The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #291: Andy Rachleff (CEO Wealthfront) - What Do You Uniquely Offer That People Desperately Want? Andy Rachleff is a co-founder and Executive Chairman of Wealthfront. Rachleff co-founded Benchmark Capital in 1995 and was a general partner until 2004.  Some notes... (More found on www.LearningLeader.com) Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Intellectual curiosity -- Pass this along to kids at the dinner table Ask questions "Bright people think other smart people ask questions." The leader creates the culture "People model the behavior of the leader." "To be a great teacher, you have to synthesize something into small statements.  This helps you be a better leader." Magic 8 Ball statements "A's hire A's. B's hire C's."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #290: Scott Harrison - Redemption, Compassion, & The Transformative Power Within Us All Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of charity: water, a non-profit that has mobilized over one million donors around the world to fund over 28,000 water projects in 26 countries that will serve more than 8.2 million people. Harrison has been recognized on Fortune's 40 under 40 list, Forbes' Impact 30 list, and was ranked #10 in Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Scott’s first book, Thirst, was released in October (2018) and immediately hit the New York Times best-seller list.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #289: Philip McKernan - Relationships Move At The Speed Of Vulnerability Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Moments where they feel like a fraud, question themselves.  They are more comfortable within those moments This allows them to bounce back quicker They seek and attract things that are outside of their normal comfort zone The Picasso example -- The courage to face the failure and own up to it "Vulnerability is the only way to truly deepen relationships" "When you say, "I don't know," it helps others feel empowered to help" Philip felt worthless at age 14. He felt isolated and alone, a burden to try and fit in.  "That pain had a purpose." How to go from an isolated and alone 14 year old to a keynote speaker who moves people to tears? How to deal with skeptics? "That's okay. But, I would address it now. Couples typically wait five years too long to get counseling.  Do it now." What do you do? "I create environments for people to go deep. I meet them where they're at." The story of starting this business on the side in an Irish pub. "The hardest time of my life was at the beginning, but I didn't allow lack of money to impact what I did." "What are you willing to give up to do what you want?" "I stopped making the journey about me... It was about them." Why Philip will not send his kids to college... "Spend time learning. You need to understand who you are. A classroom is not built on how to get to know who you are." The "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles" test: Kevin Bacon started his career with no lines... But kept working. "Be willing to put in the work. Run for the cab." Is "follow your passion good advice?" "Yes and no.  There is a big difference between excitement and passion.  I believe we all have gifts and so many people use their talents." "For you, sales was a talent, but your gift is connecting with people. To lift them, to help them, to build confidence." "We are all leaders but a lot of people lead from an inauthentic space. It's not what we do, it's how we do it." What is One Last Talk? "If you had 15 minutes left to live to share your message, what would you say? You need to share with the world to free yourself." The process creates freedom.  People want to connect.  This is "team deepening." Why write a book? "Everyone has the capacity to make an impact. I believe all of us carry some demons." "It's like five years of therapy in one book." "The book is by me, but it's not for me.  I will never sign it." "One of the greatest burdens a child can bare is the unlived life of their parents."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #288: Robert Greene - The Laws Of Human Nature (Part 2) "I knew at eight years old I wanted to be a writer. It took me 30 years to find the right ideas. Everybody has a primal inclination." - Robert Greene "If you're not excited about the field you work in, you'll learn half as much." -- Robert Greene www.LearningLeader.com

Robert Greene, an expert on human drives and motivations, shares insights into the art of persuasion. He emphasizes the importance of emotional detachment and self-control, drawing on historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. Greene explores advanced techniques, such as reverse psychology, to navigate resistance and enhance persuasive communication. He also highlights the role of deep listening and empathy in effective leadership, advocating for the evaluation of character over superficial traits during hiring.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 286: Phil Jones - How To Build Your Squad (The WHO In Your Life) Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Ability to see things through the eyes of others -- empathy Create and articulate a shared vision Create momentum for others Build your squad -- The WHO in your life His mom said, "Be careful, go get a job and be safe."  She is the right person in the wrong place. We all need: Cheerleaders - they put fuel in our tank Role modes - someone's model to follow Mentors - someone to share experiences with Coaches - they ask us questions Trainers - they teach us skills Advisors - overall strategy Aspirational peers - Peers you look up to and want to spend time with "Success leaves clues."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #285: Scott Gerber - Stop Networking And Start Building Relationships That Matter Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Those who surround themselves with people smarter than them Empathetic Self-aware -- And an ability to understand others "We are losing connection for connectivity." How to become a super-connector? "Curiosity leads to everything." -- Always be questioning... "Learning is the defining quality of all of it." How to get to the core of person to better understand where they come from and their motivations... "The Road Less Traveled" -- Constantly revise our maps of reality "The Big Short" - "It's what you think you know that's not true that gets you in trouble." How to answer the "What do you do?" question -- Scott - "Try to live life purposefully" His nickname -- "The Pandora of Gen-Y networking" "Social Capital is the most important currency that we have. I'm a curator of people." "There is so much power to bringing amazing people together." Why it's bad to ask, "How can I help you?" "Marketers fundamentally f'd up this conversation." -- "It's become too formulaic as the next step.  Instead, you should know how you can help and help.  It's a bad question because it shows your thoughtless and it's part of a script. Don't do that." Be exceptional at making introductions -- Does it provide mutual value? When you become proficient at it, take it a step further... Film a short video to make the intro. Get creative. The gray zones -- Always ask "why?" "Real relationships take real time" How to create remarkable experiences: Get great people in the room -- carefully curate the guest list Build trust Exceptional atmosphere/environment Be very thoughtful about every tiny detail The YEC summit in Eden, Utah Create something remarkable to ensure people and things you bring together click. Humanize people that run the community -- Ex: The execs serve dinner to the guests, find common touch points "Get the intros right! Lift your guests up, brag about them in front of their peers." Being a connector vs being connected -- The tools How to build consistent referrals? Create events where people want to bring a guest who is not a current client but could be.  The event must be exceptional.  Invest heavily in this. Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Use the "Get To Know You Document"

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #284: Michael Lombardi - A Masterclass In Building Teams And Winning Championships Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: A set foundation A standard of excellence in everything they do.  Not rooted in sports, but in everything Understand how to build a culture Why mission statements were useless to Mike and his colleagues The focus on getting 1% better every day... If you do so, the score takes care of itself Demonstrate how to lead... The leader must model that behavior "Managers do things right, leaders do the right thing." Operating framework Have a plan Explain to self Build trust Command of self "Culture is a plant. You must nurture it everyday." Personal accountability is the ultimate sign of strength.  "All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong." - Sophocles Bill Walsh - The value of being his personal driver and learning from him directly during all of those car rides.  That's where Mike learned about leadership... And about Tom Peters Coach Walsh was always reading something that made him think and passed that along to Mike... "If you don't like change, you'll like irrelevancy less." Hiring process: Want people who are coach-able and able to learn the Bill Walsh system "Training is hard. Most managers don't do it." A "5 tool leader" Strategy Tactics Preparation Execution Situational instincts to know which among the first 4 is required and when The myth of coaches working long hours and sleeping in the office Sustainable values vs situational values -- command of the process When Al Davis interviewed people, he would do a deep dive on their background prior to the interview and use their high school mascot as his personal nickname for the candidate. This was Al's subtle way of letting the candidate know that he "knew everything about them so they better be honest." Creative vs divergent -- Take an existing idea and make it better The 7 QB qualifiers and how this relates to a leader in business: A winning way A thick skin Work ethic Football smarts Innate ability Carriage Leadership You must be able to process things at a high rate Learning from mistakes -- The Doug Pederson mistake Mike made... "How often is it the structure, the landscape, vs the player? Jackson Browne - "Never forget the ones you mess up." Life advice -- Jack Nicholson - "Read everything. It's the elixir of life. Understand something from all sides and all points of view. Read it all from the opposition side to get complete understanding on the topic." The most effective leaders have a willingness to receive feedback and implement it.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #283: Tyler Cowen - The Path To Prosperity In A Disordered World Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: "I admire people who are constantly reading and learning things." Those who have a quiet excellence about them The most effective leaders have a willingness to receive feedback and implement it. Tyler was a world class chess player at age 15 and won the world championship.  He always played against older players, people who were better than him. (Reminds me of James Clear and the Goldilocks Effect) Doing vs. Learning: Tyler admires those who spend more time learning than doing (he takes a counter intuitive approach to this... like most things he thinks!) "I admire people who spend a lot of time thinking, those who read a lot of books, searching..." Tyler describes his book reading process Books - "Start with what you love..." Start with fiction: Shakespeare, others like that.  Tyler is not a fan of most management books. Books he likes: The 5th Discipline, Michael Porter, Maslow, Flow, Daniel Kahneman "Read biographies" What was Tyler like as a kid? "Intense, curious, even tempered, quite happy... Much the same as I am now." There is always new information to learn from travel -- The perspective gained from traveling the world is extremely valuable.  Tyler has traveled to 100's of countries worldwide Have dialog with local people in each place you go.  We discussed my trip to Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. Learn the personal history of the places you go.  Some great recent trips? Singapore, China, Mexico (learn to speak Spanish) Tyler's day to day actions: Write, blog, lunch with college students, teaches for 3 hours per day. He's 56 years old What is scarce? -- We all should focused on being great at what is scarce Quality land and natural resources Intellectual property, or good ideas about what should be produced Quality labor with unique skills Talent that can execute. Great leadership How to become great at what is scarce? Tyler interviewed the tennis great, Martina Navratilova... Her thoughts: "You need to make a deliberative decision to train. A complete dedication to the craft." You also need someone who will tell you the truth and help you improve. Who are your mentors, am I respecting others? A massive need to train and practice. Why shouldn't we pay kids to do chores? "Don't transact with kids.  It should be part of their normal day.  They shouldn't be paid for it." The shifting gender balance of power - Be conscientious.  "Women are simply better at almost everything." How Stripe publishing is doing things differently... Latest book: Stubborn Attachments - "It's been 20 years in the making. My most philosophical book." "It's about the eternal principles how we should think about things..." The meta explanation for why it seems like our political world is wacky... "Most of history is wacky." Tyler makes a 2020 prediction for the presidential election "Stories are deliberate over-simplifications. Complexity has been drained away from most." How to prepare for a keynote speech? "For the Martina Navratilova interview, I read 40 books about her and tennis and learned everything I could to be prepared." Reading: Read books in clusters based on topics Go to the library and do a physical search Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Use the "Get To Know You Document" "It's about conscientiousness.  Women are simply better than men at almost everything." Social Media: Follow Tyler on Twitter: @tylercowen Read: Stubborn Attachments 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 #282: Seth Godin - You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See "In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible."  Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: It changes over time Must be willing to fail - "Okay... Will I do things that might not work?" Some of Seth's failures: many teaching mistakes, tried to build philanthropy platform that failed, blog has failed at times How to handle a slump? - "There's no such thing as a long slump." Stephen J. Gould - "The real problem is how you respond to the failure. You can't tell yourself a story that's not true." Have honest self talk -- "This isn't a slump." Stanford MBA - Friends with Chip Conley.  "Everyone there feels like a fraud or an arrogant jerk. I felt like I was drowning. The sessions with Chip changed my life."  Chips "Random Acts of Initiative" were life changing.  Chip taking initiative and not fearing rejection. Remarkable. Empathy - A mentor wants to see you do things that are bold, leap forward because of them. Be a mentor - "Make the world shinier. Bring life to more causes." Economy of words - "I made the decision to write like I talk." "Talking isn't better because you're afraid." The book publishing world and why Seth chose to traditionally publish This Is Marketing What percentage of Seth's success is luck? "98.2%"  The final 1.8% is "relentless persistence."  "The 98.2% is the parent lottery." How to deal with rejection after rejection... "Culture IS strategy. How we treat people. It's hard to do the things we're proud of." "Great ones have better clients." Side hustle advice -- Start it on the side so that you don't have to make money at it right away. You can choose your clients and never just "do it for the money." "Exactly. Great advice." Keys to storytelling - "We have too much stuff." Better understand the story you're telling yourself. Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Use the "Get To Know You Document" "Luck for me is 98.2% of it. The other 1.8% is relentless persistence." Social Media: Follow Seth's writing on Twitter: @ThisIsSethsBlog Read: This Is Marketing Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12