The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Text LEARNERS to 44222 to join thousands of leaders of leaders from all over the world and read "Mindful Monday." A carefully curated email of the most useful leadership articles/books/video. Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12 #402: Donald Miller - CEO of Business Made Simple Notes: The Characteristics of a Value Driven Professional: “Value driven successful people see themselves as an economic product on the open market. They are obsessed with getting people a strong return on the investment made in them. People who are obsessed with being a good investment attract further investment and get to enjoy more personal economic value. When you offer greater economic value within the economic ecosystem, you are paid more, given more responsibility and promotions, and are sought after by customers looking for value. In business, your boss may really like you, but in large part, they see you as an economic investment. There is nothing wrong with that. So how do we become ridiculously successful? By making other people absurdly successful.” "If you know how to make people money, you will make a lot of money." They have a bias towards action - “There is one thing every successful person has in common: They have a bias towards action.” They don’t let ideas die on the vine. They take action to make those ideas happen. While others may have terrific ideas or be able to see an important issue from many angles, action-oriented people are good at getting things done.” They see themselves as a hero, not a victim. Ask, “How often do you position yourself as a victim?” How often do you talk about yourself as though you are not in control of your life? Do you believe other people are responsible for your failures? Don was born in Texas and grew up poor. His dad left and never came back. His mom had to work long hours just to keep him and his sister alive. He told me, “The biggest transformation in my life happened when I stopped thinking of myself as a victim and started thinking of myself as the hero. I lost 150 pounds and became more in control of my life. If you’re always the victim, you’ll find that people get tired of carrying your load.” They know feedback is a gift. They create an established routine in which they get feedback from their peers. They are relentlessly optimistic - Staying optimistic, you dramatically increase the chances that at some point you will succeed. The more optimistic you are, the more willing you will be willing to try. Successful people fail all the time. The difference is their willingness to keep trying. A story has four characters: Victim - The victim is rescued by the hero. The victim makes the hero look good. It's a bit part. Villian - A backstory of pain. The villian seeks vengeance. Hero - Faces challenges, is focused, overcomes obstacles. Guide - Older, sage, wise. Helps others win "I remember when my biggest transformation happened. I realized that girls wanted to be with the hero, not the victim. I lost 150 pounds." Taking action: "The magic is not in the thinking, it's in the doing." Be a "delusional optimist." It's scientifically proven that people who believe they can do something accomplish more than those who don't. What is a story? "A character that overcomes conflict to try to accomplish something." "Invite people to overcome an obstacle and solve a problem." One piece of advice: "Be known for solving a problem." One problem. We are all in sales. What is sales? "Clear articulation of how you can solve someone's problem." How To Create a Mission Statement and Guiding Principles: “The #1 job of a leader is to wake up every morning, point to the horizon, and let everybody on the team know where the organization is going.” “The #2 job of a leader is to explain, in clear and simple terms, why the story of going to and arriving at that specific destination matters.” "The #3 job of a leader is to analyze the skills and abilities of each team member and find them an important role to play in that story.” In Don's personal guiding principles, his repeatable critical actions are: "get up early, you write, and you say, “after you.”  -- Those 3 critical actions establish a way of life that if repeated day in and day out ensures success. Know how to attract people to your mission by telling your story. How do we do this? What’s the biggest mistake made? (Biggest mistake is telling their history, complete with bullet points and boring asides). Your history is not your story. Here is a formula for a good, short mission statement: “We will accomplish ____________ by ___________ because of _________. How To Be Productive -- Make Wise Daily Decisions - Every morning you ask yourself a simple question: “If this were the second time I were living this day, what would I do differently?” Bill Gates is never late to a meeting. How does he ensure he’s always on time? He blocks his time The StoryBrand methodology: A character that wants something The character encounters a problem The character meets the guide The guide gives the hero a plan The guide calls the hero to action When clarifying your marketing message, never position yourself as the hero. Always position yourself as the guide. The Core Competencies that will immediately make or save the company money: They are a clear and compelling leader - Align & inspire a team. Create a mission statement & guiding principles They are personally productive - Mastered a specific system They know how to clarify a message They can sell - introduce products to qualified leads They are great communicators - Give a speech that informs & inspires a team They know how to run an execution system

Text LEARNERS to 44222 for more... For full show notes go to www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12 David M. Rubenstein is a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Mr. Rubenstein co-founded the firm in 1987. Since then, Carlyle has grown into a firm managing $217 billion from 32 offices around the world. Notes: David is most interested in continuing to learn... He reads six newspapers per day and 100 books per year. Your commencement is the beginning, not the end. "Keep your brain active, it's a muscle. It will atrophy without use." David would give all of his money away to be one year younger... Keys to happiness: Thomas Jefferson said we all have the right to be in pursuit of happiness "It's the most elusive thing in life." Happiness is all about building meaningful relationships The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis -- "JFK showed tremendous leadership to avert disaster. He strategically ignored Khrushchev's second letter and responded to the first one when making a deal to avoid nuclear war. David was in 9th grade at the time and that moment of leadership impacted him in a big way. He worked in the White House for Jimmy Carter. "When I worked in the White House, everyone thought I was the smartest person in the world. When we lost and I didn't have a job anymore, nobody called, and nobody offered me a job." Why leave his job as part of a big law firm? "If you don't love what you do you can't be great at it." Launching The Carlyle Group: Raised $5m Hired incredibly competent people New idea: "I wanted to create a private equity one stop shop." How did he hire well? "I went after the best people I knew and sold them on why they should join me." What was said? Convince them they will have responsibility They will learn a lot They will make more money It will be enjoyable What does David ask in interviews with candidates to hire? "I want to learn mostly about what motivates them." Must have qualities to work at The Carlyle Group: Intelligent Hard working Get along well with others Share credit Effective communicator (both written and the spoken word) Help others Honest/High Integrity Why start The Carlyle Group? "I wanted to prove that my idea could work." What created the success of the company? "It was the luck of meeting great people... Like Bill Conway." "Prior preparation prevents poor performance." What are the keys to being a great interviewer? Good listener Enjoy it Sublimate your ego - It's about the guest, not the interviewer proving how smart they are Why does David like to interview so many people? "My mother said it's because I'm a 'yenta.' I want to know everything." Why own so many of our countries historical documents? (Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence) "I want to remind people of our history." He's one of the first 40 members of the giving pledge and plans to give ALL of his money away to charity. Advice to a young college graduate: Experiment, find things you enjoy Share credit Read a lot... Learn to speak in public Become a skilled writer Retain humility What do most people say on their deathbed? They don't say, 'I wish I'd made more money.' What they say is, 'I wish I'd spent more time with my family and done more for society or my community.' "Anybody who gives away money is mostly looking at things where they think they can make a difference. I'm trying to help people who helped me, educational institutions that helped me with scholarships, or organizations that were very useful to me in growing up."

Text LEARNERS to 44222 for more... Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12 The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #400 with Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk Notes: I sourced questions from members of my Leadership Circle, friends, listeners, and colleagues for this episode... How does Keith continue to feel impactful after retirement? KH: "It's like I have a paper route. I work a little bit in the mornings, get my work done, and then I can go have fun with my friends. I work on a few boards, do voice over work, and know how to hit the post." What has AJ learned from working with Pat McAfee? "I learned to trust my instincts and not try to be somebody I'm not." What's the best way to make introductions? AJ: "Text (message) intros are so much better. They are more personal." From Leadership Circle member, Amanda Wilson: "What habit do you admire the most in each other/best attribute?" Pistol about AJ: "He's an unbelievable teammate. He has earned the respect of all his peers. I respect his intensity to prepare." Pistol about Ryan: "A huge preparation guy. His focus on other people. He has more of an outer focus now. And a huge intensity around growth." "Gotta change, Gotta grow." AJ about Pistol: Consistency. He wakes up early. I never saw him asleep. He never made us do anything. I want to live up to that standard. I don't want my kids to see me asleep. And universally, everyone loves him." AJ about Ryan: "You're a mini-version of Pistol with your consistency. So detail oriented. Such a leader and not afraid to hold people accountable. People have confidence that you'll take them where they want to go." Ryan about Pistol: Absolute selflessness. Reminds me of my wife, Miranda. A willingness to always help others succeed and will do anything for them. Ryan about AJ: A relentless work ethic. A drive to be there for the people who depend on him. Whenever I talk with teammates of AJ, they all say the same thing, "That's my guy. I know he'll be where he's supposed to be when he's supposed to be there. I can depend on him." He shows up to work everyday and gets it done. Being selfless: Pistol - "My success is better and richer if it follows other people's success." From Jeff Leung (Sr. Engineer at Facebook): "As the father of two young boys, I would love to hear how you and your brother AJ grew up in a way that you cheer for each other more than compete?" A mutual love and respect for each others work. An appreciation for what the other does. From Doug Meyer, Co-Founder/CEO of Brixey & Meyer: "What was your reaction when you heard Ryan was  leaving a high paying job at a large company to take a substantial pay cut to start a Leadership Advisory practice at Brixey & Meyer?" Pistol: "Joy, fun, fulfillment. I was so excited for him." AJ: "Of course. He's gonna kill it." Give an example how you handled when one of your kids wanted to do something but you thought it was a mistake? "When Ryan was at Miami, I probably pushed him too hard to transfer so that he would get another shot to be a starting QB after losing the job to Ben Roethlisberger. I sometimes have thoughts that he could have moved positions and become Julian Edelman." From Nate DeMars (Founder/Owner of Pursuit) - "You guys have all moved onto what I guess you could consider second careers recently… How do you approach starting over as a novice in a new field?" "There is no excuse to not learn everything about what you want to do. There is so much out there to read and watch and people to talk to. If you don't learn it, it's your fault." Find something you care about, that you're passionate about, and pursue that. "Deal with imposter syndrome when you're new. There's never been a better time to learn something new." Life experiences that have shaped you. Pistol, what experiences shaped AJ/Ryan? Playing for the legendary Bob Gregg and Ron Ullery. They molded you and helped you: Faced the requirement to prepare a lot Learned how to be a great teammate Learned to compete hard Learned to take tough, critical feedback, became coachable Learned how to be a leader How to deal with great teammates, but bad coaches? AJ: "It doesn't help to complain and be negative. Be quiet. Do your job." And strive to learn from those who aren't good at their job so that you don't repeat what they do. The Rex Caswell exercise: When you're new, write in a journal in two columns. One is for the great actions of your boss and the other is for the not helpful behaviors. Keep it with you and review it as you continue to get promoted. Pistol: "Wrap yourself in the mission. Don't wrap yourself in negativity." "It's the duty of the leader to be in a good mood." We conducted our first draft. The topic: Our favorite sports movies (listen to hear who we picked).

Josh Kaufman, bestselling author of "The Personal MBA," shares insights about mastering business skills. He emphasizes constant learning and breaking down skills into manageable parts for rapid acquisition. Kaufman contrasts management and leadership, urging the importance of empowering teams through 'commander's intent.' He also discusses the impact of practical experience in education and critiques traditional management practices. With a focus on fostering intrinsic motivation, Kaufman outlines how effective leadership can overcome stagnation in organizations.

Jim Collins, author of best-selling business books, discusses the art of leadership, emphasizing the importance of getting people to want to do what needs to be done. He shares insights from his conversation with Steve Jobs and highlights the significance of filling key seats with the right people. Collins explores the concept of true leadership, distinguishing between exercising power and inspiring others to follow willingly.

Text LEARNERS to 44222 Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Jim Collins is a student and teacher of what makes great companies tick, and a Socratic advisor to leaders in the business and social sectors. He has written a series of books that have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. They include Good to Great, the #1 bestseller, which examines why some companies make the leap and others don’t; the enduring classic Built to Last, which discovers why some companies remain visionary for generations; How the Mighty Fall, which delves into how once-great companies can self-destruct; and Great by Choice, which uncovers the leadership behaviors for thriving in chaos and uncertainty.  Notes: Shortly before Jim's 25th birthday, during his second year at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, he got hit with a lightning bolt of WHO luck. The type of luck that comes as a chance meeting with a person who changes your life. That person was Bill Lazier... Bill Lazier was the closest thing to a father Jim ever had. Jim's dad died when he was 23. Creating a Generosity Flywheel -- “One day, two large wooden crates appeared on your front porch, the address labels indicating they’d be shipped by Bill. He sent you a few dozen bottles of spectacularly good wine. You called and asked him what prompted him to send to you and he said, “Dorothy and I had an inventory problem in our wine cellar, and we needed to make room for some new bottles. We thought you could help us out by taking some of it off our hands.” Bill mastered the art of getting people to accept his generosity, somehow framing it as if you were doing him a favor. Jim's question to me: How is quarterbacking a football team similar to quarterbacking a conversation for a podcast? Make the Trust Wager - “I choose to assume the best in people and accept that they sometimes disappoint.” (Lead With Trust) Build a Meaningful Life by Building Relationships — Life can be a series of transactions or you can build relationships. Transactions can give you success, but inky relationships make for a great life.” —- How do you know if you have a great relationship? “If you were to ask each person in the relationship who benefits more from it, both would answer “I do.” Both feel like they’re getting the better end of the deal. Start with Values, Always Values — values aren’t the “soft stuff.” Living to core values is the hard stuff. "Prep prep prep so that you don't have to be rote." -- "For me the opening plays are questions. And I know the opening two or three questions to get the session started." "Then the game starts. I have this set up things, but then something really surprising happens. What I found interesting about it, is that you'd think high levels of prep, it's actually being so well prepared that you can adapt. That's the critical thing. It's only because you're super prepared that you can do something surprising." The opening question to a company he works with is always the same: "It starts at exactly 8:00am. I have an atomic clock and it's set to the exact atomic time. At 8:00, I open the doors. I walk in and say, "Good morning, I feel a tremendous responsibility to make the most of our time. Everybody take out a blank sheet of paper. I want you to write down the top 5 most brutal facts that face the company today. Go!" -- "We're 12 seconds into the meeting. There are no pleasantries, they're not going to talk about how the flight was, or dinner last night. We are here to make the most of our time. I'm trying to set the tone that we don't have time to waste. I can't waste your time. You're here to have your brain challenged." And then Jim has them allocate 100 points for the 5 most brutal facts. You need to start with an honest account of the brutal facts. This gets the group talking immediately. "The entire thing opens up." "Preparation is respect." "That previous podcast we did (episode #216) was masterfully done by Ryan. There's some wonderful things he pulled out." How has your style evolved? I'm less robotic, less formulaic, more agile, and able to go with the conversation. Bill Lazier -- "Bill went to the Dean at Stanford and put himself on the line for me. He believed in me. He bet big on me. Nothing I've accomplished happens without Bill Lazier." Here is WHY joining a Learning Leader Circle is a good idea...

Scott Galloway, Professor at NYU Stern and best-selling author, shares his insights on leadership and vulnerability. He emphasizes the power of expressing admiration and recognizing team achievements, arguing that good intentions should never go unvoiced. Galloway also discusses the notion of crisis as a crossroads for opportunity, urging leaders to embrace empathy. He explores the challenges men face in showing vulnerability while illustrating the importance of meaningful relationships and personal growth in both work and family life.

Dr. Marisa Porges, head of the Baldwin School and a former U.S. Navy officer, shares her insights on raising bold and resilient young women. She discusses the vital importance of mentorship and the unique challenges women face in business. Marisa offers practical tips for effective networking, emphasizing preparation and purpose. She also highlights the significance of adaptability and self-advocacy for young girls, advocating for a coaching approach from parents to build confidence. Her experiences inspire listeners to empower the next generation.

Todd Henry, bestselling author and creativity expert, discusses the hidden forces behind our best work. He explores the grave reality of unfulfilled potential, urging us to ‘die empty’ and embrace our passions. Todd breaks down six motivational archetypes—Visionary, Achiever, Team Player, Learner, Optimizer, and Key Contributor—revealing how these distinct traits drive us individually and collectively. He emphasizes the vital importance of self-awareness in leadership, fostering authentic connections for personal and team growth.

Chris Holtmann, the head basketball coach at Ohio State University, discusses his journey from a small college to leading a top program. He emphasizes the importance of pursuing growth over the comfort of stability, drawing from the insights of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. Holtmann shares personal anecdotes about building a strong team, the emotional challenges of coaching transitions, and essential leadership qualities like consistency and accountability. His emphasis on mentorship and character development serves as a valuable guide for aspiring leaders.