Intentional Performers

Tiffani Bova is the Global Growth Evangelist at Salesforce, and the Wall Street Journal Bestsellers Growth IQ and The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way You Think About Growth. Over the past two decades, she has led large revenue-producing divisions at businesses ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 500. As a Research Fellow at Gartner, her cutting-edge insights helped Microsoft, Cisco, Salesforce, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle, SAP, AT&T, Dell, Amazon-AWS, and other prominent companies expand their market share and grow their revenues. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50 twice. She is also the host of the podcast What’s Next! with Tiffani Bova.   Tiffani had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “I am a teacher in some way” (6:50). “Through all the noise, we have to find a way to stay and be happy” (7:50). “Even though people may think [sales] is an individual sport, it is a team sport” (13:15). “As a salesperson, you never do it solo” (13:25). “Rarely does a company do 100% of the things it needs to do on its own” (17:15). “The one thing about growth is it’s not one thing” (24:50). “Great culture drives great innovation” (25:25). “Everything is an ‘and’ play” (27:40). “When you don’t have that understanding, you start making decisions that have unintended consequences to your people, that then impact your customers” (33:20). “Whatever you’re trying to do in the business, the first place to go is to your employees because they usually know the answers to the questions you’re trying to find out” (34:15). “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few” (35:55). “We’ve thrown so much at our people, that it’s not that they don’t want to change, it’s just that they’re burnt through change” (40:50). “I’ve become a master asker” (45:45). “People can copy your products, your services, your marketing campaigns. They can copy all that. It’s impossible for them to copy your culture. It’s impossible for them to copy the way you lead, or the way you run team meetings, or the way you train” (46:50). “When you make a change for the customer… do not forget about your employee” (48:15). “Your employees are the ones who show up every day to deliver on the promise you made as an executive” (50:10). “Self-awareness is really challenging” (58:15). “You really want to make sure that you’re always looking to hone your craft so that you are helping people be as successful as they can be” (1:01:35). “95% of people believe they are self-aware, but only 10-15% really are” (1:03:40). “If you are willing to be self-aware, it’s going to be a very reflective journey for you” (1:08:00).   Additionally, you can connect with Tiffani via email (info@tiffanibova.com) or on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Lastly, you can find Tiffani’s website here, and also purchase her book here. Thank you so much to Tiffani for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Erica Keswin is a workplace strategist who has worked for the past 20 years with some of the most iconic brands in the world as a consultant, speaker, author, and professional dot-connector. You’re going to hear her reference some of the conversations she’s had with some brands that you are definitely going to recognize. Her best-selling book, Bring Your Human to Work: 10 Surefire Ways to Design a Workplace That’s Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World, was published in the Fall of 2018, and we certainly bring that book into today’s conversation. Her second book, Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines into Workplace Magic, was published in January of 2021, and that book is also referenced in today’s conversation. Erica will make clear the distinction between routine and ritual, which I think you’re going to appreciate. She’s also going to talk about some of the things that happened during the pandemic while she was getting ready to publish that book. That book made the Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller lists. Erica’s work and insights can be seen in various media outlets, including The Harvard Business Review, The New York Post, Forbes, Huffington Post, O Magazine, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and many other outlets that you would recognize. She’s a keynote speaker; she does webinars, workshops, she’s worked with American Red Cross, she’s spoken at South by Southwest, she’s worked at TIAA, IBM, The New York Times, I could go on and on. She has quite an impressive resume. And inn this conversation, she’s going to get quite vulnerable and share some of her personal background and some of the things that she’s seen and gone through as well.   Erica had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “When I think about me and what’s important in my life, it’s building relationships” (6:20). “Honoring relationships is about being present in that moment” (7:15). “The fundamentals of building relationships are constant and haven’t really changed in terms of being present and investing time and making a time and a place for them” (9:30). “You don’t know what’s always going on behind the curtain” (22:10). “Tell people what you need” (22:30). “My definition of a ritual has 3 component parts: A ritual is something to which we assign a certain amount of meaning and intention, there’s a cadence, and a ritual is something that goes beyond its practical purpose” (30:45). “Rituals give us a sense of psychological safety” (31:50). “Rituals give you an opportunity to connect to purpose and to meaning” (32:15). “When you have connection to other people, there is a physiological change in your body. Your oxytocin goes up, that feel good hormone, and your stress goes down” (32:30). “We have to figure out ways to curate connection, and rituals are a tool that all of us can use” (33:00). “We need to be even more intentional to curate those connections” (37:20). “Let’s define who we are and what we stand for and what is most important” (49:35). “Covid accelerated many things in the workplace that were changing already” (57:10). “Start as you mean to belong” (1:00:25). “Being a leader, being a manager today, is really hard” (1:13:00).   Additionally, you can find Erica’s website here and connect with her on LinkedIn as well. Thank you so much to Erica for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Tobin Anderson is the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Iona University. He’s in his first year there, and you may recognize Tobin and his name from last season when he was the Head Coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University in their Men’s Basketball program. They shocked the world; they beat #1 Purdue in the NCAA Tournament, they actually won a game before that to enter the NCAA Tournament, and Tobin and his team became a Cinderella story, sort of the sweetheart of college basketball last year, having only been the second team to win as a 16 seed over a 1 seed. Tobin is a basketball lifer; his dad was a high school basketball coach, he’s coached at every level (Division III, Division II, and now Division I). And we’ll talk about the different levels of basketball in this conversation, and you’re going to find him pretty transparent, genuine, authentic, while we also get into the politics and the political nature of basketball. We talk about pressing and his defensive philosophy and his style. If you’re not into basketball, this conversation may be a little over your head, but if you’re a hoops head like me, you’re going to love Tobin’s energy, his curiosity, his creativity, his willingness to try new things, his willingness to grow, to change, to evolve. He’s highly competitive, he’s highly enthusiastic and energetic. This conversation flowed for me, and I hope it will flow for you as well.     Tobin had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “The backbone of our program has always been competition and competing” (5:35). “The most important thing is we compete on a daily basis” (5:50). “Let’s not get caught up into so much teaching and X’s and O’s and that stuff, when at the end of the day if we’re competitive, we have a chance to be very successful” (6:10). “Our worst practices are on the days when I overthink things as a coach and I try to do too much, try to teach too much” (6:40). “We improve every day” (7:20). “To have a chance to be very successful, you have to get better every day” (8:10). “When you’re on a good team, you have to sacrifice for your teammates” (12:05). “The two things that really help you are shared success and shared suffering” (15:00). “Winning begets winning” (15:30). “The hard days, the tough days, the uneven days, those are the days you build a team” (16:35). “Sometimes the best you is the best us” (24:45). “Can you blend in to help us all be successful?” (27:55). “If you screw it up, then figure it out” (29:20). “The best practices to me are the sloppy ones, the crazy ones” (30:15). “I try to step back more now and let them screw up, let them make mistakes” (31:50). “Scared goes home” (33:40). “Even when you’re the top dog, you’re trying to create that underdog mentality” (38:00). “Belief is a moment-by-moment situation” (40:55). “I love what I do, so there’s not a job component to it” (46:35). “You don’t know what you don’t know” (53:00). “It’s about after the good things, after the bad things, not letting yourself react either way” (58:40). “We’re not a big adjustments team. We want teams to adjust to us” (1:04:45). “The game in December is just as important as the game in February” (1:12:34). “I share everything. I’m not trying to hold anything back” (1:17:25). “It’s not about what you do, it’s about how you do it” (1:17:30).   Additionally, you can follow Tobin on Twitter. Thank you so much to Tobin for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different than a lot of our past episodes because it’s just going to be me on here. I’m going to share a lot of my observations, a lot of my notes, from a festival I recently attended called The Aspen Ideas Festival. It’s really a conference, but it’s much more than a conference. It’s where some of the best thought leaders gather to share what’s on their mind, to discuss, they have all kinds of experiences, they have debates, they have panels, they have interactive experiences. I figured I would capture the four days that I spent at the conference with all of you and share it in today’s episode.  Here are some insights I’d like to share form today’s episode: “[The festival] was a reminder of the power of education” (2:40). “We don’t need to be formally in school to continue to grow and become educated, but we do need to seek out opportunities to learn” (2:45). “We either evolve, or we die” (4:15). “’And’ is more powerful than ‘or’” (5:15). “If we aren’t healthy, nothing else really matters” (6:40). “If you want to be a great manager, you need to understand that part of your job as a manager is to connect with human beings, and we connect with human beings on an emotional level” (9:30). “We need to manage our emotions; we don’t need to eradicate them” (9:55). “The people who are happiest actually dig rather than climb” (12:35). “Fulfillment is what’s most key to happiness” (13:50). “Sometimes we have to take a step back if we want to take a step forward” (16:30). “Wealth is essentially your capacity to control your time” (18:20). “The thing that makes you weird as a kid can make you great as an adult” (19:05). “Following your passion is very limiting” (20:30). “Maybe the passion will come from the doing rather than the doing coming from the passion” (21:00). “Change does involve pain” (21:50). “Emotions are radar, they give us information, they give us data” (22:30). “Are we working hard, or are we overworking?” (23:40). “Let’s look inward for the solution” (25:25). “Parenting doesn’t stop once our children become adults” (25:50). “Not knowing is the most intimate” (28:30). “Our happiness is about looking out the window rather than at the mirror” (29:20). “Where you believe you’re going matters” (34:00). “Vision can inspire” (35:25). “If you have clarity on the vision, then you can actually pass that down to the people in your organization who are actually connected to the customer” (36:20). “You want to get as close to that customer experience as possible if you want to build a strong organization” (37:50). “People don’t need to be punished; they need to be helped” (39:20). “We assume that other people are thinking exactly like us” (41:20). “We need to be aware of our biases” (42:20). “Let’s not speculate; let’s explore” (44:05). “Whether you’re a show or a business or a sports team, you’re trying to do something together” (47:00). “Insecurities are what often drive us to feel threatened” (49:15). “Each successive generation is staying at their jobs for less time” (55:10). “When does capitalism go too far?” (57:40). “As we become more and more segregated behind computer screens, we need to intentionally create space for us to be in person” (1:00:35). “If you don’t change, you either aren’t paying attention or you don’t care” (1:04:15). “We need to think about our education as a rising tide that can lift all boats” (1:07:15). “Our world needs to come together to think about how they’re going to manage artificial intelligence” (1:10:50). “America is America because we collaborate” (1:12:00). “How can you be bold while still being responsible?” (1:13:55). “AI really reveals our own biases and toxic behaviors and holds a mirror up to us” (1:16:50). If you’d like to connect with me further directly about this episode or anything else, you can reach out to me via email (brian@strongskills.co). Thanks for listening.

Ryan Poles is currently the General Manager of the Chicago Bears. Prior to that, he spent 13 years working with the Kansas City Chiefs and helping to build the Super Bowl Champion that they are today. He was heavily involved in scouting and bringing on the players that you see dominating the NFL today. Ryan also played football at a very high level; he played offensive line for Boston College, and his quarterback at the time was Matt Ryan. He then went on to get cut from the Chicago Bears, the team he is the General Manager for today. That led him on his journey and his path to working in the front office. Today’s conversation is really about leadership, it’s about how do you build the culture which the Bears are currently doing, and Ryan gives you a behind the curtain look at what he’s doing to build this one time historic, legacy franchise that is the Chicago Bears.   Ryan had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “It’s part of my makeup. I never feel like I’m there yet” (6:00). “Staying curious, listening to other people’s journeys, the lessons they’ve learned, that’s a ton of wisdom. It’s the same reason why I read books” (6:10). “I want to peel back the curtain on different experiences so that I can apply them when those situations pop up for me” (6:20). “Growth mindset is really contagious” (6:40). “You’ve got to lean on people, and you’ve got to let people lean on you” (7:20). “There’s times you’ve got to sleep on it” (14:40). “I really value people” (15:20). “Sometimes the worst thing you can do, and it’s so toxic, is just to keep [everything] inside of you” (19:05). “It’s important to get things off your chest and express your thoughts and emotions” (21:00). “We attack mind, body, and spirit” (23:25). “[Spirit] is internal peace” (25:20). “If you can have part of your foundation be being a resilient football team, to me that is progress” (29:15). “That old school, tough, gritty football team; we want that back. That’s part of this city” (33:30). “We’re not going to panic and do things that are going to harm us just because of pressure” (35:20). “For me, to my core, sustaining success is the challenge” (39:50). “You can feel the passion jump out of the [players] that really care and love [football]” (51:30). “For building a football team, you want as many guys where when they go out to practice or a game, it’s like recess” (52:05). “The hardest part of professional sports with collaboration is the team changes every single year” (59:40). “It comes down to people” (1:03:45). “You can call it a General Manager if you want, but at the end of the day you’re a problem solver for the organization” (1:04:10). “The more balanced I am, the more clear I am about decision making” (1:05:50). “I need to block off time for me” (1:07:05).   Thank you so much to Ryan for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Brian Murphy is a founder, CEO, entrepreneur and investor -- constantly learning and chasing possible. He founded and leads ReliaQuest, the force multiplier of security operations and one of the largest and fastest growing companies in the global cybersecurity market. Murphy has grown ReliaQuest from a boot-strapped startup to high-growth unicorn with a valuation of over $1 billion, over 1,000 team members and over $350 million in growth equity with firms such as FTV Capital and KKR Growth. The company is headquartered in Tampa, FL, with operations centers in Tampa, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Dublin, London, Amsterdam and Pune, India.   Brian had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “I was trying to drive clarity, which would allow for consistency, which ultimately opens the door for consistent performance” (8:20). “We talk about momentum in sport all the time, but momentum in business is critical” (8:30). “If [performance psychology] can help an athletic team, why can’t it help a fast-growing tech company?” (9:05). “Largely, I believe everybody wants to get a little bit better” (10:50). “People get to where they are differently” (13:10). “Leave no doubt. Don’t get off the phone until there’s a massive amount of clarity around the intent of why you called” (15:35). “I’ve got to be a good coach; I’ve got to be a good listener as a CEO” (16:20). “The most important thing that I’ve learned as we’ve gotten larger is it’s not about what I should do, it’s about what I should not be doing” (16:25). “I want people to understand the weight and the responsibility that comes along with a title” (17:30). “They need to see that vulnerability. They need to see that I’ve got real things going on also” (21:30). “Be where your feet are” (22:55). “I don’t need to be every place at once. What’s most important right now?” (23:45). “You have to sprint the marathon” (26:20). “It’s not that the customer is always right, it’s about making that moment right for the customer” (30:35). “People want to know you’re a real person. I do it through storytelling” (33:35). “Mistakes and momentary losses are not failures” (34:15). “The beauty of business is if you don’t quit, you can’t fail” (34:20). “Sometimes big mistakes yield great results” (34:35). “We’re a values-based decision-making organization” (40:10). “We’re going to be accountable, helpful, adaptable, and focused” (40:25). “Do what you say you’re going to do” (43:35). “I have a maniacal focus on the problem that we solve and enjoy the creativity it takes to get there” (46:30).   Additionally, you can find ReliaQuest’s website here. You can also connect with Brian on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also check out the “No Show Dogs” podcast, powered by ReliaQuest, here. Thank you so much to Brian for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Kara Goldin has quite an impressive and extensive resume and bio. But rather than give you all of her bio and information, I think she covers a lot of her journey in this conversation, I’m just going to introduce her to you. Kara is the founder and CEO of Hint. You’re probably familiar with Hint, they’re best known for their award-winning water, which is really a leading unsweetened flavor water category. She’s been featured in magazines, won awards, she’s an active speaker, a podcaster, and she’s got a fantastic book which we cover in today’s conversation as well.   Kara had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “I learned to admire people who were better than I was at certain things, knowing that I was good at other things” (7:40). “I could change the visual and I could eventually do it if I just set my mind to it and focused” (9:30). “My parents were constantly saying to me ‘You need to figure it out.’” (11:05). “My parents gave me the nudge to go and figure things out and go and be creative” (11:35). “I was very social, I was very outgoing, because I realized that was a way to actually meet people but also learn new things” (13:35). “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes” (15:10). “Don’t be afraid to ask questions” (15:25). “Ask people a lot of questions because that’s going to satisfy your curiosity. You’re going to learn a lot from people, and it makes days much more interesting” (15:45). “When you’re a kid, you don’t really know what you’re learning” (22:40). “I love being an underdog” (26:45). “I don’t mind being at zero and creating as long as I’m passionate about it” (27:00). “What I tend to gravitate towards is people who own their story” (28:30). “I am more likely to hire people who have made mistakes that they can own” (28:40). “I think the people that can actually own their mistakes and tell you why they did what they did and ultimately not try and blame others for it are the ones that you actually want on your team” (32:15). “If I have one fault, it’s that I don’t always trust my gut on people” (37:00). “When somebody shows you their true colors, I’m now a very big believer to recognize that” (37:20). “Sometimes it’s easier said than done to pay attention to your gut” (41:05). “For me, stories have always been so powerful” (46:35). “The beauty of starting your own company is that you get to cherry pick the good and the bad” (49:05). “I don’t think any founder starts something thinking that this is their legacy” (54:20).   Additionally, you can purchase Kara’s book Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters anywhere books are sold. You can also follow and connect with Kara on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Thank you so much to Kara for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Paige Thomas has more than 25 years experience in the retail industry with an extensive off-price background and her passion for ecommerce. Paige most recently served as President & CEO of Saks OFF 5TH, leading the business from February 2020 through February 2023. Under Paige’s leadership, Saks OFF 5TH has evolved the business operating model and strategy to focus on the digital experience. In 2021, Saks OFF 5TH’s ecommerce business was established as a separate entity with a $200 million equity investment led by Insight Partners. Paige was named President and CEO of SaksOFF5TH.com to continue to build on its momentum and growth trajectory. Prior to Saks OFF 5TH, Paige spent eight years at Nordstrom where she launched NordstromRack.com and led the integration of HauteLook. Earlier in her career, Ms. Thomas held merchandising leadership positions at Kohl’s and Fred Meyer.   Paige had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “One of the things I’ve really been working on is my pitch of who I am and what I can contribute” (6:40). “Who I am is this really diverse retailer that loves to drive growth and has an incredible proven track record” (7:35). “What I love is the idea of impact, and growth, and agility” (8:00). “The global pandemic gave the opportunity to actually really think about the customer and how you were going to drive change that was sustainable” (10:50). “[The pandemic] gave the opportunity to test and react, to maybe make bolder decisions than you normally would” (11:10). “What tends to happen in life is people fear the downside and therefore minimize the risk or opportunities that they’re going to chase” (11:25). “The way I think about retail today, is it absolutely critical that you have a unique differentiation” (15:10). “I’ve been really looking at leaders and what their career path was and what has defined them, in particular female leaders” (22:40). “Confidence in yourself and validation for my agility and experiences is actually really valuable” (23:45). “What I think is a continued opportunity, particularly for female leaders, is to lift one another up” (24:00). “I think of my career as the art of winning” (24:50). “Five years ago, I don’t know that I recognized some of my capabilities and impact that I brought to organizations. I undervalued my experience” (35:20). “The way that I think of myself from a core value perspective is I am a really authentic, loyal, leader” (40:40). “I’m an authentic coach every single day” (43:45). “Loyalty doesn’t translate to ‘you’re nice.’ Loyalty, to me, is the opportunity to be the leader, be transparent, give people the opportunity for success, but it’s theirs to own” (44:00). “In every organization I’ve worked for, I’m the first to raise my hand and say I want to be on [the DEI] committee” (48:00). “How do you support and represent the communities that you serve?” (49:05). “I believe that if you chase your passion, you will inherently be successful at it” (49:50). “The customer is my passion” (55:50). “I have so much more reward today out of leading than I ever thought was possible” (56:45). “That’s how I think about the art of winning: it’s not just a playbook, it’s not just X’s and O’s, it takes a team, it’s a marathon. And when those things come together, that builds a winning formula” (1:05:25). “For me, the art of winning is where I’m at” (1:09:10). “The future for me is how do I bring my core values, my proven track record, my leadership skills, to have impact” (1:09:25).   Additionally, you can connect with Paige on LinkedIn. Thank you so much to Paige for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Coach Sam Puryear is the Head Coach and the Director of Golf at Howard University. When coach took over, the program was actually a Division II golf program. But they got a donation, a six-year commitment from Stephen Curry, the NBA superstar, to help fund the golf program at Howard. Since that time, since Sam has taken over, they’ve really turned into quite a program. Coach came from Michigan State University, where he helped lead them to a Big Ten Championship. Coach was actually the first African American head coach in golf at a power-5 conference. Coach has a ton of accolades: he’s produced one National Championship, he’s won the Big Ten Championship when he was at Michigan State, he coached at Stanford where he was an assistant coach, he’s gotten two coach of the year honors, he’s won a ton of awards, and coach is also an author. He shared an inspiring story in his book, Diamonds in the Rough, which talks about his journey and his love affair with golf, not just from a golf standpoint but also a life standpoint and the life skills that he instilled in a lot of young people who otherwise may not have gotten access to the wonderful sport of golf. He’s been recognized by several media outlets, including ESPN, the Big Ten Network, and Inside the PGA Tour. He has served as a consultant for the movie From the Rough. He really is someone who focuses on his mission and cares deeply about pouring into young people and giving back to people that look like him. Golf hasn’t always been open to people that look like Sam. Even though his dad played golf at a high level and Sam played at golf at a high level, what you’re going to find from coach is he really wants to inspire not just the student athletes at Howard, but to people who look like him continue to get access to golf and to other parts of our country that maybe they haven’t always gotten access to in the past.   Sam had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “At the end of the day, a coach is a mentor, parental figure, sometimes a psychiatrist or psychologist, sometimes a buffer, sometimes just a great pillow to listen” (7:00). “The keep it simple make it fun perspective is the way the best professionals even look at it” (8:45). “If you’re not enjoying something, it becomes tedious and monotonous; it just becomes overbearing at a certain point” (9:35). “People don’t realistically know what they’re going to be great at” (12:00). “There should be a slight exposure and acclimation to a lot of things before we engage in those one or two that they’re specifically good at” (12:40). “There’s so much more involved in sports than just development” (13:00). “Teamwork is how we survive” (13:50). “When you listen, you actually hear what you need to hear” (24:50). “We have to give kids opportunities to be great” (25:25). “My success at this point is when I see young people that tell me they have a dream, and at the end of their tenure they have a chance to live it” (27:10). “Going to college does not make you successful. But having the chance to be a productive person means learning how to live amongst others and doing those things necessary to be productive” (29:10). “The riches that you leave on this earth won’t come in the form of bills, they’ll come in the form of the spirits and the hearts that you’ve touched” (30:00). “Our number one goal here is to win. Our number two goal here is to maximize whatever ounce of potential we have in us, in the classroom and on the golf course, so that we can be the best version of ourselves” (33:10). “I never want to be the starving baker” (34:50). “At the end of the day your input and output seem different, but yet they’re the same” (38:20). “If you pour bad gas in a really good gas tank, you’re going to get a bad result” (38:30). “Much is given, and much is expected” (42:35). “You have to learn how to lose” (43:25). “We can always be better” (47:35). “In life, we all have uniforms to wear” (51:50). “We all are players in a much larger game” (53:35). “Too many people get caught up in telling their story first. You wouldn’t have a story if it were not for other people” (56:35). “I want to give people their roses while they can still hear it and see it” (58:20).   Additionally, you can purchase Sam’s book, Diamonds in the Rough, on Amazon. Thank you so much to Sam for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Wendy K. Smith is the Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management, faculty director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware and fellow at The Academy of Management. She earned her PhD in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, where she began her intensive research on strategic paradoxes—how leaders and senior teams effectively respond to contradictory, yet interdependent demands. Working with executives and scholars globally, she received the Web of Science Highly Cited Research Award (4 years in a row) for being among the 1 percent most-cited researchers in her field and received the Decade Award from the Academy of Management Review for the most cited paper in the past 10 years as well as a fellow at the Academy of Management. Her work has been published in such journals as Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Harvard Business Review, Organization Science, and Management Science. She has taught at the University of Delaware, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania–Wharton while helping senior leaders and middle managers all over the world address issues of interpersonal dynamics, team performance, organizational change, and innovation. Her book, Both/And Thinking is published by Harvard Business Review and was #1 new release on Amazon. Wendy lives in Philadelphia with her husband, three children, and the family dog.   Wendy had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “There’s other pathways to things that we don’t often see” (9:25). “Where I could really feel impact was at this very local level” (12:25). “The big idea of [my book] Both/And Thinking is that we live in a world where we tend to pull things apart and make a choice between them and see the either/or, see the black and white, and we argue that’s limited and it’s detrimental at worst. There’s a better way of seeing these things intertwine with one another” (15:40). “The people that are least confident about knowing who they are, what they’re going to do in the world, and whether they’re going to succeed, are college students” (16:20). “This sense of having to prove [oneself] constrains actually experimenting and being [oneself] along the way” (17:05). “A dilemma is a moment in time defined in a very specific time and space where you’re choosing between two different options and it’s begging you to make a choice” (26:45). “Paradoxes are these persistent, ever-present tensions that underlie our dilemmas and keep popping up” (27:00). “There’s this constant tension that we all feel around performing well, doing well, being in the moment, and learning and growing and feeling that discomfort of learning and growth” (27:10). “The dilemma of passion vs. performance shows up all over the place and we tend to pit those against each other” (36:10). “The more that we feel passionate, the more that we feel joyful, the more engaged and the better performing we are. These opposing pressures actually reinforce each other” (36:30). “I think an invitation is a chance to allow people to have their own point of view rather than telling them what they think and providing the respect to others that I’m curious about that point of view” (38:10). “One of the ways that we tend to ‘either/or’ a lot is in relationship with other people” (38:30). “We grow from taking a pause from our regular routines and lives” (42:45). “Part of ‘both/and’ is pulling out or decisions into a broader perspective where we are making these micro shifts, oscillating, experimenting, balancing, trying along the way, that not every decision is the ultimate moment of truth” (47:15). “How do you navigate in a space that’s not ideal for who you are?” (50:20). “Activism has a very black and white perspective; I am going to assert what I believe and be loud and proud about it. There’s a place for that and it’s an important piece, and it doesn’t always get stuff done. What we really need in order to move forward is more nuanced diplomacy and collaboration across opposing ideas” (52:50). “Leaders need to have a varied toolkit in how they lead” (55:15). “Frankly, there’s a lot more common ground on many of these [political] issues than there is difference” (57:20). “It’s not just your own individual performance, but your performance and your success is dependent on how you raise up and create the conditions for other people’s success as well” (1:04:50).   Additionally, you can find everything you need to know about Wendy’s book, Both/And Thinking, here. You can also connect with Wendy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and by email (hello@bothandthinking.net). Thank you so much to Wendy for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.