The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #325: Ron Ullery Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Be part of "Mindful Monday" - Text LEARNERS to 44222 Coach Ron Ullery began his football coaching career at Centerville High School in 1977. He was the Offensive Coordinator (and play-caller) for my four years as the quarterback for Centerville (1996,1997,1998,1999). He was promoted to Head Coach in 2000. In his 14 years as head coach, he compiled a 107-45 record. Eight of his teams advanced to the Division 1 (big school) postseason. He is currently the Offensive Line coach at Springboro High School. This episode was recorded in front of the Springboro football team, coaches, and administrative staff. He's coached high school football for 43 years. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Understanding how hard it is to be excellent Knowing there are multiple ways to lead (militaristic, fear driven, soft spoken, calm) Must be organized -- Have to set a plan to direct people. How are we going to get where we want to go? Must have a tremendous work ethic -- Ask the people you're leading to work extremely hard and you must be willing to work even harder Have extremely high expectations, unwilling to ever waiver -- They don't lower expectations to feel good Must have humility -- Can't be all about you A great coach can make a player feel invincible: A great coach sees another level in you. A level above where you think you can go. And they push you to go there... Doing things you never dreamed you could possibly do makes you think it's possible. "We are in a era where mediocrity and average is okay." "If you want to, you can lay in bed all day, have your iPad here, your TV with 250 stations, your phone, you can doordash leave your door unlocked... you never have to do anything." We need to strive to be elite and excellent Being grateful for the hard work -- What it leads to... X & O's are not the most important part of football: "Young people will live up to your expectations or down to your expectations almost all the time." "It's our job to place the level of those expectations." The elite performers hit the level of expectations set and then keep going. The confidence a coach gives his/her players by exhibiting an incredible work ethic: "It has everything to do with making sure I'm prepared. I want to control what I can control. I don't want to be the weak link." "To prepare, I need to be in a quiet place. I became a morning guy in college. I was majoring in Math. It was tough." Delayed gratification -- Voluntary hardship: The ability to delay gratification is a super power "Instant gratification is what everyone wants now." -- Foresight: People have less foresight now than they used to. They have instant access to everything they want at all times "If you are unsuccessful, look in the mirror. The competition is not real stiff. If you have some foresight and a strong work ethic, you can do whatever you want. Most people don't have that foresight." The difference between winning teams and losing teams Winning teams: The players were empowered, had ownership. and they (the players) held each other accountable. "You can coach them as hard as you want and they will respond as long as they know you care about them." "It's a lot harder when you care." Why stay as a high school coach? "I love the high school atmosphere. I love the age, I love everything about high school. I love the challenge. You take whatever comes in the doors. There's no recruiting. You do the best you can with what you're given. I love everything about these guys." "In my 43 years of coaching, I've never felt like I've had a job." Why offensive line? "It was the biggest learning off-season of my career." "Offensive linemen is by far the hardest position to succeed at. It's also the most impactful of winning games." "They are the least athletic players on the field by far. They do the most important job, yet they are the least athletic." "It's a tremendous challenge. And I love challenges. I love seeing them succeed." How to earn respect: Must exhibit leadership, mental toughness, and discipline -- "You can't ask anything of anyone else if you're not willing and already doing it yourself." You have to care and it has to show how much you care about people. You have to do more than other people. Advice to his son Brent Ullery (head coach of Centerville High School): "You have to formulate things you believe in. You have to have strong beliefs. Formulate your beliefs not based on what you did when you played, but base them on what you've learned from all of your experiences. Don't let the outside noise influence you." Framework for continuous improvement and ability adapt: "Listen and learn. I'm a better learner today than any year of my life. When I started out coaching I thought I knew everything. Then I realized I knew nothing." Learning talks with Coach Gregg every morning -- "I would meet him every morning and we would talk about everything. Some about football, but more about people. He was a master about human nature and motivating young people." The main idea with continual learning is "you've never arrived." "You've never arrived, you're always becoming." How to effectively lead peers/friends: As a leader, it becomes your responsibility to lift others up and expect more of them -- Sometimes when you have to make difficult choices to prioritize leadership over friendship The moment that Kirk Herbstreit became a leader (he was a quarterback at Centerville High School) It's much easier to follow. But far less fulfilling. You have to make the choice to lead daily. The sacrifices made to be accountable to teammates -- Doing everything within your power to maximize your ability Laying the foundation for future generations Having the willingness to go get what you want -- Don't let anything get in your way Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full Show Notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com #324: Charles Fishman Charles Fishman is the acclaimed author of One Giant Leap, A Curious Mind (with Brian Grazer), The Wal-Mart Effect, and The Big Thirst. He is a three-time winner of the Gerald Loeb Award, the most prestigious prize in business journalism. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = They insist on excellence. "The work needs to be as good as it can be." Getting to the moon was the largest project in the history of civilization Clarity of the mission - Everyone must know the goal Must keep people motivated Standards must be clear - And the reasoning behind each action (intentional) President Kennedy was frustrated with how the U.S. was doing versus the Russians in space. He needed to make a bold statement. When it was made, the administration felt there was a 50/50 shot that it could happen. It was important to announce broad goal and the reason behind it "Take the stairs" - Think of it as a blessing. "I get to do this." Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. "A master stroke of leadership because it was a stretch goal, but it wasn't insanity." It must be balanced. There are tapes of JFK talking scientific discovery where it was obvious he had little understanding of it. --> It's important to have people you have confidence in leading areas where you're lacking knowledge. "If JFK wasn't assassinated, we may not have gone to the moon. He was starting to get cold feet about the cost." The space program created a culture of learning from failure: "Every single failure had to be investigated, understood, and resolved." "No Random Failures" was the motto. "Every failure is a gift." -- There were 14,000 recorded failures in testing. Collaboration -- How to keep so many people aligned? There were 400,000 people from 20,000 companies working on the Apollo missions! NASA's management style: Clearly defined roles - What are your solutions to the problems? Gave assignments and qualities that needed to be met NASA had a culture where they brought everyone together for in person meetings. "Every minute of a mission would be walked through." There was transparency and decisions got made. Get people together in person and do something important. This built camaraderie among the dispirit teams. Bill Tindall -- A mission planning genius on space navigation. He was also gracious, self-effacing, and had a great sense of humor. Bill respected what others had done, had respect for the mission. He had the confidence to be calm. A different person who used a different manner would have been a disaster working with the leaders at MIT. People have to be persuaded to follow you. Both Gene Kranz and Bill Tindall were unafraid to hear input. They were confident enough to find the right answer (wherever it came from). We are entering the most exciting time in space travel (Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos)

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Text LEARNERS to 44222 #322: Ian Leslie Ian Leslie is a London-based journalist and author of critically acclaimed books about human behavior. He is currently writing a new book on "productive disagreement", which will be published in 2020. Ian also created, wrote and performed in the BBC radio comedy Before They Were Famous. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Have the ability to think about their own thinking -- Step outside and reflect Know that you'll say "I don't know" frequently Breadth -- A range of interests Interested in building knowledge and an awareness that it might not pay off (and being ok with that) Ian built his life around curiosity -- He was a strategist for ad agencies. He needed to deeply understand his clients. That is a job built on curiosity. "I am a curiosity driven writer." Children are born curious... "People are born with habits/knowledge to survive." And then they stop. There's no evolutionary impulse to keep going. It becomes a conscious choice to cognitive resources and time The two types of curiosity Diversive: Hunger for new information. It comes from an information gap. Agatha Christie understands how to create an information gap to keep you turning the page Epistemic: Desire to acquire knowledge/build/assimilate into networks in your brain. It requires discipline. It's engendered. It's diversive curiosity grown up. "There is a rising premium on people with a high need for cognition." NFC (need for cognition) is a scientific measure of intellectual curiosity "Taking action. Doing... is a form of learning. They are intertwined." Reflecting on own habits -- use self as a lab experiment... Then talk with others. Empathically curious -- Being curious about what's inside of other person's head. How they think and feel. "You're going to be come a better communicator being a better listener." Atul Gawande -- Ask the unscripted question. Make a human connection. Have 10% of your brain switched on to "Am I talking too much?" How to have productive disagreements: Don't avoid it Have disagreements we both can live with "You'll have more productive disagreement if you're curious about the other person." People who have a higher level of scientific curiosity... They don't rush to judgement. Think, "Oh, I wonder why I think that?" "Nobody has trained us in how to disagree with each other." "You have this choice in judgement and curiosity." Life/Career advice: "Be interested in everything. Go deep in one area." Have core people in your life and foster the weak ties. Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning and discovering as they grow older. Which side of the "curiosity divide" are you on?

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #322 with Julie Zhuo Julie Zhuo is the VP of Product Design for Facebook. She was the first-ever intern for the company. She leads the team responsible for the Facebook App. Julie is known as one of Silicon Valley's top product design executives, she leads the teams behind some of the most popular web and mobile services used by billions of people around the world. Julie writes about technology, great user experiences, and leadership on her popular blog "The Year of the Looking Glass" as well as publications like the New York Times and Fast Company. She is the best-selling author of, The Making Of A Manager.

Jay Acunzo, founder of Marketing Showrunners and author known for his insights on creativity at work, discusses the importance of questioning best practices and nurturing curiosity in leadership. He emphasizes intrinsic motivation and the need for leaders to be both open-minded and skeptical, drawing inspiration from Anthony Bourdain's interviewing style. Acunzo also critiques outdated decision-making norms, encourages aspirational thinking over rigid goals, and highlights the significance of cultural fluency and intuition in making impactful choices.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #320: Rick Smith Full Show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Rick Smith is the founder and CEO of Axon. Axon currently employs over 1,300 people. A pioneer of technology with the vision of making the bullet obsolete, Rick founded the original company, TASER, in 1993. As the TASER device became ubiquitous in law enforcement, Rick pushed the company beyond weapons technology and towards a broader purpose of matching technology to public safety needs in order to make the world a safer place. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a garage in Tucson to a NASDAQ-listed global market leader. Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = Initiative -- "They see what needs to be done and they do it." Rick started the company out of his garage in Arizona in 1993 More on taking initiative: "Don't wait for people to tell you what to do. Highlight it and fix it." Luke Larson was an individual contributor when the company had 250 employees. He challenged Rick on an issue and offered a solution. He is now the President of a 1,300 person company Mindset -- Build a culture that rewards challenging the status quo "Tell the ugly truth" "Anyone can challenge any idea" Qualities Rick looks for in hiring: Need to want to be with them Initiative - they need to step up and do work Intellectual curiosity - someone who seeks better answers No time for hierarchical people -- they cannot be threatened by 'up and comers' "You want to hire people that are literally better than you. You have to learn to embrace that." "It's so liberating to know that I don't have to be right." Why try to eliminate the bullet? "In 1993, two friends were shot and killed. I thought, 'why are bullets still a thing?'" "Don't wait until you have the perfect business plan. Have a simple concept you believe in and get to work." "Focus on solving a big problem" The first seven years did not go well. Rick was fortunate to have his dad fund it... However, it led to a difficult relationship when the business wasn't going well. He had immense pressure for it to succeed. They fixed their core product and it began catching on with law enforcement agencies They own 100% of the taser market "I'm a libertarian guy. I don't want to take anything away from anyone." "But people romanticize guns. The real world is messy. We make mistakes." "Why use lethal force instead of a taser?" What about the phrase: "Don't take a knife (or taser) to a gun fight?" "How about, 'Don't get into a gun fight.'" The book (End Of Killing): "Our goal is to replace the gun long term. The book is me sharing what I believe that nobody else believes." Have to respect ideas "It's a good sign if people initially think you're crazy" Keys to building a team at work that sees a higher mission? "You must have an authentic mission." "Don't say you're changing the world unless you actually are." "My goal is to inspire the right team and then get out of their way." "I'm now the chief storyteller of the business." Career advice: "Find a job where you get to feel the impact of what you want to create. What are the big picture things you want to accomplish." "The people who are most effective see what needs to be done and they go and do it." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #319: Jim Clifton Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Personal Excellence 2.0 workshop: www.RyanHawk.me Jim Clifton has served as CEO of Gallup, a global leader in consulting and public opinion research and analytics, since 1988. Under his leadership, Gallup has expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 30 offices in 20 countries and regions. Leaders who sustain excellence = They don't set out to get rich, they have a purpose that drives them The mission overpowers everything else They build advantages for themselves through compound learning -- Stack your learning Teach the "story of the day" Be part of really hard projects -- the front line war battles Advice to someone earlier in their career? Focus and double down on your strengths CEO of Gallup -- The beginning... Won a big account (Cargill) -- It was huge to create momentum for his new business Don Clifton (Jim's dad) built the StrengthsFinder -- And then bought Gallup in 1988 The StrengthsFinder was built from 34 themes Don was a scientist. He went on bombing raids and was a war hero as a lead bomber. A navigator. It's The Manager is the biggest discovery they've made When studying the truly great companies, the commonality is the management How to create a high development culture? People want to be developed -- And then find the role that fits their unique strengths to maximize their potential What Jim looks for when making hiring decisions: Drive They love to practice... They like to work Where have your most talented people come from? "Stars were recruited by the managers themselves." Great managers know great people. "Presentations matter. A manager must get good at it." Managers must be great coaches: "Coaching is sitting down and sharing purpose..." Shock and Awe visitors that meet at your office: "The entrance to your building show wow them." Small details are very important. Landscaping matters. Pay attention to the feeling you get when you drive up to the building. It helps with your internal employees as well. "People join because of the company and leave because of their boss." Currently, only 34% of works are engaged (according to Gallup poll) India/China are at 6% The issue with promoting the top performer at a role (Example: The #1 sales rep becomes the manager) The top individual contributor doesn't always make the best coach. In fact, often times, they don't. Give superstar individual contributors bigger titles and more money as a way to promote them. Don't force them to management when they don't show the desire or ability to lead others. "There must be two paths." "Leaders need to see the future well, and excite others. The good ones have an unusual relationship with risk." The Gender Gap Statistically, women run more engaged teams than men How to manage and nurture creativity? Need ideas from teams close to the action (have a front line obsession) You want intrapreneurship and foster an environment for that to pull out the great ideas The difference in two teams: The best negotiators are the ones who do their homework Present in a neutral way, calm, collected, ask questions, try to learn, better understand the other person's position When you work for a bad boss, you get cognitive contraction: You lose levels of intelligence When you work for a great boss, you get cognitive expansion: You become smarter, innovate more, and do better work A boss has incredible power. And that power needs to be used for good.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Full shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com #318: Clark Kellogg - How To Take Control Of Your Personal Development *This episode was recorded live in front of a 200 person audience in Dayton, Ohio at the Sonny Unger Memorial Banquet. Clark Kellogg serves as one of the the premier voices in college basketball. He works for CBS Sports. In 1997, Kellogg joined CBS Sports full-time as a studio/game analyst for college basketball coverage and was one of three in-studio hosts for March Madness. In March 2010, Kellogg played a game of H.O.R.S.E. against U.S. President Barack Obama. The game, called "P.O.T.U.S." for the occasion, was won by Obama. Prior to that, Clark was an All-American at Ohio State University. In 1982, Kellogg declared for the NBA draft after his junior year of college and was a 1st round draft pick (8th overall) of the Indiana Pacers. In his first season, he was selected as a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team. Converse signed him to an endorsement deal, to release his own Converse "Special K" sneaker. Notes: Take control of your own development - This is YOUR responsibility. That's your property. Be intentional about growing and getting better and improving. It's not just the big things. It's the small things. Who are you associating with? How are you impacting them? Who do you want to be? There are a lot of distractions, there will be bumps, headwinds... Own your development." Control the controllables: your attitude, your effort, your faith. The most effective leaders are "others centered." This is a distinct and intentional process to help elevate others. Mindset: The battlefield for a lot of our challenges is in our own mind. Attitude impacts how we move forward. "Never major in minor things." Most of life's disappointments are not major in the context of the bigger picture. Don't make mountains out of molehills. Focusing on just one sport versus playing multiple sports. Growing up with a dad who was a policeman in Cleveland, OH. Advice to parents -- Expose your children to a variety of opportunities and support their passions Needs to be an interest and a desire on your kids part Having athletically talented kids (son played college basketball and professionally. A daughter who plays college volleyball). Focus on fun and fundamentals: If you have an aptitude to go to the higher levels as you get older, then focus Discussed why he went to Ohio State -- Clark was a top three player in America at the time. The intensity of the rivalry with Indiana and playing against Bobby Knight What it was like getting a show named after him from Converse The makeup of a great coach: A passion for the role of leading people A willingness to adapt and adjust to the changes in the game and personalities on the team An effective communicator -- What you desire and what needs to be done Set the tone of humility of accountability Genuine -- They are themselves -- "Players can pick up on phonies quickly" This establishes trust "Are they getting better because you've been their coach?" -- That's the question a coach should always ask themselves A coach should always be developing their players What to look for in a teammate? Consistency of attitude and effort "Don't want the volatile person who is up and down. I want consistency." Being able to accept criticism and coaching Able to constructively criticize others in a positive way "Who you are should not fluctuate based on where you are. There should be a consistency in who you are. That's something that should be worked on and you should be intentional about it. Authenticity is powerful and impactful." The moment of having his career cut short (only 26 years old) because of a knee injury: "It was brutal initially, but came to peace with it after having multiple surgeries and realized I couldn't play anymore." Starting the next career -- TV broadcasting Humbling self and starting at Cleveland State as an analyst. Back to the basics, starting from the bottom "I didn't become good at basketball right away. If I'm going to do this well, I need to start where I need to start. I got the reps. Radio was great training. You have to be fairly quick." The importance of having mentors and being a mentor for others "How do I become excellent at this thing I'm interested in?" "You need to be unique, but you need to be you." You must be authentic. "Everyone can relate to food." Use food analogies in basketball. Using your personality as part of your craft to be relatable. Working with Charles Barkley: "It's exactly as it appears. Charles is a personality, successful businessman, and very smart." Playing basketball at the White House with President Obama -- Losing to him in P.O.T.U.S How Larry Bird was the best trash-talker Clark played against How Clark prepares for a broadcast: "I'm consistent in the process to be ready in the moments as they unfold." Visit team's practices, review notes from prior year, watch a lot of games on TV, chart each game watched -- "You remember things better when you write it down. I'm always taking notes when I watch games." Who are you associating with? Who do you want to be? What are you doing to be that? Live a life of gratitude. Salt water and fresh water can't come from the same spring. You cannot be thankful and hateful at the same time. Be grateful for what you have while striving to improve. Excellent leaders = Be "others" centered. "Others" focused. They want to help elevate others. Be available and giving of yourself to others. Help mentor people earlier in their career. Good habits are hard to break. Build good habits.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #317: Susan Cain - The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking Join us for our annual workshop - Personal Excellence 2.0 -- Click HERE for dates and availability Full Shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com Susan Cain is the author of the world-wide bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking, which has been translated into 40 languages, is in its seventh year on the New York Times best seller list, and was named the #1 best book of the year by Fast Company magazine, which also named Cain one of its Most Creative People in Business. LinkedIn named her the 6th Top Influencer in the world. Leaders who sustain excellence = Understand that soft is hard and hard is soft. Soft skills = essential skills. They are hard, but essential to develop. Leaders in corporate America surprise Susan She expected a lot of resistance from others, but her ideas have been embraced. The responsibility Susan feels for making "introverting so hard" a cool thing to say... It wasn't before her book. People would hide the fact they were an introvert prior to Quiet being published and/or lie on personality tests The point is not to say that you should want to be an introvert or an extrovert -- We need both. Charisma = magic "The wind howls but the mountain remains still." We moved from being --> To being a culture of personality. Susan's roots: A Harvard educated lawyer Building a Negotiation Consulting business after leaving the corporate world How can an introvert be a good negotiator? The best negotiators are the ones who do their homework Present in a neutral way, calm, collected, ask questions, try to learn, better understand the other person's position Romantic relationships - An extrovert and introvert getting married -- "you must really understand the other person's preferences are legitimate." When should you act more extroverted than you are? We should all step outside of our comfort zones, but be intentional about it. An introvert who is a public speaker (like Susan) must do this to share the message with groups of people. What are your core projects? When in service of others, do it. Restorative niches --> After a keynote (for an introvert), go to your hotel room and relax alone (to restore energy expended speaking) Why is cool overrated? In the Enron scandal, Vince Kaminski was the "uncool introverted nerd." He was the unsung hero in the scandal. He figured out what was happening in advance. They told him, "You're like the police and we don't like that." The process to sell the proposal for Quiet: Started writing it in 2005. Agent shopped it an received 12 offers --> A bidding frenzy The importance of writing the "first crappy draft." Take the feedback as a gift Most successful authors have had a lot of help

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #316: Cal Newport - How To Choose A Focused Life In A Noisy World Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University who studies the theory of distributed systems. In addition to his academic work, he writes about the intersection of technology and culture.Cal is the author of six books, including, most recently, the New York Times bestseller, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. Join us for our annual Personal Excellence workshop. Go to www.RyanHawk.me for details Full shownotes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com "Be unambiguously good at something important. Head's down with an apprenticeship mindset." Show Notes: Leaders who sustain excellence = They know what matters and get after it They are not easily distracted... They have the ability to be intensely focused on the task at hand at a tactical level Train to be so good they can't ignore you Concentrate intently -- Introverts are happier doing this. But it's also a trainable skill. Cal's background: theoretical computer science computation group - Focus and master on a small number of things How to be "so good they can't ignore you?" They want a secret formula. That's not how it works. It's not about a life hack. "The reality is simpler... 'Be relentlessly good at something valuable.' Deep Work = Focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. This skill is more valuable. It's how you learn complicated things and produce at a high level. Culture-wise - We are getting worse at deep work We need to be able to be locked in to produce something valuable for work... Deep work can also be personal development. There is overlap. Digital Minimalism Unexpected consequences of technology = Our attention is captured by glowing screens Phones = Completely banish solitude. We are never alone with our own thoughts anymore. Do one or two things a day without your phone. Force solitude. Why do we have a compulsive need to look at our phone? Social media has been engineered to do this... Junk food is built the same way. Cal has never had a social media account. A 30 day digital declutter: Be away from optional technology for 30 days. Detox -- Give yourself time and space to see what you value outside of work. Then ask, "What technology do I want in my life?" What's the best way to use technology? For someone who loves Twitter (like me) for the gathering of interesting people? Create a curated reading list from Twitter. Click all the useful links to articles, then block out time to just read those. The power of going on walks: "I walk a lot. That's how I think." Walking with no phone -- It creates reflection, insight, thinking. Do walking meetings. Get sun - get outside. It's a form of 'productive meditation.' Focus on a single problem for that walk Thoughts on Kliff Kingsbury building in time every 30 minutes for his players to check their phones? "This is not good. Concentration matters. Especially in football." Use the "Get To Know You Document" Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea