The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Text LEARNERS to 44222 For full show notes, go to www.LearningLeader.com Episode #337: Scott H. Young - How To Become An Ultra Learner Scott Young is a writer who undertakes interesting self-education projects, such as attempting to learn MIT's four-year computer science curriculum in twelve months and learning four languages in one year. Scott incorporates the latest research about the most effective learning methods and the stories of other ultralearners like himself—among them Ben Franklin, Judit Polgár, and Richard Feynman, as well as a host of others, such as little-known modern polymaths like Nigel Richards who won the World Championship of French Scrabble—without knowing French. He is the author of the best-selling book, UltraLearning. Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: Understand how excellence works Learning, constantly thinking about the process of improving Being interested in learning new things... Scott finds the mind fascinating Encountering things that people have done that are jaw dropping Projects: Why he failed to learn French as an exchange student "Simple decisions you make early on can have big consequences." Because he didn't go all in and immerse himself in the language, he always reverted back to his native tongue Go for inversion from the beginning. This is why he did the "year without English." "Doing the hard thing makes it easier in the long run, it accelerates skills more quickly" UltraLearning - A strategy for acquiring skills and knowledge that is both self-directed and intense As a manager, recognize that there are many different skills you can possess to be successful... Know what you need to be good at. Break it down to the component skills... Have a process Get better at each important skill Think: "What would it be like to be amazing at this?" Tristan de Montebello: He wanted to learn a new skill that was completely outside of his current skill set (he's a musician) Instead of learning another instrument, he chose to become a world class public speaker He started as an amateur and ended as a finalist for a public speaking championship. How? He got on stage twice a day, took improv class, and compressed the process. "He made the conscious decision to become excellent." And then executed... Process for a person who has a full time job/family/mortgage: This doesn't need to be a full time endeavor "How are you using every minute of every day?" Take on intensive bursts Follow your curiosity and obsessions Ramit Sethi -- "See the game being played around you" Principles: Spend time figuring out the best way to learn what you want to learn. What tools and resources are available? Drill, attack your weakest point. Sometimes you shouldn't learn a skill (ex: fixing your car... Hire a mechanic instead) Every complicated skill has components Test to learn Repeated review - read over and over Free recall - read the text once, then close the book. Try to recall what you learned. In an experiment, free recall learners retained more. PRACTICE remembering something. It impacts how you process information. Anders Ericsson - Deliberate practice: In 40% of the cases, feedback hurt. Task oriented feedback works best. How we process feedback is most important "If you're doggedly trying to be an ultra learner and sustain excellence, emotional consequences are important..." Born with it vs. Ability to learn: Anyone has the ability to learn anything Everyone has their own abilities, their own pace. Recognize your capacity to improve but don't compare to others Life advice: Read more books - It expands your mind Meet more interesting people - Subtlety informs choices, expands group you meet Go do ambitious things - bold projects Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #336: Neil Pasricha: How To Build Resilience & Live An Intentional Life Full Show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com How To Build Resilience & Live An Intentional Life NEIL PASRICHA is the the author of six books including: The Book of Awesome, a spinning rolodex of simple pleasures based on his 100-million-hit, award-winning blog 1000 Awesome Things, The Happiness Equation, originally written as a 300-page love letter to his unborn son on how to live a happy life, Awesome Is Everywhere, an interactive introduction to guided meditation for children, and How To Get Back Up, a memoir of failure and resilience released as an Audible Original. His latest book is called You Are Awesome. His books are New York Times and #1 international bestsellers and have sold millions of copies across dozens of languages. His first TED talk "The 3 A's of Awesome" is ranked one of the 10 Most Inspiring of all time. Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: They read a lot They unplug regularly - "the genesis for all my best ideas." "Create untouchable time" for yourself The CEO of Wal-Mart -- How did he create this time? He's the CEO BECAUSE he always made this part of his way of operating. Neil worked in a senior level corporate role for Wal-Mart for 10 years His side hustle was writing and speaking He didn't quit his job until he had successfully built his side hustle for eight years! Ask yourself two questions: Which of these two decisions will I regret not doing more on your death bed? What will you do if it fails? The farmer with one horse fable: A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away. His neighbors said,"I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset." The man just said,"We'll see." A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses following. The man and his son corralled all twenty-one horses. His neighbors said, "Congratulations! This is such good news.You must be so happy!" The man just said,"We'll see." One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs. His neighbors said,"I'm so sorry.This is such bad news. You must be so upset." The man just said,"We'll see." The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted. His neighbors said, "Congratulations! This is such good news.You must be so happy!" The man just said, "We'll see . . ." What is up with this crazy farmer, right? Well, what's up with this crazy farmer is that he has truly developed resilience. He has built up his resilience. He is resilient! He's steady, he's ready, and whatever the future brings, we all know he's going to stare it straight in the face with eyes that scream,"Bring it on." The farmer has come to understand that every skyrocketing pleasure or stomach-churning defeat defines not who he is but simply where he is. What do most commencement speeches get wrong? Do what you love only if you're willing to accept the pain to continue doing it... The grind. A lot of small losses add up. Can you handle the pain that you will need to endure to do what you love? Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond? Yes. Academic research shows it benefits you even up to 10 years after you leave the pond... Don't but the $5m condo in NYC. Continue to find places where you can purposefully win. Rig the game to win. "Different is better than better." Add a dot-dot-dot... Neil's mom: "I always just added the word yet to everything..." It's not a NO, it's a "not yet." You have to just "keep going." The two minute morning routine that takes the worry out of waking up: In your journal write three things: I will let go of... I am grateful for... I will focus on... Neil's goal setting: Set the lowest possible goals. Set goals that you will hit. "Extrinsic goals don't work." Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Text LEARNERS to 44222 Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Episode #335: Deconstructing The Art & Science Of Public Speaking With Jay Acunzo This is another bonus episode with my friend, Jay Acunzo. We deconstruct the art and science of public speaking in this bonus episode. "I'm trying to help you see something different that fundamentally changes your work for the better." Notes: The goal: Help your audience see something different that fundamentally changes their work for the better. Everything I'm doing (when speaking) is helping you get from where you're at to where you want to be. How to put a talk together: Prompt driven -- Anticipate the questions that will be asked and answer them. The coaching of Andrew Davis for Jay... "He's been really instrumental in helping me build a speaking business "The Dialog Outline" -- You break up a talk you're giving into it's component pieces making it a modular talk. "You're sharing the things others need to hear at the right moment they need to hear it... So they're anticipating what comes next..." Put yourself in situations to "talk out your thoughts" to generate ideas... "Learn through speaking." Process to prepare: The value of rehearsal -- Is it needed? How much? Memorization vs. knowing your content cold → How to not sound like a robot, but still remember what to say? Visual aids (PowerPoint, Keynote) -- "If I need the slides, I'm not ready." - Jay. Slides should be use to reinforce the message. You should never need to look at them. They are there to be additive to your message for your audience. The 30 seconds before going on stage? The optimal self talk... Interesting to hear the dramatic difference between Jay's approach and mine... Get emotionally cross-faded. "Wow, I get to do this. This is so cool." (The words Jay says to himself the instant before he goes on stage." And then... "Watch this." Assuring people that "I'm going to have some serious fun." "Get ready... I'm about to put on a show." -- Use your excitement and confidence to serve the audience. How to start a speech: What to do and what NOT to do: The first part of the speech is the shared goal - "What does everyone in the room want?" "The Vanguard." - The front line you send out to begin the attack... Do NOT start by saying, "I'm so excited to be here." Of course you're excited. Don't waste that time. It's too important to wander into the speech. Speaking Framework: (Mine: story → science → practical application) Story -- People remember stories Science -- Empirical evidence/data to support the story Application -- This is what it means for YOU Storytelling -- How to become a better storyteller? Great storytellers can rule the world... Give a "feature story" -- And then reveal your hidden truth. And then break it down into a methodology. Engaging the audience - some speakers walk in the crowd, some ask questions regularly… The optimal ways to engage the audience The element of surprise -- How to create 'moments' for the audience (surprise, 'aha' etc)? How to ensure you are enlightening them and not just regurgitating stuff they already know... The keys to Q & A and why it should never be the last thing you do on stage... Film the audience to see their reaction to your message... Study that to see what hits. How to add humor appropriately Coaching/feedback -- The intentional actions taken to ensure improvement. Why you should have a coach. Who is your kitchen cabinet? For corporate world mid-level managers who have to do QBR's (quarterly business reviews) -- How can they make those more exciting? (Most are dreadfully boring full of random stats, charts, bar graphs, etc) Study the 'intentionality' of stand up comedians. Everything you say is for a specific reason. Be thoughtful and intentional with your actions. Persuasive presentations have logos, ethos, and pathos (from Talk Like TED) Logos - Backing up your argument with data Ethos - Credibility of the speaker Pathos - Establish an emotional connection

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #334 Yancey Strickler Text Learners to 44222 Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Yancey Strickler is a writer and entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter and author of This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World.Yancey has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Fast Company's Most Creative People. He's spoken at the Museum of Modern Art, Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, Web Summit, and events around the globe. Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: Selflessness - "You have to get over yourself first" Have strength to know what's important Flexible It requires more time living into the minds of other people - "Not necessarily compassion, but 'what's going on with them?'" Curiosity - A desire to know more Amazon thinks 'customer maximization' - thinking in the best interest of the customer How to get hired for the next management role? Spend 1 hour a day with your current team -- Learn from them. What's really going on? Be the "go to" person for important objectives What was Day 1 as the CEO of KickStarter like? "I remember the new fancy office... I needed to set proper expectations." "People need to know how to make decisions" "The weight I felt as a new CEO was very high" The "on-me-ness was so high" - A huge responsibility that was felt The skill of "sandwiching ideas" -- Using metaphors to put together different ideas Japanese cuisine "Hara Hachi Bu: stop eating when you're 80% full so that you're still hungry for tomorrow." We shouldn't overfull ourselves because there is always something to learn tomorrow "My brain is really good at storing and making connections." "As a CEO/Leader, you need to be able to speak in metaphors to bring more oxygen to the situation..." How can we all do this? Read --> Write it down --> Take notes of something interesting "Metaphors are powerful." The power of story --> science --> application During his time at KickStarter, they grew from 70 employees to 155 in just a few years... What did Yancey look for in candidates? Selflessness, servant mindset "When they shared accomplishments, did they use 'we' or 'I'? We like the people who use 'we'" Mission driven Honest Not afraid to share bad news "Whenever I found myself having to talk myself into something and overlook a red flag, I often found that was a mistake." Why did he leave KickStarter? "I got tired, it took the energy out of me. It was my identity for a decade..." Had a rough 360 review (full review of people above, beside, and below him in the organization) "One morning, I got to the door to leave my house, and I could not do it. I broke down crying to my wife and said, 'I don't want to be a CEO today.'" Why writing is so beneficial: Forces clarity of thought "It forces you to accept rejection and just roll." Why write a manifesto(the book)? "I gave a talk, had it transcribed, put it online, and it went viral." When deciding to work for himself: "I need to treat myself as if I'm a company." -- How to properly plan and strategize as a solo entrepreneur "I wrote down five options... One of them was writing a book. I chose that option." A publisher said to Yancey, "You don't need to hide. Your book is good enough without all the fancy artwork." Going against the grain: "I'm challenging the dominant ethos of our time." Bentoism - A balanced view of what's in our rational self-interest as inspired by the layout of a Japanese lunchbox. Now me, future me, now us, future us. The four quadrants... Do you want do this in a small group with Yancey? Email me How Adele did this? She used an algorithm to measure how loyal a fan was. She used that information to help them get tickets at a decent price instead of the extraordinary prices on the secondary market. This is both emotional and rational. It's possible to be done for all of us. Life advice: Yancey originally felt like a failure because he didn't identify with what the magazine covers were telling him: He didn't feel the urge to want to crush his competitors. It's hard to be aware of the water you swim in... Have awareness... Be curious, read a lot. Have a plan... An idea of where to go. Understand new values. Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #333: Chris Savage - How To Bet On Yourself & Scale Through Creativity Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Chris Savage is the co-founder and CEO of Wistia, a web-based video hosting solution built for businesses. He founded the company in 2006 with the goal of helping businesses effectively market their products or services in a smarter way through video. Under Savage's leadership and vision, Wistia has experienced 100 percent growth over the past three years, expanding the company's client portfolio to more than 110,000 users in more than 50 countries, including companies such as HubSpot, MailChimp and Starbucks. Text LEARNERS to 44222 Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: Voracious learners - "they celebrate learning more" Crave feedback - a strong desire to improve - "They are wired to want that" Patrick Campbell - "He's trying hard to learn as fast as possible" Chris's process for continual improvement: Placing people in his life to push him "I go to them to push my thinking" Block time to think - "Being busy is not a sign of success" Spend time with customers and employees Enjoying the process: "It was stimulating and exciting. It took us a year to get our first paying customer." The business was funded by savings. They kept their expenses very low Key to a successful partnership: Ensure values are aligned - "These are intrinsic" Know that everything takes longer than you think Have a decision making framework - Demystify the process to make big decisions The product strategies/options: Operational efficiency - The cheapest (No, this is not optimal) Product leadership - Be different Customer intimacy - This will solve customer problems Their values: Long term company thinking Creativity Presentation - An elevated experience. Aesthetics matter. Simplicity Hiring - "Hiring is everything." Qualities he looks for: "How are people intrinsically motivated?" "Are they excited about the craft, the challenge?" Give them a real-life problem to solve -- And see how they handle it/resolve it Inside their process to hire a VP of People: Clearly define what success is in the role Do a project after the first round of interviews - "Do the job, get critiqued." Build out strategy - Not a perfect plan, but have a process Meet with management team, present the plan. Building your network: "Take the weight of your friends. You're the average of them." Be proactive who you want to be --> Look for people who challenge you. Reflect on that... Tactically: Make connections with people who you admire. People like honest, sincere compliments. Tell them WHY they inspire you Financials: Raised angle round of $650K. Then $800K. All individual angels. No venture. They have $10m in revenue. Crisis: "We were losing this money, we weren't having fun anymore... People tried to buy us." They raised debt to do a buy back... "I felt amazing." Wistia: Creative risk taking Have to scare self - made a feature length documentary Host of the Brandwagon show "Take risks that scare you" Growth and profitability aren't mutually exclusive - "Focus on building products and experiences that people love... Growth follows." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Ep # 332: David Brixey & Doug Meyer LIVE! - How To Build A Business From The Ground Up Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com This episode was recorded in front of 150 of our closest friends, family, and clients in Dayton, Ohio. Doug Meyer formed Brixey & Meyer alongside Dave Brixey with a dream to give clients a different way of working with their tax professionals. In his role as Managing Director, Doug serves as a trusted business advisor to Business Owners, CEOs, CFOs and Boards of Advisors, driving value and accountability in the following strategic areas: succession & ownership planning, strategic planning, owners agreement structures, compensation planning, family business advisory & issue mediation, professional management practices, mergers & acquisition strategy, and family charter implementation. David Brixey formed Brixey & Meyer with Doug Meyer in 2002 utilizing his insatiable entrepreneurial spirit and his financial skills gained at Ernst & Young. He is also the co-founder and Managing Director of Brixey Meyer Capital, a lower middle market private investment firm. Since 2008, Dave has been personally involved in investing in small business to lower middle market as well as venture capital. Brixey & Meyer is recognized as a leading provider of accounting and business advisory services in the Midwest.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Text LEARNERS to 44222 Episode #331: Ryan Holiday - Stillness Is The Key RYAN HOLIDAY is one of the world's foremost thinkers and writers on ancient philosophy and its place in everyday life. He is a sought-after speaker, strategist, and the author of many bestselling books including The Obstacle Is the Way; Ego Is the Enemy; and The Daily Stoic. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and sold over two million copies worldwide. He lives outside Austin, Texas, with his family. His latest book is called Stillness Is The Key. Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence = They look at the whole picture They have the ability to zoom out They have balance Driven, skilled at what they do, but they do not run unchecked. This creates happiness. Highly disciplined Temperance - Integrated into life The word enough: Balance - "We're definitely going to be forgotten." It's important to have the quiet time to do the work. And you have to love doing it. Michael Jordan's hall of fame speech: "It's so misguided. The problem with proving people wrong is eventually you do it. And it's never enough. Rather, you should choose to prove your own potential right. Did I leave it all on the page? Did I fulfill my own standards?" I choose to prove my supporters right instead of allowing detractors to take up space in my head The higher power was the logos - the path of the universe... The stoics acknowledged fate and fortune and the power these forces had over them. Marcus Lattimore (RB from South Carolina and the NFL) - He said, "The career ending injury I had was the best thing that ever happened to me." Decide how you will choose to respond. Make the choice to make a positive difference in people's lives. The impact of father hood has had on Ryan: "You realize how powerless you are as a parent. It's humbling and eye opening." The WHO - the power of relationships It's a team. It requires balance. Both players must flourish independently: "Accomplishments are not part of the identity of the relationship I have with Sam (his wife). She doesn't give a shit how many books I sell." "I have an inner scoreboard and hold myself to those standards." The value of a daily journal - The process, the ritual, the routine is helpful. The act of the devotion. Quiet time everyday, provides energy in the morning. "A routine becomes a ritual over time." Journaling one line a day for five years: It's the process of warming up, talking to self, verbalizing fears Thoughtfulness - "Interrogate yourself at the end of each day." -- This is what Churchill did Hitler said, "I recognized the correctness of my views." That's not wisdom, it's insanity. Don't do that. Privately, Abraham Lincoln with racked with doubt. The epidemic of ego easily mistakes for confidence and strength Stillness - What we're working towards. We need it to think clearly. We need to rest. Must be fully in the moment Momento Mori - "Get in the moment" Speaking routine - Wear the same clothes, workout before, listen to the same music, manage energy, funnel focus, and know that the material helps people Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #330: Deconstructing The Art & Science Of Interviewing With Jay Acunzo Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com This is a special bonus episode focusing on deconstructing the art and science of interviewing. You will hear learning happening in real time. Jay Acunzo and I go a meta-level to better understand how to better improve our conversation ability, how to be better in an interview. "Interviewing is a skill that enhances your life in a pleasant and unexpected way." This is focused on how you can ask better questions, be more interesting and more interested, and become a better conversationalist. Notes: The meta level of deconstructing the process of making the work is rare... "I experience the most flow when it's quiet, nitty-gritty work. Those minute are profoundly rewarding for me." What makes a great interview? An open loop -- Start telling the story, but wait to close the loop until later to build intrigue... The difference between a narrative style show and an interview getting to know someone: A story is three parts - The intent of the story: The "Joseph Campbell Heroes Journey" 1) Status Quo 2) Conflict 3) Resolution Bucket of questions: "Tell me about X..." "How did it make you feel?" The analysis and the reflection Change your mindset: "You're not an interviewer, you're a dance partner." "The only thing that matters is that you lead. Everything else is little subtle moves to get people to go to where you want to go." "It's not a constant march forward. Instead, think of it like a dance. There are some steps back, steps forward, steps to the side — all packaged together in one coherent experience, with lots of zig-zagging and subtle steps inside those boundaries." Open ended questions: "Tell me about X" gets you story details, while "how did it feel when" gets you key moments of reflection and analysis. Both are crucial. Clip #1 -- JJ Redick He says "great question" — what would make someone interviewed as often as a pro athlete say that? How to prep for an interview for someone who is interviewed all the time? Built a basic rapport leading up to the interview -- Discussed sports, restaurants, podcasting, interviewing. Developed a "friend" level of communication Create an environment where the guest wants it to be a great show Good follow up questions: Ask for an example... Asking, "How did that make you feel?" "What's your process?" --> Then be a deep, thoughtful listener to ask a follow up. Stay on the same level with your dance partner - Don't be a guest "worshiper" When following up, there are a few things you can do: 1) Distill 2) Disagree 3) Ask the next question... During an interview, the best question you can ask: "How did that make you feel?" It enables them to get in an emotional lane (away from canned responses) Testing the levels on the microphone -- Don't waste that opportunity. Engineer the guest, the human -- You need them to feel like we're hanging out and excited about the interview. Make it fun. What to ask instead: "I'm going to check your levels, do you have any pets at home?" "What would be your last meal on earth?" -- It helps people break out of their corporate drone mode. The question is about the person, on a human plane. Create a safe space for them to share their truth. "I'm not a journalist, I'm a conversationalist." Clip #2 -- Adam Savage How did he get on the show? Working with a PR firm to book a guest -- A great PR person like Brent Underwood only recommends guests that are a good fit for the show. Ask questions that you are genuinely curious about -- I am curious about someone's process and it's always led me to a useful follow up... The issue is sometimes a "process" oriented question is the guest can answer with a generality... How to wiggle out of that? Look at the acknowledgement section of their book to get ideas for important people/events in their life to ask about... Mental Heuristics: Tell me about, 30,000 feet, go to a specific example... The third question is "Putting them in a box:" -- " From Jay: Heuristics to tell great AUDIO stories: Tell me about... How did you feel when (or, how did that feel?) Can you give me an example? (Superlatives) Best, worst, funniest, scariest, hardest, least certain, favorite, etc... (Dig for emotional moments) Clip #3 -- Brian Koppelman How to handle nerves -- Work to get settled in. Get through the initial conversation point... Give people a genuine compliment for why you like their work -- Tell people why their work helps you Hidden Gems: Interplay between your intent for the work and your framework for it: "My goal is to engineer an outcome, but I have an intent I don't want to become The Bachelor in Paradise." Have self and situational awareness. We carry with us good intent to serve the audience. Don't let the framework or engineering supersede the original intent. The two types of interviews: 1) The person, their story... 2) Their content The best conversatio

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Ep #329: Kindra Hall Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Kindra Hall is President and Chief Storytelling Officer at Steller Collective, a consulting firm focused on the strategic application of storytelling to today's communication challenges. Kindra is one of the most sought after keynote speakers trusted by global brands to deliver presentations that inspire teams and individuals to better communicate the value of their company, their products and their individuality through strategic storytelling. Kindra is a former Director of Marketing and VP of Sales. Her much anticipated book, Stories That Stick, will be published on September 24, 2019. Notes: Why is storytelling so important? It's how we learn, how we connect Your team needs to know you, and like you (stories do that when you tell them well) You can learn breadth/depth of a person through a story A story is NOT: A bullet point resume A list of information Stating the mission statement The objective A story = The small moments when mission is in a specific place and time... When something happens. The four components of a story: Place and time: "a moment" Identifiable characters - must see people Authentic emotion - Relatable to audience Specific details - Draw audience in to the co-creative process Opening story of her book: In Slovenia at Thanksgiving: The power of the sales clerk's ability to tell a story compelled Kindra and her husband to buy Why did the story work? It drew you in with powerful moments and emotion It had suspense - "I want to know what's going to happen..." People will give you their attention when you're telling a compelling story It brought them to places through vivid descriptions How to better start a meet at work: First, realize it's a skill you can develop Take a step back, think of the higher level message -- "What's the overall theme?" "When have I seen this in action?" Why was it compelling? Make a list of nouns: People in life you've had to communicate with (bosses, friends, colleagues) Find moments and stories from those people... Understand the characters of the story Think: "What do I want my audience to think, feel, know, and do at the end of this story?" Use the "bystander story" - Stories of others that you make yours Remember the goal is to create connection This becomes your story... Through your eyes How to handle price conversations? Move from dollars and cents to value -- "They need to feel the pain of if they didn't have this thing I'm selling." Our decisions are not always based on logic, they are based on ideas Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Text LEARNERS to 44222 #328: Joel Peterson -- Joel Peterson is the Chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways. He has served on more than three dozen boards over the past 45 years. Joel is also the Founding Partner and Chairman of Peterson Partners, a Salt Lake City-based investment management firm with $1 billion under management. Peterson Partners has invested in over 200 companies through 13 funds in four primary asset classes: growth-oriented private equity, venture capital, real estate, and search funds. Since 1992, Joel Peterson has taught courses in real estate, entrepreneurship, and leadership at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Sustaining excellence = They are trusted, credible, and dependable -- They "build a high trust organization" It doesn't happen naturally. You must be intentional about it Why is it so hard to build a trusting organization? "People are weary. Trust is critical. You must do what you say you are going to do." "Trust is not being gullible. Trust is a hard edged concept." It's three parts: Character Competence Authority How to build a culture of trust? Listen -- Capture what your team is saying through 1 on 1 conversations. Understand common values, goals, strategies Reframe the dashboard -- What does winning look like? Make sure it is clearly defined. What's the current level of trust in the organization? How to run an effective meeting: Have a purpose, the right people in the room, and follow up assignments. Have pre-work. It must be done. Go through each individual member. "Build trust by the process." How to run a town-hall: Listen carefully, repeat it. FOLLOW UP and take action. How to handle broken trust? Fix breaches immediately. "Bad news doesn't get better with age." -- "Don't let grass grown under your feet." "Trust decreases transaction costs." -- Everything is faster when there is trust. "You can't do good business with bad people." Interview process: Understand the decision points Determine roles/responsibilities as a team Check references The most important decisions you will make is who you hire and who you fire There must be a vividly clear picture of what success is: Break down the details: Who is the champion? Time frame? Budget? -- Measure all of them to ensure all involved know what success is. Do a post-mortem: What went well? What didn't? Why? Keep your team informed: "Err on the side of over-communication." "Write a partner letter every two weeks. Keep everyone updated." For JetBlue, there is a weekly meeting update -- a "State of the Union" for the 24,000 employees Create a learning organization -- Foster an environment where there is a love for learning. Strive for win-win negotiations Each is part of a series -- Think long term You must be fair in order to do many deals Art of the compromise -- Don't be zero sum. You'll build a reputation and nobody will want to work with you. Embrace respectful conflict -- Create an environment where people can open disagree. This helps people refine their ideas and make them better. Advice for husbands/dads: Be there as a cheerleader, not a policeman Be a listener, make sure you understand "Love is the most powerful force in the world." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #327: Marc Roberge Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Marc Roberge is lead singer and rhythm guitar player for O.A.R. (Of A Revolution). He also is their primary songwriter and has been described by his band-mates as, "Our Leader." He formed the band with his best friend (and drummer) Chris Culos for an 8th grade talent show 23 years ago in Rockville, Maryland. I first saw him play at a college bar called "First Run" on the Miami University campus in Oxford, OH my freshman year (2000). Since then, O.A.R. has gone on to sell out Madison Square Garden. We recorded this episode in Austin, Texas next to the stage at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater. Notes: The importance of persistence and why Our 20-year history – Watch them playing at First Run in Oxford, OH – The journey from small college bars to selling out Madison Square Garden Chose Ohio State because they have the most bars in a small area – Earned the Buckeye National Scholarship "Money was not part of the equation at the beginning. We just needed enough to keep the van gassed up." The primary reason why you're so happy it goes well is so you get to keep doing it. Two initial goals: Finish college and build the band. – The band started in 8th grade for a talent show. "We wanted to get on the road, scrape our knee, and build to sustain. It was never about money; it was about gaining ground. Moving forward, progressing." The first word to describe Marc from other members of the band: "Leader." – What it means to be a leader of creative people… The stages of Marc's leadership: 1st Stage: Driven completely by the vision of wanting to make music out wandering the world. "I wanted to make these songs because they made me feel good. I wanted to be out with my friends and empower each other." 2nd Stage: "It becomes our vision." – "You may no longer provide the best leadership, so you need to empower people in your camp to lead. In order to be in the drier seat, you have to know what other people's superpowers are so each one can flourish. 3rd Stage: Chris (the drummer) – He nudged the group forward to a rebirth. Became motivated to get back in the driver seat and now he had amazing co-pilots who had their own creative genius. "Realize the powers of those around you and harness that. That was the afterburners for us. It's built out of mutual respect and admiration for each other." "Being a leader has to show that things aren't always going to go great. You must maintain, be composed, don't flail your arms around. Move forward." Respectful disagreement: How to decide which song to open with at Madison Square Garden… How to make decisions through disagreement? "I know when I'm wrong, I know when I'm right too. Good ideas… It's a self-filtering system. You have to listen, be open to others. In that moment, it was perfect." "A part of leadership is knowing when you're wrong and when the other idea is better and move on." "When one of your heroes is standing next to you and says, "I really like this," that impacts you. "I was wrong and wasn't thinking of the big picture. It was selfish." How to handle people who don't like your work? Story: Opening for Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge – The entire front row turned their back in protest of the opening act. "I get angry. My new goal was to get them to turn around. It's a lesson: You can either get hurt or say, "I get to play my songs at the Gorge. Eventually they will respect us." Giving a TED Talk: Authenticity – Being real, true to yourself. "Everything I've created has stemmed from a few nostalgic pin-pointed childhood memories. I've tried to build my whole life to tell those stories of what we can do when we're together." Fans for Life: "We were living a life we've dreamt of." The resistance of chasing approval of others – "That theme is rooted in unabashedly telling a story about where you come from. Sticking to the same morals we were instilled with since growing up." "I'm not seeking approval because we aren't adjusting music to fit in, we play what makes us feel good." Chasing your curiosity and obsessions with great rigor – How to create a life to do that? "My dream is we've built something that allows us something time to create. Keep working on live shows to continue to play them. We love them. If you don't play 5 nights a week, it won't be there for you. You have to get the reps. Sustained excellence: Commonalities: 1) Drive 2) Social – Able to work a room, communicate well with others. 3) Willingness to fail – "If you aren't willing to jump off that edge, you don't deserve to get it." Song writing process: "Each song has a different method for me." "There are moments when I'm walking down the street in NYC and it comes to me. I'll run to the studio and quickly record it. There are so many different styles, but it all has to come from being inspired." The creative process: Working with Greg Wattenberg to be a sounding board and offer honest feedba

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #326: Jason Zook TEXT: LEARNERS to 44222 For full shownotes, go to www.LearningLeader.com Jason Zook is an unconventional entrepreneur. Tired of living a life that felt prescribed to him by society, Jason used his out-of-the-box thinking and ingenuity to create multiple profitable Internet-based businesses. His most-notable business was IWearYourShirt, a company that generated over $1,000,000 by wearing sponsored t-shirts to promote over 1,600 businesses on social media from 2008-2013 before "influencer" was a mainstream term. If that wasn't weird enough, from 2012 and 2013, Jason auctioned off his last name to the highest bidders and made nearly $100,000 doing it. Jason's second book is titled "Own Your Weird." Jason has been featured by The Today Show, CBS Evening News, USA Today, and The New York Times. Notes: The importance of reviewing previous work... And why it should embarrass you. That is growth. "Don't compare your starting line to someone else's finish line." We all started somewhere. It is a progression. It's important to understand context. Leaders who sustain excellence = They test all of their assumptions on a regular basis They don't accept things as they are... Always trying something new They are extremely curious Have an experimenters mindset They are validated internally -- They don't seek the validation externally. They are fulfilled from the inside. How to create a mindset to not worry about hitting a best-seller list? Set a low goal (getting the book published) and a high goal (selling 10K copies). Understand that there is so much out of your control and celebrate hitting the goals that are within your control (writing and publishing the book). You can't control how many people choose to buy it. The emails received from fans/listeners are the fuel that keeps you going. The feedback from people you're positively impacting. Properly define success for yourself: You spend a third of your life working. Make it count. Figure out a way to be see as excellent, out of the box thinker Have a mindset of, "How can I make this better?" Present your plan to your boss/leaders in the company: "Here's my plan, here is how we will do it..." Be proactive. Make your boss's life easier. Help them succeed. Rejection: "When someone says no to you, it doesn't mean you're a bad person. It's not a reflection of who you are as a person." Understand that "No" means "not yet" most of the time. "Choose Adventure" Not wanting to live the same life that others have lived Example: Moving to a sweet house in Southern California with another couple Challenge assumptions: You don't have to do it the way it's always been done Experiment -- Test --> Reflect, analyze. Understand what worked, what didn't, and why? Working to live, not living to work How do you schedule your days? Start with living Define what really fills you up --> Prioritize that first. Put it on your calendar first. Every six months, sit down and prioritize what's important to you. Constraints can be a powerful force. Parkinson's Law. Set your "enough goals." --> "Getting to this number will be enough." "There's always more. What about enough?" "We don't need to grow our business for growth's sake." "$33,000/month is our enough goal." -- "It's clearly defined. It's right for us." The process of writing a book live -- Jason learned a lot about himself writing while others were watching. The end of the podcast club: Email us ([email protected]) -- When was the last time you truly showed up as yourself?

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #325: Ron Ullery Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Be part of "Mindful Monday" - Text LEARNERS to 44222 Coach Ron Ullery began his football coaching career at Centerville High School in 1977. He was the Offensive Coordinator (and play-caller) for my four years as the quarterback for Centerville (1996,1997,1998,1999). He was promoted to Head Coach in 2000. In his 14 years as head coach, he compiled a 107-45 record. Eight of his teams advanced to the Division 1 (big school) postseason. He is currently the Offensive Line coach at Springboro High School. This episode was recorded in front of the Springboro football team, coaches, and administrative staff. He's coached high school football for 43 years. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Understanding how hard it is to be excellent Knowing there are multiple ways to lead (militaristic, fear driven, soft spoken, calm) Must be organized -- Have to set a plan to direct people. How are we going to get where we want to go? Must have a tremendous work ethic -- Ask the people you're leading to work extremely hard and you must be willing to work even harder Have extremely high expectations, unwilling to ever waiver -- They don't lower expectations to feel good Must have humility -- Can't be all about you A great coach can make a player feel invincible: A great coach sees another level in you. A level above where you think you can go. And they push you to go there... Doing things you never dreamed you could possibly do makes you think it's possible. "We are in a era where mediocrity and average is okay." "If you want to, you can lay in bed all day, have your iPad here, your TV with 250 stations, your phone, you can doordash leave your door unlocked... you never have to do anything." We need to strive to be elite and excellent Being grateful for the hard work -- What it leads to... X & O's are not the most important part of football: "Young people will live up to your expectations or down to your expectations almost all the time." "It's our job to place the level of those expectations." The elite performers hit the level of expectations set and then keep going. The confidence a coach gives his/her players by exhibiting an incredible work ethic: "It has everything to do with making sure I'm prepared. I want to control what I can control. I don't want to be the weak link." "To prepare, I need to be in a quiet place. I became a morning guy in college. I was majoring in Math. It was tough." Delayed gratification -- Voluntary hardship: The ability to delay gratification is a super power "Instant gratification is what everyone wants now." -- Foresight: People have less foresight now than they used to. They have instant access to everything they want at all times "If you are unsuccessful, look in the mirror. The competition is not real stiff. If you have some foresight and a strong work ethic, you can do whatever you want. Most people don't have that foresight." The difference between winning teams and losing teams Winning teams: The players were empowered, had ownership. and they (the players) held each other accountable. "You can coach them as hard as you want and they will respond as long as they know you care about them." "It's a lot harder when you care." Why stay as a high school coach? "I love the high school atmosphere. I love the age, I love everything about high school. I love the challenge. You take whatever comes in the doors. There's no recruiting. You do the best you can with what you're given. I love everything about these guys." "In my 43 years of coaching, I've never felt like I've had a job." Why offensive line? "It was the biggest learning off-season of my career." "Offensive linemen is by far the hardest position to succeed at. It's also the most impactful of winning games." "They are the least athletic players on the field by far. They do the most important job, yet they are the least athletic." "It's a tremendous challenge. And I love challenges. I love seeing them succeed." How to earn respect: Must exhibit leadership, mental toughness, and discipline -- "You can't ask anything of anyone else if you're not willing and already doing it yourself." You have to care and it has to show how much you care about people. You have to do more than other people. Advice to his son Brent Ullery (head coach of Centerville High School): "You have to formulate things you believe in. You have to have strong beliefs. Formulate your beliefs not based on what you did when you played, but base them on what you've learned from all of your experiences. Don't let the outside noise influence you." Framework for continuous improvement and ability adapt: "Listen and learn. I'm a better learner today than any year of my life. When I started out coaching I thought I knew everything. Then I realized I knew nothing." Learning talks with Coach Gregg every morning -- "I would meet him every morning and we would talk about everything. Som

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full Show Notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com #324: Charles Fishman Charles Fishman is the acclaimed author of One Giant Leap, A Curious Mind (with Brian Grazer), The Wal-Mart Effect, and The Big Thirst. He is a three-time winner of the Gerald Loeb Award, the most prestigious prize in business journalism. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = They insist on excellence. "The work needs to be as good as it can be." Getting to the moon was the largest project in the history of civilization Clarity of the mission - Everyone must know the goal Must keep people motivated Standards must be clear - And the reasoning behind each action (intentional) President Kennedy was frustrated with how the U.S. was doing versus the Russians in space. He needed to make a bold statement. When it was made, the administration felt there was a 50/50 shot that it could happen. It was important to announce broad goal and the reason behind it "Take the stairs" - Think of it as a blessing. "I get to do this." Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. "A master stroke of leadership because it was a stretch goal, but it wasn't insanity." It must be balanced. There are tapes of JFK talking scientific discovery where it was obvious he had little understanding of it. --> It's important to have people you have confidence in leading areas where you're lacking knowledge. "If JFK wasn't assassinated, we may not have gone to the moon. He was starting to get cold feet about the cost." The space program created a culture of learning from failure: "Every single failure had to be investigated, understood, and resolved." "No Random Failures" was the motto. "Every failure is a gift." -- There were 14,000 recorded failures in testing. Collaboration -- How to keep so many people aligned? There were 400,000 people from 20,000 companies working on the Apollo missions! NASA's management style: Clearly defined roles - What are your solutions to the problems? Gave assignments and qualities that needed to be met NASA had a culture where they brought everyone together for in person meetings. "Every minute of a mission would be walked through." There was transparency and decisions got made. Get people together in person and do something important. This built camaraderie among the dispirit teams. Bill Tindall -- A mission planning genius on space navigation. He was also gracious, self-effacing, and had a great sense of humor. Bill respected what others had done, had respect for the mission. He had the confidence to be calm. A different person who used a different manner would have been a disaster working with the leaders at MIT. People have to be persuaded to follow you. Both Gene Kranz and Bill Tindall were unafraid to hear input. They were confident enough to find the right answer (wherever it came from). We are entering the most exciting time in space travel (Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos)

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Text LEARNERS to 44222 #322: Ian Leslie Ian Leslie is a London-based journalist and author of critically acclaimed books about human behavior. He is currently writing a new book on "productive disagreement", which will be published in 2020. Ian also created, wrote and performed in the BBC radio comedy Before They Were Famous. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Have the ability to think about their own thinking -- Step outside and reflect Know that you'll say "I don't know" frequently Breadth -- A range of interests Interested in building knowledge and an awareness that it might not pay off (and being ok with that) Ian built his life around curiosity -- He was a strategist for ad agencies. He needed to deeply understand his clients. That is a job built on curiosity. "I am a curiosity driven writer." Children are born curious... "People are born with habits/knowledge to survive." And then they stop. There's no evolutionary impulse to keep going. It becomes a conscious choice to cognitive resources and time The two types of curiosity Diversive: Hunger for new information. It comes from an information gap. Agatha Christie understands how to create an information gap to keep you turning the page Epistemic: Desire to acquire knowledge/build/assimilate into networks in your brain. It requires discipline. It's engendered. It's diversive curiosity grown up. "There is a rising premium on people with a high need for cognition." NFC (need for cognition) is a scientific measure of intellectual curiosity "Taking action. Doing... is a form of learning. They are intertwined." Reflecting on own habits -- use self as a lab experiment... Then talk with others. Empathically curious -- Being curious about what's inside of other person's head. How they think and feel. "You're going to be come a better communicator being a better listener." Atul Gawande -- Ask the unscripted question. Make a human connection. Have 10% of your brain switched on to "Am I talking too much?" How to have productive disagreements: Don't avoid it Have disagreements we both can live with "You'll have more productive disagreement if you're curious about the other person." People who have a higher level of scientific curiosity... They don't rush to judgement. Think, "Oh, I wonder why I think that?" "Nobody has trained us in how to disagree with each other." "You have this choice in judgement and curiosity." Life/Career advice: "Be interested in everything. Go deep in one area." Have core people in your life and foster the weak ties. Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning and discovering as they grow older. Which side of the "curiosity divide" are you on?

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #322 with Julie Zhuo Julie Zhuo is the VP of Product Design for Facebook. She was the first-ever intern for the company. She leads the team responsible for the Facebook App. Julie is known as one of Silicon Valley's top product design executives, she leads the teams behind some of the most popular web and mobile services used by billions of people around the world. Julie writes about technology, great user experiences, and leadership on her popular blog "The Year of the Looking Glass" as well as publications like the New York Times and Fast Company. She is the best-selling author of, The Making Of A Manager.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com #321: Jay Acunzo Jay Acunzo is the founder of the media company Marketing Showrunners, author of the book Break the Wheel, and the host and producer of more than a dozen docuseries about creativity at work. He's a former digital media strategist at Google, head of content at HubSpot, and Vice President of Content and Community at the VC firm NextView.Jay's work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and more. Salesforce called him "a creativity savant," while the American City Business Journals named him as one of Boston's "50 On Fire." Show notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Curiosity gets you the ability to constantly reinvent yourself Ex: A basketball player who works on a new part of his/her game every summer (constantly adding to the game) Intrinsic motivation Telic type -- Get to level 1, 2, and going... "When you're curious you're constantly turning it over and over..." Be a sensitive skeptic -- Keeping dispirit ideas at the same time "You have to be open and at the same time question everything." Anthony Bourdain -- An inspiration -- Why does that inspire me? What do I bring to the table? Be open to all, but skeptical Bourdain -- He's able to sit with anybody and pull out emotional moments from what seemed a normal day. Parts Unknown is not about geography, but with people and their emotions. "We experience his work with lots of emotion." Best interviewers: 2 types: Conversationalists: Bourdain, Bill Simmons, Conan -- They aren't about the clever question, it's about the environment they create, the trust they build. Questioners: Terry Gross, Kara Swisher - They are genius in the simple questions, and the follow ups... How do you feel leading up to a big moment? A specific anticipatory feeling. Before getting on stage, think, "Wow, I get to do this." Not, I have to do this. Process to prepare for a speech: Wind down before the gig Rehearse in the office days before, film it, use it as game tape. Practice, practice, practice. Create muscle memory -- "Don't memorize it, memorialize it." "When I make something, I want to feel something. I have to put in the reps." Thoughts on "best practices?" "The image in my head is, 'that's the way we've always done things.'" Must rather find the best approach How to do this? Don't run a faulty equation for your work Don't build on lagging indicators Don't miss variables... You must know the current context "Stop acting like an expert, start acting like an investigator." The 3 Psychological Barriers: Why we aren't making great decisions: The Pike Syndrome: A feeling of powerlessness after repeated failure (named for the experiment of conditioning a pike to not eat minnows by hiding those minnows behind glass). Solution: "first-principle"insights about customers The Foraging choice: The decision between exploiting your current position or exploring other possibilities (named for the idea that human decisions under high-stress condition often mirror foraging behavior in animals. Solution: "Aspirational anchors" for you and/or your team Cultural Fluency: Your behavior when the world unfolds according to the expected norm (a concept honed by a man who ran experiments on his friends and family at a picnic). Solution: "trigger questions" to add cultural disfluency How to help people develop intuition? Intuition is not an instant clarity generator -- "The ability to consider the environment." --> Ask great questions about context. Break into knowable parts You -- People doing work Customers -- Stakeholder -- who the work is for Resources -- to make it happen Ask useful questions: "Set aside the desire to be right for the desire to get it right." Common mistakes new managers make: They "have all the answers." Ask questions, Remove ego. Emotion based decisions -- Surround self with the right people to help with deficiencies Qualities Jay looks for when making hiring decisions: Can you do the work? Can I understand who you are? Skip right to the good stuff -- "What's the best story you've ever written?" Want people with an intrinsic desire to create -- Love side projects like his sports blog Advice: Career path is BS -- It's laughable. Your 20's are about exploration... "Try a lot of stuff." Do side projects Bad advice: "The idea that being the best is a real thing. It's ridiculous." Focus on your own body of work, not others.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #320: Rick Smith Full Show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Rick Smith is the founder and CEO of Axon. Axon currently employs over 1,300 people. A pioneer of technology with the vision of making the bullet obsolete, Rick founded the original company, TASER, in 1993. As the TASER device became ubiquitous in law enforcement, Rick pushed the company beyond weapons technology and towards a broader purpose of matching technology to public safety needs in order to make the world a safer place. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a garage in Tucson to a NASDAQ-listed global market leader. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Initiative -- "They see what needs to be done and they do it." Rick started the company out of his garage in Arizona in 1993 More on taking initiative: "Don't wait for people to tell you what to do. Highlight it and fix it." Luke Larson was an individual contributor when the company had 250 employees. He challenged Rick on an issue and offered a solution. He is now the President of a 1,300 person company Mindset -- Build a culture that rewards challenging the status quo "Tell the ugly truth" "Anyone can challenge any idea" Qualities Rick looks for in hiring: Need to want to be with them Initiative - they need to step up and do work Intellectual curiosity - someone who seeks better answers No time for hierarchical people -- they cannot be threatened by 'up and comers' "You want to hire people that are literally better than you. You have to learn to embrace that." "It's so liberating to know that I don't have to be right." Why try to eliminate the bullet? "In 1993, two friends were shot and killed. I thought, 'why are bullets still a thing?'" "Don't wait until you have the perfect business plan. Have a simple concept you believe in and get to work." "Focus on solving a big problem" The first seven years did not go well. Rick was fortunate to have his dad fund it... However, it led to a difficult relationship when the business wasn't going well. He had immense pressure for it to succeed. They fixed their core product and it began catching on with law enforcement agencies They own 100% of the taser market "I'm a libertarian guy. I don't want to take anything away from anyone." "But people romanticize guns. The real world is messy. We make mistakes." "Why use lethal force instead of a taser?" What about the phrase: "Don't take a knife (or taser) to a gun fight?" "How about, 'Don't get into a gun fight.'" The book (End Of Killing): "Our goal is to replace the gun long term. The book is me sharing what I believe that nobody else believes." Have to respect ideas "It's a good sign if people initially think you're crazy" Keys to building a team at work that sees a higher mission? "You must have an authentic mission." "Don't say you're changing the world unless you actually are." "My goal is to inspire the right team and then get out of their way." "I'm now the chief storyteller of the business." Career advice: "Find a job where you get to feel the impact of what you want to create. What are the big picture things you want to accomplish." "The people who are most effective see what needs to be done and they go and do it." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #319: Jim Clifton Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Personal Excellence 2.0 workshop: www.RyanHawk.me Jim Clifton has served as CEO of Gallup, a global leader in consulting and public opinion research and analytics, since 1988. Under his leadership, Gallup has expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 30 offices in 20 countries and regions. Leaders who sustain excellence = They don't set out to get rich, they have a purpose that drives them The mission overpowers everything else They build advantages for themselves through compound learning -- Stack your learning Teach the "story of the day" Be part of really hard projects -- the front line war battles Advice to someone earlier in their career? Focus and double down on your strengths CEO of Gallup -- The beginning... Won a big account (Cargill) -- It was huge to create momentum for his new business Don Clifton (Jim's dad) built the StrengthsFinder -- And then bought Gallup in 1988 The StrengthsFinder was built from 34 themes Don was a scientist. He went on bombing raids and was a war hero as a lead bomber. A navigator. It's The Manager is the biggest discovery they've made When studying the truly great companies, the commonality is the management How to create a high development culture? People want to be developed -- And then find the role that fits their unique strengths to maximize their potential What Jim looks for when making hiring decisions: Drive They love to practice... They like to work Where have your most talented people come from? "Stars were recruited by the managers themselves." Great managers know great people. "Presentations matter. A manager must get good at it." Managers must be great coaches: "Coaching is sitting down and sharing purpose..." Shock and Awe visitors that meet at your office: "The entrance to your building show wow them." Small details are very important. Landscaping matters. Pay attention to the feeling you get when you drive up to the building. It helps with your internal employees as well. "People join because of the company and leave because of their boss." Currently, only 34% of works are engaged (according to Gallup poll) India/China are at 6% The issue with promoting the top performer at a role (Example: The #1 sales rep becomes the manager) The top individual contributor doesn't always make the best coach. In fact, often times, they don't. Give superstar individual contributors bigger titles and more money as a way to promote them. Don't force them to management when they don't show the desire or ability to lead others. "There must be two paths." "Leaders need to see the future well, and excite others. The good ones have an unusual relationship with risk." The Gender Gap Statistically, women run more engaged teams than men How to manage and nurture creativity? Need ideas from teams close to the action (have a front line obsession) You want intrapreneurship and foster an environment for that to pull out the great ideas The difference in two teams: The best negotiators are the ones who do their homework Present in a neutral way, calm, collected, ask questions, try to learn, better understand the other person's position When you work for a bad boss, you get cognitive contraction: You lose levels of intelligence When you work for a great boss, you get cognitive expansion: You become smarter, innovate more, and do better work A boss has incredible power. And that power needs to be used for good.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com #318: Clark Kellogg - How To Take Control Of Your Personal Development *This episode was recorded live in front of a 200 person audience in Dayton, Ohio at the Sonny Unger Memorial Banquet. Clark Kellogg serves as one of the the premier voices in college basketball. He works for CBS Sports. In 1997, Kellogg joined CBS Sports full-time as a studio/game analyst for college basketball coverage and was one of three in-studio hosts for March Madness. In March 2010, Kellogg played a game of H.O.R.S.E. against U.S. President Barack Obama. The game, called "P.O.T.U.S." for the occasion, was won by Obama. Prior to that, Clark was an All-American at Ohio State University. In 1982, Kellogg declared for the NBA draft after his junior year of college and was a 1st round draft pick (8th overall) of the Indiana Pacers. In his first season, he was selected as a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team. Converse signed him to an endorsement deal, to release his own Converse "Special K" sneaker. Notes: Take control of your own development - This is YOUR responsibility. That's your property. Be intentional about growing and getting better and improving. It's not just the big things. It's the small things. Who are you associating with? How are you impacting them? Who do you want to be? There are a lot of distractions, there will be bumps, headwinds... Own your development." Control the controllables: your attitude, your effort, your faith. The most effective leaders are "others centered." This is a distinct and intentional process to help elevate others. Mindset: The battlefield for a lot of our challenges is in our own mind. Attitude impacts how we move forward. "Never major in minor things." Most of life's disappointments are not major in the context of the bigger picture. Don't make mountains out of molehills. Focusing on just one sport versus playing multiple sports. Growing up with a dad who was a policeman in Cleveland, OH. Advice to parents -- Expose your children to a variety of opportunities and support their passions Needs to be an interest and a desire on your kids part Having athletically talented kids (son played college basketball and professionally. A daughter who plays college volleyball). Focus on fun and fundamentals: If you have an aptitude to go to the higher levels as you get older, then focus Discussed why he went to Ohio State -- Clark was a top three player in America at the time. The intensity of the rivalry with Indiana and playing against Bobby Knight What it was like getting a show named after him from Converse The makeup of a great coach: A passion for the role of leading people A willingness to adapt and adjust to the changes in the game and personalities on the team An effective communicator -- What you desire and what needs to be done Set the tone of humility of accountability Genuine -- They are themselves -- "Players can pick up on phonies quickly" This establishes trust "Are they getting better because you've been their coach?" -- That's the question a coach should always ask themselves A coach should always be developing their players What to look for in a teammate? Consistency of attitude and effort "Don't want the volatile person who is up and down. I want consistency." Being able to accept criticism and coaching Able to constructively criticize others in a positive way "Who you are should not fluctuate based on where you are. There should be a consistency in who you are. That's something that should be worked on and you should be intentional about it. Authenticity is powerful and impactful." The moment of having his career cut short (only 26 years old) because of a knee injury: "It was brutal initially, but came to peace with it after having multiple surgeries and realized I couldn't play anymore." Starting the next career -- TV broadcasting Humbling self and starting at Cleveland State as an analyst. Back to the basics, starting from the bottom "I didn't become good at basketball right away. If I'm going to do this well, I need to start where I need to start. I got the reps. Radio was great training. You have to be fairly quick." The importance of having mentors and being a mentor for others "How do I become excellent at this thing I'm interested in?" "You need to be unique, but you need to be you." You must be authentic. "Everyone can relate to food." Use food analogies in basketball. Using your personality as part of your craft to be relatable. Working with Charles Barkley: "It's exactly as it appears. Charles is a personality, successful businessman, and very smart." Playing basketball at the White House with President Obama -- Losing to him in P.O.T.U.S How Larry Bird was the best trash-talker Clark played against How Clark prepares for a broadcast: "I'm consistent in the process to be ready in the moments as they unfold." Visit team's practices, review notes from prior year, watch a lot of games o

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #317: Susan Cain - The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking Join us for our annual workshop - Personal Excellence 2.0 -- Click HERE for dates and availability Full Shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Susan Cain is the author of the world-wide bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking, which has been translated into 40 languages, is in its seventh year on the New York Times best seller list, and was named the #1 best book of the year by Fast Company magazine, which also named Cain one of its Most Creative People in Business. LinkedIn named her the 6th Top Influencer in the world. Leaders who sustain excellence = Understand that soft is hard and hard is soft. Soft skills = essential skills. They are hard, but essential to develop. Leaders in corporate America surprise Susan She expected a lot of resistance from others, but her ideas have been embraced. The responsibility Susan feels for making "introverting so hard" a cool thing to say... It wasn't before her book. People would hide the fact they were an introvert prior to Quiet being published and/or lie on personality tests The point is not to say that you should want to be an introvert or an extrovert -- We need both. Charisma = magic "The wind howls but the mountain remains still." We moved from being --> To being a culture of personality. Susan's roots: A Harvard educated lawyer Building a Negotiation Consulting business after leaving the corporate world How can an introvert be a good negotiator? The best negotiators are the ones who do their homework Present in a neutral way, calm, collected, ask questions, try to learn, better understand the other person's position Romantic relationships - An extrovert and introvert getting married -- "you must really understand the other person's preferences are legitimate." When should you act more extroverted than you are? We should all step outside of our comfort zones, but be intentional about it. An introvert who is a public speaker (like Susan) must do this to share the message with groups of people. What are your core projects? When in service of others, do it. Restorative niches --> After a keynote (for an introvert), go to your hotel room and relax alone (to restore energy expended speaking) Why is cool overrated? In the Enron scandal, Vince Kaminski was the "uncool introverted nerd." He was the unsung hero in the scandal. He figured out what was happening in advance. They told him, "You're like the police and we don't like that." The process to sell the proposal for Quiet: Started writing it in 2005. Agent shopped it an received 12 offers --> A bidding frenzy The importance of writing the "first crappy draft." Take the feedback as a gift Most successful authors have had a lot of help

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #316: Cal Newport - How To Choose A Focused Life In A Noisy World Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University who studies the theory of distributed systems. In addition to his academic work, he writes about the intersection of technology and culture.Cal is the author of six books, including, most recently, the New York Times bestseller, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. Join us for our annual Personal Excellence workshop. Go to www.RyanHawk.me for details Full shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com "Be unambiguously good at something important. Head's down with an apprenticeship mindset." Show Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = They know what matters and get after it They are not easily distracted... They have the ability to be intensely focused on the task at hand at a tactical level Train to be so good they can't ignore you Concentrate intently -- Introverts are happier doing this. But it's also a trainable skill. Cal's background: theoretical computer science computation group - Focus and master on a small number of things How to be "so good they can't ignore you?" They want a secret formula. That's not how it works. It's not about a life hack. "The reality is simpler... 'Be relentlessly good at something valuable.' Deep Work = Focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. This skill is more valuable. It's how you learn complicated things and produce at a high level. Culture-wise - We are getting worse at deep work We need to be able to be locked in to produce something valuable for work... Deep work can also be personal development. There is overlap. Digital Minimalism Unexpected consequences of technology = Our attention is captured by glowing screens Phones = Completely banish solitude. We are never alone with our own thoughts anymore. Do one or two things a day without your phone. Force solitude. Why do we have a compulsive need to look at our phone? Social media has been engineered to do this... Junk food is built the same way. Cal has never had a social media account. A 30 day digital declutter: Be away from optional technology for 30 days. Detox -- Give yourself time and space to see what you value outside of work. Then ask, "What technology do I want in my life?" What's the best way to use technology? For someone who loves Twitter (like me) for the gathering of interesting people? Create a curated reading list from Twitter. Click all the useful links to articles, then block out time to just read those. The power of going on walks: "I walk a lot. That's how I think." Walking with no phone -- It creates reflection, insight, thinking. Do walking meetings. Get sun - get outside. It's a form of 'productive meditation.' Focus on a single problem for that walk Thoughts on Kliff Kingsbury building in time every 30 minutes for his players to check their phones? "This is not good. Concentration matters. Especially in football." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #315: Gabriel Weinberg - Using Mental Models To Make Better Decisions Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Gabriel Weinberg is the CEO & Founder of DuckDuckGo, the Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.He co-authored Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth and co-wrote, Super Thinking. Gabriel holds a B.S. with honors from MIT in Physics and an M.S. from the MIT Technology and Policy Program. He has been profiled in The Washington Post and Fast Company, and is routinely quoted in leading print publications such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Weinberg is also a frequent TV commentator, appearing on CNN, CNBC, and CBS This Morning, among others. Notes: Commonalities of leaders who have sustained excellence: A desire and openness to grow as a person People want to follow them -- They set up systems for others to succeed They make sure the team is headed in the right direction The North Star -- Must always orient yourself towards whatever that is for you Your personal mission statement Maximize impact on the world -- Where do you want to go? Define what that is for you DuckDuckGo is an internet privacy company -- Started in 2008 for private search (a competitor to Google). Gabriel discussed how he was ahead of his time -- The secret is something you know about the world that others don't yet. Search is the most personal thing on the internet. Gabriel wanted to create an alternate (private) to Google. Mental Model -- A concept for general decision making. A few hundred concepts that are useful for better decision making Become a 'chef' with your thinking -- 1st principles thinking. Your intuition can be wrong. Best practices can also be wrong. You need to focus on being wrong less. 1st Principles = Most intentional way of thinking: Question assumptions. Every project has a scoping template: What is the objective of the project? What is success criteria? What are you trying to solve? Does everyone agree? Discussion with team -- Operationalize 1st principles Why the pro/con list is not as helpful as the cost/benefit list: Write down cost over time -- Rate everything vs that Example: Where should we go on vacation? Rate on a scale 1-10. Combine cost and benefits. Do a post mortem after every project -- It forces critical thinking and analysis What went well? What didn't? Given those things, how can we operationalize to do better? Why is it rare to do a "success autopsy?" By default, an after action review will not happen. It must be built into the process. Our default setting is to move on to the next project. What was it like writing a book with his wife? Lauren McCann is Gabriel's wife and co-author on Super Thinking "We would walk together every morning and talk about the book." It became the primary topic of conversation for a long time Charlie Munger multi-disciplinary approach: At DuckDuckGo, this is their goal --> Grow people internally. They work hard to help their team make better decisions Structure of DuckDuckGo: 70 team members -- fully distributed all over the world Immense delegation happens daily What does Gabriel look when hiring someone to the team? Self starters -- The team is fully distributed. They have a lot of autonomy and ownership. People are empowered and must be willing to work without a boss watching them. Question assumptions Great communicator -- There is a lot of written communication when the team is all over the world. Must be able to write well. Experimental mindset Validate direction -- Run experiments if you have a hunch and then analyze your findings Build trust -- Very key. There is heavy transparency at DuckDuckGo. Must be trustworthy. How to find candidates who possess these qualities? Do paid projects as part of the hiring process... Get a feel for them actually doing the job before you hire them full time. Culture: "We have a 'thank you' culture" "Most respectful interpretation" of every interaction. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Thoughtful and intentional Gabriel's upbringing: His dad was a doctor. His mom was an artist. How to flex your market power? Combine two particular sets of skills, go deep learning them (eg. be a great finance person and public speaker. Look for gaps in the market or within your company, and use your unique skills (like Liam Neeson in Taken) and attack the problem. Most people just do what they're told. Don't settle for that. Why shouldn't we trust our gut? Availability bias - May not remember all the options Confirmation bias - the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories. Use it as a hypothesis generator, then question it. Don't fully commit until the necessary work is done. "Thinking gray." --> Delay decisions until they absolutely must be made. Jeff Bezos opens a door, but may come back through it. "W

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 314: John Calipari & Michael Lombardi - Building & Sustaining A Culture Of Excellence Full show notes found at www.LearningLeader.com John Calipari has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team since 2009, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (in 1996, 2008 and 2015), and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Calipari has coached Kentucky to four Final Fours, in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. Michael Lombardi was an assistant to the coaching staff of the New England Patriots (until 2016) and is a former analyst for the NFL Network and sportswriter at NFL.com. Lombardi also previously served as an NFL executive with the San Francisco 49ers working withBill Walsh, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders working with Al Davis. This was recorded in front of an audience at an event called the NCAA Final Four Coaching Consortium. The people in the audience were college basketball coaches and athletic directors. Notes: The "Players First" credo: "When I worked for Larry Brown he told me, if you care about the kids and you really care, you'll always have a job." "Larry was a coaches coach, but a players coach, who wasn't afraid to coach. Right now, we're moving in a direction where we're afraid to coach. Correcting in real time is so important." "Everyone said the 1 and done rule would ruin college basketball, they wanted to replace me." "If you're about your kids, whatever happens good for them, will not be a negative for you. It's about them first. It's about us second. If you want them to be servant leaders, they have to see it in you." "If they don't see you getting involved in the community, they won't get involved in the community." Players first is not just them playing basketball, it's everything. "We all should be reading. The more curious you are, the more curious your players will be. Read books, give your players books to read." Lombardi -- Coach Walsh was all about the players, he was the first to go on fishing tournaments with players. He bought Bubba Smith a big tv, he made Michael sit and eat all meals with him. Bill Walsh had a book club in San Francisco Bill Belichick is all about the history of the game and the history of our country. When you go in the cafeteria and you see the great players on the wall, he expects you to know the history and the culture of your team. You should ask all coaches, "who assigns the jersey numbers?" The coach should assign those numbers, not the equipment manager. Your player needs to know the history of that number. Calipari -- Process on getting guys to want to play as a team: It all starts in recruiting. "If you promise every kid 25 shots, good luck. Because at some point, someone will be upset. If the relationship starts with a lie, you'll never recover." "Whatever you do here is earned. If you're good enough you'll start, but you'll decide that." "If you want them to be great teammates it starts immediately when you meet them. They have to earn it." You can't oversell and under deliver. People will not buy in to that. "Pat Riley gave me one of the best compliments ever, he said, 'Your players are some of the best teammates in the NBA.'" Marcus Camby -- "I said, what position do you want to play?" he said, "Shooting guard." I said, "Okay, but we do post up our shooting guards a lot." Lombardi -- Putting together a great roster -- Roster construction: The law of 3's Whenever you take over a team you have three groups of people One -- They'll do anything you want them to do Two -- They're unsure Three -- They are never happy Focus on the people in group one and you'll win the whole team. The Four areas of leadership Command of self -- Must be discipline Command of plan Command of meaning/message Command of trust -- You cannot lie. If you lie, you'll lose the player forever Calipari -- Took over UMass -- Terrible team at the time When he left, he got advice from a business man (Pat Nardelli) "You can a have bad deal with good people. Stuff happens. But you can never have a good deal with bad people." "The reason I've had success, I've had the best staffs. Top to bottom. When you get your job, you surround yourself with great people." "Assistant coaches must be able to work together. They are each other's PR machine. Each guy needs to promote the other guy." Was on football field with Bill Parcells -- Could coach all 22 guys on a football field. He had incredible vision. The importance of mentors in your career-- Calipari "Who's your kitchen cabinet? Who do you go to when things aren't going well?" Who can you listen to? Ken Blanchard - The One Minute Manager Decision making -- you need to run it by someone. Don't make big time decisions when you're still emotional. "I'll take the job the grass is greener.... Well you have to cut the grass on both sides." You need people to say, "Stop. Tell me wha

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #313 - Listener Supported (Q & A) Episode -- Build Confidence Like Beyonce, How To Ask The Right Questions, & When To Make A Job Change Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Have a mindset of growth They assume they have so much to learn Question from Ed Arnston -- Lt. Col in The United States Army -- "All of your guests are excellent and offer a lot of wisdom, but as you've done more than 300, what are the top 5 in power rankings of guests on your show? Kat Cole - Courage & Confidence + Curiosity & Humility George Raveling - The curiosity of a 5 year old, he is a learning machine Brian Koppelman - Follow your curiosity and obsessions with great rigor Jim Collins - Who is YOUR WHO? General Stan McChrystal - "Your character is something you can control. You can decide what your character is. Nobody can take it from you." Questions from CaSaundra Garber -- Technical Project Manager, Portland, Oregon -- Who have you always wanted to have on your podcast that you haven't made happen yet? Reading The Alliance, what are your thoughts on it? Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Oprah, a panel with Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady "You are the sum of your experiences." A lot of the learnings of my life have come from the great coaches I've played for in my life. One of the biggest parts of The Alliance is the idea of doing "a tour of duty." Changing jobs and learning new skills and the benefits of it. Tour of duty = What do you want to learn and gain in this specific area of business? Don't get a job just to have a job, take a job that will give you a tour where you come out of it in a planed time frame and you've learned something new. --> David Epstein writes about this in Range and on THIS episode. People that earn roles in the C-suite have a variety of roles on their way to that position. Open your mind more to take on a role that is currently completely outside of what you do. This also helps you walk a mile in the shoes of others and creates compassion/empathy. Question from Daniel Jellings -- Manager Local Government, Adelaide, Australia -- Career has been linear, regular promotions along the way, became a manager about five years ago. What are your thoughts on proactively exploring other roles that are outside of my current skill set (that could be a side step) in order to eventually become a General Manager? Learn as much as possible about the people you may go work with... Try as best you can to simulate what it will be like to work with those people. "You have to mow the grass in both places." There are a lot of advantages to seeking opportunities that force you to stretch and learn. They are initially uncomfortable. "If you want something extraordinary to happen to you, you're going to have to take a an uncomfortable risk in every dimension of your life." -- Scott Galloway Question from Ryan Ogle -- Championship Director for PGA of America, Bend Harbor, Michigan -- What is your current morning and evening routine? What is your process for utilizing a daily journal? Wake up at 4:45 -- Drink water, stretch, read, journal, workout, breakfast with family, drive daughters to school, work. When finishing manuscript, I wrote a lot during the early hours of the day. At night, I like to read out of books (Kindle in the morning and at the gym). Discussed my preparation process for a podcast. A daily journal is helpful to remind yourself of your mindset at that particular time of your life. It helps you remember what it was really like at that time. And why I use technology (instead of paper and pencil) to write in my journal. Why I'm fascinated by The Wright Brothers... -- "If you're trying to do something of significance, you will have people who question you, who may think you're nuts." Question from Andrew (Opie) Brodbeck -- Former professional baseball player, Clearwater, Florida -- What skills from playing football helped you in your business life off the field? Took a personality test and didn't pass it based on the company feedback? How to deal with that and develop confidence in yourself in something off the field? How to lead a dysfunctional team that lacks trust (Chelsea)? It's important to properly set your expectations and realize you'll never get the rush of playing in front of 105,000 people again. Some of the skills that translated: How to prepare, how to deal with adversity, how to be resilient, how to develop the willingness to work... I was able to share what I learned from the best coaches. Showing that you're coachable. you must be coachable to learn something new. Being comfortable with a daily scoreboard (which we had in a sales environment). On the first day of employment, I asked the VP, "who's the best?" And then shadowed that person. Confidence -- How to build it like Beyonce? "Confidence is built through a series of successful events in your life." Those successful events were built through prepar

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com #312: Zvi Band Zvi Band is the co-founder & CEO of Contactually, the top CRM which empowers professionals in real estate, consulting, and other professional industries to build authentic relationships. Having founded Contactually in 2011, Zvi has led Contactually to $12M in venture backing, 75 employees, and tens of thousands of customers, including 8 of the top 20 real estate brokerages in the country. An engineer, a seasoned entrepreneur, developer, strategist and startup advisor, with unique both technical and non-technical operations. Thrice named a Washingtonian Tech Titan, featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and Washington City Paper, Zvi was also a finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year. Zvi is a passionate speaker and author whose writing has appeared in Forbes, Inc, Inman News, and many other outlets. He's the author of the newly released book, Success Is In Your Sphere. Published by McGraw-Hill (Zvi and I share the same agent, publisher, and editor). Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = They have a level of introspection This creates self-awareness and mindfulness Take a step back... Analyze, pick apart. Understand why something happened based on the decisions you made They are tactical 5x7 notepad -- Take blank sheet and write the exact things you need to do each day Weekly wrap up -- Capture what happened Use a daily journal to understand how you felt at that moment "It's way too easy to be reactionary." It's not productive. Be thoughtful and intentional Zvi at 25 years old: Quit his job His dad's cancer came back and he died The same day was officially declared a recession in 2008 How to respond? Zvi was interested in a startup "I emailed my network, and the CTO of an enterprise software company helped me out" "Relationships are our most important asset" Zvi realized he wasn't good at managing his relationships. He was using Evernote. He wanted a proactive CRM (customer relationship management) tool to proactively work for the relationship driven professional That was how Contactually was created "It's not about staying in touch. It's about being of value." How to make the right hiring decisions: It's values based: Be user first - solve problems for others Ownership - entrepreneur types Learn & innovate - embrace failure and learn Demonstrate the ability to learn Be excellent with each other -- "If a company has a named 'No Asshole' rules then that usually means they have a lot of assholes there." It's a red flag. Keep it simple Be real -- Transparent How does someone demonstrate the ability to learn? Run a mock call, give feedback. They must be coachable. How do they respond to the coaching? Ask, 'what are you learning? We want readers We want people who are intellectually curious We want people who have a "general dissatisfaction with their current skill set." Mentor advice: Leverage your experience to know the right questions to ask. Teach them how to navigate the issues, don't just give them the answers. "Relay experience. Don't give advice." Don't give a prescription. Mentee advice: Establish a feedback loop Establish what to do -- follow up "Must show that you took their insights to heart and acted on them." The 'icky' feeling of relationship marketing: Avoid this. Don't just exchange business cards. "Relationships are our most important asset." Collect intelligence on those people important to you. Listen for the little details they share. Pay attention. Take notes after you talk with them so you can ask about them later. Consistency - Play the long game: Create habits: what are your relationship goals? "We're wired to think short term." Zag when others zig. Think long term. Build genuine, real relationships: When we look back at success, we realize it's because of relationships Invest in them long term Contactually got acquired by Compass Zvi and his investors have been rewarded for their work

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #311: Adam Savage Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Adam Savage was the co-host and Executive Producer of the hit show, MythBusters on the Discovery Channel. Fourteen years, 1,015 myths, 2,950 experiments, eight Emmy nominations and 83 miles of duct tape later, the series ended in March 2016. He is the author of Every Tool's a Hammer - Life Is What You Make It. Be part of "Mindful Monday" -- Text LEARNERS to 44222 Notes Leaders who sustain excellence = "Obsession is the gravity of making" Obsession towards the project -- A "desire to see the thing they made to your satisfaction." Adam on failure: "I don't trust people who haven't failed." What it means to be a great boss? Give great opportunities... "The time, the facilities, reason, and logic." "Hey, you're doing great." Let employees have the space they need. "There's nothing better than when someone leading a team project can just run with it." "Give total autonomy with narrow bandwidth. Give ownership." Being a generalist -- "The specialist wasn't always helpful because answers are within the context of a wider story." It's very damaging to ask a nine year old what they want to be when they grow up: "Excellence --> The things we cannot stop thinking about." That's what we should strive to be when we grow up. Someone who pursues their curiosity and obsessions with great rigor. The WHO "I think about my relationships all the time." The people you consciously choose to have in your life are everything "Am I serving those relationships? Am I being present and non-judgmental with them? Am I with them in the room?" Stop getting mad at customer service -- It's not their fault. And you'll feel better about yourself. Adam on his preparation process for a big speech: It depends on the engagement, but it's extensive. There are 2 specifics: Record yourself and listen to it -- "It illuminates where you're not hitting your mark. It's the transitions typically. How you link them together as a narrative whole." Memorize conceptually -- Practice, practice practice. Get the reps. Communication as a leader -- "Story is completely vital to leadership in every way." "Language was invented to tell stories." Pay attention to how they people who move you tell stories How playing quarterback is similar to a work of art There is always something changing -- You must adjust on the fly How to become more self-aware? Write everything down -- Keep a journal of your thoughts. Reflect. Be introspective Have someone on your team who will tell you the truth. "It's all about the team." How Adam lowered stress level: Stopped drinking alcohol Slept more Started meditating Increase your loose tolerance Learn by doing -- Take action -- "Creation is iteration." Being wrong isn't failing You don't have to have everything in place to start Be easier on yourself during the iterations Share everything: We love the myth of the lone genius, yet none of us make stuff in a vacuum. Share credit, ideas, everything. Increase generosity through sharing Use more cooling fluid: It takes more time on the front end, and forces time to clean up on the back end, but it gives more value to the final product -- "It's a reminder to slow down and reduce the friction in your work and relationships." Sweep up every day: "A clean workbench gives energy. It helps the future me." Leave a place better than you found it The cultural malaise currently is based on the scarcity model. Wrong. There is enough food, be a giver. Be generous. Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #310: David Epstein Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com David Epstein is the author of the forthcoming Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World , and of the top 10 New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. David has master's degrees in environmental science and journalism, and is reasonably sure he's the only person to have co-authored a paper in the journal of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research while a writer at Sports Illustrated. David has given talks about performance science and the uses (and misuses) of data on five continents; his TED Talk has been viewed 7 million times, and was shared by Bill Gates. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Voracious learners Voracious readers They attack obstacles Extremely interested in people and about themselves The Sports Gene Having great reflexes is a trained skill -- Pro baseball players cannot hit a pro softball pitcher because they have not trained their reflexes to understand the arm angle (Albert Puhols could not hit Jenny Finch even though she throws slower than the average MLB pitcher) "Chunking" is what world class athletes or chess-masters do. They pick up on cues from the person's body (or the board) and that helps them make quicker decisions -- Ex: A baseball player understands/learns the cues of a pitcher and what pitch is coming and at what velocity Sports is a "kind learning environment." It is more black and white than the business world. In order to translate this to the business world, try to create a kinder learning environment. Need as much information available as possible. Create an environment where feedback is happening on a regular basis The business world is not as kind of a learning environment The "annual review" is a horrible way to run a business. Feedback should be happening on a regular basis... Daily. Bill Campbell would go to the meetings of the leaders he coached and gave immediate feedback. Create a feedback loop for yourself from mentors/people you trust "Everyone needs a coach" -- David regularly takes writing courses to stay sharp and learn David's writing process: The first year = Read 10 scientific papers per day. He reads a TON Advantage David has created = An expansive search function Have a "master thought list" -- Storyboard, shift scenes around He did film editing as a form of cross training for writing a book and becoming a great storyteller 29 of 32 NFL first round draft picks in the 2017 draft played multiple sports. Cross training is critical for long term success David debated Malcolm Gladwell on stage in front of a huge audience and changed Malcolm's mind. Watch here. Athletes that delay specialization excel more than those that specializes (golf is the only exception to the rule) The most effective leaders are constantly updating their mental models It should be celebrated when someone changes their mind because better evidence has surfaced Darwin changed his mind Lincoln changed his mind A 'deliberate amateur' = Someone who loves an activity. "I don't do research, I do search." It's a constant experimentation to learn In a LinkedIn study, the results of a review of all profiles of people who made it to the C-Suite = Went to a Top 5 Business School "The single most important factor is they worked in different functions within a company." They were generalists. The people who make the most impact with number of patents filed work across classes. They are wide ranging generalists. Sales is a great entry point for any business -- Learning marketing and sales will benefit you in every job you will ever have "Take your skills and apply them to a problem where those skills aren't being used." People underestimate how much the world will change -- Must be able to adapt and learn "We learn who we are in practice, not in theory." -- Take action. Do the work. Work to accumulate experiences Try something, go all in on the thing you are doing in that moment. 100% focus. Invest everything you have in it. Then reflect on it -- "We learn in moments of reflection." "When you're 23, don't worry about getting ahead, get information about yourself. Focus on learning." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #309: Verne Harnish - Verne Harnish is the founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), with over 14,000 members worldwide, and chaired for fifteen years EO's premiere CEO program, the "Birthing of Giants" held at MIT, a program in which he still teaches today. Founder and CEO of Gazelles, a global executive education and coaching company with over 200 partners on six continents, Verne has spent the past three decades helping companies scale up. He along with the editors of Fortune, authored The Greatest Business Decisions of All Times for which Jim Collins wrote the foreword. His book Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) has won eight major international book awards including the prestigious International Book Award for Best General Business book. Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Ability to persevere Willingness to hire a coach and listen -- All of the greats had coaches to help them (Rockefeller, Steve Jobs) Be part of a "mastermind group" -- Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill Cannot be afraid to make the cold-call. You must be willing to ask Verne cold-called Steve Jobs leadership coach Ask yourself: Who are the top 25 influencers in the space where I want to play? Write their names down... Then call them, email, writer letters. Find a way to get in contact with them Earn the support of influencers and it will put you in warp speed -- "I was the first person to get President Ronald Reagan to say 'entrepreneur' in the White House" Two rules: Give before you ask for anything -- Sometimes you can only give your time and attention. Go to their speeches in person, sit in the front row, nod your head, take notes, then follow up with them afterwards and ask questions. Understand your pitch, what you do, why you do it, and be able to share it concisely "What a great mentor wants is a great student" Verne realized there was not a curriculum for gazelles -- mid range companies that wanted to scale-up Titan -- Rockefeller was so successful because of his discipline Disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action Build a functional accountability chart... 4 criteria: Will - Have to hire will to learn, succeed, persevere Values -- Mars mission values Results -- Track record of success Skill - Fungible Strategy One idea must be different, don't be just like your competition Michael Porter advice -- Article in HBR, "What Is Strategy" Strategy is rooted in... "What word or two do you own in the market-place?" Execution -- Must act or it's just hot air. Failure happens at this phase as you add people Communication rhythm - "If you want to move faster, you need to pulse faster." -- Have a daily huddle, agile meetings There should be equal talk time of each person in the meeting. Don't have one drone on for the entire meeting "Want heated debate, conversation" Run forums so each person speaks Generalities versus Specifics -- It MUST be specific Average 1 minute per person 3 agenda items, to to each person What's up the next 24 hours? #1 priority -- Get the headlines Updated daily metrics that drive the business -- Stat of attracting and keeping talent. What's the data say? Where are you stuck? What's in your way? Get them verbalized The 3 Barriers to scaling up Leadership Awareness-- "What got you here won't get you there" -- Must learn to say no. Have to let early clients go. You can't have all the answers Constraint between your ears -- Bill Gates does "think weeks" Marcus Buckingham -- Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Strengths give you energy, weaknesses take your energy. "Focus on doing what you like, that gives you energy." If you love working to solve client issues, then become the head of customer support and hire a manager to be the CEO Scalable Infrastructure Bloomberg office space -- Everything goes through the six floor so that people collide... To talk, learn, interact Human brain -- Nobody wants a manager. Set it up so all can be a leader and have autonomy. Team of Teams. November 2018 HBR Issue - The end of bureaucracy Marketing Hi tech fast growth companies scale rapidly... Must have great marketing Marketing is the single most important function -- Attract talent, investors, attention, customers It takes a village of gurus -- Curate people Advice: "Make a list of who you need to hang out with... Write it down. You are who you hang out with. Move in with a mentor if you have to." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea "Strengths give you energy. Weaknesses takes your energy." Social Media: Read: Scaling Up Follow Verne on Twitter: @agilescaleup Be part of "Mindful Monday" -- Text LEARNERS to 44222 Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #308: Alex Hutchinson TEXT LEARNERS to 44222 Full shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Leaders who sustain excellence = They show up... Willing to take a shot when they might not be successful People over-estimate short term and under-estimate long term. Be ambitious about long term Consistency - Secret to success: "When an editor gives me an assignment, they will receive it back on time with the right words." You have to always get it done and be known as someone who does this. To rise above a certain level, you must do more than what is expected. "Dream big while not neglecting daily responsibility." Eliud Kipchoge - spiritual leader of self-disciplined people around the world. "Only the disciplined in life are free." Getting there earlier than his coach... "As hard as I was willing to work, he was willing to support me." -- Alex describing his great basketball coach "Discipline is a muscle. You get better as you use it more." Model of achievement -- Work hard, support others "Sweat more than you watch other people sweat." -- Every leader should get some sort of activity. It's indefensible to have a healthy body and mind. "We are cognitively better when we are fit." "Pushing yourself physically reveals what you're made of mentally." How to raise your threshold of pain: It's expectation based Pain perception is the same for all... It's all about how you respond Learn to tolerate it it by going through it regularly. Develop psychological coping system. Pain is just a signal -- Understand it's how you choose to respond Navy SEALs, Olympians did an experiment with brain scanners where oxygen was restricted: They have a 'higher level of self-monitoring' Elite athletes get better when stress hits. Normal people get worse Take a mindfulness based course: Cultivate "non-judgmental self-awareness" When you make a pancake for your 5 year old and they don't like it, "try not to respond with frustration in the moment. Think about how you'll feel in 30 minutes." Change in training? "Training will be the same, but my mind will be different." The importance of self-talk -- Inner monologue -- "I've trained for this, I can do it." "When you've reached a point that you think you've hit a wall, in fact in almost every case, those limits are perceptions of effort." Handle fear with preparation -- You must show yourself you have reason to believe you can do it. Delayed gratification -- Sports is the clearest venues to see benefit of delayed gratification "Champions in November are made in July." Alain de Botton quote -- "Of many books, one feels, it could have been truly good, if the author's appetite for suffering had been greater." Advice: Read a lot of books... On topics that have nothing to do with your topic Give self space to think Give self time to be bored

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Text: LEARNERS to 44222 to be part of 'Mindful Monday' Episode #397: Carly Fiorina Leaders who sustain excellence = Unlock the potential in others Courageous High character -- "How" matters more than what Collaborate well Humble/Empathetic They see possibilities in other people... They don't judge them Optimism combined with realism -- "Seeing people do more than they thought they can is fuel for me." "You need an equal measure of optimism with realism. You must see the current state as it is. It's important to believe things will get better (optimism), but also be clear eyed and realistic. Be honest. See truth, and act on it." From secretary to CEO -- "People wouldn't look at em and say that's a leader." "Work hard and do excellent work in your current role." "What I saw were problems and we fixed problems. I learned that solving problems is what leadership is all about." "Run towards the problems, work to solve them. Don't fixate on getting promoted, focus your attention on doing great at your current job." And then doors will open... Choose a path over a plan How you get things done matters more than what you get done... The manner in which you do it. Think long term. Focus on where you can make a difference A manager versus a leader: Manager -- Works within current constraints of the role. They do the best they can with what they have. Leader -- Changes things. They create new ways of doing things. Leaders are made, not born. Focus on building character and working to be excellent Carly was recruited to be the CEO of HP. She was the first outside hire to be CEO ever. And the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company. She was named the Fortune magazine most powerful woman in American business for 6 years in a row "When your team is diverse, the team is stronger." Competitive nature: "I've always been focused on excellence. But, I've never been a win at all cost person." "It's easy to make a quarter (in the business world, hit your mark for that particular quarter), but you need to get there the right way." Criticism as CEO of HP "When you try to change things, you will get criticized." "Criticism is the price of leadership." How to handle a board? "A good board considers themselves a team, not a collection of individuals." The HP board was a set of individuals and two of them leaked sensitive information to the press. "Eventually, after I was gone, they got fired." Debating with President Trump on stage at the Republican debates... How to be prepared? "Every woman in the world heard what he said." "You need to be prepared, but also be present. Be able to use experience and instinct in the moment." "I didn't prepare for the comment about my appearance, but being present in the room, and having good instincts helped me respond properly." "Right now, we are confused what leadership is. We see leaders who promote conflict, criticize, castigate others. That is wrong." "We need to be reminded who leaders are and what they do. Leaders lift others up, they have courage. Everyone can choose to be a leader." The idea of privilege: "We cannot judge someone by they circumstances. Whether they come from privilege or they are poor. We should judge them based on their character and their contribution." "If we want to achieve more, if we want to be excellent, it requires people who are different to work together towards a common goal." Shane Show's Dream Teams model for building teams. Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #306: Brian Koppelman - Follow Your Curiosity And Obsessions With Rigor Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Sustaining excellence: Ability to focus on the work Preparedness Ability to collaborate "Being responsible enough to show up on time is surprisingly effective and important" "People that follow their curiosity, obsessions, and passions" -- They truly love what they're doing and work with incredible rigor. If you love what you're doing, it doesn't feel like a job. It's work that's enriching you at the same time. "What we're really trying to do as leaders is get people to perform at their highest level and to do it together, because what we do is highly collaborative." "I was the kind of person that would read a book and if I liked it, I would stay up all night reading it. And I would learn the words from that book. I would look them up. I loved the way words sounded and I loved the idea of communicating with great efficiency and humor." "Where this passion really landed for me, it made sense to do this work. Working with great rigor is a lot easier when you're borderline obsessed with something and when you're curious." "Curiosity keeps you diving deeper." "I was a frustrated and blocked writer and I was starting to feel that I had made mistakes. But those two hours every morning... Writing. Made me feel alive." "And he (my boss) said to me, 'Look, you know you're a writer and that's what you want to do.'" "Dude. You do have a half hour a day." You have to make time to do the work. "We finished the screenplay. We sent it out and it got rejected by every single agency in Hollywood. I'm not exaggerating." "I wrote down what every person said... And then it sold the next week, and every agency called us back trying to sign us. Nothing was different on the page. I read them all back what they had said and they would all lie back to me. I had them written down on a big yellow legal pad. I read them out loud on a speaker phone. These guys all lied back to us. Nobody just said, 'well I guess I was wrong,' but then they all wanted to sign us. It taught me a great lesson about gatekeepers in the world. They don't always know." "It means don't blindly accept negative feedback from gatekeepers." Feedback -- "We have friends/peers in place to give feedback to each other." John Hamburg (Meet The Fockers; I Love You, Man; Along Came Polly). "You want feedback, you need feedback. But you don't want feedback from that jealous old friend who you know secretly doesn't want you to be successful." "I don't have people in my life who don't want the best for me. We root for each other... Hard." Comfort in your own skin: "It's a lifetime pursuit. It's so hard." "The battle is to accept who you are while not giving up on improving yourself. To continue to try to become the perfected version of you which you can never be. And to accept your own frailties and faults." "One simple place this comes from is to avoid lying. My wife and I don't lie to each other. We've never lied to each other. When you have that to start, it helps with the rest because you're not fronting." "I do morning pages every day, I meditate, I take long walks and think." "When you do all of those things and you live with intention, you start to become more comfortable with who you are." "But each time you stretch and grow and you're rewarded, it encourages you to stretch and grow." "Never Fake The Funk" -- "It's about pretending. It's about lying to yourself. Don't pretend, don't lie to yourself. It's really easy to get swept along by other peoples conception of who you are. And by other people's ideas of what success is. Defining success for yourself is crucial." "Any interaction I have, I view as an opportunity for growth. For me and the other person." Feedback is fuel... Hearing that you've helped someone is the fuel that drives this machine Having successful parents and the expectations that come from that... "My dad was very good at showing me what it took to be successful." "For some reason, my dad would always point out, 'there's nothing worse than the son of a rich kid.'" "I never wanted to be looked at as just the son of somebody and just skate. I wanted my parents and sisters to be proud of me. I wanted my kids to be proud of me." "I learned at a young age how to talk to powerful people. To find a way to make them laugh, to not be intimidated by them. Because I grew up around those people, I knew exactly what they're like. That's a gigantic advantage that I had because my father took me to meetings. I watched people sell to him, and I watched him sell to others, so I learned what worked." "My dad was a workaholic, but he really cared about us. He never missed a ballgame. He would go to New York City, work a full day, come home to Long Island, watch me play a decent third base, and then drive back to the city for a meeting. I never wondered 'Is my Dad going to show up for the game,

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #305: Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall - A Leader's Guide To The Real World (Break All The Rules) Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Marcus Buckingham holds a master's degree in social and political science from Cambridge University and is a member of the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Leadership and Management. He's the author of the international best-seller, First, Break All The Rules. Ashley Goodall is the co-author, with Marcus Buckingham, of Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World. He is an executive, leadership expert, and author, and has spent his career exploring large organizations from the inside. Notes from this talk: Sustaining excellence: Optimism -- An innate predisposition that things will get better Individualization -- Ability to attract great talent. Knowing that each person has something unique to bring "You follow somebody if they give you confidence in the future." "The world will be better if I hitch my wagon to you." Great managers/leaders = They know how to surround themselves with the right people -- "If you want a great party, invite great people." They focus on people first They help them. They coach them. They find a path and set expectations. They grow. They make the next step and help others do the same. "Talent is more important than experience." Talent = a recurring pattern of thought. Enduring patterns in a person. Hire for those, then train for skills. How to find talented people? Ask open ended questions, stay quiet, believe what they say. Ask appetite questions: "What did you love most about that?" Talents are far more about natural appetite Feedback: "People need feedback to grow and excel. It grows best not with feedback, but with help." People grown when attention is given to them. "Pay attention to me. My talents." People need attention to what really works in them Leaders must look at the real world Idiosyncratic -- The best are... There is a difference between theory world and the real world "Learning is an emergent experience." It's inside out... How you do your version... How do you measure things that are hard to measure? "Must make a distinction between traits and states." Example of a trait = extroversion Example of a state = mood, skills (can change) Competencies are a combination of both Being labeled a "Hi-Po" (high potential) in an organization: "It's made up, not a thing. Toxic because it presumes that some human brains can't/won't grow." "There is no point in having the 'hi-po' conversation. In talent reviews, ask for each person... How will they grow best? Don't use a 9 box grid." "Replace potential for momentum." "Work life balance is a very weird aspiration. It's very hard to do it perfectly." "Balance is a way of being stationary. It's not a good way to move through life." "We shouldn't tell people to do this. Health is motion, finding love, finding red threads." "It draws you in. You should move through life. Draw strength from the movement." "If a leader has no followers, they're not a leader." -- "Follow-ship is the thing." "We all have fears for the future. Find a leader that can see around the corner, we're drawn to that." "Be a free thinking leader." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Social Media: Read: Nine Lies: A Freethinking Leader's Guide To The Real World Follow Marcus on Twitter: @mwbuckingham Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #304: Laura Gassner Otting - How To Carve Your Own Path Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com The Learning Leader Show "It starts young. We have a world where we are given an identity. We need to think, 'is that really what I want?" Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Live on the edge of your incompetence -- "The more you talk, the less you listen." Need to be asking questions and listening. Tenacity, grit Put yourself in uncomfortable situations Be in a position to learn something new from your failures... "That is delightful." "Looking into someone and seeing their greatness." Running coach -- "Calm, confident, reflect back to the dream Compete. Issues with execution... Why? "We get stuck chasing someone else's dream." How do we know? "It starts young. We have a world where we are given an identity. We need to think, 'is that really what I want?" The four parts of consonace: Calling -- It's bigger than you Connection - The work actually matters Contribution - It contributes to the life you actually want Control - How much do I have? "My mother told me I needed to be a lawyer." -- "I wanted to run for office." How did Laura end up in the Clinton Whitehouse? "I learned how to show up for others... And be dedicated to excellence" "I was a great leader, but a terrible manager." You need to be self-aware Advice to new managers: "People want feedback. Ask them if that project reflected their understanding of the assignment or their ability?" Laura's TEDx Talk: Stop asking, 'how can I help?' Think, 'what needs to happen?' Her fight with Ann Coulter Must be willing to change your mind as a leader -- "Our stories are our connections." Becoming an athlete -- Laura ran the first mile of her life nine years ago. Now, she's a competitive rower. And she ran in the Boston marathon. Confidence is built through doing. Continue to push the boundaries of our own competence. Tel Aviv: Hunger Weight Tenacity Speed Grit/Heart Don't get in the comparison trap with other people's highlight reels on social media Advice she received that's been helpful -- "You're just not that important" Study -- Team of Rivals -- About Lincoln Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #303 - General Stanley McChrystal Full Show Notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com A retired four-star general, Stan is the former commander of US and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) Afghanistan and the former commander of the nation's premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). In June 2009, the President of the United States and the Secretary General of NATO appointed him to be the Commander of US Forces Afghanistan and NATO ISAF. His command included more than 150,000 troops from 45 allied countries. Notes: There is a formulaic myth: Leadership is not what we think it is... "I thought it was just behaviors, but that's too simplistic." "Leadership is intensely contextual." A great leader must adapt themselves to the situation. "There's not a style that's perfect for every situation." Vince Lombardi coached differently based on the team he was coaching. Coach K (from Duke) is known to be incredibly adaptable and that's why he's succeeded year after year. Important leadership qualities: Great listener -- Pay attention. Marinate in what's happening. Have humility -- Think of the people you serve Why General McChrystal went to West Point: Dad, brothers, grandpa were all soldiers. It's in the family. He wanted to be an Army Officer Stan struggled his senior year in high school. He lived by himself, his mom had died. His Freshman year at West Point, he didn't take the school part seriously and got in trouble. He was almost kicked out of West Point. However, he got extremely high peer review ratings: His new tactical officer told him, "You're going to be a great officer" -- This was said based on how his peers had so much respect for him as a person. That mentor reached him and made a significant impact on him. "We all need someone like that." The power of a mentor/leader who believes in you: It's huge to have someone who mentally maps it out for you and believes in you. Someone that takes time to get in your mind... To care about you. It must be genuine, and when it is, it's powerful. Team of Teams: It's hard to scale a lot of small team. It must be organically connected. The front line leader -- It's impactful to have a "front line obsession." Be with your team. Show them you care through your actions. In order to fully understand the situation, you need to get out and see it for yourself. We often don't have the answers. "You can't fake it. The role of the leader has changed. It used to be command and control. A leader is more like a gardener now. You must orchestrate the pieces of a team, and ensure they are well connected." You want a well connected, curious organization. "If when you get on the ground the order we gave you is wrong, execute the order we should have given you." The leader must educate the team to make wise decisions from the front line if the leader is somewhere else. The leader must trust the team to make the right decisions in that moment. "The leader still owns the outcome. The reality is the team will do better if properly trained." Create an organization of trust and speed.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 302: Nick Kokonas - How To See The Genius In People Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Intellectual curiosity - A desire to learn. Not for the outcome, but for the curiosity to learn more Healthy degree of paranoia - What Jim Collins would call "productive paranoia" In the pursuit of excellence "No one is giving it away for free. It takes effort." Balance -- "I get manic at times. I'm not always well balanced." The skill is in being able to turn it on and off... Which can happen over time "I've always been curious about how things worked..." Why it was helpful to go to Colgate University A Liberal Arts school forced Nick to study areas outside of just his major. Made him more well-rounded He "learned how to learn" -- Forced him to wrestle with existential questions Rhetoric -- Can you understand all sides of an issue? Where does ambiguity exist? Need to learn to think critically -- How you do it is more important that you do it General advice: "Learn to communicate well. Concisely. Learn to write and speak well. From a psychology perspective, analyze, "what are they really saying?" Why he became a derivatives trader: "I got into law school, but didn't want to go." He tested well, but desired his independence "Prestige as part of pay doesn't matter to me." To be great at anything, you must be disciplined to show up everyday -- "My money has always been at risk everyday. Some think that's crazy. But I've always worked to have an edge." How to figure out outcomes as soon as possible The decision to leave the world of derivatives trading to open a restaurant... Why? "I took some money off the table... Then my dad died... and I thought, what am I doing? I had no idea what I was going to do next..." Meeting Grant Achatz and the impact that had on Nick's life... "He reminded me a lot of myself. He was thoughtful, driven, shy (this was the opposite), and he wasn't afraid of hard work." "I think I have a skill to see the genius in some people." "Grant's work is of artistic genius" Doing what you love and are passionate about: "For me the test is... When I wake up in the morning is it nagging at me to do it?"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #301 with James Kerr Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Humility - An ego-less approach. "Serve to lead" mentality Curiosity - Following passion Value Excellence - Focus on doing the small things right These are transferable principles to any organziation The "All Blacks" rugby team "are our Gods in New Zealand." They've won just under 80% of their games in history Scored twice as many points as their competitors The most successful sports team of all time Sustained high performance Mana = The God within. The spirit... The ethos that creates excellence decade after decade Surprises? "The softness in this hard game. A love, a brotherhood, connection, meaning, caring for one another." How have they sustained excellence? Tradition Starts at the top with the leaders Breaking down old orthodox Like the British SAS - "Rank but no class" Leadership group -- It's not just one coach. Everyone's ideas are valued. It's a player led team - "Positive power of peer pressure." That feeling of not wanting to let one of your teammates down "You fight more for the person in the foxhole next to you." The Spartan sword and shield. You can lose you sword, but you can never lose your shield. That helps protect your brother. Accountability - There is leadership at every level It empowers the individual in a project bigger than themselves How does this work in business? Helps them step up, take ownership, be responsible "A leader is responsible for the result. Good or bad."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #300: Keith & AJ Hawk - How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Kids Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Keith Hawk is a 32-year veteran sales professional and sales leader. For over ten years he led one of America's greatest sales organizations, at LexisNexis. He continues in a customer focused role to this day at that global organization, speaking to customer groups around the world on the topic of solving business problems with the solutions offered by his firm. In addition, he continues to speak regularly on topics such as consultative selling, selling to executives, and how to effectively lead people. He also happens to be my dad. AJ Hawk played 11 seasons in the NFL. He was a two-time All American at Ohio State and he also won The Lombardi Award (as a senior at Ohio State) as the countries best defensive player. He was the fifth overall draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2006 NFL draft. He was voted team captain on their Super Bowl winning team in 2010. He finished his career as the all time leading tackler in Green Bay Packer history. AJ is my younger brother. Staying sharp after official retirement? "My mind is as clear as it's been in many years. I read more, write more, listen to more podcasts, I learn more now than I ever have." "I never liked getting the question, 'did you get all of your work done?' As a senior leader at a big company, the work was never done. In my role now, I can go give a speech and get the work done." Advice to others - "Stay patient a little bit, you have to find a way to grab hold of your day and take control of it. Don't let others do that to you." AJ's progress to improve as a broadcaster: There is no end game Must keep grinding and getting as many reps as possible "You have to jump in and do the work." You can't worry about judgement from others. You have to get the reps. Get on the stage and do it. How to handle the follow up to a competitive life in the NFL? Must have realistic expectations... That amount of competition will never happen again. That's okay as long as you're prepared for it Broadcasting is a never ending battle with myself to get better. To improve. "I'm competitive with myself to get better." Learning the intricacies from the greats. "I've learned to be quiet, to let a moment breathe." Why are walk-thurs so important in the NFL? Why does a world class athlete need to walk-thru a step for over an hour a day? "The tiny details consistently worked on everyday so they become instincts. In the moment you don't have to think and just rely on the instincts you created. That's why we did so many walk-thrus in the NFL." Why my Dad went to Green Bay for his birthday week every summer? The famous Tom Hanks quote, "I could watch my son brush his teeth all day." And he loved watching world-class athletes work on perfecting their craft. Listener question: From Tony Milenberger (member of one of my leadership circles) - With all the different directions you guys are going, how do you still manage to like each other? What rhythms keep you connected in the busy seasons? How does it help your success? We each have different roles and we've worked hard to do a great job at our role. We all have creative outlets and have remained each others biggest fans. We push each other to be better. And when one of the family members reaches a level of fame and fortune (AJ), their ability to remain humble and down to earth is huge. AJ has done that and created a ton of phenomenal family experiences because of it. The process of earning my book deal with McGraw-Hill... How it all came about. There was an instant huge belief from Casey Ebro, senior editor from McGraw-Hill. I describe that conversation and why we chose to work together. Listener question from Mike Flynn: What is your Dad's greatest hopes for his children and grandchildren? Maslow's hierarchy Economics taken care because of their hard work Fulfilled life with a great spouse Work stimulates us, gets us excited Put our children in a place to be successful Self-actualize -- Live up to what you want to do How to handle a situation when you hit a rut? When this happened with my Dad, he always wanted to get directly to the front lines. "When times got tough, I scheduled days in the field to meet with our customers and our front line people. I wanted to be reminded why they did business with us. I wanted to break it down to the bare essentials. How could I do this in a different way? Meeting with them helped." Reminded of the quote, "if it's not broke, fix it." Be proactive. Billy Joel had this happen to him and he rediscovered his love when he went to a new fan base in Russia. With AJ - "When I was struggling or kept getting caught in the garbage of the linemen in front of me, my coach, Winston Moss, would say, 'why don't you take a step back and see what the view is like from there?' A simple step back to gain a new perspective helped.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #299: Kyle Maynard Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics. Oprah Winfrey called Kyle "one of the most inspiring young men you will ever hear about." Arnold Schwarzenegger described him as "the real deal," "a champion human," and "one of the most inspiring people" he's ever met. Even the great Wayne Gretzky has spoken of Kyle's "greatness." Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Consistent action... Plotting Life is a marathon "I've struggled with this." "We live in a society that we think we have to reach the summit" "Climb as hard as you can but relinquish the fact that you've ever arrived." It will never be enough to fulfill you. "You've never arrived, you're always becoming." "I question what we're driven towards." Losing the first 35 matches... His dad told him that no wrestlers win in their first year and convinced him to go back for his second year "What you're looking for, you're going to find." A self-efficacy belief. It's in your deeper nervous system... It becomes automatic. His dad planted the seed. "We have this illusion in our head, but it doesn't happen overnight." "The world will not be tailored for your every need." "We are softening the edges, we need to learn how to mentally deal with things." "We need to choose conscious suffering." "Voluntary hardship" The power of meeting veterans in an airport on a way to giving motivational speeches "It shifted, it wasn't about me." The message helped veterans not commit suicide. "It's B.S. to think anyone is self-made. We all need help." The ripple effect. Why climb? "I want to experience the world. Just did scuba dive at the Great Barrier reef." Crawling 19,340 feet in just ten days... Climbing Mount Kilmanjaro "Focus on that next three feet in front of you..." Just the next step. Before you know it, you put your head up and you're at your destination Reminds me of Alison Levine -- "Just put one foot in front of the other and take that next step. Just keep going." "I don't know if I have enough in the tank, but I'm going to keep going." "The 3 feet in front of you is the only thing that matters" "Anything is possible is a lie... Tell the truth, know how to test your limits" "What gets measured gets done" How long can you enjoy accomplishments? "It's a weird dance." "What I'm learning to do now is plotting the essence of it..." Favorite book: Empire Of The Summer Moon Fasting: "When you fast (don't eat), your body picks the weakest cells and eats them." There is a lot of science to support fasting Advice to others: Value money but not too much Have a small number of possessions Namaste = "Light inside of me. Recognize light inside of you." Take calculated risk, go on adventures "Follow your bliss"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #298 with Michael Useem - How To Become A Learning Machine Full shownotes can be seen at www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Thinking strategically Communicating persuasively Decisive decision making The power of using real life examples to demonstrate leadership Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain He was a learning machine "We know not the future, and cannot plan for it much. But we can determine and know what manner of men we will be whenever and wherever the hour strikes." He was a self directed lifelong learner - "I have always been interested in military matters, and what I do not know in that line, I know how to learn. I study I tell you every military work I can find." He had a mentor/coach - Adelbert Ames was his tent mate and he learned all he could from him He had a disciplined focus on learning from him. "I asked him every night to tell me what he knew so I could learn" He routinely got outside of his comfort zone - "I will watch myself and do an after action review to analyze." Get tangible experience The purpose behind taking students and family members to Gettysburg every semester - To "stand where Chamberlain stood." And to "get you in their moment on that ground." Recreate the moment as if you're there. Gene Kranz and Apollo 13 "Expecting high performance is a prerequisite to its achievement among those who work with you. Your high standards and optimistic anticipations will not guarantee a favorable outcome, but their absence will assuredly create the opposite." Being a decisive decision maker and preparing for those challenging moments with an attitude that "failure is not an option." "I knew my teams even more than they knew themselves." Had a great mentor in Chris Craft to help him Teams that are well developed go through experiences together can outperform individuals under stress The motivation behind risk takers: "A calculating adventurer, deriving a thrill from taking a risk and watching it pay off." This is how visions are created. How to become savvy about calculated risk Risk tolerance is a learned skill Persuasive communication is an art form It's a learned skill You can't hide, you must be persuasive as a leader There needs to be a solid narrative (story), a purpose behind it Every person must know how important their specific contribution is -- "Why are we doing this and what is my role?"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #297: Tero Isokauppila - CEO Of Four Sigmatic: Principled Based Leadership Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "They love what they do" -- Love the process. The work Humility/Excitement to learn -- they know things will change and they must adjust Listen more than you talk. Curiosity -- The Dalai Lama exemplifies this very well. Able to adjust -- Madonna is a prime example of being able to adjust and reinvent herself How being a 13th generation farmer from Finland helped set the course for Tero's life -- "I have domain knowledge." Finnish people consume more coffee per capita than anyone in the world The idea of putting mushrooms in coffee came because of this Super foods help with: Hormonal response Gut health Immune system Four Sigmatic is a company built with super foods The beginning -- "It all comes down to value generation. If you want to generate value, you have to see what others don't yet see." Culture -- "You need to rally around people who believe in the mission." Find believers and sponsors as your first employees -- his founding team were former teammates Get to know you team deeply -- how they think, feel, act, what motivates them Currently they have a fully distributed team of 37 people The hiring process and qualities they look for. Four lenses: Can they do they job? -- Skills How will they fit in our culture? -- Fundamentals What do they cost? -- Financially and emotionally What is their growth potential? They must be "extra good" at communication - written and verbal. How do they write emails? Must be extra organized. "Culture exists whether you want or not. It is what it is." Their principles: S - Stay healthy, eat well, exercise W - We are us, not them A - Always carry product R - Results with freedom -- KPI M - Make it grow, let it go Examples of innovation

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #296: Emily Fletcher - The Secret Superpower Of Top Performers (Meditation) For full show notes, go to www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: They have a magnetic quality. Others are drawn to them. People look to them. They have the ability to shift their state of being. Not just being calm. They are able to be variable and can adapt to situations Meditation increases adaptability Meditation helps you take care of yourself Rest, nurture your brain and body The failure of most when they attempt to meditate: Emily is on a mission to rid the world of "ex-meditators" -- people who have tried and failed and given up on it There have been 58 million downloads of meditation apps Free apps are gentle by design and not as useful Advice -- There is a difference between mindfulness and meditation. "Meditation is a tool that helps you get rid of stress from your past." Mindfulness is "the art of bringing your awareness into the present moment" Meditation gives your brain and body tools. "Kind of a nap sitting up. Mind alert, body getting rest." -- Relieve stress from now and past It is not a toy. It's a very powerful tool. You need proper training It's ridiculously simple, yet powerful Biggest misconception -- "People think they have to clear their head. They think thoughts are the enemy. That's not true." "People think they are too busy to meditate... You know we're talking about your brain right?" Emily was on Broadway for 10 years... Living in constant state of anxiety... Sick, insomnia, was miserable. She noticed another performer had none of those issues. She asked what she did and found out meditation was the key... Emily took a class, and liked it so much she went to India to be trained professionally. She created Ziva... An online meditation tool. It's about manifesting "consciously creating the life you love" "Don't water the weeds" -- Don't focus on the wrong things

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #295: Todd Herman - Using Alter Egos To Transform Your Life To read the full show notes, go to www.LearningLeader.com Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "Negative capability" (John Keats term) The ability to pursue your dream despite the fact that circumstance tells you it won't happen. Not losing faith despite the long odds Mental toughness - "The ability to be flexible & adaptable despite what the world is throwing at you." The OPP framework for goal setting: Outcome Performance - Resources Process - Who, what, when, where What Todd does? He's on a mission to give people smart thinking models. He helps ambitious people. Revenue generation: He's built programs and systems and licensed it to sports teams He does sport science and peak performance coaching Grew up doing speaking competitions. Did 68 speeches in 90 days. All for free. Have to "get the reps" "This is how I know I've made it... I loved doing a free speech for four people. I loved it!" "You must show up. Continue to show up no matter what. Even if nobody is there, show up anyway." "The answers are never waiting for you to sit still. The answers are out there doing it. It's action that matters." How Todd developed strong mental toughness? Rough upbringing -- He was sexually abused at a church camp when he was 12 He retreated and developed mental toughness to deal with it Skills developed as an athlete that translated to life outside of sports: Preparation Routines Visualization/Imagery Why are alter-egos so powerful? They help you get into flow state and not get out of your head The Bo Jackson story -- "Bo Jackson never played a down of football. It was Jason from Friday The 13th. I was crazy out there."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #294: Warren Berger - How To Ask More Beautiful Questions Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Intelligent... Smart Hard-working Ambitious Humble -- This is a really important quality. No ego or arrogance. They admit when they are wrong. Willing to acknowledge when they're wrong. They are open to listening to others and their ideas. Curiosity - They are not trapped by their own expertise. They are open minded, curious, looking around. Able to adapt Communication skill -- The willingness and ability to ask great questions The genesis of becoming a questionoligist -- Warrens calls himself a questionoligist. The art and science of asking questions. He originally was a journalist and developed a skill for asking questions doing that job. "Questioning was a tool of the trade" Warren was writing about design and the idea of questioning kept coming up with leaders in business. "The ability to ask good questions would lead them thru the innovation cycle." The holy trinity of questioning: Why? Trying to understand What if? Ideation, brainstorming How? Get practical. "How can we take the first step?" Big open ended questions -- They are the stems Each one does something completely different Questioning as a manager: Find time to have the conversations and ask questions of your team members Must be thoughtful and prepared We've gotten out of the habit of being questioners, and now it's always about doing. "Slow down, ask questions. Why are we pursuing this strategy? Understand why?" Go To www.LearningLeader.com Text LEARNERS to 44222

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #293: Brent Beshore - How To Get Rich Slow & Live An Optimal Life Commonalities of sustaining excellence: The usual things like: integrity and hard work But the best... "know how messy they are, they challenge themselves, they have high level of self-awareness, they need people around them to help. They acknowledge their imperfections, and they give others grace for their imperfections." How to develop self awareness? Surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth -- "We are all highly imperfect." Give people a true open invitation to criticize, but they also must be constructive, loving, kind, thoughtful people. "They need to be rooting for you."\ What do you look for in someone to work with? Curiosity - an inherent desire to know more, learn, reconstruct reality Self awareness - genuine intellectual honesty Integrity - function of consistency over time. Have to reconstruct it

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #292 - Beth Comstock: You Don't Need Permission (Former GE Vice Chair) Beth Comstock spent nearly three decades at GE. As Chief Marketing Officer and then Vice Chair of Innovation, she led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses and enhance brand value. As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, she oversaw TV ad revenue and digital media efforts, including the early development of Hulu. Prior to this, she held roles at NBC, CBS and CNN/Turner Broadcasting. Her first book, Imagine it Forward, was published in September 2018. She is a director at Nike, and trustee of The National Geographic Society. The Learning Leader Show "You must grab agency. You don't always need permission." Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "They don't stop. They keep coming back. There is an inherent belief that tomorrow is another day. They have great stamina." Examples: Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mary Barra (GM) What was it like being hired by Jack Welch (including the story of Jack offering her the big promotion) "You know you can't say no to Jack Welch and GE. It fascinated me." Jeff Immelt -- "He lives to deliver for the customer" Take us back to 1985... Beth is in her mid-20's, she's hiding behind the door as her husband tells her mom that they are getting a divorce. "It was a defining moment. I was willfully choosing an unfamiliar path. It felt like a failure." "In times of change, you have a choice to figure it out." JR, the bad boss... We've all had bad bosses. How to deal with it? "He was a gatekeeper, just said no. So, I wrote a report, shared it with others, gave it to him. He rejected all of it. So I left to go to Ted Turner's CNN." "You must grab agency. You don't always need permission." "No means 'not yet'" The difference between gatekeepers and goalkeepers: Goalkeepers clear the way, they help you. Gatekeepers do the opposite." Common mistakes the new manager makes and how to avoid them: Understand the responsibility Find a way to be secure in yourself. A lot of mistakes are made out of insecurity. "I was not good at giving feedback. Good or bad. I didn't communicate well initially." "You need to get to know your team very well. Know them as individuals. Connect with them. People don't want to be managed or controlled, they want to be led. There is a difference." Mentors: "I was a 30 year old first time manager and I didn't have good mentors. I was afraid to reach out to people for help. Find a series of people to be your board of advisors. You will need it." The "Steve Jobs recruited me" story -- "This was right before the iPhone came out. He said, 'We're going to do some really big things here and I want you to be part of it.' It wasn't right for my family to move out there at that time though. I made the pro and con list and the move was too powerful. So I said no. There are days where I regret it." The difference between Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt: "Both were good leaders. Jeff championed people and fully supported me." "They led in different times. It's a shame that they get compared when they led in two completely different eras." "Tell me something I don't want to hear." -- Why this is a powerful exercise all leaders need to do with their teams on a regular basis. "Success theater" was an initiative. It's meant to crack bureaucracy. "Jeff Immelt was actually trying to make it better through doing this. You need that feedback loop." Hiring: What does Beth look for in a candidate? Curiosity - Open and eager to learn A quest for excellence - Do they actively strive to be better? Others provide references on their behalf Trial run - "Try, then buy." Simulate the role Hire someone who knows what you don't - Hire for your weaknesses How to handle an environment as a woman leader surrounded by men? "I'm a creative woman. I came to appreciate my differences. I became this small, quiet, rebel. Forge a different path. Learn how to get comfortable doing this." Advice to men? "I'm so glad you're asking this. Be open. Listen. Talk with females at work. Have open dialog. Ask questions how you can do better." "Assume nobel intent." How to "imagine it forward?" "Data is squeezing imagination from us." -- "Open yourself to new people and ideas." "Pattern recognition" "Scenario planning" Think "What if I were the customer? What if I were the competitor? What would I do?" Leading as an introvert. Most great introvert leaders have these useful qualities: Introspective Good listener Understand how to manage their energy Find time to recharge Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Use the "Get To Know You Document" "I'm a creative woman. I came to appreciate my differences. I became this small, quiet, rebel. Forge a different path. Learn how to get comfortable doing this." Social Media: Follow Beth on Twitter: @bethcomstock Read: Imagine It Forward Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook G

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #291: Andy Rachleff (CEO Wealthfront) - What Do You Uniquely Offer That People Desperately Want? Andy Rachleff is a co-founder and Executive Chairman of Wealthfront. Rachleff co-founded Benchmark Capital in 1995 and was a general partner until 2004. Some notes... (More found on www.LearningLeader.com) Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Intellectual curiosity -- Pass this along to kids at the dinner table Ask questions "Bright people think other smart people ask questions." The leader creates the culture "People model the behavior of the leader." "To be a great teacher, you have to synthesize something into small statements. This helps you be a better leader." Magic 8 Ball statements "A's hire A's. B's hire C's."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #290: Scott Harrison - Redemption, Compassion, & The Transformative Power Within Us All Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of charity: water, a non-profit that has mobilized over one million donors around the world to fund over 28,000 water projects in 26 countries that will serve more than 8.2 million people. Harrison has been recognized on Fortune's 40 under 40 list, Forbes' Impact 30 list, and was ranked #10 in Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Scott's first book, Thirst, was released in October (2018) and immediately hit the New York Times best-seller list.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #289: Philip McKernan - Relationships Move At The Speed Of Vulnerability Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Moments where they feel like a fraud, question themselves. They are more comfortable within those moments This allows them to bounce back quicker They seek and attract things that are outside of their normal comfort zone The Picasso example -- The courage to face the failure and own up to it "Vulnerability is the only way to truly deepen relationships" "When you say, "I don't know," it helps others feel empowered to help" Philip felt worthless at age 14. He felt isolated and alone, a burden to try and fit in. "That pain had a purpose." How to go from an isolated and alone 14 year old to a keynote speaker who moves people to tears? How to deal with skeptics? "That's okay. But, I would address it now. Couples typically wait five years too long to get counseling. Do it now." What do you do? "I create environments for people to go deep. I meet them where they're at." The story of starting this business on the side in an Irish pub. "The hardest time of my life was at the beginning, but I didn't allow lack of money to impact what I did." "What are you willing to give up to do what you want?" "I stopped making the journey about me... It was about them." Why Philip will not send his kids to college... "Spend time learning. You need to understand who you are. A classroom is not built on how to get to know who you are." The "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles" test: Kevin Bacon started his career with no lines... But kept working. "Be willing to put in the work. Run for the cab." Is "follow your passion good advice?" "Yes and no. There is a big difference between excitement and passion. I believe we all have gifts and so many people use their talents." "For you, sales was a talent, but your gift is connecting with people. To lift them, to help them, to build confidence." "We are all leaders but a lot of people lead from an inauthentic space. It's not what we do, it's how we do it." What is One Last Talk? "If you had 15 minutes left to live to share your message, what would you say? You need to share with the world to free yourself." The process creates freedom. People want to connect. This is "team deepening." Why write a book? "Everyone has the capacity to make an impact. I believe all of us carry some demons." "It's like five years of therapy in one book." "The book is by me, but it's not for me. I will never sign it." "One of the greatest burdens a child can bare is the unlived life of their parents."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #288: Robert Greene - The Laws Of Human Nature (Part 2) "I knew at eight years old I wanted to be a writer. It took me 30 years to find the right ideas. Everybody has a primal inclination." - Robert Greene "If you're not excited about the field you work in, you'll learn half as much." -- Robert Greene www.LearningLeader.com