Partnering Leadership 354 Thursday Refresh with Brian Johnson on Leading with Arete: Inspiring Heroic Action in Yourself, Your Team and Your Organization
In this episode of Partnering Leadership, host Mahan Tavakoli interviews philosopher, CEO, and bestselling author Brian Johnson on activating your organization's heroic potential. Having spent over half his career as a founder and business leader, Brian shares powerful insights on perseverance and excellence drawn from ancient wisdom and modern science.
In the conversation, Brian offers key lessons from his newest book, "Arete: Activate Your Heroic Potential," for overcoming adversity and leading teams through hardship. You'll discover Brian's fascinating concept of "anti-fragile confidence" and the rituals enabling leaders to cultivate it.
Hear how Brian trains his mind and body with world-class dedication - and why peak physical condition enables peak psychological performance when tackling stress. Finally, Brian defines the one "ultimate game" leaders must keep sight of in business and life.
In this conversation, you will learn:
- Why leaders should see adversity as a creative "wrestling partner" sent to build skills, like an ancient Greek hero
- The moment-by-moment visualizing tactic for closing gaps between your potential and reality
- How an elite military leader defined the key to emotional resilience (and how to develop more of this quality)
- Why protocols and checklists matter as much personally for CEOs as they do for pilots and surgeons
- The four timeframes for properly assessing progress while avoiding imposter syndrome
- How one trusted advisor coaches building "anti-fragile confidence" to thrive when problems intensify
- The critical question to ask when overwhelmed: "What's your protocol?" (and how to architect one)
- Why leaders should ask "What now?" rather than "Why me?" when adversity strikes
Connect with Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson
Arete: Activate Your Heroic Potential
Connect with Mahan Tavakoli: