The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #311: Adam Savage Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com  Adam Savage was the co-host and Executive Producer of the hit show, MythBusters on the Discovery Channel.  Fourteen years, 1,015 myths, 2,950 experiments, eight Emmy nominations and 83 miles of duct tape later, the series ended in March 2016.  He is the author of Every Tool's a Hammer - Life Is What You Make It. Be part of "Mindful Monday" -- Text LEARNERS to 44222 Notes Leaders who sustain excellence = "Obsession is the gravity of making" Obsession towards the project -- A "desire to see the thing they made to your satisfaction." Adam on failure: "I don't trust people who haven't failed." What it means to be a great boss? Give great opportunities... "The time, the facilities, reason, and logic." "Hey, you're doing great."  Let employees have the space they need. "There's nothing better than when someone leading a team project can just run with it." "Give total autonomy with narrow bandwidth.  Give ownership." Being a generalist -- "The specialist wasn't always helpful because answers are within the context of a wider story." It's very damaging to ask a nine year old what they want to be when they grow up: "Excellence --> The things we cannot stop thinking about."  That's what we should strive to be when we grow up.  Someone who pursues their curiosity and obsessions with great rigor. The WHO "I think about my relationships all the time."  The people you consciously choose to have in your life are everything "Am I serving those relationships? Am I being present and non-judgmental with them?  Am I with them in the room?" Stop getting mad at customer service -- It's not their fault.  And you'll feel better about yourself. Adam on his preparation process for a big speech: It depends on the engagement, but it's extensive. There are 2 specifics: Record yourself and listen to it -- "It illuminates where you're not hitting your mark.  It's the transitions typically.  How you link them together as a narrative whole." Memorize conceptually -- Practice, practice practice.  Get the reps. Communication as a leader -- "Story is completely vital to leadership in every way." "Language was invented to tell stories." Pay attention to how they people who move you tell stories How playing quarterback is similar to a work of art There is always something changing -- You must adjust on the fly How to become more self-aware? Write everything down -- Keep a journal of your thoughts.  Reflect.  Be introspective Have someone on your team who will tell you the truth.  "It's all about the team." How Adam lowered stress level: Stopped drinking alcohol Slept more Started meditating Increase your loose tolerance Learn by doing -- Take action -- "Creation is iteration." Being wrong isn't failing You don't have to have everything in place to start Be easier on yourself during the iterations Share everything: We love the myth of the lone genius, yet none of us make stuff in a vacuum.  Share credit, ideas, everything.  Increase generosity through sharing Use more cooling fluid: It takes more time on the front end, and forces time to clean up on the back end, but it gives more value to the final product -- "It's a reminder to slow down and reduce the friction in your work and relationships." Sweep up every day: "A clean workbench gives energy.  It helps the future me." Leave a place better than you found it The cultural malaise currently is based on the scarcity model.  Wrong.  There is enough food, be a giver.  Be generous. Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #310: David Epstein Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com David Epstein is the author of the forthcoming Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World , and of the top 10 New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. David has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism, and is reasonably sure he’s the only person to have co-authored a paper in the journal of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research while a writer at Sports Illustrated.  David has given talks about performance science and the uses (and misuses) of data on five continents; his TED Talk has been viewed 7 million times, and was shared by Bill Gates. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Voracious learners Voracious readers They attack obstacles Extremely interested in people and about themselves The Sports Gene Having great reflexes is a trained skill -- Pro baseball players cannot hit a pro softball pitcher because they have not trained their reflexes to understand the arm angle (Albert Puhols could not hit Jenny Finch even though she throws slower than the average MLB pitcher) "Chunking" is what world class athletes or chess-masters do.  They pick up on cues from the person's body (or the board) and that helps them make quicker decisions -- Ex:  A baseball player understands/learns the cues of a pitcher and what pitch is coming and at what velocity Sports is a "kind learning environment."  It is more black and white than the business world.  In order to translate this to the business world, try to create a kinder learning environment.  Need as much information available as possible. Create an environment where feedback is happening on a regular basis The business world is not as kind of a learning environment The "annual review" is a horrible way to run a business.  Feedback should be happening on a regular basis... Daily. Bill Campbell would go to the meetings of the leaders he coached and gave immediate feedback. Create a feedback loop for yourself from mentors/people you trust "Everyone needs a coach" -- David regularly takes writing courses to stay sharp and learn David's writing process: The first year = Read 10 scientific papers per day.  He reads a TON Advantage David has created = An expansive search function Have a "master thought list" -- Storyboard, shift scenes around He did film editing as a form of cross training for writing a book and becoming a great storyteller 29 of 32 NFL first round draft picks in the 2017 draft played multiple sports.  Cross training is critical for long term success David debated Malcolm Gladwell on stage in front of a huge audience and changed Malcolm's mind.  Watch here. Athletes that delay specialization excel more than those that specializes (golf is the only exception to the rule) The most effective leaders are constantly updating their mental models It should be celebrated when someone changes their mind because better evidence has surfaced Darwin changed his mind Lincoln changed his mind A 'deliberate amateur' = Someone who loves an activity.  "I don't do research, I do search." It's a constant experimentation to learn In a LinkedIn study, the results of a review of all profiles of people who made it to the C-Suite = Went to a Top 5 Business School "The single most important factor is they worked in different functions within a company."  They were generalists. The people who make the most impact with number of patents filed work across classes.  They are wide ranging generalists. Sales is a great entry point for any business -- Learning marketing and sales will benefit you in every job you will ever have "Take your skills and apply them to a problem where those skills aren't being used." People underestimate how much the world will change -- Must be able to adapt and learn "We learn who we are in practice, not in theory."  -- Take action.  Do the work. Work to accumulate experiences Try something, go all in on the thing you are doing in that moment.  100% focus.  Invest everything you have in it. Then reflect on it -- "We learn in moments of reflection." "When you're 23, don't worry about getting ahead, get information about yourself.  Focus on learning." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #309: Verne Harnish -  Verne Harnish is the founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), with over 14,000 members worldwide, and chaired for fifteen years EO’s premiere CEO program, the “Birthing of Giants” held at MIT, a program in which he still teaches today. Founder and CEO of Gazelles, a global executive education and coaching company with over 200 partners on six continents, Verne has spent the past three decades helping companies scale up. He along with the editors of Fortune, authored The Greatest Business Decisions of All Times for which Jim Collins wrote the foreword. His book Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) has won eight major international book awards including the prestigious International Book Award for Best General Business book. Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com  Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Ability to persevere Willingness to hire a coach and listen -- All of the greats had coaches to help them (Rockefeller, Steve Jobs) Be part of a "mastermind group" -- Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill Cannot be afraid to make the cold-call.  You must be willing to ask Verne cold-called Steve Jobs leadership coach Ask yourself:  Who are the top 25 influencers in the space where I want to play?  Write their names down... Then call them, email, writer letters.  Find a way to get in contact with them Earn the support of influencers and it will put you in warp speed -- "I was the first person to get President Ronald Reagan to say 'entrepreneur' in the White House" Two rules: Give before you ask for anything -- Sometimes you can only give your time and attention.  Go to their speeches in person, sit in the front row, nod your head, take notes, then follow up with them afterwards and ask questions. Understand your pitch, what you do, why you do it, and be able to share it concisely "What a great mentor wants is a great student" Verne realized there was not a curriculum for gazelles -- mid range companies that wanted to scale-up Titan -- Rockefeller was so successful because of his discipline Disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action Build a functional accountability chart... 4 criteria: Will - Have to hire will to learn, succeed, persevere Values -- Mars mission values Results -- Track record of success Skill - Fungible  Strategy One idea must be different, don't be just like your competition Michael Porter advice -- Article in HBR, "What Is Strategy" Strategy is rooted in... "What word or two do you own in the market-place?" Execution -- Must act or it's just hot air.  Failure happens at this phase as you add people Communication rhythm - "If you want to move faster, you need to pulse faster."  -- Have a daily huddle, agile meetings There should be equal talk time of each person in the meeting.  Don't have one drone on for the entire meeting "Want heated debate, conversation" Run forums so each person speaks Generalities versus Specifics -- It MUST be specific Average 1 minute per person 3 agenda items, to to each person What's up the next 24 hours?  #1 priority -- Get the headlines Updated daily metrics that drive the business -- Stat of attracting and keeping talent.  What's the data say? Where are you stuck?  What's in your way?  Get them verbalized The 3 Barriers to scaling up Leadership Awareness-- "What got you here won't get you there" -- Must learn to say no.  Have to let early clients go.  You can't have all the answers Constraint between your ears -- Bill Gates does "think weeks" Marcus Buckingham -- Understand your strengths and weaknesses.  Strengths give you energy, weaknesses take your energy.  "Focus on doing what you like, that gives you energy."  If you love working to solve client issues, then become the head of customer support and hire a manager to be the CEO Scalable Infrastructure Bloomberg office space -- Everything goes through the six floor so that people collide... To talk, learn, interact Human brain -- Nobody wants a manager.  Set it up so all can be a leader and have autonomy.  Team of Teams. November 2018 HBR Issue - The end of bureaucracy  Marketing Hi tech fast growth companies scale rapidly... Must have great marketing Marketing is the single most important function -- Attract talent, investors, attention, customers It takes a village of gurus -- Curate people Advice:  "Make a list of who you need to hang out with... Write it down.  You are who you hang out with.  Move in with a mentor if you have to." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea "Strengths give you energy.  Weaknesses takes your energy." Social Media: Read: Scaling Up Follow Verne on Twitter: @agilescaleup Be part of "Mindful Monday" -- Text LEARNERS to 44222 Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #308: Alex Hutchinson TEXT LEARNERS to 44222 Full shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com  Leaders who sustain excellence = They show up... Willing to take a shot when they might not be successful People over-estimate short term and under-estimate long term.  Be ambitious about long term Consistency - Secret to success: "When an editor gives me an assignment, they will receive it back on time with the right words."  You have to always get it done and be known as someone who does this. To rise above a certain level, you must do more than what is expected.  "Dream big while not neglecting daily responsibility." Eliud Kipchoge - spiritual leader of self-disciplined people around the world. "Only the disciplined in life are free." Getting there earlier than his coach... "As hard as I was willing to work, he was willing to support me." -- Alex describing his great basketball coach "Discipline is a muscle.  You get better as you use it more." Model of achievement -- Work hard, support others "Sweat more than you watch other people sweat."  -- Every leader should get some sort of activity.  It's indefensible to have a healthy body and mind. "We are cognitively better when we are fit." "Pushing yourself physically reveals what you're made of mentally." How to raise your threshold of pain: It's expectation based Pain perception is the same for all... It's all about how you respond Learn to tolerate it it by going through it regularly.  Develop psychological coping system. Pain is just a signal -- Understand it's how you choose to respond Navy SEALs, Olympians did an experiment with brain scanners where oxygen was restricted: They have a 'higher level of self-monitoring' Elite athletes get better when stress hits.  Normal people get worse Take a mindfulness based course: Cultivate "non-judgmental self-awareness" When you make a pancake for your 5 year old and they don't like it, "try not to respond with frustration in the moment.  Think about how you'll feel in 30 minutes." Change in training?  "Training will be the same, but my mind will be different." The importance of self-talk -- Inner monologue -- "I've trained for this, I can do it." "When you've reached a point that you think you've hit a wall, in fact in almost every case, those limits are perceptions of effort." Handle fear with preparation -- You must show yourself you have reason to believe you can do it. Delayed gratification -- Sports is the clearest venues to see benefit of delayed gratification "Champions in November are made in July." Alain de Botton quote -- "Of many books, one feels, it could have been truly good, if the author's appetite for suffering had been greater." Advice: Read a lot of books... On topics that have nothing to do with your topic Give self space to think Give self time to be bored

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Text: LEARNERS to 44222 to be part of 'Mindful Monday' Episode #397: Carly Fiorina Leaders who sustain excellence = Unlock the potential in others Courageous High character -- "How" matters more than what Collaborate well Humble/Empathetic They see possibilities in other people... They don't judge them Optimism combined with realism -- "Seeing people do more than they thought they can is fuel for me." "You need an equal measure of optimism with realism.  You must see the current state as it is.  It's important to believe things will get better (optimism), but also be clear eyed and realistic.  Be honest.  See truth, and act on it." From secretary to CEO -- "People wouldn't look at em and say that's a leader." "Work hard and do excellent work in your current role." "What I saw were problems and we fixed problems.  I learned that solving problems is what leadership is all about." "Run towards the problems, work to solve them.  Don't fixate on getting promoted, focus your attention on doing great at your current job."  And then doors will open... Choose a path over a plan How you get things done matters more than what you get done... The manner in which you do it.  Think long term. Focus on where you can make a difference A manager versus a leader: Manager -- Works within current constraints of the role.  They do the best they can with what they have. Leader -- Changes things.  They create new ways of doing things. Leaders are made, not born.  Focus on building character and working to be excellent Carly was recruited to be the CEO of HP.  She was the first outside hire to be CEO ever.  And the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company. She was named the Fortune magazine most powerful woman in American business for 6 years in a row "When your team is diverse, the team is stronger." Competitive nature: "I've always been focused on excellence.  But, I've never been a win at all cost person." "It's easy to make a quarter (in the business world, hit your mark for that particular quarter), but you need to get there the right way." Criticism as CEO of HP "When you try to change things, you will get criticized." "Criticism is the price of leadership." How to handle a board? "A good board considers themselves a team, not a collection of individuals."  The HP board was a set of individuals and two of them leaked sensitive information to the press.  "Eventually, after I was gone, they got fired." Debating with President Trump on stage at the Republican debates... How to be prepared? "Every woman in the world heard what he said." "You need to be prepared, but also be present.  Be able to use experience and instinct in the moment." "I didn't prepare for the comment about my appearance, but being present in the room, and having good instincts helped me respond properly." "Right now, we are confused what leadership is.  We see leaders who promote conflict, criticize, castigate others.  That is wrong." "We need to be reminded who leaders are and what they do.  Leaders lift others up, they have courage.  Everyone can choose to be a leader." The idea of privilege: "We cannot judge someone by they circumstances.  Whether they come from privilege or they are poor.  We should judge them based on their character and their contribution." "If we want to achieve more, if we want to be excellent, it requires people who are different to work together towards a common goal."  Shane Show's Dream Teams model for building teams. Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #306: Brian Koppelman - Follow Your Curiosity And Obsessions With Rigor Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Sustaining excellence: Ability to focus on the work Preparedness Ability to collaborate "Being responsible enough to show up on time is surprisingly effective and important" "People that follow their curiosity, obsessions, and passions" -- They truly love what they're doing and work with incredible rigor.  If you love what you're doing, it doesn't feel like a job.  It's work that's enriching you at the same time. "What we're really trying to do as leaders is get people to perform at their highest level and to do it together, because what we do is highly collaborative."  "I was the kind of person that would read a book and if I liked it, I would stay up all night reading it.  And I would learn the words from that book.  I would look them up.  I loved the way words sounded and I loved the idea of communicating with great efficiency and humor." "Where this passion really landed for me, it made sense to do this work.  Working with great rigor is a lot easier when you're borderline obsessed with something and when you're curious." "Curiosity keeps you diving deeper." "I was a frustrated and blocked writer and I was starting to feel that I had made mistakes.  But those two hours every morning... Writing. Made me feel alive." "And he (my boss) said to me, 'Look, you know you're a writer and that's what you want to do.'" "Dude.  You do have a half hour a day."  You have to make time to do the work. "We finished the screenplay.  We sent it out and it got rejected by every single agency in Hollywood.  I'm not exaggerating." "I  wrote down what every person said... And then it sold the next week, and every agency called us back trying to sign us.  Nothing was different on the page.  I read them all back what they had said and they would all lie back to me.  I had them written down on a big yellow legal pad.  I read them out loud on a speaker phone.  These guys all lied back to us. Nobody just said, 'well I guess I was wrong,' but then they all wanted to sign us.  It taught me a great lesson about gatekeepers in the world.  They don't always know." "It means don't blindly accept negative feedback from gatekeepers." Feedback -- "We have friends/peers in place to give feedback to each other."  John Hamburg (Meet The Fockers; I Love You, Man; Along Came Polly). "You want feedback, you need feedback. But you don't want feedback from that jealous old friend who you know secretly doesn't want you to be successful." "I don't have people in my life who don't want the best for me.  We root for each other... Hard." Comfort in your own skin: "It's a lifetime pursuit.  It's so hard." "The battle is to accept who you are while not giving up on improving yourself.  To continue to try to become the perfected version of you which you can never be.  And to accept your own frailties and faults." "One simple place this comes from is to avoid lying.  My wife and I don't lie to each other.  We've never lied to each other. When you have that to start, it helps with the rest because you're not fronting." "I do morning pages every day, I meditate, I take long walks and think." "When you do all of those things and you live with intention, you start to become more comfortable with who you are." "But each time you stretch and grow and you're rewarded, it encourages you to stretch and grow." "Never Fake The Funk" -- "It's about pretending.  It's about lying to yourself.  Don't pretend, don't lie to yourself.  It's really easy to get swept along by other peoples conception of who you are. And by other people's ideas of what success is.  Defining success for yourself is crucial." "Any interaction I have, I view as an opportunity for growth. For me and the other person." Feedback is fuel... Hearing that you've helped someone is the fuel that drives this machine Having successful parents and the expectations that come from that... "My dad was very good at showing me what it took to be successful." "For some reason, my dad would always point out, 'there's nothing worse than the son of a rich kid.'" "I never wanted to be looked at as just the son of somebody and just skate.  I wanted my parents and sisters to be proud of me.  I wanted my kids to be proud of me." "I learned at a young age how to talk to powerful people.  To find a way to make them laugh, to not be intimidated by them.  Because I grew up around those people, I knew exactly what they're like.  That's a gigantic advantage that I had because my father took me to meetings.  I watched people sell to him, and I watched him sell to others, so I learned what worked." "My dad was a workaholic, but he really cared about us.  He never missed a ballgame.  He would go to New York City, work a full day, come home to Long Island, watch me play a decent third base, and then drive back to the city for a meeting.  I never wondered 'Is my Dad going to show up for the game, my dad always showed up for the game." "I would never eat dinner until my dad got home.  If he was going to be home at 9:00, I would wait up, my dad would come home and we would talk about his day and about business.  And just hearing the stories enabled me now to be able to understand aspects of business." "Whenever my son asked me to play catch, I would say yes." "I always walked my daughter to school.  Those little things, kids knowing that, it gives you a kind of closeness. It's having the connection..." "You don't have to start over, you're in the flow.  You always have this time." Tell your kids, "You did well because you worked hard."  Don't say, "You did well because you're smart."  Compliment the work ethic. Writing Billions on spec... You write it for free, you don't have a deal in place. "We wrote it for us." Showrunner = Responsible for everything you see on the television show.  Writing it, overseeing shooting of it, the editing, the design, all of it.  Leading 150 people on the show. How to make hiring decisions? "No assholes" "We really check references" The work has to be excellent "We hire keys to run departments and trust the keys to hire their departments.  Hiring the keys is a lot of time and effort, a lot of meetings." "I want to know that they're really going to kill for it.  I want to know that they're a good person.  That they'll get along with everyone.  We're all there lifting everyone else up.  So you need to know that everyone is there for the same reason.  'I love this show and I want it to be great.'" How they hired Damian Lewis -- "We had three long meetings.  We each checked with people who had worked with each other.  We knew people loved working with him.  We knew he showed up prepared." How to be creative and innovative... A collaborative process: Recognize people when they do great "The truth is 'hire people that are smarter than you.  You never pay a bad price when you hire people that are better than you.'" "Part of not fronting, of not faking the funk, is admitting when you don't know the answer."  "Let's get the best idea.  Let's source the best idea that we can." Career advice: "Do the work." "Think about the story you want to tell and start telling it." At thanksgiving, why should you not talk about your new creative endeavor: "It's a lot easier to say I don't have the time than to say I'm scared to do it." "Say what your dream is too soon and someone will shoot it down.  Train yourself not to do that." Create a whole family (extended family) group chat Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #305: Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall - A Leader's Guide To The Real World (Break All The Rules) Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Marcus Buckingham holds a master's degree in social and political science from Cambridge University and is a member of the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Leadership and Management.  He's the author of the international best-seller, First, Break All The Rules. Ashley Goodall is the co-author, with Marcus Buckingham, of Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World.  He is an executive, leadership expert, and author, and has spent his career exploring large organizations from the inside. Notes from this talk: Sustaining excellence: Optimism -- An innate predisposition that things will get better Individualization -- Ability to attract great talent.  Knowing that each person has something unique to bring "You follow somebody if they give you confidence in the future." "The world will be better if I hitch my wagon to you." Great managers/leaders = They know how to surround themselves with the right people -- "If you want a great party, invite great people." They focus on people first They help them.  They coach them.  They find a path and set expectations. They grow.  They make the next step and help others do the same. "Talent is more important than experience." Talent = a recurring pattern of thought.  Enduring patterns in a person.  Hire for those, then train for skills. How to find talented people? Ask open ended questions, stay quiet, believe what they say. Ask appetite questions:  "What did you love most about that?" Talents are far more about natural appetite Feedback: "People need feedback to grow and excel.  It grows best not with feedback, but with help." People grown when attention is given to them.  "Pay attention to me.  My talents."  People need attention to what really works in them Leaders must look at the real world Idiosyncratic -- The best are... There is a difference between theory world and the real world "Learning is an emergent experience."  It's inside out... How you do your version... How do you measure things that are hard to measure? "Must make a distinction between traits and states." Example of a trait = extroversion Example of a state = mood, skills (can change) Competencies are a combination of both Being labeled a "Hi-Po" (high potential) in an organization:  "It's made up, not a thing.  Toxic because it presumes that some human brains can't/won't grow." "There is no point in having the 'hi-po' conversation.  In talent reviews, ask for each person... How will they grow best?  Don't use a 9 box grid." "Replace potential for momentum." "Work life balance is a very weird aspiration.  It's very hard to do it perfectly." "Balance is a way of being stationary.  It's not a good way to move through life." "We shouldn't tell people to do this.  Health is motion, finding love, finding red threads." "It draws you in.  You should move through life.  Draw strength from the movement." "If a leader has no followers, they're not a leader." -- "Follow-ship is the thing." "We all have fears for the future.  Find a leader that can see around the corner, we're drawn to that." "Be a free thinking leader." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Social Media: Read: Nine Lies: A Freethinking Leader's Guide To The Real World Follow Marcus on Twitter: @mwbuckingham Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #304: Laura Gassner Otting - How To Carve Your Own Path Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com The Learning Leader Show "It starts young.  We have a world where we are given an identity. We need to think, 'is that really what I want?" Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Live on the edge of your incompetence -- "The more you talk, the less you listen."  Need to be asking questions and listening. Tenacity, grit Put yourself in uncomfortable situations Be in a position to learn something new from your failures... "That is delightful." "Looking into someone and seeing their greatness." Running coach -- "Calm, confident, reflect back to the dream  Compete. Issues with execution... Why? "We get stuck chasing someone else's dream." How do we know? "It starts young.  We have a world where we are given an identity. We need to think, 'is that really what I want?" The four parts of consonace: Calling -- It's bigger than you Connection - The work actually matters Contribution - It contributes to the life you actually want Control - How much do I have? "My mother told me I needed to be a lawyer." -- "I wanted to run for office." How did Laura end up in the Clinton Whitehouse? "I learned how to show up for others... And be dedicated to excellence" "I was a great leader, but a terrible manager."  You need to be self-aware Advice to new managers: "People want feedback.  Ask them if that project reflected their understanding of the assignment or their ability?" Laura's TEDx Talk: Stop asking, 'how can I help?' Think, 'what needs to happen?' Her fight with Ann Coulter Must be willing to change your mind as a leader -- "Our stories are our connections." Becoming an athlete -- Laura ran the first mile of her life nine years ago.  Now, she's a competitive rower.  And she ran in the Boston marathon. Confidence is built through doing.  Continue to push the boundaries of our own competence. Tel Aviv: Hunger Weight Tenacity Speed Grit/Heart Don't get in the comparison trap with other people's highlight reels on social media Advice she received that's been helpful -- "You're just not that important" Study -- Team of Rivals -- About Lincoln Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #303 - General Stanley McChrystal Full Show Notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com A retired four-star general, Stan is the former commander of US and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) Afghanistan and the former commander of the nation’s premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).  In June 2009, the President of the United States and the Secretary General of NATO appointed him to be the Commander of US Forces Afghanistan and NATO ISAF. His command included more than 150,000 troops from 45 allied countries.  Notes:  There is a formulaic myth: Leadership is not what we think it is... "I thought it was just behaviors, but that's too simplistic." "Leadership is intensely contextual."  A great leader must adapt themselves to the situation. "There's not a style that's perfect for every situation."  Vince Lombardi coached differently based on the team he was coaching.  Coach K (from Duke) is known to be incredibly adaptable and that's why he's succeeded year after year. Important leadership qualities: Great listener -- Pay attention.  Marinate in what's happening. Have humility -- Think of the people you serve Why General McChrystal went to West Point: Dad, brothers, grandpa were all soldiers.  It's in the family. He wanted to be an Army Officer Stan struggled his senior year in high school.  He lived by himself, his mom had died. His Freshman year at West Point, he didn't take the school part seriously and got in trouble. He was almost kicked out of West Point. However, he got extremely high peer review ratings: His new tactical officer told him, "You're going to be a great officer" -- This was said based on how his peers had so much respect for him as a person.  That mentor reached him and made a significant impact on him.  "We all need someone like that." The power of a mentor/leader who believes in you: It's huge to have someone who mentally maps it out for you and believes in you.  Someone that takes time to get in your mind... To care about you.  It must be genuine, and when it is, it's powerful. Team of Teams:  It's hard to scale a lot of small team. It must be organically connected. The front line leader -- It's impactful to have a "front line obsession."  Be with your team.  Show them you care through your actions.  In order to fully understand the situation, you need to get out and see it for yourself. We often don't have the answers.  "You can't fake it.  The role of the leader has changed.  It used to be command and control.  A leader is more like a gardener now.  You must orchestrate the pieces of a team, and ensure they are well connected."  You want a well connected, curious organization. "If when you get on the ground the order we gave you is wrong, execute the order we should have given you." The leader must educate the team to make wise decisions from the front line if the leader is somewhere else.  The leader must trust the team to make the right decisions in that moment. "The leader still owns the outcome.  The reality is the team will do better if properly trained."  Create an organization of trust and speed.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 302: Nick Kokonas - How To See The Genius In People Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Intellectual curiosity - A desire to learn.  Not for the outcome, but for the curiosity to learn more Healthy degree of paranoia - What Jim Collins would call "productive paranoia" In the pursuit of excellence "No one is giving it away for free.  It takes effort." Balance -- "I get manic at times. I'm not always well balanced."  The skill is in being able to turn it on and off... Which can happen over time "I've always been curious about how things worked..." Why it was helpful to go to Colgate University A Liberal Arts school forced Nick to study areas outside of just his major.  Made him more well-rounded He "learned how to learn" -- Forced him to wrestle with existential questions Rhetoric -- Can you understand all sides of an issue? Where does ambiguity exist? Need to learn to think critically -- How you do it is more important that you do it General advice: "Learn to communicate well.  Concisely. Learn to write and speak well. From a psychology perspective, analyze, "what are they really saying?" Why he became a derivatives trader: "I got into law school, but didn't want to go." He tested well, but desired his independence "Prestige as part of pay doesn't matter to me." To be great at anything, you must be disciplined to show up everyday -- "My money has always been at risk everyday. Some think that's crazy.  But I've always worked to have an edge." How to figure out outcomes as soon as possible The decision to leave the world of derivatives trading to open a restaurant... Why? "I took some money off the table... Then my dad died... and I thought, what am I doing?  I had no idea what I was going to do next..." Meeting Grant Achatz and the impact that had on Nick's life... "He reminded me a lot of myself.  He was thoughtful, driven, shy (this was the opposite), and he wasn't afraid of hard work." "I think I have a skill to see the genius in some people." "Grant's work is of artistic genius" Doing what you love and are passionate about: "For me the test is... When I wake up in the morning is it nagging at me to do it?"