The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #301 with James Kerr Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Humility - An ego-less approach. "Serve to lead" mentality Curiosity - Following passion Value Excellence - Focus on doing the small things right These are transferable principles to any organziation The "All Blacks" rugby team "are our Gods in New Zealand."  They've won just under 80% of their games in history Scored twice as many points as their competitors The most successful sports team of all time Sustained high performance Mana = The God within.  The spirit... The ethos that creates excellence decade after decade Surprises? "The softness in this hard game.  A love, a brotherhood, connection, meaning, caring for one another." How have they sustained excellence? Tradition Starts at the top with the leaders Breaking down old orthodox Like the British SAS - "Rank but no class" Leadership group -- It's not just one coach.  Everyone's ideas are valued. It's a player led team - "Positive power of peer pressure."  That feeling of not wanting to let one of your teammates down "You fight more for the person in the foxhole next to you." The Spartan sword and shield.  You can lose you sword, but you can never lose your shield.  That helps protect your brother. Accountability - There is leadership at every level It empowers the individual in a project bigger than themselves How does this work in business? Helps them step up, take ownership, be responsible "A leader is responsible for the result.  Good or bad."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #300: Keith & AJ Hawk - How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Kids Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com  Keith Hawk is a 32-year veteran sales professional and sales leader.  For over ten years he led one of America's greatest sales organizations, at LexisNexis.  He continues in a customer focused role to this day at that global organization, speaking to customer groups around the world on the topic of solving business problems with the solutions offered by his firm.  In addition, he continues to speak regularly on topics such as consultative selling, selling to executives, and how to effectively lead people.  He also happens to be my dad. AJ Hawk played 11 seasons in the NFL.  He was a two-time All American at Ohio State and he also won The Lombardi Award (as a senior at Ohio State) as the countries best defensive player.  He was the fifth overall draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2006 NFL draft.  He was voted team captain on their Super Bowl winning team in 2010.  He finished his career as the all time leading tackler in Green Bay Packer history.  AJ is my younger brother. Staying sharp after official retirement? "My mind is as clear as it's been in many years. I read more, write more, listen to more podcasts, I learn more now than I ever have." "I never liked getting the question, 'did you get all of your work done?' As a senior leader at a big company, the work was never done. In my role now, I can go give a speech and get the work done." Advice to others - "Stay patient a little bit, you have to find a way to grab hold of your day and take control of it.  Don't let others do that to you." AJ's progress to improve as a broadcaster: There is no end game Must keep grinding and getting as many reps as possible "You have to jump in and do the work." You can't worry about judgement from others. You have to get the reps. Get on the stage and do it. How to handle the follow up to a competitive life in the NFL? Must have realistic expectations... That amount of competition will never happen again.  That's okay as long as you're prepared for it Broadcasting is a never ending battle with myself to get better.  To improve.  "I'm competitive with myself to get better."  Learning the intricacies from the greats.  "I've learned to be quiet, to let a moment breathe." Why are walk-thurs so important in the NFL?  Why does a world class athlete need to walk-thru a step for over an hour a day? “The tiny details consistently worked on everyday so they become instincts. In the moment you don’t have to think and just rely on the instincts you created.  That's why we did so many walk-thrus in the NFL." Why my Dad went to Green Bay for his birthday week every summer? The famous Tom Hanks quote, "I could watch my son brush his teeth all day." And he loved watching world-class athletes work on perfecting their craft. Listener question: From Tony Milenberger (member of one of my leadership circles) - With all the different directions you guys are going, how do you still manage to like each other? What rhythms keep you connected in the busy seasons?  How does it help your success? We each have different roles and we've worked hard to do a great job at our role.  We all have creative outlets and have remained each others biggest fans.  We push each other to be better.  And when one of the family members reaches a level of fame and fortune (AJ), their ability to remain humble and down to earth is huge.  AJ has done that and created a ton of phenomenal family experiences because of it. The process of earning my book deal with McGraw-Hill... How it all came about.  There was an instant huge belief from Casey Ebro, senior editor from McGraw-Hill.  I describe that conversation and why we chose to work together. Listener question from Mike Flynn: What is your Dad's greatest hopes for his children and grandchildren? Maslow's hierarchy Economics taken care because of their hard work Fulfilled life with a great spouse Work stimulates us, gets us excited Put our children in a place to be successful Self-actualize -- Live up to what you want to do How to handle a situation when you hit a rut? When this happened with my Dad, he always wanted to get directly to the front lines.  "When times got tough, I scheduled days in the field to meet with our customers and our front line people.  I wanted to be reminded why they did business with us.  I wanted to break it down to the bare essentials.  How could I do this in a different way?  Meeting with them helped." Reminded of the quote, "if it's not broke, fix it."  Be proactive.  Billy Joel had this happen to him and he rediscovered his love when he went to a new fan base in Russia. With AJ - "When I was struggling or kept getting caught in the garbage of the linemen in front of me, my coach, Winston Moss, would say, 'why don't you take a step back and see what the view is like from there?' A simple step back to gain a new perspective helped.  

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #299: Kyle Maynard Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics. Oprah Winfrey called Kyle “one of the most inspiring young men you will ever hear about.” Arnold Schwarzenegger described him as “the real deal,” “a champion human,” and “one of the most inspiring people” he’s ever met. Even the great Wayne Gretzky has spoken of Kyle’s “greatness.” Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Consistent action... Plotting Life is a marathon "I've struggled with this." "We live in a society that we think we have to reach the summit" "Climb as hard as you can but relinquish the fact that you've ever arrived."  It will never be enough to fulfill you. "You've never arrived, you're always becoming." "I question what we're driven towards." Losing the first 35 matches... His dad told him that no wrestlers win in their first year and convinced him to go back for his second year "What you're looking for, you're going to find." A self-efficacy belief.  It's in your deeper nervous system... It becomes automatic.  His dad planted the seed. "We have this illusion in our head, but it doesn't happen overnight." "The world will not be tailored for your every need." "We are softening the edges, we need to learn how to mentally deal with things." "We need to choose conscious suffering." "Voluntary hardship" The power of meeting veterans in an airport on a way to giving motivational speeches "It shifted, it wasn't about me."  The message helped veterans not commit suicide. "It's B.S. to think anyone is self-made.  We all need help."  The ripple effect. Why climb? "I want to experience the world.  Just did scuba dive at the Great Barrier reef." Crawling 19,340 feet in just ten days... Climbing Mount Kilmanjaro "Focus on that next three feet in front of you..." Just the next step.  Before you know it, you put your head up and you're at your destination Reminds me of Alison Levine -- "Just put one foot in front of the other and take that next step. Just keep going." "I don't know if I have enough in the tank, but I'm going to keep going." "The 3 feet in front of you is the only thing that matters" "Anything is possible is a lie... Tell the truth, know how to test your limits" "What gets measured gets done" How long can you enjoy accomplishments? "It's a weird dance." "What I'm learning to do now is plotting the essence of it..." Favorite book: Empire Of The Summer Moon Fasting: "When you fast (don't eat), your body picks the weakest cells and eats them."  There is a lot of science to support fasting Advice to others: Value money but not too much Have a small number of possessions Namaste = "Light inside of me.  Recognize light inside of you." Take calculated risk, go on adventures "Follow your bliss"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #298 with Michael Useem - How To Become A Learning Machine Full shownotes can be seen at www.LearningLeader.com Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Thinking strategically Communicating persuasively Decisive decision making The power of using real life examples to demonstrate leadership Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain He was a learning machine "We know not the future, and cannot plan for it much.  But we can determine and know what manner of men we will be whenever and wherever the hour strikes." He was a self directed lifelong learner - "I have always been interested in military matters, and what I do not know in that line, I know how to learn. I study I tell you every military work I can find." He had a mentor/coach - Adelbert Ames was his tent mate and he learned all he could from him He had a disciplined focus on learning from him.  "I asked him every night to tell me what he knew so I could learn" He routinely got outside of his comfort zone - "I will watch myself and do an after action review to analyze." Get tangible experience The purpose behind taking students and family members to Gettysburg every semester - To "stand where Chamberlain stood." And to "get you in their moment on that ground." Recreate the moment as if you're there. Gene Kranz and Apollo 13 "Expecting high performance is a prerequisite to its achievement among those who work with you.  Your high standards and optimistic anticipations will not guarantee a favorable outcome, but their absence will assuredly create the opposite." Being a decisive decision maker and preparing for those challenging moments with an attitude that "failure is not an option." "I knew my teams even more than they knew themselves." Had a great mentor in Chris Craft to help him Teams that are well developed go through experiences together can outperform individuals under stress The motivation behind risk takers: "A calculating adventurer, deriving a thrill from taking a risk and watching it pay off."  This is how visions are created. How to become savvy about calculated risk Risk tolerance is a learned skill Persuasive communication is an art form It's a learned skill You can't hide, you must be persuasive as a leader There needs to be a solid narrative (story), a purpose behind it Every person must know how important their specific contribution is -- "Why are we doing this and what is my role?"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #297: Tero Isokauppila - CEO Of Four Sigmatic: Principled Based Leadership Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "They love what they do" -- Love the process.  The work Humility/Excitement to learn -- they know things will change and they must adjust Listen more than you talk. Curiosity -- The Dalai Lama exemplifies this very well. Able to adjust -- Madonna is a prime example of being able to adjust and reinvent herself How being a 13th generation farmer from Finland helped set the course for Tero's life -- "I have domain knowledge." Finnish people consume more coffee per capita than anyone in the world The idea of putting mushrooms in coffee came because of this Super foods help with: Hormonal response Gut health Immune system Four Sigmatic is a company built with super foods The beginning -- "It all comes down to value generation.  If you want to generate value, you have to see what others don't yet see." Culture -- "You need to rally around people who believe in the mission." Find believers and sponsors as your first employees -- his founding team were former teammates Get to know you team deeply -- how they think, feel, act, what motivates them Currently they have a fully distributed team of 37 people The hiring process and qualities they look for.  Four lenses: Can they do they job? -- Skills How will they fit in our culture? -- Fundamentals What do they cost? -- Financially and emotionally What is their growth potential? They must be "extra good" at communication - written and verbal.  How do they write emails?  Must be extra organized. "Culture exists whether you want or not.  It is what it is." Their principles: S - Stay healthy, eat well, exercise W - We are us, not them A - Always carry product R - Results with freedom -- KPI M - Make it grow, let it go Examples of innovation

Expert in meditation, Emily Fletcher, discusses the power of meditation for sustaining excellence and increasing adaptability. She highlights the difference between mindfulness and meditation, emphasizing the importance of proper training. Meditation is a powerful tool for relieving stress and enhancing overall well-being.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #295: Todd Herman - Using Alter Egos To Transform Your Life To read the full show notes, go to www.LearningLeader.com Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "Negative capability" (John Keats term) The ability to pursue your dream despite the fact that circumstance tells you it won't happen. Not losing faith despite the long odds Mental toughness - "The ability to be flexible & adaptable despite what the world is throwing at you." The OPP framework for goal setting: Outcome Performance - Resources Process - Who, what, when, where What Todd does? He's on a mission to give people smart thinking models.  He helps ambitious people. Revenue generation: He's built programs and systems and licensed it to sports teams He does sport science and peak performance coaching Grew up doing speaking competitions. Did 68 speeches in 90 days.  All for free.  Have to "get the reps" "This is how I know I've made it... I loved doing a free speech for four people.  I loved it!" "You must show up.  Continue to show up no matter what.  Even if nobody is there, show up anyway." "The answers are never waiting for you to sit still. The answers are out there doing it.  It's action that matters." How Todd developed strong mental toughness? Rough upbringing -- He was sexually abused at a church camp when he was 12 He retreated and developed mental toughness to deal with it Skills developed as an athlete that translated to life outside of sports: Preparation Routines Visualization/Imagery Why are alter-egos so powerful? They help you get into flow state and not get out of your head The Bo Jackson story -- "Bo Jackson never played a down of football.  It was Jason from Friday The 13th.  I was crazy out there."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #294: Warren Berger - How To Ask More Beautiful Questions Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Intelligent... Smart Hard-working Ambitious Humble -- This is a really important quality.  No ego or arrogance.  They admit when they are wrong.  Willing to acknowledge when they're wrong.  They are open to listening to others and their ideas. Curiosity - They are not trapped by their own expertise.  They are open minded, curious, looking around. Able to adapt Communication skill -- The willingness and ability to ask great questions The genesis of becoming a questionoligist -- Warrens calls himself a questionoligist.  The art and science of asking questions. He originally was a journalist and developed a skill for asking questions doing that job. "Questioning was a tool of the trade" Warren was writing about design and the idea of questioning kept coming up with leaders in business. "The ability to ask good questions would lead them thru the innovation cycle." The holy trinity of questioning: Why?  Trying to understand What if?  Ideation, brainstorming How?  Get practical.  "How can we take the first step?" Big open ended questions -- They are the stems Each one does something completely different Questioning as a manager: Find time to have the conversations and ask questions of your team members Must be thoughtful and prepared We've gotten out of the habit of being questioners, and now it's always about doing.  "Slow down, ask questions.  Why are we pursuing this strategy? Understand why?" Go To www.LearningLeader.com Text LEARNERS to 44222

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #293: Brent Beshore - How To Get Rich Slow & Live An Optimal Life Commonalities of sustaining excellence: The usual things like: integrity and hard work But the best... "know how messy they are, they challenge themselves, they have high level of self-awareness, they need people around them to help.  They acknowledge their imperfections, and they give others grace for their imperfections." How to develop self awareness?  Surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth -- "We are all highly imperfect." Give people a true open invitation to criticize, but they also must be constructive, loving, kind, thoughtful people. "They need to be rooting for you."\ What do you look for in someone to work with? Curiosity - an inherent desire to know more, learn, reconstruct reality Self awareness - genuine intellectual honesty Integrity - function of consistency over time.  Have to reconstruct it

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #292 - Beth Comstock: You Don't Need Permission (Former GE Vice Chair) Beth Comstock spent nearly three decades at GE. As Chief Marketing Officer and then Vice Chair of Innovation, she led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses and enhance brand value.  As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, she oversaw TV ad revenue and digital media efforts, including the early development of Hulu. Prior to this, she held roles at NBC, CBS and CNN/Turner Broadcasting. Her first book, Imagine it Forward, was published in September 2018. She is a director at Nike, and trustee of The National Geographic Society.  The Learning Leader Show "You must grab agency.  You don't always need permission." Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "They don't stop. They keep coming back.  There is an inherent belief that tomorrow is another day.  They have great stamina." Examples: Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mary Barra (GM) What was it like being hired by Jack Welch (including the story of Jack offering her the big promotion) "You know you can't say no to Jack Welch and GE.  It fascinated me." Jeff Immelt -- "He lives to deliver for the customer" Take us back to 1985... Beth is in her mid-20's, she's hiding behind the door as her husband tells her mom that they are getting a divorce. "It was a defining moment.  I was willfully choosing an unfamiliar path.  It felt like a failure." "In times of change, you have a choice to figure it out." JR, the bad boss... We've all had bad bosses.  How to deal with it? "He was a gatekeeper, just said no.  So, I wrote a report, shared it with others, gave it to him.  He rejected all of it.  So I left to go to Ted Turner's CNN." "You must grab agency.  You don't always need permission." "No means 'not yet'" The difference between gatekeepers and goalkeepers: Goalkeepers clear the way, they help you.  Gatekeepers do the opposite." Common mistakes the new manager makes and how to avoid them: Understand the responsibility Find a way to be secure in yourself.  A lot of mistakes are made out of insecurity. "I was not good at giving feedback.  Good or bad.  I didn't communicate well initially." "You need to get to know your team very well.  Know them as individuals.  Connect with them.  People don't want to be managed or controlled, they want to be led. There is a difference." Mentors: "I was a 30 year old first time manager and I didn't have good mentors.  I was afraid to reach out to people for help.  Find a series of people to be your board of advisors.  You will need it." The "Steve Jobs recruited me" story -- "This was right before the iPhone came out.  He said, 'We're going to do some really big things here and I want you to be part of it.'  It wasn't right for my family to move out there at that time though.  I made the pro and con list and the move was too powerful.  So I said no.  There are days where I regret it." The difference between Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt: "Both were good leaders.  Jeff championed people and fully supported me." "They led in different times.  It's a shame that they get compared when they led in two completely different eras." "Tell me something I don't want to hear." -- Why this is a powerful exercise all leaders need to do with their teams on a regular basis. "Success theater" was an initiative.  It's meant to crack bureaucracy.  "Jeff Immelt was actually trying to make it better through doing this.  You need that feedback loop." Hiring:  What does Beth look for in a candidate? Curiosity - Open and eager to learn A quest for excellence - Do they actively strive to be better? Others provide references on their behalf Trial run - "Try, then buy."  Simulate the role Hire someone who knows what you don't - Hire for your weaknesses How to handle an environment as a woman leader surrounded by men? "I'm a creative woman.  I came to appreciate my differences.  I became this small, quiet, rebel. Forge a different path.  Learn how to get comfortable doing this." Advice to men? "I'm so glad you're asking this.  Be open.  Listen.  Talk with females at work. Have open dialog.  Ask questions how you can do better." "Assume nobel intent." How to "imagine it forward?" "Data is squeezing imagination from us." -- "Open yourself to new people and ideas." "Pattern recognition" "Scenario planning" Think "What if I were the customer? What if I were the competitor?  What would I do?" Leading as an introvert.  Most great introvert leaders have these useful qualities: Introspective Good listener Understand how to manage their energy Find time to recharge Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Use the "Get To Know You Document" "I'm a creative woman.  I came to appreciate my differences.  I became this small, quiet, rebel. Forge a different path.  Learn how to get comfortable doing this." Social Media: Follow Beth on Twitter: @bethcomstock Read: Imagine It Forward Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12