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The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

As Kobe Bryant once said, “There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own.” That’s why the Learning Leader Show exists—to understand the journeys of other leaders so that we can better understand our own. This show is full of learnings taught by world-class leaders—personal stories of successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way. Our guests come from diverse backgrounds—CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies, best-selling authors, Navy SEALs, and professional athletes. My role in this endeavor is to talk to the most thoughtful, accomplished, and intentional leaders in the world so that we can learn from them as we each create our own journeys.
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Now displaying: September, 2018
Sep 30, 2018

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:

Sep 23, 2018

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:

Sep 16, 2018

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:

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

Sep 9, 2018

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:

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

Sep 2, 2018

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
  • "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:

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

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