How do you build a culture of excellence? You begin with WE.
On this episode of the Circuit of Success Podcast, Brett Gilliland interviews best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and leadership expert Kyle McDowell. Together they break down McDowell’s best seller Begin With WE and the top principles of creating and sustaining a culture of excellence. Kyle shares his experience of transitioning from a corporate career to starting his own business, and how he was able to make a positive change in his life by investing in himself and his passions. Kyle emphasizes the importance of leading by example, taking action, and focusing on outcomes rather than busyness to create a unified culture within an organization.
Are you looking to lead with excellence?
You don’t wanna miss this…
FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE
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Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I’m your
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host, Brett Gilliland. Today, I’ve got Kyle McDowell
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with me, Kyle. What’s up, buddy?
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Hey, Brett. I’m well. It’s great to be
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with you today. I appreciate you, you having
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me.
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It’s great to be with you as well,
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man. I’m excited. I I hope based on
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what I’ve seen about you and your energy,
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we’re gonna have an awesome conversation today, man,
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so I’m fired up.
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Likewise. I hope so. I’m I’m just thrilled
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to be here. I anytime I get a
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chance to kind of spread the message and
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evangelize the work that I’m doing, especially on
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a podcast that’s been around as long as
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yours, I jump at it. So, again, thank
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you. Awesome. Awesome. Well, you are a former
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fortune ten executive that turned to a Wall
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Street and USA Today best selling author.
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And speaker. You’re traveling the world man on
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all sorts of stages, but before we dive
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it, man, you are today, man. There’s a
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backstory in there. And something that makes Kyle
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tick, and I’d love to see if we
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can pull some of that out.
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Yeah. You thank you for that. I’d be
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remiss because I if I didn’t just start
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early on.
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I I I was very fortunate to have,
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a mother who had an incredible work ethic,
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out she was a single parent mom for,
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the first several years of of my life
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until she met a wonderful man who became
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my stepdad. And, you know, they always instilled
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a sense of work ethic in me that
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I just don’t think
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you can replicate. I don’t I think it’s
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hard to to teach it if it doesn’t
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start at an early age.
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So I just learned the value of a
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dollar and the value of
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or the connection rather between
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hard work and outcomes. If you want something,
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you gotta go work for it. I’ll never
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forget, man. Growing up every time a new
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pair of Air Jordans would hit the would
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hit the stores.
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And I wanted those things every single year,
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the new the new shoe would come out.
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I knew what I had to do. I
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had to put in weeks of yard work.
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It was always the recipe.
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So,
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I entered corporate America at seventeen,
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ironically, or of, believe it or not. I,
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I interviewed for a job at a local
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bank when I was seventeen years old.
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I rolled the dice that if I were
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to get an offer, the offer would come
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sometime after my eighteenth birthday because they wouldn’t
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have hired me if they’d known I was
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a minor. Right. And it worked. So I
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interviewed in June of nineteen ninety three got
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the offer in July started in August,
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and, I’ve been a kind of a student
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of of leadership
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in in the dynamics that come with working
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inside of corporate America,
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for the last nearly thirty years. So that’s
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I think that’s That’s what brings us here
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today, but I I have to share also,
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man. I,
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throughout that thirty year journey, and I’m sure
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you and and Certainly, many of your listeners
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might be able to relate.
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I found myself becoming more and more apathetic
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towards
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the whole thing. Towards the whole gig, man.
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And when I say gig, I mean, everything
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that comes with
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working inside the corporate world,
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the bureaucracy
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see the dysfunction, the toxicity, all of the
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things. And I’m the first to admit, by
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the way, man. I I perpetuated a lot
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of that. When you’re leading big organizations,
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you’re put in a position where lather rinse
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repeat what’s always worked will continue to work.
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So you just kinda perpetuate that same toxicity
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and dysfunction.
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Yep. And I just I hit a boiling
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point late in my career probably around year
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twenty three where I I just said there
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has to be a better way.
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And that’s when I came up with the
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concept that ultimately resulted in the book that
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you mentioned at the top. And,
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it’s changed my life, actually. The the the
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realization I came to about you know, leading
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with a we mindset and getting to know
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your people and investing your time and energy
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into them. Just certainly, it changed my professional
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life, and that is I’m so happy to
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say it’s transcended into my personal life as
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well and my relationships.
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Well, I think we you and I have
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a lot in common. I mean, it’s
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a career decision that we made. I made
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mine at twelve and a half years in
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my professional career. You made yours. It sounds
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like at at at twenty two years, but
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I was the same way, man. And I
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say this is that as my success,
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you know, quote unquote success was going like
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that.
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My job satisfaction,
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my career satisfaction was going the other direction.
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And, you know, I I had a a
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nice firm and and a nice office and
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and things like that, but it it just
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didn’t feel right. You know, and so now
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same to you. Like, my,
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you know, our firm now, our our mission,
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I mean, everything is around that future greater
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than your past. And it has been life
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changing. So I agree with you, but talk
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to the listener right now that’s twenty two
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years in a career, twelve and a half
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years into a career. And they’re scared as
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hell, man, to go make that jump. Bet
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on themselves. Walk away from, you know, the
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04:01 k plan, the health insurance, the nice
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check they’re getting all the stuff you and
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I had. Right? Talk to our listeners about
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that step.
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Well, first, I’m and I’m glad you went
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here because it it’s always a fear of
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mine that when I talk about my transition
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from from the corporate world into starting my
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own deal and and hitting the road to
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evangelize these principles,
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that,
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I don’t want it to be lost or
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that I that leave is scary as all
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get out. It is. It’s absolutely terrifying.
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Especially if you spent as you’ve, you know,
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a dozen plus years, in my case, more
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more than twenty years,
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We get programmed. We are we are absolutely
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programmed to
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get up a certain time, go through the
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same, just, you know, clock in, clock out,
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and look for the next paycheck, looks for
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the next promotion, kinda keep your head down.
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But there’s this expression that hit me,
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right around the time I realized I had
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to make a change and it was they
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pay you to forget your dreams.
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And and there’s no there’s no nefarious scheme
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behind the scenes that that that that this
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that this happens to us, but
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I can tell by your your the way
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you frame the question that you you you
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kinda relate. Right? You you start making that
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paycheck. There’s some security that comes in. I
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had a fair amount of money in the
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bank where I felt comfortable.
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And it just became it it became my
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identity. My my corporate life became my my
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identity. So much so that when I wrote
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the book, I had friends saying I had
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no idea that you were dispassionate about these
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things because I didn’t, you know, Kyle at
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work was different than Kyle at home, which
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is not good. I mean, that’s Right. It’s
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a a lack of authenticity, which is something
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I didn’t realize at the time.
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So for your listeners, to me, it’s
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Never forget that everything we do every single
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day is the result of a choice.
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And you can choose to continue down the
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same path,
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get the two, three percent raise every year,
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you know, maybe get a promotion every few
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years, whatever your your path, wherever your path
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takes you, and that’s not wrong. That’s not
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wrong.
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But the choice to do something different, maybe
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a little, unconventional
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is
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something that I decide that we have because
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they do pay to forget your dreams in
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in suit the sooner you realize there’s a
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choice to be made and that there are
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opportunities
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that are
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virtually unlimited out there today. The number of
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things you can do today is just is
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exponentially higher than it ever was before.
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But that all starts with a choice. Right?
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You you made the choice. I made the
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choice.
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And I don’t want anybody out there to
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hear this and think that, you know, well,
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he’s ascended to a certain level. No. It’s
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it’s it is terrifying at any level when
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you make a decision. I’m calling this chapter
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two of my career because the first chapter,
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I closed the book on about five years
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ago. It is it is scary, but I
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am absolutely convinced.
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My level of impact
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is directly correlated to the level of effort
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in the amount of time I grind at
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this thing I’m doing today, and that is
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no different than anybody else out there. Yeah.
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Well, do you think too you’re working in
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your brain in, you know, line with your
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values and your Gilliland
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and all those things, right, is you’re you’re
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not gonna ever get the impact. That you
00:08:04.000 –> 00:08:06.000
make now because you’re choosing the path that
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you’re going down. And I think there’s so
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much power in the word choice. I love
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that you’re saying that. But don’t you believe
00:08:11.000 –> 00:08:12.000
that?
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Yeah.
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Brett, I do believe it. And I think
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it’s even worse than the way you describe
00:08:17.000 –> 00:08:19.000
it because not only are you not your
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best self when you’re doing something that you
00:08:22.000 –> 00:08:24.000
are, you know, you don’t love or you’re
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not passionate about,
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most companies
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either directly or not.
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They filter you to the point where you
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can’t even be curious. You can’t even You
00:08:35.000 –> 00:08:37.000
know, there’s this concept of being an entrepreneur
00:08:37.000 –> 00:08:39.000
inside of the corporate world, which I think
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is a beautiful concept because you don’t accept
00:08:41.000 –> 00:08:43.000
the status quo. You’re always looking to innovate.
00:08:43.000 –> 00:08:45.000
You’re looking to do things differently. You want
00:08:45.000 –> 00:08:47.000
to have a great experience for your employees
00:08:47.000 –> 00:08:49.000
and your team, and your customers, by the
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way.
00:08:50.000 –> 00:08:53.000
But a lot of organizations, they they filter
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us and kinda dilute our impact to the
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point where
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we there’s no way to to find that
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passion. Because think of where I talk
00:09:01.000 –> 00:09:03.000
about this a lot, man. When we enter
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the workforce, Think back over for your journey
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and and and those that are listening to
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us or watching us now, we all enter
00:09:09.000 –> 00:09:11.000
the workforce with a tremendous amount of optimism.
00:09:12.000 –> 00:09:15.000
Excitement. We wanna have an impact. We wanna
00:09:15.000 –> 00:09:16.000
do big things.
00:09:17.000 –> 00:09:18.000
But most organizations
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don’t necessarily value that or at least not
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to the point where it challenges the status
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quo. It’s kinda like getting lying. Keep your
00:09:24.000 –> 00:09:26.000
head down and and move on. So If
00:09:26.000 –> 00:09:28.000
you’re if we’re, you know, for all of
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us, if we’re able to marry something that
00:09:29.000 –> 00:09:31.000
we’re passionate about
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with a way to make a living and
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support our family, you know, take a trip
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every now and then,
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that’s
00:09:37.000 –> 00:09:38.000
that is
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that’s happiness to me. And that is that’s
00:09:41.000 –> 00:09:43.000
something we should always fire to. But again,
00:09:43.000 –> 00:09:46.000
over time, you know, bills things mount up
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and we and we just don’t we lose
00:09:47.000 –> 00:09:49.000
sight of that opportunity, lose sight of the
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choice.
00:09:50.000 –> 00:09:50.000
Yeah.
00:09:51.000 –> 00:09:53.000
Yeah. You’re right. And I think, dude, it
00:09:53.000 –> 00:09:55.000
made me think about even your health. You
00:09:55.000 –> 00:09:56.000
know, for me, I I can’t speak to
00:09:56.000 –> 00:09:58.000
you, but for me, man, it was
00:09:59.000 –> 00:10:01.000
I was going down a path where I’ve
00:10:01.000 –> 00:10:02.000
always been an anxious person. I I was
00:10:02.000 –> 00:10:05.000
a nervous child, you know, I always before
00:10:05.000 –> 00:10:07.000
games or any big event, man. I was
00:10:07.000 –> 00:10:08.000
nervous. I was always nervous.
00:10:09.000 –> 00:10:09.000
And
00:10:10.000 –> 00:10:12.000
and that just kept going. And then as
00:10:12.000 –> 00:10:13.000
my career you know, I I would kinda
00:10:13.000 –> 00:10:15.000
battle through those things, but then I hit
00:10:15.000 –> 00:10:17.000
a point to where, you know, and I
00:10:17.000 –> 00:10:18.000
was having, like, a panic attack.
00:10:19.000 –> 00:10:20.000
And, you know, I did all the I
00:10:20.000 –> 00:10:22.000
went a Mayo Clinic and did an executive
00:10:22.000 –> 00:10:24.000
physical. It’s been all this money and, you
00:10:24.000 –> 00:10:26.000
know, hey, dude. You’re fine. I did that.
00:10:26.000 –> 00:10:27.000
And then I had a a guy that
00:10:27.000 –> 00:10:29.000
I would consider a friend, and and, hopefully,
00:10:29.000 –> 00:10:31.000
he hears this and maybe I’ll send it
00:10:31.000 –> 00:10:32.000
to him and tell him, but he he
00:10:32.000 –> 00:10:34.000
gave me some words that a doctor I
00:10:34.000 –> 00:10:36.000
don’t think normally uses, and I won’t share
00:10:36.000 –> 00:10:38.000
the words exactly, but what he told me
00:10:38.000 –> 00:10:40.000
what I needed to do
00:10:40.000 –> 00:10:40.000
And,
00:10:41.000 –> 00:10:43.000
and I needed to hear it, man. And
00:10:43.000 –> 00:10:45.000
I was I was just having panic attacks.
00:10:45.000 –> 00:10:47.000
And then when I learned about panic and
00:10:47.000 –> 00:10:48.000
anxiety and stress,
00:10:49.000 –> 00:10:51.000
I learned that I wasn’t living up to
00:10:51.000 –> 00:10:53.000
my potential and I wasn’t following the dreams
00:10:53.000 –> 00:10:55.000
and the passions that I had. So it
00:10:55.000 –> 00:10:58.000
was manifesting in other ways. And man, isn’t
00:10:58.000 –> 00:11:01.000
it amazing now? Almost ten years later,
00:11:02.000 –> 00:11:03.000
how different I feel.
00:11:04.000 –> 00:11:05.000
Right? Yeah. I mean, it’s just it’s incredible
00:11:05.000 –> 00:11:06.000
to me.
00:11:06.000 –> 00:11:08.000
That’s beautiful though. It’s it’s,
00:11:09.000 –> 00:11:11.000
it it is incredible, but,
00:11:11.000 –> 00:11:14.000
yeah, sorry, man. We’re just having some stepping
00:11:14.000 –> 00:11:15.000
on each other. There’s a bit of a
00:11:15.000 –> 00:11:17.000
delay again. Know we can hopefully, we can
00:11:17.000 –> 00:11:19.000
edit that out. But Yeah.
00:11:19.000 –> 00:11:21.000
I I I think it’s it’s no no
00:11:21.000 –> 00:11:23.000
question about it. When I made the decision
00:11:23.000 –> 00:11:26.000
to step away and really invest in myself,
00:11:26.000 –> 00:11:28.000
both from an energy and time perspective, but
00:11:28.000 –> 00:11:30.000
also a a dollars and cents perspective, because
00:11:30.000 –> 00:11:32.000
as you know, starting a business isn’t isn’t
00:11:32.000 –> 00:11:33.000
cheap, certainly not free.
00:11:35.000 –> 00:11:37.000
I was probably at my most unhealthy,
00:11:37.000 –> 00:11:38.000
physically,
00:11:39.000 –> 00:11:39.000
psychologically.
00:11:40.000 –> 00:11:42.000
I had just been just kinda worn down
00:11:42.000 –> 00:11:44.000
over the years, but it’s worse than that.
00:11:44.000 –> 00:11:46.000
I I I’m not embarrassed to say, and
00:11:46.000 –> 00:11:48.000
I’ve learned from this. My career cost me
00:11:48.000 –> 00:11:49.000
a marriage.
00:11:50.000 –> 00:11:51.000
I was working
00:11:51.000 –> 00:11:55.000
so so much traveling every single week for
00:11:55.000 –> 00:11:58.000
years on end that, as I mentioned earlier,
00:11:58.000 –> 00:12:00.000
it became my identity and so much so
00:12:00.000 –> 00:12:02.000
that that identity was not
00:12:02.000 –> 00:12:03.000
the husband I wanted to be. It wasn’t
00:12:03.000 –> 00:12:05.000
the friend I wanted to be.
00:12:06.000 –> 00:12:07.000
So that was also a a hell of
00:12:07.000 –> 00:12:10.000
a wake up call for me, which look,
00:12:10.000 –> 00:12:12.000
man. I’m not proud of that, but it’s
00:12:12.000 –> 00:12:15.000
it also is an experience that has taught
00:12:15.000 –> 00:12:17.000
me And I’m a better person for it,
00:12:17.000 –> 00:12:18.000
like everything else, I think, in life, any
00:12:18.000 –> 00:12:20.000
challenge on the other side, and that is
00:12:20.000 –> 00:12:23.000
hopefully a better, a better, better outcome.
00:12:25.000 –> 00:12:26.000
So what what right now when you look
00:12:26.000 –> 00:12:28.000
at your career and the things and the
00:12:28.000 –> 00:12:29.000
people you’re hell helping,
00:12:30.000 –> 00:12:32.000
what’s your biggest challenge or or I’ve been
00:12:32.000 –> 00:12:34.000
I’ve been calling lately the heads Like, what’s
00:12:34.000 –> 00:12:36.000
the head scratcher for you that it’s like,
00:12:36.000 –> 00:12:38.000
gah, you just wish you could reach across
00:12:38.000 –> 00:12:40.000
the table and let somebody understand that. What
00:12:40.000 –> 00:12:41.000
is it for you?
00:12:42.000 –> 00:12:44.000
It it’s without question. It is getting people
00:12:44.000 –> 00:12:47.000
to understand and believe that
00:12:48.000 –> 00:12:50.000
when you make choice to lead differently, maybe
00:12:50.000 –> 00:12:52.000
be the leader you never had when you
00:12:52.000 –> 00:12:54.000
invest time and energy in others
00:12:54.000 –> 00:12:55.000
more so
00:12:55.000 –> 00:12:56.000
than yourself.
00:12:56.000 –> 00:12:58.000
When you care less about
00:12:59.000 –> 00:13:01.000
your own personal, quote, success, however, you define
00:13:01.000 –> 00:13:03.000
that, and you invest that energy into others
00:13:03.000 –> 00:13:06.000
growth development success, their achievements,
00:13:07.000 –> 00:13:09.000
you two things happen. Well, number of things,
00:13:09.000 –> 00:13:10.000
but two things primarily kinda
00:13:11.000 –> 00:13:13.000
resonate with me. One is the results on
00:13:13.000 –> 00:13:15.000
the macro level, they come.
00:13:16.000 –> 00:13:16.000
So
00:13:16.000 –> 00:13:17.000
That
00:13:20.000 –> 00:13:21.000
switch
00:13:24.000 –> 00:13:27.000
You you you you you are overtly making
00:13:27.000 –> 00:13:29.000
a switch that you’re no longer focused on
00:13:29.000 –> 00:13:31.000
your own goal, your own goals, your own
00:13:31.000 –> 00:13:32.000
growth, your own success,
00:13:33.000 –> 00:13:35.000
You don’t lose sight of those things, but
00:13:35.000 –> 00:13:37.000
you focus that on those that you’re responsible
00:13:37.000 –> 00:13:38.000
to lead.
00:13:38.000 –> 00:13:41.000
The two things are they perform better. Your
00:13:41.000 –> 00:13:43.000
your team the overall macro results that you
00:13:43.000 –> 00:13:45.000
deliver are better without question.
00:13:46.000 –> 00:13:48.000
Yep. But the bigger component is the satisfaction
00:13:48.000 –> 00:13:48.000
and fulfillment that
00:13:50.000 –> 00:13:51.000
comes
00:13:51.000 –> 00:13:52.000
is
00:13:52.000 –> 00:13:52.000
profoundly
00:13:53.000 –> 00:13:54.000
exponentially greater
00:13:55.000 –> 00:13:55.000
than
00:13:56.000 –> 00:13:57.000
keeping the focus
00:13:57.000 –> 00:13:58.000
on yourself.
00:14:00.000 –> 00:14:02.000
Yep. I cannot agree. And when I say
00:14:02.000 –> 00:14:03.000
this,
00:14:03.000 –> 00:14:04.000
it’s it
00:14:05.000 –> 00:14:07.000
there’s a lot of skepticism in the room,
00:14:07.000 –> 00:14:08.000
and I have to admit
00:14:08.000 –> 00:14:10.000
If someone were to have approached me and
00:14:10.000 –> 00:14:12.000
said the same thing, like, focus less on
00:14:12.000 –> 00:14:14.000
you and more on everyone around you, you’ll
00:14:14.000 –> 00:14:16.000
benefit in ways that you could never have
00:14:16.000 –> 00:14:17.000
predicted
00:14:17.000 –> 00:14:18.000
I would have said it’s bullshit.
00:14:19.000 –> 00:14:21.000
So that that’s it. That’s the head scratcher
00:14:21.000 –> 00:14:23.000
for me, but I just if people were
00:14:23.000 –> 00:14:26.000
to understand and realize the value that comes
00:14:26.000 –> 00:14:27.000
with deprioritizing
00:14:27.000 –> 00:14:30.000
your own quote unquote success for others.
00:14:30.000 –> 00:14:32.000
I think not only would the corporate world
00:14:32.000 –> 00:14:34.000
be in a much better place. I think
00:14:34.000 –> 00:14:35.000
the world
00:14:35.000 –> 00:14:36.000
would be a better place.
00:14:38.000 –> 00:14:39.000
So that’s the head scratch. I love the
00:14:39.000 –> 00:14:41.000
way you frame it. That’s the head scratcher
00:14:41.000 –> 00:14:42.000
for me. One of the things I look
00:14:42.000 –> 00:14:44.000
at when I’m talking to other leaders or
00:14:44.000 –> 00:14:46.000
I hear somebody in the room talking, if
00:14:46.000 –> 00:14:47.000
I’m, you know, listening at a conference or
00:14:47.000 –> 00:14:50.000
whatever, when I hear the word I, Right?
00:14:50.000 –> 00:14:52.000
One of my biggest pet peeves is when
00:14:52.000 –> 00:14:54.000
they say, I, I did this. I did
00:14:54.000 –> 00:14:57.000
that. Like, like, none of my success is
00:14:57.000 –> 00:14:59.000
because of I only. Right? It’s because of
00:14:59.000 –> 00:15:01.000
we and the people I’ve got around me.
00:15:01.000 –> 00:15:03.000
Like, I couldn’t do what I do without
00:15:03.000 –> 00:15:05.000
amazing people. So it’s just a pet peeve
00:15:05.000 –> 00:15:06.000
of mine, and I’m sure that’s a big
00:15:06.000 –> 00:15:08.000
pet peeve of yours as well.
00:15:10.000 –> 00:15:11.000
One of the biggest.
00:15:13.000 –> 00:15:14.000
And what a shame too because there is
00:15:14.000 –> 00:15:16.000
so much spotlight to be had
00:15:17.000 –> 00:15:19.000
in life in general, certainly in the corporate
00:15:19.000 –> 00:15:19.000
world.
00:15:20.000 –> 00:15:21.000
And the good by the way, the goodwill
00:15:21.000 –> 00:15:24.000
that we gain by sharing in that spotlight,
00:15:24.000 –> 00:15:26.000
you know, even when I’m accepting something
00:15:26.000 –> 00:15:28.000
you know, personal type,
00:15:28.000 –> 00:15:31.000
accolade or award. It’s like, when you throw
00:15:31.000 –> 00:15:32.000
a we out there and it couldn’t have
00:15:32.000 –> 00:15:34.000
done it without the team, the goodwill we
00:15:34.000 –> 00:15:34.000
create
00:15:35.000 –> 00:15:35.000
is,
00:15:36.000 –> 00:15:37.000
it’s priceless.
00:15:39.000 –> 00:15:42.000
And it’s true, man. Nothing. Very little is
00:15:42.000 –> 00:15:44.000
done. From an I or me perspective,
00:15:45.000 –> 00:15:46.000
which
00:15:46.000 –> 00:15:48.000
is where I moved on to. We,
00:15:49.000 –> 00:15:50.000
back in, I guess, it was around two
00:15:50.000 –> 00:15:52.000
thousand sixteen, and that was the pivotal or
00:15:52.000 –> 00:15:55.000
sentinel moment in my leadership journey that’s forever
00:15:55.000 –> 00:15:57.000
changed me as a leader, certainly, but as
00:15:57.000 –> 00:15:59.000
a person as well. It’s it’s changed my
00:15:59.000 –> 00:16:01.000
life. Yep. So talk about the ten Wes.
00:16:01.000 –> 00:16:03.000
This is from your book. Again, Wall Street
00:16:03.000 –> 00:16:06.000
Journal and USA Today best selling book, begin
00:16:06.000 –> 00:16:09.000
with we. The ten principles for building and
00:16:09.000 –> 00:16:11.000
sustaining a culture of excellence. Who doesn’t want
00:16:11.000 –> 00:16:12.000
that?
00:16:13.000 –> 00:16:15.000
And so let’s talk about those though. You
00:16:15.000 –> 00:16:17.000
talk about it, the framework, the ten ways
00:16:17.000 –> 00:16:20.000
required for building and sustaining a culture of
00:16:20.000 –> 00:16:20.000
excellence.
00:16:21.000 –> 00:16:24.000
Yeah. So I’ll take you back to Lawrence,
00:16:24.000 –> 00:16:25.000
Kansas. Of all places,
00:16:26.000 –> 00:16:27.000
I love Lawrence, but it was it served
00:16:27.000 –> 00:16:29.000
as a really pivotal moment for me. I
00:16:29.000 –> 00:16:31.000
was, in my hotel room,
00:16:32.000 –> 00:16:35.000
I just accepted the role of leading about
00:16:35.000 –> 00:16:35.000
fifteen thousand really dedicated men and women. That
00:16:35.000 –> 00:16:36.000
that
00:16:40.000 –> 00:16:44.000
that staff, probably the world’s largest health insurance
00:16:44.000 –> 00:16:46.000
enrollment and customer service operation.
00:16:49.000 –> 00:16:51.000
The company I was I was not naive.
00:16:51.000 –> 00:16:52.000
It was shared very early on that there
00:16:52.000 –> 00:16:56.000
was, an opportunity to to kinda reinvigorate,
00:16:57.000 –> 00:16:58.000
some energy
00:16:58.000 –> 00:17:01.000
maybe do some work on the company culture.
00:17:02.000 –> 00:17:02.000
And,
00:17:03.000 –> 00:17:06.000
but I knew also having spent the previous
00:17:06.000 –> 00:17:07.000
twenty years in
00:17:08.000 –> 00:17:11.000
massive organizations, as you mentioned, fortune ten firms,
00:17:11.000 –> 00:17:13.000
that if I were to show up,
00:17:14.000 –> 00:17:15.000
with this group,
00:17:16.000 –> 00:17:18.000
and kinda talked about I and the success
00:17:18.000 –> 00:17:20.000
I had had because I always,
00:17:21.000 –> 00:17:24.000
throughout my career, there’s a flavor of transformation.
00:17:25.000 –> 00:17:26.000
I come in, fix something,
00:17:26.000 –> 00:17:29.000
fix a big, big team, fix a big
00:17:29.000 –> 00:17:30.000
org, you know, turn things around,
00:17:31.000 –> 00:17:33.000
which has always been a passion of mine.
00:17:33.000 –> 00:17:35.000
But I knew with this group had I
00:17:35.000 –> 00:17:38.000
entered with more of the I and me
00:17:38.000 –> 00:17:39.000
and kind of, you know, here’s what I’m
00:17:40.000 –> 00:17:41.000
here to do for you.
00:17:42.000 –> 00:17:43.000
It would not have worked because they’d heard
00:17:43.000 –> 00:17:45.000
it all before. I was not naive. The
00:17:45.000 –> 00:17:46.000
fellow who had the role before me was
00:17:46.000 –> 00:17:49.000
dismissed, and I believe the wall for him
00:17:49.000 –> 00:17:50.000
was awesome.
00:17:51.000 –> 00:17:52.000
And
00:17:52.000 –> 00:17:54.000
if you take into consideration,
00:17:54.000 –> 00:17:56.000
the team my direct reports,
00:17:57.000 –> 00:17:58.000
they had an average tenure of north of
00:17:58.000 –> 00:17:59.000
ten years.
00:17:59.000 –> 00:18:01.000
So here’s this new guy coming into the
00:18:01.000 –> 00:18:03.000
fold. Yeah. And
00:18:03.000 –> 00:18:05.000
and and to to approach it as if
00:18:05.000 –> 00:18:07.000
I was the savior would just not have
00:18:07.000 –> 00:18:09.000
resonated. So the night before, I was to
00:18:09.000 –> 00:18:11.000
meet with the top forty or fifty leaders
00:18:11.000 –> 00:18:11.000
of this organization
00:18:12.000 –> 00:18:14.000
in my hotel room in Lawrence, Kansas. I
00:18:14.000 –> 00:18:16.000
still had that day’s suit on. In my
00:18:16.000 –> 00:18:18.000
laptop and my lap, and I thought, okay.
00:18:18.000 –> 00:18:20.000
This is this is what you wanted. You
00:18:20.000 –> 00:18:22.000
wanted an opportunity to lead an organization and
00:18:22.000 –> 00:18:23.000
be the leader you never had. This is
00:18:23.000 –> 00:18:25.000
why you made this change. What are you
00:18:25.000 –> 00:18:25.000
gonna do?
00:18:26.000 –> 00:18:30.000
So with no pre planning or or motives
00:18:30.000 –> 00:18:32.000
or agenda in mind, I just started typing
00:18:32.000 –> 00:18:34.000
into this blank PowerPoint presentation and a couple
00:18:34.000 –> 00:18:36.000
hours later, I All I had was ten
00:18:36.000 –> 00:18:36.000
sentences,
00:18:38.000 –> 00:18:39.000
and each of them started with the word
00:18:39.000 –> 00:18:40.000
we.
00:18:40.000 –> 00:18:41.000
And,
00:18:41.000 –> 00:18:43.000
I’m not super creative, so I had the
00:18:43.000 –> 00:18:44.000
ten wes.
00:18:45.000 –> 00:18:46.000
But the point,
00:18:46.000 –> 00:18:47.000
of of
00:18:48.000 –> 00:18:50.000
the magic, I think, started. So the next
00:18:50.000 –> 00:18:52.000
morning, I I stepped out, spoke to the
00:18:52.000 –> 00:18:54.000
forty or fifty folks and AF, we’re really
00:18:54.000 –> 00:18:55.000
excited and on board.
00:18:56.000 –> 00:18:58.000
Quarter. We’re kind of skeptical, and the last
00:18:58.000 –> 00:19:00.000
quarter was just, like, this guy’s full of
00:19:00.000 –> 00:19:02.000
his nature here. So much so, by the
00:19:02.000 –> 00:19:03.000
way, I should add Brett that
00:19:04.000 –> 00:19:06.000
what yeah. One of the fellas was bold
00:19:06.000 –> 00:19:08.000
enough to share that evening that,
00:19:09.000 –> 00:19:10.000
he googled the ten week because he thought
00:19:10.000 –> 00:19:12.000
I had plagiarized them, and then he went
00:19:12.000 –> 00:19:14.000
another step further and asked for my presentation
00:19:14.000 –> 00:19:16.000
because he wanted to check the properties within
00:19:16.000 –> 00:19:18.000
PowerPoint to see if I was the creator
00:19:18.000 –> 00:19:20.000
of that deck. Or if I had stolen
00:19:20.000 –> 00:19:21.000
it from somewhere else.
00:19:22.000 –> 00:19:25.000
We’re still buddies. But the the the the
00:19:25.000 –> 00:19:27.000
I think the the highlight or the bump
00:19:27.000 –> 00:19:29.000
sticker of this part of the story is
00:19:29.000 –> 00:19:29.000
this.
00:19:30.000 –> 00:19:32.000
In my career, I noticed
00:19:32.000 –> 00:19:34.000
it all came together that night in Lawrence
00:19:34.000 –> 00:19:35.000
that
00:19:35.000 –> 00:19:39.000
Companies were were really excited about flaunting their
00:19:39.000 –> 00:19:41.000
mission statement. They were really excited about externally
00:19:41.000 –> 00:19:42.000
positioning their company externally in a way
00:19:45.000 –> 00:19:47.000
that is, you know, flattering or favorable or
00:19:47.000 –> 00:19:49.000
endears them to their clients.
00:19:50.000 –> 00:19:52.000
But what is what is is setting that
00:19:52.000 –> 00:19:54.000
same standard inside the organization.
00:19:55.000 –> 00:19:58.000
So for me, to document these ten principles
00:19:57.000 –> 00:19:59.000
Gilliland
00:19:59.000 –> 00:20:01.000
be very adamant and direct that these are
00:20:01.000 –> 00:20:03.000
our rules of the role. Of the road,
00:20:03.000 –> 00:20:05.000
non negotiable. I did the whole presentation in
00:20:05.000 –> 00:20:07.000
black and white, and still nearly every time
00:20:07.000 –> 00:20:08.000
it’s in black and white with some red
00:20:08.000 –> 00:20:10.000
sprinkled in because it can’t be negotiable.
00:20:10.000 –> 00:20:14.000
But these principles align us around a common
00:20:14.000 –> 00:20:16.000
cause. And and and
00:20:16.000 –> 00:20:17.000
they’re all we oriented.
00:20:18.000 –> 00:20:21.000
But what they do is they create kind
00:20:21.000 –> 00:20:21.000
of,
00:20:22.000 –> 00:20:24.000
force fields too dramatic, but I’ll go with
00:20:24.000 –> 00:20:27.000
it that insulates us from
00:20:27.000 –> 00:20:30.000
external headwinds. It it sets the table for
00:20:30.000 –> 00:20:32.000
who we are, how we operate, and it
00:20:32.000 –> 00:20:35.000
removes any ambiguity around the way that we
00:20:35.000 –> 00:20:38.000
treat each other first and then how we
00:20:38.000 –> 00:20:41.000
treat those that we serve externally. Gilliland
00:20:41.000 –> 00:20:43.000
and they’re they’re very purposeful in order in
00:20:43.000 –> 00:20:45.000
which they are,
00:20:45.000 –> 00:20:46.000
riveting,
00:20:46.000 –> 00:20:47.000
But at the end of the day, this
00:20:47.000 –> 00:20:50.000
entire monologue that I’m sharing with you was
00:20:50.000 –> 00:20:51.000
my way to,
00:20:53.000 –> 00:20:54.000
first,
00:20:54.000 –> 00:20:56.000
these are the principal
00:20:57.000 –> 00:20:58.000
me accountable.
00:20:58.000 –> 00:21:00.000
I led with that.
00:21:00.000 –> 00:21:01.000
Because I’d seen the leadership, what I call
00:21:01.000 –> 00:21:03.000
the leadership gap too many times, where the
00:21:03.000 –> 00:21:05.000
boss has a certain standard of behavior, and
00:21:05.000 –> 00:21:06.000
the team has another one. And I think
00:21:06.000 –> 00:21:08.000
right out of the gate, you’re destined for
00:21:08.000 –> 00:21:10.000
failure. If there’s a double standard in how
00:21:10.000 –> 00:21:11.000
we treat each other,
00:21:12.000 –> 00:21:14.000
the things I’m allowed to do versus the
00:21:14.000 –> 00:21:15.000
things you’re allowed to do. So, a, you
00:21:15.000 –> 00:21:17.000
must hold me accountable to these because, b,
00:21:17.000 –> 00:21:19.000
I will certainly hold you accountable to them.
00:21:19.000 –> 00:21:21.000
If you can’t subscribe to these principles,
00:21:22.000 –> 00:21:22.000
respect,
00:21:22.000 –> 00:21:24.000
you’re not gonna be a great fit for
00:21:24.000 –> 00:21:25.000
this team.
00:21:26.000 –> 00:21:27.000
So that that was the that was kind
00:21:27.000 –> 00:21:29.000
of the the sentinel moment that I shared
00:21:29.000 –> 00:21:32.000
the principles I I I I was not
00:21:32.000 –> 00:21:34.000
forceful in implementing them. I wanted the team
00:21:34.000 –> 00:21:36.000
to take to them gradually, and I’m so
00:21:36.000 –> 00:21:38.000
thrilled to share five, six years later,
00:21:39.000 –> 00:21:42.000
the, the ten Wes are still the the
00:21:42.000 –> 00:21:46.000
cultural man this giant organization many years ago.
00:21:47.000 –> 00:21:49.000
They have the ten We Awards where they
00:21:49.000 –> 00:21:49.000
share,
00:21:50.000 –> 00:21:53.000
and celebrate those that are caught living any
00:21:53.000 –> 00:21:54.000
one of the We’s.
00:21:55.000 –> 00:21:57.000
And I’ve been able to evangelize these principles
00:21:57.000 –> 00:21:58.000
more broadly now in companies,
00:21:59.000 –> 00:22:01.000
that I’m working with have embraced it. People
00:22:01.000 –> 00:22:03.000
have embraced it because it sets the the
00:22:03.000 –> 00:22:05.000
standard for who we are, how we operate,
00:22:07.000 –> 00:22:09.000
aside from some lofty mission statement that no
00:22:09.000 –> 00:22:11.000
one can really relate to on a day
00:22:11.000 –> 00:22:13.000
to day basis. Yeah. I love that, man.
00:22:13.000 –> 00:22:14.000
So let’s start with number one. What’s number
00:22:14.000 –> 00:22:15.000
one?
00:22:16.000 –> 00:22:18.000
Well, so I must give a disclaimer as
00:22:18.000 –> 00:22:19.000
we walk through these.
00:22:20.000 –> 00:22:22.000
I’m I’m certain. Members of your audience are
00:22:22.000 –> 00:22:24.000
gonna say, well, no shit. Of course, of
00:22:24.000 –> 00:22:26.000
course, we’re gonna do these things. But I
00:22:26.000 –> 00:22:28.000
right? I’m not naive to that, but I
00:22:28.000 –> 00:22:30.000
will I will add to that
00:22:30.000 –> 00:22:31.000
this point.
00:22:33.000 –> 00:22:34.000
When used collectively
00:22:35.000 –> 00:22:35.000
and evangelized
00:22:36.000 –> 00:22:39.000
and and can spicuously communicated over and over
00:22:39.000 –> 00:22:41.000
and over every single day. You know, for
00:22:41.000 –> 00:22:43.000
example, I wear a I wear a wii
00:22:43.000 –> 00:22:45.000
bracelet everywhere I go. This as we challenge.
00:22:45.000 –> 00:22:46.000
It’s gotta
00:22:46.000 –> 00:22:47.000
it’s gotta be memorable.
00:22:48.000 –> 00:22:50.000
It’s gotta be something we can lean against.
00:22:50.000 –> 00:22:52.000
Not just works on the wall. Number one
00:22:52.000 –> 00:22:53.000
Yep. Is we do the right thing.
00:22:54.000 –> 00:22:55.000
Always.
00:22:56.000 –> 00:22:58.000
And and you’ll you’ll you’ll you know, again,
00:22:58.000 –> 00:23:00.000
listeners might say, well, no shit. The the
00:23:00.000 –> 00:23:03.000
beauty behind this one is Once you evangelize
00:23:03.000 –> 00:23:04.000
it and we talk about it over and
00:23:04.000 –> 00:23:05.000
over again,
00:23:05.000 –> 00:23:07.000
when facing a tough decision,
00:23:07.000 –> 00:23:09.000
the team knows
00:23:10.000 –> 00:23:12.000
where we’re going. They are quick to even
00:23:12.000 –> 00:23:14.000
answer the question before you ask it because
00:23:14.000 –> 00:23:16.000
and and by the way, they’ll premise their
00:23:16.000 –> 00:23:18.000
response with I know Kyle, we do the
00:23:18.000 –> 00:23:20.000
right thing. Right? So we it it it
00:23:20.000 –> 00:23:22.000
removes any opportunity for us to do something
00:23:22.000 –> 00:23:25.000
that might be a little less than, quote,
00:23:25.000 –> 00:23:26.000
unquote, right. So we do the right thing
00:23:26.000 –> 00:23:28.000
is is number one. Everything’s a thousand parts
00:23:28.000 –> 00:23:31.000
without it. Yeah. I think to piggyback on
00:23:31.000 –> 00:23:31.000
that is,
00:23:32.000 –> 00:23:34.000
you know, the Ritz Carlton way, right, is
00:23:35.000 –> 00:23:37.000
I think I heard one time that each
00:23:37.000 –> 00:23:39.000
each member that’s working that day has, like,
00:23:39.000 –> 00:23:41.000
a two hundred or four hundred dollar budget
00:23:41.000 –> 00:23:42.000
or something like that that they can fix
00:23:42.000 –> 00:23:44.000
something. Without having to get approval. And I
00:23:44.000 –> 00:23:46.000
remember being there. One of my kids, I
00:23:46.000 –> 00:23:48.000
guess my oldest is eighteen. I was young.
00:23:49.000 –> 00:23:50.000
And we’re there and we get an ice
00:23:50.000 –> 00:23:52.000
cream cone, and we’re not six steps away
00:23:52.000 –> 00:23:54.000
from this place where we got the ice
00:23:54.000 –> 00:23:55.000
cream in there and it spills, of course.
00:23:55.000 –> 00:23:57.000
It goes all over the floor. And man,
00:23:57.000 –> 00:24:00.000
those people were like around that thing.
00:24:00.000 –> 00:24:03.000
So quick. Got it cleaned up. Boom. Here’s
00:24:03.000 –> 00:24:03.000
a new ice cream.
00:24:04.000 –> 00:24:06.000
Right? I mean, like, it was amazing. And
00:24:06.000 –> 00:24:08.000
so I think that’s what I think of
00:24:08.000 –> 00:24:09.000
when I hear that we do the right
00:24:09.000 –> 00:24:11.000
thing always. Right? We do the right thing
00:24:11.000 –> 00:24:13.000
always. That’s that’s number one. That’s awesome.
00:24:15.000 –> 00:24:17.000
Yeah. It’s the foundation. It’s the foundation. But
00:24:17.000 –> 00:24:18.000
if you wanna do the right thing and
00:24:18.000 –> 00:24:19.000
you want your team to do the right
00:24:19.000 –> 00:24:22.000
thing. For me, that takes us right to
00:24:22.000 –> 00:24:24.000
number two, and that is we lead by
00:24:24.000 –> 00:24:24.000
example.
00:24:25.000 –> 00:24:28.000
We’re already setting an example. The question to
00:24:28.000 –> 00:24:30.000
the question is not should we lead by
00:24:30.000 –> 00:24:32.000
example. The question is am I leading by
00:24:32.000 –> 00:24:34.000
an example? I’d be proud for others to
00:24:34.000 –> 00:24:36.000
see. If it were blast all over the
00:24:36.000 –> 00:24:39.000
intranet, the company intranet, or the newsletter, or
00:24:39.000 –> 00:24:40.000
even worse externally,
00:24:41.000 –> 00:24:43.000
is my behavior something that I’m proud of?
00:24:43.000 –> 00:24:45.000
Is it am I leading in a way
00:24:45.000 –> 00:24:46.000
that others want to follow?
00:24:47.000 –> 00:24:49.000
And again, you know, I I would imagine
00:24:49.000 –> 00:24:51.000
some listeners are saying, well, she wanna lead
00:24:51.000 –> 00:24:52.000
by example, but it’s not the big things
00:24:52.000 –> 00:24:54.000
that I’m talking about. When I walk through
00:24:54.000 –> 00:24:56.000
the hallway, you know, when I’m on-site or
00:24:56.000 –> 00:24:59.000
at a location, is my head down in
00:24:59.000 –> 00:24:59.000
my phone?
00:25:00.000 –> 00:25:01.000
Or am I is my head up saying,
00:25:01.000 –> 00:25:03.000
hey, Brett. Good morning. Nice to see you.
00:25:04.000 –> 00:25:06.000
You know, that’s that’s an example that must
00:25:06.000 –> 00:25:07.000
be set. Right? I’ll tell you a quick
00:25:07.000 –> 00:25:08.000
story, and I’ll and then we can move
00:25:08.000 –> 00:25:09.000
on. But,
00:25:09.000 –> 00:25:11.000
I I used to visit one of the
00:25:11.000 –> 00:25:11.000
locations,
00:25:12.000 –> 00:25:14.000
back in the the teens when,
00:25:15.000 –> 00:25:17.000
I’d I’d eleven locations at the time when
00:25:17.000 –> 00:25:19.000
these principals rolled out. One of the locations
00:25:19.000 –> 00:25:22.000
invariably, every time I would go, the men’s
00:25:22.000 –> 00:25:24.000
restroom, the counter where you wash your hands,
00:25:24.000 –> 00:25:26.000
had standing water every single time I went
00:25:26.000 –> 00:25:28.000
there. It was drive you crazy.
00:25:29.000 –> 00:25:30.000
And I just, you know, I’d like every
00:25:30.000 –> 00:25:32.000
other fellow in there, wash my hands, throw
00:25:32.000 –> 00:25:33.000
my paper towel away and walk out. But
00:25:33.000 –> 00:25:35.000
it occurred to me.
00:25:35.000 –> 00:25:37.000
I am sending the message anytime I’m in
00:25:37.000 –> 00:25:39.000
there washing my hands next to somebody else,
00:25:39.000 –> 00:25:40.000
it finally occurred to me that I am
00:25:40.000 –> 00:25:43.000
sending the message that it’s okay. We are
00:25:43.000 –> 00:25:45.000
accepting this puddled water.
00:25:45.000 –> 00:25:47.000
And I and and the leader doesn’t care
00:25:47.000 –> 00:25:49.000
about our work environment. That’s the message I’m
00:25:49.000 –> 00:25:51.000
sending if I don’t. So now
00:25:52.000 –> 00:25:54.000
when the re realization hit me, and I
00:25:54.000 –> 00:25:55.000
was in
00:25:55.000 –> 00:25:57.000
My hands dry off. I would take extra
00:25:57.000 –> 00:26:00.000
napkins and wipe down that basin every single
00:26:00.000 –> 00:26:02.000
time. And wouldn’t you know it? After a
00:26:02.000 –> 00:26:03.000
number of visits there,
00:26:04.000 –> 00:26:05.000
the water was gone.
00:26:05.000 –> 00:26:07.000
Not because of me, people were coming behind
00:26:07.000 –> 00:26:09.000
me doing the same thing. Yep. So it’s
00:26:09.000 –> 00:26:11.000
not just, you know, the shiniest shoes. I
00:26:11.000 –> 00:26:13.000
got the most vocabulary, not leading by example
00:26:13.000 –> 00:26:15.000
in those ways. I’m leading by example by
00:26:15.000 –> 00:26:18.000
being relatable to those I work with, setting
00:26:18.000 –> 00:26:20.000
an example that they want to follow, and
00:26:20.000 –> 00:26:23.000
and and showing the importance of our interactions,
00:26:24.000 –> 00:26:26.000
not just you are here to to produce
00:26:26.000 –> 00:26:28.000
a widget for me. So that’s the kind
00:26:28.000 –> 00:26:30.000
of example I wanna be known for. Yeah.
00:26:30.000 –> 00:26:32.000
Amen into that, man. I think Mother Teresa
00:26:32.000 –> 00:26:33.000
said it, and then I’ll joke my buddy
00:26:33.000 –> 00:26:35.000
Tom Meyer at a soccer game recently said
00:26:35.000 –> 00:26:38.000
it too. Sweeper own front porch. Right? So
00:26:38.000 –> 00:26:40.000
see my buddies that were on this trip
00:26:40.000 –> 00:26:41.000
will know and it was a it was
00:26:41.000 –> 00:26:43.000
a great time. But, you know, sweep your
00:26:43.000 –> 00:26:45.000
own front porch. Man, that’s that’s what you’re
00:26:45.000 –> 00:26:47.000
doing right there. So that’s awesome.
00:26:47.000 –> 00:26:48.000
What’s number three?
00:26:49.000 –> 00:26:51.000
So we go so if you wanna do
00:26:51.000 –> 00:26:51.000
the right thing,
00:26:52.000 –> 00:26:54.000
and and if we agree that leading by
00:26:54.000 –> 00:26:56.000
example, it’s tough to do that,
00:26:57.000 –> 00:26:59.000
any team, we’ve gotta make good in our
00:26:59.000 –> 00:27:01.000
commitments. So we number three is we say
00:27:01.000 –> 00:27:02.000
what we’re going to do
00:27:03.000 –> 00:27:04.000
then we do it.
00:27:04.000 –> 00:27:06.000
So anytime you’re in a team environment, there
00:27:06.000 –> 00:27:08.000
are others that are counting on you to
00:27:08.000 –> 00:27:11.000
deliver something, especially in corporate America.
00:27:11.000 –> 00:27:13.000
And what I have found, a lot of
00:27:13.000 –> 00:27:16.000
breakdown and disappointment that our customers experience
00:27:16.000 –> 00:27:17.000
oftentimes
00:27:17.000 –> 00:27:19.000
are the result of a breakdown or a
00:27:19.000 –> 00:27:22.000
lack of communication or delivery behind the curtain
00:27:22.000 –> 00:27:23.000
here in the here on the on the
00:27:23.000 –> 00:27:26.000
team. So we we’ve just gotta be known,
00:27:26.000 –> 00:27:28.000
you know, every high functioning team needs to
00:27:28.000 –> 00:27:31.000
be known for and is usually associated with
00:27:31.000 –> 00:27:33.000
do, you know, making good in our commitments.
00:27:33.000 –> 00:27:34.000
When I tell you I’m going to deliver
00:27:34.000 –> 00:27:36.000
something to you as a member of my
00:27:36.000 –> 00:27:38.000
team, it’s coming. When you tell me that
00:27:38.000 –> 00:27:39.000
you’re gonna deliver something to me as a
00:27:39.000 –> 00:27:41.000
member of my team, it must come.
00:27:42.000 –> 00:27:44.000
And and that was, you know, the scenario
00:27:44.000 –> 00:27:44.000
there
00:27:45.000 –> 00:27:46.000
to drive me crazy.
00:27:46.000 –> 00:27:47.000
It’s,
00:27:47.000 –> 00:27:49.000
you know, Brett, you and I had a
00:27:49.000 –> 00:27:51.000
conversation. I agreed to deliver something to you
00:27:51.000 –> 00:27:53.000
by Thursday at noon.
00:27:53.000 –> 00:27:55.000
Thursday at noon rolls around. You call me.
00:27:55.000 –> 00:27:57.000
You’re, like, Kyle, what’s up? Where’s that report?
00:27:57.000 –> 00:27:59.000
And my response to you as well, I
00:27:59.000 –> 00:28:00.000
reached out to Jane in accounting. I just
00:28:00.000 –> 00:28:02.000
haven’t heard back from her. That’s not good
00:28:02.000 –> 00:28:03.000
enough.
00:28:03.000 –> 00:28:05.000
So I committed something to you, brother. I
00:28:05.000 –> 00:28:07.000
gotta get that to you, and I will
00:28:07.000 –> 00:28:08.000
go to the end of the earth to
00:28:08.000 –> 00:28:10.000
get that for you. Or I will give
00:28:10.000 –> 00:28:11.000
you a heads up before Thursday at noon
00:28:11.000 –> 00:28:13.000
that this is not happening, we’re a bit
00:28:13.000 –> 00:28:15.000
delayed. But I have found, especially in bigger
00:28:15.000 –> 00:28:17.000
organizations, there’s this, you know,
00:28:17.000 –> 00:28:19.000
point back and forth because I, you know,
00:28:19.000 –> 00:28:20.000
I I did my part. I made the
00:28:20.000 –> 00:28:22.000
request. No. No. No. Your part was hitting
00:28:22.000 –> 00:28:23.000
your commitment.
00:28:24.000 –> 00:28:26.000
So leading by example, I think the best
00:28:26.000 –> 00:28:28.000
way to do that is by setting
00:28:28.000 –> 00:28:29.000
a target,
00:28:29.000 –> 00:28:31.000
going after that target, making good on our
00:28:31.000 –> 00:28:32.000
commitments,
00:28:32.000 –> 00:28:34.000
because we’re only as good as the commitments
00:28:34.000 –> 00:28:36.000
we keep. I that’s that’s truly how I
00:28:36.000 –> 00:28:38.000
believe that. That’s why number three is is
00:28:38.000 –> 00:28:41.000
where it’s ranked so high because if we
00:28:41.000 –> 00:28:42.000
can’t deliver on on the commitments that we
00:28:42.000 –> 00:28:45.000
make, especially as the leader to our team,
00:28:46.000 –> 00:28:48.000
There’s no and we’re not trust. We are
00:28:48.000 –> 00:28:49.000
no tall.
00:28:49.000 –> 00:28:51.000
Love it. So far I’m gonna lie. I’m
00:28:51.000 –> 00:28:53.000
three for three, brother. What do we got?
00:28:53.000 –> 00:28:53.000
Number four?
00:28:55.000 –> 00:28:57.000
I love that. Alright. I’ll keep rolling. So
00:28:57.000 –> 00:28:59.000
if we’re gonna do the right thing, we’re
00:28:59.000 –> 00:29:02.000
gonna lead by example, and we’re gonna make
00:29:02.000 –> 00:29:04.000
good in our commitments. That means the very
00:29:04.000 –> 00:29:05.000
next step is we gotta take action.
00:29:06.000 –> 00:29:08.000
So when we see an opportunity to be
00:29:08.000 –> 00:29:11.000
better, when we see maybe a broken process
00:29:11.000 –> 00:29:14.000
or You know, we have a disgruntled customer
00:29:14.000 –> 00:29:15.000
because of a process that we we we
00:29:15.000 –> 00:29:18.000
just know is is too too taxing or
00:29:18.000 –> 00:29:21.000
whatever the scenario is, we gotta take action.
00:29:23.000 –> 00:29:25.000
Especially in bigger organizations, and it’s true of
00:29:25.000 –> 00:29:26.000
all the organizations
00:29:26.000 –> 00:29:28.000
of all size, but especially bigger ones, there
00:29:28.000 –> 00:29:30.000
is safety in silence
00:29:31.000 –> 00:29:33.000
And what that means is we often we
00:29:33.000 –> 00:29:36.000
often see opportunities for improvement, but we don’t
00:29:36.000 –> 00:29:38.000
take action on them usually for one of
00:29:38.000 –> 00:29:39.000
two reasons.
00:29:40.000 –> 00:29:41.000
If I raise my hand and say, hey,
00:29:41.000 –> 00:29:43.000
boss, we got an opportunity to refine this
00:29:43.000 –> 00:29:44.000
process.
00:29:45.000 –> 00:29:47.000
Usually, I’m gonna be greeted with more work.
00:29:50.000 –> 00:29:52.000
Where’s the incentive to do that? And then
00:29:52.000 –> 00:29:54.000
the second component of of why this is
00:29:54.000 –> 00:29:56.000
so hard for so many to grasp is
00:29:56.000 –> 00:29:57.000
not only am I gonna be asked to
00:29:57.000 –> 00:29:59.000
do the work, but if I stumble
00:29:59.000 –> 00:30:02.000
or my existing workload is compromised, I’m gonna
00:30:02.000 –> 00:30:04.000
get beaten over the head with this thing
00:30:04.000 –> 00:30:05.000
that I surfaced, which was really an attempt
00:30:05.000 –> 00:30:07.000
to make us better. So there’s no incentive
00:30:08.000 –> 00:30:10.000
in most organizations to raise my hand and
00:30:10.000 –> 00:30:12.000
say, that doesn’t make sense. Why are we
00:30:12.000 –> 00:30:14.000
doing that? I need to take a look
00:30:14.000 –> 00:30:15.000
at that. And let me address that for
00:30:15.000 –> 00:30:16.000
us.
00:30:16.000 –> 00:30:18.000
There’s no incentive. So stay in your lane
00:30:18.000 –> 00:30:20.000
is kind of the thought that comes to
00:30:20.000 –> 00:30:21.000
mind. But in a culture of excellence,
00:30:22.000 –> 00:30:25.000
when we really wanna be excellent and be
00:30:25.000 –> 00:30:28.000
high functioning, high performing team, we can’t
00:30:28.000 –> 00:30:30.000
we cannot walk by opportunities for improvement.
00:30:31.000 –> 00:30:33.000
You know, the old TSA adage comes to
00:30:33.000 –> 00:30:34.000
mind see something, say something. Well, in this
00:30:34.000 –> 00:30:36.000
world, it’s when you if you see something,
00:30:36.000 –> 00:30:37.000
do something.
00:30:38.000 –> 00:30:39.000
Because
00:30:39.000 –> 00:30:42.000
in today’s ultra competitive environment in almost every
00:30:42.000 –> 00:30:44.000
industry, If we allow those mediocre,
00:30:46.000 –> 00:30:47.000
things,
00:30:47.000 –> 00:30:49.000
or the status quo Sam, as I call
00:30:49.000 –> 00:30:52.000
it, if we allow those we will get
00:30:52.000 –> 00:30:53.000
laughed by our
00:30:53.000 –> 00:30:55.000
and we will not be here. So it’s
00:30:55.000 –> 00:30:57.000
important to recognize where there’s something to do.
00:30:57.000 –> 00:30:58.000
We gotta do it.
00:30:59.000 –> 00:31:02.000
But when when when if you want your
00:31:02.000 –> 00:31:04.000
team to take action and you want people
00:31:04.000 –> 00:31:06.000
to recognize that there’s a way to be
00:31:06.000 –> 00:31:07.000
better and we have a chance to be
00:31:07.000 –> 00:31:07.000
better,
00:31:08.000 –> 00:31:09.000
The only way to get them to do
00:31:09.000 –> 00:31:11.000
that is to create an environment where they’re
00:31:11.000 –> 00:31:13.000
comfortable making mistakes.
00:31:14.000 –> 00:31:15.000
And that takes us to to we number
00:31:15.000 –> 00:31:17.000
five. We own our mistakes.
00:31:18.000 –> 00:31:19.000
So if I’m in an environment where team
00:31:19.000 –> 00:31:21.000
says, for the team is well aware, they
00:31:21.000 –> 00:31:24.000
are tasked, empowered, and obligated
00:31:24.000 –> 00:31:27.000
to identify ways for us to be better,
00:31:27.000 –> 00:31:29.000
we gotta allow them the safety to make
00:31:29.000 –> 00:31:31.000
a mistake trying to make it better.
00:31:31.000 –> 00:31:33.000
Because again, where’s the incentive if we’re just
00:31:33.000 –> 00:31:35.000
gonna beat them over the head? So So
00:31:36.000 –> 00:31:37.000
the culture of excellence says,
00:31:38.000 –> 00:31:40.000
for us to be great, we’re gonna make
00:31:40.000 –> 00:31:43.000
mistakes. Everyone knows that. We’re gonna own those
00:31:43.000 –> 00:31:44.000
mistakes because I think we talked about it
00:31:44.000 –> 00:31:46.000
at the top of the call. Those challenges
00:31:46.000 –> 00:31:49.000
and those mistakes result in growth. And we
00:31:49.000 –> 00:31:50.000
wanna be better.
00:31:50.000 –> 00:31:51.000
We gotta try.
00:31:53.000 –> 00:31:54.000
Fail. That’s life,
00:31:55.000 –> 00:31:57.000
but we gotta try to go. We’re gonna
00:31:57.000 –> 00:31:59.000
own our mistakes. And and the sooner the
00:31:59.000 –> 00:32:00.000
team is aware,
00:32:00.000 –> 00:32:02.000
that you as the leader will be there
00:32:03.000 –> 00:32:05.000
with your handout stretched to help them
00:32:06.000 –> 00:32:08.000
get up and move on to the next
00:32:08.000 –> 00:32:10.000
So the next thing, the more likely they
00:32:10.000 –> 00:32:12.000
are to take action and own the mistake
00:32:12.000 –> 00:32:14.000
that comes with that action being taken.
00:32:16.000 –> 00:32:18.000
I’m a note taking machine, brother. You can
00:32:18.000 –> 00:32:18.000
see that.
00:32:19.000 –> 00:32:21.000
Hey. I’m just taking notes. I love it.
00:32:21.000 –> 00:32:23.000
It’s great. It’s great. Do you do the
00:32:23.000 –> 00:32:25.000
right thing? Lead by examples. We say what
00:32:25.000 –> 00:32:27.000
we’re gonna do and we do it. We
00:32:27.000 –> 00:32:28.000
take, we take action.
00:32:29.000 –> 00:32:30.000
We own our mistakes.
00:32:31.000 –> 00:32:32.000
Lead us to number six.
00:32:33.000 –> 00:32:35.000
Yeah. And they there’s the continuum here. So
00:32:35.000 –> 00:32:37.000
when when the team feels comfortable to raise
00:32:37.000 –> 00:32:38.000
their hand and say I made a mistake,
00:32:38.000 –> 00:32:40.000
they’re only gonna do that when they know
00:32:40.000 –> 00:32:42.000
they’re in an environment where we six exists,
00:32:42.000 –> 00:32:44.000
and that is we pick each other up.
00:32:45.000 –> 00:32:47.000
We pick each other up. Look, we’re all
00:32:47.000 –> 00:32:49.000
coming to the workplace, whether it be verb
00:32:49.000 –> 00:32:52.000
or or in person with baggage. You know,
00:32:52.000 –> 00:32:53.000
we’ve all got things going on outside of
00:32:53.000 –> 00:32:54.000
work.
00:32:54.000 –> 00:32:56.000
We’ve got things going on inside of work.
00:32:58.000 –> 00:33:00.000
It’s not often we bring our very best
00:33:00.000 –> 00:33:03.000
self to our job. It’s not. We’d like
00:33:03.000 –> 00:33:05.000
to think it is and allow environments will
00:33:05.000 –> 00:33:08.000
demand that and not be understanding that sometimes
00:33:08.000 –> 00:33:10.000
life gets in the way. So we pick
00:33:10.000 –> 00:33:12.000
each other up as critical because If we’re
00:33:12.000 –> 00:33:15.000
gonna own our mistakes from action being taken,
00:33:15.000 –> 00:33:17.000
we we have to know that others have
00:33:17.000 –> 00:33:19.000
our back, especially the leader.
00:33:20.000 –> 00:33:22.000
But there’s two components here. I wanna I
00:33:22.000 –> 00:33:24.000
wanna kinda bifurcate between the two.
00:33:25.000 –> 00:33:27.000
Owning the mistake
00:33:27.000 –> 00:33:28.000
is critical
00:33:29.000 –> 00:33:31.000
for picking each other up. So we don’t
00:33:31.000 –> 00:33:32.000
we can’t help someone if we don’t know
00:33:32.000 –> 00:33:35.000
that they’re struggling. Right? The results may show
00:33:35.000 –> 00:33:37.000
it, but not everybody sees those results. So
00:33:37.000 –> 00:33:38.000
all members of the team don’t see all
00:33:38.000 –> 00:33:41.000
members of the team’s position. And that is
00:33:41.000 –> 00:33:43.000
propel members on your team and those around
00:33:43.000 –> 00:33:45.000
you to new heights. I don’t believe it’s
00:33:45.000 –> 00:33:47.000
just enough for the boss
00:33:47.000 –> 00:33:48.000
or the leader in this case
00:33:49.000 –> 00:33:49.000
to
00:33:50.000 –> 00:33:52.000
get members of their team to be high
00:33:52.000 –> 00:33:54.000
performing at what they do now. I think
00:33:54.000 –> 00:33:56.000
a great leader helps them develop to take
00:33:56.000 –> 00:33:58.000
on their next role, even if, by the
00:33:58.000 –> 00:34:01.000
way, even if that role is outside of
00:34:01.000 –> 00:34:03.000
my team, outside of the organization even.
00:34:04.000 –> 00:34:04.000
Because
00:34:05.000 –> 00:34:06.000
if I if if the team members
00:34:07.000 –> 00:34:09.000
if if members of the team know that
00:34:09.000 –> 00:34:11.000
me as their leader, I’m really invested in
00:34:11.000 –> 00:34:13.000
their journey. Really invested in their growth. I
00:34:13.000 –> 00:34:15.000
want them to be their best, not just
00:34:15.000 –> 00:34:17.000
so I can deliver great results for my
00:34:17.000 –> 00:34:18.000
team. I want them to be their best
00:34:18.000 –> 00:34:20.000
because I wanna be a good human, I
00:34:20.000 –> 00:34:22.000
wanna be surrounded by people that that are
00:34:22.000 –> 00:34:23.000
their best.
00:34:23.000 –> 00:34:25.000
And I take this so seriously that I’ve
00:34:25.000 –> 00:34:27.000
had members of my teams throughout the years
00:34:27.000 –> 00:34:29.000
come to me and say they’ve had opportune
00:34:29.000 –> 00:34:31.000
they’ve got opportunities to join other companies. They’ve
00:34:31.000 –> 00:34:34.000
got, they’re eyeing and opening somewhere else. I
00:34:34.000 –> 00:34:36.000
help them get that next job. I help
00:34:36.000 –> 00:34:38.000
them. We’ll do mock interviews. I’ll work with
00:34:38.000 –> 00:34:39.000
you on your whatever
00:34:40.000 –> 00:34:41.000
you need because an off chain role
00:34:44.000 –> 00:34:46.000
The connection and goodwill that we’ve now established
00:34:46.000 –> 00:34:48.000
because I’ve proven to you, I really care
00:34:48.000 –> 00:34:50.000
more about you than your results, is profound.
00:34:51.000 –> 00:34:52.000
And that’s happened to me a number of
00:34:52.000 –> 00:34:55.000
times, helping someone leave the company. They’ve either
00:34:55.000 –> 00:34:57.000
gotten their role or they haven’t, but when
00:34:57.000 –> 00:34:58.000
they when they when they return back to
00:34:59.000 –> 00:35:00.000
to to to this team,
00:35:01.000 –> 00:35:03.000
the commitment they have until the next opportunity
00:35:03.000 –> 00:35:05.000
comes around. I’m not naive is is stronger.
00:35:07.000 –> 00:35:09.000
I think it’s true. We all want to
00:35:09.000 –> 00:35:11.000
be appreciated for what we do,
00:35:11.000 –> 00:35:13.000
and the the value that we bring, but
00:35:13.000 –> 00:35:15.000
not in a moment in time. The value
00:35:15.000 –> 00:35:18.000
that we bring is exponential over time, we
00:35:18.000 –> 00:35:19.000
need to we need to encourage people to
00:35:19.000 –> 00:35:21.000
be there as to whether that’s with us
00:35:21.000 –> 00:35:23.000
or somewhere else. Yep.
00:35:23.000 –> 00:35:25.000
So that’s that’s been a mentality. Pick each
00:35:25.000 –> 00:35:26.000
other up.
00:35:26.000 –> 00:35:28.000
It’s abundance mentality versus scarcity.
00:35:29.000 –> 00:35:31.000
Amen. Right? And,
00:35:31.000 –> 00:35:33.000
you know, there’s this thing inside of the
00:35:33.000 –> 00:35:36.000
corporate world where for someone to win someone
00:35:36.000 –> 00:35:38.000
else must lose, and I just think that’s
00:35:38.000 –> 00:35:38.000
garbage.
00:35:39.000 –> 00:35:41.000
So the more we can pick each other
00:35:41.000 –> 00:35:41.000
up,
00:35:42.000 –> 00:35:44.000
along on their journey. Not only do we
00:35:44.000 –> 00:35:46.000
help someone else, but it just feels
00:35:47.000 –> 00:35:49.000
good to help someone else along their way.
00:35:51.000 –> 00:35:53.000
So I admit the first six of the
00:35:53.000 –> 00:35:54.000
wheeze are, are more foundational in
00:35:55.000 –> 00:35:55.000
nature
00:35:58.000 –> 00:36:00.000
and and they kinda set the table for
00:36:00.000 –> 00:36:03.000
who we are. But as we move, seven
00:36:03.000 –> 00:36:05.000
through ten, you’ll notice that the wies become
00:36:06.000 –> 00:36:07.000
a a little more,
00:36:07.000 –> 00:36:09.000
difficult for some to grasp,
00:36:09.000 –> 00:36:11.000
maybe a little more controversial.
00:36:12.000 –> 00:36:14.000
You know, that’s a relative term. But also
00:36:14.000 –> 00:36:16.000
I believe this is where we we we
00:36:16.000 –> 00:36:18.000
we pivot to steal from Collins, from good
00:36:18.000 –> 00:36:19.000
to great.
00:36:19.000 –> 00:36:22.000
Yeah. And and we number seven is we
00:36:22.000 –> 00:36:24.000
measure ourselves by out comes,
00:36:24.000 –> 00:36:24.000
period,
00:36:25.000 –> 00:36:26.000
not activity.
00:36:27.000 –> 00:36:28.000
And I’m sure you’ve seen it in your
00:36:28.000 –> 00:36:30.000
business and throughout your career,
00:36:31.000 –> 00:36:33.000
And it’s gotten worse, I think, over time,
00:36:33.000 –> 00:36:35.000
where in the corporate world, we we give
00:36:35.000 –> 00:36:37.000
out what amounts to participation
00:36:38.000 –> 00:36:38.000
ribbons.
00:36:40.000 –> 00:36:42.000
And and that to me is is it
00:36:42.000 –> 00:36:44.000
dilutes the impact of delivering
00:36:44.000 –> 00:36:45.000
great results.
00:36:46.000 –> 00:36:49.000
We wear the number of we had every
00:36:49.000 –> 00:36:50.000
day as a badge of honor. If I’m
00:36:50.000 –> 00:36:52.000
double book triple book, like, that’s that’s supposed
00:36:52.000 –> 00:36:53.000
to impress people.
00:36:55.000 –> 00:36:56.000
But that’s not what the client or our
00:36:56.000 –> 00:36:59.000
customers that’s not why they pay us. They
00:36:59.000 –> 00:37:00.000
pay us for the outcome.
00:37:01.000 –> 00:37:03.000
So what I’ve noticed throughout my what I
00:37:03.000 –> 00:37:05.000
notice throughout my career was a lot of
00:37:05.000 –> 00:37:07.000
people run around very busy engaged in a
00:37:07.000 –> 00:37:08.000
lot of activities,
00:37:08.000 –> 00:37:11.000
but they’re busy for busy’s, you know, sake
00:37:11.000 –> 00:37:11.000
of busyness.
00:37:12.000 –> 00:37:14.000
What I like to challenge people to do
00:37:14.000 –> 00:37:16.000
is identify a handful of things for which
00:37:16.000 –> 00:37:19.000
you’re being judged or you’re held accountable, right,
00:37:19.000 –> 00:37:21.000
that are on your performance appraisal.
00:37:21.000 –> 00:37:23.000
List of tasks that you’re obligated to deliver
00:37:23.000 –> 00:37:26.000
on whatever the time frequency is, weekly, monthly,
00:37:26.000 –> 00:37:26.000
whatever.
00:37:27.000 –> 00:37:28.000
And and then evaluate
00:37:28.000 –> 00:37:30.000
all of your activities
00:37:30.000 –> 00:37:32.000
every meeting you’re participating in. And if those
00:37:32.000 –> 00:37:34.000
meetings and those activities
00:37:34.000 –> 00:37:37.000
don’t directly connect to those outcomes that you’ve
00:37:37.000 –> 00:37:38.000
been assigned,
00:37:38.000 –> 00:37:40.000
or that the outcomes that you’re, you know,
00:37:40.000 –> 00:37:43.000
tasked to deliver, scrutinize them. Why am I
00:37:43.000 –> 00:37:44.000
doing this? Why am I in this meeting?
00:37:44.000 –> 00:37:46.000
Why am I asked to do this, if
00:37:46.000 –> 00:37:48.000
it doesn’t lead to that. There’s a caveat.
00:37:48.000 –> 00:37:51.000
I’m not naive. Compliance. We have legal things.
00:37:51.000 –> 00:37:52.000
There are gut things that we have to
00:37:52.000 –> 00:37:53.000
do that you may not be able to
00:37:53.000 –> 00:37:55.000
draw a straight a straight line. To that
00:37:55.000 –> 00:37:57.000
outcome, but that’s the exception. I think the
00:37:57.000 –> 00:37:58.000
rule should be
00:37:59.000 –> 00:38:01.000
if I’m engaged in something, it should deliver
00:38:01.000 –> 00:38:03.000
or or or or help me deliver my
00:38:03.000 –> 00:38:05.000
outcome and and the cliche that I use
00:38:05.000 –> 00:38:07.000
over and over again is, Brett, I am
00:38:07.000 –> 00:38:09.000
so happy when my Uber driver picks me
00:38:09.000 –> 00:38:11.000
up with a tank full of gas or
00:38:11.000 –> 00:38:12.000
enough gas to get me from a to
00:38:12.000 –> 00:38:14.000
b. But I didn’t pay him or her
00:38:14.000 –> 00:38:16.000
to stop at the gas station before they
00:38:16.000 –> 00:38:18.000
pick me up. I paid for the outcome
00:38:18.000 –> 00:38:20.000
of getting me from a to b. The
00:38:20.000 –> 00:38:21.000
more we focus on the outcomes, I think
00:38:21.000 –> 00:38:23.000
the more earnest we can be in our
00:38:23.000 –> 00:38:25.000
efforts. And,
00:38:25.000 –> 00:38:26.000
I think outcomes
00:38:28.000 –> 00:38:30.000
they they come in a way that is
00:38:30.000 –> 00:38:31.000
more superior
00:38:31.000 –> 00:38:34.000
than than just focused on the busyness. I
00:38:34.000 –> 00:38:35.000
I think that is a that’s a curse
00:38:35.000 –> 00:38:36.000
inside of an organization.
00:38:37.000 –> 00:38:38.000
Trying to stay busy.
00:38:39.000 –> 00:38:41.000
Let’s keep them rocking the last three.
00:38:41.000 –> 00:38:43.000
Here we go. My favorite of all too.
00:38:43.000 –> 00:38:46.000
Number eight is we challenge each other.
00:38:48.000 –> 00:38:49.000
Most organizations,
00:38:50.000 –> 00:38:50.000
challenges
00:38:51.000 –> 00:38:51.000
come
00:38:52.000 –> 00:38:52.000
from here for those listening at home. That
00:38:52.000 –> 00:38:52.000
is the boss
00:38:56.000 –> 00:38:56.000
to the team.
00:38:57.000 –> 00:38:58.000
Occasionally,
00:38:58.000 –> 00:39:00.000
we we encourage challenges,
00:39:01.000 –> 00:39:03.000
within the team, you know, peer to peer,
00:39:03.000 –> 00:39:03.000
occasionally.
00:39:04.000 –> 00:39:06.000
But rarely is the challenge. Are we adamant
00:39:06.000 –> 00:39:09.000
about the challenge? Challenges must also come from
00:39:09.000 –> 00:39:11.000
the team to the leader. Other words, the
00:39:11.000 –> 00:39:14.000
challenges must come from every direction because the
00:39:14.000 –> 00:39:16.000
result of progress, everything
00:39:16.000 –> 00:39:19.000
or anything worth having in this life
00:39:19.000 –> 00:39:22.000
is almost always the result of overcoming one
00:39:22.000 –> 00:39:24.000
or more challenges. Do you wanna lose weight?
00:39:24.000 –> 00:39:26.000
Gotta burn calories. You gotta change diet. Gotta
00:39:26.000 –> 00:39:28.000
workout. Whatever. You wanna learn how to play
00:39:28.000 –> 00:39:29.000
the guitar,
00:39:29.000 –> 00:39:31.000
get lessons, get on YouTube, whatever the scenario
00:39:31.000 –> 00:39:33.000
is for you, you must challenge yourself to
00:39:33.000 –> 00:39:35.000
deliver if I have a solution or a
00:39:35.000 –> 00:39:37.000
position on a topic, I want every good
00:39:37.000 –> 00:39:39.000
idea on the table. I want a meritocracy
00:39:39.000 –> 00:39:41.000
of sorts where people can talk through and
00:39:41.000 –> 00:39:44.000
feel feel obligated almost to challenge one another.
00:39:44.000 –> 00:39:46.000
And when you introduce us into your to
00:39:46.000 –> 00:39:48.000
your to your world,
00:39:49.000 –> 00:39:50.000
a lot of things happen, but the the
00:39:50.000 –> 00:39:52.000
beauty of what I’ve seen firsthand is,
00:39:53.000 –> 00:39:54.000
I’ll go back to
00:39:55.000 –> 00:39:55.000
staff meetings.
00:39:57.000 –> 00:39:59.000
You may relate to this where A staff
00:39:59.000 –> 00:40:01.000
meeting in most environments is the bosses at
00:40:01.000 –> 00:40:03.000
the end of the table, the team around
00:40:03.000 –> 00:40:04.000
the table, and they each go through their
00:40:04.000 –> 00:40:06.000
updates. And everyone on the team is just
00:40:06.000 –> 00:40:08.000
kinda heads down in their phone or on
00:40:08.000 –> 00:40:10.000
their lap top while each other is going
00:40:10.000 –> 00:40:13.000
through their updates. The only person theoretically paying
00:40:13.000 –> 00:40:14.000
attention is the boss and it’s one to
00:40:14.000 –> 00:40:16.000
one, which is a waste of everyone’s time,
00:40:16.000 –> 00:40:18.000
by the way. But when we have an
00:40:18.000 –> 00:40:21.000
environment that is rich and challenged and they’re
00:40:21.000 –> 00:40:23.000
you’re not just allowed to. You’re empowered and
00:40:23.000 –> 00:40:26.000
obligated to issue challenges. You have team members
00:40:26.000 –> 00:40:28.000
start to question
00:40:28.000 –> 00:40:31.000
updates in a healthy and productive way.
00:40:31.000 –> 00:40:32.000
And
00:40:32.000 –> 00:40:34.000
the result of that interaction becomes
00:40:35.000 –> 00:40:37.000
a knowledge share that enables other members on
00:40:38.000 –> 00:40:40.000
of the team to allow to to insert
00:40:40.000 –> 00:40:42.000
their own opinions or experience
00:40:42.000 –> 00:40:44.000
on the topic at hand. Now there is
00:40:44.000 –> 00:40:47.000
one very clear line and rule for we
00:40:47.000 –> 00:40:49.000
number eight, and that is all challenges
00:40:49.000 –> 00:40:51.000
First, they must be done diplomatically,
00:40:51.000 –> 00:40:53.000
but they must be grounded in either data
00:40:53.000 –> 00:40:54.000
and or experience.
00:40:55.000 –> 00:40:56.000
So in other words, I can’t come to
00:40:56.000 –> 00:40:58.000
the staff meeting. Brad, you you start opining
00:40:58.000 –> 00:41:00.000
on something, and I don’t like it just
00:41:00.000 –> 00:41:02.000
simply because it’s my opinion.
00:41:02.000 –> 00:41:04.000
I that’s not a challenge. That’s a complaint.
00:41:05.000 –> 00:41:06.000
But if I say
00:41:06.000 –> 00:41:08.000
Hey. Hey. Hey, Brett. You’re walking us down
00:41:08.000 –> 00:41:10.000
a path somewhere that I’ve actually I’ve been
00:41:10.000 –> 00:41:13.000
here before. In my last role, we, you
00:41:13.000 –> 00:41:14.000
know, we had a product launch similar to
00:41:14.000 –> 00:41:16.000
this, and we stumbled because of x, y,
00:41:16.000 –> 00:41:17.000
and z. You know, as a leader, you
00:41:17.000 –> 00:41:19.000
wanna hear that. You want to, you want
00:41:19.000 –> 00:41:21.000
that information, you want that challenge, you wanna
00:41:21.000 –> 00:41:22.000
be smarter for that interaction.
00:41:22.000 –> 00:41:23.000
So
00:41:23.000 –> 00:41:27.000
challenges have to come via data and or
00:41:27.000 –> 00:41:27.000
experience.
00:41:28.000 –> 00:41:29.000
But we number eight,
00:41:30.000 –> 00:41:31.000
without we numb
00:41:32.000 –> 00:41:35.000
And we number nine is we embrace challenge.
00:41:36.000 –> 00:41:37.000
So in our organization,
00:41:38.000 –> 00:41:40.000
when we establish the environment that is rich
00:41:40.000 –> 00:41:43.000
and challenged, it must be rich in embracing
00:41:43.000 –> 00:41:45.000
those challenges, whether it be from a peer,
00:41:45.000 –> 00:41:47.000
whether it be from the leader, whether it
00:41:47.000 –> 00:41:50.000
be an external force, ever the scenario is,
00:41:50.000 –> 00:41:52.000
we’ve gotta embrace those challenges because if we
00:41:52.000 –> 00:41:54.000
deny them, we’re gonna get lapped,
00:41:55.000 –> 00:41:56.000
because challenges just go away if you look
00:41:56.000 –> 00:41:57.000
the other way.
00:41:58.000 –> 00:42:01.000
And we’ve gotta create this this this kind
00:42:01.000 –> 00:42:01.000
of ethos where
00:42:02.000 –> 00:42:05.000
yep. I’m aware. That sucks. Let’s move on.
00:42:05.000 –> 00:42:07.000
We gotta embrace the challenge and keep trucking.
00:42:09.000 –> 00:42:11.000
Because what happens when we embrace those challenges,
00:42:11.000 –> 00:42:13.000
now we are focused on something other than
00:42:13.000 –> 00:42:15.000
ourselves. We’re focusing on the outcomes. We’re focusing
00:42:15.000 –> 00:42:18.000
on us being better. And not denying the
00:42:18.000 –> 00:42:18.000
challenge.
00:42:19.000 –> 00:42:21.000
So so embracing it at we number nine
00:42:21.000 –> 00:42:22.000
is incredibly important.
00:42:24.000 –> 00:42:26.000
Which takes us to the last week. You’ve
00:42:26.000 –> 00:42:27.000
held on through all ten.
00:42:28.000 –> 00:42:30.000
And I think the ten is the icing
00:42:30.000 –> 00:42:32.000
on the cake that is on because if
00:42:32.000 –> 00:42:34.000
we lead with ten,
00:42:34.000 –> 00:42:36.000
we’re setting ourselves up for failure, and that
00:42:36.000 –> 00:42:39.000
is we obsess over details. It’s the icing
00:42:39.000 –> 00:42:40.000
on the cake, the the bow on the
00:42:40.000 –> 00:42:42.000
present, whatever cliche you wanna use.
00:42:43.000 –> 00:42:45.000
Because I happen to believe in every team
00:42:45.000 –> 00:42:48.000
environment, the level of obsession over the details
00:42:48.000 –> 00:42:52.000
is is akin or synonymous to our obsession
00:42:52.000 –> 00:42:53.000
for satisfying
00:42:53.000 –> 00:42:55.000
our clients, those that we serve.
00:42:56.000 –> 00:42:58.000
You know, things like, consistent use of fonts
00:42:58.000 –> 00:42:58.000
and and spelling and
00:43:01.000 –> 00:43:02.000
presentations
00:43:02.000 –> 00:43:05.000
Like, the, you know, here’s an example I
00:43:05.000 –> 00:43:06.000
love, actually. When’s the last time you opened
00:43:06.000 –> 00:43:07.000
a product from Apple?
00:43:08.000 –> 00:43:10.000
Right? It’s just a sec the tape with
00:43:10.000 –> 00:43:13.000
the arrow on it telling. Right? They put
00:43:13.000 –> 00:43:15.000
engineers in rooms for months on end every
00:43:15.000 –> 00:43:17.000
time there’s a new product launch because they
00:43:17.000 –> 00:43:20.000
want that experience for the customer, the consumer,
00:43:20.000 –> 00:43:23.000
to be wow. Right? So obsessing over those
00:43:23.000 –> 00:43:26.000
details sends the message to our clients. We
00:43:26.000 –> 00:43:28.000
care about you. We care about your experience.
00:43:28.000 –> 00:43:30.000
We care about your impression of our product.
00:43:30.000 –> 00:43:33.000
But, again, all of these principles start from
00:43:33.000 –> 00:43:34.000
behind the
00:43:34.000 –> 00:43:35.000
if we’re
00:43:35.000 –> 00:43:39.000
detail oriented in just on the details behind
00:43:39.000 –> 00:43:41.000
the curtain, we’re just much better positioned to
00:43:41.000 –> 00:43:42.000
have that same paradigm externally.
00:43:43.000 –> 00:43:46.000
So we’ve gotta over details. I developed a
00:43:46.000 –> 00:43:48.000
reputation and even a nickname of the Shredder,
00:43:50.000 –> 00:43:51.000
when I was still in corporate,
00:43:51.000 –> 00:43:53.000
and that would that was because my team
00:43:53.000 –> 00:43:55.000
would you know, give a PowerPoint or their
00:43:55.000 –> 00:43:55.000
presentation,
00:43:57.000 –> 00:44:00.000
whatever the the marketing’s, whatever it was. And,
00:44:01.000 –> 00:44:03.000
I was just the shredder. I would notice
00:44:03.000 –> 00:44:05.000
font size fourteen on page three, but sixteen
00:44:05.000 –> 00:44:07.000
on four. You know, the indentation
00:44:08.000 –> 00:44:09.000
on page seven was different than on than
00:44:09.000 –> 00:44:11.000
on two. And I just think that sends
00:44:11.000 –> 00:44:12.000
a message to the consumer
00:44:13.000 –> 00:44:15.000
that we just threw this shit together. We
00:44:15.000 –> 00:44:17.000
didn’t take a lot of care and put
00:44:17.000 –> 00:44:18.000
this together. So
00:44:18.000 –> 00:44:20.000
So that’s the ten wheeze, and and and
00:44:20.000 –> 00:44:22.000
it just occurred to me. I left out
00:44:22.000 –> 00:44:25.000
a very important intro to this for for
00:44:25.000 –> 00:44:28.000
everyone listening a principle by definitions isn’t my
00:44:28.000 –> 00:44:31.000
term. By definition, a principle is a fundamental
00:44:31.000 –> 00:44:31.000
truth.
00:44:32.000 –> 00:44:34.000
It is our system of beliefs.
00:44:35.000 –> 00:44:37.000
So when a team or group of people
00:44:37.000 –> 00:44:40.000
are aligned, a system of beliefs, we’re all
00:44:40.000 –> 00:44:42.000
on the same page in how
00:44:42.000 –> 00:44:44.000
how we view things are fundamental truths.
00:44:44.000 –> 00:44:47.000
We are just much better and,
00:44:47.000 –> 00:44:47.000
positioned
00:44:48.000 –> 00:44:51.000
in in in the likelihood of success and
00:44:51.000 –> 00:44:51.000
excellence.
00:44:52.000 –> 00:44:54.000
Is dramatically increased because why?
00:44:55.000 –> 00:44:57.000
We have the same fundamental beliefs on who
00:44:57.000 –> 00:44:59.000
we are, how we behave, and what we
00:44:59.000 –> 00:44:59.000
do.
00:45:00.000 –> 00:45:03.000
Strong message, my man. Very strong message. So
00:45:03.000 –> 00:45:05.000
let’s last couple of questions here. What what
00:45:05.000 –> 00:45:07.000
are some habits? If I follow you around
00:45:08.000 –> 00:45:09.000
every day. What are the things I’m gonna
00:45:09.000 –> 00:45:11.000
see the no mis items that Kyle McDowell
00:45:11.000 –> 00:45:13.000
are doing day in and day out?
00:45:14.000 –> 00:45:15.000
Love that question.
00:45:17.000 –> 00:45:18.000
You know,
00:45:18.000 –> 00:45:21.000
I would say regardless of with whom I’m
00:45:21.000 –> 00:45:21.000
interacting,
00:45:23.000 –> 00:45:26.000
the most junior, newest person to the c
00:45:26.000 –> 00:45:26.000
level,
00:45:27.000 –> 00:45:28.000
executive in their office,
00:45:29.000 –> 00:45:30.000
my level of authenticity,
00:45:32.000 –> 00:45:34.000
and my commitment glimpse never waivers.
00:45:35.000 –> 00:45:37.000
Now the way I interact with those different
00:45:37.000 –> 00:45:38.000
audiences,
00:45:38.000 –> 00:45:40.000
it could be different. And you would you
00:45:40.000 –> 00:45:42.000
would see that because I believe relatability
00:45:42.000 –> 00:45:44.000
is a key component. I I I always
00:45:44.000 –> 00:45:45.000
say relatability,
00:45:46.000 –> 00:45:47.000
plus authenticity
00:45:47.000 –> 00:45:48.000
equals trust.
00:45:49.000 –> 00:45:51.000
Yeah. So if I’m relatable to those with
00:45:51.000 –> 00:45:52.000
whom I interact,
00:45:53.000 –> 00:45:55.000
And they see that I’m really being true
00:45:55.000 –> 00:45:57.000
to who I am, every interaction regardless of
00:45:57.000 –> 00:45:58.000
the topic,
00:45:59.000 –> 00:46:01.000
trust is gained. At least it’s easier to
00:46:01.000 –> 00:46:03.000
gain. So you’ll see a guy that is,
00:46:04.000 –> 00:46:07.000
really focused on improving the employee experience focused
00:46:07.000 –> 00:46:08.000
on improving
00:46:08.000 –> 00:46:09.000
the work life,
00:46:10.000 –> 00:46:12.000
for for as many people who will hear
00:46:12.000 –> 00:46:13.000
me out,
00:46:13.000 –> 00:46:16.000
because you probably know this, man. We spend
00:46:16.000 –> 00:46:19.000
ninety thousand hours on average in a lifetime
00:46:19.000 –> 00:46:20.000
working.
00:46:20.000 –> 00:46:22.000
The only thing we do more is sleep.
00:46:22.000 –> 00:46:23.000
That’s it.
00:46:23.000 –> 00:46:25.000
So if we’re gonna spend so much time,
00:46:25.000 –> 00:46:28.000
you know, essentially the the number one thing,
00:46:28.000 –> 00:46:30.000
of our waking hours doing this thing called
00:46:30.000 –> 00:46:32.000
work, shouldn’t it be rewarding?
00:46:33.000 –> 00:46:35.000
Shouldn’t it be the best experience? It can
00:46:35.000 –> 00:46:37.000
be the most impactful, the most fulfilling. Now
00:46:37.000 –> 00:46:40.000
please don’t mishear me. I’m not naive. There’s
00:46:40.000 –> 00:46:42.000
a difference between a job and a career.
00:46:42.000 –> 00:46:44.000
We’ve all had jobs that enabled us to
00:46:44.000 –> 00:46:46.000
launch our career. They were stepping stone to
00:46:46.000 –> 00:46:47.000
something bigger.
00:46:48.000 –> 00:46:49.000
But I think even
00:46:49.000 –> 00:46:52.000
you know, with all respect to to anyone
00:46:52.000 –> 00:46:54.000
flipping a burger, but even someone that flips
00:46:54.000 –> 00:46:55.000
a burger and slides it across the counter
00:46:55.000 –> 00:46:56.000
to somebody,
00:46:57.000 –> 00:47:00.000
They deserve fulfillment. They deserve to see the
00:47:00.000 –> 00:47:01.000
smile on the face of the person on
00:47:01.000 –> 00:47:03.000
the other end of that transaction. And the,
00:47:03.000 –> 00:47:05.000
I think, the, the, the best way to
00:47:05.000 –> 00:47:07.000
secure that type of fulfillment
00:47:07.000 –> 00:47:09.000
is to go at it as a team,
00:47:09.000 –> 00:47:12.000
not just me collecting my paycheck. And I
00:47:12.000 –> 00:47:14.000
think as we as we matriculate through our
00:47:14.000 –> 00:47:16.000
careers, and that that that journey, whether I’m
00:47:16.000 –> 00:47:18.000
a leader of fifteen thousand people or not
00:47:18.000 –> 00:47:19.000
a leader of anybody at all. I’m just
00:47:19.000 –> 00:47:20.000
leading myself.
00:47:21.000 –> 00:47:23.000
The value that comes with this paradigm is
00:47:24.000 –> 00:47:24.000
is profound.
00:47:25.000 –> 00:47:27.000
It’s awesome. And I love your passion, Kyle.
00:47:27.000 –> 00:47:29.000
I love it, brother. Working our listeners find
00:47:29.000 –> 00:47:30.000
more of you.
00:47:33.000 –> 00:47:36.000
So I’m on, essentially, every, social form of
00:47:36.000 –> 00:47:39.000
the same handle of at Kyle McDowell Inc.
00:47:39.000 –> 00:47:42.000
My website is kyle mcdowell inc dot com.
00:47:42.000 –> 00:47:43.000
And I think you mentioned it at the
00:47:43.000 –> 00:47:45.000
top, but, shameless plug.
00:47:46.000 –> 00:47:48.000
The book is Begin with We, and it’s
00:47:48.000 –> 00:47:50.000
available worldwide bookstores everywhere.
00:47:51.000 –> 00:47:53.000
I’m actually kind of partial to the audio
00:47:53.000 –> 00:47:53.000
version.
00:47:54.000 –> 00:47:55.000
I think it’s got a little more energy
00:47:55.000 –> 00:47:57.000
than just the the page turning, but that’s
00:47:57.000 –> 00:47:59.000
that’s that’s that’s me. And, man, I say
00:47:59.000 –> 00:48:01.000
this on every podcast,
00:48:01.000 –> 00:48:03.000
every regardless of the of the venue or
00:48:03.000 –> 00:48:05.000
format, I would love to hear from your
00:48:05.000 –> 00:48:07.000
listeners. And I mean that whether it be
00:48:07.000 –> 00:48:09.000
a problem they’re facing inside the workplace or
00:48:09.000 –> 00:48:11.000
they’re trying to level up their leadership or
00:48:11.000 –> 00:48:13.000
they just wanna have more impact and find
00:48:13.000 –> 00:48:16.000
greater fulfillment, and anything that they do hit
00:48:16.000 –> 00:48:19.000
me. I’m here. I I I respond to
00:48:19.000 –> 00:48:20.000
nearly every single
00:48:20.000 –> 00:48:22.000
inquiry that I get because it just matters
00:48:22.000 –> 00:48:24.000
to me that much. And again, I’d be
00:48:24.000 –> 00:48:25.000
a hypocrite something less than authentic if I
00:48:25.000 –> 00:48:27.000
didn’t do that. Love it, man. Well, thanks
00:48:27.000 –> 00:48:29.000
so much, Kyle, for your time. It’s been
00:48:29.000 –> 00:48:31.000
awesome having you at the ten wies or,
00:48:31.000 –> 00:48:31.000
I mean,
00:48:32.000 –> 00:48:33.000
if people don’t take notes on that stuff
00:48:33.000 –> 00:48:35.000
and then implement it, you know. I got
00:48:35.000 –> 00:48:36.000
a buddy that listens as a high school
00:48:36.000 –> 00:48:38.000
basketball coach
00:48:38.000 –> 00:48:40.000
crushing it there. I mean, why why would
00:48:40.000 –> 00:48:41.000
we not have our ten wies? Right? Whether
00:48:41.000 –> 00:48:43.000
your culture’s in a locker room or your
00:48:43.000 –> 00:48:45.000
board room or the the athletic field or
00:48:45.000 –> 00:48:47.000
at home, man, we gotta have our ten
00:48:47.000 –> 00:48:48.000
wheeze.
00:48:51.000 –> 00:48:53.000
Bingo. Bingo, Brett. And that’s been the unintended
00:48:54.000 –> 00:48:55.000
by product that I’m
00:48:55.000 –> 00:48:58.000
really proud of is how the ten Wes
00:48:58.000 –> 00:48:58.000
have
00:48:59.000 –> 00:49:01.000
manifested and kind of transitioned beyond just the
00:49:01.000 –> 00:49:03.000
corporate world and business
00:49:03.000 –> 00:49:05.000
I’m I’m working with two different school districts
00:49:06.000 –> 00:49:06.000
right now.
00:49:09.000 –> 00:49:10.000
The team that
00:49:10.000 –> 00:49:13.000
chess team, bowling team. We’re it doesn’t matter.
00:49:13.000 –> 00:49:14.000
A team is a team. And if we
00:49:14.000 –> 00:49:17.000
subscribe to a series of beliefs, we are
00:49:17.000 –> 00:49:17.000
just
00:49:18.000 –> 00:49:19.000
there’s not a lot we can’t do together.
00:49:19.000 –> 00:49:21.000
So I I love the connection you just
00:49:21.000 –> 00:49:22.000
made,
00:49:22.000 –> 00:49:24.000
in the sports world. I love it. Well,
00:49:24.000 –> 00:49:25.000
hey, I may I may holler at you,
00:49:25.000 –> 00:49:27.000
man. Have you come virtually
00:49:27.000 –> 00:49:29.000
speak to our soccer team. We got one
00:49:29.000 –> 00:49:31.000
more big game on Friday, and then we’re
00:49:31.000 –> 00:49:32.000
gonna, you know, keep this train going trying
00:49:32.000 –> 00:49:34.000
to get to state again. We’ll holler at
00:49:34.000 –> 00:49:37.000
you. Let’s go. Alright, Kyle. It’s been awesome
00:49:37.000 –> 00:49:39.000
having you, man. And, thanks so much for
00:49:39.000 –> 00:49:41.000
being on the circle of success.
The Circuit of Success Podcast with Brett Gilliland