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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: June, 2023
Jun 25, 2023

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday." Join 10's of thousands of your fellow learning leaders and receive a carefully curated email from me each Monday morning to help you start your week off right...

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12   https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

  • Consistency creates your future. Show up each day and do the work. Sounds simple, but it’s much harder in practice. Consistency is not sexy, but it builds trust and it creates your future.
  • T.U.N.E. - 
    • T = Trust and truth 
    • U = Unite with love
    • N = Neutralize the negativity. “I do not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” - Gandhi
    • E = Elevate your thinking. With gratitude, optimism, and belief
  • How to handle imposter syndrome - One sheet of paper. On one side write your negative thoughts. On the other side write words of encouragement. Again, this sounds basic, but it’s been proven to work.
  • Navigate the Roller Coaster of our Mind: Take on our challenges in life with confidence and power instead of fear and insecurity.
  • Recognize & Overcome the Five Ds of Negative Thought: Doubt, Distortion, Discouragement, Distraction, and Division.
  • The root of the Greek word for anxious means “to separate and divide” When we are anxious, we feel divided. The key is to move towards “oneness”.
  • Tune into More Positive Thoughts: Jon explains a revolutionary idea that the brain is an antenna, and we can elevate our minds with proven strategies. For example, we can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time. When we appreciate, we elevate.
  • Override Fear with Love: Let love (the ultimate driver of grit) be the driving force behind our work and vocation, unlocking new levels of determination, devotion and success.
  • Improve Mental Health & Relationships: Move from disconnection, loneliness and isolation to connection, healing, and wholeness. Whether you’re a recent graduate, executive, artist, parent, engineer, teacher, spouse, athlete or coach, once you know The One Truth, you’ll see how it impacts leadership, teamwork, mindset, performance, relationships, addictions, social media, anxiety, mental health and your overall quality of life.
  • Bad teams = nobody leads. Average teams = coaches lead. Elite teams = players lead
  • Change management -- People follow the leader first and the vision second. People won’t care about your vision if you don’t care about them.
  • “Thoughts are magnetic. What we think about we attract.”
  • Goals: "It's not your goals that will lead to your success but your commitment to the process." "The best teams don’t focus on winning championships. They focus on being champions. This leads to championships."
  • “When leaders become focused on the fruit instead of the root and worry about the outcome instead of the process of developing team members, they may survive in the short run, but they will not thrive in the long run.
  • “As a leader, it is so important that your words equal your actions. It is imperative that you make sure that you go through a self-evaluation process on an almost daily basis to make sure that your actions are in line with your words. You must do what you say and say what you do.”
  • “There’s a difference between culture and having a theme for the year. A theme does not equal culture. Too many schools/org move from theme to theme instead of building a culture. Utilize a theme as a tool to help you build a great culture.
  • “They asked a bunch of ninety-five-year-olds if they could do it all over again and live their life again what would they do differently. The three things that almost all of them said were: (1) They would reflect more. Enjoy more moments. More sunrises and sunsets. More moments of joy. (2) They would take more risks and chances. Life is too short not to go for it. (3) They would have left a legacy. Something that would live on after they die.”

00:35 - Lessons from Athletics

05:29 - Struggling With Adversity As a Child

07:47 - Building a Life-Changing Team from The Energy Bus

15:08 - Fear That Comes With Imposter Syndrome

20:54 - Transition from Self-Talk to Action

31:05 - How to React to Skeptics

36:14 - View Life as a Movie

40:25 - Leadership Qualities That Are Repetitive

44:18 - Advice for the Younger Generation

47:48 - Early is On Time

Jun 22, 2023

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday." Join 10's of thousands of your fellow learning leaders and receive a carefully curated email from me each Monday morning to help you start your week off right...

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12   https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

Notes: Michelle "Mace" Curran has led an impressive career as a Fighter Pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019-2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Before joining the Thunderbirds, Michelle was a combat-proven fighter pilot completing missions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

  • What inspired Michelle to join the Air Force?
    • "I had a grandpa who was a lieutenant in the Navy. I went through his World War II trunk and tried on uniforms and looked at postcards. He got to travel all over the world. I grew up in a small town and I wanted to travel. I’ve always been drawn to flying. I hadn’t done a lot of flying aside from commercially, but I loved it, so the Air Force seemed like a natural fit. I was also honestly looking for a scholarship for college, so the three things kind of came together."
  • “C3” Comm – That’s clear, concise, and correct communication. How that plays a role as a pilot and how we can use that as leaders outside of the airplane.
    • For the solo opposing passes, each pilot is traveling at 500mph, that's 1000mph of closure toward each other. The timing that makes sure the aircraft safely pass each other at the center point directly in front of the crowd is all done through radio calls. Every call must communicate clearly, concisely, and correctly.
  • There are a lot of benefits to having a beginner's mindset.
  • What does Michelle say to young girls?
    • "You have to exceed people’s expectations. People are going to set expectations for you based on where you grew up, the family you came from, your gender — there are all different factors that go into that. Constantly do your best, strive for perfection, exceed those expectations, and really don’t shortchange yourself. Don’t set boundaries that don’t really exist, that you just place there for yourself. You’ll be surprised at all of the things you can do if you just keep pushing."
  • “We wield a lot of power with our words.” Let’s plant a seed of inspiration. As leaders, our words carry a lot of weight. Let’s use that to help other people strive for more and potentially accomplish more than they ever thought they were capable of. What an awesome use of our power.
  • The Debrief - It’s the sacred environment of flying. Your rank doesn’t matter. It’s all about focusing on what happened and how we can get better. I think our companies would be better if we had consistent debriefs after a big moment to ensure we are learning from our mistakes and getting better…
  • The person you are today is likely much different than the one you were ten years ago. The person you will be ten years from now will probably be just as different compared to who you are now.
  • Michelle initially didn't feel capable as a fighter pilot. But she kept showing up. It’s important that we have the courage to keep going even when we don’t feel ready.
  • Being a female fighter pilot, Mace was in a male-dominated career... She was often the only woman in my unit and roughly 3% of fighter pilots in the Air Force are female even thirty years after combat airframes were opened to women,
  • Leaders and followers – A young flight lead could be in command of a general whose role is to be the wingman…
  • Mace has written a children’s book that just came out called Upside Down Dreams. It is a story written for girls with big dreams looking for a real-world heroine.

 

Jun 18, 2023

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday." Join 10's of thousands of your fellow learning leaders and receive a carefully curated email from me each Monday morning to help you start your week off right...

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12   https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

Dr. Angus Fletcher has dual degrees in neuroscience (BS, University of Michigan) and literature (Ph.D., Yale). His research employs a mix of laboratory experiment, literary history, and rhetorical theory to explore the psychological effects—cognitive, behavioral, therapeutic—of different narrative technologies. He’s the best-selling author of multiple books including Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature, and Storythinking: The New Science of Narrative Intelligence.

  • "The story you tell yourself needs to be the true story of yourself."
  • How Angus tells his story:
    • Build trust
    • Listen
    • Demonstrate courage - Angus told a group of special forces operators one of the most embarrassing stories of his life. After that, he said, "I'm not scared of anything."
  • You must be genuinely humble to learn from your mistakes.
  • "Real leaders activate the leader within you."
  • Being a leader is all about contemplating fear. Stepping up when adversity strikes is why we exist as leaders. It’s easy to lead when everything is going well. We want to be known as the leader who is there when it’s hard.
  • Dr. Fletcher's ultimate goal of using the power of story to bring us closer to self-actualization. Seems like that's a good first step to being a great leader.
  • Confidence is earned by creating evidence for yourself that you can do hard things. Angus did this when he shared his story of not making it through Marine Corps boot camp. Angus's vulnerability earned trust with the military leaders.
  • “For the longer we suspend our judgments, the more accurate our subsequent verdicts become. This valuable fact has been uncovered by researchers who’ve spent decades probing the mechanics of better decision-making, only to discover that the key is simply more time and more information. Which is to say: reserving our judgment until the last possible moment.”
  • Unlike a computer, the brain wasn’t particularly data-driven. Or particularly logical. Instead, it was emotional. And creative. And powered by story.
  • “There are a number of judgments that we can suspend permanently, including most of our judgments about other people. Our brain is constantly making such judgments. It looks at strangers on the street—and judges them. It looks at celebrities in magazines—and judges them. It looks at family members and colleagues and friends in homes and offices and restaurants—and judges them. These judgments feel instantly good to our neurons; they deliver pleasant microdoses of emotional superiority. But in the long run, they make us anxious, incurious, and less happy, so we can improve our long-term mental well-being if we suspend them.”
  • Apply to be part of my Leadership Circle
  • 02:12 - Highlights of Leadership Training04:24 - How to Prevent Failure09:14 - What is a Story Scientist?

    12:57 - Is Story Science Therapy?

    14:22 - Tell Your Story

    18:56 - Vulnerability is the Most Powerful Thing You Can Do

    22:00 - Can You Go Too Far With Being Vulnerable?

    25:19 - How to Be Vulnerable

    32:42 - Real Leaders Activate the Leader In You

    36:10 - Where Does Your Sense of Confidence Come From?

    40:50 - Punch Through Your Own Fear

    43:00 - Be Open About What Could Go Wrong

    44:47 - Questions to Ask During the Interview Process

    48:33 - Responding to Adversity IS Leadership

    51:45 - How to Be Excellent at Speaking

    56:27 - Advice For Younger Leaders

Jun 11, 2023

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday." Join 10's of thousands of your fellow learning leaders and receive a carefully curated email from me each Monday morning to help you start your week off right...

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12   https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

Katty Kay is a US correspondent for the BBC and a regular contributor on MSNBC. Katty grew up in the Middle East, where her father was a British diplomat. She studied French and Italian at Oxford University and worked as a foreign correspondent in Africa and Japan before moving to The US in 1996. Katty is the best-selling author of many books. Her latest is called “The Power Code.”

Notes: 

  • The definition of power – The ability to exercise one’s will, influence others, and effect change.
    • The ability to exercise our will—More Joy. Influencing (not controlling) others—Less Ego. Effecting change—Maximum Impact.
  • Redefining Power - In the past, it seems to be about dominance. About something you hold over something (people, or resources). Instead, we want it to be used to effect positive change. Let’s use power for good.
  • Promoting on promise versus promoting on performance. The research states that more men are promoted on promise than women. And women are mostly promoted based on performance. As leaders, let’s think about promise versus performance. As Frank Slootman said in a previous conversation, let’s hire people “Ahead of their curve.
  • Most women today don’t want power. The path to getting it, as it exists today, involves too many sacrifices, and power itself is unappealing, full of egos and competition. Women have all the skills, but we’d rather opt out.
  • Women and men don’t define power in the same way. Men think of power as a finite commodity, part of a hierarchical, zero-sum game that involves having power over people. Women aren’t competitive about power, and we focus more on the end result, the change we can affect with power. It’s the difference between power over and power to.
  • Does power corrupt? Not in the hands of women.  Researchers have found that women are the exception to the rule that powerful people are less empathetic–women tend to maintain their connection to others, to a ground-level reality, as we rise through the ranks–a huge leadership advantage.
  • Power fuels action. Neuroscientists are discovering the remarkable things power does to our brains. It can liberate its possessors, across their lives, and even create an ability to act more authentically. That offers big rewards for women and needs to become a selling point.
  • Women will never get power outside the home until our marriages look less like the 1950s. Our marriages aren’t keeping up with society or our careers. A woman with a job does more housework than a man who doesn’t work. In couples where the wife earns more than the husband, they lie about it on the US census form.
  • Men are stuck in a box they don’t want to be in.  They are pushed to play the outdated role of primary breadwinner, which is why the number of stay-at-home dads has barely grown in a quarter of a century. But increasingly men realize the zero-sum power formula isn’t working for them either. A more collaborative, more humane approach to power would benefit everyone.

00:38 - How Do You Define Power?

03:18 - Challenges with Research on Gender

05:46 - Using Power for Good

08:41 - Power reveals your Character

10:22 - Why Wouldn’t Someone Want Power?

13:37 - Is Power Shifting for Good?

15:31 - How Does Power Need to Change?

19:21 - Suggestions for Relationships at Home

20:42 - The Options to be a “Stay At Home”

30:58 - Characteristics of Katty’s Career

33:46 - Can Fame Impact a Marriage?

35:13 - Society’s Expectations for Mom & Dads

39:05 - Confidence & Imposter Syndrome

42:45 - The Common Characteristic of Every Leader

44:46 - The Impact of Female College Graduates

46:59 - Can Having Children Impact Your Career as a Mother?

49:30 - Advice for a Male CEO

52:26 - Life Advice for All

 

Jun 4, 2023

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday."

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12   https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

James Clear is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. His newsletter, 3-2-1 is shipped to more than 2 million people every Thursday.

Notes:

  • “The key, if you want to build habits that last, is to join a group where the desired behavior is the normal behavior.”
  • We should champion good ideas. You need to bet on something. Bet on a business. Bet on a relationship. Bet on something. You may have less risk being a pessimist or not going all in on something, but you also limit your upside. It’s worth being a champion of good ideas.
    • A Chilean saying: "Criticizing a musician is easy, but it is more difficult when you have a guitar in your hand." -- Don't criticize someone else unless you're willing to do the work.
  • Quantity and Quality – The parable of the pottery class – The University of Florida film photography professor, Jerry Uelsmann, divided his class into two groups. What happened with that experiment? We have to get going to get good. Quantity leads to quality. Be consistent. Show up, and do the work.
  • Priorities – We all should ask ourselves this question: If someone could only see my actions and not hear my words, what would they say my priorities are?
  • Steven Pressfield says the difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits.
  • 3 things that help luck:
    • Deconstructing your craft, so you know what good opportunities look like.
    • Remaining vigilant, so you notice when lucky breaks come your way.
    • Acting quickly, so you are more likely to seize luck when it arrives.
  • "You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems."
  • "Habits are like the atoms of our lives, each one is a fundamental unit that contributes to your overall improvement."
  • "Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe."
  • "The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader."
  • "Your identity emerges out of your habits."
  • Why We Should Write – “Many people assume they are bad at writing because it is hard. This is like assuming you are bad at weightlifting because the weight is heavy."
    • Writing is useful because it is hard. It's the effort that goes into writing a clear sentence that leads to better thinking.
  • Get Going to Get Good Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking. You don't need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started.
  • "The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do." 
  • "Building habits in the present allows you to do more of what you want in the future."
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