The Leadership Podcast

Justin and Lauren Jonesy have made adventure their full time career. They are challenging the conventional, and valuing experiences over possessions. They're intentionally creating a life with their family that is meaningful, sustainable, and connected. They discuss the lessons they learned in the Outback and how they apply to the boardroom. Finally, they share their trials and triumphs, and why you may see them out in the wild with an Ikea high chair. Key Takeaways [3:07] Justin and Lauren find that adventure gives them a chance to press "pause" and "reset" on our everyday responsibilities and busy schedule. It's an opportunity to challenge yourself, expand your possibilities and get in touch with your primitive side. [4:35] Lauren and Justin both love adventure, often for different reasons. Lauren appreciates the softer side of adventure - a time for reflection, conversations and the journey. Justin is focused on the destination and hitting specific markers to ensure they are on track. This may be compared to a business or corporate team where different members have varying motivations for wanting to accomplish a task. [11:43] Lauren and Justin remind us that adventure can be big and bold in the Outback, or if it can be something such as acting in a play or learning a new language. Adventure pushes our boundaries and shows us we are capable of more than we think. [14:48] Similar to the way that businesses adapt their action plans over time, Lauren and Justin redefined their vision and mission statement when they had their daughter Morgan. Traversing the outback with a young one certainly wasn't easy, but instead of giving up, they adapted to their current environment. [20:05] Strong leadership teams compromise and come up with a solution so that everyone is on the same goal. It is important to understand the motivations that all members are coming from. [22:30] There is not room for failure in the Outback, so Justin and Lauren do their best to keep failure for the trial runs. While hiking with a little one they soon learned that perfection is not possible, and their benchmark for internal satisfaction is based on grit and determination rather than getting things right. [28:23] Fear keeps you sharp, and a sign you are on the right track for learning and growth. Don't let fear stop or stall you you, move to engage. [30:44] Find your purpose. Aligning with what lights you up and inspires you up is what the world needs. [34:26] Success was defined by other people. Escape from Alcatraz. Sustainability move to Australia, met a bloke. [38:31] Traits that Justin and Lauren feel make up good leaders both in adventure and business: collaboration, teamwork, empathy and focus on others. [44:21] Lauren shares her feeling of "adventure zen" when the reality of their possibilities expanded, and their hard work paid off. Quotes Adventure is an activity with an unknown outcome. Are you building a life you don't need a vacation from? You can get money, but you can't get back time or health. Fail during trials. You don't want to fail on an expectation, because you can't afford to. If you don't have failure, there will be no learning and growth. Find and chase what lights you up and makes you curious. Urban Team Challenge Lauren Jonesys Why Facebook: @followthejonesys Instagram: @followthejonesys / @justinrjonesy Twitter: @justinrjonesy LinkedIn: Lauren / Justin Website: The Jonesys / Justin Jonesy Speaking

This week, Jim and Jan dig into the tie between emotional intelligence and sales. Organizations are moving away from manipulative tactics, and using using empathy and connection to influence others. They discuss the similarities between sales and leadership and how emotional intelligence can be learned. There are ways we can turn small talk into big relationships! Key Takeaways [3:03] There is an art to influencing that people find pleasant, rather than manipulative and pushy sales tactics. [4:42] We live in a "me" world, and tend to think our actions have a bigger impact than they actually do. [5:40] Back pressure is important for creating urgency or a call to action, but there's only so much to create before you're deemed as a royal pain. You can increase your odds not to need that one deal by having many options and activity. [7:12] Leaders must take the time to gather feedback and assess whether something is a useful activity or is leading to a useful outcome. [8:02] We also must understand the buying process, and how it differs from the selling process. Great influencers create the most frictionless path for buyers. [10:33] One of the last thing that AI might learn is how to sell something, and it's difficult the nuances of connection that comes with the bonding and chatting in person. [14:27] The threads that make up great sellers and leaders are intertwined closely. The qualities that set people apart in both of them include self-awareness, authenticity, curiosity and an ability to truly connect. [19:18] It's natural to have hang-ups and walls up to protect ourselves. Jim and Jan find that the more teamwork exercises they do, the more likely people are to let these walls down and trust their group. [24:01] A few key characteristics of a strong emotional intelligence and ability to influence Have an accurate self image. Be authentic and comfortable in your own skin. Your words should match your feelings. Your actions should align Ask questions [27:55] Small talk is easier to learn than people think. Get out of your own way, and ask simple questions, then really listen to the answer. Quotable Quotes "Everyone's an influencer." "The real anecdote to something not closing is having more things that could close." "To have a lot of different options you need activity." "In sales you are irrelevant, and the buyer has all the power." "Forget about you, if you want to influence others." "Great relationships are critical to success in both sales and leaderships." Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders LinkedIn: The Leadership Podcast [email protected] Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Principles of Persuasion Year Million #101: General Stanley McChrystal on What Connects Us The Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine

Of all the leadership roles in society, David Hirsch wants to share the importance of fatherhood. He has a passion to connect children and their fathers, and to educate others on the detriment of "father absence." He discusses the ripple effect fatherhood has on both young boys and girls - from the individual, to the community, and the world. He also talks about his own discoveries on fatherhood, and his personal reflections during long and arduous bike rides. Key Takeaways [4:43] David is a true advocate for addressing the issue of father absence and educating others that the issue knows no socioeconomic boundary. It is an issue that exists in suburban, urban and rural areas all around the world. [6:47] True leaders talk about their real emotions, encourage others to speak their truth. When David confronted his own emotions about the father / son relationship he experienced he found it to be cathartic. [9:26] It's bad news for our society all around when fathers are absent. The more fathers we have present in the lives of their children, the easier it is to reach their potential and navigate the world. [12:14] Through his work at the Illinois Father Initiative, their essay contest encourages school-aged Illinois children to write an essay about their father, stepfather, grandfather or father-figure. One of David's most favorable aspects of his work there was recognizing and appreciating all kinds of role models, educators and volunteers. [14:17] From 1993 - 1996 David was a Kellogg National Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He used his stipend to start family and community foundations, and to connect grant makers to grant seekers. He cites that experience as a profound way to see the world from a different perspective. [20:04] We are still making up for the past 3 generations negatively impacted by the term "deadbeat dads." It is up to leaders to learn from mistakes, and realize what is really important to child support rather than just a monetary donation. Good fathers are present in every way: spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially. [22:46] There are also four aspects of what David's definition of a great dad to both young men and women: Commitment Loving Your Child or Children Patience Honest [26:03] David's Dad Honor Rides from Santa Monica to Chicago, then Boston to Chicago and all around Lake Michigan was a way for him to challenge himself and build awareness to his cause of fatherhood and ending father absence. A few of the takeaways during those trips were not to underestimate himself, let go to a higher power, and that leaders don't get there alone. [41:51] Special Fathers Network is a new dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. David is proud that the program helps to identify extraordinary men to step up and be mentors through honestly relating to their own experience. Quotable Quotes "What propelled me was fear." "You can stretch yourself, and we each have a lot bigger bandwidth than we realize." "It's hard to be something you didn't witness or experience yourself." Illinois Fatherhood Initiative TedX: Why We Need to Break the Cycle of Father Absence How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen W.K. Kellogg Foundation 21st Century Dads Special Fathers Network

This week, Jan returns fresh from a trip to Ireland, where he traveled and worked with his MBA students through his course at University of Colorado Denver. He and Jim discuss the parallels and running themes between the young professionals, and guests from recent podcast episodes. They discuss how leaders can foster an environment of vulnerability and purpose for young professionals. Finally, Jim and Jan share their ideas on how leaders and executives can create and engineer networked feedback loops in the business world. Key Takeaways [2:13] Jan recently took 12 of his MBA students to study in the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom. Traveling between two locations provided a good comparison and contrast of business in the countries, and gave students a global perspective on startup companies, and what it really takes to study and then become a leader. It was not all fun and drinking Guinness however - many work days were very long, fast paced and in an environment that called for punctuality and professionalism from start to finish. [5:26] Much like executives going through transition and transformation, Jan found the students are also looking for a place to be purposeful and have their contributions acknowledged. [6:02] Leaders must frame and set expectations from the beginning, and hold the team accountable from day one until the even after the mission. [7:31] In Ep 101, General Stanley McChrystal notes we should hold ourselves up to certain standards, rather against one another. In Ep 65, Maestro of the Colorado Symphony, Brett Mitchell, views success in his orchestra when they play with each other, AND for each other! [9:54] The four ground rules of individual leadership: Take personal responsibility Be On Time Be Curious Have a Great Attitude, and Be a Team Player [9:55] A strong leader with a broad vision sets expectations from the beginning, creates an environment where people can step up at different times, and creates post action reviews and feedback loops. When this is place, most of the people will do the right thing at the right time with minimal supervision. [12:04] It is now becoming more common for executives to journal. Sharing written accounts of our feelings shows how we and others are processing events, and where we may be struggling. Fostering a culture where vulnerability is welcomed helps people feel safe to learn from their mistakes. It also supports two of the biggest challenges in today's workforce: talent acquisition and retention. [18:40] Leaders must figure out an efficient way to engineer feedback loops. One way may be the structured moving of employees to different geographical locations. [21:05] For innovation, you need time to reflect. The environment has to be safe to make decisions and collaborate. [22:05] Successful leaders and teams recognize their mistakes but act quickly and strategically to turn it around. Quotable Quotes "It's not about measuring yourself against your peers." "Getting a group to hold themselves accountable is a fine art." "Executives should continually ask themselves whether they are creating the right environment." "We all learn when vulnerable." "If you don't ask for help, you're never going to learn and grow." "It's what you do after you make a mistake that matters." University of Colorado Denver Class Act Ep 068: Everybody Lies: Data Tells Us Who We Really Are Ep 101: General Stanley McChrystal on What Connects Us Ep 065: A Maestro's Secret for a High Performing Team Positive Coaching Alliance Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders [email protected]

Major Larry Moores, Retired Army Ranger recently inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, and now Executive Director of the Three Rangers Foundation, talks with Jim and Jan about leadership in adverse environments, shared accountability and camaraderie within a unit. Larry talks about how an understanding of fundamentals can help teams succeed in the most difficult environments. Larry shares his story to inspire and motivate, but also to help people understand the journey to success is not always an upwards climb or the smoothest road. Key Takeaways [3:46] Larry's upbringing strongly influenced and shaped his vision and values as a leader. He and his and his brother were encouraged to do the right thing, even when no one was watching. [4:02] Larry was recently inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, and credits much of the honor and success to the team around him. [6:02] Strong leadership development, and training in difficult and diverse environments help to support a team's commitment to their mission. [10:47] Trust and faith in your teammates ability is of the utmost importance. [11:22] Two commitments in the Ranger Creed that stand out to Larry as tenants of leadership are "never leave a fellow comrade" and "I will train to be the best at what I do, and give it 110%." [13:37] Larry seeks teammates and trainees that will stay open and curious for more knowledge along the way of mission accomplishment. [15:12] It is critical to have post action reviews as a team to study what went wrong, what went right, and what could be better for the next mission. [17:50] Good leaders should maintain a balance of sharing information with their team, and providing a buffer between that which will overwhelm and detract focus from the objective. [23:29] Whether it's a military or business unit, it's important for every member of the team to have a deep understanding of the fundamentals of the mission, and then drill it into action through repetition and focus. [25:56] Incorporating the whole team into training keeps the environment fresh and helps to combat against stagnancy. [27:58] Leaders must teach foundational and fundamental expectations of the particular levels of each specific unit, and possibly the organization as a whole. [31:52] As Executive Direction of the The Three Rangers Foundation, Larry dedicates his time and energy into supporting Veterans find senior leadership mentors to help transition them into the business world. [37:44] As we grow and develop through our lives, there's different obstacles along the way. Our ability to have a fundamental platform allows us to be successful during times of adversity. Quotable Quotes "We are mission focused." "Commitment to the creed and to the brothers on your right and left really carries a lot of weight." "Successful people don't get there alone." "Give people the right training and vision, then allow them to go out there and make a mistake but not be punished too much." "From a working level to a strategic C level, there are wins and losses based on different engagement from each perspective." "Leaders must give their team the information they need to be successful in their tactical approach, but not too much to overwhelm them with information." "If you are getting too comfortable at what you're doing, it's time to take a step back and really look at what you're doing." "It's about taking the right steps when no one's watching." "Sometimes, we must step back and look at the fundamentals rather than reaching for the next piece." Instagram: @ldmoores Facebook: @Larry Moores www.threerangersfoundation.org

In this episode, Jim and Jan discuss the critical skills and characteristics leaders should be fostering and selecting for within their work ecosystem. They talk about the need for conscious competence when hiring, and describe the environment where people are enlightened, engaged, and energized. Key Takeaways [2:11] With the economy doing well and unemployment at a record low, there is a ton of demand for talent, and the supply has dried up as Baby Boomers retire from the workforce. Although technology has found a way to cover many jobs that humans have done, they have also opened up many others that are in need of people. Leaders are asking themselves for how to successfully hire, attract and keep the the new generation to their workforce. [4:37] While employers tend to look for employees that are "ready made", possessing all the skills necessary for their job, they should look for the raw qualities and characteristics that align with your core values. Specific tasks are easier to be caught than attempting to train someone to adopt characteristics of drive, passion, curiosity and consideration. [9:47] Creating an environment where people are proud to work in and call their own is imperative. Otherwise, Glassdoor tells us you have about 10 months before people look for a new job. [10:40] When you marry finding employees characteristics and strength that fit your organization, they will be happier and more likely to stay. [12:04] Tomorrow's leaders want to be purposeful and mission driven, collaborative and not stuck in an office / classroom. It is up to today's employees to provide an environment that breeds effectiveness and bolsters retention. [13:25] Employees want to trust that the workplace has good values, purpose and mission. The organization needs to trust the employees to accomplish their tasks, and understand the company's objectives. [15:13] Three items that must be present for leaders to foster in their environment: Trust is very important to a healthy ecosystem, whether it's family, company, or friendship. Tribe has a collective understanding of what's important, and provides a feeling of belonging, responsibility and cause. The people that support what they help create. One person might have a vision, but a tribe is needed to make a movement. [20:44] Figure out what's essential, and work on that. For more on Essentialism, check out Episode 098 with Greg McKeown. [20:39] Focus and sequencing are critical skills when solving problems. Focus allows you to say what really matters, and sequencing is knowing when things are important. Quotable Quotes There is a ton of demand for talent, and the supply is drying up. We have forgotten how to build and train employees. If you can fit to someone's strengths, the odds of the passion being there are higher. As the architects and engineers that frame the environment, leaders must step back and see what they can do to enha. Stop being tactical, start being strategic. "The employee and organization must trust each other." "Do less better." Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders [email protected] StrengthsFinder

In this episode, Mike Erwin, Founder of Team Red White & Blue (RWB), talks with Jim and Jan about how positive psychology and character affect leadership development. Whether it's through his work at the Positivity Project, Team RWB, or teaching at West Point, Mike is clear on his purpose and serving others. He believes both that in relationship building and community, and the great power of solitude. Mike discusses the principles by which he organizes his life, and tactical and time management methods he uses to bring value, priority, and consistency into all of his projects. Key Takeaways [1:26] As the Founder and Board Member, of Team Red, White & Blue, Mike and his team created the standard to organize a non-profit, and to help veterans transition from active duty to civilian life. Mike's original mission was to help veterans better understand their potential, and to build a team that is responsive and engaged. At its core, the organization is about helping veterans connect with other people. [6:18] The average person in a day sees 30,000 brand impressions. Mike takes this information for Team RWB and uses it to set his mission apart, by developing a strategy that creates sustainable revenue. Team RWB encourages the members to share the story to create social agency, and reaches big corporations and foundations through brand strength and what every member associated with the organization represents. [10:35] Mike founded Team RWB in 2010, and was the Chairman until March 2017 and Volunteer Executive Director for the first two years. [14:51] Solitude gives us the clarity, creativity, emotional balance and moral courage that is necessary for strong and powerful leadership. [19:02] Psychology has only been around for 150 years, and gained traction on the heels of World War II. Studying positive psychology lets us in to a world of knowledge in what makes life more meaningful and purposeful. [22:19] Give yourself a good four days to fully reap the benefit of solitude. [30:18] Mike sums up his two day seminars with Day 1: Lead Yourself First and Day 2: Leadership as a Relationship. There is not a one-size fits all framework or perfect sound-bite for leadership, and Mike believes it is crucial to step back and invest in a leadership development program that moves the needle. [37:44] Mike shares how he organizes his time and output of energy. Whether he is serving in the army reserves, nonprofit, education and business, he makes sure that everything he accepts and takes on mutually reinforces his core values and mission. [43:12] If you want to do more and posses more focus while you are doing it, a tactical first step is to cut out the extras in your life that don't serve a purpose. Replace 30 minutes a day of social media scrolling, or passive TV watching, with an activity that breeds passion and purpose. [51:50] Mike is committed to finding 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted time to read and spend time thinking big picture and analytically. Quotable Quotes "We are hungry to reach more, to do more, to become better." "Can you develop a strategy that creates earned revenue?" With solitude you gain clarity and moral courage that is necessary to lead. Relationships are the number one driver of life satisfaction. Before you can lead other people, you need to be able to lead yourself. Life is too complicated and complex for everyone to be understood under one framework. You must invest time and energy in the process of leadership development. Ask yourself: "Am I adding significant value back to other people, and am I developing value within people?" The long term success of our entire society is at stake. We must think less about ourselves and more about our community, team, organization and family. You have to cut the noise out of your life. The number one driver of a meaningful life is having a positive impact on other people's lives. Find time every day to read books that challenge you. Twitter: @ErwinRWB Instagram @ErwinRWB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-erwin-9ba1804/ http://characterleadership.center/ Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude Team Red, White & Blue Character and Leadership Center The Positivity Project Run as One Seattle Kim Cameron Martin Seligman Angela Duckworth MIKE ERWIN is the CEO of the Character & Leadership Center, whose mission is to produce better leaders through a deeper understanding of positive psychology and character. He also serves as the co-founder & president of the Positivity Project, a non-profit organization with the mission to empower America's youth build strong relationships. In 2010, Mike founded the veteran-support non-profit, Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) where he still serves on the Board of Directors. He is the co-author of Lead Yourself First – Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude from Bloomsbury Press. Mike deployed to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice, and still serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves---assigned t

In this episode, Jim and Jan take it full circle and start with their takeaways on responsibility from a recent episode with Patagonia's Chief Storyteller & Director of Philosophy, Vincent Stanley. Then, they both share stories of early in their career where they could have benefitted from a little more forethought, and follow up with some great news about the podcast and friends surrounding it. Key Takeaways [2:24] Jim and Jan discuss their admiration of both Patagonia as a company, and Chief Storyteller as a leader. The episode demonstrated how respect and responsibility merge when a leader steps up to take the time, slow down, and do things right. Jim's takeaway from the episode was the manner in which Vincent's reasoned and rational approach lends Patagonia to implement and change hearts and minds. Vincent's book, The Responsible Company, provides a guide for those at any level of business to operate more responsibly, thoughtfully and self-aware. [8:35] Patagonia puts people in line with the cause, whereas many passionate people tend to put the cause in front of the people. They maintain their responsibility to the cause and the outcome while still serving the traditional stakeholders, customers and vendors. [12:22] Patagonia is trying to plan ahead for the next 40 years, while many businesses are planning for the next quarter. The tendency for short sightedness may lead to missed opportunities. [14:04] Jim and Jan share their personal "bonehead" moments. Jim's starts with a job interview in Detroit that leads him accidentally on a plane headed to White Plains, New York. Jan's is a dinner party at the Colonel's house where he accidentally missed the mark on the formal part of semi-formal. Quotable Quotes "Too many times people are so passionate about a cause that they are over-passionate, it makes it seem like an insurmountable goal." "What is your impact on other people?" " A short sighted mentality can blind you from opportunities." "A leader's job is to have a long horizon, and look out for a bright future ahead." Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders [email protected] Episode 107: On Responsibility: Patagonia's Chief Storyteller & Director of Philosophy The Responsible Company JP Sears Falling Upward Dress for Success Preston Pysh Team VTAC Show with Sergeant Major (RET) Kyle Lamb!

In this episode, Jim and Jan welcome Vincent Stanley, Co-Author of The Responsible Company, visiting Fellow at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, and Director of Philosophy / Chief Storyteller at Patagonia. Vincent shares the evolution of both product design and company leadership since his start at Patagonia in 1973, and the ways they integrate new employees with existing culture. He speaks to what makes Patagonia's story unique and authentic, the burdens of being responsible, and offers advice to those looking to be change agents and storytellers within their own community. Vincent believes that one of the most important responsibilities we have is the right to be responsible. Key Takeaways [2:39] Vincent has been at Patagonia on and off since 1973, and is the nephew of the founder, Yvon Chouinard. He and his uncle co-wrote The Responsible Company with two different yet powerful intentions. Yvon wanted to create something practical for people who are motivated to see how Patagonia operated as a business over the past several decades. Vincent's motivation was to come to an understanding the core culture. These responsibilities encompassed much of what we saw was important in the early 1960's. [3:35] Vincent discusses how people are yearning for full agency throughout their day. He discusses the traditional 1960's corporate model where businesses focused both on the financial health and bottom line of a company, and also the strong commitment to honor the employees, customers and community of which they serve. Patagonia took this and added in environment, as this area has been compromised immensely by population and economy growth over the past several decades. [6:52] When Vincent started work in the 1970's, the population was now 3.8 Billion. It is now doubled, with economic activity up 500%. This has put tremendous pressure on economic and social systems, so Patagonia aims to do their part to stay responsible to traditional stakeholders, and our original CEO, nature. [7:11] Leadership at the top is important, but there must also be a strong middle management with a sense of agency built into everyone's role. The more coworkers that feel a kinship and responsibility to help others in the company, the easier it is to add new people while helping current ones expand their skills. [11:35] Vincent's discusses what the title of Chief Storyteller means to him, and Patagonia as a company. He helped write some of the early catalogs and business philosophies, so he pulls from the foundation of their core values and creates the story to reflect their authentic meaning in today's world. Vincent feels as though Patagonia's success in its ability to be a model for other companies, is that their stories are based in reality and not to create spin. Patagonia's story is complex, however it's important for the story to consistently build credibility and trust with employees, customers and suppliers. [13:23] There are many fibers woven into Patagonia's story. One being their position as an outdoor gear company, with products designed for technical performance. Then, the origin story of the company coming out of climbing equipment, and their community activism; donating 1% of sales to environmental causes; and use of catalogs and websites to educate the general public. [14:57] Vincent shares a story on when they changed to organic cotton, and how they took steps that entailed a financial risk in order to do the "right thing". It was a huge move, as they broke their connection to the global supply chain. They took providing an explanation to everyone involved very seriously, and bussed 40 people in at a time from all different departments to cotton fields. Here they could see the difference between conventional cotton and organic cotton, and now the reason for the change went from abstract to tangible. They invested both time and money in explaining why the change, and it paid off in dividends. [20:20] One of Vincent's key tenets of success is maintaining the impulse towards improvement. Two of the dirtiest industries are apparel and agriculture, and he sees this as an opportunity to make a difference. [22:47] Many associate Patagonia as a super responsible brand, but Jim and Jan note that how well their gear actually performs and holds up while used for exactly what it was meant to do. Patagonia also makes a lot gear for the Military. [25:55] Vincent describes their different environmental campaigns, and how they started small in the 1980's by giving 1% to organizations that were respected locally but not getting a lot of coverage. He talks about the need to restore agricultural soil to health, and what Patagonia is doing about it. [35:21] There is a strong sense of culture and permission to be active at Patagonia. The employees are outdoor enthusiasts and it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for a group to take a hike or bike ride in the middle of their work day. [38:28] Vincent's advice is to give what you can

In this episode, Jim and Jan talk about the Urban Team Challenge: What it is, how it came about, how it's different from other team builders, and the special type of people behind it. The goal is to sharpen your team's ability to communicate, delegate appropriately, overcome adversity, and leverage strengths. Key Takeaways [2:34] In our business and personal lives, most of us are on multiple teams, and several outlets where we are working both together and independently towards a common goal. The Urban Team Challenge targets skills that may be applied in any situation, whether it's a manager leading employees, or CEO in charge of dozens of managers. [3:15] Jan recalls a podcast episode he listened to recently where a Jayne Poynter recalls her challenges from Living in Biosphere 2. First was running out of oxygen, but a close second was the interpersonal dynamics surrounding her. This demonstrates how important it is for those to work together efficiently in team dynamic. [6:11] At a recent Urban Team Challenge in Atlanta, they saw first hand how it can shift team members from an individual mindset, to one team working together for a common goal. [11:25] Both Jim and Jan recap their takeaways from the recent Urban Challenge. They feel the most important were the experience of effective communication in a time of chaos, reducing stress with good planning and adapting, cohesion between the front facing and behind the scenes parts within a team, and fully understanding standard operating procedures and expectations up front. [15:14] When team members get fatigued and taxed, it is important for them to speak up so another in the group can take the lead. It's also important for the group to examine the implicit assumptions they make. For example, if there are two men in their 50's standing outside a college bookstore, instead of going for the assumption that they should stand away from each other and act engaged in their cell phone, it actually might be better for their appearance of fitting in and acting "normal", to stand and have a conversation together. [17:17] For a strong team dynamic and successful collaboration, trust is key. Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders Website: The Urban Team Challenge YouTube: Urban Team Challenge Email: [email protected] Quotable Quotes "In a chaotic situation, you need to depend on effective communication." "It's hard to create alignment, and most of us are conflict avoiders, and this is an exercise to bring that all out in a hurry." "We create an understanding of what it is like to work as a team." No one ever says, "We over communicated." "Every team benefits from ground rules that can be adjusted along the mission." "In order to have good communication, you need trust and open dialogue."

Amy McGrath is on a mission to bring back servant leadership, civic responsibility and open discourse to Capitol Hill. As both a graduate and former teacher at the United States Naval Academy, Amy has committed herself to serve the country as an ethical, truthful and tactical leader. She was the first female Marine to fly in an F-18 Hornet on a combat mission. Now running for Congress in Kentucky, Amy speaks with Jim and Jan about the standards she would like to bring back to Congress, why facts and the truth matter, what motivates her as a leader, and how she plans to bring her military experience into the political realm to unify. Key Takeaways [1:43] Amy attended the Naval Academy, and later became a Congressional Fellow, serving as Defense and Foreign Affairs Policy Advisor, and then a liason to the State Dept. [3:10] Amy explains why her call sign is Krusty the Klown. In the Marine Corps, callsigns are not supposed to be flattering, and her hair would stick out the sides of her cover. [4:21] Right now, Amy is focused on her three small children and running for Congress, but does plan on flying again. [6:02] Amy feels that we have leaders in both parties who have told people what they want to hear, who they should point the finger at, and suggest that there is a quick fix. That was one of Amy's main interests in running her campaign, to make sure she was honest and courageous at every step along the way, even if the issues were complex, and her platform suggested that we have to work hard and together to solve the problems. [8:36] One of the things Amy respects about recent guest General Stanley McChrystal is his idea of national service and the government helping with community to unify our country and to help with inequality. [10:42] A recent speech by a politician brings up the topic of the polarizing speech vs. the new wave of greater discourse, and constituents having the ability to talk directly with their leaders to share their current concerns and desires for change. When Amy sits with people in her Georgetown community, she finds that despite all the differences in political beliefs and affiliations, they have a common thread of concern of our country and the hope we can trust a leader is truly listening, and not just spreading propaganda for the sake of what people want to hear. [13:53] Amy serves the country first before any political representation. She calls running for Congress her 90th mission, because she flew 89 missions, both for Iraq and Afghanistan. [15:40] Amy has a "Leaders Eat Last" mentality, and feels though it is time for those in power to look out for the well being of the people before themselves. [16:45] So many people in America are just getting by, are just struggling to make ends meet while working 2-3 jobs. The best way Amy can lead by example is to hold herself to high standards, and then provide avenues for others to follow suit. [19:00] In the military, you serve the American people and the federal government. Opportunities are not handed to you. [19:46] While working with a representative, Amy noticed that although the Representative herself was a true public servant, the institution set in place called for band aid fixes and reactionary responses. [20:23] True leaders don't solve problems for the sake of credit or symbolic gestures. They look at the plan from afar, study it, and strategize while considering all angles, no matter how complex the issue. Once in motion, it's important to be flexible and continue studying the plan to see if there may be ways to adapt even better. [25:04] Before we make any decision or plans, we must know the truth, and the actual facts. [27:31] Amy's assignment to her class while teaching at the Naval Academy exposed that many members of Congress and Senators had propaganda and non truths on their website. The students at the Naval Academy make up some of the best minds in the world, so there is a concern on how politics has replaced truth and facts for popularity. [36:45] It takes a group to make a difference and turn the tide against corruption. This starts with taking responsibility [39:57] Amy's husband is a Republican, and she appreciates that representing the idealist America where both sides can have an intelligent discourse with compromise. [42:38] Good leaders come from all walks of life. [43:55] The first order of business Amy would tackle in her term would be health care and assembling a group of people that are taking action to make a difference. Quotable Quotes Let's replace symbolic gestures with actually doing something. In every mission we didn't just fly. We studied, we prepared, we had a plan. I'm an idealist, and that's what makes me American. We have to have leaders that have the courage to be honest with people. People are ready for honesty. People are looking for people who don't always have talking points, but want to listen. Our country badly needs better leaders. Leaders must be servants first. Actions are more

This episode features a breakdown from Jim and Jan on Episode #103 with Aaron Levy, Millennial Workplace Expert. They deep dive into the importance of networking from a leadership perspective, combatting failure with courage and confidence, and developing constructs for dialogue to help navigate crucial and emotional conversations in business. Key Takeaways [1:47] Networking is a critical skill as a leader. It is easy to stay in an insulated bubble of comfort and people that you know, but networking is where you find outside influences and expand the sphere of knowledge. [2:33] Aaron Levy brought up balancing controversy and controversial topics for the sake of both marketing, and change to the status quo. It was a conversation regarding growth, mastery, and connection as it relates to the modern generation in the workforce. [5:16] Jim and Jan have found that business leaders are looking for data and primary research, as well as stories and examples that back up a specific point of view and in a digestible and palatable way to help guide them. [7:27] Jim and Jan question if we have gotten away from providing a north star and a guide post to others in leadership. In order to stay focused on our "why", do we need a singular reason in our minds to keep going, or we do develop and shift those along the way? [8:34] There is a very strong chance that when you step out of your comfort zone and into unchartered territory, you will fail, many times. Having courage to step out in the first place and the confidence to try again are vital. [12:19] Difficult conversations in business can be emotional, and lead to an "us vs. them" mentality instead of the necessary supportive team mindset. [16:12] Understanding how everyone works together and the different dependencies within the team is also an important factor in taking the emotion out of crucial conversations. Quotable Quotes You've got to present data at some point. Your message needs to be easily absorbed You can do more and your goals can be bigger. It's about helping someone see they can do more for other people. When you step out, you may fail. Profoundly. You have to articulate the dependencies. It's important to leave a little space in your mind for information you don't yet have. - Mark Ashbrook Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. - Kevin Durant Mentioned Episode 103: Millennials Aren't Special Snowflakes with Aaron Levy Catch Me If You Can Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders

Aaron Levy is a Millennial Workplace Expert, and shares his observations and insights on millennial retention and satisfaction in the workplace. Aaron shares his journey into the science of human behavior, addresses the common misnomers of millennial stereotypes, and teaches us how to approach critical conversations across the generational divide. Key Takeaways [2:20] Aaron's an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction, and enjoys the training and personal rewards involved with participating in triathlons. [6:39] At an early age, Aaron was moved by the power of film's ability to change our perspective on life and the world around us. [7:41] Aaron immersed himself in the science of human behavioral change. He studied and practiced what techniques work trigger change and how people can unlock their potential both in and out of the workplace. [8:37] As Aaron looked around at his millennial aged peer group, he saw them jumping from job to job, even when on paper they "had it good", and their choices seemed to defy logic. He noticed a two headed problem: internal disengagement within the employees, and the workplace's lack of fostering satisfaction and stability for their hires. [9:48] The biggest factor in driving engagement comes from the top. Leaders and managers must know how to motivate by listening. [11:15] For someone to become a great leader, they must receive training consistently and be given the chance to repeat and tweak their education. Aaron suggests moving from a two day intensive training to a quarter day training four times a year and including more experiential rather than event based methods. This method fosters accountability, time to create new neural pathways, and the art of deliberate practice. [16:27] The tactics of learning the art of managing and leaders are important for both those doing it in the company, and consultants on behalf of the managers. [22:57] What do millenials most desire in the workplace? Usually it's a combination of feeling connected with their team, secure in the impact they are making and a vision of personal growth and development within their company. [23:36] Aaron busts the myth that millennials are special snowflakes, that can't handle any feedback. Constructive feedback is crucial, and something millennials crave to help them feel valuable and connected. [25:59] Aaron explains why there was no need to sugarcoat his article "Why Most Managers Suck." Managers fall short on listening, which he feels is the most important leadership habit one must develop, practicing, and exercise. We think at 3,000 words per minute, and listen at 450, making it an inherently difficult thing to do. For managers to change, they must understand that listening and responding from a connected place is an effective and powerful way to obtain their desired outcome. [31:37] To grow and adapt at a higher level of listening and leadership in general, we must consciously and consistently be aware of our habitual patterns so we can adjust them. [32:52] Aaron measures the effectiveness of leadership by his team's ability to perform at a peak level even when he is away. [34:39] Curiosity and the ability to open up and admit they don't have the right answers is a theme that comes up with Aaron and previous episodes on vulnerability. When leaders establish ground rules within their team, it creates a platform for others to experience freedom and space to act authentically. [40:00] The first step in living our live by chance instead of choice is digging deep to get clear on your "why", and what you would do if money and expectations did not exist. [41:32] Aaron is committed to finding more of the balance between being and doing. For every 15 minute break in between meetings, there will be more time in nature, rest or even just doing a headstand. Quotable Quotes Why when we know better, do we not do better? "Engage with intention, not tension." "Authenticity is the first step to vulnerability." "The biggest factor in driving engagement is the boss." "Listening is the most important leadership habits we can adopt." "There is an opportunity to be better at listening. We need to dedicate the time, effort and energy to develop those skills." "If we are not building our replacements, we are not truly growing our people and company as leaders." "A great leader isn't always right." "The leader on who you are, is who you are in your heart." "Most of us live our life by chance, not by choice." Mentioned Beneath the Scarlet Sky Principles: Life and Work ClassAct Leadership BS Why Most Managers Suck Twitter: raisebaraaron LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aelevy Facebook: RaiseTheBarCo Website: RaiseBar.Co Bio: Aaron is the Founder & CEO of Raise The Bar, a firm focused on helping companies retain their millennial talent. Aaron's on a mission to transform the manager role by empowering managers with the tools & skills to be better leaders of people.

Today's episode features Jim and Jan reflecting on some of their favorite moments, standout guests and unforgettable takeaways from the first 101 episodes of The Leadership Podcast. They pull back the curtain on some behind the scenes moments of their interviews, some central themes, habits and attributes that emerged from studying leaders, and preview what's to come in future episodes later this year. Lastly, they each give a personal update on their new projects. Jim and Jan thank you for joining them on this ride so far, and would love your feedback on what you want to see more of - reach out to them directly at @WeStudyLeaders on social media. Key Takeaways [2:08] Jim and Jan recap Episode 101 with General Stanley McChrystal. The interview provided much to process, including his work mixing the most successful leadership in history with modern day millenials, the importance of a classical and liberal arts education and our the thoughtful and candid solutions General McChrystal has to create opportunities of service and contribution for younger generations. His timeless wisdom and nobility reflecting lasting principles of education and leadership. [2:40] The generous amount of literature and philosophy referenced in the episode with General McChrystal reminds Jim and Jan of Episode 2 with Tom Morris, Professor of Philosophy at University of Notre Dame. Tom also holds the record for most books quoted on an episode. [5:53] A standard question in the first 20 to 30 episodes was, "What do you think the greatest measure of leader effectiveness is?" The ideas and themes that consistently came up as answer was: education, teaching and service, and taking yourself out of the equation to focus on creating leaders. [9:19] Jim and Jan discuss the advantages of timeless teachings in modern day education both from the schools and parents. [12:19] A deep love of learning at all stages is one of the most important qualities of developing leadership skills and a point of reference for a well rounded life. [14:18] A standout episode for Jim was Episode 46 with Sebastian Junger. It changed his viewpoint on anthropology and behavior in group dynamics. [15:39] Jan recounts a meaningful quote regarding understanding business and teams, thanks to Brett Mitchell, Conductor of the Colorado Music Symphony in Episode 65. [16:52] Brett also represents those who demonstrate great wisdom who aren't even 40 yet, also including former two time guest - Preston Pysh (Episode 1 and 100). [17:19] One of Jim and Jan's favorite aspects of the podcast is the diversity of opinions and wide array of perspectives each guest brings to the table. [18:11] Jim and Jan give a rundown of what they have been up to of late - Jan just launched two courses on Linkedin Learning - Managing in Difficult Times and Managing Temporary and Contract Employees. Jim has put together a program, Relationship Selling, which shifts the sales and business development process into one of human dynamic and buying motivation. Jim also just gave a talk at the American Heart Association. [20:31] If you are looking to get out of your comfort zone and into an experience which requires adventure, self-reliance and service, check out Jan's Self-Reliant Leadership Crucible. [20:58] Jim and Jan announce their new offering, the Urban Team Challenge. Designed by elite Special Operations veterans, The Urban Team Challenge is designed to sharpen a team's ability to communicate, foster trust, and create a team with true accountability. [22:58] Jim and Jan preview a future episode focusing on the need for effective teams in the workplace with Jeffrey Pfeffer, Stanford Professor and author of Dying for a Paycheck. Quotable Quotes "The episode with Stan McChrystal was almost like the time I went to the Sistine Chapel. I couldn't take it all in." "When you spend time with someone like Stan McChrystal, I felt like I couldn't concentrate hard enough to hear all the nuances." A great measure of leadership is - how many leaders have you created? For whose good do you serve? We've got to do what we can for those that can't, but at some point as an educator you have to get them to assume personal responsibility for outcomes. I learned to love to learn. It's not K-12 or even your bachelors degree that matters, it's what you keep doing after that. "When I'm rehearsing, I will hear 14 things that are wrong. My job is to figure out which 11 either don't matter or will take care of themselves, and focus on the 3 that do." - Brett Mitchell "There's wisdom all around us if we can have an open mind and check our assumptions at the door." "Great leaders become great leaders because they studied leadership and learned from their past mistakes." "It's not about yourself, it's about the people." "He knows how to suffer everything can dare everything." - Jean de La Bruyère, Luc de Clapiers marquis de Vauvenargues (1903). "La Bruyère and Vauvenargues: Selections from the Characters, Reflexions and Maxims" Me

General, Stanley McChrystal returns to The Leadership Podcast to share his thoughts and insights on leadership and service in the modern era. General McChrystal is the best selling author of "Team of Teams," and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The McChrystal group. He talks with Jim and Jan about the importance of a classical education, the sacrifice leaders must make in their lives, and why it's up to the government and business to create challenging opportunities for the younger generation. He shares his unique perspective on the similarities and differences of leading and teaming in the business and in the military. He concludes with his thoughts on national service, education, and his recipe for more constructive discourse. Key Takeaways [1:28] General McChrystal is a retired four-star general, former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander of United States Forces Afghanistan. [1:39] General McChrystal is a Senior Fellow at Yale University, where he teaches a course on Leadership in Operation. [3:15] Regarding millennials, the talent is there! What's different is that our community bonds have grown smaller and are more self-focused, making it difficult to find a clear path of how and where to make a contribution. [4:30] Although we are in a time where much service is needed from young people, only 30% of younger people in the United States are qualified, and eligible, to enlist in the military. General McChrystal poses the thought of government and business sharing the responsibility to create opportunities for the other 70% of those that still have a desire to contribute. [5:23] The Civilian Conservation Corps of the Depression Era was a program created to give young men the opportunity to make money, earn confidence and get a sense of self-satisfaction. Many of those men went on to serve in World War II. [6:06] General McChrystal feels it is his generation's responsibility to create opportunity for youth through funding, education and business. At the McChrystal group, they value service and community involvement. If you have completed a year of national service, your resume gets a more detailed review. [7:09] McChrystal discussed how we must create an incentive for businesses to hire employees based on their potential and values - rather than just look for professionals who already have the skills and need little training. [9:27] In addition to General McChrystal's famous ascetic lifestyle, he is still learning, growing and studying every day. [9:51] People skills and a strong work ethic as two of the benchmark qualities that make for a good business leader. [11:51] General McChrystal had preconceived notions of the business world, while his colleagues had assumptions about working with someone from the military. They both found out that in each world there are opportunities and challenges not so different. [12:31] His newest book due this fall 2018, Leaders: Myth and Reality is inspired by Plutarch's life and studies of notable people. They took the findings of this work and crafted it into modern day profiles to compare leaders throughout history from all walks of life, and learn the nuances of different leadership styles. [14:13] In pairing founders and leaders, General McChrystal finds it isn't a one size fits all approach to success and fulfillment. He did find the common threads to be a commitment to the choice to lead and accept responsibility in an authentic and self assured manner. [18:42] Possessing an absolute commitment and dedication to the cause comes at a cost. [20:56] Classical and liberal arts education that roots us in philosophy provides a common language that connects us both with our values; and to each other. [21:45] James Stockdale, United States Navy vice admiral and prisoner of war for over seven years, was a strong proponent in a classical education as a way to connect us to ourselves and each other. [23:18] As politics pervade our culture, and the absence of civility rises, it is crucial to listen more and welcome different points of view. [25:04] We could benefit from thinking more long term and focus on building sustainable relationships that remain solid in the future. In a business world that means treating your clients in a manner where long term relationship is fostered. [29:44] People think demonstrations of courage are usually reserved for the battlefield, but it is beneficial to recognize it in the workplace as well. [30:48] General McChrystal is a great believer of experiential leadership for individuals and groups. At The McChrystal Group, they offer adventures for the team to succeed, become familiar and push one another. [33:30] The military uses its advantages of patriotism, and extra time for training to shape them into leaders. On the battlefield, you need to make life or death decisions, where in business there are laws and bureaucracies and it's harder for people to be decisive. Often times businesses will skimp on or canc

The first guest on The Leadership Podcast was Preston Pysh - co-creator of The Investor's Podcast - an immensely popular and highly engaged community. Preston returns in celebration of the 100th Episode, and talks about successful investor habits from a leadership perspective. He shares his recommendations for business owners in the current climate based on what he's learned from studying hundreds of billionaires. Key Takeaways [8:55] Preston cites The Compound Effect as a book he would recommend on leadership and developing momentum in new habits that navigate us towards our goals. [11:56] Once we generate momentum and develop habits, it's important to challenge them after time to see if they can be optimized for even better results. [13:17] Preston's 5 recommendations for business owners in 2017: get better at search engine optimization understand lean operations focus on free cash flow understand your customer invest the retained earnings intelligently. *He would also add to know the competitive advantage of the business. [21:10] Leaders and owners must strive to find a balance between taking care of the human side of their business, and new developing technology that will make things faster and more efficient. While none of us have an exact answer of what the line is between these factors, it is typically a choice based on resources available, morals and company values. [29:36] Preston approaches The Investors Podcast with the intent to learn from other successful people, take the best notes he can, and serve it to the audience to learn and take into their own lives. [33:40] Preston appreciates the feedback from his audience on what they want to learn, and he takes that into account in future interviews and episodes. [36:05] The ladder of inference is when we observe things, and select data, make assumptions and adopt beliefs based on our observation. This creates a reflective loop, where the choices we make are based on the original observation. [39:53] Quality leaders make decisions based upon facts rather than consistency bias. They have nothing to prove, protect or promote. [45:17] Preston's podcast is a mechanism for to him to consistently work on personal development and have discussions with some of today's top leaders. [48:55] Auto suggestion is a powerful practice and tool that will help you speak your words into reality. It is a way of conditioning your subconscious mind. [51:33] Preston still serves as an active duty military officer. Website: Books by Preston Pysh Twitter: @PrestonPysh YouTube: We Study Billionaires Podcast: The Investors Podcast Quotable Quotes The more you know, the more you know you don't know. It is important to develop habits, and also challenge them. Challenge your belief structures. Just because something has worked for you really well for 10 years doesn't mean it can't be optimized. People have to look at the enduring competitive advantage of their business What does your war chest look like? It's all about the people. It's important to be balanced, and not polarized on one side or another. Leaders do not allow themselves to fall victim to confirmation bias. Bio Preston is a graduate of West Point with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He's the founder of BuffettsBooks.com, and his videos on financial investing have been viewed by millions of people around the world. He takes great pleasure in taking complex ideas and making them accessible. He is the founder of the Pylon Holding Company and enjoys spending time with his wonderful family. The Compound Effect 5 Ways Small Business Owners Can Grow in 2017 Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction Warren Buffet Books

Jeannine Woodyear is the President of the Seattle Chapter of Women in Wireless, and the Global Marketing & Channel Partner Enablement Leader at Microsoft. Jeannine shares her wisdom on why development is important in the all aspects of the mind, body and speech, and not just the boardroom. She also speaks about her work to connect women to a community that supports them. Key Takeaways [5:06] Women in Wireless takes a holistic approach to connect, ignite and empower women in all levels of their career. They host events for free headshots, speaker development training, online profile mentorship, and access to a community of women that will help them along their journey to success. [12:23] Women in Wireless looks at the unique challenges of the individual women. [13:38] Jeannine's approach to mentorship is more situational. She draws upon a wide community of people both in and out her organization. [14:55] A pivotal experience on the roadside in China influenced Jeannine's approach to business and mentorship to connect with the rhythm and go with the flow. [19:47] Jeannine knows she is in the flow as a leader when things feel natural and instinctive. [23:04] There are many ways to lead, and Jeannine cites flexibility and the ability to tap into their own skills as one of a leader's most important quality. [25:10] Understanding the skillsets players of your team and dedicating time to get to know them on a personal level is a crucial part of leveraging the sum of the team to achieve the desired outcome. [31:16] It is the job of the leader and the community to make sure their team feels safe and supported so they are aligned with the vision. [34:08] Jeannine has found innovation to occur more frequently when she gives people the latitude and guidelines of the outcome, but then lets them go to have freedom in making their own decision. Website: womeninwireless.org Twitter: @JMWoodyear Twitter: @WomeninWireless Quotable Quotes The individual, the employee, the personal is as important as the customer and the profits. Challenges become opportunities. We are not leading an organization, we are leading people The best advice can come from unassuming places Every situation creates a need to tap a pool of resources and individuals It's about identifying the core of justice, and empowering people to draw upon their flexibility and unique skills Understand who your players are You can't assume the view of one answer is the truth Some of the best outcomes are through unconventional mechanisms Diversity is not about conformity, it's about allowing different perspective to respectfully get to the outcome. Bio Jeanine's passion and drive are instigated by a simple curiosity and imagining 'what if'...paired with the pursuit of understanding what makes things tick. This restless energy lead Jeannine from Madison Avenue where she got her start as a media planner to a stint as a National Planning Director at Zenith Media for Procter & Gamble's health and beauty care brands in China before it was cool. Jeannine's favorite opportunities have involved developing high performance teams, fostering community, innovating product marketing, and solving problems customers care about. Creating personalized experiences and learner journeys for cybersecurity, desktop productivity, and business applications to help channel partners build and sustain profitable cloud practices through skills attainment and meaningful engagement is at the heart of the work Jeannine is driving at Microsoft today. Passionate about mentorship and water, in her free time Jeannine can be found volunteering her time as the President of the Seattle Chapter of Women in Wireless and racing her sailboat around the Puget Sound with her family in tow.

Greg McKeown, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" and founder of McKeown Inc, joins Jim and Jan on a discussion on essentialism, priorities, and the belief that doing less is actually doing more. Greg explains what essentialism is, how we can open up the conversation in our own lives and find out what our priorities should be as a daily discipline to gain clarity. He speaks of his experiences in helping leaders and executives get clarity so their organization operates with intent rather than reacting to matters deemed as urgent from outside forces. Key Takeaways [2:58] The essential priority for Greg is tuning in to his internal clarity. Our clarity is often drowned out in societal demands, the need to feel as though we are doing more, and appearances we try to keep up on social media. [7:48] Most people know intellectually that they don't need to be doing what they are, but emotionally it doesn't feel true. The decision for Greg to move towards what he does want to do and let go of he doesn't, let him to the process of discovering the four stage pattern of essentialism. [9:01] The four stage pattern that Greg discovered when working in Silicon Valley in organizations and individuals: Clarity, Success, Options and Chaos. [11:38] Planning isn't something to be crammed in, it's the essential work. The essentialist believes only a few things matter, and it changes the course of your life completely on what you pursue and how you spend your time. [14:45] Practices such as meditation, praying, journaling and getting enough rest are helpful to increase space to identify what is actually essential. [20:02] Greg encourages people to make decisions less based upon if something is good, rather if it's one of the most important things. Anything below 90% essential should at least be questioned. [23:02] Two examples of non essential things Greg traded that made a profound impact on his life - trading out Facebook scrolling for calling his grandfather, and cutting out sugar. [31:29] The first step towards essentialism is to have the conversation and identifying that there are non essential practices at play. Next is the work towards cutting out what is non essential and shifting towards a mindset that supports the practices and choices that go along with essentialism. [36:30] Greg talks about the paradox of success on a societal level, and what it takes to maintain the social complexity in our time now. [40:12] Greg shares a tangible daily practice on how we can get to the very first 6 meaningful items and cross off the other obligations go. [50:57] The things that matter most that are important and essential are hardly ever urgent. LinkedIn: @GregMcKeown Website: GregMcKeown.com Twitter: @GregoryMcKeown Quotable Quotes For me, it's about clarity. To be able to hear, recognize and obey that voice of clarity that's often drowned out. The right answer is often to not to do something. Strategy is what you say no to. The most essential work is to protect our ability to discern what is essential. The essentialist believes almost everything is non essential, and only a few things really matter. Ask yourself, "what should I stop doing?" Clarity equals success If you are lost and admit you are lost, the intent changes. That top and most important item rarely gets done at all. For how long will this matter? Bio Originally from London, England, Greg McKeown is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" and the founder of McKeown, Inc, a company with a mission to teach Essentialism to millions of people around the world. Their clients include Adobe, Apple, Airbnb, Cisco, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo!. McKeown is an accomplished public speaker and has spoken to hundreds of audiences around the world including in Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, England, Holland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South Africa and the United States. Highlights include speaking at SXSW, interviewing Al Gore at the Annual Conference of the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland and receiving a personal invitation from Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, to speak to his Annual Innovation Conference. His writing has appeared or been covered by Fast Company, Fortune, HuffPost, Politico, and Inc. Magazine and Harvard Business Review. He has also been interviewed on numerous television and radio shows including NPR and NBC. In 2012 he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Originally from London, England, McKeown now lives in Silicon Valley with his wife and their four children. He graduated with an MBA from Stanford University. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less "Success Can Be a Catalyst for Failure"

Joe Amplo, head coach of Marquette University's Men's Lacrosse, is a leader who believes in embracing vulnerability, inclusiveness and challenges. He shares with Jim and Jan how he made the leap from assistant coach to first head men's lacrosse coach at Marquette, and overcame the fears of not knowing how his own personal leadership would be received. He talks about the importance of culture, empowerment, setting a standard and what he personally looks for in the athletes he coaches. Key Takeaways [1:02] Jim played club lacrosse as a grad student in the early 90's, so he has a passionate tie with both lacrosse and Marquette. [3:56] Joe had worked as an assistant coach at Hofstra and University of Pennsylvania before he was chosen as the first head men's lacrosse coach at Marquette. He combined what he had learned from previous mentors and mixed it with his own personal philosophy. One of the fears Joe overcame in becoming a head coach was stepping up from the assistant role he had previously, with the unknown of how his personal method of leadership would be responded to. Second, he was not familiar with the area, and the area was not familiar with lacrosse. [8:10] In going "coach fed to player led", everyone no matter what their role or status is held accountable to live up to the set standard. This empowers the people in the organization, and really builds a team identity. [13:22] Culture has to drive behavior to get the results from the strategy and standards you and your team set forth. For Joe, he learned that the way he wants to lead and create an environment of empowerment, the creation of standards needs to be all inclusive in the organization. [24:18] The two factors Joe and his team look for in their potential athletes: desire to prove themselves, and a willingness to face and accept challenge. [31:54] Joe believes that great teams are formed and sustained by developing deep interpersonal relationships, and knowing they have each given their best and overachieved. [34:46] Joe feels as though happier people are more successful, and success lies on the side of being happy first, without having happiness rely on getting or achieving something. [36:50] Joe is a lifelong learner, and finds that Marquette holds him accountable to live and work in high standards. [40:14] Learning from a failure is a key tenant to what Joe finds in a successful leader, and team member. Website gomarquette.com Facebook @MarquetteMLax Instagram @marquettemlax Twitter: @MarquetteMLAX Quotable Quotes I became confident not in my abilities, but in the people that brought out the best in me. I believe in standards - not rules. For the way I want to lead, I would want people to live up to the standard. I want someone making a decision on the right thing to do. I have to be vulnerable as a leader. Bio Seventh-year Marquette University head coach Joe Amplo is an NCAA D-I Men's Lacrosse Committee member and a Team USA assistant. He's led MU to consecutive BIG EAST titles and NCAA Championship berths. Culture is Your Greatest Strategy Shawn Achor Ted Talk

Casey McEuin, President and Executive Director of Project RELO, is dedicated to improve the lives of others with a family first mentality. He talks with Jim and Jan on what makes Project RELO an unorthodox and transformational organization for effecting change in both veterans and corporate executives. He shares how they are helping rewrite the way companies value, hire and place veterans. Key Takeaways [6:40] Project RELO encourages the veterans who have already been in leadership positions to aim high when looking for work. They also work with the executives on hiring veterans established in leadership which benefits the culture and the revenue. [7:36] Taking over Project RELO was an opportunity for Casey to operationalize the business. [13:15] Casey enlisted because he wanted a sense of belonging and to be part of something bigger than himself. As an athlete as well he sees many parallels between the mindset qualities that benefit leaders from inspiring others in business including perseverance, tenacity and providing service to the team. [17:50] Casey's shares the extreme highs and lows of his injury and recovery from serving in Afghanistan. Bedridden and told by doctors to learn to live in a wheelchair, he developed a strong sense of resiliency, and to focus on what is important in the moment. Each day he pushed himself just a little bit more, and used the people who said he couldn't walk as fuel to take his first unassisted step. [25:54] Asking for help is a sign of power, not weakness. Project RELO is not there to give a handout, but to create a handshake and positive networking experience between the veterans and executives. [35:43] All of the trials and tribulations had led Casey to the perfect moment - to meet his wife Sage. This is a testament to trusting the greater plan, and having faith in the process when you are working hard in the thick of a situation, whether it's with health, business or leadership. LinkedIn: @ProjectRELO Facebook: @Project RELO Instagram: @Project_RELO Website: projectrelo.org Twitter: @projectrelo Quotable Quotes It's all about the sense of tribe. You can't teach leadership in a boardroom or a classroom. I always wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. What is important right now. You can beat anything that is thrown your way. Asking for help is a sign of power, not weakness The greatest motivational speakers are the one that told me I couldn't do something. Struggle and criticism are the prerequisites for greatness. Bio Casey McEuin is an unconventional leader, leadership coach, adventurer, prolific networker, keynote speaker, and the President and Executive Director of Project RELO. Like so many of our veterans, McEuin is focused on direction, mission, purpose, and making an impact in our communities, companies, and country. He currently directs his keen sense of commitment to the worthy endeavor of pinpointing the intersectionality between business talent needs and the skills, training, and rich character of our transitioning veterans. At the age of 25, McEuin was an aspiring Olympic athlete and a fierce competitor on the Army's Taekwondo team. Eight years later he earned the Purple Heart when he was injured in Afghanistan. Discharged from the military after his recovery, three years later, he worked to assimilate into a society that was unable to understand the full extent of what a veteran of 17 years had to offer the workforce. Galvanized by his experiences, McEuin dedicated himself to helping veterans transition more effectively into the civilian workforce. He fulfills this mission as the Leader of Project RELO, and by setting the example for other veterans by continuing his education, and personal and professional development. Casey was honored by President Barack Obama in April of 2016 for his continued service to the veteran community. McEuin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social services from Thomas A. Edison University, and a Master of Social Work with an emphasis on Military Community Organization, Policy, and Advocacy from the University of Southern California. Project RELO Project RELO provides immersive, visceral and highly effective leadership training to corporate executives and top talent. The training missions are conducted on American military bases where participants and transitioning veteran instructors conduct multi-day pseudo military operations. Project RELO missions are executed over a three-day period where participants conduct real, physical convoy operations, navigating to various objectives in massive military training areas. Weapons training (real weapons / simulated rounds) and high-tech simulators provide an experiential glimpse into our military members' backgrounds. Exploration of combat towns and mock negotiations with costumed mullahs diversifies our understanding of our veterans' skillsets. As the collective team navigates the various obstacles that invariably arise during any military operation, leadership, teamwo

William Deresiewicz, award winning essayist, critic, and the writer of Excellent Sheep, joins Jim and Jan and shares his perspective on the need for solitude in the interconnected age, social and emotional learning, and which interpersonal skills are crucial to moving forward in the future. Key Takeaways [4:33] In order to be a real leader, you have to be able to think and create space around the ideas. [8:18] What William calls the "waitress principle" emphasizes the tendency for managers to lead without listening, and push the ideas away from those who really are in the front lines of what is happening. [10:54] There seems to be a push to imply that everyone has to be some type of leader, and if you aren't interested in leadership you must be a follower. Good thinkers and intellectuals don't have to automatically be pushed with the label as a thought leader. [13:33] The educational system now generally produces the type of person who is afraid of taking risks, doesn't know how to make decisions on their own and relies on doing what someone else tells them to. While ambitious and talented, students need to learn more how to take control of their own thoughts and lives. [20:22] William discusses how the meritocracy from the 1960's has now led to the present day created creditantled arts race that puts the interest of the country ahead of individualism. [29:57] We have come to believe that education is all about the job market. While that is clearly important, social and emotional learning is also crucial to developing sound future leaders. [37:50] It's not fair to say kids these days don't work hard or have an interest in leadership. They they have been thrown into an economy with no stability and security, and under the lead of employers that may not show commitment or leadership principles they can follow. LinkedIn: @William Deresiewicz Facebook: @WilliamDeresiewicz Website: billderesiewicz.com Twitter: @WDeresiewicz Quotable Quotes Solitude is the essence of leadership. "My only experience in leadership has been resisting other people's efforts to exert it on me." In order to really think, you have to be able to be alone. We don't all have to be leaders. Successful adults do not lead linear lives. I've learned to agree with being disagreed with. Ask yourself why the term and concept of leadership is important to you in the first place. Bio William Deresiewicz is an award-winning essayist and critic, a frequent college speaker, and the best-selling author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. Books Mentioned in this Episode Excellent Sheep How to Raise an Adult Kids These Days On Political Correctness

Brian Caulfield is one of the most accomplished tech founders and venture capitalists in all of Ireland. A serial entrepreneur turned VC, he is Managing Partner at Draper Esprit, the leading European venture capital firm. Brian gives back to his community by acting as a private investor/advisor to a number of early stage technology companies. He talks with Jim and Jan about the culture of leadership in Europe, how it differs from the United States, the role of AI and innovation in creating a more fruitful landscape for leaders, the importance self awareness and ability to solve the problem rather than the solution, and gives the traits he feels are most important to becoming a strong and successful leader. Key Takeaways [4:51] Good technology is only small part of the success in any business. If you are going after the wrong market opportunity or have the wrong team, that will be more influential than the strength of your technology. [6:48] By giving a deep understanding of the problems and challenges to get more commitment to the solution. [11:06] Brian discusses the issue of fragmentation with startups in Ireland, and how it affects leadership. Ireland needs more organization and focus on their own indigenous innovators to create an environment for early stage companies. [23:44] One of the key tenants Brian teaches other emerging leaders is to develop their individual decision making skills, and the importance of self awareness. [28:06] As a leader it is quite important to give honest feedback with evidence about their situation. [31:21] The more examples people have of others successfully making the leap of entrepreneurship, the more apt they are to feel as though it's possible for themselves. [42:54] Brian cites Shay Garvey as one of his biggest mentors and inspirations as a leader. He fostered Brian both personally and professionally, and gave him a positive view of building a great business. [46:03] The 5 traits to spot a leader: market knowledge, focus and drive, passion and conviction, ability to listen and charisma and compelling. LinkedIn @BrianCaulfield Website: DraperEsprit.com Twitter: @BrianCVC Quotable Quotes Sell the problem, not the solution The best businesses are built by people that have a passion for the problem they are solving. People must think through and fully understand the problems by themselves. Great leaders come up with their own pros and cons about a situation. Talent is universal. Opportunity is not so evenly spread around different locations around the world. Bio Brian Caulfield is an entrepreneur & venture capitalist. He is Managing Partner at Draper Esprit, the leading European venture capital firm, and based in Dublin, Ireland. Prior to joining Draper Esprit, Brian was a partner at Trinity Venture Capital where he sat on the boards of or led investments in AePONA ChangingWorlds, CR2, SteelTrace & APT. Previously, Brian co-founded both Exceptis Technologies - sold to Trintech Group, November 2000 & Similarity Systems, a business focused data quality management software company that was acquired by Informatica, January 2006. Brian's Draper Esprit investments include Movidius, Datahug, RhodeCode, Mobile Travel Technologies & Clavis Insight. He also sits on the board of the Irish Times, Ireland's leading daily newspaper. He is a private investor/advisor to a number of early stage technology companies. Brian is a Computer Engineering graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He was the 2007 recipient of the Irish Software Association "Technology Person of the Year" award and has been inducted into the Irish Internet Association's Hall of Fame. In 2010 he also received the Halo Business Angel Network's͞ Business Angel of the Year award. Brian is a former Chairman of the Irish Venture Capital Association. Books Mentioned in this Episode Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality

Alicia Gonzalez, Chicago Run Founding Executive Director, understands the importance of working with community and a team to accomplish a vision. Alicia speaks with Jim and Jan about her commitment to providing access to health and fitness for communities of all economic status. She also discusses how she utilizes running as an outlet for trauma, youth leadership development, and team building. She shares the importance of grit and why leaders must surround themselves with a strong network of diverse supporters. Key Takeaways [7:00] While growing up, Alicia knew she wanted to be a leader in the sector of fitness and helping all communities get an equal opportunity to workout and be healthy, no matter what their income or socioeconomic status. [9:51] Alicia's program has grown into 47 schools and community centers, and serving over 18,000 children around the Chicago area. She now is helping teenagers become leaders and mentors to younger children entering the program. [11:28] Alicia's view of success when starting the pilot program was less about numbers and ROI and more about children return feeling impacted and affected. [16:59] Alicia took an injury during her run at the Boston Marathon and made it into a teachable moment on how leaders should inspire others to move out of their comfort zone, and encourage those around us to learn from our mistakes and failures. [24:13] A good leader knows how important it is to create feedback loops to master the self awareness their own strengths and deficits. Once this is mastered, it is easier for the leader to build a diverse team with a varied skill set. [32:58] Alicia is on a mission to help youth connect running with play, getting active in the community and providing service. Instagram: @aliciagchiRun Instagram @chicagorun LinkedIn : @AliciaGonzalez Twitter: @aliciachirun Twitter: @Chicago_Run Facebook: @AliciaGonzalez Facebook: @ChicagoRun Website: chicagorun.org Quotable Quotes Keep your ear to the ground, and listen to your constituents. Build your program with integrity, alongside your community. If you don't fail, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. Move away from your comfort zone. It's a team effort. Never be afraid to ask for help. We need more "we" and less "me" in leadership. Bio Alicia is from Chicago (Pilsen and Little Italy communities) and is the Founding Executive Director of Chicago Run, a local non-profit that provides free physical activity programs to Chicago Public School students as a means of promoting health and wellness, digital learning, social inclusion, and cross-community relationship-building. She helped launch Chicago Run as the first staff member in 2008 and has built and led the organization to its current size of serving over 17,500 students in 46 Chicago Public Schools in 30 low-income neighborhoods across the city – a 775% program participant growth. Prior to Chicago Run, Alicia served as the head of Hispanic Business Development for First American Bank, where she oversaw the expansion of private-public partnerships in the Latino community. Alicia's roots are in the community and prior to working in the private sector, she held positions as a community organizer and youth development program director in both Chicago (Enlace) and Boston (Hispanic Office of Planning & Evaluation). In addition to Chicago Run, she serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy, and is also on the Board of Directors for Heartland Alliance Human Care Services, Instituto del Progreso Latino, and the Enlace Legacy Board. Alicia is a recipient of the 2017 Crain's 40 Under 40 List, the 2017 Chicago Cubs Roberto Clemente Community Leader Award, the 2016 President's Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition Community Leadership Award, the Latina Entrepreneur of the Year (2012) from the Chicago Latino Network, the 35 Under 35 Chicago Leadership Award (2009) from the Community Renewal Society, and the 2009 Emerging Health Leader from the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. Alicia is a graduate of Stanford University Business School's Non-Profit Executive Leadership Program, a fellow in the 2013-2014 American Express NGEN Fellows Program with the Independent Sector, a Fellow in the 2011 Leadership Greater Chicago Class, and a fellow in the 2012 Latino Leadership Academy with the Latino Policy Forum. Most recently Alicia was a Fellow in the 2016-2017 German Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program. Alicia graduated with honors in Latin American History from Brown University. Books Mentioned in this Episode Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Craig Ross has a passion for finding new and effective ways a team can work together so everyone is rewarded with accomplishment and a sense of success. As the CEO of Verus Global, he speaks with Jim and Jan about the processes and tools that leaders lack most, and how to establish a shared reality within the culture of an organization. Key Takeaways [4:07] One of the biggest challenges that leaders lack today is the inability to line up all on the same reality due to emotions overruling rational thinking. Too many teams function from different realities, which create an inner misalignment. [9:59] Craig presents the idea of an energy map as a way to align on a shared reality through emotionally expressing the problems then focusing on the solutions. [13:47] The dirty fish tank model represents training a leader and then putting them back in a dirty and dysfunctional system. We must clean the tank, aka the system, first so they are swimming in a tank of success and safety. We should develop leaders, but it should be in the context of their teams. [16:23] Craig acknowledges that we are moving into a new era, where the current human disconnection is calling us to become more connected with who we are and what we want out of life. [21:44] From his rich experience of interviewing leaders to see what did work for them, Craig and his co-authors broke what made an exceptional team into three succinct steps: 1. Leaders or a team member can ask the team about a time they have had where they experienced success. 2. Declare from the beginning what is expected from the team's actions and deliverables from the beginning, and 3. figuring out how to do it. [29:08] A lot of teams are doing big things in terms of delivering numbers, but at the end of the day still not feeling like winners. Craig says that for the most part teams fail due to not leveraging the time and resources they are given. Website: verusglobal.com Twitter: @RossBestEver Twitter: @VerusGlobal Facebook: Let'sDoBigThings LinkedIn: CraigRoss LinkedIn: VerusGlobal Quotable Quotes Leadership matters, but teams deliver. Be more authentic to who we are as people. Trust your instincts and be real. Move from Normal to Natural Bio Craig Ross is CEO of Verus Global, a four-time author, and sought-after speaker, facilitator and coach for his expertise in leadership and team development. For 20 years he has partnered with C-suite executives, leaders and teams within Fortune 500 companies around the world, equipping them with the tools and process needed to make an immediate and meaningful business impact. He has co-authored four books including Stomp the Elephant in the Office, Degrees of Strength, One Team, and Do Big Things, and his work has been featured in Forbes, Smart Brief, Inc, and Entrepreneur. Books Mentioned in this Episode Stomp the Elephant in the Office, by Craig W. Ross and Steven W. Vannoy Degrees of Strength: The Innovative Technique to Accelerate Greatness, by Craig W. Ross and Steven W. Vannoy One Team: 10-minute Discussions That Activate Inspired Teamwork, by Craig W. Ross and Angela V. Paccione PhD. Do Big Things: The Simple Steps Teams Can Take to Mobilize Hearts and Minds, and Make an Epic Impact, by Craig W. Ross, Angela V. Paccione PhD, and Victoria L. Roberts Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, by Satya Nadella,‎ Greg Shaw,‎ and Jill Tracie Nichols

Layne Rigney, the President of Osprey, speaks about his focus on alignment and core values within the company and his passion for working with transitioning veterans. As a global company, Layne notes the shift he's seeing in consumer trends and brand loyalty. Listen in to learn from Layne's decisions in the present day, and when he was the President of CamelBak. Key Takeaways [2:23] In his new role at Osprey, the first thing Layne did was focus on bringing back alignment within the company. He did this by getting clear with his team on the values and vision. [5:02] When Layne came on to the team he led workshops at the facilities located in Utah, Vietnam and Colorado. They turned the business inside out and figured out how to tap into people's efforts to bring their vision to life. [7:17] Layne touches upon why he finds working with veterans so satisfying. He feels they are an underutilized talent pool, and during his time at CamelBak, he saw the many gifts this group had to offer. Now Osprey sponsors programs that help veterans transition into the workforce. The Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy and the River Leaders Trip are both examples of a commitment to this community. [12:49] Layne cites the challenges of operating a multi-channel distribution in a global market less about the company and more about technology changing at a rapid pace. [14:57] Leaders have to take the best interest of their team and run with it in that direction rather than only abiding by industry trends and what the masses are doing. [18:46] People are now seeking a relationship with their brands, and base a lot of their purchases on what the company culture is like, where they spend their discretionary funds and the company's creed. [19:35] Layne about recruiting and hiring people smarter than the leader. It was a journey for both the business and himself and was an exercise in letting go and relaxing into his own empowerment. [24:38] Layne likes to set a safe and open environment within Osprey where his employees can feel comfortable to share their own ideas about what has also worked in the past, and what may work in the future. [33:46] The identification, acquisition and nurturing of talent is a challenge Layne takes very seriously. [36:42] Layne is committed to spending more time understanding finance and how it changes businesses. He also is looking forward to engaging with the outdoors and the users of the product. Website: osprey.com Instagram: @ospreypacks Twitter: @OspreyPacks Facebook: Ospreypacks Quotable Quotes "You join a business like this because you believe in the product." Veterans are a talent reservoir You have to forge your own path more than ever before. "Figuring out how to be patriotic within a global brand can be a challenge." It takes courage to hire smart people Build the collective IQ and distribute it! "Your job as a leader is to basically get people to run through a wall for you." "People can smell a fake." "Don't ask a question to make a point." Bio Layne M. Rigney is an effective and strategic executive leader with proven experience in global product, sales and business growth as demonstrated by his success leading teams for world class consumer products brands like Osprey, CamelBak, PowerBar/Nestlé USA, and RockShox Inc. Prior to joining Osprey Packs in 2016, Rigney served as President of CamelBak the $180M global hydration brand. Rigney led the executive team responsible for Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Finance, Operations, and Human Resources. Under his leadership, the sales team successfully increased distribution in highly disparate distribution channels including specialty, online, mass and military outlets. He was instrumental in guiding product and marketing teams to develop differentiated product offerings and marketing strategies to increase revenue world wide. He is a firm believer in organizational alignment and accountability. Before joining CamelBak in 2005, Rigney led Franklin Resource Group as Vice President and General Manager of the retail training, merchandising, and execution consulting firm. During his tenure, he led the restructuring and rebranding of the company, acquired new national accounts and grew average revenue per client over 15%. Recognized for his experience in sales restructuring and growth, Rigney was hired by the founder of PowerBar to reorganize its underperforming Sporting Goods Division. In his first year, Rigney reversed a three-year decline and increased revenues by 22%. Rigney began his career with RockShox in 1992, where he held various positions of increasing responsibility with the creator of modern suspension sys tems for bicycles. An industry thought-leader, Rigney serves on the board of Camber Outdoors and the Outdoor Industry Association. Books Mentioned in this Episode Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Martin O'Neill, is the Senior Executive for Engine Technology at GE Transportation. Martin joins Jim and Jan in a discussion about innovation and leadership, and how they're connected and intertwined. Listen in to learn more about how Martin balances the divergence of structure and organization with experimentation and expansion. Key Takeaways [6:12] When you are working with large scale industrial product development, there is typically a type of mindset that has been around for years that has little to do with leadership. Martin and his team have shifted to different practices to pursue an innovation agenda. [13:56] Martin manages the collaboration of others all around the globe. He overcomes challenges of different time zones and work times by clearly laying out what is expected and when for every member. Structure is also very important, and they have operating reviews on a strict and consistent schedule. He spends time up front explaining clearly what is expected. [20:56] Not only is Martin dealing with the different cultures due to geographic span, but the culture within the engineers is something he makes sure is structured and organized. [28:36] Martin really drives home the point of self informing and continuous learning to the new engineers. [32:52] Martin is not afraid to celebrate the failures of projects they need to kill and views it as a learning lesson and way to veer off stagnation. [35:53] The rally call should always be on customer outcome, customer value and business value proposition. [36:24] Engineers used to be much more autonomous, but now there is a shift away from traditional thinking and a move towards horizontal work and collaboration. Website: www.getransportation.com LinkedIn: GE Transportation Twitter: @GETRANSPORT Facebook: GE TRANSPORTATION Quotable Quotes "You have to be bold." "A little bit of personality goes a long way." "Allow people some self governance and a way to correct themself." Correct Thyself "Kill the stuff that isn't so important." "You have duty as a leader to fish out what's really not adding value and put it down publicly, humanely and move on." "True innovations come from when you start to work horizontally." Bio Martin O'Neill has worked in transportation, aviation, marine propulsion and energy segments for over 20 years; most recently with General Electric. Martin has worked in transportation, aviation, marine propulsion and energy segments for over 20 years; most recently with General Electric. Trained originally as an aeronautical engineer & program manager in the UK, he has worked in global product and technology leadership roles with nuclear, gas turbines, diesel engines & controls systems. In his current role as Senior Executive – Engine Technology at GE Transportation he leads a team of product managers, engineers & technologists to develop & sustain diesel engine platforms in rail & marine markets. Martin enjoys working with creative people to bring solutions to customers through applied technology & business operations – increasingly through the marriage of digital, data, software & engineering methods. He values cultural & thought diversity together with engaging debate, has been resident in Chicago since 2013 with his wife and two children, and is keen to engage with the Chicago business & scientific community.

Zack Baddorf, award-winning journalist and filmmaker, joins The Leadership Podcast to discuss what he has learned while documenting what it is to be human in more than 30 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the West Bank, and Kashmir, as well as rebel-held territory in Sri Lanka and Burma. Zack has been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters, CBS, ABC, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. His videos on social media alone have more than 30 million views. Key Takeaways [3:47] Zack has worked in over 70 countries. His big takeaway is that around the world, we're not very different from one another. He tries not to judge people, even people who make bad choices. [5:12] Zack shares an experience he had of demonstrating a drone to starving children in the Central African Republic. In the midst of terrible conditions, they found joy and happiness in the good in their lives. [22:23] Zack is a proponent of the UN's Universal Human Rights: education, food, security, and more. It's a work in progress. He also believes in the Western World's responsibility to protect people from violations of human rights. [28:53] For troubled countries, leadership for change comes down to trust. You can't come into a situation quickly and expect to be effective. Zach gives examples of working with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and with community religious leaders in the Central African Republic. Trust is built over time. [33:54] Zach's curiosity is driven by his desire to know how things work and what is going on in the world. He wants to get all the angles to a story, being objective while acknowledging our biases. Facebook: ZackBaddorf Website: Baddorf.com Quotable Quotes We're not very different from one another. I try not to judge It's going to be the youth who take the country forward Good journalists recognize their own bias You have to know all the different angles of a story. Zack Baddorf Bio I'm a journalist and filmmaker with more than 15 years of experience producing award-winning stories from more than 30 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the West Bank, and Kashmir, as well as rebel-held territory in Sri Lanka and Burma. My work has been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters, AP, The Guardian, CBS, ABC, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, VICE, RYOT, Al Jazeera English, and other publications in video, radio, photo, and print formats. My videos on social media alone have more than 30 million views. While based in the Central African Republic, I broke the news of the American military ending its mission against the Lord's Resistance Army. My in-depth reporting on the Syrian town of Moadamiyah contributed to humanitarian access being granted to besieged people there. Weeks before Russian troops invaded Crimea, my reporting from the peninsula highlighted its political importance in the conflict. I work as a video producer for the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism, crafting anti-ISIS videos. For a year in Afghanistan, I worked on rural, remote bases for the U.S. Special Operations Command as a civilian videographer, alongside Green Berets, Navy SEALs and Afghan security forces. I have also worked as an adjunct professor at New York University and New York Film Academy, teaching public relations and broadcast journalism. I've got a master of fine arts degree in documentary studies, a master of arts degree in international relations, another master's in public relations and a bachelor's in journalism.

Chris Warner guided the first reality show on Everest and safely led his team to the summit of K2, the world's most deadly mountain. He's also an author, filmmaker, and Chairman of Earth Treks. In this episode, Chris shares his perspective on psychological safety, and how that support is needed for teams to reach their summits.Key Takeaways [3:12] When leaders meet the six psychological needs of their team members, they help good people become better and great people stay functional. The six needs are respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, and meaning. [5:45] Chris suggests using a spreadsheet to grade yourself weekly on meeting these needs for your employees. When you consciously and consistently see that these needs are met, you can have a true impact on success and build a high-performance team. Deliver on people's psychological needs so they can be the best version of themselves. [7:27] Build your organization around excellent people — the A players. Anyone who is draining the energy and bringing petty dramas to work, need to go. Chris tells managers to blame themselves first if they have to fire someone. Are they contributing to dysfunctionality? Gallup shows that only 18% of managers are high-functioning, so 82% of managers are mediocre or dysfunctional. [10:33] Chris talks about climbing the north ridge of Everest, around or over eight dead climbers frozen in place. He has guided three climbs on that ascent. The top four reasons to die on the summit are from human error. This is also the case in business. If you can see the dangers before they compound upon each other, you can save yourselves. It's usually the third mistake that kills you. [16:58] Chris discusses merging teams and integrating them. Merging is contractual and integration is cultural. He talks about merging Planet Granite and Earth Treks and merging the teams and culture. The Gartner Hype Cycle describes the process of merging teams. Be sure to frame expectations and minimize the hype slope, so the disillusionment trough is not too deep. Use small increments. [23:37] Not every day is summit day, but you can still enjoy the view and the camaraderie. Chris suggests framing your own expectations about what reward means and how often it's going to come. [24:03] Assembling a team requires four elements. Four key issues are passion (the right emotional balance — no cynics), vision (looking forward and communicating objectives), partnership (trust and caring), and perseverance (working smart and hard, including the use of after-action reviews). The three drivers of results are tools, techniques, and behaviors, with behaviors being the most important. [28:44] 'Jerks' get great individual results but do not exhibit behaviors aligned with organizational values. The sooner they are removed from the team, the better results the team will get. 87% of people on teams with a jerk want to change jobs. 93% of people on teams with a jerk report a loss of performance. 73% of managers don't feel comfortable dealing with jerks. Chris has a rule of threes for firing. If you've spent more than 3 hours complaining about someone, or three people have complained about that person, they need to go. [34:37] Chris has a romantic view of how the world is supposed to work. He reads biographies of the explorers and people who have large overcome real-life situations. Then he goes into real-life adventures, to practice what he reads. Chris climbed his first mountain at 17 and has never stopped. [41:37] Chris talks about awareness. He cites Richard Barrett' Seven Levels of Consciousness model. Chris suggests taking the Barrett online core values test. Barrett merged core values with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The pinnacle is serving others. Selflessness creates success. Core values and mission create high levels of success. Website: ChrisBWarner.com Quotable Quotes "There are six psychological needs that everybody has as a member of a team." Deliver on people's psychological needs so they can be the best version of themselves. Consider as a leader of a fired team member, did you cause that person to be dysfunctional? "Only 18% of managers are … high-functioning." "If we understand that there are dangers out there and if we can see the dangers before they balloon, … then we can save ourselves." It's generally the third mistake that kills you. "Yes, you absolutely are allowed to pout." "You have to come out of that experience being a better version of yourself, otherwise you've wasted your time." "I definitely have cured my perfectionism through this process." "Really make it easy for people to attempt things and if they're unsuccessful at it, you know it's not the end of the world." There's nothing as contagious as emotions. Positive, happy people infect other people with happiness. If we're negative and cynical, we're going to make other people negative and they're not going to perform at their highest level. "There is a success every day. There'

Dede Devine, Native American Connections President and CEO, talks with Jim and Jan about her organization's mission as a sustainable resource for recovery, housing, employment, wellness, and traditional healing for the Native American people of Phoenix. Key Takeaways [1:52] Dede outlines the mission of Native American Connections (NAC) as a grass-roots-style nonprofit, serving Native American individuals in the Phoenix Arizona area move toward health and wellness. [3:04] The 180 employees of NAC are engaged and committed because of the difference NAC makes in people's lives. It's life-changing and life-saving. Dede has seen many changes in processes over 40 years, while the mission remains the same.[5:19] In the 1970s, Native American people came to Phoenix from the reservation areas looking for work. Nonprofits, such as NAC, formed to serve them. NAC was founded to help them with addiction issues, housing, and jobs, and to encourage wellness in a healthy Native community. [14:33] Dede is most proud of the unchanging mission of NAC over the years. NAC provides recovery services in a safe living environment, connecting people to jobs, and creating a healthy community. She is really proud that they didn't have mission creep, chase grants, or do marketing. NAC is promoted through their work. To have a sustainable service organization you need a sustainable business model. [18:48] Dede and the NAC campaigned for, organized, and developed the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center commemorating the Federal Indian boarding school that operated in Phoenix from 1891 to 1990. The school played a major role in the tribes of the Southwest. Now its story is preserved. [25:26] Native American tribes are sovereign nations. Tribal leaders have authority and responsibility for their nations equivalent to that of the U.S. President for America. Tribal leaders focus on economic development in the context of the needs of the whole community. Dede and NAC look at the whole person's needs and the whole community's needs — how the history and culture impact the individual. [30:57] There are over 540 Federally-recognized tribes. They each have their own culture, language, and resources. They share a connection to the land and a commitment to their homeland. They are grounded by their community, even as they move around the U.S. [34:08] We're all in relationship with each other. We have interconnectedness. People step up and lead at different times. Think of it as a circle. In the community, you give when you're healthy and when you're in need, others give to you. When you're connected, it's not about ego, or who's in charge. There is an integrity that you will help, reach out, and step up in the community. It's reciprocity. Twitter: @NAC_Phoenix Facebook: Native American Connections YouTube: Native American Connections LinkedIn: Native American Connections Website: Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center Quotable Quotes "It's life-changing. It's life-saving. The mission is the same — the way we care about people." "We recognize [in] people — regardless of their past — what their future potential is." "I was highly influenced by those healers, early on." "There were several of those healers that took life very simply. They were committed to the environment … to people's human spirit." "To really have a sustainable service organization you have to have a really sustainable business model." Decisions need to be made in view of their effect on the next seven generations. "[In the Native American communities] 'enough' is about when everybody is interconnected and everybody is taken care of." "I give when I'm healthy, and when I'm in need, other people give to me." Bio Diana "Dede" Yazzie Devine, Native American Connections President/CEO has been working with Native American urban and tribal entities since 1972 and has been the CEO of Native American Connections (NAC) since 1979. NAC is a 501 (c) 3 Native American operated nonprofit corporation that provides comprehensive behavioral health services that integrate Native cultural and traditional healing practices, affordable housing, and community-based economic development opportunities. NAC serves all populations with a targeted mission to serve Native Americans living both in the Phoenix urban area and from tribal communities. NAC has developed, owns and operates over 700 units of affordable housing for working families and permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals. Ms. Devine has an MBA from Arizona State University and holds International and State licenses in substance abuse counseling. In addition, she dedicates her time to local, state and national boards/committees. Ms. Devine's leadership and dedication have been recognized within the community. She has received numerous awards including; Valley Leadership's Woman of the Year; Organization for Nonprofit Executives Director of the Year; YWCA's Business Leader Award; Centennial Legacy Project – Arizona's 48 Most Intriguin

Evan Hafer is the CEO and Founder of Black Rifle Coffee Company, with annual growth of over 750%, and a goal to hire 10,000 veterans. Listen to Evan's ideas on setting priorities, solving business problems, and getting to 'mission accomplished,' in this conversation with Jim and Jan. Key Takeaways [3:38] As Evan developed in business, he put together structures that helped him get to 'mission accomplished.' First came learning from a book, then understanding the wisdom of what he learned, and then applying it through manpower and resources. [16:10] The most important lesson Evan has learned is that if you work long enough and hard enough at something, you're going to make a result. You have to apply more energy than you've ever applied and when you think you don't have anything left, you go further. Quitting is not an option. Failure is not a choice. It doesn't exist. What gets you to success is effective prioritization of work. Triage your time. [19:40] Civilians at Black Rifle help the Special Operations veterans dial back their mission urgency and work tasks into regular schedules and projects. Evan has a goal to hire 10,000 vets. He is working on franchising and corporate stores. He will start with 20 franchises in 2018 and will ramp up to hundreds. [27:06] Evan uses cut-to-the-bone candor when necessary. Business is problem-solving. Evan cuts the fluff and gets directly to the point. He doesn't hide who he is to appeal to people that do not support veterans or the Second Amendment. He would rather people see him up front and buy his products in authenticity. [32:01] Evan explains some of the effects of war on military personnel. An introspective veteran becomes a warrior philosopher based on their experiences. He is grateful every day to be here with his family when some of his friends are no longer here. [33:48] Evan reflects on how service and combat reshape character. He urges people who have deployed to use that experience in the greatest way they can, and grow from it. You have to decide to fight and win. That's the first step. Embrace the positive and flush the negative. [38:27] Define your success criteria before moving into a specific objective. You might not achieve the exact results; that doesn't mean you have failed. There's always another solution to the problem. If you quit, you have chosen to fail. Facebook: Black Rifle Coffee Company Check the More tab to look at opening a franchise. Instagram: @BlackRifleCoffee Instagram: @EvanHafer Twitter: @BlckRifleCoffee YouTube: Black Rifle Coffee Website: BlackRifleCoffee.com Quotable Quotes "I always tell people I was an OK Green Beret and I'm trying to be a good businessman but I pride myself on being a great father." "I'm not going to be remembered for my coffee. I'm going to be remembered by my children for being a halfway decent guy." "You can't control everything that people write about you and you can't control people when they take creative latitude." "The single most effective gift the military gave me, they gave to me when I was 18 years old and that was confidence." "They instilled the dumb idea that you can accomplish anything with the correct amount of energy and the right team." "You start to really refine — what does that mean, to have mission accomplished? Then you start putting structure behind that." "When I left the military I wrote … my mission objective … to emancipate myself from government service and to become successful." "My work, my job, my company of Black Rifle Coffee is quite literally just my value proposition to my family." "Nobody controls my destiny but me." Evan prizes spending more time with his family to be a better father and husband. "War will humble you. Regardless of what mission you've had … or how … you've been trained … Everybody is equal in a gunfight." "This is a customer service issue. We're not going to lose life, limb, or eyesight. We can take care of these customers, make it right, and we'll move forward." "We're not fighting Al Qaeda, anymore, guys! Dial it back a little bit. Everybody doesn't need to be a Tier 1 Operator." "As soon as I pass the threshold into my home, it's all about family, and I just try to focus completely all my attention, … on my family.""if you work long enough, hard enough, at something, you're going to make a result." "[Profit can be,] how much will this give me as far as individual freedom, down the road, or a profit back into my account?" "If you're [prioritizing] on a regular basis, you will be able to spend most of your time working on the things that will pay off in big results." "At any point in time, we could move from coffee company to direct action kinetic operations." "War has been the single most defining thing of my character and my life." "There's not a day that goes by in my life that I'm not thankful for being here and it has re-prioritized my value system." "Embrace the positive and flush the negative. … Every day there's an opportunity to reinvent yoursel

Laura Love, is the Founder and Chief Cultural Officer of GroundFloor Media, Inc., which has been recognized four times by OUTSIDE magazine as one of the top five Best Places to Work in America (including twice at No. 1). Laura joins Jim and Jan in a discussion about building a startup around a vision of shared values and culture, and shares leadership basics learned over the years that have given her company an attrition rate of 2 percent (the metric). Key Takeaways [2:21] Laura believes that investing time in the hiring process, including informal meetings, helps discover if a candidate will be a good fit. Immediate and thorough onboarding brings a new associate into the culture and teaches them the values. It is essential for associates to feel welcome and wanted. [5:08] Laura wants people to feel that the company is a family that always has each other's back. Extending the family to their clients means getting to know them on a personal level. Feedback to clients comes from a place of integrity and support. [6:30] Laura started GroundFloor Media from her basement, and she wanted to design a company where people were treated like human beings and where people actually wanted to work because it didn't feel like work. [12:58] Laura finds that being personally open and vulnerable with her team allows her team to be open with her when they are going through difficulties. [14:13] Laura hires based on values. She has filled her company with people who embrace the same values and culture so she knows they will make the decisions she would make if she were present. [18:34] People remember the words you speak and the feeling behind them. If a leader is not aligned with the words they speak, people will notice. Be intentional and be aligned with what you say. [26:36] Laura depends on peer groups, and meets quarterly with a forum and checks in with them monthly. She has a 'painful 7:00 a.m. accountability call' each week with a peer, where they share experiences, not advice. Laura offers three reasons to get involved. It can be lonely at the top, so feedback advisors are crucial. You are in this together and learn from each other. Your forum is loyal. [29:57] Laura has one-on-one walking meetings to give associates space to unpack their dreams for her. Then she empowers them to work on that development ideal for four weeks and report back to her. [32:25] Laura puts an emphasis on hiring people who are smart and able to go create and to make decisions. Laura's entrepreneur father taught her to do business on a handshake. Use contracts but business should be based on trust and respect, and with people whose company you want to keep. To make the business world better, deal with people you like and respect. We all work harder because of it. Website: GroundFloorMedia.com LinkedIn: Laura Love Twitter: @LoveGFM Facebook: LoveGFM Quotable Quotes "Culture is like a heartbeat. You can really feel it when you walk into a room of any company that has a strong culture." "We are a family, … we have each others' back, and that extends to our clients, as well. We are part of their family." "I knew that I knew how to do PR. I never imagined owning a company." People who see the silver lining in every situation can learn from bad experiences and apply the good in new circumstances.Unless you are open and vulnerable and allow people to support you in your journey, they will not engage with you when they go through trials. "If you hire correctly and you hire based on values, then it doesn't matter as much that you're not in the room, anymore." Much of leadership is about hiring the right people and creating a culture where it's very intentional but organic. Culture is set from the top but if it's only a mandate from the top and it's not embraced, it will never flourish. People remember the words you speak and the feeling behind them. If a leader is not aligned with the words they speak, people can sense that. Leaders give takeaways. The goal is to have people hear you and create their own takeaway. "Everyone has a chance and a choice. They choose 'in.' And if they choose out of our organization I will support them fully." "If [a development goal] comes from me, it's not going to be as impactful as if it's something they're dreaming." "I hire people much smarter than I am and I get the hell out of their way." "Do business with people you like and respect. We all work harder because of it." "The biggest learning I've had … is so simple, but it's just — be real. People are so comfortable when somebody's real." "It may mean that it looks messy … it may be painting outside the numbers but at least it's your artwork and it's exactly who you are." "I would tell people that are younger and starting out — don't try and be any different than who you are." Put together a list for the year of 52 things you will do that scare you or you have never done before. Bio In 2001, Laura Love decided to take a leap of faith and create a public relations age

Chris Laping, Author, Co-Founder and CEO at People Before Things, LLC, joins Jan and Jim in a discussion about change — why it seems so straightforward but fails so often. The key to change is a culture of empowerment and respect. Chris shares the genesis of the philosophy of People Before Things and how it grew from his leadership roles in IT. His curiosity led him to explore the conditions that prepare people for change and conditions that block change. Change is not a function of a team's attitude but of their preparation and capacity. It is the role of the leader to prepare the team, communicate the why and how to them, and grant them the space to perform the necessary change in a culture of empowerment. Key Takeaways [4:47] Chris explains how he developed the framework for People Before Things. He stepped into IT leadership and found that it was difficult to build organizational buy-in for change. He looked for patterns to explain success or lack of success and he learned that change was not the end user's problem but a leadership opportunity. [5:35] Chris sees two patterns for successful change: first, enable people for change by nurturing conditions that set people up for change, and second, activate people for change by nurturing conditions that inspire engagement and make team members willing accomplices to the change. Someone who is already heavily scheduled won't work on the change if it is not given space. [8:06] Respect, collaboration, trust, and a unified vision are the attributes for project success. Leaders don't always have these in their toolbox. Their toolbox is getting work done, performance, excellence, and continuous improvement. They need to intertwine a culture of empowerment with the tools of getting work done. Chris gauges a company's health by how they tackle tough problems together. [11:01] There is always change in an IT department. It is not the technology that solves problems. Chris has seen many managers become enamored with technology as an end, and not as a means to an end. Finance and HR leaders are especially susceptible to this. Building business capability is the goal. This is people's work, not technology's work. Culture is more critical than technology. [15:43] Initiating technology projects without basing them on the culture sets up failure. Communicating and training on the technology is no substitute for communicating why there is new technology, and how it fits in the mission. [19:27] In the IT world there is often talk about executive sponsors. It should be executive ownership, not just sponsorship. Executives need to emphasize how important this change is in the organization. They need to show up and be involved all the time. They need to be invested in the team and the team's success. Executives and their team together need to be accountable to the same outcome and results. [24:20] Chris's father and other great leaders modeled intellectual curiosity and asking questions. Feedback loops require not just asking for feedback but actually doing something about the feedback. The important thing Chris learned from leaders is that questions led to action about the information. This reinforces the feedback loop. People learn their input will be heard, considered, and used. [27:36] Chris offers two disruptive ideas: first, that change is a leadership opportunity. It's not about team members refusing to change but about leaders enabling change. The heavy lifting is getting your team into position to win. The second idea is that real change happens at the grassroots level. It is important to get a common voice established in the rank and file. They often hold the key to solutions. [29:57] Chris talks about offsite meetings. If your takeaway is a strategy that you will increase sales and improve profitability, you wasted your time. Your team comes to work daily already knowing this. Rather than spending time stating the obvious, get aligned on a common goal and why that goal is important. [32:32] Chris defines strategy as prioritization. Treat resources as precision tools to apply in just the right place. Don't let abundant resources make you complacent. Keep a sharp focus to reinvest in the things that bring the most benefit. Prioritize the two or three things that matter the most. [37:31] Chris's advice for his 10-year-younger version of himself: Be patient. Writing a book, sharing ideas, and building strong awareness for those ideas can be a slow build. There are no overnight successes. Chris starts from square one every day with his message, because most people haven't heard them. Website: PeopleBeforeThings.co LinkedIn: Chris Laping Twitter: @CIOChris Facebook: People Before Things Quotable Quotes Chris learned creativity from his classical pianist mother and structure from his Navy Commander father. Leaders enable and activate people for change. "It became very clear that the patterns around success … really had to do with me and that change wasn't my end users' pro

Sandee Kastrul, President and Cofounder of i.c.stars, had an epiphany while meeting with a former student. It wasn't enough to just teach knowledge, she found it's vital to build avenues of opportunity. She co-founded i.c.stars to develop business, service, and civic leaders in the inner city to transform a community. Sandee explains that change only comes when hope and ambition are present, so she engages participants in learning technical skills, employment skills, and life skills, which yields a 90% placement rate with 80% retention in the technology arena. Sandee and i.c.stars attack the root causes of oppression and inspire leadership and self-direction. Key Takeaways [3:08] Sandee was a math and science teacher and also taught diversity to teachers. She noticed that kids who faced real adversity had great resiliency. She met students where they were and taught science concepts to fit their understanding. In a journey to freedom, the kids broke scholastic records. [8:18] One of Sandee's brilliant former students came back to her, making less than minimum wage as an undocumented worker in cleaning services. His attitude was that leadership was creating opportunities for others, as Sandee had taught him, and he felt was doing that. That moment changed Sandee's career path. She knew just teaching was not enough to help these students. They needed real opportunities. [10:13] Sandee saw that technology, systems thinking, methodology, problem solving, and solution building would give great opportunities in IT and be a blueprint to teach community leadership. Sandee took a year-and-a-half to study schools and learn how to build a curriculum. I.c.stars launched in 2000. The first group all went on to work at dot-coms. But then the bubble burst, so I.c.stars pivoted to work with enterprise CIOs. [11:33] I.c.stars helps people rise above their Zip Codes. Graduates have a 90% placement rate and an 80% retention rate in the industry, including the bubble bursting and the '08 recession. Graduates have, on average, a 400% increase in pay from taking the program. Within half a year they make more than their parents do, putting them in a position to give. [13:30] Sandee describes alums being community leaders and advocates, making donations into the community, volunteering, and buying homes in the neighborhoods they grew up in, while they commute two hours to work in the suburbs. I.c.stars provides support for alums that make the choice to be leaders in and strengthen the good in their communities. [16:47] I.c.stars has a daily activity, High Tea, when volunteer business executives meet with, teach, and model for interns the expectations of the workplace that are different from participant experiences. The interns are at the center of business development. Beside the hard skills, they also learn social skills. [21:06] To be agents of change in our communities, we have to be able to gather the requirements, listen, cut an issue, and receive as well as give. We need to accept change, and ask what changes we want to see in ourselves. [23:17] Like Special Forces teams, i.c.stars works on root causes of problems, not on symptoms. I.c.stars develops business leaders, service leaders visible in the community, and civic leaders. When three types of leaders are talking together, it turns into a virtuous circle of change. [29:46] Sandee screens intern candidates for resiliency with seven existential questions asked in a panel interview. The questions get to locus of control, accountability, responsibility, and how we see ourselves in the world. The interview is remarkably predictive of success in the program and in leadership. [34:56] I.c.stars has a goal of creating 1,000 business leaders by 2020. In Chicago there are about 400 alum leaders. In 2016 they opened in Columbus. They plan to open in Milwaukee early in 2018. They plan to move into more cities. Sandee sees the goal as on track. [37:19] Sandee had received a grant for self-discovery, and she used it for world travel, including a trip to participate in the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford. That year the Dalai Lama attended. Twitter: @SandeeKastrul LinkedIn: Sandee Kastrul Website: Sandee.icstars.org Website: Icstars.org High Tea: Icstars.org/engage/high-tea Past Events: Icstars.org/events/past/special Quotable Quotes "Kids who had faced a lot of adversity … just getting to school safely, had developed a resiliency toolkit." "As teachers, unless we're both learning and teaching, we're only doing half of our job." "[What if we] used that problem solving and solution building as a blueprint to also teach community leadership?" "75% of our alums are giving and giving back to the community financially, volunteering, engaging, as business leaders, … mentoring … as policy leaders." "What if we define success not by getting out of the 'hood, but by investing back in? What would that look like?" "We believe that if you take all of the talent out of the nei

Louis Efron is the author of Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, and How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love, and also a contributing writer for Forbes and Huffington Post.The discussion starts with Louis's journey through theater, the corporate world, and how he came to see big disconnects between personal purpose and corporate purpose. Louis created a Purpose Alignment Score to help individuals discover their personal purpose alignment in life by asking questions about themselves (http://LouisEfron.com) . Key Takeaways [3:42] In Purpose Meets Execution, Louis writes that businesses need to rethink the fundamental drivers for success. Most employees do not see the P&L statement and they have other drivers. Employees are motivated by the purpose of the business beyond the P&L. [7:07] It takes a leap of faith to change. There is a fear in focusing on something other than P&L. But studies show that having purpose gives a greater ROI than profit alone, and new generations of workers will search for jobs that embody purpose and mission. [9:39] Tesla Motors created a role for Louis of Head of Global Employee Engagement and Louis held it for a year or two. Six years ago, Tesla had 600 employees; now they have over 30,000 in an organization that prizes purpose. The job was a catalyst for Louis's thinking. [11:27] Culture and mission start at the top. If the top is broken, the whole organization is broken. In a large organization, with a clear purpose, you have to make sure that everyone at every level is executing their daily work and seeing how it connects to the same purpose. [14:33] Living for years in Europe and Japan, Louis learned that there are cultural differences in different nations. In a big, global organization the goal is always to be the same, where possible; different, where needed. You have to learn how to leverage cultural nuances to deliver what you want to deliver. There's a lack of understanding how people see things differently in different parts of the world. [24:37] Louis has a video, "The Disengaged Clown," on his site. Louis wrote it, directed it, and acted in it. It is about a party clown who finds clowning is not his calling in life. The moral is to find your strength. Our stories influence our behavior, culture, and environment. Louis compares directing a stage production to leading a corporate organization. [29:04] If you get people connected to your organization to believe in what you believe (not to think the same as you, but to accept your purpose), that's going to play out to your customer. It helps you sell more authentically. It is a bridge between the personal and the corporate. [32:14] A culture of trust eliminates fear. People challenge, and contribute new ideas. They know if they fail, and learn from it, they can bring about better ways. A culture of fear stifles innovation and it all falls apart. LinkedIn: Louis Efron Twitter: @LouisEfron Website: LouisEfron.com Website: PurposeMeetsExecution.com Search for Louis on Forbes and Huffington Post Quotable Quotes "Employees don't get out of bed in the morning to … add $10 million to a top line." "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." — Wayne Dyer "In a big, global organization the goal is always to be 'same,' where possible; different, where needed." You are responsible for your own curiosity. "A great culture is built on trust." "As a leader, you need to both say the right things and do the right things but doing the right things matters much more." If you're talking a lot about trust in your organization, it probably doesn't exist there. "The more you can be yourself in life, the more successful you'll be." "Great leaders believe in who they are. They're authentic, they communicate in an authentic way, and they live what they're saying." When you have trust, it eliminates fear. People are willing to challenge, bring new ideas, fail and learn from it, to create new ideas. Bio Louis Efron is the author of How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love and Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, a contributing writer for Forbes and Huffington Post. Books mentioned in this episode How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love: A journey to purpose, fulfillment and life happiness, by Louis Efron Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, by Louis Efron (Also available at Barnes & Noble) Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek The Experience Economy, by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore

Daniel H. Pink, the #1 bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is Human, unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing to help you flourish at work, at school, and at home. Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't know much about timing itself. Our lives as leaders are a never-ending stream of "when" decisions: when to start a business, when to hire people, when to deal with sunk costs, when to take on debt, etc. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. Timing, it's often assumed, is an art. In When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, we learn that timing is really a science. Key Takeaways The discussion starts with the topic of the Free Agent Nation - people working for themselves. Asked about Autonomy and Solitude as "motivators" versus the need for Collaboration as a team, Dan says that leadership needs to provide a balance between the two. He says the challenge is the architecture - both physically and metaphorically. He says that leaders should provide the same autonomy inside and outside the organization; and a sense of purpose whether the team member is full-time, part-time, or contracted. [4:07] By 2020, 43% of the workforce will be in the 'gig' economy. This requires different work environments and skills from leaders. Daniel wrote Free Agent Nation in 2001, before smartphones. In the years since, the difference between employee and freelancer has shrunk. [5:56] Leaders influence, persuade, convince, and cajole. These leadership roles are sales activities. and effort, time, commitment, belief, and zeal are the currency. Leaders and sales reps have little coercive power. Both roles must be adept at broadly influencing people. [7:41] 'If/then' motivators are effective only for simple, short-term tasks. Most leaders undervalue questions of timing in leadership decisions. They think of who, what, and how, but don't consider when to do it. The book, When -is really about the science of timing… and that leaders have systematically undervalued questions of when and timing when making critical decisions. Too often leaders focus on who, what and how, and short shrift when. Time management and timing overlap. [9:28] "Time-of-day explains about 20% of the variance in human performance on the sorts of tasks people perform at work." Timing is important. Leaders can boost productivity, creativity, and team performance at essentially no cost by putting the right task during the right time of day. "All times of day are not created equal." [11:34] Be conscious of the stages of the day. THere are three stages - peak, trough, and rebound. Your best analytic and focused work is done in the peak time. The trough period is when you lose attention. Administrative tasks could be done in this time. The rebound period is an ideal time for creative and collaborative work. Doing the right work at the right time will lift performance. [14:40] Chronobiology: There are morning people (larks) and evening people (owls). Younger people are more often owls, and older workers are more often larks. For example, people aged 14-24 are usually Owls, so you need to allow for rhythms according to their ages (no meetings at 7am for a young team!). [19:19] Daniel explains the new ABCs of Selling: Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity. Attunement is the difficult leadership skill of seeing from another's point of view. Clarity is communicating intent. Leaders need to explain the what, the why, and the significance of the mission. Buoyancy represents treating everyone fairly. Attunement is seeing someone's else's point of view (a little different than empathy). As for "Commander's Intent" - people often don't know what they're supposed to do and how it fits in at a strategic level; which is a leadership imperative. Other ways to communicate intent: Here's why; Here's what it means to all of us; and Here's why it's significant... [22:53] Daniel takes organizations through an exercise described in "DRIVE," he calls "Whose Purpose Is It, Anyway?" That is, what's the purpose of this company? It reveals that many employees have no idea about the purpose of their company. It leads to discussion of an organization finding their purpose. [27:10] From the book DRIVE, Daniel says we have an innate drive to grow, but we can only do it with information on how we are doing. Leaders need to give continual feedback to employees. Weekly, informal one-on-ones work well for that. Leaders need to be coached on how to do them. Asked, "What drives you, Dan?" He say he was making timing decisions in a haphazard way, and wanted to make better decisions about when to spend time. [31:37] Most people are curious about something. Leaders are taught to talk, not to listen, and to answer questions, not to ask them. Curiosity can be developed somewhat... If you get better at asking questions and listening, you'll get better at being curious. This also requires patience. Dan is committed to reading more - at 30 minutes per day. How abou

Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel, Director of Whole Health System at the Veterans' Hospital and Clinics in Tampa, Florida, and Director of the THRIVE Program, reveals her grit in bringing ancient philosophies of care to meet the whole needs of veteran patients. Key Takeaways [5:11] Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel made herself over with introspection and self-compassion with four prongs: understanding herself and having self-compassion, understanding her veteran patients as part of the tribe, serving leaders by understanding their values, and understanding the VA's organizational goals. [11:52] Jacquelyn's training years were filled with the stress associated with terror. Stress can be productive depending on how you perceive it. Negative stress can cause damage. Positive stress can be healthy. If you exercise grit, you build confidence in yourself. [16:47] Early on, Jacquelyn collided with a medical practice's traditional culture with her new ideas and agenda. This created tremendous stress and daily scrutiny due to the lack of trust. Her grit came into play when she was on notice every day for a year to perform under pressure. She learned that she wasn't stuck. She could always change where she was and the way she behaved. It was a valuable lesson. [31:47] Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel is at the tip of the spear of changing minds and behaviors in a field that's not known for changing quickly. Hold your uniqueness without displaying it. [36:51] Jacquelyn explains THRIVE, a multi-disciplinary 14-week program that brings veterans together in a standardized curriculum based on positive psychology, integrative medicine or understanding self, and acceptance and commitment therapy. In the 14 weeks, the veterans form a tribe and support each other. The teaching staff also learns how to teach again. [42:35] Leaders find value every day in their own work, model their passion for others, and then allow them to find what makes them tick to interact with the world in a valuable way. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DrPaykel_OBGYN Facebook: @Dr.JacquelynPaykel LinkedIn: Jacquelyn Paykel Quotable Quotes "It's in belonging — feeling like we belong — that we really can live our best life." "Stress is a very significant aspect of my training years. … there's a significant amount of stress even now … it's a 24/7 job." "If you don't have barriers up, people will naturally migrate towards you to help." You can change where you are and you can change the way you behave. And sometimes you have to change both. Hippocrates emphasized the natural aspects of medical care and doctors are getting back to that. "It really is about kind and compassionate care that will help these individuals heal. Each treatment has a placebo effect." "What I needed to do was acclimate and people needed to acclimate to me." When you move into a new situation, understand the environment and prove your worth to the people on the ground. "When people have confidence in you then you can do those creative processes and move forward from there." "We as leaders generally find value in what we do every day ... but it's our obligation to model that for other individuals." Bio Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel is a gynecologist and integrative medicine physician who trained at the University of Wisconsin and completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine under the direction of Andrew Weil. She is a United States Navy Veteran. Dr. Paykel has practiced in private and academic settings since separating from the Navy but found her way back home with the Veterans Health Administration in 2014. Currently, she is the Director of Whole Health System at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics in Tampa, Florida. She is also the Director of the THRIVE (Transforming Health and Resiliency through Integration of Values-based Experiences) Program, a novel health care approach that is based upon the tenets of Integrative Medicine, Positive Psychology, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Books mentioned in this episode Wired to Eat: Turn Off Cravings, Rewire Your Appetite for Weight Loss, and Determine the Foods That Work for You, by Robb Wolf

Dr. Sudip Bose, one of the world's leading physicians, and an entrepreneur, philanthropist, Bronze Star recipient and CNN Hero, shares what he learned in the emergency room and on the battlefield on how to inspire others to find their grit and lead. Key Takeaways [9:47] In the military, Sudip learned to rise to challenges. Work out, strengthen your mind, and keep your principles. You are responsible for the people you lead. [11:58] Optimism is contagious but maintain realism. Leadership balances the qualitative and quantitative aspects. Vision is qualitative. Profit margins are quantitative. Balance optimism and realism. [20:42] Authenticity lets you make the tough decisions in the right way. Sudip recalls working on the insurgent who had just killed his friend. [22:43] Communicating well is the one critical skill that 91% of employees in a Harris Poll said that leaders lack. The same survey said business leaders and managers lack emotional intelligence in how they communicate. Praise success and take the blame for mistakes. The buck stops here. [31:35] Studying is different from being in the field. You can prepare so much, but fresh challenges will come, and you will be shot at. Go back to your training and stick with your principles, and learn from it. [35:06] Sudip speaks to groups and uses the funds to help injured veterans. He translates experiences from the emergency room and the military into lessons tailored to the audience. Leaders are born, but they are not born leaders. Sudip froze at his first medical code. Leaders learn from their mistakes and experiences. They have to learn the quantitative and qualitative aspects of their roles. [36:39] Successful people have grit. Find your grit and be the leader you want to be. Passion goes with grit and perseverance. Use your life's experiences to improve. Sudip says if he can go from freezing at a code to becoming a leading physician, then anyone can use their grit to improve and succeed. Facebook: @Dr.SudipBose Twitter: @DocBose LinkedIn: Dr. Sudip Bose Website: TheBattleContinues.org Website: SudipBoseSpeaker.com Website: LiveClinic.com Website: SudipBose.com Website: Leadership-Under-Pressure.com Website: KeepYourInnerArmyStrong.com Website: AceYourBoards.com Quotable Quotes "Being a servant leader, you serve the people you lead." "Courage isn't necessarily the absence of fear. It's just knowing that there's something larger." "[Emergencies] bring you to the edge of your discomfort and you learn from it so that you can be a better leader later." Leaders balance confidence and optimism with the realities of a tough situation. "If you can't inspire yourself, how the heck are you going to inspire others?" "Mistakes are good. Mistakes mean decisions are being made, and we'll fix [the mistakes]." Authenticity overcomes concerns about being liked. "We like to be liked as leaders ... but ... you have to balance the qualitative and the quantitative." "Healthy and productive communication requires connection, but it also requires authenticity." "When there's success, give credit. When there's error, take the blame." Find your grit. "In history, no leaders have had to process so much information to make a simple decision." It's easy to be a giver, considering all that has been given to you by so many. Bio Sudip Bose, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, is a former major in the U.S. Army and an Iraq war veteran, and selected as the U.S. physician who treated Saddam Hussein after his capture, for which he was honored as a "CNN Hero." He is a practicing emergency physician at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, TX and serves as the City Medical Director for Odessa. For his outstanding work in medicine, Dr. Bose has been recognized as one of the "World's Leading Physicians" as well as one of "America's Healthcare Leaders." Dr. Bose continues to serve his country. His prior experience influenced him to start www.TheBattleContinues.org, a nonprofit charity which helps veterans and educates the public on healthcare. Recognized as one of the "Leading Physicians of the World" by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals. Iraq war veteran, recognized as a "CNN Hero" for receiving the Bronze Star and being selected as the US physician who treated Saddam Hussein after his capture. He served one of the longest continuous combat tours by a military physician since World War II. Books mentioned in this episode Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value, by Bill George Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth

Brent Sopel, 2010 Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, reveals how loyalty, and showing vulnerability inspired his teammates to better their game. He says that's what needed for team versus individual success. Key Takeaways [8:37] Brent was on a hockey team at age five. He learned team loyalty then. You win as a team, or you don't win. Every time he put the jersey on he was going to give it his all. [13:55] Brent was brought into the Blackhawks as an older player to mentor the young defense players. He showed them his vulnerabilities on the ice and let them be vulnerable so they could learn to improve. That team won the Stanley Cup in 2010, and some of the young players became Blackhawks superstars. [16:17] The 2010 Blackhawks team was the first team Brent had been on that got along so well. There were no groups, only the team. Everyone respected everybody and their roles. [19:02] Focus 100% on the task at hand. Have your mind in a good place. Be 100% committed. Visualize what you need to do before you do it, to clear your mind of all distractions. On the ice, Brent was so intent that he didn't care if he was going to break his hand or his leg blocking a puck. He was never the most skilled but he could always work harder than anybody. [25:55] Executives that have not been on a team have trouble working together. If you are not committed to your team, you will struggle as individuals and as a company.

Matthew "Griff" Griffin, CEO of Combat Flip Flops, shares his vision to use business... to end war. They make cool stuff in dangerous places. Griff believes lives are rarely lost to error, but opportunities are often lost. He says leaders need to refine their skills to keep their 'voluntary' team showing up; and performing... every day. Key Takeaways [3:28] Griff lives by a quote from his Pararescue friend Christopher Robertson: "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." Master every aspect of anything you plan to do. When his advertising was misfiring and the company was failing, Griff researched intensively, tested and iterated, and hit the bullseye. [11:14] Griff shares the vision of Combat Flip Flops — use business to end war. They make cool stuff in dangerous places. [15:11] Griff knew Special Operations would be their core customer from the start and their products would trickle down through society. [17:40] Paint a good picture of what success looks like and your team will get themselves there. [20:32] In business, lives are rarely lost to error, but opportunities are often lost. Business leaders need to refine their skills to keep their 'voluntary' team showing up and performing every day. [24:50] Combat Flip Flops designed a Texas Flip Flop for Hurricane Harvey survivors. 100% of the profits from it will be donated to buy food, mattresses and clean bedding for Hurricane Harvey survivors. With help from Mark Cuban they've raised thousands of dollars on Indiegogo. [28:50] Griff talks about scaling from shipping daily from his garage to running a hugely successful company. A portion of every sale goes to support school girls in Afghanistan. [31:46] Adventure Not War documented climbing Mount Halgurd in Iraq, which was very healing for Griff after his war experiences. [36:04] Griff hopes politicians look at Combat Flip Flops and see a better way than war to achieve goals. Facebook: @Combatflipflops Instagram: @Combatflipflops Twitter: @Combatflipflops Soundcloud: @Combatflipflops Facebook: Griff Instagram: @CFF.Griff LinkedIn: Matt Griffin Website: CombatFlipFlops.com CFF News: Floperator Winter Summit of Iraq's Tallest Peak With The North Face CFF News: Google Named Combat Flip Flops in their 2017 Economic Impact Report TEDx Tacoma: The power of persistence, creativity, and respect, Matthew Griffin, TEDx Quotable Quotes "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." — Christopher Robertson Overdo it in the research on one end and on the spending on the other end. "We really want our friends, and our family, and our fellow service members to stop deploying ... to endless wars." "We don't look at this as a one- or a two-year game. We look at this in … decades. We're going to be at this for a while." If you don't understand something your team is doing, admit you don't understand it and ask for an explanation. Your goal is to have your team succeed. The three tenets of leadership are purpose, direction, and motivation. Show your team what success looks like and they will get themselves there. "Cash is king. … I look at money like I look at bullets. … The more I have, the more effective I can be at my job." "We scaled 450% last year, and we did it on cash." "We can mathematically show you why we have to diversify our products, and we can show you down to the penny." "Drop by drop a river is made." Bio Matthew "Griff" Griffin is a 2001 USMA graduate, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran with 2d Ranger Battalion, and CEO of Combat Flip Flops. Mr. Griffin co-founded Combat Flip Flops in Kabul, Afghanistan. Griff specialized in developing solutions for companies growing business in "difficult" locations. A Graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Engineering Management, Griff served in the 75th Ranger Regiment as a Rifle Company Fire Support Officer with three tours to Afghanistan and one tour to Iraq. Post military, Mr. Griffin moved to the private sector as the Director of Military Sales for Remote Medical International and the director of Special Operations for Protect the Force. Griff currently serves as a logistics officer for Team 5 Foundation. In the off time, you can find Griff slaying powder on skis, dirt on bikes, or big game with carbon fiber arrows. Books mentioned in this episode Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, by Simon Sinek

Robert Glazer, founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners, and is focused on personal motivation, and coaching people to go well beyond what they have done before. Key Takeaways [5:52] Employees come into a company, they leave, and they advocate for the company. Citing Lee Caraher's The Boomerang Principle, Bob notes that his companies maintain partnerships with alumni. [13:16] There must be room for failure. A failed campaign can inform a better campaign, after a debrief. [16:38] Bob talks about performance and capacity. Capacity is like a balloon. You can learn to perform up to your capacity and then you can learn to grow your capacity more than you have ever done. [17:45] When people have work struggles, their struggles are often tied to personal issues. [27:18] Your zone of strength is where you excel. [29:45] A turning point on Bob's leadership journey was learning to ask, "Who are you? What do you value? What do you really want from life?" When you can align your life around all of that, you'll be extremely successful. If your job supports your core purpose, then you're going to be happy. Facebook: Robert Glazer Twitter: @Robert_Glazer LinkedIn: Robert Glazer Book site: Performance-Partnerships.com Blog site: FridayFwd.com Podcast: Accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/ Website: AccelerationPartners.com Website: BrandCycle.com Website: RobertSGlazer.com Quotable Quotes Real relationships can be sustained through good times and bad. Win-win is the essence of performance Trust = Character & Competence When 20% is R&D, failures are not catastrophic. If you knew something would work in advance of trying it, you could be on a beach somewhere. Coaching people to where they should be is Step A of leadership. Step B is getting them to do more than they've ever done. "Almost every big new idea I have comes out of travel." The worst thing you can do is work on your weaknesses. Be aware of them, but spend your time in your zone of strength. "If you haven't actually figured out where you're trying to go, it's very hard to lead others." Bio Robert Glazer is the Founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners, an industry-leading affiliate program management agency that helps preeminent brands, including adidas, ModCloth, Reebok, Target, Gymboree, and Warby Parker, establish and grow transparent, brand-aligned, and performance-driven affiliate programs. Robert is also the co-founder and Chairman of BrandCycle and the author of the inspirational blog, Friday Forward. His passion for sharing his experiences and expertise in internet marketing, affiliate marketing, and marketing strategy has made him a sought-after speaker across the globe. He is respected for his ability to explain the oft-misunderstood world of affiliate marketing, where it is headed, and why the affiliate model is such an important part of a growing company's business. In addition to writing the globally best-selling book, Performance Partnerships, The Checkered Past, Changing Present and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing, Robert is a regular contributor to numerous outlets, including Entrepreneur, Fast Co, Huffington Post, Success, and Forbes, writing about performance marketing, strategy, and culture. He is the recipient of the Boston Business Journal "40 under 40" award, the SmartCEO Boston Future 50 award, and a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year in New England. You can learn more about Robert at RobertSGlazer.com Books mentioned in this episode Performance Partnerships, The Checkered Past, Changing Present and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing, by Robert Glazer The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees, by Lee Caraher The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience, by Martin Seligman The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen M. R. Covey Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown

Mike Pierce, better known as Antarctic Mike, connects the drivers and principles of Antarctic expedition history stories to the real world of finding, engaging and keeping great people in today's business world. Mike reveals what drives him to take on ridiculously difficult goals. His advice: Don't make assumptions about what others will find challenging. Understand what their prize is. Everyone, every day, is called on to be a leader. Key Takeaways [2:22] Mike's program, "Leading at 90 Below Zero," began when Mike was teaching a four-day leadership course and found inspiration in the book, The Shackleton Way. In a few minutes, he realized there would be many lessons for the real world in the account of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition. [7:02] Ernest Shackleton picked the best people. He started by publishing an extraordinary recruitment piece. More than 5,000 applied. Selection comes down to character. Assuming you pick the right people, you have to make sure they want to go all in. The leader's job is to be the catalyst to get the team, individually and collectively, to push all the chips into the center of the table. [14:03] One of the challenges of hiring is to find the right people. Mike thinks character is not in short supply, but it is time-consuming to find. You have to look at people one at a time. An organization needs to offer an opportunity that's compelling and challenging enough for a candidate to say they want to learn more about it.[16:27] Most good companies have good opportunities, but they don't showcase them very well. Don't let your company drown in the sea of similarity. Mike uses an example to tell how a compelling story can put your company ahead.[21:10] Mike considers how the introversion of an endurance athlete, with their long periods of uninterrupted hours of training, is advantageous in a team member. Each member has to perform at the highest level. You can't allow circumstances to become excuses. You have to overcome them or go around them to go forward. This requires the level of discipline that an endurance athlete acquires. [25:36] Mike's book, The Penguin Principle, was born out of his frustration about mass emailings that had no bearing on him or his needs. The emperor penguin survives the Antarctic winter in teams. Each penguin is more concerned about their mate and their chick than for themselves. Mike would like salespeople to think more about him and his needs than their needs when they contact him. [28:25] Mike discusses the historical background to Shackleton's planned Antarctic crossing. The South Pole had already been reached by a competitor, but no one had gone from one side of Antarctica to another. Ego was a big part of their setting out on an extraordinary two-year expedition. None of them lost hope and they all came back alive. Shackleton played the role of the leader very well. [34:12] Mike reveals what drives him to take on ridiculously difficult goals. He likes to do what no one else has done. He's a disruptor. Everyone defines 'challenge' in a different way. Don't make assumptions about what others will find challenging. Understand what their prize is. Everybody's in the race for a reason. Wake them to their reason. Mike says that everyone, every day, is called to be a leader. Google: Antarctic Mike Facebook: @Antarctic.Mike Twitter: @AntarcticMike LinkedIn: Antarctic Mike (Mike Pierce) YouTube: AntarcticMike Quotable Quotes Everybody's in the race for a reason. Wake them to their reason. The companies that get and keep the best employees and customers are the ones doing things no one has done before. "People have to want to go all in." "The advantage of being by yourself is that the discipline has to be self-imposed." "The best teams … almost don't need a manager … if all the team members have an inherent sense of self-discipline." "Every person, every day is called to lead. Every employee ... has to think on their feet. They have to make decisions." Bio Mike Pierce, better known as Antarctic Mike, works with organizations that want to find, engage and keep the best-performing people. Mike's background professionally started in the recruiting business in 1997, working specifically to show managers and leaders exactly how to identify and recruit the best people. He now speaks across the U.S. and Canada to executive teams, organizations, associations and sales teams about how to lead people so they are fully engaged in what they do. Mike is an avid fan of polar expedition history and is an endurance athlete. In 2006, Mike became one of 9 people to run the first ever Antarctic Ice Marathon and a year later became the first American to run the Antarctic 100k, a grueling 62 miles on an ice shelf 600 miles from the South Pole. His flagship program, Leading at 90 Below Zero, connects the drivers and principles of Antarctic expedition history stories to the real world of finding, engaging and keeping great people in today's business world. Mike has a BA from the

Scott Wintrip, author of High Velocity Hiring, discusses a range of hiring and cultural issues around creating a high performance team. He explains that instead of hiring when an opening occurs, leaders should know their ideal candidate profile, and interview ideal candidates continually. This builds relationships and keeps high potentials in a hiring inventory pipeline, and ready for a position when it comes open. Key Takeaways [2:25] In our fast-paced world, the adage about being slow to hire is wrong. An empty seat is an open wound. The manager has to do their own role, the work of the empty seat, and the work of hiring someone to fill it. A manager doing three jobs is hiring while distracted. We need people readily available to power companies. The first job of leadership is hiring a quality team to lead. [5:51] Build an inventory over time by seeking referrals, having conversations, interviewing the best, and using them to fill positions in a continuing process to stockpile people who are ready as you need them. This takes half the time of rushing to fill an open spot. [11:00] Scott suggests using a hands-on interview where real sample work is completed. This circumvents the 'tell, sell, and swell,' of a normal interview and it begins the assessment process. Top talented candidates don't enjoy a drawn-out multiple-interview process. They appreciate this process of looking ahead and being ready to work together when the time is right. It's cultivating a relationship.[15:14] Start with a 'hire-right profile,' of a list of deal makers, deal breakers, boosts, and blocks. Know the candidate you want, before you start looking. Then talk to and interview people who fit the profile and do some hands-on work with them, looking ahead to future openings. Candidates will last for months or years in your inventory if they think you will be the right company for them.[19:27] Companies with a great brand can afford a grueling hiring experience, for a while, but turnover is high at those companies. Loyalty is earned through culture. Recruit from those companies whose employees are looking around. [29:26] Scott has always looked for things he wasn't doing well to try to find a way to do them better. Early in Scott's hiring career, he found he was a bad interviewer, so he decided to do the exact opposite of what he was doing, as a starting point. That started Scott on the path to hands-on interviewing. His passion comes from improving himself on his entrepreneurial journey. His transparency is relatable. [36:21] Find your hire-right profile in a four-quadrant grid. Upper left is Must Haves. Upper right is Must Not Haves. Lower left is Boosts. Lower right is Blocks. Think of people who have succeeded in the role. List their commonalities as Must Haves. Think of people who were unfit for the role. List their commonalities as Deal Breakers. Then add ideal qualities and negative aspects in the bottom quadrants. Website: HighVelocityHiring.com Twitter: @ScottWintrip LinkedIn: Scott Wintrip Email: [email protected] Website: Wintrip Consulting Group Book: High Velocity Hiring: How to Hire Top Talent in an Instant, by Scott Wintrip SHRM: "6 Steps to Move Hiring Out of the Slow Lane," by Scott Wintrip Top 100 onAmazon: High Velocity Hiring: How to Hire Top Talent in an Instant, by Scott Wintrip Fast Company: "The Deceptively Simple Type of Question Every Interviewer Needs to Know," by Scott Wintrip Forbes: "You're Hired: High Velocity Hiring Techniques," by Kevin Kruse ABC: "How to nail down the job of your dreams without breaking a sweat, with Scott Wintrip" Fox: "High Velocity Hiring" Quotable Quotes "Adages are called old adages for a reason — because they're old and they're tired and they often don't work." "We need people readily available because people power companies." "All great leadership starts with picking the right people with whom you surround yourself." A couple hours of calling and interviewing a month allow you to stockpile people who are ready-to-hire. "Building inventories takes half the time, compared to conventional ways of reacting to an open job." A sales pipeline and a hiring pipeline are really the same. You want to nurture and progress the prospect along the way. "We sell the best parts of ourselves. ... That's not a very good indicator of whether or not somebody's a fit." "Candidates love a 'red carpet' experience; they loathe the 'Survivor-like' interviewing experience." Good leaders want career seekers who look ahead, not job hunters focused on the present. "Companies can live on their brand for a while when it comes to hiring, but it doesn't last forever." "Our best lessons come from our mistakes and how we respond to those mistakes." Engage with people instead of imposing upon them. Say, this is what we going to do, and this is why. How will we do it? "Every day I find something new about myself that I didn't know and that's pretty doggone cool." "I'm a recovering perfectionist, as a lot of th

The hosts of The Leadership Podcast are joined by Scott Mann for a relaxed discussion of what it means to be grateful and thankful.

Kathy Steele, CEO of Red Caffeine Marketing + Technology, discusses her career and bouncing back from a business crucible. After overcoming numerous challenges, her re-launched business is now profitable and growing. She has created an intentional culture with people who share a purpose, and key core values. Kathy pursues agile solutions with a think-tank approach, and how leaders don't ignore the importance of shared values amongst the team. Key Takeaways [5:01] Kathy had a business divorce four years ago that led her to found a new business based on things she believed. To reboot her business she focused on purpose, mission, vision, core values, and the tenets of operating the business. Investing in culture helped triple business revenues in four years.[8:46] Culture Club serves to share financial results, project wins, things that could be improved, education and motivational keynote speakers. [11:14] Kathy embraces open book operations and the 'small giants' philosophies as the right way to do business. After the unfavorable business divorce, Kathy saw transparency as an essential factor in a profitable business. Within the first year, they exceeded sales projections and became debt-free. [17:54] Kathy displayed vulnerability to bring her team together to rally around the financial challenges they faced in the first year, and improve the ways they do things, through gaming elements and mini-games. One game involved time-tracking — time loggers against non-loggers.[21:42] When something doesn't go well, Kathy investigates how she can be more clear about delivering on expectations.[23:40] Kathy depends on a solid go-to-market framework so sales aligns with production and delivery.[25:44] Growth of complexity within the company creates collaboration and teamwork challenges. Kathy aspires to agile solutions for problems, using a think-tank approach. [30:23] Kathy contrasts her younger business self with her leadership approach today. She credits mentors (including her husband) that fueled her successes. [34:30] Running a business is more difficult than Kathy ever imagined and at any stage, there are many different challenges. Seek people who share your values. Website: RedCaffeine.com Twitter: @RedCaffeineInc Twitter: @KathySteele Facebook: Red Caffeine Inc. LinkedIn: Kathy Steele Forbes: "What's In Your 'Stack?' It's Not Just MarTech Driving Business Today" Forbes: "Your Growth Goals Are Unrealistic Unless You Create A Company Growth Engine" B2Community: "Wake Up! How to Create a More Engaged Workplace Culture" Quotable Quotes "It became critically important to me that I founded … a new business … established on things that I believed." "I just honestly don't know why more businesses don't operate 'open book' or embrace the small giant philosophies." "You've got young people working for you; what kind of gift do you give them, to teach them the reality of finance?" "When things don't go well, I really do feel that … there's something that I haven't been clear about." "I really discounted how much values meant until I went through that business divorce." Bio Kathy Steele is passionate about people, serious about business growth, and loves to help the underdog cause in her community. She is fortunate to "do it all" in her role as CEO of Red Caffeine Marketing + Technology. She is the company visionary overseeing growth, strategic partnerships, and employee engagement. Kathy speaks and writes about being an entrepreneur and how marketing impacts business. She is a contributor to Forbes and Business 2 Community. She has delivered keynote presentations, and workshops on branding, marketing, and building business culture. She also has a relentless enthusiasm for great causes, donating her time and expertise to industry groups and non-profit organizations. She is on the Advisory Board for Enterprising Women, an Executive Council Member for the Executive Breakfast Club, Chicago's Local Group Leader for the Small Giants Community, and a Great Game of Business Practitioner. She likes to foster relationships with leaders who share her strong focus on business ethics, social responsibility, and economic sustainability. The Red Caffeine team has contributed over $200,000 in time, talent, and monetary donations to causes in their community since 2014. Red Caffeine, Marketing + Technology is a digital agency that fuels the growth of market-leading brands. To speed up growth demands building a brand that customers want to work with, and employees want to work for. They believe establishing a clear business purpose aligns internal teams and will boost sales. They partner with marketing, sales, and HR teams to create strategies that have both financial and operational impact. Red Caffeine works with recognizable brands like Mitsubishi, Amazon, Elk Grove Village, Baird & Warner and some amazing companies you may not have heard of but manufacturer the products you use every day. In her leisure, Kathy spends time with her wond

Tricia Halsey, Founder & Executive Director of the Big Idea Project, discusses with Jan and Jim how she learned the value of coaching. She was coached as a swimmer to step out of her comfort zone and learned that extending your reach you extend your potential. The Big Idea Project, fueled by Generous Leadership®, is a scholastic project to help students develop leadership skills. Students are mentored to perform meaningful service that creates positive change. For Tricia, leadership is not a set of skills for accomplishment, but a mindset of generosity directed toward building the potential of others. Key Takeaways [2:38] Michelangelo said, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." Tricia sees opportunities the same way, and her most important aspiration is building up people. [4:38] Tricia's favorite building story is one of her first successes, as a high school swim coach. She wanted the team to become better people first and better swimmers second. She sees the potential in people and calls it forth. She coached an awkward JV team into breaking 12 school records and winning in the league for the first time in school history. They all moved to Varsity in one year. [8:36] Tricia credits her high school swimming coach for calling out leadership within her at a young age. Tricia saw a leadership gap and said something has to change. Bosses that think of themselves a lot are not the leaders that people want to follow. [11:52] Tricia elaborates on the courage of forgetting yourself and your fears and looking at building up the people around you and on your team into better people who do better work. The paradigm of generous leadership consists of deeply held beliefs that affect what we think, feel, and do. Generous leadership has a core of empathy. It involves how you see yourself, others, and your place in the world. [13:55] Tricia quotes a post by Simon Sinek, from Leaders Eat Last: "Leaders are the ones who run headfirst into the unknown. They rush toward the danger. They put their own interests aside to protect us or to pull us into the future. Leaders would sooner sacrifice what is theirs to save what is ours. And they would never sacrifice what is ours to save what is theirs. This is what it means to be a leader." [15:30] Generous leadership is soul care — mind, heart, and doing (will). You change that level of being by working. Tricia teaches generous leadership through The Big Idea Project in a semester of service learning, moving from knowledge to behavior change. Students go through an experience that is so challenging that it rocks them and makes them redefine themselves, serving others with real needs. [19:02] Tricia introduces business leaders into the classroom as mentors and resources for the teachers. The students have a presentation night, using real-life business skills in their projects. The projects involve real service, such as working with a homeless family to see what they need, rather than researching homelessness online. Business leaders help the students execute the project. [24:29] Coaching is helping people develop their potential. Coaching is learned from other coaches. The Big Idea Project forces students to take up their responsibility. Coaches do not do the work for the students. They see, guide, and help where there's a lack of skills, but the best coaches let the students flounder a bit to become stronger. The student presentation is the moment of truth. [32:19] Tricia shares a recent story of what she learned in starting The Big Idea Project and the busyness that was involved. Busyness keeps you from who you need to be. She got physically sick and had to pull back and unplug for a few months in another country. Give yourself some rest. Be a good person, and you'll be an influencer. Lead from being good in a needed way. Website: BigIdeaProject.org Facebook: Big Idea Project LinkedIn: Big Idea Project LinkedIn: Tricia Halsey Quotable Quotes "I see potential; I see opportunity; I see destiny almost as destiny's calling." "When you care about people and you call them forth, they will rise, if they know that you care about them." Leadership is not about you. It is fundamentally other-centered. It takes courage to set self aside and look at others. Generous leadership is abundantly giving of yourself so that others can be better people who do better work. You can't give out of a place of abundance if you're constantly looking inward. Generous leadership has three facets: how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you see your place in the world. Service learning is going out and solving a problem that affects somebody else. Deep beliefs can foster behavior change if a change is desired. Our goal in life should be always to grow and do better. We need to look at what our actions are saying about our head and our heart. "In all social spheres, we need new leaders. I'm calling leaders to stand up for a new brand of leadership." "What wake are you leaving

Kimberly Jung, CEO and Co-Founder of Rumi Spice, shares her inspiring story of seizing a business opportunity in Afghanistan that also addressed social issues. She realized her military training and her business school knowledge could be used to help Afghan farmers find economic success, and to provide opportunities for Afghan women to excel economically while retaining their culture. Kimberly exemplifies the dedication required, and rare feat, to create a market. Key Takeaways [2:29] Kimberly describes her experience entering West Point. Her immigrant parents had wanted her to go to an Ivy League school but Kimberly's West Point perspective changed their hearts. [5:13] Kimberly was deployed as a Platoon Leader in Afghanistan when she met Emily Miller. When they ended their tours, they observed that the future of Afghanistan would not be reached through force but through the economic empowerment of business. [6:21] Kimberly and Emily both went to business schools. Another veteran told them about an Afghan farmer with no market for his saffron. Kimberly decided to start a business partnership with Afghan farmers to import saffron. She invited a business advisor to Afghanistan and met with 12 Pashto farmers. Instead of body armor and weapons, she wore a scarf. [8:11] The farmers were growing some of the best saffron in the world but they had no resources for food safety, packaging, marketing, selling, or distributing the crop. 80% of Afghans are farmers. [10:10] Afghan women are vital to the saffron industry. They traditionally prepared the flowers at home. Kimberly explains how renting appropriate facilities with the right equipment improved food safety and how providing a safe workplace with direct wages improved women's economic standing. [13:43] Most problems are economic until one has met basic needs. Kimberly describes how The Plant, in the Southside of Chicago, is becoming a self-sustaining, beautiful community, bringing together the Southside and the Northside over food. Rumi's warehouse is in The Plant.[17:23] Trust is earned in Afghanistan by building a reputation over time. The reputation of Kimberly's Afghan partners allowed Rumi to become the largest private employer of Afghan women, assuring them a safe place to work and allowing them to carry on in their culture and customs, and it also preserves the women's reputations. Afghan women want economic opportunities, sewing machines, and medical supplies to care for their families.[24:18] A partnership like Rumi can't be run as a side business. Either you're all in, or you're not in at all. Entrepreneurism is not for people with other priorities. Strategy is all about setting priorities. You can have it all, just not all at once. Kimberly credits West Point and her Army leadership experience with giving her the resilience and ability to make choices that prepared her to run Rumi as an entrepreneur. [28:52] Kimberly and Emily faced catastrophic failure when their loan got pulled back. They had no way to pay the farmers. They worked through it. Kimberly is learning how to listen to the people who work for Rumi, accept their input, and check her ego. Website: RumiSpice.com Saffron: RumiSpice.com/saffron-products Twitter: @Rumi_Spice Facebook: RumiSpiceCo Quotable Quotes We felt the way to a sustainable future for Afghanistan was not through force but through economic empowerment. What will you do with your one wild and precious life? Drop by drop a river is made. — Dari saying You cannot say you're dedicated to the future of Afghanistan and these farmers if you're going to have another job. "This is not Americans managing things in Afghanistan. This is an American partnership with our Afghan partners." Bio Kimberly Jung is CEO and co-founder of Rumi. Since leaving the military, Kim and her co-founders feel there is unfinished business to support Afghanistan and its people, so they founded Rumi to work directly with Afghan farmers to import exceptionally high-quality saffron in a for-profit enterprise in partnership with the farmers. In Afghanistan, Rumi has hired 384 Afghan women, organized three processing facilities, and has over 90 farmers in their network. Rumi saffron now graces the tables and kitchens of Michelin and Relais & Chateaux establishments across the world. Prior to her civilian ventures, Kim was an Engineer Officer who led a route clearance platoon in the Wardak and Ghazni provinces of Afghanistan in 2010-2011. She also served with provincial reconstruction teams as a female engagement team member to help empower Afghan village women. She holds a Professional Engineering license in Mechanical Engineering from the State of California, and she graduated with her MBA from Harvard in 2015. She earned her Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy in 2008.

Mark C. Crowley, author of Lead from the Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century, shares his story of why he treats people with extraordinary compassion. He's a keen observer of why atypical management behavior can be effective for creating high-performing teams. He believes we need fundamental leadership change to meet the employment needs of the future workforce. Key Takeaways [1:43] Mark explains his leadership background. [3:32] Practical experience leads to success. [6:23] His unconscious pivot was to give back to those who worked for him. [7:36] Mark started to give people the things he had missed in his life. His teams responded in the most profound ways with extraordinary success. For twenty years he led with heart. One day someone pointed out to him that he had a very different way of managing people. Mark asked what they meant. That observation opened his eyes. [8:37] Mark started to explore this new understanding and to refine his behaviors to be even better. He researched and validated his own observations and why they worked. People respond to leadership from the heart by developing loyalty and achieving great things. [12:45] The world trends toward focusing on data and information-based decisions. Daniel Kahneman wrote that after the rational analysis, ask your heart to weigh in. Insight will tip the decision one way or the other. Use data to drive operations. When it comes to people, use emotional currency to drive behavior. [15:28] If you could save big money and drive earnings with layoffs, the data and the mind would say to do it, but the heart would consider the effect on the people you let go, and the effect on the morale of the people who remain. [18:51] There is a real connection between emotion, stress, and the heart. Extreme stress and loneliness accelerate heart problems. People don't just want autonomy. They also want association and collaboration. Make people feel safe, with a trusting relationship with you, and they will routinely do extraordinary work for you. Mark tells audiences, love your people. [32:38] Gallup surveys show no improvement in engagement in 15 years. We need to invest in people to reinvent leadership. Gallup says two-thirds of managers today lack the ability and talents to manage and influence people effectively. Website: MarkCCrowley.com Twitter: @MarkCCrowley LinkedIn: Mark C. Crowley Facebook: Lead From The Heart Quotable Quotes "The pivot that I made unconsciously was to then give back to people who worked for me." "Feelings and emotions drive human behavior and performance." "When I say, lead from the heart, it's not metaphorical. It's literal." Low-performing people put onto a high-performing team become better performers. Bio Mark C. Crowley is the author of Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century and his mission is to fundamentally change how we lead people in workplaces around the globe. Mark is a regular contributor to Fast Company Magazine and has been published in USA Today, Reuters, The Huffington Post and the Seattle Times. His two most recent LinkedIn Pulse articles have been read well over a million times. His book is now being taught in five American universities, including the educational Ph.D. program at Brandman University in California. Before writing his book, Mark spent over 20 years in senior leadership roles within the dog-eat-dog world of Financial Services, where he was named leader of the year. Quite untraditionally, Mark proved that caring about people, and thereby positively affecting employee's hearts, had a remarkable effect on driving sustained engagement, loyalty, and productivity. New and breakthrough medical research Mark draws upon in his book now proves that the heart is actually the driver of optimal human performance. A leadership pioneer, Mark shows us that leading from the heart is the most informed and enlightened thing a manager or organization can do. Books mentioned in this episode Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century, by Mark C. Crowley Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul, by Howard Schultz and Joanne Gordon Is It Worth Dying For?: How To Make Stress Work For You — Not Against You, by Robert S. Eliot Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink

Summary & Ideas for Action Erik Wahl is an internationally recognized artist, TED speaker, bestselling author, and a sought-after corporate speaker. Erik's on-stage painting and performance seamlessly becomes a visual metaphor to the core of his message: Encouraging organizations toward profitability through innovation and superior levels of performance. He discusses with Jim and Jan the thought leadership that differentiates him from Powerpoint presenters and concludes with a vision for unity at work and in our communities. Key Takeaways [4:11] The psychology of performance depends on attention. Erik's audience has seen hundreds of presentations. To differentiate himself, Erik doesn't simply present, he prepares a real-time improv experience with lights, cameras, audio, painting, technology, and other techniques to engage the audience. He gives the audience actionable takeaways using the tools of live theater. [5:25] Through unique channels Erik creates 'aha' moments and 'wow' experiences to show audiences how to implement leadership, teamwork, differentiation, innovation, and creativity a little differently. [6:11] The ability to adapt is the most needed strength for leaders. No system will work in perpetuity. There will always need to be an adaptation as circumstances change. Change is constant. Expand consciousness. Think differently. Master complexity at a higher level. Step back and see the landscape from a bigger picture view. [8:03] Look at ways to elevate your value proposition and build authenticity into your relationships with employees and customers. Disrupt yourselves to differentiate from the competition. Erik's core pillars fall under the umbrella of thinking differently, the psychology of performance, and the ability to adapt. [9:25] Erik discusses current thinking and 'Thinking 2.0.' Our trained thinking is pragmatic, logical, and practical. It represents standardization and Six Sigma. It is transactional rather than interactive. The problem is that we get stuck in systems that become out-of-date. To adapt to new circumstances we need think in new ways and find new rhythms. Understand the rules to reshape the rules. [14:02] Science has necessary but finite and limited functions. EQ, art, and intuition are all now more important than ever. [16:53] School has standardized children's thinking. It is important to learn to think but also to have a fluidity to come up with more than one right answer. The more operationally efficient we become, the more danger we have of losing potential and possibilities. We need an increased element of fluidity in our learning systems and business systems. [21:02] As leaders, the ability to read people is incredibly valuable. Because of the business costs of failed decisions, leaders are often more comfortable with tried and true formulas rather than adaptation. Leaders walk a balance between strength and authenticity; analytics and emotional intelligence. [23:44] Creativity requires rational systematic thought. Creatives need to learn more about the marketplace and how to add value to get market share. [25:31] As an athlete, Erik learned mental toughness was to endure pain and hardship. Now he believes the highest level of mental toughness is the ability to control emotion in the face of uncertainty, danger, and fear, to be unflinchingly calm in the face of the most challenging situations, and to know when to move quickly. [27:25] There is disruption, fear, anger, and social injustice in the world. We need to address these issues properly to unify. We need to know when to stand down. As a CEO, when you talk less and listen more, you demonstrate empathy and grace that is more helpful now than it was 30 years ago. Be tolerant of everyone's input for a better unified tomorrow. The more unity, the more people will sacrifice for the good. [32:53] Combining multiple generations in the workplace involves meshing the ideals of meritocracy and hierarchy with authenticity and autonomy. CEOs need to know how the younger generation thinks, to get their attention and guide them in leadership strategies. Quotable Quotes "Create 'wow' experiences that show the message as much as tell it." The more operationally efficient we become, we risk losing potential and possibilities. Understand the rules to reshape the rules. A leader must balance between confidence and humility and between analytics and creativity. Creativity without discipline is like a river without banks. Diversity in the workplace involves meshing the ideals of meritocracy and hierarchy with authenticity and autonomy. Website: TheArtOfVision.com/the-spark-and-the-grind Website: TheArtOfVision.com Twitter: @ErikWahl Facebook: Erik Wahl LinkedIn: Erik Wahl YouTube: Erik Wahl Vimeo: The Art of Vision Bio Erik Wahl is an internationally recognized artist, TED speaker, and No. 1 bestselling author. His breakthrough experience as an artist and entrepreneur has translated into making him one of the most sought-after cor

Rear Admiral Kerry Metz (USN, Ret.) started his career as a Navy SEAL, and eventually served as the first commander of Special Operations Command North. In this discussion, Kerry talked about career success, career setbacks, and how "you can't be a shiny penny without a few wire brushings!" Kerry shares his 5 H's when it comes to leadership: honor, honesty, humility, humor, and happiness. He discusses the differences and similarities between the military, sports teams, business, and the shared commonality regarding leadership. Listen in to gain insights from a modern-day, intellectual warrior. Key Takeaways [3:01] Kerry progressed as a SEAL from the tactical area, through operational roles, and then to the strategic level as an admiral. The Special Forces, SEALs, and Rangers are tests for the human body and mind to do 10 times more than they think they can. [5:48] A good team requires a common purpose or mission. Next, comes a shared experience or sacrifice. Everyone contributes to the best of their ability. These are the ingredients for a high-performing team. [7:33] Kerry talks about sacrifice in a startup. Employees sacrifice high salary for shares. Founders are often on the road more than most executives, for a later payoff. Sacrificing now gives you future options. [9:25] Kerry discusses how Naval officers achieve rank. Evaluations are not only for what they have done, but also their potential. Leadership is developing the leaders behind you. If something happens to you, the one behind you has to step up and take your place. [13:29] Kerry talks about his advancement. He was passed over for Lieutenant Commander once, but not the second time. When he was up for Commander, it also took two times. But he made One Star Admiral before his contemporaries. Kerry follows five 'H's: Honor, Honesty, Humility, Humor, and Happiness. [21:13] Military groups fight in a mission to win or lose; sports teams play a game to win; but business can be a long slog. He cites Admiral Jim Stavridis, who said to be open, honest, and collegial, and Admiral Michael Mullen, who said to listen, learn, and lead. Leaders who apply these principles will lead well. [25:49] Competition among peers is healthy if it is balanced with cooperation. Leaders should lead people the way they need to be led. Some need a push, some need a pat on the back. Tell the contributors how they are doing, and what they need to do to be on the mark. [29:44] In 1989, Kerry tells a hard leadership lesson he learned as the Team Commander of SEAL Team One when they deployed to the Philippines. [37:27] Put people in the right spot for them, nurture them, and empower them, and they will surpass your expectations and surprise you with their achievements. [41:42] No one starts at the top. He would like to help others have a smoother ride, go further, and go faster. The world needs leaders to handle complexity. LinkedIn: Kerry M. Metz Navy Bio: Navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio_ret.asp?bioID=655 Interview: Defensemedianetwork.com/stories/interview-with-rear-admiral-kerry-m-metz-us-navy Hall of Valor: Valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=315229 Quotable Quotes Whatever you can do, think 10 times that. You are capable of it. Don't let someone else determine where you're going. You determine where you're going. Stay on that path. You're going to get through that obstacle. You've just got to keep trying. A high-performing team has a common purpose, a shared sacrifice, and everyone contributing to their best ability. "A good leader can get the most of his personnel even that aren't going all the way to the top." The bottom line is sustained superior performance. If something happens to you, the one behind you has to take your place. If they're not ready, then that's your fault. "If you're doing something that you absolutely hate, my suggestion is, do something [about it]." "You can't be a shiny penny without a few wire brushings, and I got more than my share." The simplest solution is not always the best if there are unknown factors. Always listen to input. Bio Rear Adm. Kerry Metz holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver. He completed courses at the Air Command and Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Defense Language Institute. Commissioned via the Aviation Officer Candidate School in October 1984 and after a very brief time in aviation, he was assigned to the surface fleet where he served on USS Enhance (MSO 437). Transferring to Naval Special Warfare, he completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training with Class 149 in April 1988. He served in both Naval Special Warfare and Joint Special Operations assignments. Previous commands include a Naval Special Warfare Task Unit, a Joint Task Force, Naval Special Warfare Group 11, and six Naval Special Warfare Reserve Units. His service overseas includes multiple deployments to Operatio

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz is a quantitative data scientist and the author of Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. In this discussion, Seth explains how philosophy and economics led him to data science and his passion for uncovering human traits through internet behavior. Seth says his work is what we can learn about people from data searches and other online behavior, because everyone leaves something on the internet. He concludes that we should theorize less, and let the data speak more. Key Takeaways [3:26] Seth studied philosophy, economics, and data science. He explains how they connect. His work at Google involved advertising effectiveness and search behavior modeling. The book Everyone Lies examines what we learn about people from their internet behavior. [4:41] Seth writes and studies as his curiosity leads him. Success is one topic he explores. He downloaded Wikipedia to study Baby Boomers. Geography matters, because he found famous people were mostly from cities, college towns. [9:58] Seth hopes people learn from his work the value and use of big data, and to make better data-based decisions. He also hopes more young people will enter this field of study, as there is much more to learn about human behavior. [12:03] Seth considers Christian Rudder, author of Dataclysm, to be on the right path with big data. Undergraduate students are more likely to favor analyzing Facebook data over running an experiment with 20 subjects in a group. [15:32] Seth contrasts his findings on success with the book Grit. He cites statistics of height and likelihood of becoming an NBA player. Malcolm Gladwell, in Tipping Point, says once a threshold is met other factors matter. Seth rebuts the threshold theory. A player over 7' tall has a one-in-five chance of playing in the NBA. Every inch doubles the chance. A 6'8" player has double the chance of a 6'7" player. [19:00] The book Everybody Lies uncovers more racism than people are willing to admit and other attitudes people express in their Google questions that they would not ask another person. [19:21] One of the biggest revolutions in business is A/B testing. Facebook does more experiments in a day than the FDA does in a year. Seth points out that making general rules from A/B testing is fallacious. Seth is considering writing a book on A/B testing. He A/B tests his life. Try different things and pay attention to what does work, and what doesn't work. [29:38] Facebook 'Likes' correlate to IQ. Higher IQ people like Mozart and curly fries. Seth sees how employers can find more about prospects through big data. Twitter: @SethS_D Website: http://sethsd.com Quotable Quotes "I actually think I'm a compulsively honest person, to a fault." "It's not really necessarily who you are; it's where you're born, or when you're born." "A lot of the book is also just about how conventional wisdom is so frequently wrong." Industry, bloggers, and undergraduates are exploring big data better than academics. Facebook does more experiments in a day than the FDA does in a year. Google is a modern confessional. Theorize less, and let the data speak more. Bio Seth Stephens-Davidowitz has used data from the internet — particularly Google searches — to get new insights into the human psyche. A book summarizing his research, Everybody Lies, was published in May 2017 by HarperCollins. Seth has used Google searches to measure racism, self-induced abortion, depression, child abuse, hateful mobs, the science of humor, sexual preference, anxiety, son preference, and sexual insecurity, among many other topics. He worked for one-and-a-half years as a data scientist at Google and is currently a contributing op-ed writer for the New York Times. He is designing and teaching a course about his research at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will be a visiting lecturer. Seth received his BA in philosophy, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford, and his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard. In high school, he wrote obituaries for the local newspaper, the Bergen Record, and was a juggler in theatrical shows. He now lives in Brooklyn and is a passionate fan of the Mets, Knicks, Jets, Stanford football, and Leonard Cohen. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Books mentioned in this episode Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity--What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves, by Christian Rudder Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time, by Jeffrey Pfeffer