383: Guy Raz - 383: Guy Raz - How To Ask Questions, Tell A Story, & Build A Career You Love

Sep 13, 2020

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INSIGHT

Sustained Excellence Requires Growth

Sustained excellence stems from ambition and personal fulfillment rather than external rewards.
Growth mindset and continuous self-challenge are essential for ongoing success.

ADVICE

Embrace Being Bad Initially

Embrace being bad at first and keep practicing to improve any skill.
Progress requires constant effort and moving goalposts, like increasing weights in exercise.

ADVICE

Use Feedback To Improve

Purposeful practice requires honest feedback from a trusted team to improve.
Outsiders are needed to assess your performance accurately and help you grow.

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Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

#383: Guy Raz - How I Built This

Excellence =
- Ambition
- Desire to produce for the sake of personal fulfillment -- "It's oxygen"
- Bill Gates is constantly challenging himself... Having a growth mindset. "To survive means to grow."
How has Guy become one of the greatest interviewers in the world?
- "I've been shooting free throws for 25 years. I've gotten a lot of reps." To be great, you have to be bad at the beginning... And keep going.
How to connect with others? "I interpret the non-verbal feedback."
Purposeful Practice:
- It's a team effort -- "I've worked with my team for twenty years. There is a strong bond and connection. They are very honest with their feedback. Constructive criticism is essential. We need outsiders to assess us."
Guy thanks his mom and dad in the acknowledgement section of his book:
- They came to America in the 1970's. "Being courageous requires resilience."
- Guy has covered four wars, but he still doesn't feel he's as courageous as his parents.
- "Without taking a risk there is no reward."
- When Guy is afraid to take a risk, he thinks of his parents.
How his fellowship year at Harvard impacted him: They teach through case studies and stories. It helped him understand business and storytelling.
Guy is inspired by Joseph Campbell's hero's journey...
His 'Must-Have' qualities to get hired to work on his team:
- Kindness - "We filter for kindness"
- They have to "want to improve"
How Guy prepares to interview someone for one of his shows:
- Contact them well ahead of the interview date
- Do a deep dive on them and people around them (read, watch videos, listen to podcasts)
- Do a background check
- "All of us are imperfect... That's what make someone relatable. We all have flaws. You need to hear the failures."
  - "The interviewee must be generous with their emotions.
- "The idea that I can learn from someone excites me."
- "I love transmitting the story."
The idea for How I Built This came to him in 2008 when he took a class at Harvard Business School during a sabbatical year as a Nieman journalism fellow after nearly eight years as a foreign correspondent.
Guy demands that those who sit for an interview with him are completely open. “I ask them, ‘Are you willing to come to this interview and surrender?’”
Guy stared as an NPR intern and didn't get the initial jobs he wanted...
I asked... "How much of your success can be attributed to luck and how much skill/hard work?"
Life advice:
- Get a job in sales -- All jobs have a selling component. Learn this crucial skill.
- Be methodical about your experiences.
- Keep your eyes open for problems all around you... Look for problems to solve. All businesses are built on solving a problem.