In this episode I ask Tozer about his image, and whether or not he cares what people think of him. He also describes how he was forced to move once because his neighbors complained about him.

Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. Rita has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50 and has been consistently named one of the world’s Top 10 management thinkers. Rita has also consulted CEOs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide.   Rita has written five books, including Discovery Driven Growth, cited by Clayton Christensen as creating one of the most important management ideas ever developed. Rita received her Ph.D. from the Wharton School and has degrees from Barnard College and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. In this episode we discuss the following: At any given time, we’re in one of two situations: low uncertainty or high uncertainty. And the mistake we so often make is using the techniques we use for low uncertainty in the domain of high uncertainty. When we’re in an uncertain environment, where we’re making a lot of assumptions, we need to collect data to convert those assumptions to facts. Rita calls this Discovery Driven Planning. When planning for a conventional line of business, uncertainty is low, managers have good data, and people can accurately forecast the future with relative precision. But when launching an entirely new venture, uncertainty is high, so it doesn’t make sense to start off with a big team, ambitious goals, all the money upfront, and definite deadlines. Rather, we should do the opposite and start small, collect data, test assumptions, and iterate. When making decisions, we should first assess whether we’re in Situation 1 (low uncertainty) or Situation 2 (high uncertainty). And if we find ourselves in Situation 2, we should start small, collect data, test assumptions, and iterate.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

Jennifer Latson is a writer, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, TIME, The Boston Globe, and other publications. She is also the author of The Boy Who Loved Too Much. Jennifer has an English degree from Yale University and an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from the University of New Hampshire. In this episode we discuss the following: Williams Syndrome, which occurs in about one in 10,000 people, makes people incapable of distrust, so people with Williams Syndrome love everyone (and they want to hug everyone). And in return, people love those with Williams Syndrome. I love what Williams Syndrome teaches us. It’s not always about what we say, or how we say it. But rather, if we are genuinely curious about people and want to connect with them, they will feel it, and they will be forgiving if we aren’t the most articulate or charismatic. Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

Mike Lerario is President of Crispian Consulting Inc., which provides specialized training in Leadership Development to Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and government agencies. Mike served 23 years in the United States military in Airborne Ranger assignments, and he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving with the Joint Special Operations Command. During his service, Mike completed multiple combat tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Mike is also the author of the International Best Seller Leadership in Balance. In this episode we discuss the following: Effective leadership is about finding the balance between how we naturally want to show up as a leader and what the situation demands of us. Mike distills leadership down to four domains: communication, adaptability, focus, and influence. But what’s most intriguing about Mike’s work, is that these four domains are each on a spectrum. For example, adaptability is on the spectrum of rigidity and flexibility. And the best leaders do what the task requires. Though we might naturally feel most comfortable being flexible as a leader, sometimes the task requires that we be rigid; we might feel more comfortable being selfless, but sometimes leaders need to be selfish. It is neither bad nor good to be rigid or flexible, to be selfless or selfish. But rather, the best leaders do what the task requires. Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

Vanessa Bohns is a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University. Her research has been published in top academic journals in psychology, management, and law, and has been covered by media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Atlantic, Economist, and NPR. She is also the author of the book, You Have More Influence Than You Think. She received her PhD in social psychology from Columbia University and her AB in psychology from Brown University. In this episode we discuss the following: We tend to underestimate the power of a simple ask. As a graduate student, Vanessa felt anxiety about asking people to fill out a survey. But once she analyzed the data, she was surprised to see how different her perception was from reality. People were way more willing to help than she had expected. Before we ask for something, we should assume we are going to get the thing we’re asking for, and then ask ourselves, “Is this something I should be asking for.” Given how powerful our asks can be, this extra step will help us ask for things that are appropriate.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

John Bingham is a Professor in the BYU Marriott School of Business, and has served as Fellow in the Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership at BYU, and as associate dean at the BYU Marriott School. John teaches organizational behavior and strategic human resource management courses to Executive MBA, MBA, and undergraduate students, and he has won numerous teaching awards, including the Student Choice Faculty Award. And his research has been published in top management journals and been featured internationally in news outlets. In this episode we discuss the following: John teaches students how to thrive. And the first thing he teaches are the myths of happiness: status, wealth, beauty, power. The motivation to pursue those things and the comparisons we make to others, can lead us to feel hollow and empty. To thrive, we have to be intentional and deliberate about progressing on the things that matter most to us…things that are intrinsically motivating rather than extrinsically driven. To thrive, it’s not just about knowing what to do. It’s actually doing it, as John learned for himself, when his daughter told him that she hated his job. So he changed.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle  

Daniel Crosby is a psychologist, behavioral finance expert, and asset manager who applies his study of market psychology to everything from financial product design to security selection. He is also a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Behavioral Investor and Personal Benchmark. Daniel was named one of the "12 Thinkers to Watch" by Monster.com, a "Financial Blogger You Should Be Reading" by AARP and in the "Top 40 Under 40" by Investment News. In this episode we discuss the following: Our lives will tend to be as rich or poor as the lives of our friends. We mimic each other to an astonishingly high degree, and the people we surround ourselves with is predictive of who we are and where we’re going. “Show me your money and I’ll show you your values.” It’s easy to say we value health, while spending a sizeable portion of our income on fast food. By analyzing where we spend our money, we can see what we truly value.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of: Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence. Lisa has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency. And since 2006, she's been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative in New York City. In this episode, we discuss the following: Take almost any bit of data, random or not, and our brain will try to make sense of it…it will try to create a story to explain it. Given that our brains are wired for stories, when it comes to persuading other people, stories are the most powerful tool we have. Don’t underestimate the power of stories.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

In this episode we talk about how to solve problems that no one has ever solved. And then we discuss the books that have most impacted Tozer.  I've started making my way through these books and they're excellent. And to make it easier for you to read the books, here's the list: As A Child Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour Western books by Zane Gray Old Testament and New Testament Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess As An Adult The Street Lawyer by John Grisham When I Found You, Walk Me Home and Take Me With You by Cathryn Ryan Hyde Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling The Boys in the Cave, by Matt Guzman Bad Blood by John Carreyrou Centennial by James A Michener Greyhound by Steffan Pyper The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg A Child Called It by David Pelzer A Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl Beautiful Boy by David Sheff Endurance by Alfred Lansing South by Ernest Shackleton Teach Like Your Hairs on Fire (first 2/3 of the book) by Rafe Esquith Einstein by Walter Isaacson Jesus the Christ by James Talmage The Journal of Joseph by Joseph Smith Jr. and Leland R. Nelson Battle Rock: The Struggle Over a One Room School by William Celis Blind Man’s Bluff by Sherry Sontag (Tozer worked with Tiernen) Dead Run by Dan Schultz (murder that happened in Cortez) October Sky by Homer Hickam

Kim Clark’s leadership experience is impressive: Dean of Harvard Business School, President of Brigham Young University—Idaho, Commissioner of Church Educational System for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kim is also the author of the book Leading Through, which he wrote with his daughter Erin and son Jonathan. Kim earned his B.A., MA, and PhD in economics from Harvard. In this episode we discuss the following: We’re all leaders. And the best leaders lead in 3 ways: they help people experience meaning, purpose, and personal growth. They help the organization realize its purpose. And they strengthen the organization. Leaders always do good. They strive to increase light and decrease darkness. When Kim became Dean of Harvard Business School, he knew he had to fire a colleague who had been a kind of poison. The previous administration had been afraid to fire the colleague for fear of a lawsuit with the Union. But when Kim fired the person, the Union said, “What took you so long?”   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle