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#365: James Altucher - How To Become An Idea Machine

• "Vulnerability equals freedom."
  • "You need to say something interesting. You need to step outside of your comfort zone."
• James started writing in 1990 after a girl he liked chose to date a writer instead of him.
  • He wrote 3,000 words a day and yet didn't publish anything for 12 years.
• Why write about your flaws?
  • Watch the movie 8 mile... "Eminem shares all of the negative aspects of himself. He left his competition with nothing to say about him. He beat him to the punch."
  • "I don't hit publish unless I'm worried. Am I afraid? If yes, then publish."
  • "All good writing has to have a story."
• Commonalities of people who sustain excellence:
  • Physically healthy - They are in shape
  • Emotionally healthy - They have good relationships
  • They are extremely curious - "Ken Langone came in my comedy club and asked tons of questions. He's so curious."
  • They are very creative
  • They have a "ready, fire, aim" approach - Sara Blakely started Spanx and got a $300K order and hadn't figured out how to manufacture her product yet.
• Creativity/Idea generation is a muscle - If you don't work it, it atrophies.
  • Write 10 ideas a day.
  • Quantity is more important than quality. "He who has the most ideas wins."
    • You'll have a lot of bad ideas. You have to get through those to get to the good ones. Quantity is important.
    • "Writing 10 ideas a day changed my life. I wasn't depressed anymore."
• Write ideas for companies and share with them... They might call you.
• Being an "intrapreneur" within your company - Think of ideas that can help your company and share with the CEO.
  • "Success is always on the other side of can't."
• Great entrepreneurs focus on reducing risk
• How to speak to powerful people?
  • Realize they are just people
  • Humor is key. "Laughter is the way to level the playing field."
• Developing a skill - Deliberate practice
  • The "10,000 Experiment" rule
  • The key to getting good is to experiment
  • Be in the top 1% of doing experiments
• Work your idea muscle every single day - The neurons will be re-wired
  • Share your ideas to help other companies
• Over-promise AND over-deliver. Do both. Everyone else under-promise with the hope to over-deliver. Don't do that. Overpromise upfront and over-deliver.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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#364: Derek Sivers: Derek Sivers is a writer, musician, programmer, and entrepreneur best known for being the founder and former president of CD Baby, an online CD store for independent musicians. A professional musician since 1987, Sivers started CD Baby by accident in 1997 when he was selling his own CD on his website, and friends asked if he could sell theirs, too. CD Baby went on to become the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100M in sales for over 150,000 musician clients. 

Notes:

• The similarities between becoming a Dad and starting a business:
  • The transition from being "me" focused to becoming focused on others first. "That happened when I started a business... Long before I became a dad."
  • "As a dad, I learned to be fully present with him. To shut everything else down and focus on him."
• "Adults are always looking for amazing superlatives. Kids are happy with tiny details."
  • "Stop wasting hours... Learn to have a blast where you are."
• Making big decisions:
  • There is a difference between theory and in practice
    • "Don't consider anything decided until you've tried it."
• Why you should keep your goals to yourself:
  • An identity goal makes you a different person. If you announce it to others and they give you social satisfaction, that feedback you receive gives you internal satisfaction. That could lead to you already feeling satisfaction and thus less likely to achieve the goal... Receiving the satisfaction from others before you've done it is not helpful.
  • (NOTE - There is additional information to read about this nuanced topic. THIS is helpful.)
• Sustaining excellence:
  • They hold themselves to high standards. They set high stakes.
  • They have amazing self-control
  • "Excellence is setting high standards and living up to them."
• Excellent leadership is being selfless... Doing what's in the best long-term interest of the people you're leading.
• Selling CDBaby for $22m and giving the proceeds away to charity.
• The power of writing:
  • "I journal my ass off."
  • Documenting your daily thoughts is a very useful exercise -- It's fascinating to look back on how you felt at that specific time.
• Create "Per Topic" Journals
  • Journals that focus on a specific topic (Singapore, Interviews, Language Learning)
• Values = Learning... Remaining flexible and creative. Answering the questions, "What did I really want from that?"
  • Derek's values evolve and change over time
• Being a monomaniac - Obsessed with one thing at a time
  • Currently: Writing a book called How To Live
• The stress of replying to 7,000 emails vs making a genuine connection with each person...
  • Being a longterm thinker
• Here is WHY joining a Learning Leader Circle is a good idea...

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#363: Admiral William McRaven - 363: Admiral William McRaven - The Bin Laden Raid, Saving Captain Phillips, & Leadership Lessons For Life

Notes:

• Sustaining excellence:
  • Great listeners - They value the opinions of others and listen
  • Decisive - The leader must take responsibility and make the call
  • Measured - Calm. Staying cool under pressure is vital
• Importance of coaching in Admiral McRaven's life… and being pushed by them. He pushed himself  to his physical limits to set the school record for the mile with the help of a phone call from a coach. (Jerry Turnbow).
  • Write letters to the parents/spouse/kids of the people you want to recognize. "Love on the people who love them."
• Failure can make you stronger —- Being assigned to “The Circus” in SEAL training helped him build resilience and a "never quit" attitude.
• Writing ­– He was a journalism major at Texas. Admiral McRaven has consistently worked to become a great writer. It is critical for leaders to be exceptional communicators... Both of the written AND spoken word.
• In July 1983, he was fired as a SEAL squadron leader for trying to change the way his squadron was organized, trained, and conducted missions. His response was the difference between a long, successful career, and quitting. Georgeann (his wife) offered him encouragement and said, ‘you’ve never quit at anything in your life and don’t start now’. 
• Admiral McRaven has always had great respect for the British Special Air Service: the famed SAS. The SAS motto was “Who Dares Wins.”  He said that even moments before the Bin Laden raid, his command sergeant major Chris Faris, quoted it to the SEALs preparing for the mission.
  • To him that motto was more than just how special forces operated. It’s about how each of us should approach our lives… Life is a struggle and the potential for failure is ever present…
• Admiral McRaven walked us through the strategy development and the decision making process for the bin Laden raid:
  • It was a team effort - Leon Panetta could have done it only as a CIA mission, but he reached out to Admiral McRaven because the mission was what was most important, not getting credit.  Great leaders recognize that it’s never about them. If you think it’s about you you’re probably not a good leader.
  • It was still an extraordinarily difficult decision to green light the mission. Admiral McRaven described that conversations he had with President Obama. "If we got there and the guy on the third floor was just a tall Pakistani man, then President Obama would have been a 1 term president."
  • The SEALs on the mission rehearsed and practiced  A LOT. No matter how much experience you have, you ALWAYS need to practice.
  • The night of the bin Laden raid, Admiral McRaven was in charge of 10 other missions! He didn't have time to celebrate, he was focused on identifying the body, telling the President, and then paying close attention to the other missions he had going on that night.
• Courage — “without courage, men will be ruled by tyrants and despots. Without courage,  no great society can flourish. Without courage, the bullies of the world rise up.”  Over the course of a month he visited Saddam Hussein in the jail where they were holding him, he would rise to meet Admiral McRaven. McRaven would motion for him to go back to his cot. The message was clear, “you are no longer important.”
• Rise to the occasion.  Be your very best in the darkest moments – Think about the moment we are in right now. Great leaders rise to the occasion in the midst of a pandemic
• Books Admiral McRaven recommends- The Speed of Trust- Stephen M.R. Covey, It’s Your Ship - Michael Abrashoff
• No plan survives first contact with the enemy- things will go wrong and you need to plan accordingly. Be prepared, think through worst case. "Have a plan, work the plan, plan for the unexpected."
• Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward. Don’t ever say “that’s not fair.”  The story of Moki Martin - bike accident that left him paralyzed

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Episode #362: Chris McChesney - How to Achieve Your Wildly Important Goals

Chris McChesney is a Wall Street Journal #1 Best-Selling Author – The 4 Disciplines of Execution. In his current role of Global Practice Leader of Execution for FranklinCovey, Chris is one of the primary developers of The 4 Disciplines of Execution. For more than a decade, he has led FranklinCovey’s design and development of these principles, as well as the consulting organization that has become the fastest growing area of the company.

Notes:

• Sustaining excellence = They execute on the strategy that's been launched...
  • They have amazing drive
  • High expectations - They expect a lot of everyone and do it in a positive way
  • They "radiate love." Warmth...
• Strategy to execution -- It's an art and a science
• "Execution doesn't like complexity..."
  • Great leaders develop pattern recognition over time. An experienced quarterback has more repetitions and the game "slows down" which creates a situation he recognizes
• Three components to any strategy to execution process:
  • Lower the blood pressure -- "Stroke of the pen."
  • Take life support measurements
  • Break through
• What is a 'stroke of the pen' action as a mid level manager?
  • Modify the portfolio, work within the limited budget, figure out incentives, hiring decisions, combining territories
• "Sometimes in life our challenges are really hidden opportunities."
  • Chris did an unpaid internship.  He warned that with Stephen Covey by continuing to show up and add value to the lives of the people at the company.
• Advice: "Work outside of your job description but within your influence."
  • "Don't fall in love with a solution, fall in love with a problem."
• "I have never gotten a job from a standard interview process... I've gotten seduced by a problem... And then worked to solve it."
  • This is how Chris created a company within a company. He identified that execution was a problem, and worked to solve it.
• Useful feedback Chris received earlier in his career from a mentor: "Chris, when you come to headquarters, people like you, but you aren't fun to work with."
  • The power of honest, specific, feedback.  Paul Walker (President) - "It's never about him. He's always interested in understanding what's going on around him and with others."
• Pat Lencioni - Not everyone should be a leader... "I don't like the term 'servant leadership.' It makes it sound like there's any other way."
• The 4 Disciplines of Execution:
  • Focus on the Wildly Important -- Exceptional execution starts with narrowing the focus— clearly identifying what must be done, or nothing else you achieve really matters much.
  • Act on the Lead Measures -- Twenty percent of activities produce eighty percent of results. The highest predictors of goal achievement are the 80/20 activities that are identified and codified into individual actions and tracked fanatically.
  • Keep a Compelling Scoreboard -- People and teams play differently when they are keeping score, and the right kind of scoreboards motivate the players to win.
  • Create a Cadence of Accountability -- Great performers thrive in a culture of accountability that is frequent, positive, and self-directed. Each team engages in a simple weekly process that highlights successes, analyzes failures, and course-corrects as necessary, creating the ultimate performance-management system.
• “As legendary Harvard marketing professor Theodore Levitt put it, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.”
• “People who try to push many goals at once usually wind up doing a mediocre job on all of them. You can ignore the principle of focus, but it won’t ignore you.”
• “If you ignore the urgent, it can kill you today. It’s also true, however, that if you ignore the important, it can kill you tomorrow”
• “Managing a company by looking at financial data (lag measures) is the equivalent of “driving a car by looking in the rearview mirror.”
• Optimization - Consistency is wildly important. Lock down elements of the process. Anchor the process at two points. Rule - "If we can meet the lead measure for 14 weeks, we're calling it a habit."

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Episode #361: John C. Maxwell - The Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace

Notes:

• Adaptability: “Good leaders adapt. They shift. They don’t remain static because they know the world around them does not remain static.”
• 3 questions to ask yourself every day:
  • How will this crisis make me better?
  • How will I use this crisis to help others?
  • What action will I take to improve my situation?
• Leaders get paid to deal with uncertainty. They must relish it because it comes with the territory. Betty Bender, former president of the Library Administration and Management Association, explains, “Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death.”
• "Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but from playing a bad hand well." - Warren Lester
• Leaders become invigorated with problems.
• “Doing the right thing daily, compounds over time.”
• Ask what you can do to add value to others during this time.
• “Leaders don’t rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece.”
• It’s okay to be uncertain but it’s not okay for a leader to be unclear.
• If you prepare today you don’t have to repair tomorrow.
• The opposite of distraction is traction.
  • Crisis moves us
  • You help people gain traction by helping them gain perspective.
• Fear is a negative emotion, feeding fear is like putting fertilizer on weeds.
• The question is what is going to dominate between fear an faith and the dominant emotion will win the day.
• What gains your attention and focus only grows whether that's fear or faith.
• “A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose, a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.”
• Great coaches make adjustments during a game.
• Action is where all transformation takes place.
• The most overrated English phrase is good intentions.
• “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” 
• A crisis doesn’t make a person, a crisis reveals a person.
• “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”
• "Decision making is easy when you know what your values are."
• Right now the people come first, the company second, yourself last.
• Respect is learned and earned on difficult ground.
• "No one ever coasted their way to greatness."
• People don’t want perfect leaders, they want authentic leaders.
• Experience is not the best teacher. Evaluated learning from experience is the best teacher.
• The first step to great communication is to get over yourself. It’s not about you. Focus on others and adding value.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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Episode #360: Kirk Herbstreit - How To Prepare Like The Best Broadcaster In The Business

Notes:

• "Because of what you have to do to be part of that program... You do things you didn't think you would ever fathom you could get through. It develops you as a person." -- Kirk on what it's like to play football at Centerville High School.
  • "Nothing has impacted me more than the time and what I learned from Bob Gregg and Ron Ullery. It's with me every single day. That's why we take so much pride in it. Because of the impact it has on our entire life."
• Learning resilience and how to persevere, and how to prepare for big moments.
• Kirk's preparation process: There's nobody more prepared than Kirk each week.
  • "It's the only thing I know. It's not an option for me to not be prepared."
  • "Nobody knew who I was back in 1996 when I first started. Instead of hiding from that, I said 'I'm going to be the hardest working analyst in sports. That became my calling card. I had to earn people's respect. The only way I knew how to do that was through my work ethic and preparation. It's the only way I know how."
• The importance of relationships - "I've never in 25 years burned a coach. I never will. They are a lifeline for me. It's one thing to read an article. For you to really get information, you have to go directly to the sources... The coaches."
• "I feel I'm the most prepared person covering the sport every week when I do Gameday and when I go into the booth Saturday night."
  • "If I'm awake I'm either with my kids or I'm preparing for the games."
• Building relationships with powerful people... How?
  • "Trust. That's the most important thing. In my job, you sometimes have to be critical. What I've always said to myself is, if this person was sitting next to me, he might disagree, but he's not going to be offended."
  • "I'll call them the next week to make sure they understood what I said. I go out of my way to promote people."
• Sustaining Excellence -- "I look at it like... I don't do this for money, I don't do this for fame, I do this for love, for passion. There's nothing that makes me more happy than watching football. I love it. It never gets old, I'm constantly trying to improve, to get better. I feel like here I am 25 years into this business and I'm just scratching the surface..."
  • "You gotta keep working, you gotta keep learning."
• "It's such a fun challenge to broadcast games now with how much has changed..."
• Working with a partner (for him it is Chris Fowler)... The keys to working well with a partner:
  • Developing a relationship with that person - Make sure you go to dinners, do things away from work. Get to know that person. Become friends. Then earn your stripe through your preparation and your work.
• Working with a broadcasting team - It takes amazing, constant, communication.
• Keys to great quarterback play and how that translate to being a great leader in the business world:
  • The ability to process a lot of information and make sense of it quickly (Joe Burrow is the best he's seen)
  • Accuracy - Throw the ball where you want it to go
  • Make great decisions
  • Mental toughness
• Being the type of person that others want to follow... How to do that?
  • Play-making ability is a must - people are drawn to you because they believe in you
  • You can do it differently, but "it's very hard to think of successful quarterbacks that aren't well liked by all members of the team."
    • People are drawn to them.  -- Cannot be selfish. The quarterback gets a lot of attention. Need to deflect that and talk about the linemen, the defense, your teammates.
• Would Kirk take the Monday Night Football broadcasting job?
  • "I've talked with my agent about it. That's in play. It's being talked about. It would have to be in addition. I'll never leave college."
    • "I love watching the NFL... Watching guys that I've covered. The college game is leaking more and more into the NFL. The prep would be pretty extreme, but I could do it."
• Life advice: "I was raised to be an unselfish person. I've never felt like I was more important than anyone else. I'll never put myself above anybody in any regard." -- Be the hardest working person, have an awareness about you to help others, never think you're more important than others."

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Episode #359: Pat Lencioni

This was recorded with hundreds of fans/friends on Zoom on April 2, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes:

• Three actions for leaders in a perilous time:
  • be exceedingly human. By that, I mean that you should demonstrate your concern for the very real fears and anxieties that your people are experiencing, not only professionally and economically, but socially and personally. Even though you don’t have definitive answers to all of their questions, don’t let that keep you from listening to them and empathizing with their fears. And, contrary to conventional wisdom, you should not be hesitant to share your own concerns with your people. They want to know that they can relate to you and that they are not alone in their concerns.
  • be persistent. This is not a time to hold back. Send people updates and regular communication, even if there is not a lot of new information and the message is largely personal. No one will look back at this time and say, “my manager was so annoying with all the encouraging emails checking in on me.” When people are isolated, over-communication is more important than ever.
  • be creative. Try new things. Call semi-regular video-conference meetings that allow employees to not only talk about work, but to share their experiences dealing with this situation. Have them share movies and games and other tools that they are finding to be helpful with their families and invite them to tell stories about what is going on in their worlds. Crises provide an opportunity for people to come to know one another and establish bonds that will endure long after the crisis is over.
• This is not a time to be efficient. It’s a time to be present with people.  Once they get that new sense of trust, then you can move on.
• Every company/family needs to be intentional about their thematic goal/rallying cry.
  • Cohesiveness and innovation are the themes for The Table Group
• What we do during this time is going to be what people remember.  This is the window of opportunity.
• People would rather be criticized than ignored.
  • The opposite of love is not hate. It's indifference.
• Pat is looking for that sense of “peace” that no matter what happens, we will be okay. (He tells a story about an NYC priest the night before he died “I”m not afraid.")
• When you help others, your fears go down.
• Idle time and worry is what makes fear rise.
• Advice for parenting teenagers right now -- "It's a time for grace, not discipline."
• How to establish a safe environment?
  • Empower people to take risks.  When they stumble, it's okay. Failure = learning moment
• 2 biggest red flags of a bad teammate - what are the symptoms/ hardest things to overcome?
  • Insecurity and selfishness
• Good teammates?
  • "They take ownership of their mistakes and work to correct them." Must take ownership of it to improve.
• The Ideal Team Player -- Humble, Hungry, Smart.
• Download for free: “The three questions to ask your family" on Pat's website The Table Group
• Does Love have a place in leadership?  You need to love your players even if you don’t like them. You have to do what is in their best interest.
• Pat's next book?
  • "The Heroic Manager"
• The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team:
  • Absence of trust - unwilling to be vulnerable within the group
  • Fear of conflict - seeking artificial harmony over constructive passionate debate
  • Lack of commitment - feigning buy-in for group decisions creates ambiguity throughout the organization
  • Avoidance of accountability - ducking the responsibility to call peers on counterproductive behavior which sets low standards
  • Inattention to results - focusing on personal success, status and ego before team success

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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Episode #358: Stephen Covey - The One Thing That Changes Everything (Trust)

Notes:

• Sustaining excellence = They get results in a way that inspires trust. If you cut costs for profits, you won't earn trust long term. You won't win long term.
  • "You must think... There always is a next time."
• Build a culture of character and competence.  Those are the components of trust.
• Taking shortcuts, cutting corners will get your short term results, but you will not sustain it. "Beware of the shortcuts."
  • Make expectations clear. Hitting the number is a commitment.
• For the mid-level manager: The middle is the key leverage point. You always need to be building trust and delivering results.  Leaders go first.
  • "Be trustworthy. Be trusting." Give trust to others, lead with trust.
  • If you have a bad boss? "Create an island of excellence in a sea of mediocrity."
• "If we think the problem is everyone else, we disempower ourselves." --> Look in the mirror: 'Here's what I can do..." Self trust. It starts inside of you.
• Neuroscience on trust - When there is low trust on a tea, it saps the energy and joy. It's not fun.
  • High trust = energizing. How can I be that type of leader?
• For the person that doesn't trust anyone else, they are really saying, "I don't trust myself." They know they lie.
• How to build trust with yourself?
  • Learn to make and keep commitments with yourself and others.
    • "Make, keep, repeat. Make, keep, repeat."
    • "Trust is doing what you say you're going to do."
    • "Saying it builds hope. Doing it builds trust."
• Trust = Character + Competence.
• Admiral McRaven - "If you wan to change the world, start with making your bed."
  • "Private victories precede public victories."
• Warren Buffett does deals based on trust. Trust impacts speed and cost.  "Trust decrease transaction costs." --> When you don't have trust, there is a tax on that.
• When trust goes time, costs go up. When trust goes up, costs go down.
• Focus on your credibility. Your character and your competence. Build your reputation. Start with your behavior. Behave in a way to garner trust.
• Distrusts is exhausting. It's not sustainable in relationships.
• How to handle a non-trusting boss?
  • "You can't change the conditions or change them. If you must stay, focus on YOUR credibility. The starting place is on increasing your credibility, it will create more clout, courage, and permission in your organization.  Always start with yourself."
• The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People
  • #1 - Be proactive. You're responsible. "You're not a program. You're a programmer." Between the stimulus and response, there is a space. I choose my response and take responsibility."
    • What's it like having Covey as his last name - "The power is in the principles."
  • #5 - Seek first to understand, then to be understood. A doctor diagnoses before they prescribe. It builds trust when the other person feels understood.
  • #7 - Sharpen the saw - Getting better.  "The Learning Leader has never arrived..."
• His Dad's ethos:
  • To Live
  • To Love
  • To Learn
  • To Leave a Legacy
• Here is WHY joining a Learning Leader Circle is a good idea...

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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For full notes go to www.LearningLeader.com

Episode #357: General Stanley McChrystal - Leadership In Uncertain Times

• “As we lead through this time of crisis, leaders are more important than ever:
  • 1) Communicate relentlessly
  • 2) Match your internal operating pace with that of your external environment
  • 3) Continue to reiterate what ‘winning’ looks like to your organization.”
• Foreword from his book Team of Teams, legendary author Walter Isaacson wrote: “Whether in business or in war, the ability to react quickly and adapt is critical, and it’s becoming even more so as technology and disruptive forces increase the pace of change. That requires new ways to communicate and work together. In today’s world, creativity is a collaborative endeavor. Innovation is a team effort.”
• Stockdale Paradox - (named for Admiral James Stockdale - the highest ranking POW of the Vietnam War who described how leaders survive terrible ordeals) "You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
• From page 104 in my book, Welcome To Management -- General McChrystal extended a gracious invitation for me to tour the hallowed grounds at the Battle of Gettysburg alongside the students he teaches in his leadership class at Yale. We learned a lot about the history of the battle over the course of two days with General McChrystal and some of his friends as tour guides. However, one teaching point that I specifically remembered was this, “The real lesson is . . . it’s not tactics, not strategy; it’s always about the people.”
• Uncertainty -- What’s most scary for people.  While you can’t predict the future, you can be that sense of calm, cool, composed (QB in the huddle in tense moments).  General at war. The quarterback at Yale (where Stan teaches) said, "When you throw an interception, don't say 'My bad.' The guys know it's your bad. Say, 'here's what we're going to do next.'"
• Recent events:  “These observations remind us of our early months fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq: We struggled to keep up with the pace of events, needed to unlearn conventional management rules and had to learn to lead in a totally new way.”
• From James Clear - “The most useful form of patience is persistence. Patience implies waiting for things to improve on their own. Persistence implies keeping your head down and continuing to work when things take longer than you expect.”
• "You have to navigate from where you are, not where you wish you were."
• From Stan -- The German Army had a say, "feel the cloth." They were referencing when the men were walking so close to one another they could literally feel the cloth on the person next to them. Right now, we don't have that luxury with our co-workers, and it's a challenge. But what we do have and what we need to utilize are communication platforms to stay connected to our teammates. This is our new normal and it's our time to be a leader and help our team get the job done.
  • Communicate -- Losing these in person interactions in a remote-work environment means leaders need to start communicating with more regularity and breadth to their organization.
  • Set Realistic Goals - This is not business as usual, but you can still succeed. Your role as a leader is to be brutally honest about what is achievable in the coming weeks and months as this disruption continues to ripple across the economy.
  • Be Patient - Many of your employees, especially the younger ones, have not experienced turmoil like this in their careers. Be patient, but start communicating now. It is your responsibility as a leader to be a source of calm and steady for them. (from CNN)
• Questions from members of my Leadership Circle:  Nicci Bosco --What values can we hold in our mind/should we be thinking about/allowing to guide our own actions with when speaking to a group/leading a group/etc in uncertain times? What can we do to re-fill our own reservoir when we notice we're depleted? If we don't know the answer to something, but still want to provide guidance and a response, what are some options? Tom Carvelli -- If you had to sum up your leadership principles into a single unified concept, what would that be?  What does your your daily fitness routine look like in times like these when resources and activities are curtailed? Matt Spitz -- In a world that is incredibly uncertain is there anything in his life that never changes?  Matt Mullins -- In times of adversity and uncertainty how do leaders ensure that their people are prepared and confident to thrive and maintain character through those moments?  How does one develop the ability to maintain composure in stressful situations? How?
• Stan's daily routine - It always starts with a workout in the early morning hours. "Always start the day lifting. Do a lot of Abs. Work on your core." That discipline creates consistency and that creates confidence. Stan weighs exactly the same today as he did when he was 17! He's only eaten one meal per day for 40 years.
• If you have to fire someone (or lay them off) -- "Explain it, be honest, do it with grace."
• Roosevelt during Pearl Harbor - "We are going to do whatever it takes to prevail. It's an unthinkable time, but we will get through it."
• "You exist for the team... To give them what they need."
• People are watching what you (the leader) is doing at every moment. How do you respond to good news? Bad news? What is you facial expression on that video conference call? The "Say-Do" gap. As a leader there should not be a gap between what you say and what you do. You must LIVE your values.
• Building a committed team -- Top CIA agent said to Stan when they were overseas... "I don't know what the Ranger way is, but I will commit to YOU as a person."
• A two-thousand-year-old Stoic phrase (from Ryan Holiday's Daily Stoic): What is up to us, what is not up to us? And what is up to us? Our emotions. Our judgments. Our creativity. Our attitude. Our perspective. Our desires. Our decisions. Our determination.
• Here is WHY joining a Learning Leader Circle is a good idea...

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356: Stewart Friedman - How To Parent With Purpose & Fuel Your Career

Notes:

• Sustaining excellence = "they take seriously the idea that it's not just about work. It's about life." --> Know what you care about... "It takes courage to look inside yourself."
  • Ask yourself, "What am I here to do?"  For Stew, "I'm here to help people grow as leaders and make an impact on the world."
• What Stew learned from his time as a cab driver: Patience... Everyone is unique. You see how people treat others.  "It created a love of geography."
• There is a lot of perspective to be gained from working in the service industry.
• Stew was hired to run the leadership development program at Ford
  • It was important to connect with everyone around him
    • "Be respectful of all people you interact."
    • Humbled -- "I realized I knew nothing when I went to Ford."
      • "I get up there and devise what the next 10 years will look like... And talked about myself the whole time. A key leader pulled me aside and said, 'What the F are you doing?'"
• Be WHOLE - It's about you as a whole person both at work and at home.
• "Firms that fully embrace the needs and interests of the whole person will win today's competition for the best talent."
• "Leading is about mobilizing people toward valued goals."
• Learn how to talk with others and show them that you truly value you... LISTEN
  • "Ryan, you're one of the most important people to me in my life..."
• What does the team need from the leader?
  • values, vision, an understanding of the stakeholders
• The leadership leap:
  • You must care about people
  • Understand the specific priorities
  • Ask, "What am I missing?"
• Total Leadership:
  • Projection - "If you had control, what would you be doing?"
  • "What's distinctive about you?"
    • Get clarity on what you care about right now
  • Identify the most important people in your life
• Be innovative -- Constantly experimenting
• Create 4 way wins:
  • Business
  • Family
  • Community
  • Personal
• Take initiative - "What's a win for your company? Your boss?"
• "At the individual level, you need to examine what you truly value, share this with key stakeholders in various life domains both to get feedback and support, and then to experiment with new ways of doing things so that - over the arc of a life - you can achieve harmony and have more of what it is that you uniquely want out of life."
• Work life integration is a more useful term than work life balance. "Balance is the wrong metaphor."
• The four elements, where do you devote your attention?
  • Do an assessment - Take 100 points... Divy up how important each of the following are based on your actions:
    • Work
    • Home
    • Community
    • Self
• Do you find yourself saying, "I'm not paying enough attention to the things that matter to me."
  • "It's like a jazz quartet. Four people paying attention to each other, improvise, respond, make something beautiful over time."
• "The only failure is the failure to learn from conscious and deliberate efforts to make things better, even if those attempts fall short of the mark."
• Writing Parents Who Lead -  Crafting a collective vision. "What does our life look like?"
• The question to ask: "How do you be you?"
  • "The courageous ones are able to bring that question forward..."

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Episode #355: Ramit Sethi - How To Live A Rich Life

Notes:

• Ramit's book buying rule - If you are even thinking about buying the book, don't deliberate, just buy it.  You could invest $17 and it could change your life.  Even one idea makes it worth it.
• Excellence - "Consistently do the work."
  • Put it on the calendar
  • Seek out people who are successful and then ask them for advice
  • In motion - Refuse to be stuck or paralyzed -- Take action
• "Show me your spending and your calendar and I'll show you your priorities."
  • What are the 3-4 most important things in your life? Does your spending and your calendar reflect that?
• Ramit starting learning how money worked while he was in college at Stanford... "The basic, boring truth. Consistency..."
• Starting your blog can be your experimental laboratory
• What is the future of online courses?
  • Online learning will continue to grow -- "Great leaders are always learning."
  • You should join The Learning Leader Academy
• The trajectory of hiring as you're growing a business:
  • Part time assistant --> Researcher --> Full time
• What do you look for when choosing who to add to your team?
  • Excellent at the task of doing the work
  • Curious - They ask great questions
  • Likable - They are someone you want to spend time with
• Start your business on the side:
  • It's practical... Going from zero to 1 is very hard: Start this part while you have a job and don't need the money from your new endeavor
• The psychology of pricing:  There is a profound difference in customers who get it for free vs. those who pay for it
  • You need to create "skin in the game."  People value it more if they have a financial stake in it.
  • "In business, you're not looking for the most people, you're looking for the right people."
    • "If you're a cheapskate, you'll attract cheapskates."
• The power of mentors: They can be massively helpful, but you need to do the work to be a valuable mentee.  Show up to your meetings prepared and with a purpose.  Don't wander through life.
• Atul Gawande - A coach in the operating room -- EVERYONE needs a coach.
• Automate your finances - It's the crown jewel.  Set up your system so you don't need to think about it after it's created.
  • Create auto saving behaviors
• "People are so busy asking $3 questions instead of $30K questions."
  • "How do I use my money to live a rich life?"
  • "What does rich mean to you?"

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Episode #354: WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT Book Launch Party With Doug Meyer

This is the recording from the conversation I had with Co-Founder/President of Brixey & Meyer, Doug Meyer, in front of many of our friends, clients, and colleagues at the Dayton office of Brixey & Meyer.

In WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT, I provide practical, actionable advice to help new managers build and lead committed teams in the face of daunting, unanticipated challenges. He presents a three-part framework outlining best practices distilled from interviews with more than 350 of the most forward-thinking leaders in the world, as well as his own professional experience transitioning from individual producer to new leader.

Through compelling stories and data-backed case studies, the book helps high performers make the leap from individual contributor to manager with greater ease, grace, courage, and effectiveness.

Notes:

• The book writing process: How long did it take to write? What was the proposal writing process like? What led you to sell the book rights to McGraw-Hill?
• Curiosity? Always natural or a learned skill? -- For me, this was something I learned to do... As I learned more, I realized there was so much more to learn.
• The Cycle of Learning -- Operating Framework
  • Consume/Learn - The intake engine (read, listen to podcasts, speak with mentors)
  • Test - Experiment with what's been learned (You can't just be a learner, you have to be a doer) - "We learn who we are in practice, not in theory."
  • Reflect - Analyze results, make adjustments
  • Teach - Reinforce learning through sharing with others
• Mentors vs. coaches. Interesting comparison and need throughout life. We discussed the difference and importance of each...
• “Build the skills to do the job, not to get the job.” -- The act of putting your high potential employees in position to actually do the job, not just prepare for an interview.
• Developing self-awareness -- It's important to regularly hold a mirror up to ourselves and surround self with people who will be brutally honest and caring of you and your development.
• WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT  will teach you
  • Where the real work of leadership begins
  • The greatest medicine for fear and how to put it into practice
  • Why you need an “Operating Framework” and how to create one
  • The 3 key elements to creating a performance culture
  • The opportunity that many managers miss after they achieve success
  • The seven keys to earning respect
• The quickest way to build trust is through vulnerability
• Managing a team you inherit -- The instant you sign for the job, those are YOUR players.  Don't use terms like 'they' or 'them.'  It is US and WE.
• The difference between leadership, management, coaching
  • Leadership:
    • The act of leading is about providing purpose, direction, aligning expectations, and inspiring the team.
  • Management:
    • Figuring out how to work within the current constraints of the system you are in... It is the administration and stewardship of resources.
  • Coaching:
    • The two types of coaching:
      • Coaching for performance - The 'right now' actions... Behaviors.
      • Coaching for development - Longer term
• Dustyn Kim is a fantastic model for humility, vulnerability, and intelligence -- That's what she's the type of leader that I committed to doing everything I could to help her be successful.
• Nobody is 'self-made.'  We are are built from communities of people who care about us, help us, and show love and support.

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Episode #353: Jeni Britton Bauer - How To Create A 'Craveable' Reason To Return

Jeni Britton Bauer is an American ice cream maker and entrepreneur. Jeni opened her first ice cream shop, Scream, in 1996, then founded Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Her first cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller and won a coveted James Beard Award in 2012. Jeni is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow and has been recognized by Fast Company as "one of the most creative companies in the world."

Notes:

• Leaders who sustain excellence =
  • "The main thing is you show up every day.  You show up and lead by example. You have to be IN IT daily."
  • That develops trusts.  Trusts leads to it the rest...
• Jeni is a subject matter expert on the topics that matter to her: ice cream, leadership, curiosity, creativity...
• "It’s not a genius idea then lots of funding, then success.  It’s really more subtle than that. Blazing a slow path through a tangled jungle, learning as you go over many years.  It takes time."
• "I find my discipline when I find my passion.  And that passion starts with curiosity. And finding the place of what I want to do is needed in the world."
• How to know what your passion is?
  • "There's a cross road of what you want to explore and what other people want." -- "That's entrepreneurial thinking.  It's about community and creativity."
• "We don't know what's possible... You've got to be out exploring and be open to new ideas."
• Create time for yourself and your team to follow your curiosity...
• Entrepreneurship is about a 2 way communication with customers. 
• One pint of ice cream tested positive for listeria but there was never an outbreak. -- They recalled 6 months worth of ice cream, destroying 535,000 pounds (or 265 tons) of ice cream, costing the company more than $2.5 million!  It almost put them out of business.
• “You want to say you've got talent, hustle, and guts. You want to tell that to the world, but you don't really know until you prove it."
• "If we create a community, everything falls into place.  Put your values front and center and merge with the community.  When the community sees your business as vital, they will help you when times are tough."
• “There’s nothing more important whether in the financial industry or ice cream, than trust.”
• "Create a craveable reason to return" - Why would a customer come back to you? Why would someone follow you? What are you doing as a leader that makes someone want to follow you?

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Episode #352: Patrick Lencioni - The Five Key Actions Of Excellent Leaders

Notes:

• Leaders who sustain excellence =
  • Humility - They don't feel they are more important than others, but they realize that their words and actions carry more weight.
• "Leadership is a privilege... It's about serving others. A lot of leaders lead because they think it looks cool."
• "Leadership has to be about what you can give, not what you can get."
• Exploring the two leadership motives:
  • Reward-centered leadership: the belief that being a leader is the reward for hard work, and therefore, that the experience of being a leader should be pleasant and enjoyable, avoiding anything mundane, unpleasant or uncomfortable.
  • Responsibility-centered leadership: the belief that being a leader is a responsibility, and therefore that the experience of leading should be difficult and challenging (though certainly not without elements of personal gratification).
• One of the questions to ask yourself:
  • “How do you see your job in terms of verbs?” — what do you do to really help the business?
• The leader must be a constant, incessant reminder of the company’s purpose, strategy, values, & priorities.  You’re not only the CEO, you’re the CRO.” Chief Reminding Officer
• The actions of great leaders:
  • Running great meetings
  • Managing the executive team
  • Managing the executives as individuals
  • Having difficult conversations with people
  • Constantly communicating and repeating key messages to employees
• "The CEO should have the most painful job in the company."
• For the mid-level manager -- "Am I waking up with the right rationale to do this job?"
• Love is a verb:
  • Time
  • Affection
  • Discipline
• "Leadership is not a noun, it's a verb."
• Running great meetings:
  • "Meetings are the central activity of leadership.  Bad leaders have other people run their meetings."
    • Good meetings have debate and conflict.  People are able to be passionate without consequence.  The leader prioritizes what will be talked about.
• CEO's are responsible to build teams.  Your job is to build teams based on trust
• When receiving a message from a cynical leader who says "You don't understand."  Our response? "No, we're not going to be that way.  The ones who do the hard work change the world."
• Micro-managing vs. Accountability:
  • "There is an abdication of management.  You should know what your team is doing."
• Parenting: "The great news about being a parent is it's humbling."
• The leader must be the chief reminding officer:
  • "Constant, incessant, reminder of the company's purpose, strategy, values, and priorities. You must over-communicate."
• Marriage advice:
  • "Be completely humble, vulnerable, especially in front of the kids.  Engage in healthy conflict.  When people can't argue, that's a problem."

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Episode #351: John Maxwell - The Laws Of Leadership (Follow Them & People Will Follow You)

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, coach, and author who has sold over 20 million books. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell has written three books which have each sold more than one million copies: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.

Notes:

• "Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better." - Pat Riley
• The difference between 'best' and 'better'
  • "Whatever is best for now... Tomorrow has got to get better. I always look at 'best' for a moment."
  • "If you're not growing today, I have to talk about yesterday. I don't want to talk about yesterday."
• The great leaders:
  • Listen
  • Learn
  • Lead
• The importance of listening and asking questions:
  • "I began to ask questions, invite people to sit down and talk."  Shared learning and growing together...
• What John learned from Angela Ahrendts:
  • "I aim to always give 60 and take 40.  Always give more than you take."
  • "Add more value to people than you take."
• Working with your team:
  • "I put an idea in front of my team and say, 'make it better,' and they always do."
• Proactive: "If you're not proactive, you're reactive.  I've never met a great leader who wasn't proactive."
  • "Be unforgettable.  Always be the first person to help."
• Action Attraction
  • "The moment I move, I attract all resources because I'm moving."
  • "I never draw people to me when I sit still."
    • "Action shows intention"
• Keynote speaking preparation:
  • "When I'm in the green room preparing, I'm thinking about the people in the audience. I begin to envision the people leaning in, taking notes, engaged.  It helps me."
  • The content you have will alone will not cut it -- "Connecting the content to the people carries the day. I want them to say, 'oh my gosh, he's talking to me.'"
    • "The response of the people charges me up."
• Layered learning:
  • Is your fence facing out or facing in?  Are you growing?  Or shrinking?
• Building a company?  "I wasn't trying to build a company.  It started in a garage.  Each company was created just to help solve problems for people. --> Find a need, start a company, find a need, start a company."
  • There are now over 30,000 John Maxwell coaches
• "I've always had the ability to take a problem and develop a resource for it."
• "I can smell an opportunity... And I can see it in people.  I've always been quick to spot this."
  • How to develop this skill? --> "You must seize the opportunities. Act quickly."
• Adaptability - "A person that lacks flexibility will mist a lot of opportunities."
  • Peter Drucker did not make long range plans.  He focused on seizing the moment.
  • John's long range plan: "What I want for people is for them to do well and I want to help them do that."
• Life advice:
  • Value people
  • Continually grow
  • Live very intentionally

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Episode #350: Tom Rath - Answering Life's Great Question

Tom Rath is an author and researcher who has spent the past two decades studying how work can improve human health and well-being. His 10 books have sold more than 10 million copies and made hundreds of appearances on global bestseller lists. Tom’s first book, How Full Is Your Bucket?, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and led to a series of books that are used in classrooms around the world. His book StrengthsFinder 2.0 is Amazon’s top selling non-fiction book of all time. Tom’s other bestsellers include Strengths Based Leadership, Eat Move Sleep, and Are You Fully Charged?

Notes:

• Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:
  • "They are the single best people at asking good questions."
  • "They are amazing listeners. They make you feel like you are the only person in the room."
    • Ask insightful questions that help others identify something they had not previously thought of
• How does one develop that skill?
  • Spend time alone learning... Have a genuine intellectual curiosity... Write caring, handwritten notes
• Make sure your teammates know you care about them and show your gratitude
  • I shared the story of Doug Meyer calling me simply to say "thank you" and how much it meant to me.  Be a thoughtful leader who leads with gratitude.
    • Use specifics when describing why you appreciate someone
• Why did StrengtsFinder catch on?
  • "We should not fall back to a resume.  We don't have a good language to describe what we do and our talents."  Strengths Finder does that for people
    • As leaders, we should always be on the lookout for the unique talent in others
• Tom's Top 5 Strengths:
  • Futuristic
  • Analytical
  • Relater
  • Significane
  • Activator
• My Top 5 Strengths:
  • Learner - People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
  • Input - People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
  • Intellection - People who are especially talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
  • Individualization - People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
  • Achiever - People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
• Individualize -- Send articles to specific people each day -- Write: "Hey, I was reading this and thought you might find it helpful."
• What you can contribute is more important that your passions. "There's an enormous mismatch in what the world needs and what's out there."
• Three big influences on Tom:
  • Dr. Martin Luther King - “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
  • Ben Horowitz's commencement speech
  • His grandfather, Don Clifton -- "Our greatest contribution can be to teach others."
• There is a higher correlation in helpfulness when you can literally see the people you're helping (Tom shares the research to back this up).  This gives you motivation to see your impact.  We need a productive purpose.
• When feeling unfulfilled or unhappy at work?
  • Instead of looking to leave the company, look for new ways to get to your intended outcome.  How could you re-write your job? Can you make the job you have today meaningful?
• The Peter Principle - The principle that members of a hierarchy are promoted until they reach the level at which they are no longer competent.
• Qualities Tom looks for in a leader:
  • Desire to develop other people
  • Vision
• Life's great question is: "What are you doing for others?"
• We need to align basic expectations: "How do each of us want to contribute?"
• Create - Have a challenger as part of your team.  Someone to push back and ask questions
• Relate - An energizer.  How do you get and stay charged up? What reminds you of the vision? Of the mission? How to have fun?
• Operate - Scaling... Reaching more people.
• Advice: Map what the world around you needs. Who are you? What are your talents? Interests? Motivators? --> Draw the connections.  Look where they intersect.

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#349 - An Inside Look At The Book Writing Process With Jay Acunzo

• Why this topic? We've both written books. And my book is out this week!
• Context on our books: Welcome To Management.  I wrote the book I wish I had when I first got promoted.  Jay's book is called Break The Wheel.
  • "Write a book because you think it has to exist.  Not to be a best-seller.
• The Process:
  • Research, outlining, fan interaction, drafting, publishing -- Why an outline is a vital piece of the process.  "The outline is the bones."
    • "Doing research in public created a system to vet ideas and best practices." --> Using client interactions as real time research to help test ideas
  • Podcasts - It was extremely helpful for me to be recording while I was writing the book: I was consistently doing research while writing the book.  Interviews, asking questions about writing/books, ideas, etc. I was working full time while I wrote this book and I think that made it better. It forced me to be disciplined with blocking time to write daily.
  • Traditional vs. Self-Publish vs. Hybrid -- Jay chose a hybrid approach to publishing his book.  I chose to publish traditionally with McGraw-Hill.  I did a lot of research on the different paths for publishing and chose the traditional route because: I wanted to create options and leverage for myself.  And after I spoke with Casey Ebro from McGraw-Hill I was completely sold on accepting their offer.
• Superlatives:
  • Platitude about writing/writing books/creativity that you found MOST true during this process? LEAST true?  Most true = Writers write (listen to the James & Kristy Clear story from dinner).  Least true = I’ve read from a few well known authors that you have to dedicate your life to nothing but writing the book.  I found that continuously working and building a business at the same time as writing was helpful. When I do q & a’s on stage after a keynote or on my podcast, I get ideas and prompts to write about...
  • Most useful habit/routine: I learn through talking.  I had regular sessions where I would sit in a room with my Dad and/or my friend Lance (who was a prosecutor for 10 years).  They would give me prompts, ask questions, and we would talk out the book. I would type notes during our sessions, then I would go by myself and write.  In my very first session with my Dad, he said, “Remember, it’s a lot harder when you care.”  He meant this in the form of leading people… And he’s right. But the same is true for writing a book. It’s hard when you care so deeply about the topic of helping people lead others more effectively… Because I understand the ripple effect.  The wake left behind you as a leader.
  • Most surprising lesson: You don’t fully know what you think or how little you know until you put pen to paper.  Writing REALLY forces you to be clear on what you believe. I outline sections and then would ramble on for pages.  The editing process was helpful. I hired an editor/writing coach to help.
  • Best story from the book:   I sent an early copy to Ryan Holiday to read and offer feedback.  He called me said, “Dude, why is your best story in the middle of the book?  You should open the book with that story." And so I did...
  • What was your editor's favorite part? Casey Ebro (from McGraw-Hill) said to me, "I read non-fiction business books for a living.  I've read hundreds of them.  And your section titled "You Have To Do All Three" in chapter six is the most unique and helpful view that I've read about leading, managing, and coaching."  -- That was a great moment.
• Additional Benefits:
  • Publishing your work online is becoming the greatest networking tool in the world -- When done well, you attract the people you want to be around. (David Perell, James Clear have written a lot about this)
  • Writing is the ultimate exercise to help you find clarity.  Sometimes you don’t realize how much you don’t know about something until you try to write about it.  -- This can help everyone (especially useful for leaders).

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Episode #348: Simon Sinek - Why Consistency Beats Intensity (Playing The Infinite Game)

Notes:

• Leaders who sustain excellence:
  • Humility - They don't believe their own hype.
  • Their power is accumulated through helping others.
  • "I'm fully aware I'm the same idiot I was back then."
• "Vision is like an iceberg.  The great leaders can see what's beneath the surface."
  • "I never look at what I've done, I look at what I can do."
  • "I tend to be very future focused."
• "People called me the 'why' guy... For my tastes, it's about new ideas, building on ideas."
  • "We all need to find a vision."
    • People should practice telling stories about real people, learn how to use metaphors
• Simon described the difference between the messaging at Apple vs. Microsoft
  • Microsoft (during the Steve Ballmer days) were focused on their competition
  • Apple was focused on helping teachers and designing beautiful products
  • Stop thinking of others as competitors... Instead find worthy rivals
• In the late 1970's Milton Friedman said business should maximize profits for shareholders.  For some reason, this idea was adopted and it became the norm.  it was embraced.  It's terrible.  Prior to this, the idea of mass layoffs didn't exist as an option for a business.
  • "We all have to become the leader we want to become."
  • "Leadership is not rank, it's seeing those around you rise."
  • "Business is one of the most personal things in the world."  You should never said, "it's not personal, it's just business."  It's ALWAYS personal.
• Great leaders are the ones who think beyond short term vs long term. They are the ones who know it’s not about the next quarter or the next election but about the next generation.
• The greatness of George Eastman - he was not just how great for Kodak,  but amazing for the game of business as a whole… He created a lot of employee incentives in 1912 that had not been happening up to that point. Stock options, sick days, college tuition reimbursement, etc.
• “Consistency becomes more important than intensity.”
• “Where a finite-minded player makes products they think they can sell to people, the infinite-minded player makes products that people want to buy. The former is primarily focused on how the sale of those products benefits the company; the latter is primarily focused on how the products benefit those who buy them.”
• “Being the best simply cannot be a Just Cause, because even if we are the best (based on the metrics and time frames of our own choosing), the position is only temporary. The game doesn’t end once we get there; it keeps going. And because the game keeps going, we often find ourselves playing defense to maintain our cherished ranking. Though saying “we are the best” may be great fodder for a rah-rah speech to rally a team, it makes for a weak foundation upon which to build an entire company. Infinite-minded leaders understand that “best” is not a permanent state. Instead, they strive to be “better.”
• "There is an entire section at the book store called "self-help," there should be a section called "help others."
• Why lead? --> "Because you want to see others grow. Your job may be 9 to 5, but leadership is 24-7."
• "If you like the idea of taking care of others, you may be suitable to lead."

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Episode #347: Steven Strogatz - How Calculus Reveals The Secrets Of The Universe

• Leaders who sustain excellence:
  • Have a willingness to be a beginner
    • "When you're naive, you ask new questions"
  • "They have the courage to be someone who's just starting"
  • How do you fight the urge to live up to a prior reputation of being an expert at something?
    • Be known as an adventurer.  Cannot have an ego.
• Six degrees of separation is a math problem
• The strength in weak ties
  • It's important to connect with people outside of your typical orbit
  • Action: Go to a strange party, play a new sport, go to a new gym, meet oddballs
    • Collect "casual acquaintances"
• The value of being a helper:
  • Be the assist person, help others, do little acts of kindness, promote someone else's work
• How Steven and I got to know each other:
  • David Epstein's wife made an intro for David and Steven... And then from David to me.
    • "Be the kind of person who remembers others names"
• Why should a normal person learn calculus?
  • "The world has been turned upside down by calculus"
  • "Calculus is the mathematical study of change"
  • "It's a great intellectual adventure story"
  • "Calculus is the language that God talks" --> The laws of nature are built in calculus
• How to be more creative?
  • Be broadly interested in many different topics.  Take something from one area and apply it somewhere else.
• Advice Steven would give to a mid-level manager:
  • "Getting high grades is jumping through hoops someone else sets"
  • "As a PhD, you have to make your own hoops"
  • "People need to be more adventurous, and then figure it out"
• Why you should study Improv as a leader:
  • Use "Yes and..."  This helps with brainstorming and coming up with new ideas.  Put out a lot of wacky ideas to get to the good stuff.
  • "I want people to be gripped irrationally by the imagination"
• The power of mentors:
  • "Learn from both the great coaches and the bad ones"
• The value of friendships:
  • The story of Mr. Joffray -- Physically impressive and wonderfully intelligent.  He took pleasure in Steven passing him.
• The value of teaching:
  • It helps create empathy... It forces you to put yourself in the mind of someone else. "Bad teachers don't have empathy."
• How does Steven prepare for big moments?
  • "I try to be myself.  And talk myself out of being intimidated." --->  The audience wants you to do well.
• Life advice:
  • "Do what you care about most, what drives you the most, do the hard work to become skillful."
  • Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

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#346: Cameron Mitchell is the founder & CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.  In 2018, they celebrated their 25th anniversary. He employees more than 5,000 people and his restaurants do $300m/year in sales. He is the author of Yes Is The Answer, What Is The Question?  He has been recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, as a Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration and as one of 50 New Taste Makers by Nation’s Restaurant News.

Notes:

• "Leaders who sustain excellence believe in people.  They put trust in people."
  • Must have strong culture and values
• Writing your core values -- The benefit of putting pen to paper and the courage to act on them (including firing a superstar if he doesn’t live up to the values set)
• His goals:
  • Go to the Culinary Institute of America
  • Become GM at age 24
  • Regional at age 26
  • VP of Operations at age 30
  • Be president of a restaurant company by age 35
  • Go to the Culinary Institute of America
  • He woke his mom up at a 1:00am and told her his goals
• "When you share your goals, people want to hold you accountable to them..."
• He went to Culinary Institute of America. Same place as Anthony Bourdain. The CIA was the Harvard of culinary schools.
  • He got turned down initially because of his low high school grades -- "I had the can do, but didn't have the want to initially"
• He once worked 100 days in a row without a day off (that included a 1 hour and 45 minute commute each way)
  • "I equate it to the doll that you punch and it comes right back up." -- Must be resilient
  • "You cannot build a life like this or be successful without a commitment to hard work"
• Years ago Cameron was a young man with a dream, a yellow note pad, and a pen.  He wrote down 5 questions and answers that articulated who he would be, why he would exist, and what he believed and did as a restaurant company.
• The 5 Questions:
  • Who are we?
  • What do we want to be?
  • Why are we in business?
  • What is your role?
  • What is our goal?
• After those questions were answered, Cameron created their eight core values to live by...
• Fundraising (for people to invest in his new restaurant business) was a grueling process. He got rejected 9 out of 10 pitches when trying to raise money for his first restaurant.  Cameron shares everything he learned from so much rejection and failure...
• Initially Cameron was a bad boss and people threatened to quit because of him… He got help from Jim Collins and other mentors.
• Why the answer is always yes... --> Cameron shares the symbolism of a milkshake.
• To grow his business, he needed to hire great leaders to help him scale and run other restaurants... He shares the key qualities he looked for when making hiring decisions.  The first leader he hired 20+ years ago is still with him today.
• "I'm constantly pushing on where could we be?  Constantly thinking about how we can be better?"
• The Customer Comes Second -- Book by Hal Rosenbluth that impacted Cameron.
• Cameron gave 5% of the purchase price ($4.6m) to his associates (employees) when they sold a portion of their business to Ruth's Chris and gave a unique gift/experience to his senior leaders (paid for their kids college tuition, sent them on a European trip with their spouse)
• Associates must come first
• Cameron described with emotion the power of having children had on him...
  • Before Cameron had even met his wife, he would tell people, "I'm working for a wife and kids I don't even know yet."
  • The moment of clarity when you have that walk with your wife... When she's in the wheelchair holding your new baby.
  • "You can't be successful at home if you're not successful at work.  You can't be successful at work if you're not successful at home."
  • "Everyone sees the outward success.  But the family is the inward success."
  • Their associates get 8 weeks paid vacation.
• The culture and values must hold up especially when times are tough
  • Cameron tells the story of a time when his best chef used bad language towards another associate.  Cameron fired him within five minutes.
  • "If we don't live those values every single day, then they become no good."
  • General life advice: "Integrity takes years to build and minutes to ruin.  You must lead with integrity."
  • "Cutting corners in life will get you nowhere."  Don't think of the easier way to do things.  "If it were easy everybody would do it.  I don't want the easy way, I want the right way."
  • "Positive mental attitude.  It's what you do with your day that defines you.  Be constantly aware of that."
    • Be unwavering with your work ethic.  "We're pushing forward every day."
  •  

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#345: Kamal Ravikant - Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It

Notes:

• Commonalities of leaders who have sustained excellence:
  • A belief in the power of commitment to self:
    • WHO am I going to be that day?
    • Don't just float through life
    • "Excellence means continuing through imperfect days." --> Moving forward: It's a mindset
• How to learn how to keep pushing forward?
  • "Don't wait until you're qualified to do it.  Jump in, learn to swim."
• Kamal's process for selling: "You have to believe it."
• Writing process -- Forced Kamal to deal with rejection... It was part of the process to get better.
  • Studied the greats: Hemingway - Clear, simple, prose.
  • "Writing is more rewarding than anything.  It's just you and the blank page."
• "Love yourself like your life depends on it."  It's story about responding to failure.
• How does this work with someone who already feels great about themselves?
  • "Fundamentally, this is about how to be better.  Learn from the maps of humanity."  It's all about what's intside.
    • "The internal impacts the external."
• Kamal had to come to terms with his tough childhood.  He appreciates the strength developed from sleeping in a car (temporarily homeless)
• What was learned from boot camp (in the Army)?
  • "I can handle anything thrown at me."  It teaches the value of mission and responsibility.
• Leading a team in business:
  • "Hire people for what they're best at."  And then support them to do that work.
  • "The best leaders are those that have actually done stuff."  They understand the nuance of the industry and the work.
  • Must be hungry.
• Why walk across Spain?
  • Having the mentality of, "No matter what, I'll figure it out... Take chances in life.  Go beyond comfort zones."
• How has a life altering event (a surgery that went bad) impacted perspective on life?
  • "I feel blessed and lucky."
  • "You can become a mess or become awesome."
• What Kamal learned from spending time with monks?
  • "The construct of self disappears."
  • "Love and compassion."
• Advice: "Excellence requires persistence."

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#344: Jesse Cole

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. His teams have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN and ESPN. Cole’s teams have been awarded Organization of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year and have won three CPL Championships. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game for three straight seasons and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets.  In 2018, Fans First Entertainment made the INC 5000 list as one of the fastest growing companies in America. Jesse wrote Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out.  The book launched #1 in three categories on Amazon and has been sold in 18 countries.   Staying true to his mantra, “ Whatever’s Normal, Do the Exact Opposite,” Jesse launched the book with a World Book Tour….at Epcot. 

Notes:

• How do we define excellence?
  • Hunger like PT Barnum and Walt Disney
  • Curiosity
  • Sustain energy -- Always "bring the energy." --> "When I'm at work, it's show time."
• Understand what brings you energy -- Write it down
• "It was right in front of me.  We sold our house... We needed to create attention.  We couldn't do marketing like everyone else."
• The daily practice of writing Thank You notes:
  • The "thank you experiment."  One per day, every day.  Look for people you're grateful for... Tell them.
• Love:  "Love is something not talked about enough."  Jesse learns the love languages of all of his employees.
• Long term values -- They call all people who buy tickets to his games.  
• Be intentional about EVERYTHING.
• "We don't invest in marketing, we invest in experiences."
• Relate to the normal person:
  • With the hold music
  • Your email signature
  • Business cards
  • Name tags
  • Make everything remarkable
• Write a letter to the parents of young people who work for you.  How are you recognizing people?  
• "Be patient in what you want for yourself, but be impatient in how much you give to others."
• Core beliefs:
  • Always be caring
  • Be different
  • Write your future resume (what do you want to experience)
• "Red flags never go down."  If you find a red flag in the interview process, it's time to move on.
  • "We want people who 'do and learn.'"
  • "You don't fail, you discover things."
• Build your idea muscle -- Write 10 ideas a day, every morning.
  • "I believe in learning by doing."
• Wrote 159 blogs before publishing any of them... "Stop standing still, start standing out."
  • "It's a lot easier to fit in than stand out."
• Create "You wouldn't believe" moments
  • Write the normal list and then do the opposite -- Do the remarkable (like going on a world book tour at Epcot)
• Magic Castle -- "Listen carefully, respond creatively."
• Advice:
  • What makes you different?
  • What makes you stand out?  Be okay with standing for something.  Don't just try to be a little better than someone else.
  • Experiment -- Throw darts until you hit the bulls-eye

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Episode #343: Kelly McGonigal

Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in understanding the mind-body connection. As a pioneer in the field of "science-help," her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal well-being and strengthen communities.  She is the best-selling author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. You might know her from her TED talk, "How to Make Stress Your Friend," which is one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, with over 20 million views.  Her new book, The Joy of Movement, explores why physical exercise is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.  Her identical twin sister is the well-known game designer and futurist Jane McGonigal.

Notes:

• How do we define excellence?
  • What's the metric?
    • It's about contributing to the world consistent and personal values.  A sense of who
    • Let your strengths and talents be what guides you
  • Trust in self, intuition, take risks
• Kelly has a strong sense of direction.  She's had that for a long time.  When to say yes or no?  She discovered she loved teaching.
• The story/science approach -- "I want to connect you with a stranger."  Help people connect with others.
  • "The science reveals something about human nature."
• Willpower -- "The ability to make choices to do what you want even when part of you doesn't want to do it."
  • Immediate gratification combined with an investment if your future.  Both are important.  "This is a skill that can be developed."
• Be clear about your values and goals.  Know what you want.  "Every morning, do a 30 second commitment to what's important to you."  Remember who you are.
• "Create an environment that reminds me of my goals and makes it easier to accomplish them."
• Disciplined people do what they say they will do.  "They are clear about what they want to do.  Create an environment that supports them.  Have a sense of purpose."
  • "Anyone can develop discipline if they are clear on what they want."
• "Stress is what happens when we care/have a lot at stake."
  • "Stress is what gives you energy.  It reminds you that it matters."
  • Think, "How is stress trying to direct me?"
  • "What is my body and brain trying to nudge me towards?"
  • "Figure out your healthy stress responses."
• Real life example:  How to prepare for your first meeting with your new team (that you are leading):
  • Get rid of the idea that you shouldn't be stressful.  It is part of the process.  It's a signal that you care.
  • Bigger than self-perspective.  Go beyond the ego.  Think it's allowing the team to have a moment.  Support the mission.  Think bigger than just making a good impression.  It helps you connect with clear intentions.  It's a mindset shift.
  • Always assume others have something as valuable as you.  They have wisdom.  Let it be co-created with others.
• "Being a leader is bringing what's best in the room.  People will rise to the expectations of them."
• Thoughts Kelly had in her mind prior to her TED Talk (that has since gone viral):
  • The woman that went before her had a panic attack.  Kelly noticed that the crowd had incredible goodwill towards the speaker.  They wanted the speaker to do well.
    • "Breathe in anxiety, breath out encouragement."
    • "I'm going to put the audience at ease.  I got you."
• The joy of movement:  When you go from sedentary to active, when you move your body, there is increased optimism, hope, connection.
  • The story about my mom working as an aerobics instructor when I was a kid -- Moving your body to the beat of the music is powerful and helpful.
• Walking in nature:  "When you're in nature, the brain shifts to the present moment."  Take more walks.
• The "Runner's High"-- Persistence is high, put the body in motion and just keep going.  Your brain releases chemicals to provide pleasure, reduce pain.  It creates energy and optimisim
• "We learn from movement.  We endure.  We learn what we're capable of."
• General advice:
  • Take care of your self -- invest in your well being.  It will help you deal with challenges
  • Tell me about someone who's made a positive influence on your life
  • Don't wait for permission.  Start it.  Do it.  You need feedback.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#342: Shane Snow - The #1 Skill Of An Effective Leader (Intellectual Humility)

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For full show notes go to www.LearningLeader.com

Notes:

• Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:
  • Pattern recognition - The ability to connect ideas and people
  • Systems thinking - Connect dots, zoom out
  • The ability to continue to question yourself, a hunger to improve, a "voracious learner" (Liv Boeree)
  • Must relearn how to humble yourself
  • The #1 skill is intellectual humility -- The ability to sit between gullibility and stubbornness
• Why are people so unwilling to change their mind?
  • "So much of our ideas are attached to our identities."
  • "You must separate your ego from intellect."
• What is a solution (as a leader)?
  • If you're the one in power, invite people with a different perspective to the table.
  • Don't invoke identity.  Just ask for perspective.
  • Leave space to change your mind... "I could be wrong but..."
• Strength and flexibility should not be in conflict
• Ben Franklin idea:
  • Use idea, leave space for change, set opinion, but use phrases less defensive, only change your mind based on evidence.  Say things like:
    • "I could be wrong but..."
    • "The research suggests..."
    • "The evidence suggests..."
• Elon Musk -- His pattern to persuade people...
  • It's purpose based leadership ("to make life multi-planetary")
  • The strength is in his vision and his purpose.  He's seen as strong by being willing to change his mind.
• Compliance versus Committed = Cult vs Culture
  • Difference between a cult and culture:
    • Cult - Must act and think in a certain way
    • Culture - Asked to contribute your ideas in your way
• Key part of leadership: "Understand what matters to your people."
• Intellectual humility:
  • Respect for others' viewpoints
  • Lack of intellectual overconfidence
  • Separating your ego from your intellect
  • Being open to revising your viewpoints
  • Openness to new experiences
• Separate feelings/thoughts from facts
• Trying something new creates new opportunities
• Advice:
  • Learn about intellectual humility - take Shane's assessment
  • Frame changing your mind as a strength -- reward others for doing this
  • Habits: Instead of saying "I feel" say "I think."  Words matter.
• Separate facts from stories
• Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

Order my book: WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#341: Behind The Scenes Of The Learning Leader Show With Jay Acunzo

Full Shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com 

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Notes:

• SECTION ONE: Superlatives
  • Hardest interview:  -- Jim Collins.
  • Most-downloaded all-time:Show has steadily grown since it was created, so the most downloaded is a recent episode.  From this year: #310 David Epstein. He wrote Range and The Sports Gene,  Some popular ones from the past are: #300 with my dad and brother AJ, #216 Jim Collins episode is a popular one. 
  • Most referenced: the one you cite the most in conversation or your work - #78 with Kat Cole (Courage/Confidence + Curiosity/Humility) = Productive Achievers.
  • Biggest delta between what you thought they'd be like...and what they were actually like?  General Stanley McChrystal.  War hero. 4 star General.  Expected him to be super intimidating, but he was so kind, thoughtful, curious, and caring.  Followed up to ask him to write the Foreword to my book and he said yes. 
  • Hardest part of running this show?  It’s never ending.  Must always be working on it - Reaching out to guests, cold emails, preparing for each conversation, reading their books, watching everything they have online, etc.  It never stops.
  • Where have you most improved? Better conversationalist.  Understand how to ask better questions, be more thoughtful, intentional with my actions/behavior. 
  • Biggest benefits to your life...  1) The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know…  I've become more curious. 
  • Most active listeners: who do you see popping up a lot?  - My Leadership Circle
•  SECTION TWO: Stagnation Is The Enemy
  • We undervalue the power of consistency:  Consistency + Quality is the key to long term success.  Most people quit.  Must keep going.
  • Why start it? - I wanted to create my own Leadership PhD.  One where I get to choose the professors.  Share with others, be a multiplier… Had dinner with Founder of Broadcast.com, Todd Wagner. Publishing work is the best form of networking.  Create a reason for people to WANT to contact you.
  • The preparation process -  Read their books, watch their talks, read articles written by them and about them.  Talk to friends we have in common. Read the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT section of their books to ask questions about meaningful in their lives (this gets them to open up and feel free to speak more emotionally… Which can be great audio and REAL)
  • Given repeat ability and longevity, how do YOU stay engaged? Mental heuristics, intrinsic things that you just do/try, proactive remixes and reinventions? -- Have to be genuinely curious in the guest.  Have to enjoy the pain of preparation. What are you willing to struggle for? Because that seems to be a greater determinant of how our lives turn out (Neil Pasricha). I love the preparation process, reading/thinking of angles to take a conversation with a specific guest that I’m curious about.
  • Given that stagnation isn't just caused by US but also by the market saturating, how do you operate today compared to before? Early mover advantage wanes...and so many more podcasts about your topic specifically now exist. -- Willing to try new things (like this).  Study and understand my listeners. You’ll often hear me speak to the exact avatar of my listener.  I’m not trying to have the biggest show ever. I’m trying to be the right show for the people who email me (mid-level manager in corporate America.  Building teams, hiring/firing, qualities to look for when building a team). It helps directly with those people, but have also found niche audiences in other spaces like NCAA basketball coaches, NBA players, etc.
•  SECTION THREE: What's next? 
  • What are you excited to do next?  Try new projects like this episode… Continue to do live shows with an audience, travel more for in person recordings (Koppelman, Roberge), and keep going.  My book.
  • Where does this show go? What other projects surround it now, vs what you want to try? - Live shows, travel for in person.  Bring on guests for my Leadership Circles (paid Mastermind groups.  My groups ask for a guest, I bring them on). Creates group teaching and a ton of value for my Leadership Circles. My book.
  • What's pissing you off about leadership in the corporate world that you'd like to explore and help solve? - Bad bosses.  I’ve worked for a few (as have we all).  I wrote about that goes through the process of being a bad boss to being a better one.  I lived it and I’ve learned so much from others. That’s what WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT is all about.