Mike McDerment is the co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks, the world’s #1 cloud accounting software for self-employed professionals. Built in 2003 after he accidentally saved over an invoice, Mike spent 3.5 years growing FreshBooks from his parents’ basement. Since then, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing, and collect billions of dollars.

The Learning Leader Show

"We give trust to earn trust. Lead with trust. That's the world I want to live in."

Show Notes:

• Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence:
  • Been through something hard
  • Strong morals - set of values, make upstanding decisions, believe in people, don't compromise
  • Creative
  • Surround self with great people
  • Strong desire to grow
  • Default Trust to "ON"
• First Principles -- Distill things down to underlying system: The act of taking a problem and breaking it down
• Building FreshBooks -- "I didn't know anything about anything."
• The #1 place to work -- have won awards for their culture
• What do you do? "We are in the business of saving people time."
• Moving to his parents basement to start the business... Running lean
• Culture takes deliberate thought
  • Must have people who are diverse but share your values
  • Need guidelines/rule sets
• The 9 Values:
  • Passion - Love your craft
  • Ownership
  • Results
  • Change - Bring learning and growth
  • Honesty
  • Fun - Deliberately make it fun
  • Empathy
  • Strive - Stretch
  • Trust
  • Secrecy - Open inside, but nothing leaves from inside
• Values/Culture used in 2 ways
  • Publicly recognize people living the values
  • Swiftly eliminate people who don't embody those values - Listen, hear, be open. Recognize that cultures need to be hacked, evolve, change.
• Inner office dating? Why is that promoted? What does it mean?
• Everyone spends the first month in customer service. All build that foundation -- Why they prolong onboarding and how that leads to long term success
• Make decisions today to win in 3-5 years
• Decided to re-platform even though the rule is to "never re-write or re-platform"
• "How do you minimize risk, but maximize impact?"
• "Something that no one had ever done before. Create a new company in secret."
• Lead with trust: "We give trust to earn trust. Lead with trust. That's the world I want to live in."
• Imposter Syndrome and FEAR. Embracing it
• "Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable" -- It's the path to growth. Nobody has all of the answers
• Advice to 20 year old -- He was lost, not doing well. Realize that everyone else is too. Nobody knows what they are doing even if it looks like they do."
• Read -- E Myth (Michael Gerber), Idea Virus (Seth Godin), Execution (Ram Charan)
• Learning Leader -- Per Mike, "That's me." The challenge & personal growth.

"How do you minimize risk and maximize impact?"

Social Media:

• Read: Execution - Ram Charan
• Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeMcDerment
• 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

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

The Learning Leader Show

223: Kim Malone Scott - Using Radical Candor To Be A Great Boss

"It is important for leaders to be learners, not tellers."

Show Notes:

• Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence:
  • They care about their people as humans, they care personally
  • They are honest, not worried about being liked all the time, they are willing to challenge directly
• Can you be both liked and respected?
  • Yes, but you shouldn't strive to be popular
• Jony Ive and Steve Jobs story -- Steve told them the team their work was of poor quality. Jony said, "Why were you so harsh Steve?" Steve asked, "Why didn't you tell them the work was bad? It's your job to do that." Jony replied, "I didn't want them to be upset or distraught." Steve said, "You are vain. You just want to be liked."
• The biggest mistake new bosses make is trying to be liked by everyone and NOT being direct.
• Your employees should never have to say, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" -- A great boss gives directly feedback in a timely manner
• A great boss creates an environment where everyone can tell the truth (up, down, and sideways in an organization)
• Understand the framework
• How to created this culture?
  • Start by asking for feedback. You can't give feedback if you're not willing to take it.
  • Go to question: "What could I be doing to make it better for you?"
  • Use a "Start, Stop, Continue" exercise
• Create a "Speak Truth To Power" environment
• Embrace the discomfort
• "Listen with the intent to understand... Not just waiting to talk."
• Must reward the candor -- When you receive good feedback, you must implement it. You must fix the problem.
• Google/Sheryl Sandberg story
  • Sheryl's feedback: "You said "um" a lot during that presentation, would you like a speech coach?" -- "No, I'm fine, thanks." -- "Kim, when you say "um" every third word, it makes you sound stupid."
    • Sheryl knew she need to be very direct with Kim and they built a relationship of trust and care. That's the only way she was able to get through to Kim and help her
• Hiring is the most important decision you will make as a leader
  • "If you're not dying to work with that person, don't hire them"
  • Steve Jobs - "It's better to have a hole than an asshole"
  • Dick Costolo - "You can't just hire great people and get out of their way. You must invest time in helping them, develop them even more."
• Jony Ive - "New ideas are fragile. You must create space to talk about them."
• "Your job as the boss isn't to be the decider, it's to make sure everyone knows who the decider is."
• The Wright Brothers -- Watching birds for hours --> Learning how to build wings for human airplane flight
• Dick Costolo -- Build in 2 hours of "think time" per day in your calendar
• Career advice:
  • "Quit talk of building a great resume, build a great life"
  • Find people to have career talks with... Recount your life story with them. Zero in on changes you've made. Think "What motivates you about work?" Understand what drives you, what matters, why? -- Think about your dreams... Make sure your dreams and values are in alignment. Create a plan
• "It is important for leaders to be learners, not tellers."

"When you say "Um" every third word, it makes you sound stupid." -- Sheryl Sandberg's direct feedback to Kim after a presentation to Larry & Sergei

Social Media:

• Read: Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
• Follow Kim on Twitter: @kimballscott
• 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

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.

Jon Acuff is back for a second time on The Learning Leader Show!

JON ACUFF is the author of five books, including the New York Times Bestseller Do Over. For nineteen years he’s helped companies like the Home Depot, Bose, Staples, and AutoTrader.com tell their stories. He’s a well-known public speaker, and his blogs have been read by millions of fans. His most recent book is: Finish - Give Yourself The Gift of Done.

If you'd like to listen to the first conversation Jon and I had on January 27, 2016, CLICK HERE.

Episode 222: Jon Acuff

Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio

The Learning Leader Show

Want to write a book? "What question are you willing to spend two years answering?"

Show Notes:

• Why Jon dedicated this new book to his parents and their belief in him as a writer
  • His Dad was a pastor, a communicator. Have to learn how to shape ideas and be a speaker
• What took so long for Jon to believe he was a writer?
  • "I'm a writer. When you do it enough, it becomes possible. I've written six books."
• Why this book?
  • "People say, I like your book Start, but I never finish, how do I finish?"
• Like Jim Collins, Jon says, "What is a question I'm willing to spend two years answering?"
• 91% of Americans want to write a book and less than 1% of them do it
• "I want this thing to be part of my life... This has multiple applications."
• James Clear says it's the friction at the start... Lacing up the shoes and beginning the run.
  • Jon reply "Is it harder to buy a treadmill or use the treadmill?"
• This is built on research. 900 participants. It is a data driven book
• How to mix in humor... Why to study stand up comedians?
  • "I've watched 100 stand up comedians for every 1 business leader"
• "If you want to enjoy the internet more, you must know it's not about you. It never is." -- People are thinking about themselves (Tracy McGrady & JR Smith)
• Goal Setting:
  • Cut them in half, make the goals smaller
  • Test principles -- Look to be 5%-10% better
  • "Before I set a goal, I make sure it is the right size"
  • How this relates to setting sales goals/quotas in a big company
    • Need a culture of honesty and realistic goals in order to thrive, grow, and survive
  • "A goal is a promise to yourself"
• "Make it fun if you want it done"
  • Satisfaction goes up
  • Performance goes up
• How to get something done?
  • Reward
  • Fear
  • Which one do you better respond to? You need to know. How about the people that work for you? You need to know
• How Jon will read 156 books this year
• What is the story you want to tell your kids? 
• Are you proud of what you do everyday?
• "The old rules don't apply anymore... The faucet of freelance money can turn on."
• Why do some have "the fear of success?"
  • Fear of money
  • Fear of high expectations
  • Self sabotage
  • Fear of "what's next?"

Episode 221: Phil Jones - What To Say To Influence And Impact Others (Magic Words)

Phil’s passion to “Teach The World To Sell”, now sees him traveling the globe speaking to a breadth of audiences, from small business owners to workforces and mass organizations, spreading his message and sharing his highly credited teachings. To date he’s spoken in 56 different countries across five continents and with his growing popularity, he’s expected to add many more to his roster.

Episode 221: Phil Jones - What To Say To Influence And Impact Others (Magic Words)

Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio

The Learning Leader Show

"I Learned That Success Leaves Clues."

Show Notes:

• Sustained Excellence:
  • Dogged determination
  • Curiosity - Continue to demand improvement from self
  • Detach self of the outcome - be of service to your customer. Celebrate quietly in the background when the client wins
• How he learned to hustle:
  • Came from a home without much money... Learned to sell his mom's sandwiches at lunch. Then started a business going door to door offering to wash cars for money
  • He grew to make more money than his teachers when he was 15
    • "How much money are you making sire?" -- Phil would say to teachers when they criticized him for missing class
  • By 18, he was named the youngest sales manager in fashion retailer Debenhams, history
• Day to Day
  • Phil delivers 100 keynote presentations a year
  • "Respect is something that is to be earned"
• Ridiculous goal -- "Get my book in front of one million people"
• Using Magic words
  • "I'm not sure if it's for you, but..."
• "Magic words are words that speak right to the subconscious of our brain"
• If you change 1 or 2 words, it can change everything. You must learn, train, and prepare... Write a script
  • "You still cry at movies... But the actor is reading a script. It's not real. You need to learn to read scripts."
• Magic Word/Phrase
  • "You wouldn't happen to know..." -- Create a path of least resistance for a referral
• How has Phil learned what he teaches?
  • "120,000 negotiations. Messing up. Being brave enough to say what works and what doesn't."
• Magic Word/Phrase
  • "How open minded are you?" -- When you're trying to internally sell a new idea, this works. Everyone wants to see themselves as open minded. This phrase primes the brain to be more open minded to a new idea. It helps people opt in to your idea.
• How to open a keynote speech?
  • Ask questions of the audience...
    • "Change one word to change everything" (Listen for more in depth story. This was a really good part. Around the 26:30 mark)
• "Questions start conversations, conversations lead to relationships, relationships lead to opportunities."
• Methods for prospecting:
  • You don't need to knock on every door
  • A great story on what you would do if you lost a child at a department store (again... must listen)
  • "Go look for who you really want." You must identify those people
  • Define who they are...
  • "You wouldn't happen to know?"
• How he runs/manages his business and prospects
  • Franchises, MLMs, Healthcare space
  • Referrals, gifts, emails, calls
  • Utilizing Robert Cialdini's method for reciprocity... "They end up thanking ME!"
  • 3rd party credibility and permission
• Magic Word/Phrase:
  • "Just one more thing..." -- TV detectives in the 80's and 90's
  • This helps both upsells AND downsells (sometimes you won't get the huge deal initially... Must work your way in to build the relationship starting small)
• Magic Word/Phrase:
  • "Most People..." -- "This helps you tell people what to do without telling them what to do."
  • People love to be led. Example: Yelp reviews
  • When people are stuck being indecisive... "Look, what most people do..."
• Learning Leader = Leaders are always learning. "You've never arrived. You're always becoming."
  • Good, Better, or Best: What do you want?
    • You want to be better... Always striving to improve

"Questions start conversations. Conversations lead to relationships. Relationships lead to opportunities."

Social Media:

• Read: Exactly What To Say
• Follow Phil on Twitter: @philmjonesuk
• 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

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.