compete against Ben Roethlisberger to be the starting QB at Miami
  • Why I moved to Oxford the day after I graduated high school
• "Taking the next step" -- What I learned from Alison Levine
• Why I started The Learning Leader Show instead of pursuing A PhD at a University
• Framework: Learn, Experiment/Do, Reflect, Teach.
• The practice of writing one "thank you" note per day from John Kralik and how it could change your life
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

Social Media:

• Follow Charlie on Twitter: @charliespaniard
• 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 #268: Allen Gannett - How To Create "Aha" Moments And Spark Creativity

Allen is the founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a marketing analytics platform that enables creativity.  Marketers use TrackMaven to measure and improve performance across every channel  Some clients are: The NBA, Microsoft, Saks Fifth Avenue, and many more modern marketers.  His book, The Creative Curve, was published in June 2018 from Currency, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is all about how anyone can learn to have moments of creative genius. 

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

"Learn how to learn. View the world as being a less fixed place.  Anyone is capable of making it happen."

Show Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Surround self with others who are great at what they do.  A very social phenomenon
    • Collaborate with those who support their weaknesses
  • Be aligned with an executive sponsor
  • Live at the creative center -- Move to corporate headquarters if you work for a big company
    • Need to build relationships outside of 9:00-5:00
• The importance of building generational friends (friends from all age groups)
• What makes a hit? -- "Familiar but also novel."
• "As humans we're fearful of unfamiliar.  It's the brains' elegant way of risk and reward."
  • A balance of the novel and the new
• The truth about Mozart
  • He didn't create his first music until he was 17
  • He had a helicopter Dad. He practiced music for three hours a day from a very early age
  • He became great because of deliberate practice
• JK Rowling spent five years writing the first Harry Potter
  • She was extremely deliberate in her process.  It wasn't just a light bulb moment on a train.
• Paul McCartney spent years to write the song, Yesterday
• How to create "Aha" moments for self? -- Go for a run, drive, take a shower, lay down.  Need to calm the brain.
• Writing a "descriptive" and "prescriptive" book:
  • Consume a lot about your topic of choice
  • Need to build prior knowledge
  • Not just "what," but "how much"
• Ben Franklin -- He outlined previously written articles
• Andrew Ross Sorkin consumed mass amount of literature and worked to "copy" the style in which other greats wrote
• Confidence building - "Learn how to learn."  View the world as being a less fixed place.  Anyone is capable of making it happen.
• Creativity is something you can learn.
• How to get cast of "Wheel Of Fortune"
• TrackMaven is a marketing analytics platform
• Making the shift from individual contributor to manager -- A "communicator and coach" to others
• Mistakes new managers make:
  • Need open lines of communication. "I was conflict averse initially and that's not good."
  • Remember when hiring.  It's hard to fire people. "It's brutal."
  • Not everyone has all the answers.  Get advice from people with different perspectives and incentives
  • "You need to hire slow AND fire slow.  Give people a chance."
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

"A great manager must be a great communicator and coach for others."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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

#267: Louie Anderson - How To Crush It on Stage From One Of The Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time

Show Notes:

• Louie's approach to stand up comedy -- It appears as if he is just "riffing off the cuff," however it is highly structured and prepared
• The pain of growing up with an alcoholic dad and how that fueled him as a professional
  • This helps him pull from any of it at anytimeCreating a catalog of material
  • It takes years to develop
  • "I'm in complete control."  That gives Louie the ability to handle a heckler in the crowd or go with a comment and tell an additional joke
• Going on Johnny Carson or Conan
  • "They don't step on your lines, but they are prepared for where the conversation is going to go."
• "Just like you, I've worked hard to create freedom with my work."
•  Sustaining excellence:
  • "Be who you are"
  • Ask yourself, "Does this mean something to you?  If it doesn't mean something to you, why would it mean anything to someone else?"
  • Confidence
• Nervous before a performance?
  • "It depends on the event and how much importance I put on it." -- Saturday Night Live was a nerve racking experience
• Advice to keynote speakers?
  • Be prepared
  • Know your message
  • Surprise the audience
  • Piggy back on a great introduction -- Listen to the room prior to your time on stage
• "I'm always tilling the ground for comedy bits."
• Storytelling:
  • "Tell them something they don't know.  Humanize the story.  Give a piece of yourself.  Don't lecture."
• How did he get his start as a comedian?
  • "A dare.  I was a social worker and went up on stage for an open mic night and it went great."
• "I volunteered to be the emcee for experience."
  • "Don't be afraid of trying new things"
  • The importance of "getting the reps:" "I did seven nights a week, four shows per night.  I was creating who I was."
• "We don't see all the work that goes into being great on stage.  It takes years and years of work."
  • "You need good friends who will tell you the truth."
• His mom's best advice: "Be nice to people.  You never know what they're going through."
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea
• Use the "Get To Know You Document"

Social Media:

• Follow Louie on Twitter: @LouieAnderson
• Read: Hey Mom
• 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 #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