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

 

00:00:15.000 –> 00:00:16.000
Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I’m your

00:00:16.000 –> 00:00:19.000
host, Brett Gilliland. Today, I’ve got Kyle McDowell

00:00:19.000 –> 00:00:20.000
with me, Kyle. What’s up, buddy?

00:00:23.000 –> 00:00:25.000
Hey, Brett. I’m well. It’s great to be

00:00:25.000 –> 00:00:27.000
with you today. I appreciate you, you having

00:00:27.000 –> 00:00:27.000
me.

00:00:28.000 –> 00:00:29.000
It’s great to be with you as well,

00:00:29.000 –> 00:00:31.000
man. I’m excited. I I hope based on

00:00:31.000 –> 00:00:33.000
what I’ve seen about you and your energy,

00:00:33.000 –> 00:00:35.000
we’re gonna have an awesome conversation today, man,

00:00:35.000 –> 00:00:37.000
so I’m fired up.

00:00:38.000 –> 00:00:40.000
Likewise. I hope so. I’m I’m just thrilled

00:00:40.000 –> 00:00:42.000
to be here. I anytime I get a

00:00:42.000 –> 00:00:43.000
chance to kind of spread the message and

00:00:44.000 –> 00:00:46.000
evangelize the work that I’m doing, especially on

00:00:46.000 –> 00:00:47.000
a podcast that’s been around as long as

00:00:47.000 –> 00:00:50.000
yours, I jump at it. So, again, thank

00:00:50.000 –> 00:00:53.000
you. Awesome. Awesome. Well, you are a former

00:00:53.000 –> 00:00:55.000
fortune ten executive that turned to a Wall

00:00:55.000 –> 00:00:58.000
Street and USA Today best selling author.

00:00:58.000 –> 00:01:00.000
And speaker. You’re traveling the world man on

00:01:00.000 –> 00:01:02.000
all sorts of stages, but before we dive

00:01:02.000 –> 00:01:04.000
it, man, you are today, man. There’s a

00:01:04.000 –> 00:01:07.000
backstory in there. And something that makes Kyle

00:01:07.000 –> 00:01:08.000
tick, and I’d love to see if we

00:01:08.000 –> 00:01:10.000
can pull some of that out.

00:01:11.000 –> 00:01:13.000
Yeah. You thank you for that. I’d be

00:01:13.000 –> 00:01:15.000
remiss because I if I didn’t just start

00:01:15.000 –> 00:01:16.000
early on.

00:01:17.000 –> 00:01:19.000
I I I was very fortunate to have,

00:01:21.000 –> 00:01:24.000
a mother who had an incredible work ethic,

00:01:24.000 –> 00:01:26.000
out she was a single parent mom for,

00:01:27.000 –> 00:01:29.000
the first several years of of my life

00:01:29.000 –> 00:01:31.000
until she met a wonderful man who became

00:01:31.000 –> 00:01:33.000
my stepdad. And, you know, they always instilled

00:01:33.000 –> 00:01:34.000
a sense of work ethic in me that

00:01:34.000 –> 00:01:35.000
I just don’t think

00:01:36.000 –> 00:01:38.000
you can replicate. I don’t I think it’s

00:01:38.000 –> 00:01:40.000
hard to to teach it if it doesn’t

00:01:40.000 –> 00:01:42.000
start at an early age.

00:01:42.000 –> 00:01:44.000
So I just learned the value of a

00:01:44.000 –> 00:01:46.000
dollar and the value of

00:01:46.000 –> 00:01:48.000
or the connection rather between

00:01:48.000 –> 00:01:50.000
hard work and outcomes. If you want something,

00:01:50.000 –> 00:01:52.000
you gotta go work for it. I’ll never

00:01:52.000 –> 00:01:54.000
forget, man. Growing up every time a new

00:01:54.000 –> 00:01:56.000
pair of Air Jordans would hit the would

00:01:56.000 –> 00:01:57.000
hit the stores.

00:01:57.000 –> 00:01:59.000
And I wanted those things every single year,

00:01:59.000 –> 00:02:01.000
the new the new shoe would come out.

00:02:01.000 –> 00:02:02.000
I knew what I had to do. I

00:02:02.000 –> 00:02:04.000
had to put in weeks of yard work.

00:02:04.000 –> 00:02:05.000
It was always the recipe.

00:02:05.000 –> 00:02:06.000
So,

00:02:07.000 –> 00:02:09.000
I entered corporate America at seventeen,

00:02:09.000 –> 00:02:12.000
ironically, or of, believe it or not. I,

00:02:12.000 –> 00:02:13.000
I interviewed for a job at a local

00:02:13.000 –> 00:02:15.000
bank when I was seventeen years old.

00:02:16.000 –> 00:02:18.000
I rolled the dice that if I were

00:02:18.000 –> 00:02:20.000
to get an offer, the offer would come

00:02:20.000 –> 00:02:22.000
sometime after my eighteenth birthday because they wouldn’t

00:02:22.000 –> 00:02:23.000
have hired me if they’d known I was

00:02:23.000 –> 00:02:25.000
a minor. Right. And it worked. So I

00:02:25.000 –> 00:02:28.000
interviewed in June of nineteen ninety three got

00:02:28.000 –> 00:02:30.000
the offer in July started in August,

00:02:31.000 –> 00:02:33.000
and, I’ve been a kind of a student

00:02:33.000 –> 00:02:35.000
of of leadership

00:02:36.000 –> 00:02:38.000
in in the dynamics that come with working

00:02:38.000 –> 00:02:39.000
inside of corporate America,

00:02:40.000 –> 00:02:42.000
for the last nearly thirty years. So that’s

00:02:42.000 –> 00:02:44.000
I think that’s That’s what brings us here

00:02:44.000 –> 00:02:46.000
today, but I I have to share also,

00:02:46.000 –> 00:02:47.000
man. I,

00:02:48.000 –> 00:02:50.000
throughout that thirty year journey, and I’m sure

00:02:50.000 –> 00:02:52.000
you and and Certainly, many of your listeners

00:02:52.000 –> 00:02:54.000
might be able to relate.

00:02:54.000 –> 00:02:57.000
I found myself becoming more and more apathetic

00:02:57.000 –> 00:02:57.000
towards

00:02:58.000 –> 00:03:00.000
the whole thing. Towards the whole gig, man.

00:03:00.000 –> 00:03:02.000
And when I say gig, I mean, everything

00:03:02.000 –> 00:03:03.000
that comes with

00:03:04.000 –> 00:03:05.000
working inside the corporate world,

00:03:06.000 –> 00:03:07.000
the bureaucracy

00:03:08.000 –> 00:03:10.000
see the dysfunction, the toxicity, all of the

00:03:10.000 –> 00:03:12.000
things. And I’m the first to admit, by

00:03:12.000 –> 00:03:14.000
the way, man. I I perpetuated a lot

00:03:14.000 –> 00:03:16.000
of that. When you’re leading big organizations,

00:03:16.000 –> 00:03:19.000
you’re put in a position where lather rinse

00:03:19.000 –> 00:03:20.000
repeat what’s always worked will continue to work.

00:03:20.000 –> 00:03:23.000
So you just kinda perpetuate that same toxicity

00:03:23.000 –> 00:03:23.000
and dysfunction.

00:03:24.000 –> 00:03:26.000
Yep. And I just I hit a boiling

00:03:26.000 –> 00:03:28.000
point late in my career probably around year

00:03:28.000 –> 00:03:31.000
twenty three where I I just said there

00:03:31.000 –> 00:03:32.000
has to be a better way.

00:03:33.000 –> 00:03:35.000
And that’s when I came up with the

00:03:35.000 –> 00:03:37.000
concept that ultimately resulted in the book that

00:03:37.000 –> 00:03:38.000
you mentioned at the top. And,

00:03:39.000 –> 00:03:41.000
it’s changed my life, actually. The the the

00:03:41.000 –> 00:03:44.000
realization I came to about you know, leading

00:03:44.000 –> 00:03:46.000
with a we mindset and getting to know

00:03:46.000 –> 00:03:48.000
your people and investing your time and energy

00:03:48.000 –> 00:03:50.000
into them. Just certainly, it changed my professional

00:03:50.000 –> 00:03:52.000
life, and that is I’m so happy to

00:03:52.000 –> 00:03:54.000
say it’s transcended into my personal life as

00:03:54.000 –> 00:03:55.000
well and my relationships.

00:03:56.000 –> 00:03:57.000
Well, I think we you and I have

00:03:57.000 –> 00:03:58.000
a lot in common. I mean, it’s

00:03:59.000 –> 00:04:01.000
a career decision that we made. I made

00:04:01.000 –> 00:04:03.000
mine at twelve and a half years in

00:04:03.000 –> 00:04:05.000
my professional career. You made yours. It sounds

00:04:05.000 –> 00:04:07.000
like at at at twenty two years, but

00:04:07.000 –> 00:04:08.000
I was the same way, man. And I

00:04:08.000 –> 00:04:10.000
say this is that as my success,

00:04:10.000 –> 00:04:13.000
you know, quote unquote success was going like

00:04:13.000 –> 00:04:13.000
that.

00:04:14.000 –> 00:04:15.000
My job satisfaction,

00:04:15.000 –> 00:04:18.000
my career satisfaction was going the other direction.

00:04:18.000 –> 00:04:21.000
And, you know, I I had a a

00:04:21.000 –> 00:04:23.000
nice firm and and a nice office and

00:04:23.000 –> 00:04:24.000
and things like that, but it it just

00:04:24.000 –> 00:04:27.000
didn’t feel right. You know, and so now

00:04:27.000 –> 00:04:28.000
same to you. Like, my,

00:04:29.000 –> 00:04:31.000
you know, our firm now, our our mission,

00:04:31.000 –> 00:04:34.000
I mean, everything is around that future greater

00:04:34.000 –> 00:04:36.000
than your past. And it has been life

00:04:36.000 –> 00:04:38.000
changing. So I agree with you, but talk

00:04:38.000 –> 00:04:39.000
to the listener right now that’s twenty two

00:04:39.000 –> 00:04:41.000
years in a career, twelve and a half

00:04:41.000 –> 00:04:44.000
years into a career. And they’re scared as

00:04:44.000 –> 00:04:46.000
hell, man, to go make that jump. Bet

00:04:46.000 –> 00:04:48.000
on themselves. Walk away from, you know, the

00:04:48.000 –> 00:04:51.000
04:01 k plan, the health insurance, the nice

00:04:51.000 –> 00:04:53.000
check they’re getting all the stuff you and

00:04:53.000 –> 00:04:56.000
I had. Right? Talk to our listeners about

00:04:56.000 –> 00:04:57.000
that step.

00:04:57.000 –> 00:04:59.000
Well, first, I’m and I’m glad you went

00:04:59.000 –> 00:05:01.000
here because it it’s always a fear of

00:05:01.000 –> 00:05:03.000
mine that when I talk about my transition

00:05:03.000 –> 00:05:06.000
from from the corporate world into starting my

00:05:06.000 –> 00:05:08.000
own deal and and hitting the road to

00:05:08.000 –> 00:05:10.000
evangelize these principles,

00:05:10.000 –> 00:05:11.000
that,

00:05:13.000 –> 00:05:15.000
I don’t want it to be lost or

00:05:15.000 –> 00:05:18.000
that I that leave is scary as all

00:05:18.000 –> 00:05:21.000
get out. It is. It’s absolutely terrifying.

00:05:22.000 –> 00:05:24.000
Especially if you spent as you’ve, you know,

00:05:24.000 –> 00:05:26.000
a dozen plus years, in my case, more

00:05:26.000 –> 00:05:27.000
more than twenty years,

00:05:28.000 –> 00:05:31.000
We get programmed. We are we are absolutely

00:05:31.000 –> 00:05:32.000
programmed to

00:05:33.000 –> 00:05:35.000
get up a certain time, go through the

00:05:35.000 –> 00:05:37.000
same, just, you know, clock in, clock out,

00:05:38.000 –> 00:05:40.000
and look for the next paycheck, looks for

00:05:40.000 –> 00:05:42.000
the next promotion, kinda keep your head down.

00:05:43.000 –> 00:05:45.000
But there’s this expression that hit me,

00:05:47.000 –> 00:05:48.000
right around the time I realized I had

00:05:48.000 –> 00:05:50.000
to make a change and it was they

00:05:50.000 –> 00:05:51.000
pay you to forget your dreams.

00:05:52.000 –> 00:05:56.000
And and there’s no there’s no nefarious scheme

00:05:56.000 –> 00:05:58.000
behind the scenes that that that that this

00:05:58.000 –> 00:05:59.000
that this happens to us, but

00:06:00.000 –> 00:06:02.000
I can tell by your your the way

00:06:02.000 –> 00:06:03.000
you frame the question that you you you

00:06:03.000 –> 00:06:05.000
kinda relate. Right? You you start making that

00:06:05.000 –> 00:06:07.000
paycheck. There’s some security that comes in. I

00:06:07.000 –> 00:06:09.000
had a fair amount of money in the

00:06:09.000 –> 00:06:10.000
bank where I felt comfortable.

00:06:12.000 –> 00:06:13.000
And it just became it it became my

00:06:13.000 –> 00:06:16.000
identity. My my corporate life became my my

00:06:16.000 –> 00:06:18.000
identity. So much so that when I wrote

00:06:18.000 –> 00:06:19.000
the book, I had friends saying I had

00:06:19.000 –> 00:06:22.000
no idea that you were dispassionate about these

00:06:22.000 –> 00:06:24.000
things because I didn’t, you know, Kyle at

00:06:24.000 –> 00:06:26.000
work was different than Kyle at home, which

00:06:26.000 –> 00:06:28.000
is not good. I mean, that’s Right. It’s

00:06:28.000 –> 00:06:30.000
a a lack of authenticity, which is something

00:06:30.000 –> 00:06:31.000
I didn’t realize at the time.

00:06:33.000 –> 00:06:35.000
So for your listeners, to me, it’s

00:06:36.000 –> 00:06:39.000
Never forget that everything we do every single

00:06:39.000 –> 00:06:42.000
day is the result of a choice.

00:06:42.000 –> 00:06:45.000
And you can choose to continue down the

00:06:45.000 –> 00:06:46.000
same path,

00:06:47.000 –> 00:06:48.000
get the two, three percent raise every year,

00:06:48.000 –> 00:06:50.000
you know, maybe get a promotion every few

00:06:50.000 –> 00:06:52.000
years, whatever your your path, wherever your path

00:06:52.000 –> 00:06:54.000
takes you, and that’s not wrong. That’s not

00:06:54.000 –> 00:06:55.000
wrong.

00:06:56.000 –> 00:06:57.000
But the choice to do something different, maybe

00:06:57.000 –> 00:06:57.000
a little, unconventional

00:06:58.000 –> 00:06:59.000
is

00:07:03.000 –> 00:07:05.000
something that I decide that we have because

00:07:05.000 –> 00:07:07.000
they do pay to forget your dreams in

00:07:07.000 –> 00:07:09.000
in suit the sooner you realize there’s a

00:07:09.000 –> 00:07:11.000
choice to be made and that there are

00:07:11.000 –> 00:07:12.000
opportunities

00:07:12.000 –> 00:07:13.000
that are

00:07:13.000 –> 00:07:16.000
virtually unlimited out there today. The number of

00:07:17.000 –> 00:07:18.000
things you can do today is just is

00:07:18.000 –> 00:07:20.000
exponentially higher than it ever was before.

00:07:22.000 –> 00:07:23.000
But that all starts with a choice. Right?

00:07:23.000 –> 00:07:25.000
You you made the choice. I made the

00:07:25.000 –> 00:07:25.000
choice.

00:07:26.000 –> 00:07:27.000
And I don’t want anybody out there to

00:07:27.000 –> 00:07:29.000
hear this and think that, you know, well,

00:07:29.000 –> 00:07:31.000
he’s ascended to a certain level. No. It’s

00:07:31.000 –> 00:07:33.000
it’s it is terrifying at any level when

00:07:33.000 –> 00:07:35.000
you make a decision. I’m calling this chapter

00:07:35.000 –> 00:07:37.000
two of my career because the first chapter,

00:07:37.000 –> 00:07:38.000
I closed the book on about five years

00:07:38.000 –> 00:07:42.000
ago. It is it is scary, but I

00:07:42.000 –> 00:07:43.000
am absolutely convinced.

00:07:43.000 –> 00:07:44.000
My level of impact

00:07:45.000 –> 00:07:48.000
is directly correlated to the level of effort

00:07:48.000 –> 00:07:50.000
in the amount of time I grind at

00:07:50.000 –> 00:07:52.000
this thing I’m doing today, and that is

00:07:52.000 –> 00:07:55.000
no different than anybody else out there. Yeah.

00:07:55.000 –> 00:07:56.000
Well, do you think too you’re working in

00:07:56.000 –> 00:07:58.000
your brain in, you know, line with your

00:07:58.000 –> 00:07:59.000
values and your Gilliland

00:07:59.000 –> 00:08:02.000
and all those things, right, is you’re you’re

00:08:02.000 –> 00:08:04.000
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

00:08:06.000 –> 00:08:08.000
you’re going down. And I think there’s so

00:08:08.000 –> 00:08:09.000
much power in the word choice. I love

00:08:09.000 –> 00:08:11.000
that you’re saying that. But don’t you believe

00:08:11.000 –> 00:08:12.000
that?

00:08:13.000 –> 00:08:14.000
Yeah.

00:08:14.000 –> 00:08:16.000
Brett, I do believe it. And I think

00:08:16.000 –> 00:08:17.000
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

00:08:19.000 –> 00:08:22.000
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

00:08:24.000 –> 00:08:25.000
not passionate about,

00:08:26.000 –> 00:08:27.000
most companies

00:08:28.000 –> 00:08:30.000
either directly or not.

00:08:30.000 –> 00:08:33.000
They filter you to the point where you

00:08:33.000 –> 00:08:35.000
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

00:08:39.000 –> 00:08:41.000
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

00:08:49.000 –> 00:08:49.000
way.

00:08:50.000 –> 00:08:53.000
But a lot of organizations, they they filter

00:08:53.000 –> 00:08:55.000
us and kinda dilute our impact to the

00:08:55.000 –> 00:08:56.000
point where

00:08:56.000 –> 00:08:59.000
we there’s no way to to find that

00:08:59.000 –> 00:09:00.000
passion. Because think of where I talk

00:09:01.000 –> 00:09:03.000
about this a lot, man. When we enter

00:09:03.000 –> 00:09:05.000
the workforce, Think back over for your journey

00:09:05.000 –> 00:09:07.000
and and and those that are listening to

00:09:07.000 –> 00:09:09.000
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

00:09:19.000 –> 00:09:21.000
don’t necessarily value that or at least not

00:09:21.000 –> 00:09:23.000
to the point where it challenges the status

00:09:23.000 –> 00:09:24.000
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

00:09:28.000 –> 00:09:29.000
us, if we’re able to marry something that

00:09:29.000 –> 00:09:31.000
we’re passionate about

00:09:31.000 –> 00:09:32.000
with a way to make a living and

00:09:32.000 –> 00:09:34.000
support our family, you know, take a trip

00:09:34.000 –> 00:09:35.000
every now and then,

00:09:36.000 –> 00:09:36.000
that’s

00:09:37.000 –> 00:09:38.000
that is

00:09:39.000 –> 00:09:41.000
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

00:09:46.000 –> 00:09:47.000
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

00:09:49.000 –> 00:09:50.000
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.