541: Matt Higgins - Burning The Boats, Handling Imposter Syndrome, Investing on Shark Tank, & The Most Important Ingredient To Professional Success

Aug 20, 2023

Matt Higgins, former executive for the NY Jets and Miami Dolphins, talks about burning the boats and handling imposter syndrome. He shares advice from Daymond John, discusses the influence of his mother's limitless faith, and emphasizes the importance of embracing risk. He also highlights the qualities of effective leaders and explores the concept of burning the boats in his new book.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Acknowledging the Impact

01:45 • 6min

Taking a Leap: Leaving a Prestigious Job Without a Safety Net

07:34 • 2min

The Influence of a Mother

09:13 • 12min

Burning the Boats and Embracing Risk

20:57 • 21min

From Viewer to Shark: A Journey of Self-Discovery

41:53 • 8min

Qualities of Effective Leaders

49:42 • 6min

Burn the Boats and Embracing Risk

56:09 • 5min

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Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

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Matt Higgins was an executive for the New York Jets and then the Miami Dolphins. He Co-Founded RSE Ventures with Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross. Matt was a guest shark on ABC’s Shark Tank (seasons 10-11), He is an executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and he recently published a book called, Burn The Boats, Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential...

Matt's Mom: “My mother, Linda, died with $100 in her bank account, but I inherited the most valuable gift a parent can give a child: limitless faith in my ability to figure anything out.”
Matt gave the 2019 commencement speech at Queens College – According to Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Paul Goldberger, "This is a magnificent and truly inspiring speech that everyone should read. If you think commencement speeches are made of cliches, this one will change your mind."
The most important ingredient to professional success: “Make yourself indispensable at whatever task you’re doing and you’ll always have a job.”
Research proves that the mere contemplation of Plan B statistically reduces the probability Plan A will ever materialize.
The advice Matt got from Daymond John on how to handle imposter syndrome on his first day of filming Shark Tank: "You belong here because you are here."
How to raise your kids to not be spoiled when you can provide anything they'd ever want?
- There is nobility in work. Ensure they do hard things and do real work.
Matt's "must-have" qualities when hiring a leader:
- Confidence + Humility
- Empathy
- They just "figure it out"
- They are a servant leader -- They can "plug holes"
Matt's four-step process:
- What's the worst that could happen?
- If it doesn't work out, what will I do?
- What's the probability the bad stuff will happen?
- What pain am I willing to endure to make it happen?
"Burn the boats for goals, not tactics."